Heavy and Rapier Champs Sunday (With Rain Date Info)

Hello Debatable Lands!

We are very much looking forward to Heavy Fighting and Rapier Fighting Champs Tourneys this Sunday at practice in the parklet at the corner of Washington Blvd and Allegheny River Blvd! Rapier starts at 2pm, Heavy at 3pm. Anyone residing in the Debatable Lands (including Steltonwald), or who has a Green or “Friend of the Barony” Comet is eligible to become champion, but we welcome all to participate for fun!  Champions and seconds are invited to attend the 7 Pearls Event in September in Endless Hills to compete for the glory of the Debatable Lands against the other Baronies! More info on formats below from the outgoing Champs.

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RAIN DATE: Hopefully we can hold the tourneys this Sunday, but the weather is looking not great. If practice must be canceled, the tournaments will be held next SUNDAY, JUNE 4th
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From our Rapier Champion:

Greetings my fellow Debatables!!!! The time has come again to find a new Rapier Champion. It saddens me greatly to step down as (albeit substitute) champion and I am extremely proud to have held the mantle for the time I was given. On Sunday 5/28 a tournament shall be held at the outside practice site (location information to be included in the comments) at 2pm. The tournament shall be open to all rapier authorized citizens of BMDL, the Canton of Steltonwald, and those who have been awarded a Green Comet as Friends of the Barony. The tournament format will be as follows…

Round Robin (everyone shall fight everyone)

Swiss Five (each fight shall be fought using a different form)
* those form shall be from the following list
** Single Sword
** Sword and Soft Parry
** Sword and Rigid Parry
** Sword and Dagger
** Case of Swords
** (optional forms) Those individuals who are authorized in either/both Cut and Thrust and Two-Handed Weapon forms may choose to fight with that form. This will only be done under the conditions that their opponent agrees to face said style (i.e. Two-Handed) or are also authorized in Cut and Thrust (Cut and Thrust opponents MUST match forms)

All combatants shall rotate through 5 forms before being allowed to repeat a form.
Any combatant who is not authorized in a form shall default to Single Sword.
Combatants are NOT required to match forms (Cut and Thrust being the only exception to this rule).
NO Combatant is required to agree to fight against Two-Handed or Cut and Thrust styles. If not agreed upon, combatants must select from one of the base 5 forms.

The finals shall be a Best of Five.
**Forms shall be matched
**Forms will be as follows-#1 Single Sword, #2 Sword and Parry (either soft or rigid), #3 Sword and Dagger, #4 Case of Swords, #5 (should it come to that) will be Baronial Choice.

Based on the number of combatants…
3-5 combatants = all combatants shall fight a best of 3, forms must still change to complete the swiss 5
6+ combatants = fights will be a single pass, forms to be changed with each fight until 5 forms have been reached.
if less than 3 opponents, their Excellencies shall decide what action shall be taken.

I look forward to hearing the results and future of my beloved BMDL.

Debatable in Service,
Lady Cairdha Eilis O’Coileain

From our Heavy Fighting Champion:

Fighters of the Debatable Lands! Your heavy weapons champion commands your attention.

My time as Baronial Champion comes to a close this Sunday, when a tournament to determine the next champion shall be held. All good and able fighters are invited and encouraged to armor up (and fix what needs fixing from War Practice!) and come to the Washington Blvd. practice site this Sunday, May 28th. The tournament will begin at 3pm! All fighters who reside in the BMDL are eligible to enter this tournament, by decree of Their Excellencies!

Depending on the number of entrants, the tournament format will be either Round Robin, or, in honor of my lovely wife Odriana, using a Dutch system*. Bring what weapons form you have, several will be called upon, and what you don’t have can be loaned to you that day.

What does it mean to be champion? Firstly, it means representing the Barony-Marche of the Debatable Lands with honor and chivalry! As champion, you are our entrant in the Seven Pearls Baronial Champions Tournament** in September, where you will fight AEthelmearc’s other baronial champions. You are also invited and encouraged to fight at the Baronial Champion’s tournament at Pennsic (should you be attending), which occurs during War Week.

It has been an honor to serve as your heavy weapons champion this past year. I eagerly await to see who’s hungry to step up and take my place!

Kieran MacRae

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

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

Calling All Throwers! Champs This Saturday!

Hello Debatable Lands!

Our Baronial Thrown Weapons Championship Throw is this Saturday at Agincourt! We hope to see throwers of all ages compete! Our outgoing Champion, Master Clewin has prepared a fun time for you all.

The Championship throw will be at 2pm. Loaner gear is available. The range will be open earlier for warm ups, courtesy of our industrious marshal, Lord Kuma. Thanks!

All are invited to throw, but only Debatable Landers are eligible to be Baronial Champion. We ask that the new Champion be available to throw in the Seven Pearls competition on Sept 9, 2017.

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

And don’t forget, both Queen’s Rapier Champs (10:15 am) and Kingdom Youth Fighting Champs (1 pm) are that day as well…. let’s show the Kingdom what Debatable Landers can do! Can’t wait!

See also Agincourt’s Facebook Page.

Calling All Archers! Champs This Saturday!

Hello Archers of the Debatable Lands, from Baron Brandubh and Baroness Hilda!

This Saturday is Archers to the Wald, in our Canton of Steltonwald. In addition to hosting the Kingdom Archery and Thrown Weapons Championships, it was also host the Debatable Lands Archery Championship and the Debatable Lands Youth Archery Championship!

We’d like to invite all archers to come and participate!

Master Urho, our outgoing Archery Champion, has a short and fun shoot planned for 11 am. All may participate, but only Debatable Landers are eligible to be Champion. (There will be other ranges open, too – it’s Archers to the Wald!) We ask that the new Champion be available on September 9th, 2017, to shoot for the 7 Pearls Championship against the other Baronies’ champs.

Baron Brandubh will be running the Youth Archery Championship at 1pm. This championship is open to youths 16 and under from the Debatable Lands and surrounding groups as well, as there are less opportunities for our region’s youth to participate in champs shoots.

We can’t wait to see you at the Baronial Champs shoots! And let’s show the Kingdom what our archers and throwers can do, too!

Sunday Practice May 15 WITH Champions Tournaments!

The Baron and Baroness write:

Greetings to the Debatable Lands from Brandubh et Hilda,

The time has come to name new Martial Champions for our Most Excellent Barony. We invite all interested fighters and Fencers to join the tournaments, at any level, and from any place. However, only Debatable Landers and gentles with Green/Friendship Comets are eligible to become Champion.

We will be having tournaments for both Heavy and Rapier fighting, after the Barony meeting. May 15th, at the Washington Blvd practice site.

Our outgoing Rapier Champion is Dona Fredeburg. The format of the tournament is To Be Determined. We hope fighters of all levels will compete, from new fighters to White Scarves and Masters of Defense.

Our outgoing Heavy Fighting Champion in THL Lothar Hugelmann. As the out going Champ, he’s announced that it’s a regular double elimination tourney with a “span your shield” rule. Barons, Viscounts, Counts, Dukes, Chivalry, Please feel free to enter if you wish to be Champion.

In addition we need Archers! Lord Yoshi will be hosting an archery tournament to choose the Barony’s representative to the Scarlet Guard Challenge at the Guard Inn event in Hornwood on June 11. So tune up your bows to shoot in this engaging challenge.

We are truly looking forward to seeing you all there!

Cheers,
Brandubh et Hilda

Heavy and Rapier Fighting Champs May 15th

Hello Debatable Lands!

The time has come to name new Fighting Champions for our Most Excellent Barony. We invite all interested fighters to join the tournaments, at any level, and from any place. However, only Debatable Landers and gentles with Green/Friendship Comets are eligible to become Champion.

We will be having tournaments for both Heavy and Rapier fighting, after the Barony meeting. May 15th, at the Washington Blvd practice site.

Our outgoing Rapier Champion is Dona Fredeburg. The format of the tournament is To Be Determined. We hope fighters of all levels will compete, from new fighters to White Scarves and Masters of Defense.

Our outgoing Heavy Fighting Champion in THL Lothar Hugelmann. As the out going Champ, he’s announced that it’s a regular double elimination tourney with a “span your shield” rule. Barons, Viscounts, Counts, Dukes, Chivalry, Please feel free to enter if you wish to be Champion.

In Levitate et Caritate,
Baron Brandubh and Baroness Hilda

New Arts and Sciences Champion

Their Excellencies, the Baron and Baroness of these Debatable Lands, write:

We are very pleased to announce your new Arts & Sciences Champion: The Honorable Lord Kieran MacRae! His well-researched and documented Calligraphy entry was skillful and impressive (oh, the cadels!), and we are confident that he will represent you well during his time.

Winner of the populace choice prize, as well as serving as THL Kieran’s second, is Duchess Siobhan, whose Finnish spiral embroidery also showcased her skill in creating and researching her art.

We’d like to acknowledge all 16 entries… the beauty and caliber of the art displayed and performed was simply stunning, Debatable Lands, your skill and love of your art is the finest in the Kingdom, and your display Saturday rivaled even the Kingdom Champs competitions. It was an incredibly difficult choice. Whoever has pics, please post here!

Also, in case you missed it (and there was a lot of snow), at Debatable Lands’ 12th Night in January, two other new Champions were chosen by Their Excellencies Liam and Constance, in kind consultation with us. The Honorable Lady Bugga Billibit is your new Bardic Champion, and Master Bovi farmadr is your new Brewing Champion (man, that was some delicious drink!).

VIVANT!

The Arts and Sciences Champion Writes

Hara-roku-i Kikumatsu, the current Arts and Sciences Champion of the Barony Marche of the Debatable Lands, writes:

To all those who live and play in the BMDL, my time as A&S champion is almost over. The new Baron and Baroness will need a new champion to stand behind them in court and to represent them in the seven pearls in late August. Any person or group is encouraged to enter the competion. There are no restrictions on experience level. The site is dry, but an alcoholic entry can be judged prior to the event. You must contact me ahead of time to make arrangements. Documentation isn’t required, but is highly encouraged.