Greetings wonderful populace of this glorious Kingdom of Æthelmearc!
I am Lady Vika Vyborgskaia, reign coordinator for our King Arnthor and Queen Ceirech. I want to say hello and introduce myself.
I also want to let you know that Their Majesties would like to continue the tradition of handing out mugs to all newcomers. However, the number of mugs is running low,
In addition, They will continue the tradition of the children’s toy box, but the supply for that is also low for their many upcoming events. If you can donate any mugs or toy box items, please reach out to me so I can arrange the delivery of your donation.
Greetings Noble foresters and fine gentles who love nature and food!
I am Mistress Abigail Kelhoge, residing in the Barony of Thescorre (Nunda, NY, near Letchworth State Park). Master Morien has asked me if I would like to head up a regional saunter, and I said, “sounds like fun!” My father’s estate is vast and rich with game, trees, fields, water, and good clay. The paths are wide, if sometimes muddy, and there is ample room for all sorts of fun activities from May to September. If we wish to continue through the remainder of the year there are many beautiful parks to explore elsewhere.
Each saunter will begin and end in a different location around our property, with a game or skill for each (subject to change based on interest). A medieval meal will be shared after, from simple repast to great feast depending on what you want. Leashed dogs welcome, trails are open to horses, don’t forget your bug spray. All appropriate precautions must be taken according to how the plague is impacting our area. So, if it pleases you, come join me and my clever son John on the following dates:
Sunday, May 15, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. Field and Forest Hike will begin at our home (PM for address) and end at our campgrounds with a simple meal. Approx. 1 mile, 2 shallow stream crossings, terrain is up & down but not overly difficult. Farm, fields, scrub rich with deer, pine stand, and creek valley. Focus will be on animal track & scat identification.
Sunday, June 28, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. The Greenway Hike will go East on the Greenway Trail from Oakland Rd. in Nunda, NY (park at Letchworth Canal Park just down the road, or at our house and walk ¼ mile down the hill). It will end at our campgrounds before Picket Line Rd., (park there for the return trip if you don’t want to walk back). Hike is about 1 mile, good ground, one steep hill at the beginning. There is a bench to rest about halfway. Focus will be on plant and tree identification. (Geocaching site if that’s your thing, I’ve never found it). If you want a longer hike, park on Short Tract Rd. and hike that section of the Canal Lock Park (it’s lovely).
Sunday, July 31, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. (AKA Pennsic Pity Picnic) Woodland Valley Hike will begin at our campgrounds and will loop around the creek and ridges with various forestry skill stations set up along the way (this will range from trivia to physical prowess), followed by a delightful repast. ¾ mile. Park off of Picket Line Rd. in Nunda.
Sunday, September 11, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. Harvest Hike will begin at our house and end at our campgrounds with a focus on food. Forage as you go (optional). 1 mile. Park off of Picket Line Rd. for the return trip if you don’t want to walk back.
For more information, see the Facebook group for the first saunter here and the second saunter here.
Agincourt, the Debatable Lands’ Premiere autumn event, makes its triumphant return this weekend, on October 23rd.
Event steward Meesteres Odriana vander Brugge provides some details for event goers:
Online Registration Available!
You can register online using the SCA’s online registration system (SCARS) HERE. You can pay for the feast here, too, It’s open til Friday! (Registrations will also be taken at the door.)
9:30am – Site Opens
10am through 4pm – Martial Fields and Ranges are open
11am – Heavy Tournament Begins
11am & 2pm – Newcomers’ Tours by Baroness Hilda
12 noon through 3pm – Baroness’ Bower with Baroness Constance
1pm – Melee and Tavern Brawl (Heavy)
2pm – Kingdom Thrown Weapons Champions
3pm – Kingdom Archery Champions
5pm – Kingdom and Baronial Courts
6pm – Feast!
8pm – Site Cleanup
9pm – Site Closes
The Food!
Eventgoers are asked to provide their own lunches and snacks, as the event will not be providing lunch. BUT… the Debatable Lands is proud to provide the Kingdom’s first FEASTin more than a year!
Our experienced and talented feast cook, Signora Benedicta di Venetia (formerly Lady Alethea Cowle) is cooking her final event in the Debatable Lands before sojourning to University. This feast is 2 years in the making, and promises to be spectacular!
We will be feasting outside under canopies (due to Covid protocols), so dress warmly. But you will not want to miss this! Pre-register today! We will likely sell out!
The Kingdom Activities!
Their Majesties Gareth and Juliana have honored us by holding these at Agincourt:
– Kingdom Thrown Weapons Championship
– Kingdom Archery Championship
– Kingdom Court
Volunteers to retain for Their Majesties are welcome (contact Baroness Aine ny Allane by Facebook Messenger (Lori McKinney) or by email (ladyaine1971@gmail.com).
The Fighting!
Heavy Fighters, in addition to the Agincourt melees you’ve come to enjoy, there will also be our traditional tavern brawl and a tournament! Sir Oliver and THL Guillaume invite all fighters present to participate in a Pas de Arms at the barrier in a warlord style tournament. See the event announcement for more details.
Fencers! While there are no scheduled tourneys, we hear that the rapier community is coming out in style, from all corners of the Kingdom, for some epic bouts and other fun.
And More!
Event Tour for Newcomers with Baroness Hilda – Join our local Baroness at 11am and 2pm as she shows you the find things to do at the event, and what we do in the Barony, Kingdom and the SCA! Meet at the gate (troll).
Baroness’ Bower – Baroness Constance Glyn Dwr will be hosting her Bower in the hall. Bring your songs and stories to share, or prepare to listen and enjoy.
Moneyers’ Guild Games – the Kingdom Moneyers’ Guild has volunteered to provide some levity with a pop-up full of games, coins and betting (not real money, entertainment only).
For those interested, check out the FB event for reminders!
Don’t forget that we will be following all COVID protocols set by the Kingdom. Remember to bring your proof of vaccination or negative COVID test (taken no more than 72 hours before the event) AND your ID! Additionally, all event goers over the age of 2 must wear masks indoors regardless of vaccination status. Unvaccinated folks must wear masks both indoors and outdoors. No eating indoors.
Although the SCA complies with all applicable laws to try to ensure the health and safety of our event participants, we cannot eliminate the risk of exposure to infectious diseases during in-person events. By participating in the in-person events of the SCA, you acknowledge and accept the potential risks. You agree to take any additional steps to protect your own health and safety and those under your control as you believe to be necessary.
Pay heed to this missive from the Moneyer’s Guild:
Greetings Noble populace!
Photo Credit: Violeta de Valencia
With Æthelmearc Crown Tournament approaching this weekend, We of the Moneyer’s Guild are happy to announce a brand new feature of our Kingdom’s Crown Tourneys…
The Æthelmearc Bookmaker!!!
That’s right! Bring any struck coins that you have, and place a bet on your favorite to win! Step inside and try your hand at one of our wagering games, such as Glückshaus, or others! Bring any coins that you have and join us at the swapping table to trade!
Don’t have any struck coins currently in your possession? No worries, we’ve got you covered. Everyone attending the event will be given three coins, specially struck for the day, as they check in!
We will have odds set for every fighter competing that day, so choose your favorite, place a bet, and potentially walk away with your purse significantly heavier!
::Important Note::No *actual* money will be changing hands for these wagers, only struck or cast replica coins. This is merely for entertainment, amusement, and to get all of these coins that we have been making circulating and to give people something to use them for beyond collecting.
Master Morien McBain, hopes to foster a Forestry Guild here in our Kingdom, and is off to a great start, with online classes and lively discussions, plus and outdoor activities already in planning and even scheduled! He sat down with Gazette to answer our inquiries.
Tell us about yourself (name, title, etc.)
Hello! I’m Morien MacBain, and I really like to lurk about in the shrubbery, tie knots, and set things on fire. In addition, I’m a big fan of chopping things with axes, rowing about in boats, backpacking about, and eating plants and animals. I also ride – but do not eat – horses.
Tell us about the new group (name, goals, etc.)
At the moment, our group is called the Æthelmearc Wilderness Skills Study Group (find us on Facebook!), but we hope to soon be the Æthelmearc Royal Foresters when we become a chartered branch of the Known World Forester’s Guild!
How does one get involved?
Ideally, I’d say join our FB group, as well as the Known World Forester’s Guild and East Kingdom Royal Foresters groups. Then check out any and all documents in the “Files” sections that strike your fancy, but especially the New Member’s Guide . As well as Foresters 101.
He’s a lovely fellow, and the Warden of the Guild of Foresters for the East Kingdom. You will be applying for an “affiliate” (out-of-kingdom) membership. Æthelmearc’s program is just getting started, so we’re operating under the aegis of the East’s program until we have our own set up, and getting as many affiliate members as possible operating in Aethelmearc is an important early step.
What are your hopes for how the Forestry community grows and functions here in our Kingdom?
Our application to the Guild for a “Letter Temporary” is in draft, and is making the rounds collecting signatures. We’ll have several members advancing to the rank of Forester by the end of the summer, I’d say. I anticipate we’ll be in a position to apply for Æthelmearc’s own Regional Charter by this time next year. Hopefully whoever is on the thrones at that point will sign our Charter! We will be patrolling and protecting all their Sylvan wilds, after all!
How does the East come into play?
We turned to the East Kingdom Royal Foresters since they have the best-established and most accomplished body of people doing this in the SCA. They’ve been instrumental in helping Atlantia, Meridies, and An Tir get their kingdom programs running, so working with them while we get our ducks in a row was the obvious choice. They have been incredibly supportive, and we look forward to working with them going forward, although of course I hope our progression to a full-fledged chartered kingdom program of our own will come quickly!
What specific kinds of things can people learn about, research, and do?
Good night, it’s astonishing the wealth of skills we can get up to!
-Period fire making
-Travel by boat, horse, and on foot
-Shelter making
-Hiking
-Backpacking
-Stealth and leave-no-trace camping
-Orienteering and celestial navigation
-Wilderness survival (including cold and wet environments)
-Foraging wild edibles
-Hunting, fishing, and trapping
-Flint knapping
-Making salt
-Tanning leather
-Crafting tools
-Skills challenge courses
-Weapons and gear of outdoor life
Tracking
-Sign cutting and evasion
-Recreation of pilgrimages
-Campfire cooking
-Preparation of period trail rations
-Identification of trees and herbs, and their many uses.
The list goes on, and people can go insanely hardcore, or just try a few things that interest them. Glorious stuff!
What got you interested in this?
I’ve been running around in the woods since I was six. I was in Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, The Order of the Arrow (the Scouting national honor society), and I was in the Army, where I got to mess around in the woods in various places, so I’m a big fan! I’m also into the modern bushcraft movement, which involves watching lots of old-time wilderness skills being brought to modern people to keep them alive (both the skills and the people, I suppose).
What are your favorite pieces of forestry/wilderness advice for the re-enactor?
“Two is one; one is none,” meaning you should always have a backup for each crucial piece of gear you need in the woods (multiple blades, ways of starting a fire, methods to purify water, ways to signal for help, etc.). Also, hydrate like a crazy person when you’re thirsty, hungry, hot, cold, tired, irritable, being chased by wolves, whatever! DRINK WATER! Also, purify your water, even if the stream looks fresh. Waterborne illnesses like giardia are no joke! Essentially, read everything you kind find by Dave Canterbury and especially Mors Kochanski, that guy was a beast!
What’s the essential gear? Or how can I get started?
Essentially, you need some green garb, good boots, and a decent knife (preferably single-edged), and a desire to learn about the natural world and all the adventures, lessons, treasures, and mysteries it has for us!
Get online and find other Foresters near you, and start getting out in the woods and waters together (I love getting out there solo, but even I admit that a partner makes stuff safer and usually more fun.)
Here’s a clip on the topic by Llywd Forester, the founder of the Guild on the topic of gear and getting started. Good stuff!
Any parting thoughts?
I’d like to add that forestry has opened up a sweet new dimension in my Scadian life, and that wealth of skills that one can study and practice can be a real ornament to a life and balm and oil to a weary heart! There’s been a rich air of mystery and romance around people with the skills to live and thrive in the wilderness for centuries, and recapturing, practicing, and transmitting those skills to new generations connects us with a profoundly human part of ourselves which many of us have almost forgotten was there!
We’re not the Sylvan Kingdom for nothing. Æthelmearc is covered by woods, and we have deep wells of wilderness skills in our area. We have some amazing people coming together to train and share skills. Come and join us!
The Barony of Delftwood invites you to our Virtual Feast of the Seven Deadly Sins on February 20th beginning at 9:30 AM!
Detail of people drinking, from a treatise on the Seven Vices, Add MS 27695, f. 14r
The Main Room will be a virtual Troll where you can get help with Zoom and put your name in the hat for door prizes (yes, everything is free)!
Three breakout rooms will be open from 9:30 AM to 4 PM for a variety of activities:
A Fencing room with classes and roundtables, including: -Intro to Fabris and Italian Rapier with Don Brendan Firebow of the East Kingdom -Providing the Unexpected: the use of untraditional parry items, misdirection, and other mind games on the listfield, a roundtable led by Master Po Silvertop -Solo Training Schola hosted by Aethelmearc Defense Academy -An Introduction to Japanese Swordsmanship in SCA Rapier with Master Benedict Fergus atte Mede -And more!!
An A&S room with: -Classes on Roman Cosmetics with Alexis of Drachenwald -A Cook Along with Lady Keara Caitlin MacLeod -A Virtual Feast with Their Excellencies Baron Ixac ben Simone and Baroness Amalie Reinhardt (yes, the site is wet!) -An A&S Show & Tell led by Lady Glenna Cholmondeley – You can enter ahead of time and we’ll post your work, or bring it the day of and tell us all about it, no documentation required! Details here: http://delftwood.org/events/seven-deadly-sins-2021/7-deadlies-as-demo/ -A Fashion Show with Lord Justin Lymner, with fun largesse prizes! -And more!!
And a Room of Sloth for open-ended socializing and hanging out!
Baronial Court will be held at 4 PM, with a Bardic led by our Baronial Bardic Champion Lady Ania Mhoireach to finish out the evening.
To attend: Zoom links will be sent out to the Aethelmearc Announcements and Delftwood mailing lists. You can also get the zoom links by emailing autocrat@delftwood.org.
An online memorial gathering in honor of Master Remus Fletcher will be held this Saturday, January 16th, from 3pm to 4pm, as part of the virtual 12th Night Social, via Zoom.
Master Remus loved songs, voice and instrument, good stories, humor, and Loud Band at Pennsic. Chat in good company about Remus, music, story, humor, or anything he would have liked. Or bring your story and song to share. Let’s all enjoy some good cheer in his memory.
The gathering is being facilitated by Mistress Ts’vee’a bas Tseepora Levi. Link to the Zoom meeting will be available the morning of the event via the event schedule: http://bit.ly/12thNight21
Read the Gazette’s In Memoriam Article about Master Remus here.
From Lady Isabetta Orsini, Their Majesties’ Special Project Coordinator:
Greetings unto all who read this,
Their Royal Majesties wish to begin a new, and hopefully fun, activity for the populace of Æthelmearc. As such, I hereby introduce #AERoamingRoyals to all. While unable to be with you in person, They would still like to see what you are up to. The link below will take you to the full directions and your own set of Royalty. Color Them as you’d like, cut the picture out, put it on a stick, and take Them with you on various ventures. Post your pictures on social media using the tag #AERoamingRoyals so that the Kingdom can all enjoy.
Hear the words of the King and Queen:
Although unable to physically gather within Our Sylvan Lands at this time, We still wish to make an appearance wherever you may be. So please take this opportunity to decorate your own set of Royalty and take Us with you on your various undertakings. Snap a picture of Us joining you on a quest, whether it be a simple undertaking, or more involved.
So far They have been to see Glenn Falls, Einstein, braved a beehive, almost been devoured by a ravenous bunny, saved by two subjects in glorious garb, took part in a meeting in New Zealand, looked over the local wares, assisted one of our youths in tree climbing, and ended this set of adventures around the fire pit with friends. Let’s see what these Two can get up to out there next!
Unto the Kingdom of Æthelmearc does Duchess Ilish O’Donovan send fond greetings
Their Majesties, Gareth and Juliana, have given me the honor to create a fun-filled event for youth of our fair kingdom and their families. It is Their Majesties’ wish to have an evening of merriment and games, face painting, crafts, prizes, treats, and snacks for all who attend.
The party will be held on Monday, August 5th from 5:30 to 7:30 in Æthelmearc Royal. Please feel free to come by and play a game, paint rocks to hide at Pennsic, enjoy some snacks, and share in the fun.
To ensure all who attend find much joy, I am reaching out to the kingdom for support to make the Æthelmearc Youth and Family Party a fabulous time for all.
So, what could your barony, shire, canton, household or as an individual do to help? There is a great need for volunteers to run games, crafts and face painters. There is also a need for prizes for grab bags and pre-packaged snacks.
Donations toward the party help support and defray the costs and help create an evening of fun!
Ideas for donations:
Prizes for games: foam swords, necklaces, glow sticks, items you may find at a carnival. Such items can often be found at Dollar Tree, Dollar General and Oriental Trading Company.
Food ideas: Pre-packaged, gummies, fish crackers, cookies, candies etc…
Volunteers are needed to help run games, crafts, and entertainment for youth and their families.
These are just a few quick ideas. There are so many ways to help make the Æthelmearc Youth and Family Party Youth and Family Party a success. If you have any questions or are willing to make a donation or offer help, please feel free to contact me. Donations can also be dropped off at hospitality in AE Royal.
The Pittsburgh St. Patrick’s Day parade is right around the corner on Saturday, March 16th. This will be the 4th year the Barony-Marche of the Debatable Lands will be manning a float, and we want you to join us!
Every year we have a fabulous time with friends, riding, walking and, yes, even fighting in the streets of the ‘Burgh. We welcome musicians, fighters, and anyone who would like to ride in our carriage decked out in your finest (and warmest) garb.
We march, we show off our garb and our crafts and when the parade slows up a bit, our armored fighters give the crowds a heck of a display. Last year the Crown Prince fought almost every step of the way and the crowds went crazy!
We start on Liberty Ave, the exact cross street will be given to us about a week before the parade. The route is about 1 1/2 miles to the Blvd at Stanwix.
There is space on the float so you don’t have to walk the whole way.
Children are welcome. Boffers, too!
For more information please don’t hesitate to contact Lady Kit Fixis at kitfixis@gmail.com or visit our Facebook event page
Every year we have a fabulous time with friends, riding, walking and, yes, even fighting in the streets of the ‘Burgh. We welcome musicians, fighters, and anyone who would like to ride in our carriage decked out in your finest (and warmest) garb.
