"That is what he calls entertainment?" I spoke in my ever exuberant sense of curiosity and respect. Curiosity for the information being granted and respect for he who grants. "He is not alone in his enjoyment of the sport." Can you even call it that? I left my thoughts to myself, lest I receive the reward ignorance deserves. "That look on your face, it's the same I had when I was first exposed to the notion of the Federacy. There is more to it than you think." If only he knew my thoughts. The images of men parading about in an infrastructure reserved for real combatants, costumes designed to fit the character they are meant to portray, a ballet of sorts for men, that is what I thought. "There is more to it than the oversimplified public view on the subject. There is depth and breadth found only by the fan, the observer willing to look past the mock combatry and see the story within. The excitement, the progression of character, there is much you could learn and enjoy from the sport. true the combat itself is questionable, but the amount of attention, focus and athleticism it takes to put on such a show on a regular basis. To entertain the crowd, get them involved without actually being physically involved, the dedication and adoration, that is what it's about. To some it is a pageantry of men, to others combat incarnate. Those who appreciate it, recognize the truth in its presence and why it would call Cinquedea home. Though the combat isn't completely real, what it represents is. Through stagecraft and show they facilitate the needs of its audience: the desire to indulge in the art of war.