Despic, dressed in black armor, carries a flail and a shield. As he charges the enemy, sweat begins to drip from his brow. And then it happens-¡ - -¡-¡-¡his flail comes down on his enemy's back bringing him down in defeat.
This is not an excerpt from a fantasy novel nor is it a scene from a new fantasy action movie. This is happening on University Green beside Shafer Tower. This is Dagorhir.
The man known as Despic is sophomore Derek Hartman, and his enemy is a friend fighting for survival during Dagorhir practice. Dagorhir is a nationwide group based on the world described in the "Lord of the Rings" series, but not everyone is in it for the characters and backstory.
"Some people have serious characters," fifth-year senior James Burns said. "But for the most part, it's more about the fighting."
The group meets twice a week at 4 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays. Each week, the group sees an increase in numbers.
"Every week we get new people walking by who find it interesting and just want to join in," sophomore Kyle Haskins said. "A lot of them are either friends of the people who started it or know somebody who knows somebody."
The basic rules are that a strike to the limb is a loss of that limb, the loss of two limbs is a kill and a hit to the torso or back is an instant kill. While a majority of the Dagorhir members at Ball State don't wear "armor," it brings a competitive edge to the game because when people wear armor, a weapon must strike them twice in the same spot to have any effect.
"You don't want to hit each other in the head because that can be dangerous," Haskins said. "It's pretty much don't be a jerk; don't blow off hits."
There's also a myriad of rules in place for the weapons and the ones that can be used. Weapons must weigh a certain amount and are placed into a certain class based on their weight and size. In order to be considered safe to use in the events the weapons must meet many other qualifications laid out in the Web site's handbook.
Dagorhir was once an inactive organization on campus but was revived in April by sophomore Nancy Brewer, a member of the local chapter back in her hometown of Fort Wayne.
"I wanted to fight," Brewer said when asked about why she revived the organization.
Dagorhir is not merely going to fade away when the winter months roll around. Brewer said she is hoping the group will be able to find a gym to use once the snow starts falling. Brewer also said she hopes the organization will grow and soon be able to compete in national events.
"My chapter at home has been trying to help me out," Brewer said. "They've been working on getting my name out there."
In action
The BSU Dagorhir group meets twice a week.
TIME
4 p.m.
DAYS
Wednesday and Saturday
PLACE
University Green
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