Being the report of the Court of Sven and Siobhan of Æthelmearc at the 7 Pearls Tourney, August 25th, AS 53 in the Barony of Blackstone Mountain, as reported by THL Kathryn MacLuing, Millrind Herald, with the aid of the Pursuivants of Blackstone Mountain, the Debatable Lands, and various populace members who volunteered to stand as Herald for their Baronies’ Courts. (Kathryn Millrind regrets being unable to get their names before the event was over, and apologizes for not properly recording the scribes who provided the scrolls.)

Their Majesties opened court and invited the Barons and Baronesses of the 7 Baronies of Æthelmearc into Court. They then invited the Populace to take their ease.

Her Majesty spoke of the wondrous day they’d had, of the hospitality and kindness of their hosts, the Barony of Blackstone Mountain and its populace, and of the great competitions they had seen between the Champions of the 7 Baronies. She thanked everyone for attending, and mentioned she couldn’t wait for the feast.

Their Majesties then called for the children of the populace to come forth, so they could receive gifts that would forestall boredom during Court. After a moment’s pause waiting for children to appear, one of the parents spoke up to say that the children had gone off on their own to entertain themselves. His Majesty motioned to THL Samuel of Great Oaks, the chosen Box Runner, and said he had gotten off easy today.

Since the children were otherwise entertained, Their Majesties gave the Barony of Blackstone Mountain leave to open their Court.

Their Excellencies of Blackstone Mountain opened their Court, and gave leave for the Barony-Marche of the Debatable Lands to open their Court.

The Debatable Lands opened their Court, and gave leave for the Baroness of Thescorre to open her Court.

The Baroness of Thescorre opened her Court, and gave leave for the Barony of Rhydderich Hael to open their Court.

The Barony of Rhydderich Hael opened their Court, and gave leave for the Barony of Delftwood to open their Court.

The Barony of Delftwood opened their Court, and gave leave for the Barony of Endless Hills to open their Court.

The Barony of Endless Hills opened their Court and gave Leave for the Baroness of St. Swithin’s Bog to open her Court.

The Baroness of St. Swithin’s Bog, Rosheen, opened her Court, and thanked everyone, especially the populace of Blackstone Mountain, for the wonderful time she has this day. She thanked those of the populace who volunteered to stand in as Heralds, and gave them a round of applause. Then, she asked that the Winner of the 7 Pearls Fencing Championship be called forth. Master Iago Benitez of St. Swithin’s Bog had stood the gruelling Iron Man tourney to stand as the new 7 Pearls Fencing Champion. (Did not catch the Scribe’s name.) Her Excellency then closed her court.

The Barony of Endless Hills, Baron Verdi Lulfskyn and Baroness Fiona ingen ui Fhaolain, resumed their Court, and the Baron and Baroness also thanked the populace, their Majesties, and their Noble Cousins for a fine day of competition. They called forth the winner of the Thrown Weapons Competition, Lord Meinulfr Grimsson of the Debatable Lands, and made him the 7 Pearls Thrown Weapons Champion. (Wording by Don Po, did not catch the scribe or illuminator before the end of the event.) Their Excellencies of Endless Hills then closed their Court.

Baron Marcus and Baroness Desiderata resumed the Court of Delftwood. They too thanked all who attended the event, the populace, their Noble Cousins, their Majesties. They also thanked those of the populace who volunteered to stand as Heralds for the Baronies that did not have Heralds for Court, giving them a round of applause. They then called for the winner of the Heavy Tourney to come forth to receive the 7 Pearls Shield of Champions. For the second time, THL Darri inn Valski brought the Shield home to Blackstone Mountain. (Scroll by Elizabeth the Nameless and Elaina ??) Their Excellencies then closed their Court.

The Baron and Baroness of Rhydderich Hael, Magnus and Miriel, resumed their Court. They too thanked everyone, and then called for the Winner of the Bardic Championship – Boudicca of Thescorre. This was Boudicca’s first championship, and she was roundly applauded for her skill at entertainment. (Scroll by Kell and Minamota). Their Excellencies then closed their court.

The Baroness Dubheasa of Thescorre resumed her Court. She did not have a champion to proclaim, but she did once again recognize the volunteer heralds who were helping run Court, some of them for the very first time. She thanked everyone for a wonderful day, and closed her Court.

Brandubh and Hilderun, Baron and Baroness of the Debatable Lands, resumed their Court, and mentioned that none of the tourneys would have been possible without the hard work of the Marshals and Ministers of Lists. He asked them to stand (or just raise their hand) to be recognized. They then had one bit of business before they announced the winner of the 7 Pearls Archery. THL Guillaume le Noir was called forth and awarded the Order of the Iron Comet for his work in Heavy Weapons. (Scroll by Mistress Arianna Wynthrope).

Then Wulfflæd on Hehstaldesee of St. Swithin’s Bog was called forth to be recognized as the 7 Pearls Archery Champion. (Scroll by Mistress Arianna of Wynthrope). Their Excellencies of the Debatable Lands then closed their Court.

Blackstone Mountain’s Shugo Diamyo Ichijo Honen and Baroness Cerridwen de Skene then resumed their Court. His Excellency was proudly displaying the 7 Pearls Shield at his knee, and pointed out that in the 5 years of their reign, this was the 4th time they had held the Shield (not counting the time the then-champion moved and brought it with him). Baron Ichijo was looking forward to retiring next year, still holding the Shield. Her Excellency Cerridwen thanked everyone for taking the long trip to the Barony to share the day, and again mentioned all those whose hard work made the day a success. They then summoned the 7 Pearls A&S Champion, Mistress Fredeburg von Katzenellenbogen of the Debatable lands. (Scroll by Baroness Cerridwen de Skene, based “on something she saw in a coloring book”). The Court of Blackstone Mountain was then closed, and leave given for their Majesties to resume their court, much to the amusement of the Noble Cousins and Populace.

With Raised Eyebrows, the Court of Their Majesties, Sven and Siobhan, was resumed. They again honored the winners of the 7 Pearls Championships for their prowess and skill, and thanked the 7 Baronies for bringing their best out to compete in this day of Tourneys. (At this point a bottle of fine spirits magically appeared before Their Majesties. After sampling the booze, the bottle was passed down the line of Baronies, much to the amusement of the populace. The bottle made it down to St. Swithin’s Bog, back to Blackstone Mountain, and started a trip back only to die at the hands of Baron Brandubh.)

Their Majesties then called Wulfflæd on Hehstaldesee to present herself before them. It was pointed out that not only was Wulfflæd a talented archer, she worked hard behind the scenes of the Barony tirelessly and joyously. For her hard work, she was given the Award of Arms. (Scroll by Isabella Montoya).

Her Majesty then called for those who were attending their First Event. One young man came forth, and was introduced as Caleb. Her Majesty then said that all day she had been watching Caleb pitch in and help the populace of Blackstone Mountain set up pavilions, carry hay bales, and lend a hand wherever needed. Her Majesty was truly inspired by his efforts, and pronounced Caleb to be Her Inspiration for the Day.

Their Majesties next called for Lady Damiana di Rossi. Their Excellencies of Blackstone Mountain informed the Court that she was unable to make the event, and were asked if they would convey Their Majesty’s Words to her. Lady Damiana di Rossi is a quiet worker in the kitchens, in the fields, and behind the scenes of Blackstone Mountain. For her devoted duties she was added to the Order of the Keystone, in absentia. (Scroll by Nicola Beese)

King Sven then called for those in the Order of the Keystone to stand and be recognized, and if the populace saw any who they thought should be among that number and weren’t, then recommend them to Their Majesties that they might receive the recognition they deserve.

The Scribes of the Kingdom were asked to stand and be recognized, for they created such works of art and then gave them away with joy and love.

Finally, Sven and Siobhan called forth the Event Stewards of the day, Lady Mathilda de Crepelgate and Baron Willem McLear. Their Majesties wished to gift the Event Staff with Coins of the Realm, struck at Pennsic two weeks before. They were awed to discover the entire even was ran by a mere 6(!) gentles. It was a testament to these gentles’ abilities and perseverance that the day had been a flawless success.

After again thanking the populace and the Noble Baronies, the Court of Sven and Siobhan, King and Queen of Æthelmearc, was closed.

All photos by Mistress Arianna of Wynthrope.