The Siege of Granada

The year is 1259, just one year after the Siege of Baghdad.  Mongke Khan has a growing sense of doom.  Seeing the end of his reign, he seeks to consolidate power for his son, Kublai, by sending any potential rival far from the center of the Mongol seat of power.  Ariqbok Khan was sent into the far reaches of the Arabic world with the Golden Horde.  Suuder Khan was sent deep into Europe with the Metann Clan.  Suuder leads his troops through Transylvania, Vienna, and Toledo, intending to finally lay siege to Granada.

Meanwhile, spies from Granada returns from their outpost in Greece.  They bring with them tales of Greek mythology and warning of a great Mongol army dispatched with the sole purpose of reaching the Mediterranean through Granada to bring all of southern Europe under control of the Horde.  Right on their heels is the Metann Clan vanguard.

With the Reconquista nearing its climax and al-Andalus all but gone, Muhammed I ibn Nasar barely maintains his rule over the Emirate of Granada under the protection of Alfonso X, ruler of Castile Spain.  Muhammed I, hearing of the coming Metann Clan, sends emissaries to Alfonso X to request aid in the coming battle.  Alfonso X, seeing a chance to finally consolidate his power and claim Granada as part of Castile, agrees to send aid to Muhammed I and agrees to challenge the Horde should they try to sack any Castilian city.  Alfonso X also sends emissaries from Castile to offer the Metann Clan free passage through Castile to sack Granada.  Alfonso X then sends his own army of heavily armored knights with instructions to aid neither side in battle, but instead to sew chaos and ultimately defeat the remnants of whichever army remains in control of Granada. 

Alfonso X has set his plot of deception in motion.  The three great armies prepared to do battle.  The heavily armored monastic knights from Castile, the fast light troops of the Metann Clan, and the fortified kingdom of Granada.



A&S Competition run by Countess Honig von Summerfeldt
Come compete in the Arts and Sciences competition!  This event is a wonderful opportunity to get your feet wet in the A&S competition world.  You will get feedback and have the stage to show your talent!  Be a part of the amazing art in your community.

The A&S competition will also be the Crown Province of Østgarðr’s Arts and Sciences championship.  The duties of the champions include representing the Crown Province at events and participating in court throughout your entire time as champion.  Entrants from Østgarðr and neighboring areas may elect to be considered for the championship if they wish to serve.  Their excellencies will select their champion from the eligible entrants.

A winner of the day will be selected by a group of volunteer judges from the populous with guidance from Countess Honig and the current champion Lord Ibrahim.

Please be advised that the rubric used for larger A&S competitions will be used for judging.  I suggest that you go over the rubric so you know what the judges will be looking for.  You may find information on the rubric on the East Kingdom A&S website at:

https://moas.eastkingdom.org/cms/?page_id=599


Silk Road run by Lady Arnora Ketilsdottir
Come down and trade your goods, arts, sciences, and services with other traders - bring your best merchandise and barter.  There will be no exchange of currency allowed.


Fencing Marshal-in-Charge:  War-Don Brendan Firebow
Greetings Fencers, Welcome to the Siege!  For those of you just joining us, are you cheering for the visiting Mongol horde, here to sack the city...  or maybe you favor the stalwart defenders? Then again, you could prefer the spoilers, those odd Monks about, causing trouble for both sides?

So....  This day may seem familiar to those of you who've been to the 100 minutes war...  We have attackers, defenders, and the ever-loved Agents of Chaos.
Following the lead of the heavies, a quick 3-man melee tournament will be held to choose the leaders of the 2 sides:  The Andalusian defenders and the Mongol hordes.  To reflect the ever-changing nature of war, the 3-man teams will be randomly picked from the assembled group of fencers - You never know who you'll be fighting next to in war, so train to work with everyone.
Once the Captains have been chosen, teams will be picked, and it's off to the siege!
As with the heavies, this will be a rez battle, with the defenders having 2 fortified positions, and 3 outposts between them.  The defenders can only move in groups of 3 between the outposts, and must have at least 2 groups at an outpost before they can move to the next.  The defenders will enjoy the advantage of being better armed, and may use Single, Buckler, Case, and Cloak.  The attacking Mongols suffer no movement restrictions, but are armed with Single or Dagger.  Both sides may employ longswords.

Additionally, there will be a picked group of Monks that will be harassing both sides, as they see fit, and they have no restrictions.

This will be run twice, with the sides switching, to see who runs it faster.



Armored Combat Marshal-in-Charge Lord Torfi Járnhnefi
Inspections will start as soon as the site opens.  The tournaments will begin at 12:00.  THE ONLY WEAPONS ALLOWED FOR THE DAY (except for the Monks) WILL BE GREAT SWORD, FLORENTINE (two swords, two hand axes, two hand maces), and sword& buckler.  FIGHTERS SHOULD HAVE ACCESS TO EACH OF THE THREE WEAPONS FORMS.

Two Atlantean speed tournaments run simultaneously.  One will be chivalry only and the other unbelted only.  There will be random pairing at the commencement of the tournament of three person teams.  For each round of the tournament the weapons form allowed for each fighter, which will be determined by two rolls of the dice.  The top chivalry team will fight the top unbelted team for supremacy.  The unbelted team will have first choice of the three man teams in choosing sides for the melee battle.

This will be followed by a resurrection battle where the Mongols will attempt to lay siege and invade Granada.  There will be a pre-determined path between the Mongol's starting city of Bagdad, going through Transylvania, Vienna, Toledo and ending in Granada.  The armies must travel along the silk road between each each city.  The Mongol army may move from one city to another in groups of no more than three, as they are a light and fast-moving horde.  The Granda army, preferring established fortifications, may move from one city to the next in groups of three as well, BUT cannot move from one city to another until there are at least twelve people able to hold the city before the others move on.  The Mongol army will be armed with either sword and buckler or two weapon.  The Granada defenders will be armed with great sword only.

The siege will be timed and the sides will switch once Granada falls.  Rinse and repeat until time runs out of people are worn out. 

**Combat archery may be allowed for the melee....stay tuned**


Baronial Court will commence at 5:30 p.m.  Tournament and competition winners will be announced in court and should remain to receive their prizes.

There will be a day board of 13th century Andalusi foods prepared by Ibrahim al-Rashid ibn Musa
Menu, subject to availability, will include:
Bread
Olives
Carrots
Eggplant pancakes
Cheeses
Stuffed eggs
Isfirya (meat and apple patties)
Chicken meatballs
Hais (date and nut sweets)
K'ak (almond filled cookies)
Fresh fruit

People with dietary restrictions, requests, or inquiries about full ingredient lists may contact Lord Ibrahim 91124@members.eastkingdom.org

Fundraiser:  TBD

Site Opens: 10:00 a.m.
Site Closes: 7:30 p.m.