Greetings onto the Throwers of Æthelmearc do I, Baroness Anastasie, send greetings and put forth this competition.
This isn’t a big competition but one to help challenge you and to help get you back in the swing of everything. I know we have trained ourselves to aim for the center of the target, this however will be a little more of accuracy than aiming for what we have trained ourselves to do.
This is to be done on a normal Royal Round target, scoring is as follows:
3-inch circle equal to 4 points.
8-inch circle equal to 7 points.
14-inch circle equal to 10 points.
Outside of the 14-inch circle equal to 1 point.
So as you can tell, you want to aim for the 14” ring. The number of weapons will be the same, 4 axes and 4 knives from the 10’ line and 2 each from the 20’ line. This can be done at any thrown weapons practice, a normal Royal Round score sheet can be used and you can email me the scores. Please only score per practice, only exceptions would be if you wanted to do something like trying it off hand (mark with OF) or a separate spear Royal Round (mark with SP, special categories).
This will start June 1st and will continue June 30th. I know it’s not a whole lot of time but there will be more to come after that.
There will be prizes for 1st, 2nd, 3rd and first for offhand and spear if anyone does them.
Please remember to maintain social distancing, wear your masks, do your best and I look forward to seeing the scores.
Greetings Æthelmearc from the Kingdom Thrown Weapons Marshal.
Because we are currently unable to gather for practices and events, I will be freezing the rankings. This also means that I will not be accepting score submissions until we are able to get together again.
Be safe, throw when you can, and I’ll see everyone on the other side of this mess.
Herein is a report of the Court of Her Majesty, Queen Anna Leigh, at Her Crown Tournament held in the Shire of Blackwater on October 6, Anno Societatis 53, as recorded by Sophie Davenport, Silver Buccle Herald, and Master Madoc Arundel, Shrike Herald.
The combatants and consorts were presented to Her Majesty in a stately manner. The Kingdom Seneschal and the Earl Marshal’s Representative both spoke to the combatants about conducting themselves and fighting in an honorable manner. Once the first round was set, Her Majesty called for the Order of the Millrind. She spoke of one who has served behind the scenes for quite some time and deserves recognition for such service. She then had Chrestienne de Waterdene called forward and inducted her into the Order. Scroll by Lord Rhys Penbras ap Dafydd.
Mistress Chrestienne is inducted into the Millrind. Photo by Baron Steffan Wolfgang von Ravensburg.
After a day of honorable and chivalrous fighting, Earl Gareth Kincaid was named as the victor of the tournament, and with his inspiration, Countess Juliana, was presented to Her Majesty, who placed the ancestral coronet upon his head and proclaimed him to be the Prince and Her Heir. He then took the consort’s coronet and placed it upon Juliana’s head, naming Her to be the Princess.
Gareth and Juliana ready to be crowned Prince and Princess. Photo by Baron Steffan.
While the populace was still gathered, Her Majesty called for the Order of the Pelican. She understood that the Order was lacking one who has toiled quietly for many years as an exchequer and tollner, and has been teaching others how to keep the monetary records properly in the ever changing proscribed manner. She then called forth THL Alina Marie de Valenciennes and instructed her to consider becoming a member of the Order of the Pelican. Scroll by Lord Owen Tegg, calligraphed by Sophie Davenport.
THLady Alina receives a Writ for the Pelican. Photo by Mistress Arianna of Wynthrope.
In the evening, as recorded by Master Madoc Arundel …
Evening court was moved indoors due to the weather and moved up to allow those leaving site to do so earlier.
Court opened with Her Majesty exclaiming on the merriment of the day in spite of the weather and congratulating Her heirs.
On October 6th, 2018, We, Anna Leigh, Queen of Æthelmearc, expel Matthew Gibson, known in the Society as Tegrinus de Rhina, from participation in any SCA activity for the duration of Our reign.
The children present were called into court and instructed that goodies could be found in the large wooden chest held by Duke Sven. The children were then directed towards His Grace and released from the Queen’s presence.
The children are sent to find the toy box. Photo by Baron Steffan.
Master Tofi Kerthjalfadsson was received in order to swear his oath of service as the Kingdom Exchequer.
Master Tofi swears fealty. Photo by Baron Steffan.
Her Majesty received the Ladies of the Rose, Garnet, and Edelweiss, who had observed the fighting earlier that day. The ladies assembled named three gentles who they felt had great courtesy on the field. Each of these gentles was called forth to receive a token in acknowledgement of their comportment: The Honorable Lord Cid Hiyo; Lord Matthias al Tabai; Earl Thomas Byron of Haverford. The ladies then asked The Honorable Lord Arden Scot of Clan Scot to come forward and be recognized as the epitome of chivalry on the field this day. THL Arden was then asked by Her Majesty to bear the Shield of Chivalry and join Her court.
THLord Arden is named bearer of the Shield of Chivalry. Photo by Baron Steffan.
Her Majesty, being a great supporter of the zymurgists within our kingdom boundaries, then summoned Baron Cormacc mac Gille Brigde. Baron Cormacc had proven his skills as a brewer and was entered on the rolls as a Companion of the Sycamore. Scroll by Lady Murdia Drusilla Vettia Portia.
Baron Cormacc receives a Sycamore. Photo by Baron Steffan.
Next called forward was Lord Godfrey de Bayeux, who was standing as the Thrown Weapons Champion. Upon presenting himself, Her Majesty spoke of his puissance in thrown weapons and invested him with the regalia of a Companion of the Golden Alce. Scroll by THL Mairghread ui Stilbhard uu Coinn.
Lord Godfrey receives a Golden Alce. Photo by Baron Steffan.
A call went out for those for whom this was their first event. Five individuals came forward and were greeted by our Queen, who welcomed them into the SCA. Each gentle was offered a choice of drinking vessel to start them on their journey within our Society.
The Order of the Fleur d’Æthelmearc was summoned and advised that their number was incomplete. Her Majesty spoke of the great skill of an artisan that had yet to be entered into this order’s rolls. Lady Felice de Thornton was invited forward, whereupon the Queen spoke of her excellence in the production of exquisite scrolls, and inducted Lady Felice into the order. Scroll by THL Edana the Red.
Lady Felice is inducted into the Fleur. Photo by Baron Steffan.
As quiet once again descended upon the hall, the Order of the Millrind was summoned and likewise advised that, despite the induction earlier in the day, their number was still incomplete. Lady Lasairfhiona inghean Aindriasa was called forth from the kitchens, where she was still laboring in cleanup following the day’s repast. Her Majesty spoke of the service of “Lady Lush” in many kitchens and with the Kingdom hospitality staff at Pennsic. Lady Lasairfhiona was then entered into the rolls as a Companion of the Millrind. Scroll by THL Zofia Kowalewska.
Lady Lasairfhiona is inducted into the Millrind. Photo by Baron Steffan.
Her Majesty spoke of a special guest who had traveled from the Midrealm to render service on the field. Duke Valharic was called into the royal presence, whereupon the Queen remarked on the number of bye fights His Grace had fought that day, spoke of His grace and skill on the field, and thanked Him for His service. She then presented His Grace with the first Titus inspiration token. His Grace then begged leave to address the populace, which was granted. He spoke of his self-serving reasons for appearing this day … of his relationship with Duke Titus, the inspiration that Duke Titus had been to him personally, and his burning desire to not only feel that again but to pay it forward. He thanked Her Majesty for Her indulgence and for allowing Him to serve on the list field.
Duke Valharic addresses Her Majesty. Photo by Baron Steffan.
There having been two kingdom championships determined this day, Her Majesty wished to acknowledge these achievements to all present. She called for Her Archery Champion, Master Ambrosius, to come forth and speak of the day’s archery contest. Master Ambrosius spoke of the great skill demonstrated, and of such skill that a three-way tie had ensued. Although THL Cynwulf Rendell was named as Her Majesties Champion, an error was made in the announcement of the victor of the tournament this day, with Ronan O’Conall having emerged victorious from the three-way tie. Her Majesty will have Ronan O’Conall called forward and invested as Her Champion at Hael Investiture. Her Majesty states, “We thank THL Cynwulf Rendell for bringing it to Our attention and to the archery community for the love and support they have shown.” Scroll by Isabella Montoya.
Master Ambrosius talks with Her Majesty about the Archery Championship. Photo by Baron Steffan.
She next called for Lord Godfrey de Bayeux, Her Thrown Weapons Champion, to speak of the thrown weapons contest. Lord Godfrey also spoke of the impressive skill displayed at the butts, and named Lord Meinolf Grimsson as carrying the day. Scroll by THL Shirin of Susa.
Lord Meinolf is named Thrown Weapons Champion. Photo by Baron Steffan.
Her Majesty spoke of the jousting tournament which had taken place offsite earlier in the day. Nohaaj had emerged victorious, and his success had been proclaimed in the presence of the equestrian community prior to this court. Author of the scroll unknown.
Her Majesty then asked to speak to the steward of the day’s event, and to the principal members of his staff. She praised them for providing such a wonderful event. She gifted each of the staff members with a token of Her appreciation. As the staff prepared to leave, She held back Lord Raadjgier Katla. She spoke of his willingness and eagerness to honor every request, and for doing so in such a graceful and assured manner. She then named him Her Inspiration For The Day and presented him with her Inspiration token.
Lord Raadjger is named the Queen’s Inspiration. Photo by Mistress Arianna.
Sir Vladimir Mechnik was permitted an audience with the Queen. He came forward and spoke of his admiration for Duke Titus, of the spark that was his enthusiasm and the motivation that was his counsel. He then produced the list tree shield that bore Duke Titus’s arms. Sir Vladimir stated that the managers of the list felt that this shield should be retired with honor and respect, and had requested that it be presented to Anna Leigh. Her Majesty thanked Sir Vladimir, and explained to the populace that the Seedling Herald ensures that all fighters in a crown list have a shield to represent them, and it bears their personal device if they have one registered. Since shields that are no longer needed are generally recycled with new arms for new fighters, the “retirement” of a list shield represents a significant spirit of respect.
Sir Vlad returns Duke Titus’ tourney shield to Her Majesty. Photo by Baron Steffan.
The Queen gave leave to Her Heirs to address the populace, whereupon His Highness Gareth rose and spoke of Æthelmearc’s commanding presence within the known world. He spoke of flying the flag at foreign wars and at events both near and far. He emphasized that his reign would see a great war fought on our own soil, and spoke of his definition of “our land.” It is our land because we house troops on this land in perpetuity. He stated that it was not just the presence of troops that was needed, but spoke also of the importance of volunteers to provide the services necessary to manage this war, the teachers and class coordinators to address the needs of the A&S community, and his desire that Æthelmearc populate these positions at a number greater than all other kingdoms combined.
Prince Gareth addresses the populace. Photo by Baron Steffan.
There being no further business, the Court of Anna Leigh, Queen of Æthelmearc, was closed.
Imagine, if you will: you show up at an event and the autocrat runs up to you and begs you to come up with a thrown weapons tourney. The marshal in charge couldn’t make it and you are the only responsible marshal available. Assuming that the site already has butts and stands, what can you do at the drop of a hat?
The answer is, “quite a bit”.
If you have a few stands and butts painted up in royal round circles (a 3-inch, a 8-inch circle, and a 14-inch circle, concentrically arranged) you have a number of options to run a nice tourney.
Now, while the butts shown in these pictures are not in the appropriate colors for a TW royal round, the circles are the correct diameter. When I prepared them for the season, I only had red and white paint available. I like how they turned out and I think that they can be more versatile.
If you have four butts available, you can use the first two for a royal round: the first for axes and the second for knives. This is, of course, assuming that you can have a 20foot line on your range. I like incorporating a royal round within my tourneys. First of all, it allows every participant to throw a royal round. Secondly, it’s a no brainer for the tourney. It sets the format for the rest of the targets: two flights of two weapons at 10 feet and one flight of two weapons at 20 feet. And, with four butts, if you run a complete royal round, that’s half of your range taken care of.
For the other two butts, here are some suggestions that require no added hardware:
1) Reverse scoring: The royal round scoring is 10 points for the center, 7 for the next ring, then 4, and finally 1 if the butt is large enough. For reverse scoring, the outer most ring is worth 10 points, the next ring inward is worth 7, and so on. Years of practicing hitting the center of target can make it difficult to hit the outer ring on purpose. You can make any weapon that crosses a line count for the higher of the two points if you’re feeling nice.
2) Alternative scoring: With the two color butts shown in the pictures, you could make white worth 10 points and red worth 5. Or visa-versa. You can make any weapon that crosses a line count for the higher of the two points if you’re feeling nice.
3) Only hit one color: Pick a color and that is the only scoring color. Red is worth 10 points, white is worth 0. If you want to make it more of a challenge, only hits that are completely inside the color counts.
4) Breaking the line: To score, you have to break a line and hit two colors at once.
5) Matching colors: Whatever color you hit with your first weapon, you have to hit the same color with the second weapon. Make it 5 points for a stick, with a bonus 5 points if you hit the same color with both weapons.
Need more than five suggestions? Do you have duct tape?
6) Left and right: Put a strip of duct tape vertically down the center of the target. The first weapon has to hit the left-hand side of the butt and the second weapon the right-hand side. 10 points for each stick in the correct side, 5 points for a stick on the wrong side.
7) Down and up: Put a strip of duct tape horizontally across the center of the target. The first weapon has to hit the bottom side of the butt and the second weapon the top side. 10 points for each stick in the correct side, 5 points for a stick on the wrong side. If the first weapon is aimed at the bottom half of the butt, the handle won’t be in the way of the second throw.
8) Quarters: You need two strips of duct tape, one horizontal and the other vertical; crossing in the center. With four weapons, you have to hit all four corners. Say 5 points for each stick and a bonus 10 points for hitting all four sectors. If you do this one at both 10 and 20 feet. the thrower will have six chances of hitting the four corners.
9) Split the tape. Put the tape on the butts as in the previous 3 examples. The goal is to hit the tape. 5 points for hitting the tape. 10 points for sticking completely in the tape and 1 point for a stick anywhere else.
Let me just take a moment to talk about points. Royal rounds are 10, 7, 4 and 1 point, but you can make any other style of target whatever point value you wish. I highly recommend that you pick number that are easy to add up. 10 points, 5 points, and 1 point values are easy to add up. This will make your job easier at the end of the tourney when you are trying to figure out the winner before court. I also believe that for a general tourney, every stick should be worth at least 1 point. And no negative scores. Negative points and zero point targets are fine for championship finals, but are very discouraging for novice throwers. We cannot encourage new throwers if we run tourneys where, even if they stick on every weapon, they walk away with 0 points or fewer. We can save that for the top tier throwers
On October 29th, A. S. LI, the Barony-Marche of the Debatable Lands held its annual Agincourt event on a gloriously warm and sunny day. Mistress Arianna of Wynthrope reports on the activities held there.
Morning Court
The day began with a brief court. Queen Margerite called forth THLord Kieran MacRae, who received a Writ for the Laurel at Pennsic to present himself at Agincourt. Her Majesty asked if he was ready to sit vigil, to which he responded in the affirmative. However, Queen Margerite noted that Kieran was in fealty to another and must be free before contemplating elevation to the peerage. His Laurel, Mistress Arianna of Wynthrope, was called forward to receive back his green belt and release him from his fealty, after which the Order of the Laurel escorted THLord Kieran to his vigil.
THLord Kieran returns his apprentice belt to Mistress Arianna before going on vigil for the Laurel. Photo by Lady Àine ny Allane.
Heavy Weapons Combat
Agincourt has always featured heavy fighting, with combatants choosing to portray either the French or the English as they honor the famous battle of 1415 at which Henry V of England annihilated a much larger and better armed French force.
This year, 38 fighters took the field, including eight combat archers. The fighting began with a Warlord Tourney, from which THLord Tegrinus de Rhina and THLord Rouland of Willowbrooke emerged as the winners, becoming the captains of the French and English Sides, respectively. The French took all of the day’s victory points: Field Battle, Woods Battle, Combat Soccer, and Hold the Barricade, and as commander of the French side, THL Tegrinus was the overall Warlord Tourney Winner for the day.
The day ended with a series of intense Tavern Brawls, in which Lord Ulrich von Baden, who had previously distinguished himself with a dive-in-and-slide goal that scored the final point for his side in Combat Soccer, was named Last Man Standing.
A Tavern Brawl. Photo by Baron Torvald Torgarson.
Videos below are by Baroness Constance Glyn Dŵr.
Rapier
Don Po Silvertop receives a rose from the Queen during the QRC procession. The outgoing champion, Lord Jacob Martinson, looks on in the background. Photo by Lady Àine ny Allane.
This year Agincourt was honored to host the Queen’s Rapier ChampionTournament. It began with the traditional presentation of fencers to the Queen, each one receiving a rose from Her hand. A huge list of 53 fencers competed, with the tournament fought as round robins in four lists with the top two in each list advancing to the quarter-finals. A noble gesture was made by Lord Magnus bastiano di Vigo, who ceded his spot in the quarter-finals to Countess Ariella of Thornbury that she might have the opportunity to do more fencing and increase her enjoyment of the day. In recognition of this act of kindness, Her Majesty, Queen Margerite, named Lord Magnus her inspiration of the day and bestowed upon him a Golden Escarbuncle at the evening’s court.
The final four fencers were Lord Durante de Caravaggio, Master Clewin Kupferheleblinc, Baron Eric Grenier de Labarre, and Don Po Silvertop. The finals came down to Master Clewin vs. Lord Durante, with Lord Durante winning the coveted title of Queen’s Champion, succeeding the outgoing Champion, Lord Jacob Martinson.
There was also a Free Scholars of the AEthelmearc Rapier Academy tourney run by THLord Jorundr hinn Rotinn, and an “Out of the Box” tourney run by Lord Markus Skalpr Grimsson, in which kills could only be made by shots to the head, arms, hands, legs, and feet. Both tourneys were won by Lord Ru Cavorst.
Video below of the quarter-finals through the finals of the QRC is by Brehan Lapidario.
Youth Combat
Agincourt likewise saw the Kingdom Youth Combat Champions’ tournament. Two enthusiastic young gentles fought three rounds with each of three weapons forms. In the end, Queen Margerite could not choose between them, and so she named Timothy of Arindale the Younger her Division 2 Champion, and Karl her Division 1 Champion. After the youth tourney, several adult sparring partners came forward to cross swords with the new champions, including THLord Rouland of Willowbrooke, Master Jussie Laplein, Prince Timothy of Arindale, and Lord Robert Pour Maintenant.
Karl and Timothy in the Youth Combat Champion’s Tourney. Photo by Mistress Arianna of Wynthrope.
Archery
Archery was, of course, at the heart of the original battle of Agincourt, and it was only right that the English did prevail in the shoot run by Master Alaric MacConall, though by a margin of only 2 points. Ronan O’Conall and Duncan MacCoulagh each made 10 point shots that gave the day to the English. Lord Takamatsu Gentarou Yoshitaka also ran a shoot by the victorious English to loot French cheeses, which was won by THLord Alrekr Bergsson with Baron Tofi Kerthjalfadsson coming in second.
Thrown Weapons
The Debatable Lands Baronial Champion tournament was the highlight of thrown weapons at Agincourt. The outgoing Baronial Champion, Master Clewin Kupferhelbelinc, ran the competition, which was hard contested. In the end, Lord Sanada Masamoto Kenshin O’no Kuma proved victorious and was named Champion, with Earl Thomas Byron of Haverford as his second.
Lord Kuma is recognized as Baronial Thrown Weapons Champion with Earl Byron as his second. Photo by Lady Àine ny Allane.
Arts and Sciences
For a second year, the event included an A&S competition run by THLady Sumayya al Ghaziya. Entries ranged from scrolls and cooking to research and ceramics. The winner of the single category entry was Lord Ian Campbell of Glen Mor for his ceramic tiles, while Lady Luceta di Cosimo won the multiple entry category for items including cookies and research into medieval burial practices. Lord Ian was inducted into the Fleur d’Æthelmearc at court later that evening. A slideshow of some of the entries is shown below
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Evening Court
After a Baronial Court where the winners of each competition were announced and rewarded, and various baronial awards were bestowed, Queen Margerite held court attended by Prince Timothy and Princess Gabrielle, as well as the Crown Prince and Princess of the Middle, William and Isolde. In addition to the accolades noted above, highlights from the evening court included the induction of Lady Cionaodh Gunn into the Order of the Millrind; the elevation of THLord Kieran MacRae to the Order of the Laurel, and Writs of Summons for the Pelican to Doña Gabrielle de Winter and Baron Robert O’Connor.
Master Kieran MacRae swearing fealty as a Laurel. Photo by Lady Àine ny Allane.
Doña Gabrielle de Winter and Baron Robert O’Connor receive Writs for the Pelican. Photo by Mistress Arianna.
Food and Entertainment
The soteltie made by Lady Zianna. Photo by Mistress Arianna.
Of course Agincourt would not be complete without food. THLady Ottilige Rappoltsweiler and Edelvrowe Lijsbet du Keukere organized a lunch buffet of chicken, blancmanger, vegetables and fruit, while Meesteress Odriana vander Brugghe and her crew provided the evening feast. Supper began with a toast to the late Lady Adriana Ramstar, after which there were readings from the Canterbury Tales. Then dish after dish arrived including various meats, pies, rice, Brussels sprouts, and a large marzipan and cake soteltie of the Shield of Chivalry made by Lady Zianna beguy urdina de Zabaleta.
The evening was capped off with a performance by the ever-bawdy commedia troupe, i Genisii, whose show included a seasonally appropriate undead Pantalone attempting to control his daughter Octavia by means both foul and humorous.
Thanks to all of the photographers listed above, as well as Lord Markus Skalpr Grimsson, Lord Takamatsu Gentarou Yoshitaka, Master Morien MacBain, Lord Sanada Masamoto Kenshin O’no Kuma and Baroness Aemilia Soteria for providing information about various activities for this event report.
Greetings unto the noble populace of Æthelmearc from Maestro Antonio de Luna.
At the request of Their Sylvan Majesties, Byron and Ariella, the thrown weapons community is starting a “Get Out the Throw” campaign!
We want people of every age and skill level to flock to the ranges and start throwing! We want to expand the ranks of Æthelmearc’s throwing community and show the Known World both our superior numbers and skill. I know the subject line made mention of a contest, and here it is:
This will be a participation contest, beginning May 1st and culminating at the Pennsic War! Points will be awarded for participation, not scores or tournament wins. This allows for a more level playing field.
For every practice you have a Royal Round score submitted at, you get a point.
For every ranking level you earn through Royal Rounds, you get 5 points.
For every practice a marshal runs and submits RR scores, a point.
For every tournament a marshal runs, another point.
For every tournament a thrower enters, a point.
But the big points come at Pennsic!
Helping with setup and/or tear down on the range awards 10 points per.
Every day that you either practice, teach, marshal or throw in a competition at Pennsic awards 5 points. (A sign-in sheet will be kept at the range)
For any competition or practice that runs between now and Pennsic, marshals can use the email address below to send me a copy of the score sheets (or just a list of the names) and I will record them. As this is a Kingdom-based tournament, I am using the Royal Round scoring maintained on the Æthelmearc Thrown Weapons website.
The winners will be announced at an event of Their Majesties’ choosing following the War.
The prizes, you ask? Custom made thrown weapons bags containing items no thrower can do without!
Scores and any questions can be emailed to Master Antonio at britonio72@gmail.com.
Throwers to the line, Æthelmearc! Let’s Get Out the Throw!
The Shire of Ballachlagan’s Donnan Party event on March 26 had its usual surfeit of heavy weapons and rapier, along with archery and thrown weapons.
Master Donnan MacDubhsithe, photo by Mistress Ts’vee’a bas Tseepori Levi.
The event began as a way to recognize the birthday of Master Donnan MacDubhsidhe by giving him a venue to receive the traditional fencer’s “birthday smacks.” It has evolved to include a heavy weapons muster for fighter to train for Pennsic.
The day started with the Court of the Imperatori, Tindal and Etain. Lady Julianna Ravenshaw explained the history of the event, and noted that while it was not Master Donnan’s actual birthday, it was the birthday of another gentle – Princess Ariella. Her Highness was presented with a cake, and the populace sang to her. The cake was later distributed with the lunch sideboard. The Imperatori then summoned Master Bastiano di Iacopo and asked if was ready to hold his vigil and play the prize for the Order of Defense, as he had received a Writ at Bog Twelfth Night in January. He answered in the affirmative and was escorted by the Masters of Defense to an area where he could meet with fencers and peers for that purpose. His elevation will take place at Coronation.
Court having ended, gentles scattered to don armor or pick up rapiers, bows, or axes and pursue the martial activities of their choice. The day being warm and sunny, the heavy and youth fighters went outside to the field behind the building, while the fencers took over the gyms to do Cut and Thrust training as well as hold classes on various rapier techniques. Master Benedict Fergus atte Mede, Kingdom Rapier Marshal, oversaw the authorization of about a dozen fencers in the new form of two-handed sword by various regional marshals. At noon the “birthday smacks” for Master Donnan began.
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Slideshow photos by Mistress Arianna of Wynthrope.
Meanwhile, the heavy fighters outside took advantage of the large field to have pickup fights as well as a round robin novice tournament. The Marshal-in-Charge, Lord Oliver Lengthorn, commented, “The unbelt round robin was a ‘warmup tourney’ thing that occurs at the beginning of each of our Region’s musters. After the round robin was over, many of the Knights in attendance took the field to offer the unbelted fighters a few passes and one-on-one instruction. The rest of the day we worked on small unit maneuvers in field battles and also drilled some tactics for limited front engagements.
We spent the day making our AErmy stronger. Though there is no individual winner to report, the entire Kingdom wins!”
After the tourney and warmups, the heavy fighters held field battles under the watchful eye of Augustus Tindal and Sir Thorgrim Skullsplitter.
Video by Arianna.
The youth fighters also enjoyed the fine weather, with the Kingdom Division 2 Champion, Drake, helping to train two brand new youth fighters. Master Liam macanTsaoire and Lord Rouland of Willowbrooke, both youth sparring marshals, took time out to fight against the youth as well.
Youth Combat photos by Arianna. Click to view as a slideshow.
Lunch was a buffet taco bar that also included fruits, veggies, and the Princess’ birthday cake.
In the afternoon the fencers held a Scholar’s Tourney for fencers who did not possess a White Scarf or Master of Defense. It had about 15 participants, and was won by Lord Markus Skalpr Grimsson.
Photo by Arianna.
As the day wound down, the Imperatori held their afternoon court, where they recognized many worthy gentles as noted in the Court Report. Most notably, THLady Fiora d’Artusio was inducted into the Order of the White Scarf for her skill on the rapier field. She was presented with a scarf from her husband, Master Will Parris, which he said was the first scarf he had received and which he had worn into many battles.
THLady Fiora d’Artusio is admitted to the Order of the White Scarf. Photo by Mistress Ts’vee’a.
Congratulations to the Shire of Ballachlagan on another successful Donnan Party!
This report was compiled by Mistress Arianna of Wynthrope with assistance from O’no Kuma, Maistir Brandubh o Donnghaile, Master Alaric MacConall, Lady Katheryne Täntzel, Lord Robert MacEwin of Thornhill, Lady Melodia Beaupel, and Lord Robert Pour Maintenant.
Though the sun played peekaboo through clouds that brought intermittent cold winds and even the occasional tiny snowflake, the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Agincourt proved more fun for the folk of Æthelmearc than it did for the French on that fateful day in October, 1415.
The morning started with the Court of the Imperator, Magnus Tindal, in which he bade THLord Morien MacBain set himself on vigil, there to receive the counsel of the peers and populace regarding his elevation to the Order of the Pelicans.
TOYS FOR TOTS TOURNEY
Martial activities began with the Toys for Tots charity tournament organized by Brillo el Dragon for his high school senior project. 15 fighters participated in a bear pit tournament that lasted almost 2 hours, contributing toys and cash to the charity. Sir Vladimir Mechnik, known as Sir Vlad Two Swords, was the victor, but the children who will received Christmas gifts as a result of the tournament will be the true winners.
The Toys for Tots Tourney. Photo by Mistress Arianna of Wynthrope.
YOUTH CHAMPION’S TOURNEY
At the same time, Their Excellencies Liam and Constance presided over their Youth Combat Champions’ Tournament, which had five young gentles similarly competing in a bear pit for the right to be named baronial champion.
Their Excellencies address the youth fighters. Photo by Arianna.
In addition to receiving points for winning and losing bouts, the fighters had the opportunity to receive bonus points from the Baron, Baroness, and Marshals for chivalry, sportsmanship, and feats of valor or humor. This resulted in not only many points of honor, but also some entertainingly dramatic deaths and a fair number of quotes from Monty Python. His Majesty stopped by and commended the youth fighters for their prowess and camaraderie. He also bestowed upon the newest youth fighter, Danny, a mug in appreciation of Danny’s skill in the Kingdom Youth Championship Tournament held the previous week at Crown Tournament. In the end, Ulfr, who had just stepped down as kingdom champion a week before, was the winner and named Baronial Youth Champion.
Ulfr vs. Danny in the Baronial Youth Combat Champion’s Tourney. Photo by Arianna.
FENCING
Once the youth fighters left the field to hold tavern brawl melees at the picnic tables on the other side of the feast hall, the fencers took the list.
For the dozen or so rapier combatants, Lord Cyrus Augur ran a round robin tournament with each round being best of three fights using progressive weapons forms: single sword, sword and parry object (or just sword), and then two weapons. Master Will Parris was the victor.
THLady Fiora vs. Lord Balan. Photo by Arianna.
After the tourney, there were melees, including a free-for-all called Paranoia. Fencers who were killed were out of the melee until the fencer who had killed them was also killed.
Lady Lucia vs. Lord Michael Gladewyne. Photo by Arianna.
THROWN WEAPONS
After a tasty lunch crafted by Lord Takamatsu Gentarou Yoshitaka and his kitchen crew, the tournament to choose the Debatable Lands Thrown Weapons Champion was hosted by last year’s Baronial Champion, Lord Halldorr Bildr Fintanson. There were 8 competitors vying for this honor, and all knew well the challenge the cold weather presented to the already daunting task. A qualifying round was held, after which 5 throwers were deemed worthy. The championship field included all manner of experience levels, from the most serious and experienced to a first time thrower who picked up knife and axe that day simply to try his hand. A steady hand he proved, for he indeed did qualify and acquit himself nicely.
The competition was a Robin Hood themed throw, and centered on the capture of Will Scarlet.
Thrown weapons participants. Photo by Zyla of Sebastion’s Place.
The competitors included Lady Verena Wittkopf, Baroness Aemilia Soteria, Don Clewin Kupferhelblinc, Karl Kupferhelbelinc (age 6), O’no Kuma, and the first time thrower, Duncan McClough.
There were four targets, with one axe target and three knife targets, two weapons thrown per target. The axe target consisted of a white castle with a double door. Five points were awarded for hitting the door, one point for hitting the castle, and 10 points for hitting either the hinges or the handles of the door.
The second target proved much more challenging. It consisted of a head and shoulder with an inch-wide cloak above and around the shoulders. 10 points were given for sticking your knife in the cloak so as to pin Will Scarlet to the wall for questioning, 5 points for a non-lethal strike to the head or arms, and 1 point for the rest of the target. However, a lethal strike to the head or torso would prove costly, deducting 5 points from your score. There was only one 10 point throw, executed brilliantly by Baroness Aemillia Soteria with a devastating knife to the cloak at the bottom of the neck above the shoulder, pinning her subject quite nicely to the wall.
The third target consisted of a small Baronial shield over the center bullseye, with smaller still round shield targets encircling it. Each competitor was given a shield to strike. Hitting the target at all was worth 1 point, while hitting your chosen shield was 5 points. However, hitting an “ally” shield would deduct 5 points, and hitting the Baronial shield, God forbid, was a devastating deduction of 10 points. This target was the most difficult yet, yielding few points to the competitors, but thankfully no one struck the Barony shield.
The final and ultimately deciding target a “head” placed on the ground with an apple pinned upon the top. Competitors were to knock the apple off the top for 5 points, and doing damage to the apple’s skin would yield 10 points. But doing damage to the head would cost you a deduction of 10 points. This was by far the most challenging target. Not only was there a high risk for a miscue, but the target being on the ground presented a formidable addition challenge, as most throwers don’t practice throwing to ground targets. This point proved out in the end, with most competitors missing the target entirely or flirting dangerously close to damaging the head. In the end, only 2 competitors managed to knock the apple off the head: Duncan and Don Clewin, with Clewin being the only one to actually damage the apple, slicing the upper right portion of the apple clean off. This brilliant throw gave Don Clewin the Championship, with a total of 17 points. Three others tied for second with 11 points.
The throwing proved difficult due to the cold and wind as fingers became numb and knives became slippery and harder to control. However, there was never a complaint or a discouraging word heard by any on the throwing line. Her Excellency, Baroness Constance, marveled at the skill and aptitude of the throwers, especially in the cold conditions!
Congratulations to Don Clewin Kupferhelblinc on his victory. We know you will represent us well throughout the coming year. VIVAT!!
ARCHERY
Agincourt was the site of many populace archery shoots:
Lady Katheryne Täntzel ran a youth shoot for French vs English.
Master Alaric MacConnal ran a shield shoot of French vs. English, which was won by Lord Pavel Dudoladov for the English.
THLord Deryk Archer ran a hunt shoot. Ben Nemeth, a promising new archer from the Debatable Lands, took top honors in this shoot.
Maistir Brandubh o Donnghaile ran royal rounds, where King Tindal shoot his first ever royal round.
We shot through the rain, snow and sun. In the end, not surprisingly, the English proved victorious on the archery range.
However, the premier archery competition of the day was the Seven Pearls shoot. There were seven stations, jointly designed and marshaled by last year’s champion, Lord Ichikiero Osoroshi, with assistance from Meistari Urho and Maistir Brandubh.
Seven Pearls Archery competition. Photo by Baron Liam macanTsaoire.
Alas, due to the need to reschedule after weather canceled the plan to hold Seven Pearls at Archers to the Wald, only two baronies were able to provide champions to shoot: the Debatable Lands sent Lady Katheryne Täntzel while Delftwood was represented by Baroness Anastasie Delamour. To make the competition more interesting, they invited other archers to fill in for the Baronies not represented, as the Shoots were designed for 7 to compete against one another. Baron Edward Harbinger, Lord Takematsu Yoshitaka, Ben Nemeth, Lord Pavel Dudolodov, and Master Alaric MacConnal filled in for the other groups.
Shooters were awarded points based on their ranking in each end. All archers received between 1 and 7 point for each end of arrows, first place in each end received 7 points, down to last place in each end received 1 point.
The shoot opened with a one-minute timed round where each archer had to shoot 3 arrows each at 20, 30 and 40 yard targets for standard royal round scores.
The second shoot required the archers to remove all 6 pearls from a baronial coronet while shooting en masse.
The third round was a swan shoot at 40 yards, while the fourth was a baronial heraldry shoot, where all archers shot at the heraldry of the other baronies. The winner was the barony with the least hits on its arms, while the barony with the most hits on its arms received the least points.
The fifth shoot was comprised of period targets of a shield and wand, and the sixth was a pearl hunt, with 49 pearls on the target. Only seven were true pearls and worth points, but archers had to shoot all the pearls to find the true pearls.
In the seventh and final challenge round, after working through the range, each archer issued a challenge and all archers had three arrows to answer the challenge.
In the end Lady Katheryne bested Baroness Anastasie to claim the title of Seven Pearls Champion for the Debatable Lands, while Baron Edward proved the victor among the stand-ins.
Much fun was had by the archers on this cold afternoon. Lady Katheryne, Marshal in Charge, wishes to thank the other marshals and also Meistari Urho for providing loaner gear.
HEAVY BATTLES
The sides were chosen, French (blue) and English (red), with the marshals attempting to make them about even.
First there were a series of gate battles. Access was limited to a nine-foot gate, though the combat archers could fire more freely. The sides took turns being the aggressors with unlimited resurrections against the defenders who had none. Each side was the attacker twice.
After that, there was a series of five open field battles. The French won the first two, the English the final three.
Then a game was played where teams of three non-archers tried to cross an open field while a group of three archers fired at them. If any of the non-archers were ‘killed’ the entire team had to return to the starting line. If one was legged, all were legged.
Finally, the traditional ‘Tavern Brawl’ was held, in which fighters began the melee seated at picnic tables and then jumped into the fight when the marshals called Lay On.
ARTS AND SCIENCES
THLady Sumayya al Ghaziyyah and Lady Astridr Vikaskegg ran the first St. Crispin’s A&S Competition, which is planned to be held annually at Agincourt in the future. There were 25 entries ranging from novices to Laurels and from fiber and costuming to calligraphy and illumination. Entries were judged based on Creativity, Workmanship, Aesthetics, Authenticity, and Complexity. While documentation was considered important, scores for it were only considered in the case of a tie.
Baron Silvester Burchardt won the overall St. Crispin’s Challenge with his piece of brocaded tablet-woven trim.
Brocade tablet weaving by Baron Silvester Burchardt. Photo by Arianna.
Prizes were also given to gentles in categories based on the arts awards they possessed. Mistress Arianna of Wynthrope won the Laurel category with a black hours Fleur scroll. In the Journeyman category, for gentles with Fleurs, THLord Ishiyama Gen’tarou Yori’ie won for his Suoh (Japanese garb). In the Novice category, for gentles with Sycamores, Lady Ceindrich verch Elidir won for her knitted stockings based on an extant pair made for Eleanor of Toledo. In the Tenderfoot category, for gentles with no Arts awards, Lady Abbatissa Dreye de Banneberi won with her sekanjabin.
COURT
After the day’s activities wore down, Their Excellencies and His Majest held court, processing in to the Debatable Choir singing the Agincourt Carol.
Baron Liam and Baroness Constance recognized their Youth and Thrown Weapons Champions, as well as the winners of the Seven Pearls Archery and other archery competitions, the A&S competition winners, and the winner of the Toys for Tots tournament, as previously mentioned.
Baron Silvester Burchardt is named winner of the St. Crispin’s A&S Competition. Photo by Arianna.
Brillo el Dragon addresses the Baron and Baroness regarding the Toys for Tots tournament that he organized. Photo by Arianna.
Maistir Brandubh o Donnghaile was called forward as archery marshal and noted that Lord Pavel Dudoladov and Lord Robert Pour Maintenant had achieved the Royal Round rank of Marksman.
Their Excellencies also bestowed awards on the following gentles:
Lord Markus Skalpr Grimsson receives a Blue Silver Comet for his tablet weaving and the authenticity of his fighting accoutrements. Photo by Arianna.
Lord Takamatsu Gentarou Yoshitaka receives a Gold Comet for his service, including building the gate for the Debatable Lands’ Pennsic encampment. Photo by Arianna.
Lord Robert Pour Maintenant receives a Gold Comet for his service as a heavy weapons marshal at practices and events. Photo by Arianna.
Their Excellencies then called for Sir Thorgrim Skullsplitter, presenting him with a scroll commemorating the Green Comet that had been given to him at Pennsic, and also asked him to convey the Toys for Tots tourney winner scroll and likewise a belated Green Comet scroll to Sir Vladimir Mechnik, who had left the event before court.
Sir Thorgrim receives his Green Comet scroll and scrolls for Sir Vlad. Photo by Arianna.
Finally, Their Excellencies had words with the Imperator, Magnus Tindal, regarding their plans to invade their neighboring Shire of King’s Crossing at the Shire’s upcoming Birthday B(r)all on November 7th in order to retake the lands “stolen” from the Barony-Marche many years ago. His Majesty, after expressing some concern, decided the invasion might be justified and granted Their Excellencies leave to execute this plan.
Imperator Tindal addresses the Baron and Baroness about their planned invasion of King’s Crossing. Photo by Arianna.
Baronial Court closed, and Kingdom Court commenced. A record of the doings at that Court may be found here.
After court, gentles retired to a splendid feast cooked by Meesteress Odriana vander Brughe and her crew, then wound the evening down with bardic activities and good fellowship. Those who stayed overnight in the cabins on the site were treated to a breakfast of bagels and yummy feast leftovers Sunday morning.
Congratulations to the Autocrats, Baron Liam, Baroness Constance, and Lady Isabel, for another fine Agincourt event.
Mistress Arianna of Wynthrope, Lord Magnus de Lyons, and Lady Miriel du Lac, and Baron Caleb Reynolds report on the happenings at Summer’s End.
The Canton of Beau Fleuve held its annual Summer’s End event on September 12th. It featured the usual fighting, fencing, and thrown weapons, as well as an A&S competition.
The heavy weapons portion of the event began with melees. Sir Aengus MacBain, the autocrat of Summer’s End, recorded the fighting from above.
– Video by Sir Aengus MacBain.
After the melees, the “Beer Pit” tourney began. To enter, each fighter had to supply some quantity of beer, whether alcoholic or non (root beer, ginger beer, etc. were acceptable), and then the combatants fought a standard bear pit with one point for a loss and two points for a win. One observer noted that you could tell the beer contributions came from Scadians, as there wasn’t a “light” beer to be seen.
Sir Finn vs. Duke Sven. Photo by Mistress Arianna of Wynthrope.
The beer contributed for the “Beer Pit.” Photo by Mistress Arianna.
The winner of the “Beer Pit” tourney was Duke Sven Gunnarsson, newly arrived in Æthelmearc from Drachenwald this summer. He generously shared the beer with his fellow combatants, taking only a single mixed six-pack as his “loot.” His Majesty, King Timothy, placed second, with Sir Finn Marland O’Shannon third.
Thrown Weapons
Despite the drizzly weather, 15 throwers braved the elements to throw axes, knives, and spears. All competitors threw a Royal Round with axe and knife followed by a left/right target: thrower’s choice of weapon. The thrower had to hit a pair of griffins; first the one on the left, followed by the one on the right. To round out the competition, each thrower then had six spears to make the best poker hand. Throwing four spears at 15 feet, and two spears at 25 feet, throwers had to hit randomly placed playing cards on a sheet: jokers were wild. Madoc got the highest score (20) on this target: with 5 points for sticking five times plus an additional 15 points for getting three of a kind. But the winner of the overall competition with 108 points was Lady Aemelia Soteria of BMDL, who threw like a champ in spite of the weather and the long drive. Vivant to all the throwers!
Thrown weapons competitors. Photo by Mistress Arianna.
Fencing
A challenging fencing tournament was run by Lord Alexander du Lac and was attended by many eager fencers including HRH Prince Magnus Tindal. The tournament was a reverse bear pit, which at least for some of the newer fencers, was a fresh experience. In a reverse bear pit, two fencers enter the list to fight a bout. After the bout, the winner leaves the list and scores a point while the loser remains in the list to fight another bout until either winning a bout or reaching a maximum of three losses (at which time two new fighters entered the list). The format kept the action flowing and the blades flying, lasting a couple hours with only an occasional break. Finally, as sword-arms tired and the list dwindled in number, a final series of bouts was fought between Don Behrend von Elmendorf and Lord Robert MacEwin of Thornhill, with Don Behrend emerging the victor. Aside from all the points, the tournament was a wonderful display of fair play with many fine examples of courtesy and chivalry, showing once again that the Society is more about friends than it is just winning the day.
Lady Mirel du Lac vs. Don Behrend von Elmendorf. Photo by Mistress Arianna of Wynthrope.
HRH Prince Magnus Tindal vs. Lord Robert MacEwin of Thornhill. Photo by Mistress Arianna.
Arts and Sciences Competition
The theme for the A&S competition at Summers End this year was “What I did on my Pennsic Vacation”. All entries had to be a project made at or learned in a class taken at Pennsic 44. No formal documentation was required, however the entry had to include the name of the class and the instructor. Handouts from the class could be displayed with the entry. Scoring was by a populace bean count. There were five entries this year, and here they are in no particular order.
One was a red pillow embroidered in black, gold, and white based off the class Inlaid Patchwork, Embroidered Work, Embroidered Stitch, Rag Rug or Intarsia taught by Baroness Kaleeb the Green
A second was a set of wire wrapped rings in silver and copper based off the class Quick and Easy Handmade Largess by the Lady Droen O’Rourke.
A third was an example of a Medieval Mustard based off the class Dijon Vu.
A Fourth was an example of silk banner painting done in red and black based off the class Silk standard/Banners by Madame Cynthia du Pont.
In the end the winner by a large number of votes was the red pillow embroidered in black, gold, and white by Lady Alime bint Yorgi.
Kingdom and Baronial Courts
Their Excellencies, Carolus and Isolda, Baron and Baroness of the Rhydderich Hael, held their baronial court where they recognized the tourney winners, and bestowed awards on numerous deserving gentles. They also thanked the autocrat, Sir Aengus MacBain, for running an excellent event.
Their Excellencies Carolus and Isolde thank the autocrat, Sir Aengus MacBain. Photo by Mistress Arianna.
At Royal court, Their Majesties, King Timothy and Queen Gabrielle called forth the Kingdom Seneschale, Mistress Cori Ghora, and thanked her for her years of service in a difficult job. They then summoned Duke Christopher Rawlins and confirmed that he was willing to take the reins of the Kingdom from Mistress Cori, to which he agreed. His Grace swore his fealty to the Kingdom and accepted the key of office. The populace cheered the past service of Mistress Cori and the work to come by Duke Christopher.
Duke Christopher swears fealty as Kingdom Seneschal. Photo by Mistress Arianna.
Their Majesties went on to bestow awards on many deserving gentles. A sad moment came when They apologized to one award recipient because her scroll was not there — because it had been assigned to Countess Aidan ni Leir. Their Majesties then bade the populace observe a moment of silence in honor of the passing of this pillar of the Society, and further exhorted them to reach out to friends, as one never knows when they may be taken from us.
The highlight of the court was the bestowing of the Jewel of Æthelmearc on Maestro Jacopo di Niccolo for his many years of service to the Kingdom, most especially to the archery community. The Jewel is given to those gentles who the Crown believe exemplify all that is excellent in their populace. Maestro Jacopo is the 39th Jewel of Æthelmearc.
Maestro Jacopo di Niccolo is made the 39th Jewel of Æthelmearc. Photo by Mistress Arianna.
The Feast
This year’s feast was cooked by Lord Robaird Michael Patrick Timothy James O’Suilleabhainn, better known as Brother Bobby. The feast consisted of two courses and a dessert.
Course 1
Assorted Rolls with Maple & Parmesan Butters
Moroccan Bean & Vegetable Soup
Autumn Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
Course 2
Thracian Chicken
Apple Pork Pie
Mushy Peas
Roasted Rice
Dessert
Shortbread Cookies with Lemon Cheesecake Dip
The Populace that had assembled for the feast set heartily to all of the food. At one point little speaking was being done as every mouth was busy enjoying the delicious victuals before them. Much was made of the tasty butters, used to enhance the soft rolls and when the soup arrived more then a few people dunked their bread into the warm vegetable and bean laden soup (and sometimes rice). The salad had cubes of fresh apple, raisins, and crisp lettuce.
When the second course arrived the populace enjoyed the smoky and flavorful Thracian Chicken. The Apple Pork Pie served cold helped to sate the hearty appetites of the people assembled; its tender pork chunks wrapped in flaky crust were devoured almost as soon as they hit the plates. The sides of Mushy Peas and Roasted Rice were a welcome addition to the meal, both flavorful and winning over more then a few people who had stated they were not big fans of “green things”.
Finally the dessert course was served and people happily dipped Shortbread Cookies with and without gluten into the tart Lemon Cheesecake Dip. Some were so enamored with the dip they asked for containers of their own.
The people, now full and happy, declared the feast a success and raised their cups to Brother Bobby in praise of his wonderful meal that day.
Greetings onto the Throwers of Æthelmearc do I, Baroness Anastasie, send greetings and put forth this competition.
