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bySean Robinson, from The News Tribune
The warrior maiden blocked the ringwraith's blow, then dispatched him with a timely kick in the teeth.

The beefy wraith's eyes crossed. He crumpled. Then Dameon Willich, director of the Seattle Knights, called for an instant replay. The wraith dutifully rose for another beating.

"Move first, block second," Willich told the spectators. "Next time you're in a barroom in a pool cue fight, you're gonna remember."

The demonstration of medieval combat was a highlight of Ringcon 2003 in Gig Harbor, the second annual convention targeted at fans of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings."

The three-day event, which concluded Sunday, drew an estimated 900 visitors to the Inn at Gig Harbor, said organizer Ron Cleveland, who wore chain mail, a green hauberk and a pleased expression.

Droves of costumed fans showed their allegiance and affection for various races of Tolkien's mythical Middle-Earth, wearing enough leather to outfit a biker convention.

Shandel Cornmesser, 24, drove down from Bellingham for the event, and attended all three days of it. She opted for Elvish fashions - sporting a long gown and pointy ears that peeked through her brown hair.

"From the family line of Feanor," she said. Originally, she meant to dress as Luthien - a legendary Elvish maiden in Tolkien's world - but she ran out of time.

The Tolkien bug bit her in high school, when her father gave her a copy of "The Lord of the Rings" for a Christmas present. The convention gave her a chance to learn more about the intricate alphabets Tolkien devised, and bone up on tricky pronunciations.

She also met Wormtongue, the slimeball counselor, and didn't even flinch. Actor Brad Dourif plays the role in the second filmed chapter of Tolkien's trilogy, "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers." Sunday, he sat patiently at a table in one of the meeting rooms, sporting a handlebar mustache, signing autographs and greeting fans.

"Bright people," he said, describing those who attended the convention. "They just want to talk."

Outside the combat demonstration, Court Lewis, 21, admired a tapestry he'd just bought. He was dressed as a ranger, in green and brown with long leather boots - the young Aragorn (sword-wielding hero of "Lord of the Rings"), he explained.

Like Cornmesser, Lewis's father introduced him to Tolkien. He lives for medieval lore, and wears a gold pendant embossed with Celtic runes. He attended last year's event, and drove up from Bend, Ore., to visit this year.

He tosses off obscure details of Tolkien's mythology without effort, right down to word-for-word descriptive passages.

"There's more depth in his characters than a lot of people I meet today," he said.

In other rooms, experts explained the art of rune divination. Gamers lived out the battles of Middle-Earth in trading card games. Costumed elves, bare-footed hobbits and orcs split drinks in the lounge.

Walt Patrick sold home-forged, medieval-style copper coins designed to evoke the days "when you made change with a chisel."

They passed for currency anywhere in the convention, and you could pick your kingdom. The hefty coin for the realm of Washington state featured a stylized lion mask.

"They allow you to trade in your sissy paper money for an honest coin," Patrick said.

Cleveland, who also runs Gig Harbor's annual Renaissance Fantasy Faire, said the films of Tolkien's books have drawn new fans to the annual events. Interest is so high that he is considering another Ringcon later this year.

One of his fellow organizers, Dean Draeger, never stopped smiling. He wore a long cloak and carried a staff. In real life, he's an accountant.

"I always felt I was born in the wrong century," he said.