The clang of metal on metal and the thud of metal on wood echoed throughout the Canada Games Centre as armour-clad combatants wielded their weapons to compete in the Company of the White Wolf's, the Yukon's medieval combat group, Fall Territorial 2020.

Clément Richard, a spokesperson for the Company, said in non-pandemic times, the Fall Territorial would bring in knights from across the territory to compete. However, Saturday's event was just an opportunity for members of the Company to reunite.

"Due to COVID, we couldn't bring everyone together," said Richard. "The weekend was more about training. It was a success for us to be back together and be back training, and it was nice to see each other."

Richard also noted that it was a time for members to show off their new pieces of armour or a new weapon they've acquired during the pandemic.

To comply with COVID-19 regulations, the Company of the White Wolf only hosted events that were one-on-one combat; sword and shield, longsword, polearm, and sword and buckler.

Richard said the fights will tend to incorporate wrestling, one category is just grappling in armour.

"We had no wrestling or grappling because of COVID," said Richard. "We focused on technique and style. It is less physical and more technique."

Just because it is less physical, it doesn't mean there wasn't some rust to shake off. Richard said depending on the armour, what is it made of, it can weigh up to 30 kilograms (66 pounds).

"There was a bit of rust," said Richard. "It was kind of like 'where is my cardio?' Most tried to stay fit during COVID and some trained on the side."

It was the Company's first event in Whitehorse since the pandemic shut everything down around March. But they did hold an event in Dawson City.

"It was a small event in Dawson," said Richard. "It was good to be back and we look forward to doing it again. We had people cheering us on and we got good feedback from the spectators."

Richard said spectators are always welcome at their events – as long as currently it can be done safely following pandemic rules and protocols.

"We like to have people watching," said Richard. "Hopefully, it draws some more people to the Company. Fighting in armour and with swords to start sounds crazy but we are welcoming. New people are always welcome, and even if you don't want to fight, you can still get involved as a referee or a marshal."

The noise that reverberated through the CGC, the clashes and clangs, did draw a crowd. As people headed to their activities, they would stop to get a glimpse of the action.