Great Desert War

Photo

Great Desert War Gate
Sign by Eadwynne of Runedun

Information

Location:	Atenveldt (Bouse AZ)
Date:	Feb. 1983 & 84

The Great Desert War took place in Atenveldt in February of 83 & 84, it was a major interkingdom war which had Atenveldt and Caid as the primary sides.

#	Great Desert War	Sides	Caidan Crown
1	Great Desert 1983	Caid vs. Atenveldt	Adrian II and Ealasaid
2	Great Desert 1984	No Kingdom Sides	Kipp and Berengaria

Autocrats

From the Crown Prints

Event Steward (as dictated by the Royals) Duke Christopher of Houghton, liaison to the Crowns

Duties: Combat Scenarios, News letter submissions.

Merchant Autocrat Master Zoltan Kovacs A.K.A Kirby

Duties: Merchant reservations etc.

Site Autocrat Lord Elgil Mardil of Dor-Mallos of House Drachenstern

Duties: Everything Else.

Great Desert I

SITE RULES (There were only seven)

Park in the parking area only. After unloading, cars must be moved to maintain the medieval atmosphere and to keep the dust down. Handicapped may be exempt, see autocrat.
No illegal substances of any kind. Violators will be turned over to the La Paz County Sheriffs department for prosecution. (he was on site.)
All animals must be on leash or in a cage at all times (this is a county ordinance). Horses must be housed in the stables.
There will be no undue noise allowed after 9 pm or before 9 am or during court or whenever asked politely to stop by an official.
Camping is allowed in authorized areas only.
Autocrats and other camp officials can be contacted at the towers across from the Medic/Sheriff station. If you need help see them; they have the final say in all disputes.
Fire pits will be subject to sheriff approval, so locate them safely away from tents.

Started out on Saturday as a Kingdom vs. Kingdom war. Up until tempers flared and the Crown Prince of the West’s hand was badly broken. One contributing factor was that this was the famous day in which both the Caidan and Atenveldt armies were lined up for an open field battle and a hold was called. Both armies were then left to rot in the sun while the Knights and Royals held a Battle of champions. By the time hats on was called moods were dark and ugly. His Western Highness got a trip to Parker General and Saturday combat ended at midday along with the Kingdom vs. Kingdom war.

Sunday was fought with mixed teams.

Great Desert II

Considering the troubles that resulted from the Kingdom vs. Kingdom scenarios the previous year the Great Desert War Council insisted on war games with mixed teams.

COMBAT RULES

All fighters will be properly armoured as required by their own Kingdoms
Except as modified below, the Rules of the List are in force
The rule declaring immunity from attack when a weapon is dropped is waived
The guidelines for engaging before attacking are waived for bridge battles, and for open field battles, or portions thereof which are conducted with coherent mass formations.
"HOLD" will be called for broken weapons, injuries, and equipment failure of a serious nature. As soon as the user of the failed equipment is made aware of the situation, they will withdraw to take appropriate action and combat will resume. As soon as the injured fighter is attended to, that fighter will withdraw or be removed, if necessary, and all attendant persons will withdraw from the field and fighting will be resumed.
Barriers are described before the battle. One may not walk on water, through stone, or around a complete wall, nor can equipment be removed "from water."
Any fighter that swings a pole weapon more than 90 degrees is dead in that battle and disqualified from using pole weapons.in subsequent battles of the war. The same applies for those who thrust with a pole weapon while running, nor shall a pole weapon be braced against, extended, nor thrust at a fighter who is running against it.
Any fighter whose helm comes off or becomes seriously dislodged; or whose visor pops open, is dead in that battle and must repair the helm to the satisfaction of the Marshals before using it in subsequent fights.
Fighters chased or pushed out-of-bounds during a battle are "routed" and may not return to the fighting area. This includes fighters who fall into or retreat into "water."
If a fighter slips and falls, he may be killed by a foe who holds him at weapon's point, saying, "You are dead, my lord." He is dead regardless of his defensive position. The captor shall not strike the captive, nor shall the captive strike the captor while either or both are fallen to the ground.
Dead fighters are dead. They cannot give advice, pass on equipment, be resurrected (excepting only by predetermined agreements of the scenario), or take any action in the aid of their side. The dead must remain on the field until they are told by a Marshal that it is safe to leave the field. Routed and removed dead fighters shall signify their mortality by raising their weapons over their heads and withdrawing out-of-bounds. They may signify their mortality by removing their helms only when it is safe to do so. Any fighter in physical danger (i.e., heatstroke, being trampled, etc.) shall withdraw from the field.
When attacking from behind, the weapon of the attacker is to be placed across the eye-slot of the opponent, in the case of a one-handed weapon; or upon the opponent's shoulder in the case of a two-handed weapon, and a phrase such as, "Dead from behind, my lord," should be LOUDLY spoken. A fighter shall NOT be struck from behind. (Jostling or light tapping in the process of placing the "killing" weapon shall not be construed as a blow).
When a hold is called, the combatants shall assume a kneeling position, excepting only where this would be impractical or dangerous. During the hole there shall be no strategic discussions, warnings, or planning. Silence shall be observed during a hold unless, as in the case of a long hold and at the Marshals' discretion, non-tactical cross chatter may be tolerated, so long as it does not impede the end of the hold. There shall be no movement of fighters during a hold, unless directed by the Marshals.
Lost tempers WILL NOT be tolerated. Any fighter who fails to maintain their personal control shall be deemed a danger and removed from the field, and their behavior reported as soon as possible to their King, Prince, and/or Senior Marshal. It shall be noted that even in war, the basic tenants of Chivalry and Courtesy shall be observed at all times.

FROM THEIR MAJESTIES: We are greatly pleased that the Great Desert War with Atenveldt was successful. There were over 260 fighters on the field, yet less that five problems came to Our attention. We are glad to see that we can kill each other with joy. We hope that all who attended returned with new friends from another kingdom. We did. ~ Kipp, Rex Caidis and Beringeria, Regina Caidis

The Site

40 acres of undeveloped privately owned land in Bouse AZ surrounded by BLM land which camping could be expanded onto. Located on Hwy 72 thirty miles east of Parker.

Land Development

All development of this site was planed specifically for SCA weekend event use.

Between October 15 1982 and February 18 1983 Built horse stables, water towers, road signs, dug the moats for two forts one round one square, roads had been graded and packed, cleared the parking lot of all brush, and purge 20 acres of cactus and ran off most all of the undesirable creators.

Between February 26 1983 and February 17 1984 Built combat archery tower, shade frame for Chirurgeon/water bearers station, improved the stables, graded more roads, increased camping space, cleared archery range, drilled a well, trenched and laid over 1260 feet of pipe, installed many faucets, purged remaining 20 acres of cactus.

Planed for GD III (had we not moved to Estrella Mountain Park) Irrigation system for Merchants Square, Shower Facility.

Attendance

Between 600 & 700

Gate Fee

$6.00

$10.00 for merchants

Memories

Report from Roger de Boeuf: As you know, the War has been moved and changes for the best have occurred. The improvements of the site include the construction of two fortresses (one for Caid, the other for Atenveldt), Horse stables will be available (which Lord Elgil Mardil of Dor-Mallos and I are in charge of); plenty of parking space and camping area (room for 1000+), and 450+ acres of fighting area. With these changes to improve the site we also hope to build a catapult and ballista. The reason I thought we should build the siege engines is because my sources in Arizona reported that the Kingdom of Atenveldt is constructing another ballista and a catapult for the coming war, and I suggest we start ours. For the past two to three months, Lord Elgil Mardil of Dor-Mallos and I planned, scheduled and encouraged a group of people from the Barony of Dreiburgen to go out to the war site and help improve the area. On October 9th, XVII (1982), our group (Dreiburgen) and Atenveldt are building up the War site. This planning and the successfulness of building up the War Site MUST BE a Team (all Baronies of Caid) effort to make it work. The Baronies can help either by donating supplies or equipment, "TIME," or money to help improve the fort, clearing cacti, dig fire pits, and erect road signs (yes, the site is big enough to need road signs). Only 90% completed as of this writing.

Photos

Building the Site

Drilling the well
Trenching and laying pipes
Building the Stables
Moat for Fort Battle. Photo by Al-Khariji abd al-Khabir Yusuf ibn Khalid.

Great Desert War I

Fort Battle GDW I
Photo by Al-Khariji abd al-Khabir Yusuf ibn Khalid.
Photo by Al-Khariji abd al-Khabir Yusuf ibn Khalid.

Great Desert War II

Photos taken from the Drachenstern tower
Photos taken from the archers tower
Photos taken from the archers tower
Great Desert War II in Atenveldt, Bouse AZ 2/18-19/84, AS XVIII, reign of Kipp and Berengaria