Category: Officers

Seeking Archers to Represent the Debatable Lands at the Scarlet Guard Inn!

Hello Debatable Lands!

As many of our archers know the Scarlet Guard Inn is scheduled for June 9-11 and will feature the best archery experience in Aethelmearc. Prominently featured will be the Scarlet Guard Challenge where one archer from each group in the kingdom is invited to vie against all other group’s representatives in this kingdom wide challenge. How is that 1 representative chosen, you might ask?

Lord Ronan, who was the representative for the Barony at last year’s Scarlet Guard Inn, will host a challenge tournament on Sunday June 4 at Archery Practice, and invite the winner to compete in this intra-kingdom competition. So wax your strings and straighten your arrows, this will be fun and challenging!

Cheers,
Brandubh et Hilderun

Heavy and Rapier Fighting Champs – May 28th

Greetings Debatable Lands,

Baron Brandubh and Baroness Hilderun send fond greetings to you on this fine May day. We wish to invite all Heavy Weapons Fighters and Fencers to join us at Practice on Sunday May 28th as we host tournaments to determine Our next Heavy weapons Champion and Fencing Champion. We will begin with the Fencing Championship to be held at 2:00 and then follow with the Heavy Weapons Championship at 3:00

All residents of the Barony are welcome to fight in either tournament, and any holders of the Comettus Amicus (Green Comet) are invited to compete as well. The winners and seconds will be expected to fight in the 7 Pearls Championships in Endless Hills on September 9. We look forward to the displays of skill and prowess!

Cheers,
Brandubh et Hilderun
In Levitate et Caritate

New Webminister

Following much avid discussion in the officer meeting, a vote was taken and your new Webminister in Master Kameshima Zentarou Umakai!

This is still Ishiyama writing right now, but I will be meeting with Master Kameshima in the near future to hand off responsibility for the site and this blog. He and his deputy Lady Kathryn have some big plans for the web site, so if you have ideas or needs make sure to talk to them soon!

It has been an honor to serve the Barony as its webminister, and my thanks to my deputy Master Broom.

Call for Letters: Webminister

My term as your Webminister expires next month, and while I am willing to continue doing this job, I am also willing to give somebody else a chance. I can even serve as deputy to the new Webminister until they get their feet under them, if necessary. Heh, “web feet”.

The Webminister is responsible for the official Baronial web site and its related functions. The Webminister updates the information on the web site as requested, such as when office holders change or a new event is announced. Knowledge of HTML and basic web design is required. Some functions of the web site are written in PHP, and an understanding of PHP would be helpful. You must have a reliable computer, Internet connection, and email address. Your ZX81, 300 baud modem, and AOL address are probably not sufficient. Most changes to the current site can be made in a text editor and uploaded via FTP, so no special software is required. The web site is hosted by a commercial service provider, so the ability to pay hosting and domain registration fees via credit card is required, though you will be reimbursed by the Barony after you make payment.

The Webminister is also responsible for maintaining the list of email aliases. The hosting service also provides email forwarding so that senders can always send email to a Baronial officer without having to remember who currently holds that office and what that person’s address is. Updating the list of aliases involves logging into the hosting provider’s domain management web interface, so some ability to deal with that kind of thing is required. We always have problems with forwarded email landing in spam folders, so dealing with email problems is a constant task.

The Webminister is also responsible for maintaining and administrating the Baronial Blog. The Debatable Blog uses the WordPress system and all interactions with the site are through a web interface. Some knowledge of WordPress usage and administration would be helpful. If I stay as Webminister, I’m going to pester officers a lot more to post things to the blog.

The job of Webminister is not constant. It mostly consists of small amounts of work on a irregular basis, but occasionally requires a large amount of work in a short time period. Like when you discover the entire web site has been hacked to forward to a bootleg pharmacy site. The editorial policy of the website is available on the site. Some familiarity with the current policy, and an interest in upholding or improving on these traditions would be to your advantage.

The Webminister is not responsible for the Barony’s social media presence, as this is a function of the Seneschal’s office by society policy. Some coordination with the Seneschal or Social Media Deputy may be required, but they tend to be really nice about it.

If you are interested in standing for this position, please submit a letter of intent to the Webminister and Seneschal before the next officers’ meeting, which will be on April 5th, 2017. Candidates should be at the meeting if possible, as the elected officer will be expected at future meetings for the duration of their 2-year term.

Call for Letters: Webminister

My term as your Webminister is up in April, and while I am perfectly willing to continue doing this job, I will not be offended if somebody else would like a chance.

The Webminister is responsible for the official Baronial web site and its related functions. The Webminister updates the information on the web site as necessary, such as when office holders change or a new calendar event is announced. Knowledge of HTML and basic web design is required. Some functions of the web site are written in PHP, and an understanding of PHP would be helpful. You must have a reliable computer, Internet connection, and email address. Most changes to the current site can be made in a text editor and uploaded via FTP, so no special software is required. The web site is hosted by a commercial service provider, so the ability to pay hosting and domain registration fees via credit card is required, though you will be reimbursed by the Barony after you make payment.

The Webminister is also responsible for maintaining the list of email aliases. The hosting service also provides email forwarding so that senders can always send email to a Baronial officer without having to remember who currently holds that office and what that person’s address is. Updating the list of aliases involves logging into the hosting provider’s domain management web interface, so some ability to deal with that kind of thing is required.

The Webminister is also responsible for maintaining and administrating the Baronial Blog. The Debatable Blog uses the WordPress system and all interactions with the site are through a web interface. Some knowledge of WordPress usage and administration would be helpful.

The job of Webminister is not constant. It mostly consists of small amounts of work on a irregular basis, but occasionally requires a large amount of work in a short time period. The editorial policy of the website is available on the site. Some familiarity with the current policy, and an interest in upholding or improving on these traditions would be to your advantage.

The Webminister is not responsible for the Barony’s social media presence, as this is a function of the Seneschal’s office by society policy. Some coordination with the Seneschal or Social Media Deputy will doubtless be required, however.

If you are interested in standing for this position, please submit a letter of intent to the Webminister and Seneschal before the next officers’ meeting, which will be on April 5th, 2017.

12th Night Top 10 from the Baroness

We had a wonderful time this past Saturday at 12th Night! Thank you to the autocrats, THL Elss and THL Muirgheal, and all your staff. It was a day of merriment and laughter! Here are some of out favorite moments, in no particular order:

  1. The Court of Misrule, administered skillfully and with maximum ridiculousness by the incomparable I Genesii. The King (Lord Kuma), and the Queen (Lady Aine) of Misrule declared many silly things, including calling all Peers “Monster” or “Monstress”, and voguing instead of bowing, among other silliness. It was fun!
  2. Our beautiful new red wool garb, made in just a week by Mistress Ts’vee’a. Thank you!
  3. The ball! An amazing time dancing, with so many dancers! One of the best balls in the Kingdom every year. Thank you to Lord Pavel and all the musicians! And thank you for allowing the Baron and Baroness a dance to ourselves (Rosiboli Gioioso) to end the night. It was lovely!
  4. The Amazing Auction of Highly Desirable Items. Always so much cool stuff, and again, raised enough to cover the cost of the event, so our yearly revel can remain free! Thank you for running it again, Baroness Elizabeth. And, uh, sorry about Otto and Carl bidding on everything… I’ll make sure to explain to them what a “minimum bid” is next time….
  5. The Baronial Bard competition was superb! You made me laugh so hard! Vivat to our new champ, THL Silence!
  6. The Pillow fights! The kids just kept going and going – so much fun! Thanks to THL Jorundr and Mistress Arianna for running it, and Lady Arthes for MOLing, plus THL Muirgheal stepping in to marshal when the kids wanted to keep going after time was up.
  7. Cookies! Thank you Meistari Urho for running the cookie competition again. They were tasty, tasty things! I picked Snickertangles as  my favorite. Snickerdoodles and Tang!! Lady Luceta plays to the audience. 🙂
  8. Court. Small and fun, and always a favorite, to recognize folks that give so much to our beloved Barony! A privilege and honor. And…ummm…. I’m really sorry about throwing the kisses so hard. Baronessing lesson #243: largesse tossing… always underhand!
  9. The wonderful A&S entries. Thanks to all that entered, and congratulations to the new champ, THL Bugga, for her beautiful knitted socks.
  10. The amazing rubbings activity run by Lady Maire. Just beautiful artwork! And thank you for providing an extra prize for Court!
  11. (What, so I can’t count…) The Brewers’ Tap Room. Mmmmmmm. ‘Nuff said.

And of course, the very best thing…all of you! A beautiful day of laughter and eating and drinking and frolicking and fun. Exactly what a 12th Night should be! Thank you all so much!

~Baroness Hilda

Winter Missive from the Baron & Baroness

Hello Debatable Lands!

As we write this, the weather is cold, but the days will soon be getting longer, and we are all enjoying the warmth of our hearths and homes. As our King and Queen have said, we know that this season can be difficult for some. Know that our thoughts are with you, you are valued, and you have friends to lean on; please do, if you need to.

Thanks to all our retainers, champions, scribes, those who make tokens, and everyone who has helped make our Courts this year fun and easy, particularly Lady Rivka, THL Rachel, and THL Jorundr. THL Jorundr has stepped down as Comet Pursuivant (Herald), and we thank him deeply for his years of fruitful service to the Barony. Welcome to Master Kieran, new Comet Pursuivant!

We are now looking forward to Baronial 12th Night on January 21st. The day is full of revelry, joy, fun activities and it is FREE! Ever wanted to introduce a friend or coworker to the SCA? Baronial 12th Night is the ideal event to bring them to! Read more here.

We are very excited to say that our new A&S Champion will be chosen at 12th Night. No theme, but bring your best! The Debatable Lands A&S Champs is a point of pride for us, as we do have the best artisans in the Knowne World after all….  All levels are encouraged to enter, and works-in-progress are welcome. There will be a display area for those not wishing to enter and thereby de-virginize their projects (Ice Dragon, it’s a thing…).

We’ll also be choosing the new Baronial Bardic Champion that fine day. The theme for the Bardic Champs is “Make Us Laugh, Make Us Cry, or Both!” Songs, stories and all bardic forms welcome!

Steltonwald 12th Night is coming up soon, too, on January 28th. A fun and unique event, a party at a restaurant. Read more here.

Additionally, we are very low on Comet award tokens. If anyone would like to donate some, we would appreciate it very much. We would very much prefer to give pouches as tokens, or other usable items, but medallions or belt favors are welcomed with gratitude. We also do need medallion/pouch strings. Let us know if you’d be able to help us with this, and we can give you more details.

Thank you all so much for being vibrant and integral to this amazing hobby of ours, that is so much more than a hobby. If you ever have and questions or comments, please do contact us by phone (See the Dark Pages) or email (baron@debatablelands.org, and baroness@debatablelands.org), or by social media (Hilda on Facebook, Brandubh on G+). We will see you soon!

In Levitate et Caritate, and Cheers,
Baron Brandubh, and Baroness Hilda

A and S at Washington Blvd NOT on Nov 13th

As this Sunday is the Barony Meeting and Practices with PIE at the Castle in Wexford, there will be no A&S at Washington Blvd. Make PIE, eat PIE, vote for PIE!

Also, I am looking for an indoor location for us to meet, so please keep your eyes open and let me know if you find anything around. Examples of places on my list so far: Panera (but no privacy or reservations); Stoke’s Bar on McKnight Rd (private room available); JoAnne Fabrics (unused classrooms, reservations needed); Tech Shop (East Liberty (on bus routes, probably free).

So, looking for: anywhere central, easily accessible by bus, and free or low cost. Let me know of any ideas!

Thanks, Elss Augsburg
BMDL Minister of A&S

Autumn Letter from the Baron & Baroness (Thanks, Champs, PIE, and Recommendations!)

Hello Debatable Lands!

It’s been a busy fall season so far, with both Archers to the Wald and Agincourt in October, and of course the practices and meetings we’ve all been enjoying. We want to thank the autocrats of our events, THL Aaliz and Baroness Constance, and their amazing staff members for putting on impressive events. Not only did the people of the Debatable Lands enjoy the days, but you showed the entire Kingdom what this Barony can do, as it hosted four of the Kingdom Championships. Vivant to you all!
Speaking of Champions… Congratulations to our new Baronial Champions this fall! Lord Ronan O’Connal is our Archery Champion, with Duncan MacCoulagh as second, Carl MacBranduibh is our Youth Archery Champion, and Lord Kuma is our new Thrown Weapons Champion, with Eorl Byron as his second. Vivant to you all, and we hope many Debatable Landers will join us in Endless Hills on Sept 9th, 2017, to cheer them on as they compete in the Seven Pearls Championships.
Thanks, too, to all our retainers, champions, scribes, those who make tokens, and everyone who has helped make our Courts fun and easy, particularly Lady Rivka, THL Jorundr, and THL Rachel.
We’re very much looking forward to our annual Harvest Revel and Barony Meeting coming up in November. Don’t forget to bring your PIE! For in PIE there, is GLORY!
As the weather cools, we are now looking forward to Baronial 12th Night on January 21st. We will be holding Court then, and we need Comet Recommendations! If you see someone working and playing here in the Debatable Lands, and you think they should be recognized in Baronial Court, don’t hesitate to write to us to let us know! baron@debatablelands.org, and baroness@debatablelands.org. Additionally, we are very low on Comet award tokens. If anyone would like to donate some, we would appreciate it very much. We prefer to give pouches as tokens, but other ideas are medallions or belt favors. Let us know if you’d be able to help us with this, and we can give you more details.
Thank you all so much for being vibrant and integral to this amazing hobby of ours, that is so much more than a hobby. If you ever have and questions or comments, please do contact us by phone or email (See the Dark Pages), or by social media (Hilda on Facebook, Brandubh on G+). We will see you soon!
In Levitate et Cartitate, and Cheers,
Baron Brandubh and Baroness Hilda