SCA is getting medieval on campus

It is a bright spring morning, and in the Kingdom of the East, the Shire of Nithgaard is preparing for war. This summer they will join thousands of other warriors from their kingdom to battle against the Kingdom of Midrealm.

He is one of the more accomplished fighters in the Shire of Nithgaard and is an imposing figure in his armor. As he fights, Niamh, the lady who agreed to be his queen if he wins, looks on.

As the fighters charge across the field, a group of University students gather by the edge of the lawn. They sip from HUB coffee mugs and stare at the armored combatants.

One of the fighters' wives, noticing the perplexed expressions worn by members of the small audience, turns away from watching her husband to greet them.

"Do you have any questions about what you're seeing?" she asks.

"What is this?" one of the students asks.

"This is a fight practice of the Society for Creative Anachronism, or the SCA." She says. The SCA, she explains is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to recreating the middle ages.

Long after the rest of the group has gone, one student remains. He watches the fighters and asks about what other activities are available in the SCA. The woman who greeted him leads him inside the White Building to introduce him to other members of the Shire.

She brings the young man to 109 White, where the Shire meets every Sunday to fight and fence.

Here he meets the Shire's Herald, who is introduced as Aindreas MacGhille Fhionntaugh a' Ghaoithe Airgod, but whose real or mundane name is Andrew Lindsay. Members of the SCA choose names for themselves which other members then use as their true names.

The Herald is one of the four elected officers of the Shire. As the Herald, Aindreas helps run the Shire's meetings and is responsible for helping members choose an SCA name and a coat of arms both of which are registered with the SCA College of Arms.

Aindreas has just finished fencing. As he walks over, he removes his mask, tucks his sword under his arm and extends a gloved hand to the young man. The young man says he has always been interested in fencing and asks how fencing in the SCA differs from regular fencing.

"Our fencing is in the round, not in a line." Aindreas replies. "You can use sword and dagger or two swords and the whole body is the target. It's a lot more dynamic than regular fencing."

Aindreas explains the rules of SCA fencing are different from regular fencing. It is based on an honor system.

A slap, just hitting the opponent with the blade, doesn't count. But a draw cut, a two inch drag of the blade, does damage. Draw cuts to the neck or belly are fatal. In all other areas, two draw cuts equals a thrust.

SCA fencers wear regular fencing protective gear but often wear a tunic or some sort of SCA garb over the protective jacket. They wear heavy fabrics such as denim and don't allow any skin to show.

"There's a bit of an adrenaline rush, but mostly, for me, it's just a game. I don't feel like I'm in any danger," Aindreas says.

Anyone, male or female, who is 18 or older can fence in the SCA. The Shire has loaner materials for beginners but swords can be purchased for as low as $45.

"You could get started for $150 which would get you a sword, a mask and a jacket," Aindreas tells the young man.

The young man thanks Aindreas and returns to watching the fighters. The fighters in the SCA wear real armor made of leather, metal and padding and use swords made of rattan, a bamboo-like wood, wrapped in duct tape.

This afternoon, there are 10 fighters and they have broken into two groups to fight each other.

Most of the fighters are carrying a sword and a shield, but some carry two swords or a pikestaff, a long staff that is held with both hands.

The two groups start at opposite ends of the field and begin to jog toward each other. They come within a few yards of each other and suddenly break into a run. The two sides clash and the air is filled with the sound of rattan striking metal helmets and wooden shields.

Some fighters walk off the field, others remain, circling each other, looking for an opening. Still others fall to their knees and continue fighting.

Eventually, all of the fighters from one side are eliminated and their opponents congratulate each other.

When the fighters have finished and sit down to cool off, the young man talks to some of them about their unique form of combat.

He meets Lodin of Molde, mundanely known as Bernard Pisarchick. Lodin has been fighting for some time now and is learning to fight with two swords, having started with the standard combination of sword and shield.

Lodin admits to the young man that fighting in the SCA can be a bit intimidating at first.

"Because of the armor, you don't really get hurt. But psychologically, this person is trying to kill you and you're trying not to get killed." Lodin says.

This type of fighting differs from fencing in that no blows are allowed to the knees or below and just touching the opponent isn't enough, Lodin explains. Blows have to be delivered with enough force that if it were a real sword, it would pierce the armor.

Fighters go through a training period in which they are taught to recognize a killing blow and how to fight safely.

After going through this training period, a fighter must be approved by an officer called a marshal before he can fight without close supervision. This training period usually takes a few months but varies widely.

"For me it was three months but it depends on the person," Lodin says.

The young man spends the rest of the afternoon talking with the members of the Shire and is invited to come to a meeting Thursday night in 124 Walker.

When he arrives, he is surprised at how diverse the group is. At one table, some high school students are deciding what kind of jewelry to wear with their medieval garb, children run underfoot while grad students discuss the finer points of brewing, and silver-haired men sit in the corner and talk about last year's war.

He meets Niamh de Burgh, the Shire's Chatelaine. The Chatelaine, another of the Shire's elected officers, is in charge of welcoming new members.

Niamh, whose mundane name is Cathey Chaffee, explains that while combat is the SCA's most visible activity, the SCA is dedicated to the reenactment of all aspects of medieval life.

Niamh shows the young man awards she has won for her beading and weaving.

She has been awarded the title of Mistress of Arts and Sciences for her dedication to the study of medieval art forms and points out several people in the room who are adept spinners, weavers, candle makers, brewers, jewelers and calligraphers.

She tells the young man the purpose of the SCA is to "recreate the Middle Ages as they should have been, but never were."

The young man is introduced to Lara, mundanely known as Lia Talmas (freshman-biobehavioral health). Lara is in the process of creating a SCA persona. Many members of the SCA create a persona that could have lived in some place and time within the historical scope of the Society.

This means members may create a character who lived in Europe, or a country known to Europe, from the years 600 to 1600.

Lara is unsure of exactly what kind of character she wants to create but she would like to be pagan and she wants her first name to be Lara.

She spends much of tonight's meeting talking with Aindreas about choosing a last name.

Later in the evening she discusses the other aspects of her persona; time period, location and social status with Niamh.

The young man meets Gaelen ap Fflewddwr, the Seneschal of the Shire, whose mundane name is Chris Stuart. The Seneschal is the elected leader of the Shire but Gaelen explains his position has no real power and few responsibilities. "I do the paperwork," Gaelen says.

The officers tell the young man about this summer's Pennsic war. Pennsic is the SCA's largest event and takes place each summer at Slippery Rock.

For two weeks in August, thousands of SCA members "do everything medieval except die of the plague," Niamh says.

The meeting comes to a close. Old friends say goodnight and new friends agree to meet again.

They are a diverse group, but they share a common perspective. Their's is a world where accountants can be knights, engineers can be ladies in waiting and clerks can rule kingdoms. Where chivalry is valued and honor is priceless. Where the HUB lawn is a battlefield and State College is the Shire of Nithgaard.