The History of the Morbid Deviants


A.S. XXXIV
    Shortly before Estrella War XVI, a friend of mine who had many more years and wars under his belt said, "Merrick, I have some great ideas for an encampment, but I'm not really the 'leader' type... Wanna run an encampment?" Now, realize that this was only my second Estrella War with very few other event in between. The previous year, I had a lot of fun, but had seen first hand just how much a camp can get in trouble if it's "leader" or lord has no respect for the powers that be. So I said I'd run the thing and went to war hoping to have a good time and get reasonably plastered. :) It worked. We Did.

    Although we had almost nothing resembing the Morbid Deviants of today, the Deviants were born. We threw awesome parties, filled the entire area allocated to us and even spilled out into the street some nights. The camp was graced with much merriment and even a fire breather stopped by to share his talent (I am eternally grateful for such a fine display of entertainment). Yes, some of the rumors are true (although some of the more outlandish ones are probably false!), there was gratuitous nudity at times, and occassional loud sex happening in the tents. Our next door neighbors even held up scoring signs ala the Olympics to rate the loudness and quality of female moans! Bonus points for staying in character ("Oh yes, M'lord").

    All in all, we learned a lot, had a ton of fun, and only had security stop by once when some migrating naked dancers and drummers from Thunder sought sanctuary by our fire for a bit one night. Other than that, all was well and we returned home confident that all was well. In retrospect, it is clear that, while we had a great time and simply smashed the limits of acceptability, we also angered a great many people. Unfortunately, at the time, we were not in a position to hear such complaints and as such, were unaware of the trouble that was brewing amongst the old and ultra-conservative members of this great society.

A.S. XXXV
    For some reason, still not totally clear to me, the Deviants attended the Adrian Empire's Highlands War this summer. It was a very enjoyable event for all of us, but certainly lacked the decadence and extravagence that I usually like to associate with the Deviants. With such a small war and our house being so new, we hardly knew what to do and didn't even really throw any parties. My respect and admiration goes to the various Thunder groups who really made this event's night life worth attending. Regardless of our lack of the usual Deviant Ambiance, it was an experience worth having and we made many new friends (and I hope few, if any, new enemies).

    Insert a very long gap in the house. At this point in our timeline, the house was still very much in its infancy. We were not very active at events other than Estrella war and generally were still trying to find our footing as a house. It is sad, looking back, that none of us (myself included) had more formal experience with the SCA before attempting to run such a popular and controversial house. We have all learned a lot in these years and looking back at those mistakes of the first two years, always fills me with a sense of remorse. I know that during that period, we unknowingly made enemies that still persist to this day, despite any efforts to rectify past wrongs.

    The Morbid Deviants showed up at Estrella War XVII without a clue. We were completely unprepared and not ready to face the troubles created in our previous year. In addition, we ended up camping with another house(Shadowbane) due to the huge land allocation snafu that occured that year. This was the last year that the Deviants even *attempted* to camp anywhere but overflow. Unfortunately, we ended up camping right across the way from a very conservative household... Dream Chaser. I have since formally apolgized for the inconveniences that our late parties and noise may have caused. In fact, I now have friends in Dream Chaser and a lot of my best suggestions for the next year came directly from Captain Alex and Iain. Despite being about one quarter as bad as the previous Estrella, we had security calls almost every night, chiurgeon calls on two nights, and a baron stopping by twice to chew us out. We had gotten away with far too much the previous year because of our remote location and the fact that we were unknown. All of the trouble was handled reasonably well and I would like to thank first, the chiurgeon for their patience in dealing with the two incidences that occured. Secondly, please allow me to extend my thanks to all the wonderful security persons that helped make sure we were behaving. I can only be so many places at once and while I try to keep things under control, sometimes extra advice and help is appreciated (Double thanks to those brave enough and open minded enough to come back and hang out after their shift was over or on other nights). Last, but not least, I must thank both the Baron of Atenveldt and our neighboring encampments for their patience and understanding. Even though our positioning was less than ideal, the event was most enjoyable and the Deviants will cause less stress and turmoil in future years. :)

    All security, chiurgeon, and authority were correct in all that they said or did to keep us in line and help us out. Obviously we weren't so bad considering that all manner of crowns appeared and/or showed favor to the camp's activites. The only major beef I have about war was the fact that we were cramped. I must thank house Shadowbane for their contributions and space, but still, we were majorly crowded and had trouble fitting in all the tents, let alone leaving any space for dancers, drummers, and kind souls seeking the warmth of fires. I think that's all I have to say about last war as far as historical items go. We had fun. We are capable of having fun in almost any conditions, but have a tendency to "push the envelope." We will not go away. We will not die. However, unlike any previous "wild party camps", the Deviants have people involved(myself, first and foremost) that actually care about the SCA, the house, and other people's feelings...

A.S. XXXVI
We came, we saw, we had big damn walls. This was the first year that we got smart and started camping in overflow. We had few problems and the aftermath of war was only one or two minor incidents. Praise was received all around and everyone seemed to have a great time. Alas, there was some in-house conflict, but a few conversations later, things were resolved. In a house such as this, with so many spirited members, there are bound to be some disagreement and growing pains. There was some confusion, apparently as to who we were, as another group(Shadowbane, now dissolved) tried very hard to play off of our name and reputation to attempt to better their attendance. Of course, we got the heat for some of their irresponsible actions! However, overall it was a good war. Good times were had, friends were made, and chiurgeons were fed with some excellent stew provided by Balthazar and Lilith (two of our wonderful Deviants).

    This was our first year with the walls(a suggestion, rather a demand from those on high if we wish to continue our modus operandi) and all in all, things seemed to be MUCH better than previous years. Previously I had always (mistakenly) assumed that if people did not want to see such "adult" behavior they would not come into a camp famed for such. I also (mistakenly) assumed that smalls would be long in their beds by, say, 10 or 11pm... In keeping with the modern spirit of political correctness and overly christian censorship, we put up our tall, black walls, grateful that we finally (or so we thought) had quieted the overly righteous and unfailingly emotional reactionaries in the society.

    The Deviants came away from this war with fewer complaints than all previous years combined (I think about 2-3 in total, far less than the average). Someday, I sincerely hope that all that oppose us will understand that we are listening. If there is *ever* a complaint against our camp, I can do nothing unless I hear it. Talk all you like in your sewing circles and family home evenings, but unless I am made aware of a wrong (as sometimes things happen that are outside of my view), I cannot take steps to correct it. From all that I did hear, this Estrella war was our best to date and we had a good amount of fun without interfering with anyone else's perceptions of "the dream". We strive to make improvement with every passing day. This was the first year that the Deviants really started coming into their own as a real, solid house. We have affirmed our commitment to this society and to the recreation of medieval things. At this point, I wonder what more we can do to appease to medieval recreation equivalent of the inquisitors of old...

A.S. XXXVII
Will our persecution never end? Even the walls were not enough and we were put on a tight leash this year. We were not even allowed to camp without an old trusted friend of mine vouching to watch over us. And this is despite the fact that everything last year happened inside closed, opaque walls! Always on top of things, we already had devised an even stricter form of security this year, including mundane carding of our visitors. Nothing to ruin a fun medieval experience like having to whip out your mundane ID to prove that we can show you hospitality, eh? The Morbid Deviants, above all other things, belive in hospitality. We provide several warm fires, free beverages (alcoholic and non), and a safe, friendly environment. Some of our members and guests choose to be more in touch with nature and shed their clothing. I have not yet heard a complaint from any visitor to my camp of this practice. Still, there are those in the SCA that feel that it is somehow our responsibility to watch their children and prevent them from viewing such things and/or imbibing liquor. While I agree that it is our duty to uphold all local laws regardning these matters, my questions still stands: If you are that concerned about their well-being, where the hell were you? We are not babysitters!

    Enough of ranting. The war was good. It rained. A lot. Anyone who was at the war can tell you that I am understating in a big way. People got flooded. We FINALLY got walls up and camp running long about friday afternoon and after that, had one hell of a good time. We did a few new contests, including the sticky nipple or cloven breasts (as people were calling it) competition. Clan Nightwolf was even kind enough to come over and host a beer-mud-wrestling event in our camp! It was most excellent and will gladly do it again! This was yet another excellent war for the deviants and if you have a chance to stop by, bring your id and your bottle or your drum, and we'll have a grand time. With each passing year, the Deviants become more in touch with what we must do to continue our pleasantries. We become more involved with the SCA and more ready to combat our enemies. Sadly, there are still those that either cannot stand the environment which we provide or are unwilling to accept the consequences of their own misjudgements (and seek to blame us or other popular camps for their sad drunken indiscretions). At this point, those that have issue with the Morbid Deviants have personal issues and nothing more. We abide by all rules. We cooperate with all authorities. We do as we are told and still continue to push the limit of what is allowed, within reason. If no one visited our encampment, we would not exist. We are popular. There are those that come to Estrella War simply to camp with us or visit our camp. If our actions were not popular, we would not find it worthwhile to spend the thousands of dollars it costs to run such an open, pleasant, and hospitable camp. We do this because we love doing this. We do this because other love us doing this. Is that not why "The Dream" exists?

A.S. XXXVIII
    I am going to try and be more thorough with our history and events, as there is widespread speculation (still!?) as to what we do or don't provide to the SCA in terms of quality, experience, and value... Estrella War XX has come and gone more smoothly than we expected, all things considered. Firewood, Firewood, Firewood. As Yak, Duncan, and Jerr can attest, our acquisition of firewood for this event was a disaster! Two chainsaw rentals, several misplaced items, and 432,687 splinters later, however, we had most of the wood needed for war... For various reasons, the Deviants suffered a slight lack of funding and planning this year and so much had to be done right at the last minute. The new walls were nowhere as good as I'd hoped, but they worked well enough. The food was excellent, security was acceptable, but not perfect, and for the most part, the bar was stocked (partially with the help of tips from our many, many guests).

    Wednesday we arrived a bit later than hoped, unfortunately, but the one good thing about camping in overflow (as we always do now), is that not as many people go there. So we found a space next to Lothian (who are all wonderful people. If you get the chance, get to know them). Well, a bit of land management later and some help from Derval of Lothian (who is as good a man as any could know), the walls were begun and cars were unloaded. Shortly help arrived and once Jerr and Reed and Ivan got on those wall sections, they were up before I could blink. By shortly after nightfall camp was setup and we'd even had people stopping by before the gate was even finished asking if we were "open" yet...(and there are still those that want us destroyed. go figure). We had a fairly small group on Wednesday as everyone was too tired from the day, but overall it was a fun time and we all breathed a sigh of relief that it had all managed to come together finally.

    In all reality, I should probably have some other member of my house write about thursday as that was my one day to get quite sauced.(anyone who knows me knows I really deserved one night of freedom) :) I am told of one issue we had with a gentleman from a nearby camp, which was a conflict, resolved, a conflict, resolved, a conflict, and then a bigger conflict (as near as I can tell) over the course of the rest of war. I'd love to resolve that one, but still am trying to get every detail of all the occurences and am told that the same gentleman (who shall not be named here for purposes of his oh so fragile honor) later broke a man's nose over a similar, but unrelated occurence in another camp. Violence... Blah! But in general, it was a good solid crowd for a thursday and despite some trouble getting the oil we needed for wrestling(as the turf we were camped on was not suitable for a repeat of our mud wrestling), not having contest prizes yet, and generally about a dozen other things going wrong, the night came and went with much enjoyment to be had for all. Next time you wanna throw a big party, ask me. :) I'll talk you out of it in no time.

    Friday, as we all know, is when the real festivities begin! Friday and Saturday are always the biggest crowds... Between our contests pertaining to who had the best body parts (male and female), and the ever popular honey cleaning event(ahem), we had an excellent time. And let us not forget the oil wrestling matches. We had found out earlier in the day, that the sand on which we were camped would not hold water and turn into mud properly no matter what we tried. Hence we had oil wrestling only(and saved the beer for drinking!). Nevertheless, it seemed to be enjoyed by the participants and spectators alike. Our Master of Ceremonies and somewhat uncontrollable mascot of the Deviants, Duncan was all too happy to help any war virgins in our crowd get their first "taste" of the Deviant experience. :) Sure to be a war they will not forget.

    Saturday, I was called away from the shower line to deal with a person of high reputation, rank, and power in the society stepping into my camp to bear forth some allegations against the camp. Sigh... In the end, I think we came to agreeable terms and I agreed to double security and hear out any persons that he represented that had complaints with us. I cannot stress this enough: I am not perfect and neither are the Deviants, but we do listen and we learn. If anyone has issue to discuss, please seek me out. Whether it be via email or next time you see me or my camp or fighter practice or an event. We understand that not everyone likes us. We are not asking everyone to love us, just let us do our thing and if you dislike it, do not visit our camp. As it is, the Deviants try hard to stay out of the way of those that would live a more "conservative" or "christian" version of the dream. Regardless, it is apparent that next year, I shall have to go to insane extremes with security the likes of which are unheard of in the SCA just to prevent these types of allegations. Unfortunately, whether or not an allegation is true, anytime anyone does something they should not and gets caught or does something they regret, or simply doesn't want to fess up to their own actions, we are easy scapegoats to use as everyone knows our name and the false reputation we have been assigned. Sure, it's possible for someone to come to our camp and drink too much and go home with someone they would not have sober. This happens in many, many camps at war. We do our best to maintain a safe environment for festivities, but it is NOT our job to babysit every visitor to camp.

    Whew, enough of that... After we got on with the night's activities, all went well. Many more contests. All the ones from Friday, plus the Lady Godiva competition and the Edible Talents contest. More war devirginizations and more drummers and dancers in various states of communion with nature than I have ever seen! The place was so jam packed that there was barely room to move for a little while... This is why I do this. This is why we all, as Deviants come together, work our butts off, and spend an insane amount of overdue rent money to throw 5 parties in a row (And anyone who's seen me and the Deviants in action at war knows it is *work*). We exist to be a place for people to relax and revel and enjoy themselves after a hard day of fighting or other medieval activities... I like to think we do a pretty good job.

    Well, Sunday finally came and by then we all needed a break. Some of our crew had to leave for work the next day, but with some help from Derval and Medic (who was golden to us all war for all of his help and effort!) we managed to pull off one last survivor party and have a great time. It was still quite the party for a Sunday, and we even had enough oil left to do one last match. Games were played, merriment was made, and we almost managed to use up all the liquor and firewood. Toward the end of the night, I *finally* got a break and got to enjoy the company of a fair and lovely maiden. ;) What a war this was.

    Monday was cleanup as always and once again, The Morbid Deviants left war feeling a sense of accomplishment, a hangover, and extreme exhaustion. :) This encampment would not be half as great if it were not for all of the effort of the members of the Morbid Deviants and the help and support we receive from our friends and honorary deviants. Here's to many, many more events and many more years of Deviant festivities! This year, we had someone come to our camp for their birthday, another for their bachelor party (and believe me, we catered well to that...). I cannot count the number of people who came to me saying this was the best time of their lives or at least their best ever war because of our efforts. Those kind words and appreciation of our hospitality are what keeps us going year after year despite constant efforts by some less than tolerant individuals to crush us.

    All in all, most of the Deviants had an excellent time, myself included. We all made a lot of new friends (far too many to list here, but you know who you are!) and got to get reacquanted with old ones. Much thanks goes out to all that helped us to make this war one of the best ever! Also, many thanks to all the well known and/or royal visitors, both overt and incognito that came to revel with us. We know not everyone approves of our idea of a good time, but those who have taken the time to get to know us would laugh hardily at anyone's suggestion that our encampment lacks honor or integrity. Until the next event, safe travels and good fortune. -Merrick

I realize that I haven't finished updating this. We have the writeups, but are waiting for the pending site revamp after war to post them. :) Besides, if you weren't there, you won't read the best stuff here anyway!