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In the autumn of 2002, Lawrence University students near the Multi-purpose room in the Rec Center heard the thwap! thwap! of foam hitting arms, legs, and torsos. Two students had rolled out the old wrestling mats and held duels with two swords made of nothing but duct tape, PVC, foam, and cloth. Sometimes they would meet twice a month, sometimes more, but always on a Sunday at 4:30. It was in these beginning days and with Rebecca Glon and Richard Sienkewicz that the Dagorhir realm of K'lar was born.
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Autumn turned to winter, and winter to spring. Three more students--Henry McNeil, Matt Kornis, and Scott Polewach--heard of the foam fighting group and came off and on until the end of the school year. With a regular attendance, one of the two originals decided to make their group an official chapter of Dagorhir Battle Games, Inc. (DBGA). After signing a waiver, Glon (Sirilay Tel'Utuar) completed a notarized chapter contract with Polewach and sent it in. An aspiring writer, Glon adopted K'lar as the name for the Lawrence University realm from her writings. K'lar became officially registered with DBGA on June 3, 2003.
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K'lar, made in the Old Tongue from the prefix k meaning "great" and lar meaning "dream", is an large island that was discovered by sailors from Graymael. The K'lar coat of arms at left represents both Lawrence and the K'lar from Glon's writings. The combination of blue and green as the background symbolizes the location on the bank of the Fox River. The sword, crossing this boundary, was the first weapon used by the Realm and remains prominent to date. The Lawrence motto, shown on the college's seal, is "Light, More Light!" hence the inclusion of the sun. Last but not least is the griffin of golden-brown hues. Among other things, it has been known to stand for valor, vigilance, perserverance (Basic Heraldry), and death-defying bravery (The "Meaning" of Coats of Arms). It symbolizes ideal traits for members to obtain. The symbols and colors hold different meanings for the K'lar of Glon's writings.
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Aside from straight up dueling, thick karate sparring pads were used as temporary shields for drills. The Realm earned its first broken weapon during a rather demanding garbed practice in the spring. The sword was cut down, repaired, checked for safety, and is now used simply as a blocking weapon that cannot attack. K'lar continued into the 2003-2004 school year and appeared at the Activities Fair for more publicity. More members joined and some showed up for odd practices. In collaboration with other members and McNeil (Thalen Darkblade) as a General, Sirilay drew up Codes that will be officialized as of October 19th, 2003. It happens to also be K'lar's 2nd Realm-wide building day where most of the active members plan to make their first swords and swords for general member use. An annual battle hosted by K'lar is in the works for Spring 2005.
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