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It was a beautiful weekend on Lake Shelbyville; the weather was nice, the site was wonderful and the battle was epic. There’s little more that one could ask for in an Amtgard event, from the feast to the gate favor, its what you wish Amtgard was like all the time. Keep on the Borderlands was the brainchild of Sir Michael, Hammer of God in collaboration with Kings Wisp and Kaads, as well as a team of very talented individuals that pulled together one of the best events I’ve ever had the privilege to attend.

The competition-centric event began with the One Art, One Science tourney. A very interesting concept that required contestants wishing to score points for their team to enter one item to be considered art, and one to be considered science. There was a lot of stiff competition, as teams brought out some amazing stuff to showcase their talents. In the end, though, it was Sir Deckland of the Rising Winds who stood as the victor with his Champions Belt (not sure on the actual title of the entry, but imagine the old school WWF belts).

Next came the Gauntlet Battle. I was really looking forward to participating in this game, but didn’t arrive on site in time. By all accounts, it was a whole lot of fun for everyone who played. The layout was in a large square area and teams had 4 members. The Sword and Shield Warrior with a hardened shield, The Valkyrie with a single hardened sword and throwing weapons, The Wizard with lightning bolts and immunity to projectiles, and the Archer, turreted outside the ring with only 4 shots that he must chose wisely. To hear the stories told, the battle was tough and when the dust settled and the smoke cleared, Ferrum Crux stood amidst the carnage as the winners.

The Hammer of God cup came next. It was a typical double elimination warskill tournament that invited all comers to test their skill in the lists. There were a lot great fights to watch and participate in, with all entrants doing their best to climb to the top. Congratulations go out to Peter the Quick for not only winning the tourney, but also attaining the rank of Warlord. Squire Bayn of Ferrum Crux also made a great showing and took second place overall.

The Caves of Chaos night battlegame was a true test of team tactics and was hard fought by all who participated. There was also an aspect of very real danger for the unwary quester aside from the barbarian hordes, vile monsters and of course the other army in that if you strayed too far from the well-marked path you’d likely fall to your death (or at least discomfort) in one of the ravines prevalent in Illinois lake country. I personally had an encounter with such a ravine and am still picking burrs from my garb pants. The quest itself however was fun and well written by King Sir Wisp with teams of five entering the maze and having to meet up with 20 fellow teammates in order to enter the central cavern and face the mighty minotaur. Congrats to the Blue Army for defeating the monster, and the Black Heaven squad of the Red army for looting the relic, Heimdale’s Horn.

The Node Capture game took place the following day and was a great time. The two armies faced off against each other in a contest to hold as many of the various control points, or nodes, as they could for the longest time possible. The fighting was fierce and the need for good team tactics became quickly apparent. The surrounding woods made for excellent cover and strategic placement of units. All in all, it was a successful and well planned game.

The Caravan Battle was the stuff of Amtgard legend. It consisted of one team moving the caravan cart (which was added a lot to the production value of the event by itself) playing regular class rules, with two other teams playing by militia style and attacking in order to stop the caravans movement. All the stops got pulled out for this one, as everyone was hungry for victory.

After all the days fighting, it was time to eat an awesome feast of Roast Beef, mashed potatos with gravy and vegetables. Sir Rammork was kitchen master and head chef for the wonderful food and everyone enjoyed it. Court then took place and many well deserved awards were handed out along with the trophies for the event. The overall winners by just a few points were Frenzy United, a new company out of Rising Winds led by Sir Heydeez. Huge congratulations to what is sure to be a new powerhouse here in the midwest. The knighting of Sir Konrad took place as well, and I for one was glad to bear witness to the knife being dropped on an individual who has given so much of his time, effort and personal resources to the game over the years.

All in all, I cant really express how great this event was with mere words. The games, the site, the ditching, the nightlife, all of it was beyond amazing. Dont just take my word for it though...

“It was a great ‘hat’ event” - Squire Shady WL

“The event was a fantastic. The games where great, everything ran on time, food was good. The atmosphere was the best. It has been a long time since the RW has captured this type of friendly environment in a long time.” - Sir Deckland RW

“I was so amazed with how awesome such a complicated event was ran. The team of individuals who ran or helped out the event did such a fantastic job. An event like that should be the goal for any event planner.” Squire Malfurion (Scooter) RW

“Wagon 5 - Amtgard 0 “ - Squire Thorpe, IM

-Reporting Squire Kenshin of Tal Dagore

Report from inland Ocean Coronation 2010 Wetlands Althing 6.2010 Dragonspine coronation 5.14.2010