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.
My dear friend, Kiaya, was being elevated to the Order of the Laurel. She has been a peer to me in so many ways since I met her and her family. I was asked to boast her in. I asked her what type of boast she wanted. Her prompt was “Channel Ryou”. Challenge accepted. My original creation was 350 words… which… was a bit lengthy. This is what I was able to shorten it to and still have it capture their essence.
Good gentles, peers and nobles all …Behold the illustrious Keziah Planchette, Baron of Stonemarche, Member of the order of the Maunche, Member of the order of the Silver Crescent, Tygers cub, Recipient of the Consorts order of Courtesy, whose valor echoes through the annals of history! Who stands as a beacon of hope in the darkest of times!
With quill in hand, she is swift as lightning, eye as sharp as the keenest blade.
With brush, conjures visions of unparalleled beauty, capturing the essence of life itself!
Keziah fearlessly defends the innocent and upholds justice in the face of adversity. Her valor knows no bounds.Therein beats a heart, overflowing with kindness and empathy. Known far and wide as a champion of the unseen. From the newest babe to the highest crown, all find solace in the benevolence of Baron Keziah.
let it be known throughout the land that Keziah Planchette is not merely a Baron, but a paragon of virtue. inspiring generations yet to come to strive for greatness and embody the virtues of bravery, kindness, and creativity. Long may her legend endure!
There is nothing period about the way I composed this piece. However, I knew I wanted to make this scroll special for this little velociraptor. I wanted it to be whimsical and also capture who this mighty cub was. I was so lucky to work with this blossoming scribe, Octavia. Enjoy
In the Barony of Smoking Rocks, amidst cobblestone streets and whispered legends, there resides the charming Genevieve. She waltzes through life’s melodies, her heart tuned to the rhythm of society’s gatherings. With a twirl and a flourish, her laughter echoing across the lands.
Yet, beneath her graceful steps, Genevieve harbored a whimsical spirit, one that found joy in the simplest of pleasures. Amidst the bustling events, she immerses herself in finding any way she can help. Her favorite activity is tending to the children’s toybox. She makes sure no youth is left empty handed.
But Genevieve’s kindness knows no bounds. While others revel, she slips away, sleeves rolled up, to aid in the tidying of the village square and counting points. From battles to challenges, she does this with diligence and a smile. For her, happiness lay not just in the glimmer of the dance floor but also in the warmth of community and in the satisfaction of a job well done.
With this, we Matthias and Aesa Feillinn, Crown and Consort of the realm, with the power vested in our hands, do induct Genevieve of Lochleven into her rightful place as a member of the Order of the Tyger’s cub. We do so with joy March 2 AS 58 at East Kingdom Arts and Science Championshop.
I have quickly discovered that driving to DC from NH the week before pennsic is perhaps not the best thing I could have planned. To be fair, I didn’t think Pennsic was in the cards this summer. Oh, what a fool I am.
After already being exhausted from the 9.5 hour drive each way + additional tops and working a convention for 4 days, I came back to speed pack and finish up procrastination projects that needed to be done for pennsic. I know this is a new concept, but hey. #speedfinishgarb, #finishgarbforking, #learnnewmusic, #finishtokens.
Friday am, Husband and Consorts Bard hit the road at 6 am and drove straight to Slippery Rock. Ahhhhh, more poor choices. We got on site just in time to set up the rain fly on our tent and the heavens opened up. I am lucky husband was with me, even though this was his first pennsic, he is no stranger to setting up camp effectively. As the skies opened, I shrugged, closed the trunk of my SUV and took a nap. It was a glorious couple hours. I have learned that in a pinch, my car can be comfy enough to stay in for a couple days.
Around 10 pm, Collette the Bard graced Mermaid’s Song with their presence and we did a quick run through so not everything was fresh on Sunday. Not my best, but it had been over 3 years since I’ve sang harmonies with another human.
Saturday was fairly open and the only thing on my agenda was Opening ceremonies. This will probably be the only time I get to head up the line, but it was fun! Pomp and circumstance-y. Walking with my friends, fancy-ish garb and feeling important in our game.
Sunday was probably the biggest highlight for me. We met around 3pm to rehearse for our 6 pm concert. There were multiple reasons. First and foremost, I have been dreaming of singing with my very skilled friend since I met them. Also, typically, I am running the choirs or singing solo. Getting to not be the center of attention for once was super nice. I love being the supportive role. Many go “But Solveig, don’t you have a soloist voice?” Ah ha! If you are a skilled singer, you know how to blend with other singers, change vowels and vibrato density and be a unit, not just a soloist. Below are some of the tracks I was honored to be able to sing in.
Vocalists were Collette the Bard(Collette le Trouvere), Bird the Bard (Julianna Bird) and Aibhilin inghean Daibhidh.
That night, I had been invited to VDK Bardic by Caoilfhionn inghean Fhaoláin, 3 time past queen of the east, warrior and passionate performer. I was honored to be able to even join. It’s amazing what weird ideas humans can have about one another. Many years as we have been passing ships in the night, it was assumed that each of us hated one another. This could not have been any farther from the truth. I tried to put on my brave girl pants and chat with her further to see if I could find out why there was stress on our relationship, but instead, I treated her as if there was none. This was probably the best option I could have done. We commiserated over our children, life events and bonded. It was beautiful and I am so glad that we got to strengthen our friendship further. I decided to open up with my new song, “The Spark”, which I had been gushing to Caoilfhionn over, which is what pushed me over as she seemed excited about the concept. Caoilfhionn was also having a rough time with her voice due to exertion from melees… which is to be expected. Someone requested her to sing “We are the East”. She advised she couldn’t remember the words. I happened to be opened up to that very page in my bard book and offered to sing with her so she had the opportunity to perform. We may have sang in unison, but it made my heart happy to finally join voiced with this amazing human. Soon after my husband whisked me away for dinner since it had been 11 hours since my last meal. Woops.
Monday was shopping day with husband. He had been spending a good amount of the time at the range. We had lunch and a shopping date. Before we met up, I found a singular bass gemshorn which I snapped up quickly. This was my new precious. If you haven’t seen this instrument, it looks very much like a drinking horn. Keep this in mind for court the next day. At night, we hit Pirate Bardic and Chalkman. I don’t normally get to sing Sea Shanties/Maritime Songs or do belty chest voice. This is where I just let it loose. I still had to be careful with Wednesday coming and the A and S Warpoint.
I woke up super late on Tuesday, unsure why. Guess my body was angry. Still getting used to calorie intake and such. However it was EK Court time. It was exciting as always to see folks get recognized. There were a few well planned shenanigans and it made my heart swell with joy. I did, finally, get the nerve up to do my “job” in court. I brought my gemshorn to court and played when there was time between calling recipients. The best response I received was from those who had never seen a gemshorn before. I received such responses as “Did… did you just whip out and play a drinking horn?” followed by, “Didn’t you just buy that yesterday… and you already know how to play it?” That was the highlight of court for me.
Wednesday was the big day for me. I was asked by Sefa to serve as an A and S alternate for the war point. This was huge for several reasons. 1) I would be the first performance for the A and S warpoint in the History of the Pennsic War. 2) I have only competed in A and S twice and neither time did I have anything beyond 1 page of documentation. This time, I had 9 pages of documentation, a piece of music that is 100% period and I even dressed in garb that was appropriate for time time period, composer and world location. Although I did not actually get to compete for points, I was excited to be included this year. I was excited to meet performers from other kingdoms. I was excited to show that performance is not just “Learn a song and sing it pretty”. The best part was sharing my passion and knowledge of music with others and explain things in a way they could understand. Music can be scary and intangible for many. I had atleast 3 separate folx who told me that I taught them something that many others had tried and had not succeeded before. My heart gushed. Later that evening I had the pleasure of hosting the East/Mid Bardic Showcase. Every year the East and Mid alternate hosting it. This would be the first year back at Pennsic in 3 years, so it was weird. It was supposed to be hosted by the Mid, however, the mid has no current royal bard. Also, their stand in, Jolicia, happened to have other commitments that night, so I took it over. I made sure to introduce the circle, provide a warm space for all to perform, make sure every performer was gifted a token for their effort simply enjoy. All in all, I found this to go well.
After that was over and the temperatures had dropped, I dragged my husband to see Volgemut so he could understand the majesty and awesomeness that they are and then off to visit with the Kingdom of Acre. They are SCA adjacent. I made friends with the soon to be King of Acre, Nico several pennsics ago and promised I would stop by. I whipped out my ladino song because it makes my heart happy and I wanted to sing of my love for Nicco and husband. When I was done, I received several “Wow” and “Oh shit” and that made my heart glow.
Thursday I ran and facilitated the EKCOP Meeting. Lots of good stuff coming this year! Check the EKCOP page for minutes. After I ran to the 1 act short plays and got to play Hermes and the Greek Chorus. This gave me another idea for classes to bring back to the East for more classes for those who performance is new/scary and make it a safer place for them.
Friday… home….. the worst. We split up the drive and now I am le sad. So… here we are.
Meddlings of the Minnesinger 