Blank scrolls are hard. Do with this what you will.
In the shadowed embrace of this night of specters and enchantments, we, the honored Baron and Baroness of Iron Bog, do joyously recognize the luminous brilliance of [Recipient’s Name]. With artistry and grace that transcend the ordinary, your creation, [specific item or artwork], has enchanted our senses and captured the very essence of our eerie revelry.
Through the whispered tales woven into your work, your skills’ splendor shines like a beacon in the twilight. Your dedication to the craft and your ability to conjure beauty from the mists of time have earned you this distinction.
May your creative spirit continue to soar on the wings of inspiration.
Given this [day] at Ghosts, Ghouls and Goblins, AS 59 by their Excellencies Andre l’Epervier and Genevra d’Angouleme.
Úlfarr is another human who has been in my life for several years. He works hard and is an incredibly skilled story teller. When you see him in full blown Bard, it’s captivating. I’ve been lucky to also serve as a mentor to him for running events but also to see him grown in his own with service to the College of Performers as well as service to his Barony. When the scribe asked me to wordsmith this scroll, I was overjoyed. I hope he feels the same way.
Master of service and Skald we emplore, In the heart of Settmore Swamp’s embrace, Thy name resounds, esteemed evermore.
And never in adversity do we face
From northern climes and storied past, Thy voice like a beacon doth shine, Guiding the realm with tales steadfast, And lore that through ages entwines.
In halls where the minstrels’ voices blend, Thy contributions ring clear and bright, College of Performers, a chatelaine and friend, Thou art a beacon in the night.
With tireless hand and spirit bold, Thou hast nurtured as Seneschal through Settmore’s song, Fostering the craft with wisdom untold, Where bards and poets together throng.
Through stewarding gatherings, great and small, Thy service doth never wane or cease, For Settmore and the realm’s great hall, Thy deeds bring harmony and peace.
To each event and joyful fest, Thou bringest both cheer and grace, Uplifting all, thy gift expressed, In every heartfelt, joyous space.
Thus, we honor thee with verse, For thy service, so noble and grand, In Settmore and the East you traverse, Thy legacy in tale shall stand.
I always loving doing scrolls for friend’s. This was a very long time due scroll and I am glad that the scribe reached out to me to wordsmith. I have known Ceara since about a year after she and her spouse (at the time) moved to the East Kingdom from Drachenwald. We became close bardic friends. She is who I go to regarding fairy tails. She could give you 3 period versions of Cinderella if you asked her to. However, she has magic in the kitchen when she cooks so I wanted to combine both of those things. I do mix pronouns on purpose.
In the whimsical world of Ceara’s kitchen service, where spatulas dance and spoons sing, there lives a chef whose passion rivals that of any fairytale’s fervent hero. Imagine a kitchen where the aroma of fresh-baked bread mingles with the scent of adventure, where each dish tells a story as magical as any spell from a storybook. This culinary artist, with a heart as warm as a freshly brewed pot of tea, whisks up wonders and ladles out legends. With every chop of the knife and stir of the pot, they’re not just preparing meals—she is crafting enchanting experiences. The kitchen becomes a castle, the oven a dragon’s lair, and the ingredients, a treasure trove of fantastical flavors. Her love for fairytales is sprinkled into every dish, transforming humble ingredients into culinary enchantments. A sprinkle of this, a dash of that, and voilà—each made with love.
Will full bellies and full hearts, it is only right that we, Tindal and Emerson, Crown and Consort,do hereby induct Ceara inghean Eoin into the order of the Silver wheel,at Harper’s Retreat where she can continue to feed our Blue Tyger Kin in times of peace and times of war.
Calligraphy and Illumination by Robert dwe Makminne
Another boast I had the honor of writing and performing was for my dear friend, Fionnghualla. It can be difficult to capture of the all the amazingness that is a person who does service. Their service can be silent and long done. I have known Fionnghualla since almost the beginning of my SCA career. I wanted her boast to be special and stand out. I don’t like writing boasts that just list off the persons OPID. It’s not what that person deserves. They deserve to have a unique and special experience. I dug down into my old person RAM and dug up some schtick that I hadn’t thought about in 10 or more years. There is a pirate ship which is run by all women called “The Scorned Lady”. This had popped into my brain, I did a bit of digging and research and this is what was produced.
Ahoy!
Shake in your boots and make ready
Avast your idle conversations and turn a weather eye
The Scorned Lady, Scourge of the Sea has anchored
Servant to no one but the water itself
Now enters a most ferocious creature
Her personal banner waves and never were swans and a single rose so fearsome
Make way for the string that keeps the Barony of Stonemarche tied together
My friend, Seigne (Jenn) was elevated to the order of the Laurel. I had the great honor of boasting her in. This is not even a fraction of what I think about her, but this is the < 1 minute I was allowed to have to show off my friend! Video attached.
All in attendance, tremble before the Harper, Seigne Ruadh Frizzel. Pray heed this ethereal being with a harp song that claims a listener’s heart as truly as her hunter’s shot claims a stag on the fly. With fingers that dance on strings, she weaves melodies that captivate while her arrows wing true. Like Apollo, who excelled in both archery and music, this harpist-archer seamlessly blends the elegance of her melodies with the precision of her aim. Warm is her heart as is the hearth of her home. All are welcome and so we celebrate Seigne.
In the heart’s abyss where shadows dwell, Amidst the veils of selfish yearning, A soul ascends, its tale compelling, In selflessness, its virtues swell.
Through realms of doubt and worldly spell, A journey vast, its essence burning, In light of love, its manifested yearning,
To serve, to give, its purpose well.
In Tessa’s work, where idle hands quell, And all sing out in realms discerning, The altruistic soul finds grace, returning,
To realms where selfishness expel.
In charitable, true greatness lies, Beyond the self, where spirit flies, In service to the greater good,
A journey marked by all she stood.
Thus, let us strive, like Tessa’s work, To rise above those who tend to lurk, And in philanthropic ways, find our truest light, Guiding us through the darkest night.
Thus Royals Tindal and Emerson, noble hands do we, Raise Tessa Martini D’Agonstino up with glee To the ranks of Pelican we grant At the Great Northeastern War XXX VI, now and forever we chant
A member of the flock, never diminished or title scant.
Based off Dante’s Divine Comedy, 14th Century Italy
Calligraphy and illumination by Nataliia Anastasiia Evgenova Sviatoslavina
Based -VERY closely on Chaucers 2nd speech from “A Knights Tale”
Video courtesy of Arlyanna van Wyck
Your Majesties, Your Highness, And everybody else here NOT sitting on a cushion:
Today, today, you find yourselves equals.
For you are all equally blessed.
For I have the pride, the privilege, nay, the pleasure Of introducing to you a woman about to be elevated, sired by generations of Pelicans before her, A woman who can trace her lineage back to before the founding of the Society! Or, at least, to Master Harold.
I first met her atop the snow capped lands of Stonemarche, Palio if you will, Working her hands in soil, mud, sweat and blood Never asking for help, asking only for forgiveness that her flesh and bones could not labor beyond the bounds of human endurance.
Next, she amazed me still further at Harper’s When she saved a lame duckFrom the would-be demolishment of a multi-remove feast. Bashing away forks, knives, spoons all utensils with her bare hands This duck? It may have been her own
At Birka, she spent a day sitting still, never moving an inch, or clattering an item Just to better understand what stillness felt like.
And so, without further gilding the lily, And with no more ado,
I give to you the Seeker of Service, The Ambassador of Aide , The Matron of Maintenance The One — The Only — Tessa Martini D’agnostino!
Mighty King Tindall and King Consort Emerson demand all in attendance to lend their ears!
On the swan-roads and fields of glory the bladesong of Desimir is spun from wind to earthen warrior . Shield-breaker, helm-seeker, Desimir is the storm’s fury and the sea’s embrace. He is iron-borne, unwavering in prowess and conviction against all odds. With a spear-gripped stance and raven’s flight, he honors ancestors in the clash of metal and breath. In the heat of combat, he forges his saga, wielding this ancient dance of steel. With each thrust, he carves the runes of victory upon the battleground, where the echo of each who had trodden before resound. Rapier, silver gleaning, rests upon his neck today. Wars of the Great North Eastern land marked in the annals AS LIX.
Calligraphy and Illumination/Cutwork by Ciaran Ua Meic Thire
In the 14+ years I have been playing in the SCA, I have yet to miss a GNEW.
This year was emotionally tough to get motivated for. Had I not had prior commitments, I had thought about skipping. It has nothing to do with the event itself as it is a wonderful event. It had nothing to do with the offerings or the people. It was simply “It’s hot, I’m tired and I don’t wanna”.
The weather until the day before had predicted rain. LOTS of rain. If you are not from New England, a lesson you should know is that, “If you don’t like the weather, wait 5 minutes”.
So, I waited. The weather cleared for the entire weekend and that was grand.
Wolfgang, Child and I arrived on site about 3 hours later than I had planned, which worked out with the weather (heat).
We set up camp, but I was already full of anxiety. There were some things in my personal life plaguing me, but I won’t get into them here, plus the anxiety of teaching a new class, running an ensemble with very litter external direction from the coordinators and a performing a boast which I had written for a dear friend.
Thursday evening, we sat in camp and wandered about to see friends. Much of my memories for the evening was a blur, but I suspect it was due to my busy day ahead of me on Friday.
Friday am came too quickly and it was rehearsal time. 9:00 am is not my favorite, but it’s when we were all available. The rehearsal was for playing in the Deed of Arms. If you read my blog last year, we did the same thing.
This year we played an assortment of Duets and Trios from the Rosenbeck books (1 and 2) and some other gems I grabbed off the internet. All of the pieces we played would have been heard in the 14th century (So, 13th and 14th century pieces).
I am grateful for Ameline (Center) and Richard (Right) for their willingness to play and be flexible… and meeting me at 9am for rehearsal.
After we finished up, I was off to teach my brand new class, “16th Century Vocal Technique and Pedagogy”.
The class was attending by a few people, but their varying levels of background gave me a good sense of what was working and if anything had areas of opportunity for growth. I focus on a very niche topic and I am always concerned that there will be no interest in it. I am excited to present this class at Pennsic. This will be 1 of 2 class offerings that I will be bringing to Pennsic.
From there, I hid back in my tent until it was just time to change for the Deed. Part of the Deed was not only playing 14th century music, but also dressing. Apparently, my performers and I chose an unofficial uniform. GREEN FOR DAYS!
The Deed itself was wonderful to watch and each of my instrumentalists were a delight. Not pictured is our wonderful bagpipe player.
The rest of the evening was spent socializing and prepping for the next day.
The next AM, the true reason I was excited to be at GNEW were my friends, Tessa, was about to be elevated to the Order of the Pelican, Cedric to the Order of Defense and Matt to the Order of the Pelican.
Tessa is my deputy for Harper’s retreat 2024 (COME! IT WILL BE A GREAT TIME). I had been told about her elevation and was asked to boast/herald her in. Who was I to refuse this great honor to celebrate my friend. She and I were doing a site walk and had stayed behind to do some follow-up discussion from the site-walk. I had a stroke of genius… or perhaps just a stroke, but I figured out how I was going to get what she wanted for a boast (Mind you, she has no peer, no ICOP…just friends desperately trying to not ruin the secret).
“Hey Tessa… I’ve got a friend down in Atlantia who’s going to be elevated to Laurel in September. They’ve got a 14th century Italian Persona and they -love music/performing arts. Any idea what they might like for a boast?”
“Solveig, you should do it based on Chaucer from “”A knights tale””. His speeches are *chefs kiss*”.
There… that is what I was going to do. I watched all of the speeches and settled on his 2nd speech. Separate post coming with the boast and information.
After she was taken to Vigil (and I had shot a little archery with Wolfgang) I went to go visit my friend, Tessa. (I did not visit the other two as Cedric lives 2 miles from me and had a mile long list of visitors and Matt also had a mile long list of visitors.) I went in by myself (though, I typically take Wolfgang in with me, I wanted this to be a private moment between us.
I’m not a peer, but I always try to bring some words of wisdom and support to candidates I am talking to. I never rehearse anything and only speak from the heart. It is, however, my goal to make them cry. Cry from being touched, from feels… whatever.
Anyways, I walked in. I shared with Tessa that information. I shared with her that I did the wordsmithing on her scroll (But would not share it at that time) and also that I was who was going to be boasting her in. I gently reminded her of our last Harper’s walkthrough. I explained I wanted to share her boast with her now as she would likely be too wrapped up in emotions to be able to hear the boast (Despite my crystal clear diction and projection ^_~). As I started to read it to her, her face lit up.
“You bitch!” said in the most loving way possible.
We laughed for the last few minutes and I left her with a hug.
From there I ran off to go to practice read through the scrolls at court. Audrye runs a tight and well oiled machine and I am always thankful to work under her. I read scrolls and found out I got to spend some delightful time sitting with Wolfgang and Erik (We share a Peer…actually all 3 of us do but anyways).
It was time for the Silver Wheels to be called up. I knew 5/6 of the recipients. I…. made a medallion for each of them. I care for them all and they have all touched me in different ways that this was just something small I wanted to do for them. I suspect many may be passed down or given away, but I wanted them to feel cared for in the moment.
I had not realized that there was only 1 recipient that I didn’t know. I wish I had so I could have gifted her one as well. The schtick of this court became “Is there a medallion?” “Yes, your majesty” *Hustles up to the front of court* “Is there a legacy?” “Nope…. I made it” and some form of variation for each of the 5 I made.
Finally, it was time for the boast. An adult beverage consumed before hand to “Take the edge off” and then here we go!
This was my first truly “Heroic” style boast. I was trying to channel Paul Bettany but still make it my own.
I could not do a better set of timing because I had a parade of folks behind me, but I still tried to do my best. I feel like I at least nailed the timing for the finish.
I heard some snickers, I saw folks reacting in pictures. I watched the video that Arlyanna van Wyck had taken (Thank you as always, Arlyanna for all your hard work and the gift you give to the kingdom with your videography. You capture so many memories).
It wasn’t perfect, but it was perfect for the moment. I, as a performer, am mostly content with it, but the fact that it did make my friend’s day, is all that mattered.
My heart is full and I feel somewhat revitalized. I am still taking the rest of the summer easy as I have responsibilities at Pennsic and Harper’s and in October, my royals step up and I work more for my Largesse coordination.
Please check out the boast video and the scroll words when you get the chance.
Nothing particularly historically accurate about this scroll. I was given the assignment about 1.5 weeks before the event which meant I had like 3 days to finish the words. Luckily I knew the recipient and was also able to get some last minute research on him, his write up and how I could better attack it. To add a small drop of humor, I had seen the scroll layout before it’s final stage. I had recognized the image the scribe based the scroll off of was their profile picture on social media. I had been chatting with the recipient regarding other things and convinced him to wear the garb he is wearing in the scroll. So, without further adiu, Words, Scroll and Recipient.
In the luminous tapestry of life, there exists a figure of resplendent charm and kaleidoscopic depth. His every movement, a dance of blades, a symphony of precision and elegance. It is as if poetry were etched into the very fabric of his being. This dark creature lives amidst the intricate latticework of pawns, bishops and stones. With a mind as sharp as the edge of his rapier, he dances through nine men named Morris, he battles fox and geese alike and closes the lid, nay, shuts the box with ease. Dark in register and timbre do his melodies shake. With each lyric spun, he conjures worlds of wonder and whimsy and illuminates the world with the brilliance of his spirit. With all the above attributes listed, do we Tindall and Emerson, Royals of the great Eastern lands do see fit to make Sylvain du Soleil a Lord of our court and grant him arms. We announce this to our all gathered at Les Beltaines, AS LIX
Caligraphy and Illumination by Caitríona inghean Uí Shíodhachaín
Meddlings of the Minnesinger 