House Orastafell was established by Nathanael Despain on the UNC Asheville campus in the Fall of 2015.
Since then, its membership has grown into a two-chapter organization; still developing and operating in Asheville, NC, and growing quickly in Greensboro, NC.

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Beginning as a “fight club”-style organization, House Orastafell has been compared to LARP, Foam-Combat Dagorhir, or a HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts) derivative. 

While HEMA technique and instruction certainly has left impressions on Orastafell’s content and literature, the House employs a different approach when it comes to the application of our training, as well as our sparring methods that distance House Orastafell from traditional HEMA instruction. Historical preservation of the martial art is a goal, but not the entire aim of training. Safety of our students and combatants is paramount, and enforced, yet there is an element of an engagement that is lost when safety overwhelms the exercise, or “tournament rulings” interfere with the inherently dangerous art of combat.
With this in mind, House Orastafell trains to respect the dangers of an actual fight, open self-awareness of the practitioner themselves and where they stand in space, how to manipulate various weapon tools in their appropriate circumstances, the pros and cons of engaging in a combat situation, and include overviews of various styles of battle. The usual engagement style most practiced is a one-on-one “duel” setting, but it is admitted that these situations are not the only encounters possible, and training information is noted appropriately as a result.
The understanding in practice, that an engagement in combat is no game and only recently a sport, is what sets House Orastafell apart from many traditionalist instruction styles, sport fencing, and LARP.

All is due to the steady training and dedication of its leadership, and members. House Orastafell embraces a rich acknowledgement of history and the arts, as well as the promotion of community between its members, potential combatants, observers, the learned and the curious. 

Masters, apprentices, and aficionados of the dress, gear, crafts and culture from the 11th to the 16th century, and beyond, are encouraged to meet with, discuss and join House Orastafell. This includes those who seek community, and a place to meet like-minded individuals outside of the combat engagements.

**Please be aware that many members are not licensed instructors and are passing on the knowledge that they have trained over years of experience.
House Orastafell does not train live steel at this time, but instead with synthetic weapons and associated arms.

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