Das Shoppe Part 2

My final wander of the gathering took me up to the Vipers Camp. Das Shoppe had replaced their distinctive old tent with a new marquee and it stood proudly by the entrance to the faction. I was made welcome and encouraged to sit where I felt happiest to sketch. For an hour I enjoyed the bright sunshine and banter with those tending das shoppe, those calling in and those passing by. I am always glad of some encouragement and a chance to chat, the Vipers of all ages who stopped by were not in short supply and I am grateful.

As I finished up and said farewell I could see a battle raging in the market place, I picked up my pace and headed for the Healers Guild to grab a sash before dashing into the melee to do what I could.

Standing Armour.

With the morning sun gaining strength I sought the shelter and coolness of the ritual circle and succumbed to the temptation of sketching the suit of armour standing by the central pier.

While I was concentrating on the proportions and gifting the sketch with as much accuracy as I could, a wandering merchant from the Vipers came over to chat. He was most generous with his knowledge and explained many of the aspects and symbolisms surrounding us (I have tried to pass on some of this with the explanations accompanying other sketches from this years gathering).

I stopped sketching to chat for some twenty minutes or half an hour with him, it was only when some rough looking seafarers passed by he seemed to gain a desire to move on and left towing his wares behind him.

Some Comfort for the Rangers.

Down the slope from the Shian tent was the simple elegance of the rangers ridge tent, I was invited by Taenia to have a coffee & glance in and see the layout. Chairs were covered with soft fabrics and the floor with rugs, by the chairs were rugged bags and equipment to provide comfort and relaxation for those who travel many miles off the beaten track. Unlike the extravagant tents of wealthy merchants, the rangers tent was modest but clearly a place where a weary traveller could rest well.

The Campaign Home of the Shian.

My first wander of Monday morning was a short one, I intended to capture a new image of my own groups home when we are on campaign. Late on the previous evening we had been enjoying mead and good company, our quartermaster Ragnar had taken much time and care to put together a book of history and deeds for the Shian, The Order of Fenris had also done so and were kind enough to come to our tent and show me. While I looked upon their work we listened to our pack elder Merrall Shain recount the tale of the forming of our group and pack philosophy. I will not recount the tale here as I do not have Merrall's rhetoric, I will simply say "As a pack we are strong,".

The Unicorn Camp.

During my guild service on Saturday morning Sunspark, Soal & I had ran across the field from the guild tent to offer assistance and healing to the Unicorns when they were under attack. I returned to their camp on Sunday afternoon to request permission to sketch, once again I was well received and offered the protection and hospitality of the camp. Once again the angle I chose to sketch from lay outside the faction wards.

I had almost finished my sketch when White Reavers appeared and marched in. I sneaked in after them to make myself available to assist should I be needed. The Reavers seemed to take issue with some in the Unicorns but fortunately they chose to leave without claiming any lives. It was with some relief I sat myself back down and finished my drawing.

A Wander to the Dragons.

From my own faction camp I found my eyes drawn to a distinctive tent standing tall in the Dragon camp. I had promised myself a trip up to the Dragons to ask if I could draw it down as milestone in my travels. On the Sunday morning I found it was quiet in the healers guild and I decided to make the journey. I asked Laucian a member of the Dragons and fellow Healers Guild member if he could point me in the direction of the right person to speak to. He suggested Jenna, their High Bard would be a good person and by good fortune she was standing on the gate when I arrived.

The owners of the tepee were not yet up but the Dragons offered me the hospitality and safety of their camp, after a brief walk around to find the best angle to sketch from I found myself sitting outside the faction wards between the Dragons and the Jackals. Luckily all was quiet and the area was not hostile, however Jenna had kindly given me permission to run to the factions gate if situation changed.

Later that evening I was speaking with an Ogre who was a trader with the Dragons, he was good enough to inform me the tepee belonged to The Court of Mercury. Should they ever see it I hope the sketch pleases them.

A Celebration of Life & Growth.

During my wanders of the Ritual Circle the previous day I came across an area the Unicorns had dedicated to the aspects of life and growth. The scene was a delight for a soul such as I, the gentle breeze and trickling of water gave me good company as I seated myself down and enjoyed an hour of peace and sketching.

The Shields of the Storm Ravens

My walk into the camp on Sunday morning brought some familiar sights, a few die hard souls who had stayed up all night were sitting by the fire pit and the grass glistened with morning dew. I noticed on my arrival the day before The Storm Ravens had extended their tent with a tarp. Beneath it were the shields, helms and weapons of these bold fighters. I had little doubt they would be put to use later in the day but while it was quiet & the camp was still I decided to sketch them.

The Ritual & the Cemetery

My duties to the healers guild kept me busy for much of the day and it was early evening before I took to my wanderings with my sketchbook. Once again I was drawn back to the area of the ritual circle. Beside the lights and sounds of the circle itself was a small cemetery holding the remains of the fallen heros of our hosts. The stillness was a marked contrast to the activity of the circle itself and I settled down to sketch as the ritualists worked near by.

Rituals carry their risks and despite the skill of the ritualists one ceremony caused some harm to some of those who had just completed their work. Graf, the High Healer of the Harts & I rushed into the circle once the seal was lowered to give what aid we could. Once all was well I returned to my sketch. The next ritual was by Twig Splitter and his group, I was gifted a fine tale of humour & meaning to listen to while I worked, a privilege indeed!

A Banner of Skulls

To the side of the ritual circle where areas demonstrating the aspects of Unicorn life & culture. As with any culture, death features and is recognised. The smell of turned earth hung in the air above the neat boarders of the grave, stone pillars framed the junction where it met with the walls of the room and it was topped by a banner of skulls of various sizes. 

As the hour of the morning grew later, I moved my position to capture the scene of melancholy.

The Scales of Grynd.

With the sounds and scents of breakfast being prepared in various camps I took a stroll down to the ritual circle area of Grind to explore the culture of the Unicorn Faction. On entering the rooms adjacent to the circle I was confronted by an enormous set of scales. It seemed fitting for such a nation with a history of merchants to turn a small item essential to fair trade into such a grand statement.

I enjoyed spending time sketching it and chatting with those who stopped for a while to say hello. A little conversation and time to ease yourself into the the day is always a good start.

The Return of the Raggers.

The sight of the encampment walls over topped with the peaks of tents & weapon seated within their racks told of the return of the Raggers to the fields of the Gathering. At such an early hour on the first morning the camp was quiet with only a hint of smoke from the fire pit and the ruffle of canvas in the wind.

I found myself  a spot close to the entrance and set about my first sketch of the event, it seems wherever the Raggers go they bring a little of the Norscan weather with them. A light shower sent me scurrying to the cover of the Shian tent close by to save the running of the ink.

The Way is Blocked.

The briefest of visits to the ritual circle at Selby would tell you all was not well. Notes and messages were pinned to walls to announce warnings of the fog, to request information on those missing from families or just to declare hopelessness & despair at the situation of the Harts Faction and the lands of Albion.

Within the wooden walls near the ritual circle was a gateway barred by wooden planks and chains. A hard hearted soul could easily take a note from the walls to proclaim a small part of the state of Selby. I decided to sketch the blocked gateway & to take only memories of the anguished words and leave them for others to come across and read in the hope of someone being found.

Statues by the Circle.

Amongst the droning noise of the wind, the shifting lights and the chaotic forms of the tentacles surrounding the ritual circle stood the serene forms of peaceful statues. Despite the sounds and sights of movement the statues seemed to hold a remarkable presence and I found it irresistible not to sketch one of them. 

The Bees Command Tent.

In the early afternoon I found myself sitting in the entrance to the Shian Tent looking out across a quiet Wolves Camp. The pack had decided to head of in search of lunch, but I decided to delay my meal while I sketched the Bees command tent. Normally the tent bustled with the group in their black and yellow battle colours, but this time only a solitary member sat within the shade and held a vigil on the camp. I had been meaning to sketch their tent for a while but had never seemed to find the time to do it, it would have been a shame to miss the opportunity of a quiet hour and not capture an image of their campaign home.

A Cart for the Order of Fenris.

I set out bright and early on the Sunday morning determined to sketch the new cart the Fenris Boys had made. Sure enough it stood proud outside their shrine with a backdrop of black tower shields to frame the view. I had hardly made a mark on the sketchbook when some of their order and an honoured guest of theirs from the Tarantula faction came over to chat. The cart was made by just one of their order and had been carefully designed to dismantle fold away when more room was needed. The Order are well known for their devotion, their willingness to fight and their enjoyment of a beer & song, perhaps they should also get recognition for their craftsmanship too.

The Ruins at Selby

I did not know if it was the passing of time or calamity to cause the ruins of Selby, the clock no longer told the current hour, only the moment where it ceased to tick.

I sat alone for a while as I sketched, finally a passer by came over and asked "are you Anders?". It turned out she was Lala the owner of Das Shoppe in the Vipers Camp and had wandered over to say she had seen and enjoyed the sketch I had done of her shop at the Spring Moot.

She now has a new marquee, I will look forward to calling in at the Vipers when I can to say hello and see if I can put aside some time to sketch her new shop.

Needles & Chisels

After breakfast on Sunday morning I decided to wander to the merchants tents in the open ground by the ruins at Selby. Temptation overcame me and I called in at Needles & Chisels to chat with the proprietors and treat myself to a Mead Cup skillfully turned from oak. We talked for a while and I enjoyed looking over the goods they had carefully crafted with their own hands and discussed issues of craftsmanship & the pleasures & details of creating something special from raw materials. We were soon joined by my pack sister Freydis from the Shian Wolves, her own expertise lay with the craft of needle and the loom, the conversation gained greater depth & flow as the four of us began to share both experience and appreciation for our own specialities.

To behold something of individuality created by a skilled hand brings much more to life than convenience, it brings a tale and spirit all of its own.

As our conversation drew to a close I settled myself outside beneath the shifting clouds and put pen to paper to capture the scene of the stall to bring to mind the memories in later times and share them with others who might call in to read these lines.

(Many thanks to Tony & Lesley)

http://www.etsy.com/shop/NeedlesAndChisels