Derby Derby

The Derby Derby Begins

In the wake of the Durham Headhunt Contest, the Wicksick Headhunters announced they would hold a similar event in the eastern settlement of Derby. Calling it the Derby Derby, the Headhunters announced that it would begin on February 15th as part of their First Annual Winter Games.

The Participants

As with the Durham Headhunt Contest, the Derby Derby was left open to anyone not from the unfortunate host settlement. However, no outsiders participated in the contest. All participants were natives, most of them Wicksick Headhunters. Again, there was a smattering of involvement from other native groups (note that the Wicksick Headhunters are emphatically not a clan), with the Order of the Sword and the Scavengers once again participating. Also joining was the founder of Da Waaagh!. A total of 13 contests signed up for the Derby.

The Opposition

In contrast to the Durham Defense Unit, the massive coalition of outsider and pirate groups that flocked to Durham's defense, Derby was defended only by the two clans of the Eastern Federation: the 1st Derby Privateers and the Derby Hospitallers, along with several independant Derbymen. The various allies of these clans failed to offer any support, despite Derby's aid to its sister settlements in the Durham Headhunt and the Fourth Battle of York. In all fairness to the non-Derbians, however, Durham was a long way from Derby, and York was still coping with the Fourth Battle of York.

Strategies

Each contestant's goal was to amass as many "heads" (kills) as possible. The contestant with the most kills on March 15th (the Derby's end date) would then be awarded a heavy sword. Thus, the contestants worked against each to a certain extent. While this reduced or eliminated the coordination of strategy and the sharing of successful tactics, it also made for a very unpredictable attack force. The Derbians' answer came from Derby Hospitaller Jack Molay. Molay devised a system of patrolmen and response teams to seek out and eliminate any hostiles in Derby or its immediate surroundings.

The Contest

The Headhunters made impressive gains the first day of the contest, inflicting 13 Derbian kills. The Derbians, expecting at least SOME foreign assistance, were too short-staffed to both patrol and respond. As a result, several headhunters were located, but escaped before they could be terminated. The Federation forces responded with a recruitment drive, informing the Derbian populace of the peril at hand and pleading for volunteers. Ironically, the Wicksick Headhunters assisted the Federation in this, as their targets revived in Derby and signed on to the Eastern Federation to get revenge.

With this groundswell of support, the Eastern Federation was able to respond to patrol reports in a more timely manner. The Headhunters increasingly found that Derby proper was no longer a safe haven. In response, the Headhunters began to gradually focus their efforts outside of Derby to avoid Federation forces. The Federation, lacking the ability to patrol so much territory, continued to focus its efforts on protecting Derby itself.

Conclusion

Throughout the Derby, relations between the two sides remained civil throughout the conflict, with both sides enjoying the challenge. The Headhunters took pleasure in the competition, while the Eastern Federation community grew in both quantity and quality. The Headhunters praised the Derbians for presenting a respectable challenge, while the Federation appreciated the opportunity to test its mettle. The long term effects for Derby appear to be a larger, more active, and more cohesive Derbian community, while the Wicksick Headhunters gained in both fame (among natives) and infamy (among outsiders). The Dork Cup, the final Winter Game (this one hosted unwillingly by York), has drawn a large response from the Shartak community, with some outsiders joining in for the first time.