Medieval Hunt and Quest

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Location: Dreiburgen Glen Helen Park, Riverside, CA Date: November 6-7, 1976

This event was sponsored by the College of Equestrian Arts.

Highlights

• The Quest and a Bardic Circle on Saturday
• A Skulking Contest
• Demonstrations of falcons and wolfhounds in action on Sunday
• Archery and spear-throwing
• A boar hunt
• A trail ride

From the Crown Prints

(From the December 1976 issue)

The College of Equestrian Arts and the Principality of Caid sponsored a Quest and Grand Medieval Hunt on November 6 and 7 at Glen Helen Regional Park in Dreiburgen. We could not have asked for a more beautiful day. A short informational session was held, followed by a demonstration of equestrian skill at the Equestrian Center. Prince Morven, Princess Bevin, Cliveden d'Cheux, and Katie Twohey, able assisted by Hondo and Happy (more about then later) exhibited their ability at dressage, lunging, and jumping. Several weekend participants wee given the opportunity to practice riding.

At 1:00 the innovative Caid Grande March was held, to the accompaniment of Raoul the Urbane and his Troope of Recorders (which include Baroness Alison von Markheim, Brann Morgan Dunmore of Galloway, Phalea, and others--we would like the names, please! There is absolutely not truth to the rumor that this is Lord Conrad von Regensburg's favorite type of march! Announcement were minimal for a change and as Prince Morven was about to disband the gathering, a creature known as the Wicked Whatever (Fiona stepped forward and challenged him. He had neglected to invite her to any event during his reign, she charged, and so she was gonig to take her revenge. She placed the Princess under a spell which promptly put her to sleep. (Thank heaven for the willing suspension of disbelief on the part of all the participants!) Morven beseeched his people to go on quest to find the antidote to Bevin's magical sleep.

The quest groups formed and check out at a little store that Lady Eyana bat David had set up. She had stocked all manner of paraphernalia that the questers "might" need such as gold coins, magic potions, and crosses--"Hedgia's out there, you know," remarked Eyana. Armed thusly with a map and various important things, the question groups set out.

The first station they came to was a Druid (Gwydiaan am y'Gorlwyn in a black caftan with hood, and face completely masked in black) and a Magic Bird (Su of the Silver Horn) who could be heard all through the forest. From here, it was on down a twisting path to a Troll (Arrigan of Kerry who had donned a waist-length red wig, no less.) His name, not surprisingly, was Irwin (well, it's anachronistic, isn't it?) You had to get his name, which was spelled out by the first letter of each line on the clue you got from the Druid.

Then it was on to the Horse Goddess (Cliveden) and her faithful blacksmith (Katie Twohey) who was cleaning her horse's hooves. (Happy is her beautiful black horse who is in the process of getting his winter coat and who now has the cleanest feet in California!) You had to name a famous horse in order to get the Horse Goddess' help. (Ask Lord Daniel the Bard how to pronounce "Bucephalus"!) She gave you a Golden Horseshoe to be delivered to the Frost King. From there it was up a hill to the Gypsy Camp. You were met along the way by a truly gruesome-looking old woman (Ann Christopher of Cheshire). The Gypsies were led by a fellow with an unpronounceable name (Auberon Cirin). Other recalcitrant Romanies were Lord Charles of Dublin, Lady Marguerite the Uncoordinated, Hedgia du Loup, Matilda, and Katherine. By far the most frightening was a tall, rangy boy with long pale white fingernails and hair sprouting all over his hands and face--he looked like a Werewolf with a severe case of moult! (Tristram of Ravensgate, about whom more will be told anon regarding this particular guise.) Bargaining with the Gypsies, as always, was difficult, not to mention that one slim fellow placed a needed clue somewhere on someone's person and then you all had to figure out where! (Charles, where DID you learn how to do that???)

Down the hill again and across a small field to The Oracle (who sounded suspiciously like Mistress Bevin--it could not have been the Princess, because SHE was under a spell, remember?) She gave you a clue and sent you over hill-and-dale to the lair of the Frost King (Prince Morven elegantly disguised in ice blue, of course) and the Snow Maiden (Lady Gabrielle nicChlurain, also in ice blue satin. Also in attendance was His Highness' horse, Hondo. (Hondo is a very nice Palomino who was extremely well-behaved during the quest, due in no small part to the cold stream that ran along the site.) He sent you to the Blazoning Beast, which almost defies description--Lord Renfield and Lady Joan of Crawfordsmuir under a kelly-green piece of cloth which had holes cut in it for eyes, nose, and mouth of each, with a long chain around the neck of both so as to make it look like a two-headed monster. Stuck in the chain at random intervals were yellow construction paper trumpets. The opposite arm of each rested on the table, having been painted a bilious green (the arms, not the table!)

Lord Renfield's beautiful herald's cloak was spread out on the table. To the uninformed observer, they looked like a two-headed, ski-masked bank robber! Before you could get a clue from it/them, you had to guess about whom they were talking in heraldese. (Example: Prince Morven's arms are Check, gules and or, a bear sejant erect proper. Clues being tossed out: "He beareth arms of a local university" and "If you don't believe us, you can check it out.") One other choice piece of dialogue ran as follows:
Renfield: "Do you want to give the clue in English or in Unison?"
Joan: "You KNOW I don't speak Unison!"<br.
The last station was the Black Knight (Lady Anna McAyre of Gorabh who was hold two maidens captive: Kate of the Silver Dragonfly, the Fair and Karen of the Silver Dragonfly, the Sweet). Either you killed the Knight in a boffer fight, or he killed your fighter (whom you revived with a Golden Apple which you had gotten from the Druid and the Bird) and died laughing. In any event, the two ladies sent a clue wafting on the breeze to you from their tower and then it was back to camp to find the person indicated by the clues and clock in. The Offical Clocker was none other than the Baron of Dreiburgen, Waldt von Markheim.

The quest being ended and everyone having returned in varying states of exhaustion (after all, it was a 2-mile quest course), it was time for dinner. Well, almost time for dinner. A little glitch had developed. It appeared that the Gypsies and most especially the creature poor Tristram had created had scared the h-ll out of a group of 9-to-11 year-old Girl Scouts, who were on their first camp-out and were now afraid to sleep out of doors at the site for fear of these gypsies. Mistress Bevin and Fiona went to the rangers and suggested that the Girl Scouts come to the campfire that evening and meet us all and find out that the gypsies were just grown-ups playing a dress-up game.

Other participants included:

• Randolph the Devious
• Jane Ann
• Marcus
• Conrad von Regensburg
• Duryn the Red
• Robear du Bois
• Martin the Temperate
• Henrik of Havn
• Karin von Schatten
• John ap Griffin
• Bjo of Griffin

(More to be added. . . -- Natalya)

Memories

• Feel free to add your memories of this event.

More Information

• This event on The History of the Kingdom of the West website

Events 1976

Events of Caid
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