Festival "Rusborg-2005"

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Festival of Early-Medieval Culture “Rusborg”

Preparatory period:

1-6 of May 2006 – spade-work, making the place ready (repairing the bridge, setting up the camp). All jobs are at JF (Joint Forces) “South Rus”.

Festival Schedule:

Festival days are 6-10 of May.
1st day
Arrival and placing.
20:00 – Commanders’ council.
2nd day
10:00 – 14:00 Competition (spear, stone, beam throwing; boards-fighting, archery).
14:00 – 18:00 Tournament.
18:45 – Control of the historical accordance of equipment.
19:00 - Fighting herd-on-herd (hill assault, forest combat).
From 21:00 – rest, drinking, eating, singing, dancing – wasting the time.
3rd day (tourists day)
In the morning – Trade fair, handicraft exhibition.
14:00 – Public show.
14:00 – Fighting program (standard, “fight-till-fall”, corridor, capture the flag).
16:00 – Final round of tournament and boards-fighting.
18:00 – Shooting with a perrie. Maybe on target.
20:00 – rest, drinking, eating, singing, dancing – wasting the time.
4th day
11:00 – Storm of the fortress.
Maybe it won’t be the single storm. Depends on the fortress condition after the first assault.
16:00 – fight on the bridge.
Ñ 20:00 – especially jolly relaxation!!! Celebrating heroes and winners!!!
5th day
Departure.

Festival rules.

“Rusborg” festival will be spent from 6th to 10th of May 2006. Organizers are JF (Joint Forces) “South Rus” and NOO “Archeolog” (Lipetzk).
Chronological period is IX - first half of XI century. Festival will run on the territory of the archeological reserve named as “Kamenskoe Gorodische” (“Kamenskoe ancient settlement”). The main content of the festival is: storm of the fortress, storm of the bridge and reconstruction of operation of the ancient siege weapon (perrie).
Registration:
-chief of your group have to report about your arrival to the organizers BEFORE you start placing your authentic tents;
-tents must be settled in according with organizer’s camp plan;
-there’ll be separate camp for the non-authentic tents;
Food, drinks and cooking:
-members care (worry) about food, water and cooking by themselves. Spring is near the camp;
-using plates, mugs and all other pots&pans made of only authentic material (wood, glass, clay and horn);
-drinking alcohol is not forbidden;
-all warriors who take part in storm or fighting must be sober by the beginning of event;
-it’s allowed to drink heady drinks only from horns or authentic mugs (made of wood, glass, clay);
-and remember please that every Viking or Slavonian who respects himself must have his own knife and spoon;
-when cooking food use only authentic pots, coppers an frying pans. All plastic, cans, tins and other modern garbage must be hidden in tents or somewhere out of sight;
-organisers provide you with firewood. You also can provide yourself with dry firewood BUT band-saws are strongly prohibited;
Members clothing:
-every member must wear authentic historical dress (replica or stylisation of IX-XI century clothes);
-no watches, modern jewelry and sun glasses;
-only authentic footwear;
-smoking is not prohibited BUT you have to smoke out of sight, near the river or in your own tent. In the night you can smoke in the camp but not near the bonfire. And don’t advertise this harmful habbit widely;
-no mobile phones. If you need to call – use it in your tent;
Transport:
-all transport must be left on special secured parking place. It’s only 50 meters far from camp;
-transport can appear in the camp only at moments of loading/unloading the cargo;
Ecology:
-there are special places for garbage. Do not leave litter around;
-use only toilets, don’t fertilize the nature;
-clean your camp place please before you leave “Rusborg”;
General behaving rules:
-no obscenities on a cosmic scale;
-no aggressive actions between members and on spectators, tourists. All conflicts and problems must be solved quietly, with a help of organizers if necessary;

Maneuvers rules.

General rules:
-all members of battle will have markers to set “your” men apart the “enemy” (coloured lag of cloth fixed on fighting hand above the elbow);
-while fighting everybody must remember that all this is our common event – so leave your extra-aggression out of battlefield (marshals will suppress all dangerous and taboo actions – member can be disqualified);
-all controversial points must be solved by marshals;
Taboo motions:
-stabbing (except spears);
- thrusting the enemy with not-fighting part of weapon (sword-hilt, axe-handle and spear-shaft);
-wrestling elements (except “fight-till-fall”);
-thrusting the “non-beaten” zone (hand, foot, nape of the neck);

1. Fortress assault.

Aim:
After sortition all members are divided into 2 groups. Every group tries to keep the fortress (time to renewal will be given after the first attack).
Fortification and storm:
There’s a fortress built a year ago, when Rusborg-1 was spent. It is 7x9 meters square, ditch is 1,5 meters wide, 1,2 metres deep. This fortress was modernized – ditch became bigger, walls became stronger.
Members can re-built the fortress, add any fortifications on their taste or let it stay as it exists. During building it’s prohibited to use band-saws. Use axes, handsaws or any authentic instrument. Any dangerous, traumatic methods of fortification like vertical sharp stakes, pitfalls, etc. – are forbidden. You better use dead-wood if plan to build something.
Assaulters can destroy all fortifications as they want. They can use any tools and destroying devices (battering rams, ladders, any shelters and so on). May use any hooks, drags to destroy walls, to break off beams, etc. Be careful, do not throw it on walls, only hitch up by hands.

Armour and weapon:

Blades & axes: Damage zone is standard (“T-shirt”, head and legs up to knees).
One hit – one point. Cutter grinding – as usual (minimum 1,5 mm).
Bows, crossbows, spears: Damage zone – “T-shirt” and legs up to knees.
Premeditated targeting the head – disqualification of shooter, later acting like simple infantryman. Arrows and spears must be blunt and have protecting heads.
One hit damaged body – means death, damaged extremity doesn’t work. Lamellar armour can’t be damaged by missile weapon.
Lances: Only lances with protected blade. Damaging zone – “T-shirt”. Premeditated thrusting the head disqualification. One fit into corps – death, damaged extremity doesn’t work.

Armour:

Helmet +2 points.
Leathern shirt +1 point.
Chain mail + 2 points (but missile weapon kills immediately).
Lamellar +4 points.
Leathern hand protection +1 point.
Metal protection of hands&legs +2 points.
Main defense rule: “Armour protects only the place that it protects”. So – points of protection for different parts of body must not be summarized.
Men without any armour has 1 point of protection.

Accordance with the historical period:

Only that armour and weapon can be used in battle that corresponds with declared historical period. It’s under the strict control of organizers.
Using equipment which is not historically correct may involve the disqualification.

2. Storm of the bridge.

Aim:

Members divide into 2 groups. One group defend the bridge, other attacks. Main aim – to push the enemy out of the bridge. It’s the bridge over Kamenka river, no hand-rails, bridge is 2 meters wide, river is 5 meters wide, depth is 0,4 meters.
Individual combats are also popular and welcome!
Rules:
1. Anybody fallen or taken a step in water is drown and must go out on his bank.
2. Do not wade the river – everybody who steps in water is accepted as drown.
3. Necessary equipment – helmet and shield.
3. Fighting herd-on-herd (line-on-line).
Requirements for the armour and weapon are the same as for the fortress assault.
3.1 Standard fight (with points)
1. People fight until three hits (maybe one hit).
2. Lances and big axes are allowed.
3.2 Fight-till-fall (no points – fight until you feel that it’s better to fall).
1. No points.
2. Lances and big axes are forbidden.
3. Cutting-down and sprint are alowed.
3.3 Forest combat.
1. Fighting with points.
2. Lances, big axes and missile weapon (spears, bows and crossbows) are allowed.
3.4 Storm of the hill.
1. Fighting with points.
2. Lances, big axes and missile weapon (spears, bows and crossbows) are allowed.
3. Aim of the attacking side – capture the hill and destroy all the enemy forces.
3.5 Capture the flag.
1. The aim is to capture the flag of the enemy and rush it in your camp, annihilation of the enemy is not necessary.
2. Fighting with points.
3. Lances, big axes and missile weapon (spears, bows and crossbows) are allowed.

4. Reconstruction of the missile machine.

There will be a new big siege machine (perrie) built by OD “South Russia”. Then volunteers can try and train shooting, competing on distance and its destroying power (shooting on specially built constructions).

Notes:

Organizers would like:
1. normal protecting armour (lamellar, chain-mail, gauntlets, chain-mail protection on helmets, etc.);
2. any hidden protection;

Organizers dislike:

1. swords weighting less than 1,5 kg and more than 3 kilograms;
2. axes of type I and III (by Kirpichnikov) – such axes won’t be allowed in fights;
3. people without helmets won’t have access to fight;

Rules of competitions.

1. Spears throwing.
Distance 10 meters, target size 0,5 meter. Target has 3 sectors of different points, member has 2 attempts of 5 spears each time. Winner must collect the most quantity of points.
2. Fight on boards.
Fighters stay face to face on two parallel planks about 20 centimeters above the ground. The plank is 25 sm wide, distance between planks – 1,2 meters.
Fight longs 1 minute or till any member falls. If they didn’t fall both – the winner is who has less hits lost. Every hit give 1 point. Damage zones – standard.
If fighters fall both – referee adds one bonus minute.
3. Stone throwing.
Stone weights about 10 kilograms. Members have 3 attempts. Winner is who will hurl the stone further.
4. Beam throwing.
Beam is a pine-tree, 2 meters long, 10 centimeters thick. Members have 3 attempts. Winner is who will hurl the stone further. Style of throwing depends on member’s imagination.
4. Tournament.
Tournament rules are under elaboration by VIK “Rus” (Moscow).

If you need more information about our festival, contact us:

Semenov Pavel (Pal)

E-mail:spear-yelets78@mail.ru
mob.phone: +7 9103512334

Anisimov Konstantin (Gunnarr)

E-mail:gunnarbel@nm.ru

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