Event Reviews by Zubeydah

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This page contains event reviews by Zubeydah. They represent solely her opinion and views/thoughts at the time of writing, and do NOT reflect upon her Barony, her Region, her mentors and friends, or anyone else. They are in roughly chronological order.

2006: Namron Protectorate XXX

I know that my perspective is skewed when it comes to Protectorate: For most attendees, the event was centered on the 30th Anniversary, the stepping down of Ulf and Maleah, and the stepping up of Duncan and Muriel. For me, it centered on Maggie and Chocolate. So, in the words of Inigo Montoya: “Let me explain. No, it take too long. Let me sum up.”

Maggie of Mooneschadowe, the Honorable Lady Magdelena de Codomosto, was being elevated to the Peerage during Sunday Morning Court. Maggie is a rare individual, who betters the world just by being in it. Maggie likes chocolate. There are many things appropriate to the support structure needed to pull off a successful vigil and elevation: organization, decorating, making clothes, etc. I can’t do any of those things *really* well. But what I can do really well is make chocolate.

So Namron planning was All About the Maggie Chocolate for me.

Plotting, planning, and preparations began the instant we all heard the words of the King at Mooneschadowe’s Triumphe of the Eclipse. Each week from Eclipse to Protectorate, I’d add a few things onto my weekly grocery shopping list, or make a stop at Sam’s Club for another bulk package of chocolate.

The week of Protectorate was filled with cooking. My house reeked of chocolate from Monday through Saturday, and my beloved husband, Abe, was enormously patient with the piles of chocolate making utensils, the maddening scent of yummy food he wasn’t allowed to eat, and me being generally distracted. Disaster almost struck: It rained one day, and chocolate won’t set up right if the humidity is too high. But things worked out, and when I packed up my things on Saturday morning, I had assembled a veritable mountain of deliciously decadent edibles.

Friday night, I got a call from Renault, a wonderful gentleman in House Halfiras. He was heading out towards site, and I asked if he wouldn’t mind swinging by and picking up my little pop up pavilion. He agreed, and came by the apartment a few moments later. We chatted about his plans for the weekend, the succulent evils of Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab’s perfumes, and food. Wanting to arrive on site before dark, he could not tarry long, and quickly headed off.

Along the way, I’d also managed to pack those things I’d need for the comfort of the day, and for a luncheon meal. I’d convinced a coworker to attend and picked up a donation for the waterbearer’s station. (I was extremely disappointed to hear that the waterbearers received a budget of $15.00 for the event. They had to rely on donations from attendees to be able to provide service.) I made hotel reservations, cleaned and packed what I’d need for the weekend, and generally gotten pretty well organized. (That is not to say that I wasn’t up until 1:00 am making more chocolates…)

Saturday morning, I awoke around six-thirty, and promptly ignored the alarm several times. My husband had only recently come to bed, having been up all night working. (He is on call 24/7, and the Cairo office had been having … difficulties… all night.) It seemed entirely unfair that I had to get up just as he was coming to bed. But alas, there was much to do. I was hoping to get on site early enough that I would have the pavilion decorated before the chivalric combat began, so I could sit and watch the fights in foofy comfort. So I loaded up two cooler chests full of yummies, packed the remaining bits and pieces of last minute decision stuff, and got the car packed up and on the road. That was around 8:15 or so…

Even though I had printed directions, printed a (rather vague) map, and talked to Renault about routes, I *still* managed to go the wrong way. ::sigh:: Yes, I am completely unburdened with the weight of a sense of direction. I wound up all the way in Oklahoma City, having missed the turn for 177 along the way. Right as I was turning north onto I-35, Renault called to check to see if I was okay. He gave me some more directions to help me along the way, and vowed to be standing by to help me unload my car, as he already had the pavilion up and ready. A thousand blessings upon his head!

When I pulled into the site, I did not see Gate set up in its usual spot, so I headed on up to the list field. I could see that morning court was going on, but couldn’t hear the proceedings. Per his instructions, I gave Renault a call on his cell to let him know I’d arrived. He appeared a moment later, and by that time, I had the car mostly unloaded. I use a little cart to move things about, and my cooler chest has wheels, so it makes for relatively easy transport. Renault very kindly helped me get things set up, and the pavilion decorated. Since morning court was just ending, and the fighters were presenting themselves to the Baron & Baroness, we had time to ready the pavilion at a quick but not frenzied pace.

I was concerned about the chocolate melting, so I kept the two cooler chests covered with a cloth. I wasn’t sure that would do it, so I approached Ciana McKnockard, and asked if any of her children were available for hire – payment in chocolate – for an errand to the hall. One of her boys agreed to the task, and I sent him off with my 2 gallon cooler to bring back some ice. It didn’t take long for him to return with a friend in tow. The two attempted to convince me it had taken both of them to carry the cooler (not likely), but gave Hamish two chocolates and told him he could do with them what he willed. He immediately shared one with his friend.

Not long after we had everything foof’ed and pretty, my coworker, Rusty, showed up. I invited him to bring his chair and sit in the shade, to enjoy the view, which he did. Renault and Rusty were social butterflies, wandering back and forth chatting with folks. I started wandering about taking pictures of anything that didn’t move fast enough to escape my lens. The combats on both fields were fierce, but the opponents (both heavy and rapier) often saluted one another with a big hug.

At one point, there was a great cacophony, as the children’s waterbearing class ended and they all descended on the waterbearing station. Eager to earn their badges, they swarmed the nearby environs, eagerly offering water, fruit, and other delectables which had been donated. Oftentimes, one child would no sooner clear the shadow of my pavilion before another was there. I drank as quickly as I could, and tried to take a nibble from as many platters as were offered, so the children did not feel rejected.

Dora and Niki came by, having seen me taking pictures, and insisted that I take some of them. Then, they felt they needed to have a turn taking pictures. So each one of them took a picture of me with the other girl. It was next suggested that I should give them the camera so they could take more pictures “of everything” which I gently declined, much to their dismay. : )

One of the bright moments of the day was finding Nicolea. If you do not know this amazing artist, there is a bit of color and beauty missing from your life! Not only is she a wonderful woman of wit and intelligence and beauty, but she creates such works of wonder that can steal your very breath away. (In particular, her Arabic style works are particularly gorgeous, though I do confess a certain weakness for that culture…)

At one point, I began introducing her to some of my friends from Northkeep, and inadvertently mis-stated her title as “Honorable Lady” – she quickly corrected me, and I retorted that if that was the case, it was an oversight on SOMEONE’s part! (Ok, that * was * a bit cheeky of me, but gosh darn it, if you’ve seen her work… you’d understand! Besides… I really did think she had her Iris!)

I invited Nicolea and some of her friends, and a bunch of my friends, to please join me under the shade pavilion. They were sitting out in the direct sunlight, which had to be a bit toasty. Several folks accepted, which made me happy. We wandered back over to the pavilion.

Nicolea was kind enough to share with me the many scribal works that she and her partner in crime, Danielle de Marseilles, made for the event. She confessed they had taken the team over 300 hours to complete – and you could see every single moment’s worth of effort. They were stunning, and spanned several different styles and periods. We discussed various projects, including showcasing her work on the Kingdom scribal website, and perhaps even a personal website for “Firefly Ink.”

It seemed to be getting on towards a time when lunch might be a good thing. Fortunately, I had brought a beautifully simple soup, which I had put on to heat several hours earlier. It was warm and hearty and very filling. I also made a cous-bouli (a combo of curried couscous and tabouli ingredients) and spooned it into pita pockets. It made me happy that I was able to find some folks who either had not brought lunch, or were still hungry after eating their lunch. Several folks enjoyed the soup and the cous-bouli pitas. I think I might have been a Jewish mother in a past life: seeing people eat food I have prepared makes me happy.

After lunch, the combats continued. Several hours into the tournament, as the equestrian competitions were scheduled to begin, a hold was called to the combats. It was announced that some vehicles were blocking the area for the horses, and the equestrian competitions could not continue until the vehicles were moved. I immediately checked to see if my car was one of them, but was told I was ‘in the clear’. Unfortunately, it took several announcements, including one by His Highness, to get everything moved out of the way.

Finally, the bouts continued. There were many wonderful moments of chivalry, grace and skill, and some of humor. (“For honor, chivalry, and the right to wear purple and white, lay on!” – the bout between Gunthar and Ox.) One fellow I did not recognize, but who was obviously much beloved by others, named Sven, was particularly funny. After he received one particularly powerful blow from Syr Owen, Sven staggered about and collapsed upon Sir Balvin, who was one of the Marshals.

It occurred to me at one point that I had an awful lot of chocolate, and that His Royal Highness Romanus might like some. So I grabbed a pretty plate, and put two of each type on the plate. There were people going in and out of the royal pavilion, so I sort of waited on the outskirts. Mistress Michelle saw me, and came over to ask if I wanted to do a presentation. I replied that I’d far rather – if she would – she simply put the chocolates where HRH could enjoy them. I have never really been comfortable being around Royalty, as I’m always afraid I’m going to say the wrong thing or commit a faux pas. She insisted that she would not, and that I should present them myself. ACK! We bantered back and forth, with me trying to demurr, and Michelle insisting that I do so, while physically pulling me forward. Erk. The woman has a will of iron! Needless to say, I wound up standing in front of Prince Romanus, offering him the chocolate and explaining which was which. He selected one, and then handed the plate to Mistress Michelle, making known his wishes that she offer them to the Ladies of the List, and then to the waterbearers. I thought that very gentlemanly of him, and very gracious. So Michelle and I circled the field, following the Prince’s command.

As we wandered, her husband, Sir Aesoph took the field. She asked me if I could take some pictures, which I gladly did. I also snapped a couple of pictures of her in her lovely, flowing Roman ensemble. There were lots of folks with lovely armor or garb, so I tried to get a lot of ‘portrait’ style photos.

The day continued in a slow and lazy fashion for me, lounging about taking pictures, sitting and chatting with Nicolea, Elizabeth, Renault, and other friends. I got to meet a number of folks from Namron, as well as some newcomers to Northkeep. Several people stopped by, drawn by the scent of the soup, and went away happy and full.

Finally, it was time for the last bouts of the day. Each list ended with drama and pomp. The rapier list came down to Duke Migel and Duchess Conal – husband and wife. The two donned their masks, and were instructed to make their salutes. Duke Migel saluted the crown, and the Baron & Baroness of Namron, as did Duchess Conal, but when it was time to salute his worthy opponent… he swept off his mask and said (words to the effect of), “You have been the one who’s favor I have had the honor of bearing for fifteen years. I have sat upon the throne of Ansteorra with you as my queen. I will not raise my weapon against you. Instead, I offer their Excellencies of Namron the choice: That we serve as co-champions, or I will yield the bout to you. What say you?” His lady was clearly taken aback, but with grace, she turned to Ulf and Maleah for their decision. Baroness Maleah spoke clearly in response: That she chose Conal for her champion.

The fight for the chivalric champion was no less impassioned. Both Syr Owen and Master Oxlade knelt before the Baronetcy and gave their pledge to fight with honor, and each spoke of how well Ulf & Mahleah would be served, should their opponent win. They greeted one another with love and respect on the field, each praising the other. All past Protectorate winners were called to the field to help marshal the bout, and it was announced that the fight would be the best two out of three. With cheers rising around the field, it was called: LAY ON!

Owen immediately pressed Oxlade hard, driving him back to the far third of the field. The first point was his, with a hard stroke. Oxlade crashed to the ground, returning to his feet and preparing to do battle once more. The nimble Laurel returned the blow, catching Owen directly below his gorget in a clean, hard strike. Owen laughed with delight as he called the hit. This made it one and one. Another exchange brought the combatants across the length of the field again as they battled exuberantly. Owen caught Oxlade’s arm, and in response, Oxlade stepped back and said that he conceded the point and the battle.

Both combatants were greeted warmly by the Baron & Baroness of Namron. Owen knelt before Maleah, and she sternly told him that she’d warned him that if he made her cry, she was going to hit him. It was quickly pointed out by one of her ladies in waiting that she was, in fact, crying – so Maleah whacked Owen. It obviously meant a great deal to them both that Owen had won this duty and honor once again (for, like his Knight, Burke, he had now won the Protectorate twice). After accepting the accolades of Ulf & Maleah, Owen asked their permission to excuse himself and give due honor to the one who had inspired him. With their consent, he strode over towards the waterbearer station, where I and another gentleman had been giving Genevria a ‘play by play’ on the fight. We quickly got out of the way as Owen took up his lady wife’s hand, and praised her beauty and named her his inspiration. It was a sweet moment.

Almost immediately after the bouts ended, folks began to scatter back to their camp, or to the hall, or somesuch. I went back to my tent to tidy up a bit, and Haldor of Skarrgaard walked by. I saw that he was heavily splinted, and inquired as to his health. He shared with me that he had been in a motorcycle accident. He gave me a rather nice compliment on my eyes, and lamented the fact that yes, I was very married. We chatted for a bit, and he mentioned he had to be going, as he was about to ‘get his ass whipped’ in a skaldic competition with Baron Ulf. He was negotiating a bride price on behalf of a friend. It sounded very interesting, so I traipsed along with him. I asked the permission of both parties, and got out my digital recorder.

I had never witnessed a negotiation of this sort. It was a very solemn affair for the most part – except for the part where the wealth of the potential husband was being discussed. Some of the terms used were… well… double sided in their meaning, and caused many knowing grins around the circle of onlookers. The debate went back and forth, and when it was over, the husband-to-be produced all of the items that had been discussed… which turned out to be very interesting stuffed animals. You had to be there, but seeing Baron Ulf wearing a horse (well, it was supposed to be a .. er.. *cough* donkey… ) puppet that neighed when you manipulated your hand inside it… “What’s One Plus Two?” “Neigh! Neigh! Neigh!” “smart ass!”

With the debate over, it was nearly 6:30. I asked around to find out when setup for the vigil was supposed to begin. ACK! It had started at 5:30! I found out where the Wolf Lodge was, and grabbed up the two cooler chests and started rolling that way. His Excellency, Ian, crossed my path about halfway there, and offered his assistance. As I was pretty well loaded down, I gratefully accepted. He helped me get everything to the lodge, and then headed off on his way.

At the hall, I found things were bustling and busy. Maggie was there looking like a joyful bundle of nerves, and Milli was ordering her troops with calm discipline. Tables stretched one side of the hall, covered in white cloths. Many of them were already laden with delicious looking creations. I asked if another table was needed, as I knew my offerings would fill one, and was told that yes, that would be helpful. I headed back to the waterbearer station, and quickly fetched out my table.

A moment of thought made me drag everything more fully under the edge of the pavilion – the weather report had mentioned some possibility of rain. I looked at the tent, remembered the misery of clean up after Triumphe, and wondered if I should tear it down before working on the vigil. Not knowing when the actual vigil would start, and wanting to make sure everything was ready, I made the decision to leave it up.

Scurrying back to the hall, I got the table set up and covered with a pair of table cloths. I assembled the three tiered display tray, and lamented that I was missing a part of the more fancy tray, making it impossible to set up. I started portioning out all the items I had brought, and started getting some Ooohs and Aaahs. Once everything was laid out, Kugari snapped some pictures and I started playing Chocolate Enabler, asking folks to try different types. It was quickly declared that the Kahlua Fudge I thought was ruined (it had gotten some ice water on top) was the top pick of the table. (It was described as being “sexual” it was so good). Maggie came by, and proclaimed everything ‘very nice’ looking, and tried one of the Frangelico liqueur truffles. Her eyes closed and her face was overcome with an angelic expression of delight – it made the whole week’s worth of work so worth it, just to see her enjoying that truffle. : ) Mistress Rondinella also said some very nice things, and got the Chocoalte Tour.

Forgive me if I sort of go on and on about it, but I really do enjoy seeing people eat the food I make, and enjoy it. I had a number of people ask for ‘the chocolate tour’ so they could understand the array of items that were available. I even tempted Oxlade, who is on a strict diet, to try one of the double chocolate mini-cheesecakes. His expression was captured on film, and it was described as ‘demonically possessed’ – so apparently my desserts have the ability to bring out either the angel or the devil in people. Hehehe!

The evening passed in merriment and delight. I eventually got a turn to go in and greet Maggie once the vigil proper had started. I told her I really had no advice whatsoever, but that I wanted to let her know that she was loved, and an inspiration to many. She said I could wiggle for her, so I stood and did a few movements of belly dance, which made her laugh. We talked about her future possible plans for school, and that she might be moving away from Ansteorra, which made me very sad. I gave vague advice on the weather (and snakes) to be found in North Carolina – she’s interested in attending Chapel Hill – but really honestly didn’t have anything of great note to say.

I was starting to come down with a humdinger of a headache, so I went in quest of some Tylenol. Aline Swynbrook was happily prepared, and helped me out. Shortly thereafter, I wandered out to the restroom and back by my tent to check on it. Everything was in order, for the most part, so I made my way back to the hall, with a side trip to my car to grab a flashlight as it was getting dark.

When I returned to the hall, it was to the glorious sound of voices uplifted in song. Mooneschadowe was assembled and singing in the Wolf Lodge. I knew some of the songs, and perched on the couch to listen. Ollj very obligingly shared his Redwulf Songbook with me, so I could sing along. There were some requests that were honored, and I had a really lovely time. I think of everything in my life that has changed over the many years, the loss I mourn the most is that of my singing voice. It is times like this, that the loss is almost a physical ache. (I have sustained damage to my vocal cords, so I can no longer stay on key very well, or project properly.)

I refilled the chocolate table, and checked on the guards, to see if they needed anything. There wasn’t a whole lot to do, once the singing was over, except socialize and chat. I did have a very lovely conversation with Contessa Vanessa and Mistress Guni, in which they said some very nice things that made me tear up and bonk my head on a door when I turned away to hide the tears. Those two ladies are on my SCA Heroes List (What, you don’t believe me that I made a list? Of course I did!), and getting to talk to them was a real treat.

Charles and Libby arrived around midnight, and so I helped them unload their vehicle. There was some confusion with their sleeping arrangements, and it appeared that they would be sleeping on a cement floor in one of the huts. They did not have pillows, so I offered them the body pillow I’d brought from home. It was big enough for two. Libby and I chatted about taking pictures, and she asked me to take photos with her camera. I was happy to oblige!

The hour was growing late, and I had not yet checked into my hotel. I didn’t want them to give away the room, and, well, it had been a long day and I was tired! So off I wandered, driving off site to Guthrie. Alas, though I had thought they would, HL Elizabeth and her daughter Olivia did not join me. So I had the place to myself, which was a smidge creepy.

I will not linger overmuch on details of the warm, soft bed, the climate controlled room, the hot shower with amazing water pressure, or the Belgian Waffles for breakfast. : ) Needless to say, I am a creature that enjoys her comforts, and hotels suit me just fine. The weather, however, was rather dreadful looking. I had requested a 7 am wake up call, but was feeling lazy after only 5 ½ hours of sleep and awaking to dull, gray skies. Besides, court wasn’t supposed to be until 9:30 at the very earliest, and given the weather, surely it was delayed? I took my time dressing and getting ready, and then, after breakfast and check out, headed into town to find a grocery store.

I knew full well after Triumphe, that people who have slept in the cold and wet like to have something warm and filling. So I raided the local Homeland grocery store, and came away with two dozen donuts, some instant coffee, hot chocolate, sugar, creamer, and a gallon of fruit juice. IT wasn’t enough for everyone, but it would be a start, at least.

Back on site, I headed straight for the hall, arriving at 9:25. There, to my alarm, I found many people in court garb, bustling about. ACK! It was starting at 9:30!! Well, as it turned out, it was a smidge later than that, but not by much. I set out the breakfasty items, and made a quick announcement, to immediate response. Most were very polite and kind, though one particular fellow stated, “I heard there was coffee. That’s instant. It’s not real coffee. Where’s the real coffee?” I blinked in surprise, and simply replied “That’s what there is. I’m sorry you don’t like it.” He had some, anyway, so I guess un-coffee was better than no coffee.

Court began with some awards, both before and after the investiture, and with the stepping down of Ulf and Maleah. There was a song that was sung, but so many voices were husky with tears, I could not understand the words. Both were honored with Court Baronetcies. I snapped as many pictures as I could, but alas, my camera was out of space on the memory card, so I used Libby’s, per her request. I got a lovely shot of Syr Owen and his family, and tried to get as many ‘portraits’ as I could.

One of the awards given was to Nicolea. The queen spoke about Nicolea’s work, and that she had gone to Countess Sara, one of the premier illuminators in the Kingdom, who had been enthusiastic about Nicolea’s skill. Nicolea was then made an Honorable Lady - granted the Iris of Merit!! Woooot!

Throughout the goings on, I did not see Magdelena in the hall, and repeatedly asked several Mooneschadin. No one had seen her that morning. This started to be a bit alarming. I asked some more. No. No one knew where she was, or what cabin she was in. One lady said she’d gone calling around a few of the huts, but was told Maggie wasn’t in any of them. By this point, court was starting, and I was getting downright alarmed. I whispered to Contessa Vanessa, whom I had been sort of hanging around with, that I was going to go and try and find Maggie, and what little I knew at that point. She looked alarmed as well. I got out the door of the hall, and started down the path, when another Mooneschadin let me know that Maggie’s whereabouts were known, and that Asric had dashed over to tell her that she was up next.

A few moments later, Maggie and Company was spotted through the windows. She looked lovely, if harried, and a smidge shaky. The Province quickly rallied around her, with one person helping her with jewelry, another helping to smooth her gown. Banners were unfurled, and the procession was ready.

The Laurels were called up, and I knew that was our cue! I crept up to the doors, near the front of court, and kept taking photos. I slipped my digital audio recorder out of my pouch, and gave it to HE Ameline of Elfsea, asking if she could set it up anywhere nearby. She did so, much to my appreciation.

HE Lucais was acting as herald, and he called out, “Let the miscreant known as Magdelena come forth!” Mooneschadowe’s voices were raised in lovely song, as they processed into the court. The group knelt along the pathway into the court, and Magdelena continued on, through the Laurels, to kneel before their Majesties.

The ceremony was lovely, and there were beautiful words spoken. Contessa Vanessa spoke as a Lady of the Rose, and Master Tarl spoke as a Lion. Mistress Stacia, Mistress Guni, and Mistress Michelle spoke as Pelicans. At times, it seemed Maggie was the picture of composure, and at others, it seemed she was weeping soundlessly, but I could not see her face clearly and it may have been only a trick of the light. At last, she was greeted by her fellow laurels, and court continued.

The investiture of Duncan and Muriel was next, and Master Aethelstan served as their herald. He injected a lot of humor into the proceedings. There was more singing as part of the ceremony, which was very straight forward, and didn’t have as much pomp as the only other investiture I’ve witnessed – Northkeep’s – had. After they were seated, they granted some recognition to various folks.

Another neat moment came when Aethelred was made Captain of the Storm Guard (he wanted so badly to call them the Storm Troopers, but that idea was nixed). The king himself, HRM Aaron, charged Aethelred with working to create a strong battle unit for the coming Gulf War.

Court ended, and folks began to scatter. I figured it was time to assess the damage to my little pavilion, so I headed up to where the list field had been. When I arrived, I found the pop-up had fallen down. More to the point, it was badly broken. There were repair attempts which had been made – I learned that Gunnarstead had attempted the fix – but the frame itself was snapped into multiple pieces. Fortunately, one of my purchases at the grocery store were jumbo sized trash bags.

Charles came by about that point, as did another gentle from Mooneschadowe, and they were very kind in helping me to stuff all the soaking wet decorations into trash bags, and clean up the mess. Renault’s chair was still there, so I packed that up, too. I was really disappointed about the broken pavilion, but the brave little thing has withstood far more than I could have reasonably expected for the price I paid for it.

Oxlade agreed to haul it away to a dumpster, and with everything else bagged, we made our slogging way to my car where everything got loaded up. It was time for one last trip to the vigil hall, to pick up my cooler chests and clean up any remaining chocolate mess.

In the hall, I found that someone had already very kindly bagged up the remaining brownies and cheesecake – no chocolate truffles remained, nor any fudge. I packed the dishes, table cloth, and table up, then helped tidy elsewhere in the hall. It was a bit of a juggle getting things into my car, and Damon Xanthus was very kind and helped me lift the heavy items into the vehicle. Everyone else seemed to be eagerly getting out of Dodge as quickly as possible, so I joined the exodus.

Getting home was much quicker than getting there. I left everything in the car, struggled my way up the stairs, and promptly fell asleep for five solid hours! It had been a fun but exhausting event, with good friendships renewed, new plots and plans laid, and some wonderful experiences.

Congratulations to the staff for putting on a great event!

2006: Word Fame from Protectorate XXX - Adena Terricksdattir

(Reposted from my initial email to the Namron Email list)
Good morning, Namron: I hope this is the right place for this brief note, but I wanted to share word fame for Adena.

Adena is a spirit that is gracious, welcoming, and truly embodies the spirit of the 'Dream' of the Society. This past weekend at Protectorate, she came upon a coworker of mine who was attending his first event. My friend arrived on site on Friday, with little in hand, being determined to 'not be a burden.' I think he had a tent, a chair, and a change of clothes, but not much else.

Adena took him under her wing, found him a dry place to sleep, invited him to share in the revelry of the event, introduced him around, and so filled him with enthusiasm that when I arrived on site at 10am on Saturday morning, he was beaming if exhausted. Further, she invited him to join she and her friends for feast, and gave him feast gear, while I helped out at the vigil.

She truly welcomed this newcomer, and made him feel very welcome and at home. He's already planning his attendance at another event.

So thank you, to Adena, for her joy, her welcome, and her kindness to a stranger.

-Zubeydah

I think of Adena, I think of the Spring,
The joy of new flowers, and butterfly's wings
Fields full of buttercups, hue'd like her hair
If 'Dini's around, you will want to be there!
I think of Adena, I think summer-bright
Her spirit is warm, like a cascade of light
Bird-song in her voice, and clear lakes in her eyes
A woman's compassion, in bountiful guise.
I think of Adena, I think of the Fall,
And crisp morning air, that rings with her call
For men to assemble, to strive and to fight
Her laughter rings joyful, from dawn until night.
I think of Adena, I think winter's grace
Snow and her kindness flows o'r every space
But she bears no coldness; a warm gracious heart
Ever in service, and doing her part.
I think of Adena, all seasons, all year
I think of Adena: One thing becomes clear -
Whether it's summer, or winter, or fall
Adena's the "Dini'est" one of us all!

(So thank goodness we are lucky enough to have an Adena!)

2006: Northkeep Dionadair

Dionadair is a demo/tournament held each year in the fall. It selects the heavy and light weapons champions who serve the Barony, and is open to both carded and non-carded fighters. Its history is long and colorful. The event is usually held as a full-scale demo, but this year, due to some site issues which could not be resolved, it was agreed to hold the event at the weekly fighter practice, held at McClure Park, on Wednesday, October 18th. Ideally, the event would start at 6:00, folks would armor up, and the combats would begin at 6:30.

Well, that was the idea, anyway! When I arrived on site at 6:05, there were only four other people there. I quickly set up my two tables, chair, and laid out the food items I’d brought (a chicken dish that was a fusion of both Indian and Thai cuisines, made with rice, korma sauce, pineapple and coconut, as well as a double batch of dark chocolate amaretto truffles). William of Northkeep brought over a Cornish Game Hen & Bacon salad (kind of like a chicken salad with bacon bits). We stood around in the chilly wind, wondering who else might show up.

Soon, the newlyweds, Genevieve & Johan, appeared, and others began trickling in as darkness descended on the park. Their Excellencies, Ian & Kelandra, arrived around 6:30 – they have a long drive, as they live all the way out in Muskogee. I brought over a few items I’d put together for the step-down baskets, and helped them tote some things. HE Ian had made some beer brats, which I carried over to the table. They smelled wonderful!

William had set up a second table, which we covered with a cloth that Kelandra had brought. Soon, as more people arrived, the table became laden with delicious food. Ragnailt and her family arrived, bearing some yummy looking devilled eggs and a plate of meat and cheeses. One of our newest Barony members, Kayte, brought some delicious looking three-onion and goat cheese tarts. Nyx arrived, bearing her asparagus cheese dip and some fighter biscuits, still hot from the oven.

Some of the fighters started sparring to warm up, as others donned their armor. More folks continued to trickle in, until we had quite a crowd. Unfortunately, the temperature continued to plummet, and despite my thermal undergarments, two layers of clothing, and a cloak, I was growing miserably cold. Renault very graciously and in a gentlemanly fashion offered me his wool cloak. I piled on the layers, hoping to warm up a bit.

As Kelandra and I were puttering around getting things laid out on the table, I sort of nudged her and let her know that until such time as folks saw she and or Ian eating, no one else was going to do so. So she made a point of eating a truffle, and that seemed to break the ice. Folks started nibbling. Ian asked that one of the brats he’d made be set aside and saved for him, so I made up a platter with a braut, some sauerkraut, and the grilled onions he’d brought. I covered it with tinfoil and set it to the side. I tried some of each item that had been brought, and found that Ian’s brauts were really delicious, as were Ragnailt’s devilled eggs.

It was full dark by the time the fights really got under way. I flitted from group to group, playfully squawking about the cold, taking pictures and introducing around some new folks. Emmalina was there, and we chatted about Mooneschadowe’s Triumphe and Namron’s Protectorate event.

There were some folks who had wandered into the park, and I chatted with them for a bit about what they were seeing. I continued to snap photos, including some rather adorable ones of the children’s boffer.

The combats ended around 8:45, and a brief court was held. Thanks were given to the stepping down champions: Ensign – Seach, Dionadair – Randal Lee. They were given gift baskets including weaponry appropriate to their fighting style. Then the new champions were announced: For Ensign – Genevieve Grant Von Aue, and for Dionadair – Morgan Blackdragon. Each took up the arms and ensignia of their position, and stood behind the Baron & Baroness. There were brief plugs for the Northern Regional practice in Bartlesville on the 21st, and for wInterKingdom, and then court quickly ended.

As I started clearing my table, I was dismayed to see that someone had stolen the Baron’s braut! The foil had been removed from the plate, and the sausage was missing. I reported my dismal failure to protect his food to the Baron, and he kindly forgave me. :P I gave the remainder of the chicken-rice dish to Renault and returned his cloak.

BRRR!! Time to pack up and get out! Perhaps next year’s Dionadair will be during warmer times – though somewhere around 60 people braved the cold to attend. Vivat to the outgoing champions, and Vivat to the new champions! May they serve with honor.



2006: Fair of the Harvest

My planning and preparation for Fair of the Harvest began… well… over a month ago! House Halfiras and I were determined to uphold our pledge from last year to further support Northkeep’s Canton up in distant Bartlesville. Chemin Noir is a great bunch of people and we wanted to do all we could to show them we care about their growth and continued well being.

All through October, Halfiras Tulsa met at Renault’s house. Sometimes it was twice a week, others, it was just once a week. We worked together to make bath salt soaks, work on banners, and plot and plan and distribute materials for the next section of the projects. The goal was to create a really nice basket for the step down prize for each champion. Each time we met, we’d reiterate what was completed, what needed to be done, and who was doing what. It was a wonderful team effort! Everyone added to the endeavor and the brainstorming. We also tried to include a decorative element to the items we made, so that everything looked extra spiffy – be it an extra nice label, or a black star traced onto the top of a jar, or coordinating tassels to decorate the baskets.

Waterbearing was being led by the ever gracious Mehpare, who had sworn last year to repeat her service as Waterbearer in Charge. The event’s waterbearing was paid for by very generous donations from the Northkeep Populace at the October meeting. Over $115 was collected!! With that bountiful of a budget, we knew we could put together something very special.

As the event grew closer, our pace grew more frantic. I was also working on a side project that I knew would take a lot of time (baking spiced nuts for HL Elizabeth, for her feast at Defenders of the Rose), so I wanted to make sure everything was DONE the week before the event. Well… that was the idea, anyway!! (No plan of attack ever survives first contact with the enemy – I’m convinced that no logistical plan survives 1 week out from an event!)

We’d been debating back and forth about the idea of Halfiras hosting a sideboard luncheon; open to anyone who wanted to show up, using both donations from the house, and some of the items purchased for waterbearing (cheeses, fruits and veggies, etc.) At that point, it was up in the air as to whether or not my husband could attend. He really wanted to be there to see Mehpare and her new baby, Avalon, but his work schedule has been downright tyrannical of late. I wanted to make sure there was food he could eat for lunch, if he came to the event. So, I planned on making some soups: A New England Corn Chowder and a sausage-potato-green bean soup that he particularly likes. We also debated spaghetti. It was agreed that spaghetti could feed lots of folks, so I bought 8 lbs of it, and a gallon of sauce. I thought it would be a good idea to put the spaghetti in the cooler chest for storage – that way, I’d know where it was, and it would already be ‘packed’. Unfortunately, I neglected to write a reminder note to myself where I put it … more on that later!

Saturday, November the 4th, I was focusing on the banners. We’d gotten them cut out, partially assembled, and the tops painted. Unfortunately we learned that the “A.S.” year we’d painted on the banners was incorrect. So Saturday, I spent the afternoon and evening cutting off the dates, sewing the tops to the banners, and backing them.

Sunday the 5th was a day of planning and logistics. I drove out to a family farm in Bixby, where I bought the nuts. They had several varieties of pecans, which I wasn’t expecting. I tried samples of all of them, and found that one particular type had a slightly sweeter taste than the others. Of course (just my luck) it was also the most expensive. I attempted to barter the price down a bit, since I was buying a large quantity. The shopkeeper wouldn’t budge, so I went ahead and purchased four bags of 2.7 lbs each of the sweetest pecans they had. I really wanted the quality to be tops for the Defenders of the Rose feast. Another stop on the way home by Sam’s Club, and I had four bags of almonds, at 3 lbs each. Once home, I pulled out all the ingredients I’d need, and laid it out on the counter for the following day. I also made a big ole batch of New England style corn chowder, and once it had cooled, bagged it and put it in the freezer.

Monday through Wednesday, I made two double batches of nuts per evening, with a brief pause to run out and get more cinnamon. I had *just* enough of the cardamom the recipe calls for – I was glad I didn’t have to buy more, as it’s a very expensive spice, and I’d already heavily abused my budget for the weekend. ::erk! Don’t tell Abe!:: I also made the ganache for the truffles, and got that chilling in the fridge.

Throughout the week, I was attempting to “chat-up” the event, and encourage folks on various lists to attend – mostly Mooneschadowe, as Will Rogers is a VERY short trip for them. At one point, Sieur Jean Paul de Sens asked about the Heraldic Display competition, and whether or not any of my chocolates were in the prize basket. I replied that _at that time_ I didn’t have any made, but since he’d made the request, I’d try and get some in… but that he’d have stiff competition, because that was a contest I was working hard to win! (more on that later!)

Tuesday night, I completed the design for the scrolls, and got them copied onto a good quality paper. I wanted to work on them, but every time I’d get the next batch of nuts going, and would get my hubby taken care of, and sit down to start painting, the oven buzzer would go off! (the nuts have to be stirred every 15 minutes) So there was no painting accomplished on Tuesday or Wednesday, which made me feel very bad.

Thursday at lunchtime, I ran out to Sam’s Club to get cheese, olives, and a few extras to donate. Immediately after work, I headed for Renaults, only to realize I’d forgotten the cheese! I headed back to work and just caught them before they were locking up the office for the night. Yikes! Back on the road, I zoomed over to Renault’s, where I met him and Raghnailt. Our fiery Scotswoman could not stay, as her eldest son had gotten a job and wasn’t available to watch his younger siblings. So we paused outside and tossed around ideas and current assignments. I handed out the scrolls that needed to be painted: Raghnailt took half and I kept half. She also took two skeins of yarn, to make more tassels and cording for the Heraldic Display. Renault took the gift tags I’d made and penciled in the lettering, and the gold paint – they’d be painted up to match the banners and help easily identify each basket. I left the ‘slab o cheese’ with Renault as well, as he said he’d have time to cube and bag it. HL Elizabeth stopped by, so I handed off all the finished nuts to her. I was also supposed to have dropped off the spaghetti with Renault, but I hadn’t been able to figure out what ‘safe place’ I’d put it in.

I got home around 6:30, and made finishing the chocolates my first priority. Once those were all formed and chilling in the fridge, I frantically began painting. By midnight, I had my four almost completed – I wanted to do some decorative gold work on them, but the paint needed to dry more. I also pulled out the corn chowder, which had been frozen solid since Sunday. Unfortunately, we also got the news on late Thursday night that Abe had to work Saturday morning at 4:30 am, and would not be able to attend the event.

Friday, during my lunch hour, I zoomed over to Aodh’s house to pick up a pavilion and a table and some items for the raffle. I called Renault and told him I still couldn’t find the spaghetti (which I later learned that I had put safely in a cooler chest), and we discussed various options. He agreed to go ahead and buy more, and cook it up for the following day.

As soon as I got home, I started bagging and tagging the chocolates. Once that messy task was done, I started doing part of the calligraphy on the scrolls, adding the titles of the Champions. Anything I didn’t have to try and do at the site, I wanted to try and have accomplished in advance. I hadn’t used a dip pen before, so I had to practice a bunch before I felt comfortable putting pen to paper. Finally all of the scrolls had the proper champion’s title on them.

There was also a great deal of packing, staging, organizing and toting to be done on Friday. With the help of my beloved husband, Abe, I got everything except the cooler chest packed into my car, with a small wishful thought for a cloaking device to hide it all. (I don’t live in the best neighborhood – there have been many break-ins, and I always worry a smidge when the car’s full of Interesting Things overnight.)

I got to bed around midnight, and woke a few times from sheer excitement, and also my husband’s alarm going off at 4:30 for his 5:00 conference call. I hauled myself out of bed at 7, having blissfully enjoyed far more sleep than usual for an event day. I immediately started a pot of coffee: It had really gone over well, having coffee for folks at Triumphe of the Eclipse, so I wanted to do the same for Fair. Three pots of coffee later, I had a full 2 gallon cooler. I tossed a few extra items into another duffle bag, and was ready to head out, wearing my new garb – a $0.99 eBay find! Abe carried all the items to the bottom of the stairs for me, and I loaded up my wheeled cooler and headed off.

The journey to Will Rogers was a smooth one, and I made excellent time. Gate was not in the normal spot at the entry of the site, so I headed around behind the kitchen area to unload. I was a little dismayed to see so few cars in the parking lot, and not that many folks visible. I truly hoped folks hadn’t forgotten or abandoned interest in this lovely little event.

Within moments, Renault arrived and assisted me with unloading the car and loading up my little cart. It took three trips to get it all transported to the waterbearer station. There, Angus and several others assisted us in raising the pop-ups. I set up the coffee, and let folks know it was there. Angus MacKnochard and his household had also put together quite an astounding breakfast, and were serving it to a variety of folks. We had competition!

Mehpare and Shannon and Avalon arrived shortly after I did, perhaps 15 to 20 minutes after I pulled into site. They were a smidge wiser than I, and pulled the suburban directly up behind the waterbearing station. That way, there was a much shorter trip to unload. It was around this time that Ludo arrived, and offered his help. He had been extremely kind and emailed me during the week to let me know of his willingness to help. He immediately set to unloading, toting, carrying, filling water jugs, and generally being enormously helpful. (If Renault was the Super Helper of Triumphe of the Eclipse, Ludo was definitely that helpful during Fair!)

Within a short amount of time, the pavilions were up, we had tables laid out and covered in bright golden cloths, and were already starting service. Renault heated up a veritable mountain of bacon as well as the fighter biscuits. I had the hot coffee going, and with Ludo’s help, got my little stove burner fired up with some hot chocolate. While that was heating, I started organizing and decorating the two tents.

I was very excited about the Heraldic Display competition, and noted the presence of a few other displays. I wanted mine to be over the top! I draped the Halfiras tent with black fabric, and then arranged the bright gold tassels in and around the swathes of lace and chiffon. Because the tassels were strung on black cords that blended into the drapes, they seemed to ‘float’ in midair: Doubly effective – both Kingdom and group colors displayed in one! To the tent decorations, I added the six banners that had been made for the champions (which included the Chemin Noir colors and device). I also made the small banner I’d painted of the Chemin Noir arms, and hung my Ansteorran WaterStar banner on the lovely banner pole that Hersir Thorgrim made for me – which has my device carved and painted on it. Both the Halfiras banners were hung up as well, as was a small leather shield which has my device on it. I arranged my chair (which has my device on the back) prominently at the front of the tent. It looked *great* and I was very excited to have the pavilion judged!

Around this time, Aoife stopped by, and I let her know that I had the table, pavilion and pillows from Aodh. She took the pillows, and let me know the pavilion and table were for the archery area. We left them on the cart for the time being. She also very kindly gifted Mehpare and I each with a large Celtic tapestry/wall hanging for our waterbearing efforts. Aoife is a lovely and gracious lady, and if you don’t know her, it would be well worth your time to make the effort to do so. She has a very wicked sense of humor, and makes me almost laugh every time we speak.

Two young ladies associated with Devora the Chirugeon came by, and offered to help. Mehpare quickly found tasks for them, and reviewed the basics of sanitation and safe waterbearing. I busied myself with continuing to help Mehpare with making Gatorade, filling trays, and starting prep for lunch.

I didn’t get to watch any of the fights, as with just the two of us, and two little girls, we were extremely busy. There was no sitting down, that was for sure!! There was a great deal of running around plugging in crock pots, pouring things into pots, and general juggling of ingredients. Throughout it all, we had a revolving circle of gentlemen helping out, which included Renault, Shannon, and The Amazing Ludo, all of whom got chocolates and one of the lovely purple or burgundy tassels I’d brought as waterbearer Thank You gifts. I didn't get a chance to catch Pooky, who helped with waterbearing in the final combat rounds - I owe him my thanks.

The combats and the children’s activities broke for lunch a smidge earlier than we were expecting. The spaghetti had gotten.. well.. not very warm, and the sauce hadn’t come up to temperature yet. So Shannon grabbed his stove, and we cranked up the heat on it as my little butane stove was just Not Doing The Job. We improvised, and soon had a pot of hot spaghetti and sauce.

Lunch was a generous repast: two soups, two bacon and Swiss cheese quiches, spaghetti, cheeses, meats, hummus, vegetables, fruit, and many other yummy things. We made a general announcement, and the line appeared instantly! It took about half an hour to serve everyone, and to our amazement, our provisions actually JUST exactly covered all those who wanted some food! I was positively delighted. Most folks were very polite and complimentary, which made me feel really good. We got a lot of compliments on the food laid out, and the savory scent of the two soups. The sausage and potato went the fastest, though by the time that everyone went through, every pot had scraped down to the bottom, completely empty. As I’ve said before, I have to have been a Jewish mother in a past life, because few things make me as happy as seeing people happily eating good food that I’ve made. : )

After lunch, I stepped into the hall for a bit to go through Gate, and to buy raffle tickets. There were a number of great items in the raffle, and it was a good cause. When I went through Gate, Anawyn was there, her lovely smile lighting up the chilly hall. She’s one of those people in Northkeep that are the mortar that keeps the group together – always helping out. Not an event goes by that I don’t see her doing SOMETHING to assist things in running smoothly.

Randall, Winfryth and their merry crew were busy at work in the kitchen, and the scents that filled the air made my mouth water!! I really miss the variety of cuisines available in California, and Indian is my personal favorite.

While inside the hall, I worked on getting some more amber strung together into necklaces. Ludo came over and offered to help, so I showed him what I was doing, and let him run with it. That freed me up to do the calligraphy on the scrolls that we had the winners’ name for. I was very nervous, as there was a young child who kept bonking the table, even though his mom kept asking him to be more careful. I was terrified of having ink splotches on the scrolls. But fortunately, I managed to get four of the six done with no major disasters, and all the names spelled right!

By the time I got back to the station, all the combats were over, and Mehpare was already puttering about closing down the station. Ludo and Shannon were right there to help, moving things, loading things, rinsing things out. Renault met me at the tent, and we paused in our cleanup for a moment, and grabbed all the items that were to go into the gift baskets. He helped me carry everything over to the Baroness’ cabin. There, we found HE Kelandra, HE Mercedes, and Lady Faolan putting together the baskets. They already looked good, but with the added items from Halfiras, the baskets looked generous and wonderful. I sorted out who got what, added chocolates to each, and got everything where it needed to be.

Back to clean up!! Renault very kindly brought my car around to where we were breaking down, then headed back to assist Her Excellency of Northkeep. By this time, it was 4:55, and they made the announcement that the prize drawing was going to occur at 5:00. I was emphatically sent in to the hall by Ludo, who had been amazing in all of his help, and he and Shannon insisted upon finishing the tear down tasks. The first time my name was drawn, I selected a lovely dragon clock, for Avalon’s room. Then Mehpare’s name was called, and she picked out a pretty tapestry. I left the hall, and encouraged her to stay, saying I’d finish up with the packing. Mehpare followed me out for a moment, and I asked her to please give my friend Jennifer (Lucretzia) a package for me (She particularly likes Halo by Frederick’s of Hollywood, which I happened to have a lot of – so I’d packed up a bag full of perfume, scented soap, and body lotion, all in the Halo fragrance, as a thank you for some help she’d given me working on a costuming pattern.). When Mehpare returned, it was to let me know that my name had been drawn again, so she’d picked out a brown yin-yang tapestry for me. Lucretzia had also won, and she’d picked out a blue dragon tapestry, and given it to Mehpare for me! What a sweetie!! I asked Mehpare if she might like to keep the brown tapestry for Avalon’s room, and she thought that might be nice. I kept the blue one from Lucretzia, which also perfectly matched all the blue drapes I already have for my pavilion.

By this point, pretty much everything was packed up, the raffle was over, and folks were being sent out of the hall so they could finish up feast prep. I moved my car out of the middle of the field. It was starting to really get chilly again, so it was nice to be in the heated vehicle for a few brief moments.

I decided to change into my nice, clean clothes for feast and court, and by the time I finished doing so, it was time for feast set up. Halfiras was gathered at the very back of the hall, near one of the large fireplaces. A lovely flame danced within, set by His Excellency Duncan of Namron. We all laid out our things and got ready for feast. Mehpare looked exotically lovely in a deep sapphire blue velvet gown that clung to her voluptuous figure, offset with beaded teal satin pants, a bright hip scarf, and coordinating veil. She looked scrumptious as always.

Feast was served very rapidly – one item after the other in quick succession, with no pauses between the courses. This allowed folks to eat in one smooth sitting, rather than a staggered set of courses, and was especially nice. I tried to sample everything, but the dish that completely wowed me was the Mongolian Chicken. It was sweet and yet flavorful, and perfectly bite sized. I think it was also Mehpare’s favorite.

The Feast Steward, Randall Lee, came to each table to check to see how folks were doing. Mehpare and I positively gushed over the food, and I proclaimed it my personal favorite of any feast I’d ever had. During the courses, there was also entertainment, as three people strived to win the Troubadour title: Aderyn (the current Troubadour), Damon and Tadgh. Unfortunately, Tadgh did not get down to our table until feast was pretty much over, and we had already voted. He did an excellent job, however.

Also during feast, there were many toasts, several of which kept interrupting Aderyn as she tried to perform at the next table over. She tried to handle all the interruptions with professionalism, but it was easy to tell it was hard to keep her rhythm and the interest of her audience with the constant distractions of the toasts. She did a good job, though, in keeping up an entertaining patter. Damon’s performance was a battle song, and Tadgh told a story of the Norse pantheon, and how Loki came to be the god of fire.

In the end, one name was chosen, and I was given it, as well as the name of the thrown weapons champion, to calligraphy onto the scrolls. I did so as quickly as I could, as feast was done and court setup was well underway. I finished the awards and grabbed Shannon’s camera to take some shots of the gift baskets. Almost as soon as I had them, folks started entering for Court.

I took my seat with Shannon, Mehpare and Avalon, with Cearl nearby. Ottokar, the autocrat, spoke briefly and invited each of the champions to come up and talk about their particular event. The past champion then welcomed the new champion, who received the scroll and any pass down regalia. Ottokar then presented the stepping-down champion with their basket and banner of stuff. The new champions included:

Warden: Angus MacKnochard (Who, when kneeling before her, was the same height as HE Kelandra) Ranger: Therese Marie Giovanni (The enormously cool – can it be said enough times? Nope.) Sergeant: Igor (The father of the previous Sergeant, so it stayed in the family) Huntsman: Lord Ulrich von Budigen Inspector: Catan ingen Ca'irihinss (Who did a nifty hand made bone needles display) Troubadour: Damon Hroarson (who was very surprised)

When Cearl, who was sitting next to me, returned with his basket full of goodies, he wasted no time munching on one of my truffles, after confirming that yes, I’d made them. He was really impressed by everything in the basket, and that was good to hear – that folks’ efforts were appreciated. He even (very kindly!!) gave me one of the truffles! I giggled that I’d never actually won any of my own chocolate, so it was nifty to get one. He thought that was kinda amusing.

After the adult competitions were handled, the youth activities were lauded. Each of the children received scrolls for participation and also for any badges they completed. They also received one of Raghnailt’s tassels and a badge sash. Two children had won competitions: Youth A& and Youth Bardic.

Several members of Chemin Noir were called forward, to receive recognition for their efforts. Ottokar received his Sable Comet, for service to Chemin Noir. His lady wife received a Compass Rose for her work with children. Lady Aoife received praise and a Sable Thistle for her work in costuming. Northkeep just LOVES a ‘gotcha!’ when it comes to awards, and so when she and her escort – her son, Fintan – turned to leave, the herald sternly said, “FINTAN! Her Excellency has NOT given you her permission to depart!” He then received a Sable Comet.

In a tone that sounded just a smidge artificial, the herald, Lady Zahava, did an ‘Oh, silly me, I forgot the heraldic display competition!’ She chatted about the competition for a bit, expressing that she was very happy that folks had made the effort. She said that the winner had really gone all out, and then she announced my name! Whoohooo!! I scampered up to the front of court and made my curtseys. As I made my way up, she laughed and said that the box contained items donated by me, too! She handed me the box and I did a little happy dance, squawking, “I won my chocolate! Yay!!” (I was pretty gleeful about it, as I’m very strict with myself and I don’t allow myself to eat many of my own truffles.) (And yes. I made myself look like a complete goofball. Serious lack of decorum. Shame on me.)

I thanked Zahava for the opportunity of the contest, as I’d had an awful lot of fun preparing for it. I also made a point of saying (very playfully) that Sieur Jean Paul de Sens had said that he was going to try to win the competition when he learned my chocolates were in the prize basket. . . and that I’d told him I was going to do my best to win them… and that I didn’t see Sieur Jean-Paul in the crowd! That I challenged him to do his best next year! Baroness Rhiannon of Mooneschadowe pledged that she would bring my words of challenge back to him.

I turned to curtsey to HE Kelandra, and something in her expression made me pause. I took a sloooow, sliding step backwards, and she suppressed a smile – I could see her lips twitch with the effort to hide it. (Remember how I said that Northkeep just Loooooves a ‘gotcha?’) I took another sloooooow slide-step backwards, never turning to leave. Someone (I didn’t hear/see whom) said, ‘What are you doing, Zubeydah?’ to which I replied, ‘Her Excellency didn’t give me permission to leave, so I’m not sure if I can…?’

Kelandra and others started laughing, and the herald said, “It would be best if you stayed put!” I immediately returned to where I’d been standing, knelt, and made a full obeisance before Kelandra, with my forehead touching the floor. Folks immediately grabbed their cameras and started taking very unflattering pictures!! Erk! So I sat up and grinned back at Kelandra. She said that my efforts to help Chemin Noir with their scrolls and prizes last year had not gone unnoticed, as well as this year as well. I did beg permission to correct her, and let folks know that I’d had a lot of help with my helping this year – Renault and Ragnailt!! Zahava read Their Majesties words, and I was really surprised and touched to receive a Sable Comet for helping out Chemin Noir, and a hug from the Baroness! The Canton is a really great bunch of people, who are warm, caring, and welcoming, and it’s been my pleasure to work with them on various projects.

Almost as soon as I returned to my seat, Mehpare was called into court. This caused a smidge of momentary panic, as she was feeding Avalon at the time. She got things re-arranged and handed off her daughter to her husband. Since he was baby-tending, I escorted this gracious lady into court. Many words were spoken of Mehpare’s service as a waterbearer, as a server at feast, and her many contributions to prize baskets. She was acknowledged as a Lady, receiving her Award of Arms and a great big hug from Kelandra. Mehpare scolded me terribly as we went back to our seats, because she could tell that I knew it was going to happen. We ooohed and ahhhed over one another’s scrolls: Mine was not signed by the painter, sadly. Hers was painted by the Star Principal Herald herself, Druinne!

If you have never given yourself the gift of attending one of the smaller group events in the north – Please consider doing so. Chemin Noir is a great group, and I was disappointed that more people did not show their support for this wonderful Canton. I think their event was an unqualified success, and was really delighted to have been a part of it.

Hope to see you there next year!!

2006: wInterKingdom

wInterKingdom is something I look forward to every year. I love collegium-style events; one of the things about the SCA that is so important to me is the huge array of things to learn and do. Every King’s College or wInterKingdom I’ve attended, I came away with something really valuable. It might be a whole new art form to learn, or ways to do things better that I’ve already been dabbling in. I also feel it’s important to participate as an instructor, so I’ve taught at least one class each year.

This year, I was planning on 2 classes: one for children and one for adults. The youth class was on making tassels, and the adult class was on netted beadwork. I’ve taught the beadwork class several times, but it’s always had a very low turnout – one or two at most. I thought perhaps eight in either class would be more than sufficient, prep-wise.

Unfortunately, the week of the event, both Abe and I came down dreadfully ill. At first, I thought it was food poisoning. Then it turned out to be a virulent 24 hour stomach virus. That kept me from working on a special task given to me by Their Excellencies until late Tuesday. I finished one of the two items by the end of Wednesday night, and planned out the second one. It wasn’t quite done Thursday, though.

Friday, I stopped by the site for about an hour and a half, to try and help with setup, right after work. Unfortunately, by the time the Baronial trailer arrived, it was nearly time for me to head home and finish my class prep and the second special project, as well as an idea I’d had for something else that needed doing. Preparations kept me busy until about 2 am.

Saturday morning, it felt luxurious to sleep in until 8 am! (My alarm usually goes off sometime around 5 or 6 am on event days.) The event site was about 1/4th of a mile from where I work, so I was very familiar with the site. I did need to make one stop on the way to pick up a few little extra things.

I got there around 9 am, right in time for the first series of classes. The line for Gate was very long, so I reviewed my prep for my classes and spent some time visiting with friends. I brought my last-minute-project idea and their special request project over to their Excellencies, and generally dashed around the hall greeting friends, and handing out some small gifts to those teachers I knew I was planning on attending classes by.

My first class – Netted Beadwork - was in the second session, so I had plenty of time. I had enough materials for 8 students and myself, which I figured would be plenty, given that the other times I taught the class, I only had 2 people show up. I made my way to the class area I’d been assigned, and was stunned to find a large group already there. Some folks had reserved a class spot on the sign in sheets, and others had simply showed up. All in all, we had 14 folks in the class! It really threw me off, as not many had ever expressed interest before. We talked a bit about the different types and styles of netted beadwork, and I passed around some examples (as well as a big bag of spiced nuts). Emmalina made some very sweet comments about how I’m always feeding folks and getting them to take care of themselves, which made me feel good. There was a good list of folks from all over, including Calontir! I was touched that Torea of Chemin Noir had made the effort to attend, even though she had to leave at one point as she wasn’t feeling well.

The class went pretty well, with most folks getting the hang of the technique. One hour is definitely not enough time, though – we really only got through the baseline row and the baseline side before it was time to surrender the classroom. I was glad to see some of the students working on their beadwork throughout the day.

I dashed home during the lunch period, and took care of some personal business and grabbed a few things I’d forgotten to pack. It was good to see Abe during the day, though he was stuck working.

Back on site, I decided to get through Gate. I arrived just as the Gate folks were changing shifts, so there was a bit of a wait. While waiting my turn, I was besieged by my favorite moppets: Kate, Nikki and Dora. When the gate change was completely, Renault and Mehpare took over, and so I gave them both bags of spiced nuts. I also decided to go ahead and pay for feast and site, even though I was comped for site and planned to serve at feast. Small events such as this oftentimes just barely squeak by when it comes to cost – so I wanted to help the event and the Barony out in some small way by paying my way in full.

Once through Gate, I was lucky to be able to attend some great classes here and there – though it was quite nearly agonizing deciding which class to attend! I decided to focus mainly on scribal, as that’s something I really see as an art form I’m enthusiastic about, but need a lot of work on. I really wanted to catch the class on filling large spaces by Danielle de Marsailles and on detail work by Lillias, but wasn’t able to fit them into the busy day as there were conflicts with classes I was teaching or taking.

In Master Darius’s class on Gothic Vinework, he showed us how to use a French curve (sounds naughty, doesn’t it?) to avoid the pitfalls of trying to free hand vines. He recommended setting up a grid, so that when designing the area, all sections can be visualized and filled. In a very kind gesture, he gave me one of the French curves after the class. When I showed him the enormous copy of Les Grand Heurs of Jean, Duke de Berry that I found at a yard sale for 5 dollars, he did admit that he hated me. ::grin::

In Nicolea’s class, she showed us how to properly highlight and shade different sized objects, and that each object needs to be shaded separately for a more cohesive whole. That was a hugely valuable class, as shading and highlighting is something I have a really hard time with. If she offers the class again in the future, I will definitely be taking it, as I don’t feel I quite ‘got’ it all.

My tassel making class went just fine. I had materials for 8, and had 7 show up, which worked out well. Most of the children did really well, though the diversity of their personalities was astounding. One young man didn’t say a single word the entire class, other than ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Another boy repeatedly interrupted to seek praise on how he was doing and for extra attention. One young girl burst into emotional upsets over her ability to do the various elements of the project. Another young girl was calm and focused, having made tassels in other ways, many times before. In the end, all the children completed their tassel, and class was done a full 8 minutes early!

Next was a class on diapering, by Danielle, but she was busily working on something else as folks did the practice session she’d prepared. I asked what she was doing, and she explained that she and Nicolea had been asked around midmorning to create a scroll for the rapier tournament. Nicolea happened to have a design in her car, so she traced it out, and the two were madly painting. I was stunned at how much they had accomplished in just a few hours – and it was beautiful work! All the ladies working on the scroll were famished, as they had missed lunch. Being familiar with the area, I offered to go pick them up a pizza from Mazzios.

By the time the pizza was ready and I was back, Nicolea’s next class had started – this one had to do with perspective, and learning how to use a vanishing point. I’m not sure I grasped all of the concepts she was going over. It’s definitely a class I’d like to take again sometime in the future, as perspective is something I have a very hard time with.

Finally, the classes were over. I scampered out to my car to change clothes, as I was planning on dressing to match the theme of feast – food aboard a ship. This feast was being stewarded by HL Therese and her staff. I had a very campy Pirate Wench outfit, complete with a two-tiered black skirt trimmed in red, a black velvet wench blouse, and a black bodice. It took a while, but I was finally able to tighten the laces all the way closed on the bodice. (Quite a feat, since I bought it when I was about (mumblemumble) pounds slimmer, and several inches smaller in a variety of dimensions.) Breathing was next to impossible, but the effect was pretty impressive, if I do say so myself. Woot!

I dashed back to the feast hall to find that the meal had already begun. Ack! Halfiras was at its own table, all the way in the back. Don Timothy was acting as their server, and I asked him if I could please cut in, and take care of them for the rest of the evening. He kindly agreed, and I got them the next course. Between serving courses, I nibbled in the kitchen. Mehpare asked if I was eating, and when I replied, ‘sort of’, she set up a plate for me at their table, since she knew I’d bought feast. That way, I got to taste many of the delicious courses being served. The carrot pickles were quite astounding and the dressing for the salads was simple and delicious. The bread was also really good. I wasn’t brave enough to try the hard tack, though.

Not long after feast started, Baron Ian stood and described how he had recently gone home to the lands of his grandfather, in Calontir, and a great stag hunt had been held. He described the tradition of the hero’s portion, and then gave the venison to an individual he stated was a hero of the hall – Master Tarl. He asked that after they had an opportunity to sample the venison, that they, too, name a hero of the hall. In this fashion, several people were honored for various reasons.

Master Tarl named His Excellency Duncan of Namron.
Duncan named Master Beorhtlic Folkwineson.
Beorhtlic named Honorable Lady Elizabeth de Calais.
Elizabeth de Calais named Mehpare Bint Ejer for her courage in battling illness.
Mepare named Her Excellency Ana Maria Mercedes de Cerdanya, for a variety of reasons including, ‘Keeping the boys in line.’
Mercedes named Lady Faolan MacFarlane.
Faolan named Centurian Angus Machaid Gunn.
Angus named Her Excellency, Elizabeta Isafijord ‘for all the hard work she does for the Barony.’
Elizabeta named Honorable Lord Llewellyn for ‘single-handedly providing us with music.’
(At some point, someone) … named Torea of Chemin Noir.
Torea named me, Lady Zubeydah Jamilla al-Badawiyya (However, she spoke so softly, I did not hear the reason given.)
I named Honorable Lady Debroa bat Yosef, for being the ‘quiet soul of service in Northkeep.’
Debroa named Ismet and Damon. (Per Damon: “You get one, you get both, but I think it was really Ismet. I'm just the mouthpiece.”)
Damon (“the mouthpiece”) and Ismet named Lord Johann Von Aue for “an utterly mundane reason. Anyone who voluntarily puts his life on the line for the rest of us _is_ a hero.” (Johan recently returned from a Tour of Duty in Iraq with the National Guard.)
Johan Von Aue named der Wulf am der Schwartzvald “for their military brotherhood under whom he enjoyed serving for quite some time.”
Wilhelm named Kayte.
Kayte named Lady Lynn the Inquisitive.
Lynn named Keigan.

The feast ended before the Hero’s Portion had all been consumed, and Baron Ian bid that it continue its journey until the plate was empty. It was the second sampling of venison I have ever eaten, and it was positively amazing in its flavor.

During feast, two very important things happened! Lady Olivia de Calais was made a Cadet to Don Timothy and HL Therese. HL Sabine became Apprentice to Mistress Magdelena!

Help was asked in shifting the hall from Feast to Court, and this was done very speedily. Court opened, as the Baron and Baroness marched into court with their entourage and Guard. They quickly turned to the Autocrats of the event to discuss the day, after heaping praise upon them. Kale Kourtekina and Elizabeth de Calais came forward, and discussed the success of the event: 220 (38 of which were children) with memberships and 48 who paid the Nonmember surcharge, for a total of 268 through gate! Teachers and students were present from three separate kingdoms. That’s wonderful!

Praise was also heaped upon Honorable Lady Therese and her staff, for putting forth a wonderful themed feast.

A very touching moment came when two new members of the Baronial Guard were sworn in: Lady Torea and Lady Olivia. Lord Ottokar knelt nearby to assist his lady wife, Torea, whose strength was greatly diminished after a long day at the event.

Because there was a time limit involved for clearing the hall, court was kept at a brisk pace. Ludewicus was called into court, and made "Lord Ludo!" Mehpare and I were fidgety, as we had reason to believe that Ragnailt, a member of House Halfiras, was going to be recognized for her efforts to enrich this realm, with an Award of Arms. Ragnailt was unsuspecting, and at one point, excused herself from the hall. We were really nervous she might not be back in time! But she was, and was completely astounded – she received an exquisitely lovely Award of Arms, painted by Druinne herself (The Crown Principal Herald). Equally surprised was Shannon (aka “Cookie”), Mehpare’s beloved, when he received an Award of Arms.

I was really happy to see that Gisela had been given a Sable Thistle, for her work in Illumination. Gisela has been producing really beautiful work for a long time now, and was overdue for recognition. Other awards given included Facon duPray, who received a Baronial service award, the Caisteal Chriedhe, for his tireless work for the Barony. If you don’t know Facon, you’re really missing out. He’s a tireless champion of, and teacher in, the rapier community. He’s won pretty much most of the rapier championships in the region, and on top of all that, he’s a really nifty guy. Very well deserved. Another recipient of the Caisteal Chriedhe was Nichol, the youngest son of Angus and Ciara. This young man works hard at every event he attends, and is nearly always one of our drink servers at feast. In particular, his service at the Baroness’ Toy Tourney was spectacular: Having served as a waterbearer in the past, he was apparently worried that there wasn’t any waterbearers for the event. So he organized and ran a waterbearer station for the fighters. Vivat Nichol!

Amidst the accolades and recognition, I was more than a bit surprised to hear my own name called, and when I knelt before the Baron and Baroness, I was amused to hear HE Ian begin to relay part of a conversation we’d had earlier… You see, when I told him that the ‘special project’ was done – the Caisteal Chriedhe scrolls being given out that evening – I asked him to please not mention any names. (Baron Ian is very good about giving credit for work done) I really prefer to just sort of do things in the background, and not really talk about it much except here in my ‘blog’ of sorts. (According to my ‘page visit’ counters, not many folks actually READ all these reports, they just visit the site for the photos.) When I asked him to keep mum about the artist, he pointed his finger at me, and told me he would ‘get’ me somehow! Well, as I knelt there, he very smilingly informed me that I had been ‘gotten’… I was very touched to receive a Sable Thistle in Illumination.

The hour was growing late, and court moved rapidly along, cognizant of our deadlines for exit. Once court was adjourned it was time to put things back exactly as we had found it. The clever autocrats had actually laid tape out on the floor, to show us the precise position to return the tables to. With everyone helping, things moved along quickly. All too soon, it was time to say good bye, and head off.

If you haven’t ever had a chance to attend wInterKingdom, it is well worth the time, effort, and trip. This event is quite nearly my very favorite all year, and is one I look forward to for months. Hope to see you there next year!

2007: Namron's Beltane

I’ve never been to a Namron Beltane before; it sounded intriguing, the more I saw discussed and planned on the various email lists. Another lure was that a friend – Elizabeth de Calais – was planning a surprise 18th birthday party for her daughter, Olivia, at the event. That was a definite clincher – I had to be there!

Friday, May 4th, I was able to scoot out of work 15 minutes early, which allowed me the time to dash over to the Great Harvest Bread Company. I’ve been hanging onto a ‘buy one get one free’ coupon from them for quite some time, waiting for a perfect opportunity to utilize it. I selected one of their honey wheat loves, and a loaf of rosemary garlic bread. The young lady behind the counter was positively passionate about their bread, and gave me a free sample of one of their dessert loaves. YUM!

After a stop by the grocery store to pick up a few last minute items, I got home and began planning the logistics of the evening. Two of my projects required a lot of time to chill in the fridge and another needed time to cool on the countertop. Those, then, had to be my first endeavors.

I started by draining some maraschino cherries that I’ve had soaking in Amaretto liqueur for the last 6 months, and then made up an Amaretto flavored fondant using butter, powdered sugar, corn syrup and Southern Ansteorran Ladies Sipping Cordial (a.k.a. DiSaronno – thus named by Mistress Dyan). Each of the two-dozen cherries was patted dry and covered in fondant. Because I’d not thought carefully ahead of time, I had to use toothpicks to replicate the cherry stems in the process. These went into the fridge to firm up, intended to be served at Olivia’s birthday party.

Next, I whipped up a large batch of Dark Chocolate Kahlua fudge. The recipe is one that I got from my parents, and there’s a funny story behind it. The particular denomination they belonged to when I was growing up had a very small chapel in Bangor, Maine. The church had long since outgrown the chapel, and they decided to raise funds to build a new one. The method of doing so was debated, and it was decided that if they could find one perfect recipe, they could focus their efforts on one item to sell in bake sales and local stores. The ladies of the church were asked to submit their favorite recipe – and the one chosen was for this fudge. They sold enough fudge to construct a new building … and yes, it really is that good!! Sadly, one of the promises that were required to get a copy of the recipe, was that it not be shared outside the church. So, since I’d gone there as a child, I was allowed to have a copy… but I cannot share it with others. (As a clarification, the original recipe did **NOT** contain Kahlua!) One of the secrets of the fudge recipe is to really let the ingredients caramelize as its cooking, rather than taking it off the heat too hastily. So it takes a bit of time and a lot of careful attention, but the end result is well worth the trouble. Soon, I had two pans cooling in the fridge – one for the tavern a la carte donation, and one for Olivia’s party.

Third on the list was a double batch of brownies, all for the tavern. (Triple Chocolate Caffeinated Walnut Brownies) Once the brownies were all done, I covered them in plastic wrap to keep out odors, and stashed them on the counter to cool down. Next on the To Do List was to cook up a pound of bacon! I wanted to make a pair of quiches, and while I usually take a short-cut and use precooked, packaged bacon bits, I wanted these quiches to have that extra rich taste of fresh cooked bacon. So the house quickly filled with the mouthwatering scent – thus, the plastic wrap on the brownies. (It’s a pork fat thing!)

The quiches were quickly put together and went into the oven to cook. While that was going on, I pulled out my fondant-covered cherries, which had firmed up relatively well in the fridge. I wanted to try a new chocolate coating I’d found at the store, and test out its taste and consistency. After microwaving the slab of chocolate, I dipped the cherries in one by one, giving them a nice thick coat. Back into the fridge!

A batch of Cheese Goo was the last item on my list (unsalted butter, cream cheese and Brie, melted together and whipped into an emulsion with herbs). Wanting it to be extra creamy, I upped the amount of Brie, and also strained it through a fine sieve, to remove any un-melted lumps and impurities. This also had the side effect of removing most of the herbs, so I added in more parsley and summer savory. The Goo went into a Tupperware container and into the fridge.

The last thing on my list for Friday was to find all of the stuff I’d need for the next morning. I am most decidedly NOT a morning person, and the idea of stumbling around my house in the dark trying to put things together was Right Out. Finding garb, packing feast gear, finding a small cooler to put the food in, and generally getting my stuff together took about an hour. It was about 11:30 pm when I finally got to bed, excited about the next morning.

I was up by 6:20 am, and was able to get out of the house by 7:10, with some help from my husband, Abe. He helped me carry everything down to the car and get it loaded up. While I was getting ready, I kept having a nagging feeling that I should bring my waterbearing things. But they were out in our storage unit, and I just didn’t feel like digging them out, taking the time to re-sterilize them, and be late. So I talked myself out of it. Shame on me!

The trip to the site was uneventful and smooth. It is always a lovely drive from Tulsa to Cleveland – especially crossing Keystone Lake when it’s shrouded in mist. The temperature was moderate, so I rolled down the window to enjoy the breeze.

I arrived on site right at 8:00, and was pleased to see a lot more cars than I was expecting. Because the Will Rogers site is much further from Oklahoma City and Norman than most events sponsored by that area, and because the weather had been pretty lousy for several days, I was worried folks might stay at home. Fortunately, it didn’t look like the weather had been too bad the night previous – I didn’t see any downed tents or other signs of disaster. I parked on the road between the kitchen and the wash house, and headed in to find the Gate.

There, I found Isabella of Mooneschadowe and several other ladies that I did not know. I paid for the event, and was dismayed to hear that tavern was already sold out. Oh no! My dismay was quickly turned into a grin, when the next person I ran into was Adena. She showed off her new garb, beautifully embroidered with Celtic-influenced frogs, in honor of the Spang contents. It looked great! Any day that involves Adena being present is a Good Day. If you don’t know this wonderful lady, take time to find her and introduce yourself. Your day will be brighter as a result. She is truly a shining star of this Society.

I went to the kitchen to find Contessa Vanessa, and give her my donation items for the tavern: 2 loaves of bread, a quiche, a pan of brownies and a pan of fudge. She put everything except the bread into the fridge, for safekeeping. She looked weary, and I could tell she’d been hard at work the day prior and for hours already that morning. Her eyes gleamed when I told her that while I hadn’t brought coffee, I had brought brownies with coffee in them, which she said would be perfectly nice. I asked if there’d be any more tavern slots available for sale, and a gentleman answered, saying that there might be, in a short amount of time, once Mistress ‘Stacia arrived and they’d had a chance to talk.

Next, I spied Danielle de Marseilles in the great hall, clutching a large picture frame, looking slightly dazed and exhausted, but practically floating an inch off the ground. I strode over, and said something to the effect of, ‘if that’s new work of yours, I MUST have a picture!!’ She grinned and confessed she had just finished it, and was very excited with how it turned out. With the consent of Baroness Muriel, I was allowed to photograph the incredibly beautiful original charter, on the condition that I not speak to anyone about who that person was, or what the award was. The work and the colors were stunning – rich crimsons, deep blues and bright golds, ornamented with twin peacocks. Danielle really did herself proud.

Since there wasn’t a whole lot going on just yet, I took off my outer gahwazi coat, and offered to help in the kitchen. The same gentleman who’d told me about the potential for more tavern vouchers seemed to be in charge, so I asked what I could do to help. I asked him his name, and learned that it was Owen Stott – a man I had heard of for many years in reference to his fine skills in the kitchen. Another lady was there chopping up brisket that had been cooking all night, which would be part of a beef stew served at lunch. A third lady was making biscuits. I learned her name was Annabelle, but did not catch the name of the lady who was handling the brisket.

Soon thereafter, I was removing the skin of a chicken that had been simmering for six hours. I de-boned and diced the chicken, which was incredibly tender and fragrant. The remaining broth was reserved, and I strained it to remove all the undesirable bits of bone, skin and fat that remained. The chicken went back into the rich stock, and at Owen’s direction, I added an entire container of mushrooms, two tablespoons of minced garlic and two cans of Cream of Mushroom soup. This was blended well, and put back on the stove. Everyone in the kitchen was very helpful, and didn’t laugh at my goofy questions. At one point, one of the folks who had been camping near the kitchen came through, and confessed that he had been tempted to perform a midnight raid on the building – the scent of the cooking brisket had ‘tormented’ him all night, whenever the wind would shift and carry the scent of the roasting meat through his campsite!

About this time, it was announced that yes, there were 25 more slots for tavern chits to be purchased. I immediately purchased one, and at Vanessa’s request, tracked down Adena, who wanted to purchase some for her family. I also let the folks at Gate know, so they could answer folks when asked. After doing so, I returned to the kitchen. I was able to help with a few other items, but while assisting with some gravy, I burned myself pretty well when the thick boiling mixture splattered my hand. Since I’d put in a good hour and a half helping, I excused myself, and headed out to see what else was going on at the event. It was about 9:40 ish.

It was announced that morning court would start soon, so I grabbed my chair from my car, and headed out towards the pavilions. I was surprised to see that Their Royal Majesties were present; I hadn’t thought they were attending the event. I found a good spot for my chair, and asked Mistress Alix if she’d mind if I sat there. She very graciously agreed, and I spent a few minutes chatting with her about the new project for the Scribal website – an online gallery of award insignia.

Baroness Dominique of Weisenfeuer was sitting directly in front of me, and I leaned forward to say hi to Domi and her beautiful baby. With her mom’s permission, I snapped an adorable photo of Miss Elizabeth.

Soon court started and so did a light sprinkling of rain. Their Majesties, Romanius and Deana, stood and said, “Good Morning!” Everyone said ‘Good morning’ in return, and giggled when their Majesties promptly sat right back down. Most of the business before the court had to do with Their Excellencies Duncan and Muriel of Namron. Items included:

Danielle De Marsailles, who was long a resident of Namron, but who recently moved south of the Red River, was given an award for Baronial service in the Arts and Sciences. Well deserved!!

Their Majesties did call into their court a few folks, some of which caused more crowd reaction than others. One lady, much to her mortification, was trapped in her chair. Some of the fabric of her garb was tangled in the hinge of her chair, so with a gentleman’s help, she appeared before the Crown, chair and all!

Owen Stott was called into court and granted the Star of Merit of Ansteorra for his many long years of service.

Another item of interest of the morning court was the presentation of the Sun Cake. It was a beautiful golden cake, hand painted, and in the shape of a castle. The May Queen was named (drawn by lots) and it was – most fittingly – a lady who was great with child. The Spang Princess was also chosen, and the young maiden was invited to join the May Queen under the royal pavilion. As well, the Court was visited by a Lord of Faerie, with stunning blue wings (portrayed most elfishly by Master Lucais). He announced that the key to the gates of Faerie had been stolen, and a dragon had been slain. The dragon’s mate and her clutch were missing! This did not bode well!

Court was brief, as it is our current Crown’s stated desire that all courts last no more than one hour. After it was adjourned, I asked the fine folks of The Raptor if I might sit with them. Therese and Timothy very graciously allowed me to do so. I sat and chatted with their daughter Kate very briefly, before she flitted off.

Around this time, it was announced that the tug of war was to begin. I got several photos of the children’s tug of war – All of them versus Pooky, the girls versus the boys, and various other combinations. It was rather amusing hearing them yelling, ‘Heave! Ho! Heave! Ho!”

Some pick up fights had begun, and there was talk that the dragon would soon be appearing. I came to the realization that there wasn’t any organized waterbearing at the event, and talked with a dear friend – Renault du Mont St Michel – as to whether or not he had anything we could use. I asked if I could make a very huge request – would he be willing to go into Cleveland, and go to WalMart and buy some pop-top bottles? He said he would. I gave him what little cash I had, and then ran off to see if I could find some bottles of any sort that might work. I checked through the area around the field to see if I could spy any bottles, but didn’t see any. I also quickly checked the hall, but didn’t see anything suitable. So, making do, I grabbed a pitcher and a plastic cup, determined to make the beset of it. As I returned to the field, I saw that some coolers had been set up and there were cups there. I was told that the fighters were aware of its location, and it would work out okay, as they weren’t expecting waterbearing. I met up with Renault, and he gave me a handful of various sized pop-tops he’d found in one of his bags.

I took the opportunity to meet with a variety of folks about insignia, including Lady Katrine, who showed me regalia that was made for His Excellency, Master Robert Fitzmorgan, by Darius of the Bells: A stunning pelican medallion and a coronet of delicate open metalwork. I also met with Aelfwyn Webbestre, who is one of the most amazing artisans when it comes to weaving. She showed me an Iris of Merit ribbon she had woven, as well as a sable thistle ribbon she’d woven that was quite cleverly crafted. While I was chatting with Aelfwyn, she offered me some of the water bottles she’d brought. We found a pop-top that fit her bottles, and I felt much better. I started watering the fighters sporadically, but there weren’t many folks who were actively in combat. So, I stashed the bottle for later.

At this point, my friend and mentor, Nicolea, invited me to her cabin, to get a sneak peek at the championship charters that had been painted. I greedily snapped several photos of them, and also got a picture of the baronial award that Danielle received. It’s hard to describe the admiration I have for these two ladies; both as individuals, and as artists. I enjoy and value the time I have with them.

As I emerged from their cabin, I saw that the adult tug of war was in full swing. I raced over to try and catch a glimpse of the goings on, and arrived just in time to see Northkeep win. Alas, I was only able to snap one photo. Baron Ian was glowing with triumph (and perspiration from his exertions), quite a figure in his cream-colored shirt, bare feet, and kilt. Baron Duncan approached him, and the two embraced as brothers, clapping each other heartily on the back.

There were so many things going on at once! I wanted to make sure I saw as much as possible. I knew the A&S competition was being set up in the hall, so I headed that way next. It seemed as if everyone had ‘gotten the memo’ – for every single display had something to do with fiber arts! Knotted rope slings, naalbinding, and lucet work were included in the displays. I snapped photos as best I could, but my camera was behaving badly.

I wandered back into the hall, as it was getting on towards 11:00 and I was starting to see people eating lunch. After some discussion with the Tavern folks, I sliced up the fudge and brownies I’d brought, and arranged them on a plate. Walking out of the kitchen into the hall, I called out loudly, “CHOCOLATE FOR SALE! BENEFITTING THE BARONY OF NAMRON.” I immediately got a lot of interest! Several folks were very generous, and let me ‘keep the change’ as the sale was a fundraiser and they knew it would go to Namron’s benefit. One person bought five pieces of fudge and brownies! I was asked for the fudge recipe a few times, and had to tell the tale of its origin, sadly responding that I could not give out the recipe.

I exited the hall, and made my rounds through the field. The brownies and fudge went very quickly, and it was extremely gratifying to hear the moans of pleasure as folks tried the items they’d purchased. In just ten minutes, I’d sold every piece of fudge and brownies, raising a total of $42.00! I put all the monies in a baggie, and turned it over to Mistress ‘Stacia with a grin. I washed up the dishes I’d used, tossed out the trash, and headed back out to the field.

Soon it was time for THE DRAGON to appear! It emerged in all of its golden glory from the glade, snarling and howling for its revenge. Appropriately given voice by Syr Owen ap Aeddan, the Dragon called out for the ‘puny humans’ to fight it! I grabbed my makeshift water bottle, and started offering the fighters and the dragon something to drink. As always, the fighters were very courteous and appreciative.

Several fighters tied together formed the Dragon, wearing yellow fabric stuffed appendages on their helms to designate which part of the dragon they were. There was a head, two wings, four claws, and a tail. Each fighter wore a yellow tabard. The head was most fierce in appearance and in temperament!

The Dragon’s opponents were drawn by lots, and the first group went out to face the fearsome beast. The dragon fought ferociously, and the stalwart defenders of Namron were slain. His Royal Majesty, Romanius, embodied one of the front claws of the dragon. In one dramatic moment, he leapt out to attack someone who had strayed too closely, but alas, he was tethered to The Great Immovable Object – i.e., Owen! HRM Romanius was nearly pulled off his feet by the jarring impact of hitting the end of the rope before reaching his intended target.

Midway through the fights, Renault appeared with a pair of plastic bags from Walmart. Inside were some largish squirt-top bottles. I gave him my grateful thanks, and sprinted off to the hall, where I filled the jugs up. On the next pause in the battles, I circulated with these larger capacity bottles, and received some positive feedback on the change. It really was awesome of Renault to get them – I appreciate him!!

After the first fight, Sieur Jean-Paul de Sens had to give up his place as a Dragon part, and leave the site – his two squires were graduating college, and he wanted to attend. During this pause, I asked Millicent from Mooneschadowe to braid up my hair. The breeze kept blowing it right into my face, and it was getting difficult to deal with. She braided a piece of rope I’d found into my hair and used it to tie off the braid. I really appreciated it! I also congratulated her and Ollj on their newly announced, soon-to-be-parents status. Those two are going to be great parents, and I hope to be counted among the many SCA Aunties ready to spoil their child rotten. While Millj was braiding my hair, I chatted with Ollj about insignia. He gave me two examples of the cast pewter Rising Stars he’s been working on, and also laid a largish cast pewter piece into my hand. He asked what I thought it was – I responded that it looked like a peacock feather. He chuckled, turned it 180 degrees, and I could immediately see that it was an angel. He nodded, and said it was his gift to the ladies of the Province for Christmas! It felt really great to be included in that number, and I was very appreciative of his work and his kindness.

The combats against the dragon lasted for about an hour, with pauses for some dramatic confrontations between the Baroness (who was ardently protecting her scotch) and the Faerie who had come through the gate, and the dragon. At one point, the Dragon attempted to negotiate that HE Muriel would become his bride for one thousand years! (She regretfully declined)

Finally the dragon was defeated, and they tromped back down to the glade. I followed the group, making sure they got plenty to drink. It took refilling my water bottles twice, but finally they were de-armored, cooled down, and comfortable – I was a smidge worried about Aethelred, as his color was a very dark red. But he was sweating and that’s always a good sign. Several folks wandered down to the glade – some stayed, including Master Cassius Leapus’ intended, Kajira, and some departed. Someone brought Master Tarl some lunch – a bowl of gumbo – but he had stepped out of the glade for a time. So the boys happily passed it around themselves a bit. I asked if they’d like some more food, and got a resounding group ‘yes!’ as a result. So I scampered up to the hall, grabbed my Tavern card, and got two ‘punches’ worth of gumbo, snagged some of the a la cart items I’d brought, and headed back down.

The honey wheat bread and gumbo were received well, but the quiche disappeared in nothing flat. I don’t often have the opportunity to just sit around chatting with folks, and rather enjoyed it. As the guys were talking, I did a bit of clean up, gathering up the duct tape that had held the dragon bits onto folks’ helmets, and the rope. Master Tarl’s sharp eye saw that a tick had fallen from one of the ropes onto my arm, and he quickly swatted it off – ack! Into my hair!! In a mere second, he had it plucked out and thrown away from me. Gah. I Do. Not. Like. Bugs!!! He agreed that he had much the same opinion. While I was puttering around, Sir Aesoph told me to please catch up with him later, as he had a gift for me. I blinked and told him that I would.

At one point, His Royal Majesty asked how many Centurions of the Sable Star were present at the event. The assembled gentlemen named off those who wear the crimson cloak, and it totaled nine or so. Romanius then decided that he would hold a gathering of the Centurions later in the day. Sir Cassius’s son was dispatched to go inform the Centurions not present of His Majesty’s wishes.

There was some discussion of ways to make the Dragon more workable, so folks weren’t getting rope burns, or being tripped up quite as badly. One suggestion was a different type of system to secure the dragon parts to the main head – using a belt with rings, so that ropes weren’t being tied around people.

Eventually, I headed off with Elizabeth de Calais, as she let me know that her daughter, Olivia, was arriving soon! I dashed up to the kitchen to fetch the things I’d brought: A loaf of bread, the Cheese Goo spread, the second pan of fudge, and the chocolate covered cherries. I hadn’t thought to grab a knife, so I used a pocketknife I had in my pouch. This really didn’t work too well. Fortunately, someone brought one over, and we got the fudge sliced up into big decadent chunks.

Moments after everyone was gathered, Olivia walked past where we were hidden. We all yelled, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!” She blushed prettily and grinned hugely, obviously very happy that folks had taken part in the celebration. She looked lovely in some new garb. I started singing the Happy Birthday song, and everyone chimed in. After the song was done, she was quickly swamped by well-wishers bearing gifts and hugs and good thoughts. I waited my turn to give her a hug and offer her one of the Chocolate Covered Amaretto Cherries, and pointed out the pan of Kahlua fudge (her favorite!) made just for her celebration. She ate one of the cherries and her eyes rolled back in her head and she made happy noises. Success!!!

The celebration was quickly in full swing, with folks nibbling on the collected treats. There were mini tarts and a variety of other finger foods, plus all the items I’d brought. I started walking around the chocolate covered cherries, asking folks to critique them as they’re an item I plan to make for Castellan. I got positive reviews. Woot!

The day was slowly wound down. The final Tavern meal was being prepared, but I wasn’t really hungry, after eating all that food at the birthday party. I ran into Emmalina and her sweetie, Yoshi. They had just arrived at the event. We chatted for a bit, and I offered them my tavern card and my feast gear so they could get something to eat. They expressed their thanks, and I wandered off.

(Unfortunately, I didn’t finish this event review at the time of the event, and my memories are a bit too fuzzy of how things went, so this story ends here…)

2007: Northkeep Castellan (Young Ladies Salon)

Castellan 2007 was another event filled with high points and low points, such that I don't think it would be a good idea to write my normal sort of review. Here are a few points, though, that I would like to share.

  • Thank you to my husband, Abe Vivitar von Gebric, for putting up with me and my hair brained ideas, for kitchen disasters, for toting, carrying, loving, and supporting. Thank you for your strength and your love.
  • Thank you to House Halfiras for their love and support and eight months (yes, eight MONTHS) of hard work and prep for this event. Thanks for all the foof and food prep help the day of the event. Thank you, Halfiras, for supporting and loving and putting up with me through this HBI. Raghnailt, I'm so sorry you weren't able to make it. You were missed dearly.
    • Thank you to Mehpare for elements of grace and beauty.
    • Thank you to Renault and Raghnailt, for Tulsa Workdays, for beading all those anklets.
    • Thank you to Rayhanna, for more linen hankies than any one seamstress should have to face.
    • Thank you to Yelena for picking up the pieces and getting things done. * Thank you to Syr Owen ap Aeddan for the loan of his tent, and for 'rescuing the fair maiden.' I'm so sorry you weren't able to make it.
  • Thank you to Syr Owen's squires, and their friends and family, for putting up and taking down the tent, for toting, for unloading, for fetching, and altogether being very helpful and supportive.

  • Thank you to Mooneschadowe and Mistress Rhiannon Redwulf, for allowing me the honor of standing guard at the vigil, and getting to feel like Mooneschadin.
  • Thank you from the bottom of my heart to the picture of grace and elegance, HE Mistress Tessa of the Gardens, for the effort she put forth into contacting me and supplying materials for the Young Ladies Salon.
  • Thank you to Duchess Cateau for her gracious phone call on Thursday night. I appreciate it.
  • Thank you to Nicolea and Danielle, for painting Castellan scrolls at Steppes, and to Nicolea for creating the beautiful artwork for them.
  • Thank you to all the young ladies who attended the salon. I had a lovely time, and I hope that you did, too.
  • A special and specific thank you to Krystal Blackwolf. You truly have the heart of a lion. I was overwhelmed by the amount of work that you put into helping me on Saturday. You are quite an amazing young lady, and you are reminding me more and more of one of my SCA heroes, Adena, for your spirit and willingness to do whatever is needed.
  • Thank you to Viggen for 'pack-foo' and helping me load my vehicle.


Other moments worth recounting:

  • Feast was delicious, what I had of it. Kudos to a first time feast steward for a job well done. I ate far too many of the spiced apricots, but discovered they are delightful when added to a wide variety of the dishes served, especially the coconut soup. The bread was heaven on earth.
  • Thank you to His Royal Majesty, Romanius, for allowing our young ladies to display their curtseys.


Moments that weren't as happy:

  • I was disappointed at the behavior of a child that 'crashed' the Salon, simply to get one of the nifty gift baskets created for the attendees, who then repeatedly complained that the basket she received didn't have all the same things that the attendees had in theirs. It was ironic that this occurred at a Salon intended to teach manners and good, lady-like behavior.

  • I was saddened to have yet another reminder of why I don't tend to stay after dark at SCA events. People can get in their cups and act quite inappropriately, and I and my husband were, unfortunately, the target of such behavior. I appreciate Abe's restraint in dealing with this individual.


Part of our preparation for the young ladies salon included 25 identical gift baskets for the girls, and 12 gift bags for Ladies of the Rose who were invited to attend. I'd like to extend specific thanks for:
Young Ladies Baskets:
- Mehpare & Rayhanna for the pewter castles
- Rayhanna & Yelena & Ragnailt, for working on the linen hankies
- Ollj of Mooneschadowe for the double-faced pewter coin

Roses Gift Bags:
- Rayhanna for crocheting the luxury face cloths
- Ollj of Mooneschadowe for the double-faced pewter coin
- Mehpare & Rayhanna for the soaps, incense and candles
- Yelena & Rayhanna for making the bags
- Mehpare for providing the rosewater fountain
- Mehpare for providing the henna
- Raghnailt for creating half the beaded, belled anklets

Addendum: I would like to share word-fame of one of Northkeep's valiant and hard working youth: Krystal Blackwolf. From the time I arrived on site (8:00 am) to the time feast was over (9:00 ish?) I personally observed this young lady working hard. She came by when she saw me unloading my things, and asked how she could help. For the next 4 solid hours, she assisted with stirring pots, scrubbing dishes, fetching water, fetching things from this tote or that, and generally being an incredible little assistant. After attending the Young Ladies Salon, she assisted with clean up of the food prep area, and the tent itself. For the next several hours, I saw her running here and there, being a page, a message-deliverer, herding children, and generally keeping busy. At feast, she was one of the most attentive servers I have ever had, even managing to wrangle more of those succulent pickled apricots for our table. Krystal is truly deserving of praise and recognition for her efforts, and her hard work made the event better for not only me, but all the children who attended the Salon, and all those who joined me at feast. She is someone who helps to keep The Dream alive for me. So I would like to take this moment to say 'Thank You' to Krystal - and all the other hard working youth who help make our events fun.


2007: Kingdom of the Outlands: GLORY

Note: This was written well over a year after the actual event (my bad) and is missing a LOT. It’s really more of a summary, then a review.

The Kingdom of the Outlands holds an annual event called “Glory” and the event theme is that individuals compete on one of the several Paths of Glory, which in and of itself, is very cool. There are tournaments and competitions packed into a very busy event that spans several days. For me, Glory was All About Nate.
Nate (Nathaniel MacPhereson) is my brother (mundanely), and news had come to me that he was going to be squired to His Excellency, Sir Haroun al-Mabsoot ibn Uthman al-Dhi'b al-Abyadh ibn Ubaydallah banu Rhi Asfar, (Master of the Pelican, Baron of the Court of The Outlands, Iron Hart, Defender of the Stag's Blood, Companion of the Order of the Stag's Heart, Companion of the Order of the Argent Hart, Companion of the Order of the Dragon's Claw, Companion of the Order of the Dragon's Blood, Companion of the Order of the Scales of Dragonsspine, Companion of the Order of the Gentle Dragon, Companion of the Order of the Queen's Grace, Guardian of the Golden Flame, Companion of the Order of the Venerable Guard, and Walker of the Way. . . and all around amazingly cool dude.) There was no way in heck I was going to miss this special day for him.

Nate had asked that I make up some dessert items for his household party, and for another party his House had been asked to sponsor. So in the days up to the event, I was a whirling dervish of chocolately goodness, making up 3 types of fudge (Dark Chocolate Kahlua, Dark Chocolate Chambord Walnut, and Milk Chocolate Hazelnut ) and five batches of truffles (Dark Chocolate diSaronno, Milk Chocolate Kahlua and Dark and Milk chocolate Peanut butter) and a batch or two of my very naughty coffee / Kahlua brownies.

I was also carrying good wishes from a number of folks for Sir Haroun; transplants in Ansteorra from the Kingdom of the Outlands.

When I got to the airport, I talked to the agents at the gate about my carry on luggage – The cooler full of chocolates was very heavy and didn’t fit in the overhead bin. I was very worried about checking it, but the flight attendants volunteered to remove their luggage from their reserved spot, so I could transport the chocolate in the main cabin. (Though there were a number of jokes about some being missing by the time we got to Denver…)

I rented a car at the airport and made my uneventful way to my parents home in Greeley. I got there early enough that I had a bit of time with my folks, and got to go shopping with my mom in Fort Collins. The bead store we went to happened to be staffed by an SCA member, who heard me talking to my mom about the event. She knew Nate, and asked me to pass along her good wishes.

I stayed at my parents home overnight, and the morning of the event my sister, Dominique, picked me up. Armed with breakfast from McDonalds, we hit the road, bright and early. It was a typical Colorado day, with bright azure skies. The site was about two hours from Greeley, and we had fun text messaging Nate once we got closer. At one point, we were heading up a hilly bit of road, flanked on both sides by hills, when we spotted a stag. (The stag being the symbol of the Kingdom of the Outlands) It seemed like a wonderful portent for the day.

We arrived around 8:30ish, and folks were still crawling out of their tents. Dominique began yanking out coolers of this and that, and we started making breakfast for everyone. There was a veritable feast once we were done, and everyone was fully sated – over the course of the event, they went through a full twelve pounds of bacon! (I must admit that my ability to cook eggs in the wild outdoors on a portable grill is .. er.. lacking. The eggs I was tasked to manage didn’t turn out the best.) One particularly amusing moment came when a friend of Nate’s, named Elendil, solemnly declared that pancakes were his favorite thing in the whole world. When Dominique handed him a plate stacked high with blueberry pancakes topped with whipped cream, his eyes were nearly as big as the serving tray. He proclaimed her to be the best lady in the whole wide world.

There were events going on throughout the day, and I got to see a few tournaments here and there. It was wonderful to actually get to see my brother fight for the first time. Unfortunately the pairings put him up against some stout competition, and in one case, it was with a weapon he had never used. He did not win the bouts I got to witness.

Nate and Mordrake were both members of the Queen’s Guard, so that took up some of their time. I got to snap some photos of the goings on (which can be found on my online photo album). The Queen, Her Majesty Madigan, seemed rather nice and approachable. I like the formality that surrounds the Crown in the Outlands: Each Guard and member of her entourage bear her symbol, and everyone was in matching tunics.

After the first set of tournaments, everyone headed back to the camp for lunch. Dominique and I joked that we were ‘sandwich ninjas’ as we bustled with deft grace around each other, building hearty lunches for all the hungry fighters. It’s amazing how much turkey, ham and roast beef can be decimated by people who have just come off the battle field.

While at camp, I got the opportunity to meet Sixtus Goeth from the Armour Archive. We didn’t have much time to chat, but it was nice to put a name to a face.

When it came time for the squiring, we all gathered around over by one of the tournament fields. Sir Haroun and his Lady, Dovita, spoke about what it meant to them for Nate to enter into their service. Dominique and I were nearby, beaming with pride. Nathaniel gave his oath, and then in a unique tradition, he was tackled to the ground and all of his squire brothers piled on top. The first two on the pile, however, knelt over him, creating a barrier so that he didn’t take the *full* weight of all the others – representational of the support that they as a family would give him. (Mordrake was one of the two)

One thing I did enjoy throughout the day was grilling… er.. chatting… with Sevilla, who Mordrake had made it clear he cared dearly for, and was thinking very seriously about asking her to marry him. There was no way this woman was going to get to take away our Mordrake without getting grilled by the Hansen Women: She had to pass muster! So Dominique and I took every opportunity to talk with Sevilla, and get to know her. Sevilla is a very strong personality, as well as creative and decisive. It was clear that she cared for Mordrake, and that they were well suited in many ways.

If you’ve visited my website and seen the beading page in the projects section, it’s overflowing with photos of amber I’ve made for Nate to give away. One cool thing that happened was that I got to take photos of some of the folks who have received that work, when they were wearing their amber. This included Gwydion, Bert, and Mordrake. I didn’t get to snap one of Dominique or HRM Madigan, though – there simply wasn’t time or opportunity.

At late afternoon/evening court, I sat with some other members of the household, as Nate was on duty. Dominique was back at camp, and we tried to correspond via text message, as there were rumors going about that it would be good for all members of the household to be present. We weren’t sure who would be recognized, but she didn’t want to miss anything important. Unfortunately, my cell signal was very bad, so we tried using runners (the site is BIG)… but messages got garbled.

As it turned out, the news was that Mordrake (formally known as Oliver Mordrake) would receive a Kingdom service award, elevating him to the rank of Honorable Lord. Sadly, Dominique (who is Mordake’s ex-wife, and still a very good friend) was not able to witness it. I crept close to snap some photos, and heard Queen Madigan teasing Mordrake that he had better get himself a device and name registered, to which he was able to answer that he had gotten it word it had passed through Society only just that morning! I beamed with pride at that point, as I’d been helping him with the artwork for a while.
Also honored at court was Gwydion’s lady, who received her AOA. I got to snap a photo of the scroll, which was just lovely. It was interesting to see the cultural differences between the Outlands and Ansteorra. Here, we shout “Vivat!” – with one shout for an AOA level award, two for a Grand level award, and three for a Peerage or Nobility. In the Outlands, everyone gets three Huzzahs. As well, if someone isn’t present in court in Ansteorra, we read it into law but it is kept a secret until it’s presented in person, in a court. In the Outlands, it’s given to a friend or group representative, who will then give it to the absent person.

After court, we gathered at the campsite. Cynethryth, who is Nate’s room mate and very close friend, had missed the earlier squiring. To give her the opportunity to see it, Sir Haroun and his Lady very kindly went through the oath again. This time, Nathaniel spoke the “Sacred Words” of the house – “There is but one Goddess, and Her name is Dovita”… the ‘squire pile’ was much smaller this time: Just Haroun and Dovita’s grand daughter, Corinne, who is Nate’s “Older Squire Sister” (Haroun asked her what she wanted for her birthday, and she’d answered she wanted a red belt. Corinne is all of 9 or so.)

Dinner was another busy affair, made thoroughly amazing by Dominique’s skill and careful preparation of some stunningly yummy food – it involved slow braised brisket, some of my cheese goo (which was really good on the brisket), handmade scalloped potatoes (the richest and most decadent I’ve ever had), seared asparagus, cheesecakes, and cherry clafouti. Afterwards, we sat around the campsite and listed to the guys drum. I danced a smidge, but the altitude made it very hard for me to breathe, much less dance, so I mostly sat and listed and watched others.

The household Darbuka was holding a revel, and a fine rain began to fall as that celebration began to get underway. Unfortunately, we discovered that the batches of fudge, which had been transferred into coolers, had gotten somewhat damp, and wouldn’t hold its shape when cut. It was dubbed “Spoon Fudge” and we set it out with a large container of spoons so that folks could dip in and enjoy, as the flavor was not affected. While we were adding to their huge feast with our offerings, Corrine, Dovita’s granddaughter, got a bit too close to some of the serving items, and burned herself on a Sterno can, despite having been told to be careful.

The evening progressed, and sadly, soon it was time for me to head back to Greeley. Dominique and her lord decided to follow suit, and we caravanned out. The roads were very rough, so while I had volunteered to drive one car back, it was decided that Dominique would go ahead and drive.

We all crashed at my parents home (making my mother overjoyed the next morning to see not just one but two of her kids that day), arriving very late evening/early morning.

I really enjoyed the theme of the event, and all the goings on… though like most things I go to in the Outlands, it really all boiled down to some precious time with family.

Vivat to Nate on his squiring, and to Honorable Lord Mordrake (which we immediately shortened to HoLoMo(fo) …) on his recognition by the crown!


2008: Mooneschadowe's Triumphe of the Eclipse

Triumphe of the Eclipse (The Event Previously Known as Guardian) is one of the gatherings that I look forward to all year. This is, in no small part, due to the sense of community and camaraderie that flows like warm sunshine down upon everyone attending a Mooneschadowe event. This year was no different.

Prep this year was minimal, given that I was not in charge of anything. I had the fun of making up some yummies for the waterbearers, some items for the gift baskets, and some food items as payment for some weavers who were working on commissions for me. So there was very little stress involved in getting ready. I was in bed by 11:30 on Friday (practically unheard of for an event!)

I did want to get on site early, because I had pledged to bring a coffeemaker for the use of the Royalty Liason. I’d tried to find someone who might be able to bring it up to the site on Friday evening, but this didn’t work out. So I woke at 5:45 and was on the road by 6:20, with a brief stop for gas and ice and cream for the coffee service.

The drive up to Cleveland was uneventful but lovely – the sun had not yet risen, and all was shrouded in lovely fog. When I arrived in Cleveland, I stopped by McDonalds and bought a dozen breakfast sandwiches for those who weren’t quite awake/fed yet. Daylight crept up as I drove, and by the time I arrived on site, the heavens were a delicate shade of blue.

Not many were up and about, so I grabbed the bag containing the coffeemaker and the bag containing the breakfast items and headed to the feast hall where I found Danielle de Marsellies slumped at a table, exhausted but painting. She was working on a beautiful scroll that she explained was for one of the championships being awarded that day. Having received a promotion at work had cut into the time she’d had to work on them, and a couple of them were still unfinished. Poor Dani had actually fallen asleep while painting the night before, and gotten only a few brief hours of rest on the hard cement floor of the hall. I offered to help, but there really wasn’t anything she could have me do. :(

I went over to where gate was set up, and paid for the site and for feast (fortunately, there were still some left). I then scampered back out to the car, and brought in one of the bags of goodies (dark chocolate almond toffee bark) and gave it to the folks at Gate. I also chatted briefly with Mark von Mainz, who was busily making bread for the evening’s feast.

About that time, Aline Swynbrook appeared; I chatted with her about the coffee service, and gave her the supplies. It was nice to relax and socialize for a few minutes. I started handing out goodies to those who were in the hall and wanted something to munch on, and they were well received.

A new young lady and I decided to stroll about and see if we could find other takers for the breakfast sandwitches, and we were able to give away the whole bag full. She and I had a lovely chat about our favorite perfume company as we wandered (Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab).

Returning to the hall, I enlisted the help of one of the gentlemen from Mooneschadowe to drag over a table to the pavilion the waterbearers would be using. He offered to help me unload my car, but given that few were about, and the gate was unlocked, I decided to just drive over the car. He and Ludo helped me unload once I had the vehicle in place, and were rewarded with Irish Cream truffles for their help.

Things were still pretty quiet, though people were starting to stir here and there. I spotted Adena and wandered over to chat about the waterbearing plans for the day. I also got to chat with Her Royal Highness of the Midrealm, Anneliese, who got started in Mooneschadowe. In chatting with Adena, it was realized that she’d forgotten the Gatorade and pickles at her home. She dispatched her sister into town to get supplies. Fortunately, we had at least an hour before amour inspection.

It was a slow and lazy day, with little sense of hurry. Their Royal Highnesses of Ansteorra emerged, and it was announced that at some point within the hour morning court would be held. Before that, though, I got to chat with Dutchess Vanessa and her daughter, Megan, and to run back and forth providing cups of hot coffee to various folks in dire need, earning me some huge smiles and hugs. I was also honored to have Vanessa ask me to make a piece of art of some sort for donation to a fundraising effort she was organizing at Coronation. I told her I’d be honored. Megan also showed off some beautiful jewelry that she’d made from amethyst and hematite for Abby MacKnochard.

It was around this time that court was held, and it was kept brief. Their Highnesses noted that due to the hurricanes pounding the lower part of the Kingdom, that no awards would be given at court, but that the day looked to be grand and beautiful, and they looked forward to Mooneschadowe’s hospitality. The event staff didn’t have a whole lot to say, but Master Robert Fitzmorgan had one announcement: Everyone was invited to witness him taking Ivo as his Protégé after court. I and many others attended, and I made sure to snap some photos.

Waterbearers were starting to congregate around the station at this point, and we began prepping. It was discovered that no waterbottles were available, and that one of the two jars of pickles purchased that morning had gone bad. Adena’s sister, Kylie, headed back to the store, and we began to improvise…

The day proceeded, with our small staff of waterbearers doing our best to meet the needs of those out on the field. Midway through, I broke out the Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Crispies Treats that I’d made, and also delivered a pan of Triple Chocolate Kahlua brownies to Ayla in exchange for some trim I commissioned from her.

On the way back to the station from a jaunt in to see the A&S competition (wow, there were some exquisite things on display!!), I paused to find out what Vanessa was up to – she’d been asking folks if they had an extension cord, and we found out why: She had a popcorn maker going and was selling bags for a fundraiser. I decided to give her the other pan of Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Crispies Treats to help out. (They sold out!)

The organized chivalric fighting was pretty intense and moved very quickly. It was all over by around 2:30, and pick up fights ensued. I took a bit of a break from 2:00 – 3:00 ish, as I’d gotten a whopping headache, and rested in my car with the windows rolled down.

When I emerged, Adena had pretty much cleaned up the whole station already. From that point, a couple of us circulated the pick up fights and provided water and Gatorade, but the organized waterbearing was done for the day. Syr Owen ap Aeddan had arrived on site, and was working with several fighters, and HRH Gunthar was also sparring with several of the Centurions.

Given my lingering headache, I decided to take it pretty easy for the remainder of the day. I wandered around and snapped some photos until such time that my camera decided to misbehave, watering folks as they had need. I paused and chatted for a bit with Lady Kale and Lady Kat, and discussed tattoos. When they learned I’d gotten a new one, I got chased about with both of them grabbing my gahwazi coat and lifting it, demanding to see my new ink. I finally succumbed to their demands and showed them, and got some surprised responses.

It was getting on towards 5pm, when I decided to go change for feast. They weren’t setting up yet, but a lot of folks were winding down and getting cleaned up from their exertions of the day. I put on my gryphon garb (made for my hand fasting four years ago to Abe), and wandered back to where the pick up fights had been. There, I found Syr Owen teasing Dona Theresa about being his ‘future squire.’ He regaled us with stories of his children’s recent adventures (including jumping off the roof of their home, and putting a hole big enough to crawl through in one of the walls, and putting concrete premix in their eyes), and performed “Happy Birthday” for us in Italian, which he learned for his new job. Syr Owen is an excellent storyteller, and it is always a pleasure to sit and chat with him.

Soon it was time to get ready for feast. I found a table towards the end of the row, away from the kitchen doors and the head table that seemed relatively quiet. I asked if anyone was sitting on one side, and was told that table had been taken, but the adjoining one was available. I set up my feast gear, and then went to put away my basket so it wouldn’t be in the way.

After only a few moments, I had company at the table: The autocrat and several of her friends from Mooneschadowe, as well as some gentles from Northkeep. It was a fun, young group, and we spent time chatting about the event. As it turned out, Owen was the server for our table, and he took excellent care of us. A variety of folks wandered by, including Aethelred and his daughter, Chelsea, who is nearly 15 now, and quite the stunning young lady. Athelred looked better than I’ve seen him in a while, with focus and happiness in his face and a really positive attitude. Many folks came up to clap him on the shoulder and give greetings and welcome.

The food was excellent, from the bread and cheese appetizers to the almond pastries for dessert. I had two servings of an excellent salad, to which I added some of the fresh berries to make raspberry vinaigrette. I decided to add to the festivities by loading up a serving tray with the remaining truffles, toffee bark and brownies that I had with me. At one point, the young lady I had been wandering around with first thing in the morning (when we were offering to ‘assault folks with breakfast’) sang out, “Ma na ma not!” (the beginning of a ‘song’ from the Muppets) I replied with the next line (“mee mee meneme!”) and we continued on for several moments, making folks giggle. I snatched up the tray of desserts and wandered over, saying she had earned a treat by her Muppet song. As I traipsed back, an intriguing young man suggested that he deserved one because he was quite irresistible (or cute or .. something along those lines). I replied that he was rather adorable, and gave him his choice from the tray.

About midway through the meal, one of the folks at our table - Xavier, from Northkeep - noticed that there was a woman wandering around by herself, who had just headed into the woods nearby. He asked if anyone knew her – none at the table did. When he mentioned that he’d seen her alone most of the day, I asked everyone if they would mind if I invited her to sit with us for company. Everyone said that would be fine, so I headed that way. I found her in the woods, and introduced myself and invited her to join us. She replied that she appreciated the gesture. She continued on saying that she had friends she was visiting with, but was a little overwhelmed by the crowds. I invited her to stop by and hang out if she wished, but respected her wish for solitude. With that, I headed back to Feast.

The meal continued on, and my companions were truly delightful. At one point, Feydora asked Syr Owen to help her recognize the Feast Stewards for their service and hard labors. Moments later, we heard his booming voice stating that Their Royal Majesties required the presence of the Feast Stewards. We were too far away to hear what was said, but I think the feast staff felt appreciated.

Soon it was over, and I picked up my tray of remaining goodies and sought out some friends in the crowd. The tray emptied quickly, with the last piece going to Lady Kat, who made happy noises as she smooshed the brownie against the roof of her mouth.

I headed back to the waterbearer station and began packing my things, so I would be ready to go after court was done. It didn’t take long to do so, and as I headed to my car with the first load, one of the Centurions nearby took notice and hurried over to help me. He introduced himself, but I’m afraid I didn’t retain his name when he said it. I did ask if he was squired, and he said that he wore a belt from Sir William the Bear. He helped me get my cooler chest and big tote to my car, and loaded them in for me. The rest of the items were easily handled, and I got everything packed away except my chair, which I’d need.

It was also time to turn in the items for the gift baskets, so I handed over the spiced nuts and amaretto truffles I’d made, then helped bring the baskets over to the area where the baskets were being set up.

I was carrying my chair over to the court area, when Syr Owen stood and invited me to sit with him and some friends. I gladly joined him, and we sat and chatted about the day. He’s a popular fellow and many folk came over to talk with him, including His Excellency Brom, who asked if Owen could serve as his herald for some business in court. Of course, Owen gladly agreed.

Part of Mooneschadowe’s event is the ‘Triumphe’ itself – the procession of its departing and newly made champions into court. The audience shouted and huzzah’ed each pair, with individuals in the audience running around waving streamers and tossing birdseed. IT makes for a rather fun time. Baron Brom was heralded in by Owen, and presented the King’s Battle Ribbon to Mooneschadowe, and that was cause for more celebration. Because the awards weren’t available, court was over in record time, and folks headed off into the night to celebrate in their own way.

Soon the call went out: “GUARDSMEN! IT’S TIME TO WASH DISHES!” It is a tradition in Mooneschadowe that the Liondragon Guard and any who wish to join them strip off their shirts and do the dishes from feast, and sing. Tonight was no different. After packing my chair in my car, I wandered into the hall to say good bye to friends, but had to stop and listen to a few songs before heading home.

It’s always a merry time in Mooneschadowe, but as one person said on the email list today, the absence many friends who were not able to make it this year was keenly felt. If you have a chance to come up to Triumphe next year – don’t miss it! A better time is hard to find.

2008: Northern Region's Tribute to Ansteorra / Fundraiser / War Practice

In the Fall of 2007, Contessa Vanessa asked my help with some fundraising for waterbearing for Gulf Wars 2008. So I went to a number of Winter events with bits of fudge and chocolate and brownies and such, selling them and collecting money. In late February of 2008, just after the Estrella War, a Northern Regional Tribute and War Practice was held in Mooneschadowe. Again at Vanessa's request, I ran a Sweets Shop there... The following is taken from my email to the Northern Region / Northkeep email lists:

I wanted to take a moment to express my thanks and appreciation to those who helped to make the Sweets Shop at the event this weekend such a success...

  • Lady Kale of Northkeep generously donated nearly two dozen loaves of Lemon Bread and Orange Bread, as well as a huge bowl full of Rice Crispy Treats. Lady Kale's breads were extremely popular, especially the delightfully zingy Lemon bread.
  • Her Excellency Annabelle of Namron generously donated an exquisite double chocolate cheesecake. Several people returned over and over to the booth to leer and ogle this cheesecake, and it finally sold for a princely sum.
  • Lady Kayte of Northkeep generously donated nearly a dozen loves of pineapple friendship bread. One comment I heard was, "Whomever made that, I want to be their friend, for more of that bread!"
  • Lady Megan Fleur de Wall provided a large jug of blueberry wine. This was, of course, not for SALE (which would be illegal). But it inspired a number of generous donations. And afterwards, the berries were added to chocolate, and there was nothing bad about that!
  • Between items sold at Weisenfeuer Yule, Northkeep wInterKingdom, and the Tribute event this weekend, and the cash-in of tickets, over $600.00 has been raised for waterbearing and hospitality at Gulf War. My goal was $400.00, which we blew out of the water. :)

I appreciate all of those who have donated items and especially those who have purchased items, in support of this cause so near and dear to my heart.