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Written by Tancred
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Sunday, 05 August 2007 |
The Chronicler's Bit
It was small, beige, with pretty ribbons and appeared out of the meanderings of a tortured mind. It apprehended a couple of stray but positive comments from some kind gentles, before sinking back into the mists of obscurity from whence it came.
The populace of Harplestane heaved a collective sigh of relief." At least he didn't embarrass us to much" they said, "he'll get bored and run out of ideas" they also said. But No, unfortunately for the rest of the known world this was not the case. The moment no one has been waiting for, the arrival of the second issue of the Blether is upon you.
The last couple of months have seen many changes in the shire. Harplestane was greatly saddened by the announcement that Caitlin de Courcy and Otto von Graz were moving to the fair city of Nottingham. Shire life will be much poorer without their enthusiasm, talent and inspiration. Our best wishes go with them.
Not to be out done our Seneschal moved flat; good try Wolfgang but no touching eulogies for moving a couple streets.
With all this activity the list of shire officers has been reshuffled and changes of address and telephone numbers noted. All of which means that you will actually have to read the list of officers and announcments to find out who is doing what to whom and when.
As a stunning innovation, I have put the changes in bold type to allow Seneschal's (a not particularly bright breed by all accounts) and others to find the changes without too much strain.
The Blether has also received its first advertiser, Vladimer the Unjust. This noble Lord was able to persuade me of the righteousness of his cause and even recieved a preferential advertising rate. (Rumours of the liberal use of thumb screws, a date with the Iron maiden and some quality time on the rack have been greatly exaggerated)
There now follows a "Braveheart" rendering of the main events that happened in and around the shire since the last issue.
Visitations
There appeared in our shire on the 4th August, a Captain from the East Kingdom, who after landfall in Glasgow, travelled the breadth of our country just to meet with us. Morton of Merrymount, for that was his name then proceeded to entertain us with tales of wondrous places, fearsome wars and interesting people at our local hostelry.
Having had to put to sea unexpectedly the shires of Harplestane and Egaill decided to put on a passage of arms to honour our brave captain and for the edification and entertainment of his no less illustrious crew. A most pleasant evening of feasting and combat ensued and was greatly enjoyed by all. Both shires only regret, was that they did not have the opportunity to meet the wife of our illustrious host, Kirsten Halbnorga.
Craigmillar: 19th August
The event at Craigmillar was a passage of arms, designed for those of nimble feet, quick wits and good horse sense The event seemed to be greatly enjoyed by the populous in attendance.
David of Oxford appeared to be the most natural of horsemen. The ease with which he mounted and dismounted his steed, along with his uncanny ability to perform complicated dressage routines, impressed all who cast an eye over the scene.
Simon de Castille on the other hand, a man normally of fair appearance and composure, was deemed cruel and heartless by dint of the fact that he used the head of his noble mount on several occasions to stop blows upon his own person.
One of the most memorable mounted combats was between Alexander Wallace sporting a grey elephant crest and John Elliot whose crest, yet another elephant, so pink and fluffy that it caused many to question whether the tourney site was truly dry. After several mounted passes neither crest had been removed. Both fighters having gone a strange, but vibrant shade of crimson, elected to spare their steeds any further strain continued their combat on foot. After many fearsome blows the grey elephant having hung on by one of its legs for a considerable period of time finally, fell foul of gravity.
There then followed the Siege of the Castle of Love. A fighter held the entrance to the tower of love, aided and abetted by ladies esconsced in the tower, throwing artificial flowers on to our heavy fighters. All blows from the flowers resulted in the fighter having to leave the melee, and blow a kiss to the lady, who had captured his heart. A most enjoyable game which brought out the true nature of many of the fair ladies present.
The finale of the day, was the Dragon of Egaill. Congratulations must go to the shire for one of the most outstanding costumes ever seen. It was truly wonderful. Unfortunately, there were so many fighters incapacitated by this time that only three people managed to take the dragon on. I greatly enjoyed pitting myself up against near certain death. Final score Dragon 4 , Knights 2. Absolutely brilliant fun, hopefully this will become a regular at some of the events.
The only real casualty of the day, was one of the horses who finally succumbed to the stresses and strain of the event. Medical attention was called to the field and CPR was initiated, but to no avail. The steed was pronounced broken and no amount of duct tape could fix it.
Thanks to Lady Arianrhodd, Viscount Garick, his lady Talitha and Y Port Lairge for travelling to see us. Their prescence greatly enhanced the festivities of the day.
Proelii et Cibus : 16-17th September
A brave band of adventures from Egaill, along with one fighter from Harplestane were due to set out for the fighter collegium in Cork. However the best laid plans of mice and SCA fighters went the way of all things mundane. Egaill had to pull out at the last minute due to circumstances beyond their control. The fighter from Harplestane, being too slow witted to be able to change plans in the face of the obvious lack of transport, finally wandered into the event on the Saturday afternoon, much to the confusion of many and the surprise of all.
Instruction was mainly by Garick "more hips" von Kopke. However in the spirit of merriment that existed for the whole weekend, every one chipped in with helpful suggestions. A great time was had by all and the shire of Lough Devanree lived up to its reputation for being able to party. Although as their Seneschal would say "We have a policy on that!"
A worthwhile event for those of us with no Knights to call their own. Hopefully the collegium planned for Scotland in February 1996 will be as much fun.
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 05 August 2007 )
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