Yesterday I was able to participate in the local Belegarth chapter, a Medieval Combat Society. "What is a Medieval Combat Society?", you ask. Well, this chapter turned out to be about two dozen teenagers and young adults in fantasy/medieval-ish costumes with foam shields and foam core weapons (swords, polearms, axes, bow & arrow, etc.) whacking at each other with them.

It was actually a lot of fun. When I got there one of the kids (nickname: Zephyr) welcomed me and explained to me the rules (a hit on the arm incapacitates the arm, a hit on the leg means you have to fight on one knee, a body shot or two limbs gone kills you). Then as everyone showed up they checked their weapons for safety and then broke into pairs for some practice sparring. After that we had a general melee where everyone took on everyone else. And then after that we divided into two teams and played a variation of Capture the Flag.

I had a great time but of course I'm incredibly sore today, and I have several cuts on my mouth from getting whacked in the face a few times.

Oh, btw, everyone there has a fantasy style nickname. I need to come up with one for myself soon. I was thinking something related to the fact that I'm a pastor (e.g. Monk, Cleric, Father...) or the fact that I'm 10 years older than most of them (e.g. Greybeard, Wizard, Old Man...). Any suggestions?

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