Entering the Realm of Dur Demarion

Thump, thwack, thump.

“Dead.”

Thump, thump, thwack.

The popping of foam against foam, the scuffing of tennis shoes against dry, tan blades of grass and the heavy thud of knees hitting the ground reverberates across the field.

It’s every man for himself.

The victor? The last one standing.

It’s another Sunday at Elmington Park in Nashville, Tennessee in the realm of Dur Demarion, a live action role playing foam fighting group.

Wearing white safety goggles, a frayed, braided belt and red and black garb, Knight Syr Talon, otherwise known as Ian Nichols, sweeps across the field, killing his opponents.

His weapon of choice? A red and black foam sword.

He slays his opponents and is the sole survivor.

And as he walks off the battlefield, all the dead get up and do the same.

Another battle will shortly begin.

“We come here every week,” said Nichols. “We come out here, have fun, swing sticks with your friends.”

Dur Demarion players LARPing/Melody Scott.

From noon till 6 p.m., Dur Demarion players enter a make-believe world – one full of knights, squires, monsters and animals.

 Wielding foam weapons ranging from bow and arrows to spears and swords, player’s appendages are worth one point each.

And if one is hit twice, they’re immediately dead.

But, not to worry. After one round finishes, players respawn for the next battle.

“It is considered a full contact game,” said Nichols. “Use whatever skills you can.”

And as Dur Demarion practices, a passerby or two stop, watch and question.

Some even jump in for a few rounds.

On a recent Sunday afternoon, brothers Jackson and John Sutton did just that. They didn’t seem like the average Dur Demarion players.

Wearing black pants, a long blue sleeved shirt and tennis shoes, Jackson Sutton swung a well-worn, brightly colored foam loaner sword and burgundy shield.

John Sutton, wearing navy shorts and a shirt depicting the ICEE polar bear on the back, relied on a white foam shield and black sword.

Both LARPed for the first time.

“It was interesting,” said Jackson Sutton taking a break from battle after quickly being killed.

“But it was a lot of fun.”

His brother, faring no better fighting, agreed.

“It was intense,” he said. “They’re very good and fast. It’s hard to keep up.”

But for eight-year seasoned veteran and member of the sport, Flynnt, also known as Sawyer Richardson, fighting seems to have become second nature.

Moving with more of a swiftness and ease, a slight hint of gold peaks through his black and white garb as he strikes and blocks his opponents on the field.

Richardson, like the Sutton brothers, saw Dur Demarion practicing every Sunday.

“I saw these guys out here, and I was like look at those nerds,” said Richardson with a smile, sticking his thumb out, pointing at his friends battling on the field.

Soon Richardson became one of the “nerds.”

“I was like, I’ve got mixed martial arts experience. I’ve got sword fighting experience. I’m going to come out here and kick everyone’s ass,” said Richardson.

But to his surprise, he didn’t.

Not for that Sunday or the weeks following.

“Come to find out, everyone out here is just as athletic as I am,” said Richardson. “It made me want to really give it my all.”

And for others in Dur Demarion, joining the group became a means of finding community and belonging.

Sporting dark brown mud stains across the shoulders of his long white tunic, Michael Huerta, known as Galdwin/Todd on the battle grounds, steps away from fighting for a quick water and smoke break.

Crowding around his group of friends – all dressed in brightly colored garb – Huerta laughs, teases and jokes.

Stories about their initiations into the group, the lore of the characters and fond memories they share with each other spewing out one after another, each interrupting one another, in a competition of detail and storytelling.

Huerta stands in between them, interjecting into the conversation between the long drags he takes from a long, white cigarette.

 Joining the group in 2018, Huerta says he no longer feels alone.

“It feels like I’ve been with them my entire life,” said Huerta, looking towards each of his friends.

“I cannot now remember a time where I wasn’t a part of this….I have a place to go. I get to hang out with my friends.”

Members of Dur Demarion, Melody Scott.

And for Wayne Welch, he too no longer feels he has to play pretend.

“It’s a special place because you don’t have to wear a mask,” said Welch.

Welch, Er’el on the battle gounds, found interest in LARPing at a park in Fairview, Tennessee becoming a member of Dur Demarion six years ago after moving to Nashville.

And like Huerta, Welch found his people while holding a foam sword.

 “We’re all cracking jokes, making new jokes, being ourselves and nobody really has to feel like they have to hold back,” said Welch.

 As for Richardson, who came for the athletic and physical side of Dur Demarion, he found himself in playing in another world.

“It was an experience to change who I was, and how I felt about myself,” said Richardson.