So this past weekend I went LARPing (Live Action RolePlay) for the first time.
I haven't really roleplayed in any capacity much in the past besides a few one on one RP's back in the day when i RP'd Visual Kei stuff lol. But I've certainly never RP'd with groups and haven't done any proper RP in years, let alone live action.

I had a LOT of fun. I was really apprehensive to the point I almost didn't go, but I'd paid for it and my friends were excited to have me there, especially akizura (Maya IC) who invited me in the first place. Growing up I always HATED drama class and things. I get really easily embarrassed and shy and severe stage fright, so I wasn't expecting to enjoy myself as much as I did. But I think having so many people around (the crew for the event said it was 2000ish people there, in character), all IC and doing the same, helped a lot. I wasn't the focus or on display for people not involved.

The LARP we went to is Empire run by Profound Decisions. The setting is what I'd call kind of... mid fantasy. There's magic and Orcs and the Human characters can have 'Lineages' which can give them physical traits like Naga lineage having scales and slit pupils, and Changelings having antlers, and Cambions having ram like horns.

My character is Keilan, a human with no lineage (half because I wasn't feeling any of them much when i first signed up as it was all new to me, and half because as a new player, I didn't want to have to pile more guidelines on behaviour and history on myself than needed while I got a feel for the whole thing)

Originally I chose to have him be an Artisan, but after this event, where I had a few stints in the Imperial Hospital thanks for my friend Prince (Ryn IC), I decided I wanted to get into the healing side of things. The time in the Hospital was pretty fun. There wasn't much to do because the two battles we were helping for, one had so many people die that there weren't as many injuries to treat (I did bandage someones knee though lol), and the other was a skirmish that went really well and there weren't a huge number of injuries. But I felt like that was a good thing for me to kind of dip my toes into the healing side without being immediately overwhelmed.

I participated in a few rituals to scry for information for the Military, though I was just a Mana battery and stood there to power it. I still feel a little silly about doing that since people were standing around the regio waiting for their turn to do a ritual and watching, so I don't think I'd like to take charge of any rituals but would happily have minor roles in them.

My character is a member of the nation of Wintermark, which had three peoples to it. There's the Kallavesi (which Keilan is), Steinr and Suaq. These have different traditions and looks to them, though Wintermark is largely inspired by Saxons.

Keilan is a member of the Hall of Fyrgalan, and the Circle of Twilight coven, which is a coven of Night Mages. I'm considering taking skills in Astronomy which I know would be helpful to the coven, especially as Night magic is based around stars and the moon and stuff.

I found it really fun to be able to use and earn IC money (20 Rings to a Crown, 8 Crowns to a Throne), and managed to earn myself 1 Throne and 5 Crowns selling my resources and a further Throne was given to Keilan by Maya for donating my Volhovs Robes to the coven, which allows a mage to do rituals with other Covens. (though Keilan lent it back cause Maya needed change for a trade xD, need to make a note that I'm owed a Throne.)

I found it super fun to sit around a fire with the Hall of Wyverns Watch, who were extremely hospitable and plied Keilan with mead and stories and a seat by a nice warm fire.

The drama of Maya being cursed just after being voted into the position of Keeper of Covens for the mark was a big bit of drama and was really interesting, even if it did result in a disrupted dinner and none of us eating that night since the fire was too cold to cook on by the time people returned to the Hall, and we'd run out of coals and firewood, and it was too dark to safely collect more.

Isylvar, Maya's partner, took on the role of 'acting Thrane' for the Hall, so that temporarily we'd have someone to be a point of call for contact from those outside the Hall, and to go to Thrane meetings. we later decided as a Hall that we'd like him to be permanent Thrane as we thought he's best suited for the job.

Keilan was offered the role within the Hall of a Grimnir. While in the Empire at large, a Grimnir is a healer who takes an oath involving not battling or doing harm, in Wintermark there is a tradition of a Grimnir being a person in the Hall in charge of hospitality. Making sure everyone in the Hall is in good spirits, has eaten, got enough water, ect, and making sure guests are offered our full hospitality, which can include a fire, drink and food if we have the ability to provide such. ( as a small Hall, we don't currently have the resources to provide much drink and food to guests though we did have a fire for people for a while lol).

I met a bunch of nice people and had a great time in the Forge (IC pub), chatting and listening to other groups break out into rowdy songs, all fuelled by mead and ale. It was a good atmosphere.

Overall, it was a super fun experience and I really think being away from the internet just for a few days, has really kind of recharged me? I've come back eager to work and eager to plan for the next event I attend.