The Dragon's Tongue

September 2009

The Dragon's Tongue

Newsletter of the Shire of Sterlynge Vayle

September 2009

Seneschal:

Lord Robert O'Connor

Exchequer:

Dame George Anne

Herald:

Lord Robert O'Connor

Chatelaine:

Lady Briant of Glamorgan

Arts & Sciences:

Kayley of the Vayle

Chronicler:

Lady Briant of Glamorgan

Knight Marshal:

Sir Magnus Tindal

Fencing Marshal:

Chernislava

Archery Marshal:

Lady Mariana

Yout Marshal:

Olaf

Webmistress:

Ravyn

Calender of events

Within Sterlynge Vayle:

September 12 – Bards and Bows

October 10 – Walton Demo

Recurring Dates in the Shire:

First Sunday – Business Meeting – Robert and Kayley's 6-8pm

Second Sunday is the A&S Meeting at Robert and Kayley's

Fourth Sunday is a “Stitch and Bitch”

Thursdays – fight practice – contact Sir Tindal

Sundays – 3-6pm – Fight Practice in Walton. Contact Olaf

Æthelmearc Events:

September 4-7 – Shoote in the Wildewood - Delftwood

September 4-6 – Known World Heraldic and Scribal Symposium -

Calontir

September 12 – Summer's End – Beau Fleuve

September 19 – Coronation of Henri & Elena – Stormsport

September 25-27 – Harvest Raid – Heronter

September 26 – Archers to the Wald – Steltonwald

October 3-4 – Queen's Rapier – Sunderoak

October 17 – Fall Crown Tourney – Coppertree

October 24 – Autumn Collegium – Beau Fleuve

October 31 – Aethelmeac Academy – Sylvan Glen

From the Chatelaine

Well, here we are again!

We have an upcoming demo in October at the Walton Harvest Festival. Please see the full notice later in this issue! Your help for this demo is greatly appreciated.

I would love to have more handouts and take away items and children's activities this year for demos. If you have an idea for this, or even a coloring book I could borrow to make a few copies from please let me know!

Thanks to THLady Keran for the donation of gold key garb and feast gear!

Scratchings from the Chronicler's Quill

Here we are, again! This month we continue the ink article, and Sterling offers more... advice.

I am still looking for jokes and games to include – as well as other articles.

Remember, this is your newsletter, content Is up to you!

UPON MY CHOPPING BLOCK -

a mad chefs view of the S.C.A.

By Perote Gormal Campbell

Knives, not just for the throwing line.

Knives are a staple of a cooks travel kit. The question is what do we want and what do we need. I always carry a travel kit (available at just about any online chef supply house) It has a few basics, a few special toys, and a few gadgets that are prime to my kitchen. Let's break it down.

Knives

*8 inch santoku or French knife.

10 inch meat slicing knife (I’ve moved up to a 12 inch)

6 inch boning knife

*1 paring knife

*1 meat fork (carving)

1 honing steel

Tools

*Plastic bowl scraper

8 inch cake spatula

*8 inch tongs

bowl spatula

Offset spatula

Gadgets

*Can opener

*Probe thermometer

Bird beak paring knife

8 inch whip

*Graduated measuring cups/spoons

* The items I would not want to function without

So you may not need all of them but some should go without saying.

If you intend to help in a kitchen you should probably bring your own knives. If they are safe, and in proper order the feast-o-crat should have no problems. It’s usually better to have tools your familiar with than walking in to use the shire/barony/kingdom/principalities tools which were around at AS V and haven’t been cleaned/sharpened/honed since.

Usually before an event you have a prep night. I usually ask my staff to bring their tools out on that night. I get out the 3 sided sharpener and tend to the teams tools if they like, free of charge, to thank them for the help. It lets me check handles and sometimes even question who used the wooden handled 10 inch French knife to open cans at Pennsic.

Helping all of the staff have tools up to snuff means I know sharp knives are in hand. (Dull knives cause mishaps (yes sharp knives can too) and the chirurgeon should be out and about not babysitting fingers in the kitchen.) Some people like to have names engraved in synthetic handles, or after a few turns in the kitchen everyone knows “Lady Mary” likes her Rachel Ray signature knife set, so orange knives should be returned to her. It never seems to matter if it’s a matched set, an assorted set like my own, or a hand me down set from great great great grandma, everyone loves their own knives.

That said if you're in the kitchen, and its not yours…. Hey you guessed it!

Don’t use any tool that is not yours, unless the owner has handed it to you. It may be a little slick in the handle, it may not fit your hand well. In short it could be a missing fingertip waiting to happen.

Remember the rules of knife safety, and live by them.

Keep your blade sharp

Hone it in between sharpening, and if your not sure how to… ask

Clean your blades thoroughly

Protect the blades between usages

If you drop the blade, check it before you return to using it

And with that…. Keep your blades sharp and your workspace clean

Gad Zooks! Bards are having a circle!

Your Article could be keeping this space clear of free loading bards (and their patchouli cloud) Why not get trucking on donating an article?

Your Chronicler is at the ready so grab a pen and roll a scroll!

ASK STERLING DRAGON

Unto Sterling dragon, Guardian of Sterlynge Vayle, Salutations and conundrums from Laird Lytor the Lethargic.

I find during prolonged events I tend to slow down after extended periods of activity in the hot arid lands of the Debatable Lands, can you recommend a way to alleviate this issue? My lady has bade me "loose the spare wagon wheel which exists above my kilt line" but I have told her that trew wearing Lords fear no such demands. Your help and sage advise is as always appreciated..

Laird Lytor the Lethargic

Laird Lytor -

My stars, I haven't been addressed like that in at least two centuries! Firstly, before following any draconic medical advice please be sure to visit your local apothecary or leech of choice. (ed. Please see your mundane medical professional, Sterling is not a Doctor.) I would postulate that you may be suffering from dehydration based on your comment of “hot arid lands”. Drink tepid water in abundance – before, during, and after any activities – especially in warmer weather. You humans tend to sweat a great deal and lose a lot of fluids (makes you rather crispy and tough when on the spit ya know.) If you enjoy that drink known as “gator-ade” (abysmal name 'Gator'...) mix it half and half with tepid water. Another trick I have seen is the use of Pez candy in water.

Avoid alcohol and carbonated beverages as well as high potassium foods as none of these assist with hydration. Save these for later in the day after you have been drinking a sufficient quantity of water. You can also try a nifty invention that Perote showed me, the refrigerated Pudding Cup. Yes, the pudding cup. The dairy and other ingredients will help to rebalance your system if you feel the day taxing you.

I asked Briant for tips as a retainer and she says that she most always carries a bottle of water and some beef jerky around with her at events. Protein, salt, and some water can keep her going until she can get to the dayboard and keeps her from dehydrating too fast.

Cheers!

Sterling

Easy Ink

by Domina Despina de la Braşov

Part 2

A bit more on galls:

Encyclopedia Smithsonian: Insect and Mite Galls

Learning About Insect and Mite Galls

DEFINITION: Insect galls are growths that develop on various plant parts in reaction to the feeding stimulus of insects and mites. Galls may be simple enlargements or swellings of stems or leaves, or highly complex novelties of plant anatomy, but they are always specific to the gall former. Galls are formed mainly by gall midges and some other flies (Diptera), gall wasps (Hymenoptera), and mites (Acarina), but are also caused by aphids (Homoptera), sawflies (Hymenoptera), and a few moths (Lepidoptera) and beetles (Coleoptera).

Sometimes, complexity is added by nature to the pattern of insects emerging from galls. The original egg-laying insect may be eaten by another parasite or starved when the invader eats its food. Thus, the emerging insect may not be the causes of the original gall.

A collection of galls may be made to show the diversity included in this interesting subject. Nearly 1,500 insect species in the U. S. produce galls, creating a real challenge. Eight hundred species of gall insects are known just from the oaks in North America. The identity of the gall maker is usually possible by examining the structure and form of the gall. Some from a collection should be cut in half to show the internal structures, and the insects that have emerged can be glued on paper points next to the galls. Save not only the adult stage of the insect but any immature forms also. One of the plants most commonly harboring galls is the goldenrod. In the winter, one may find two kinds of goldenrod galls. One is caused by caterpillars on stems of the plant, and has a spindle shape of an inch or so. Exit holes will be seen on this kind of gall, where the caterpillar prepared its escape before pupating into a moth in the fall of the year. The other goldenrod gall is caused by fly maggots (Eurosta solidaginis) of the Family Trypetidae, and is a round swelling about an inch in diameter. Inside is a maggot that is fully grown, waiting in a suspended state of animation [diapause] until the spring when it will pupate into a fly and leave the gall. People who fish during the winter sometimes break open these goldenrod galls and use the fly maggot as bait. Close to the base of the stem can be found at least two kinds of galls formed by gall midges, one woody, the other soft and spongy. These also diapause through the winter and emerge as adults in spring when goldenrod begin to grow.

Rearing insects from galls is fun and relatively easy. The galls should be kept in a jar or similar enclosure, with some moisture. An option, especially for galls on twigs, is to tie a sleeve of cheese-cloth or muslin around the area to capture the insects that emerge from the galls. Some galls must be kept through the winter because the larvae require winter diapause. Some gall makers leave the galls as immature forms and drop to the soil where they may live out the winter. One can trap these in plastic bags and transfer them to small containers of peat moss that can be left outdoors for the winter and brought indoors in spring to catch the emerging adults. Part of the fun of studying galls is learning about the diverse life histories of the gall makers.

Damage caused. Some galls that cause leaf distortion can be damaging to trees and shrubs if they occur in large numbers, but most do not do so every year or appear to cause great plant damage or be economically important. Certain trees in a planting may be more susceptible than their neighbors. Most plants and gall makers have evolved together for many years and appear to have developed an equilibrium. Some slight unsightliness after gall formers have left some of the more succulent galls is counterbalanced by their interesting presence.

Benefits of galls. Many products are gained from galls. Tannic acid is a primary product, and is used in a certain kind of insecticide. Inks of best quality have been made from galls, the most prominent coming from the Aleppo gall from oaks in Europe and Asia. Galls are interesting to study, have a fascinating diversity, and make good teaching subjects. Sometimes, galls have been used as food. The "pomme de sauge," in the Near East, is valued as food due to its aromatic and acid flavor. In the Ozarks of the United States, a tiny black gall fed to livestock contains 64% carbohydrates and more than 9% protein.

Selected References:

Felt, E. P. 1940. Plant Galls and Gall Makers. Comstock Publishing Co., Ithaca, New York.

Gagne, R. J. 1989. The Plant-Feeding Gall Midges of North America. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York.

Russo, R. A. 1979. Plant Galls of the California Region. Boxwood Press, Pacific Grove, California.

Then on the North Carolina University website:

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/O&T/trees/note05/note05.html

Some insects and mites cause unusual growths on plants called galls. Galls may form on any part of the plant from the flowers, leaves and stems to the roots. The abnormal growths developing in plant tissue are due to the powerful enzymes given off by the immature gall-forming insect as it grows. The plant tissue is remarkably altered even to the point of replication of chromosomes without cell division.

Most galls are formed by three kinds of insects or mites: gall wasps, gall midges, and gall mites. Other less common gall producing insects are aphids, psyllids, and gall flies. Since most galls seem to do no permanent damage to their host plants, limited research has been done on the biology or control. This note is about galls formed on oak by gall wasps.

Many gall wasps develop for 2 or 3 years in woody galls on the twigs of oaks. Adults then emerge from the twig galls during the winter. They lay eggs in the buds and die. When these eggs hatch, and new growth resumes on the oak, salivary secretions of the gall wasp grub act as powerful plant growth regulators and force the tree to form the gall. Gall wasp galls typically have an outer wall, a spongy fiber layer and a hard, seedlike structure inside of which the gall wasp grub develops. Although gall wasp grubs have chewing mouthparts, they do not seem to chew plant tissue. Evidently the gall secretes nutrients which the grubs lap up.

(This gall is also called the oak seed gall.) Fortunately, wool sower galls are usually never abundant so that the health of infested trees is rarely threatened. These wasps probably lay their eggs in midwinter and the eggs hatch just as the new growth emerges in spring. By the time the galls are noticed, it is too late to effectively control the gall wasps. Wool sower gall wasps probably have an alternate generation of wasps which develops in galls in the buds, twigs or on the leaves.

Roly-poly galls are caused by gall wasps in the genus Andricus and are called roly-poly galls because the wasp grub develops in a seedlike shell and nutritive layer structure loose inside the hollow gall. The roly-poly gall is probably an alternate generation for a twig gall not now recognized. The roly-poly gall is a very specialized gall as it has no spongy layer of plant fibers. Evidently the nutritive layer absorbs nutrients directly from the outer wall as it rolls around in the gall. Roly-poly galls are not likely to cause significant plant injury.

Announcements of general interest

Walton Demo – October 10

We have been invited to Demo at the Walton Harvest festival on Saturday October 10, 2009. This is the same event that we did last year on Columbus day weekend. A couple of heavy fighers would be helpful as well as the Shire Demo boards. I would also request any Fencers to attend if there is a Fencing Marshall available for this date. I also anticipate coverage by the local Public Access Television.

Site: Walton Fairgrounds

Time: 10AM-4PM 9AM if you can help to set up

Fee: No Charge for Entertainment

Directions: Take best route to Delaware Street in Walton,NY. Turn onto Bridge Street. Turn right onto Stockton Ave., the fairground entrance is on the right.

Vendor space is available at reasonable rates but no outside fund raising is allowed. This event benefits the American Cancer Society.

YIS,

Olaf

The Legal Stuff

Dragon images used with permission of Kevin Palivec from his website http://dragonneo.com/mainpage-version3.html.

"This is the September, 2009, issue of The Dragon's Tongue, a publication of the Shire of Sterlynge Vayle of the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc. (SCA, Inc.). The Dragon's Tongue is available from Deborah Gorton, 57 Chapel St, Windsor, NY 13865. It is not a corporate publication of SCA, Inc., and does not delineate SCA, Inc. policies. Copyright © 2005 Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc. For information on reprinting photographs, articles, or artwork from this publication, please contact the Chronicler, who will assist you in contacting the original creator of the piece. Please respect the legal rights of our contributors."

Pennsic War XXXVIII

The Dragon's Tongue

Newsletter of the Shire of Sterlynge Vayle

Pennsic War XXXVIII Special Edition

Seneschal:

Lord Robert O'Connor

Exchequer:

Dame George Anne

Herald:

Lord Robert O'Connor

Chatelaine:

Lady Briant of Glamorgan

Arts & Sciences:

Kayley of the Vayle

Chronicler:

Lady Briant of Glamorgan

Knight Marshal:

Sir Magnus Tindal

Fencing Marshal:

Chernislava

Archery Marshal:

Lady Mariana

Yout Marshal:

Olaf

Webmistress:

Ravyn

Dates to Remember:

Within Sterlynge Vayle:

September 12 – Bards and Bows

Recurring Dates in the Shire:

First Sunday – Business Meeting – Robert and Kayley's 6-8pm

Second Sunday is the A&S Meeting at Robert and Kayley's

Fourth Sunday is a “Stitch and Bitch”

Thursdays – fight practice – contact Sir Tindal

Sundays – 3-6pm – Fight Practice in Walton. Contact Olaf

Æthelmearc Events:

July 2-5 – Known World Dance and Music Symposium –

Ealdormere, Ontario Canada

July 10-12 – Pilgrimage to St. Swithin's

July 11-12 – Pirate Parade and Festival Demo

July 24-August 9 PENNSIC WAR

August 28-30 Children's Crusade – Steltonwald

September 4-6 – Known World Heraldic and Scribal Symposium -

Calontir

September 12 – Summer's End – Beau Fleuve

From the Chatelaine

The drums of war call to people across the Kingdom and our army mobilizes. Our archers fletch arrows, armor is polished, rapiers are sharpened, seige weapons are constructed and people sharpen knives.

As you prepare to head to Pennsic make sure to pack your sunscreen, drink your water, and volunteer for a shift at War.

Have fun!

From the Chronicler's Quill

I hope that you enjoy this special edition of the Dragon's Tongue. I have tried to include items from various lists – calls for volunteers, battle and tourney announcements, and links for packing lists, and schedules.

I hope you find it useful, and that you have a safe and enjoyable War.

~Briant

Announcements about Pennsic

PENNSIC SCHEDULE BOOKLET

The link to the Pennsic printable personal schedule booklet is:

http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/org/Medieval/pennsicschedule/

There are several covers to choose from on the site, as well as all the center pages. Print out a copy – front and back of pages, and you have a portable schedule you can use for War so you know what classes, volunteer activities, and parties you are attending! To help you out, I'm including a link to the schedules at Pennsic so you can fill yours out with ease.

http://www.pennsicwar.org/penn38/GENERAL/schedule.html

Childrens Theatre

“Unto the children and parents of the Known World do Mistress Rhonwen glyn Conwy and THL Tyzes "Zsof" Sofia send greetings!

For the past 6 years we have run (with the able co-direction last year from Mistress Anne of Framlingham last year) Children's Theatre at Pennsic. Due to mundane obligations (Rhonwen's pregnant! yay!), we are going to be taking this year off. We are sorry for any disappointment this may cause and encourage you to try some of the other activities that Pennsic has to offer.

We plan to bring Children's Theatre back at Pennsic 39 and look forward to seeing all of you then.

In Service,

Rhonwen and Zsof”

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:

http://www.pennsicwar.org/penn38/GENERAL/volunteers.html#uni

First Aid

Games Tent

Battlefields

Disability Services

Security

Herald's Point

Information Point

Town Criers

Troll

Contact Info Point for more information, or go to the link above to contact the point person directly.

Aethelmearc Gate Guards – one shift left at time of publication

Aethelmearc Hospitality – Baroness Ekaterina Volkova, OP

Wood Concerns

Last year's ban on transportation of firewood into or out of areas of Pennsylvania affected by the Emerald Ash Borer is still in effect.

The PA Department of Agriculture states: "One of the easiest ways for exotic invasive pests like Asian Longhorned Beetle, Emerald Ash Borer, Sirex Wood Wasp and Bark Beetles to spread is by people unintentionally moving infested products. To minimize the spread of the pests, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has implemented a quarantine banning the importation of out-of-state firewood. Firewood includes all wood processed or unprocessed, coniferous or hardwood, meant for use in a campfire or other outdoor or indoor fire. Kiln-dried, packaged firewood clearly marked with the producer's name and address and labeled as 'Kiln Dried' and/or USDA Certified are exempt from the provisions of this quarantine."

Please note:

* Cooper's Lake Campground is in Butler County, an area affected by the quarantine.

* Plan on purchasing firewood locally, or bringing in only packaged, kiln-dried firewood.

* Any locally-harvested firewood purchased while at Cooper's Lake must be burned in your camp or left behind when you leave.

* This firewood ban does NOT prohibit the transport of processed or treated ash or hardwood products such as scrap lumber, tent poles, bows, camping furniture, and so on.

You can find details of the quarantine at the PA Department of Agriculture's website.

Æthelmearc Order Meetings

held in Æthelmearc Royal Camp

Saturday, August 1

10:00 am - noon Laurel

1:00 - 3:00 pm Pelican

Sunday, August 2

12:00 - 1:30 pm White Scarf

2:00 - 4:00 pm Fleur

Monday, August 3

9:30 - 11:30 am Millrind

3:00 - 4:00 pm Silver Buccle

Friday, August 7

7:00 - 8:00 pm Scarlet Guard

Walking Tours

Remember, Atlantia hosts not one, but TWO fabulous walking tours at Pennsic!!! What a great way to tour around, check out other people’s camp set up… Oh! And learn about some heraldry!!! ;-) So, whether you’re just in the mood for a tourist-y stroll, or you’re in need of some ideas on how to display your device/badge, head on down to Herald’s Point, either:

Monday, August 3rd at 10:00 a.m.; OR

Thursday, August 6th at 12:00 noon

…and hook up with your very special Atlantian tour guide to take you on a journey of intriguing design and education!!! Can’t wait to see you there!

Mistress Rhiannon ui Neill

Triton Principal Herald

House Corvus, Atlantia

-Morguhn-

With the kind permission of Their Sylvan Majesties Maynard and Liadain, a Fete in Honor of the Life of Morguhn Sheridan, Dragon of AEthelmearc, will be held at this coming Pennsic War, in AEthelmearc Royal Encampment, on Sunday, August 2, starting at dark and going until we stagger home.

The talents of anyone who wishes to assist in this undertaking as bard, cook, or brewer/vintner should contact Meirwen uerch Owein, Duchess and Viscountess by the hand of Morguhn Sheridan, at condessa99(at)gmail.com. It will be a night of laughter and tears, song and silliness as we celebrate a man whose life was filled with all four--often with a sword in hand.

Thrown Weapons

Greets,

Have you considered becoming a Thrown Weapons Marshal? Pennsic presents an excellent opportunity to become a Marshal!

The East Kingdom offers a Thrown Weapons Marshal's Class you can attend and we traditionally recognize! Individuals successfully completing the class are required to have one of the following Thrown Weapons Marshals below contact me to verify their successful completion of the class. AEthelmearc Drop Dead Deputy, Lady Gytha Oggsdottir (available at the range throughout Pennsic) East Kingdom Southern Regional Deputy, Lord Colin MacKenzie Again this is an excellent opportunity I hope anyone who has considered becoming a Thrown Weapons Marshal.

THL Alaxandair O'Conchobhair

Kingdom Thrown Weapons Marshal

Tourney Update

THE TOURNAMENT THAT MAKES KINGS.... Little did you know that fighting in a tournament other than Crown Tournament could help make you King. Well it is true!!! The proof is in the polearm tourney. Yes, the rumors are true.

Winner of Tarl's Little Polearm Tourney 1 was Sir Vlad from Atlantia or should I say HIS HIGHNESS Vlad of Atlantia right now.

Winner of year 2, Sir Maynard or better known as HIS MAJESTY Maynard of Aethelmearc right now.

Winner of year 3, Stephen DuBois or should I say HIS MAJESTY Stephen of Northshield right now.

What other tournament can boast such a FINE TRADITION... Win Tarl's Little Polearm Tourney and become a King. (that's my story and I'm sticking to it) hahaha Of course the tournament is a POLEARM tournament, THE ONE TRUE WEAPONS FORM OF KINGS. So if you think you have what it takes, come to the Tournament and see if you can continue the tradition.

Tarl's Little Polearm tourney at Pennsic

Saturday August 1, 2009 at 3 p.m.

Bearpit tournament w/multiple lists and two 45 minute sessions

Two points for a win, one for a loss

AND EVERYONE GETS A PRIZE for fighting in the tourney

As in previous years, we always like spectators and if a few are marshals and want to help marshal, please let me know off list.

Thanks again and I hope to see many of you there.

Sabina

(Polearm tourney organizer)

Knows to Nose

An occasional debate on topics of the day

Through the eyes of

Jake “The Herder” Von Fuzzbottom (An AEthelmearc bystander)

And

Morgannah Campbell of the Elder Wood (an EK Lunatic)

Today’s topic:

Shire security

Jake: Drums of war beat from the center of our shire, heralding the need to rise up and defend ourselves upon the western front from the Midrealm.

Morgannah: Um are you sure that isn’t just indigestion from that left over Shepard’s pie?

J: No at the last event I went to the populous were arming to go to “war” . From what I saw the military is in fine shape and be it sword and shield, Florentine, or pole arm we are prepared to defend ourselves.

M: Oh so our military is prepared for a ground war… too bad there are no thrown weapons, archers, or equestrian support staff for your grand army. And why do we need to go to war? Can't we all have a nice social tea and go over what the matter is? Marmalade and scones can solve a lot of problems you know.

J: Oh and we have fencers too… lots of them…. In fact the Midrealm will soil their hose when we march to …. Wait a minute… tea? Perhaps you can hold some fencers cape while they defend your honor.

M: Right so I have to gird my loins to trample people I may like or be related to because you need to have a war…. Got it… Always the hulking barbarians are we the SCA. Good trebuchets make good neighbors. Got the message.

Jake ( looking a bit glazed in the eye and drooling): Homeshire security is always a concern. Yes walls, trebuchets and a half dozen berserkers do make for better neighbors. Prepare to defend the honor of our kingdom! If we don’t fight the Midrealm there, we will have to fight them here, to war TO WAR! let loose the puppies of hell and bring victory to the populace of Aethelmearc!"

M: OK slow down or I’m tying you to the wood shed.

J: Don’t you see? They are closing in… cutting off our air. The enemy is out there, beyond the rolling hills and valleys we call home, beyond the borders where evil things lurk. A place where populaces are oppressed by evil dictatorial control. Did you know midrealm hasn’t had a crown tourney in 15 years????

M: They scoff at copora?

J: Scoff it? They trample it.

M: That’s it saddle the horses, sharpen the blades of our ancestors! To war I say! Let no Midrealm shield stand unbroken, no blade un-bent, no line un-challenged you are either for the dragon or against it!

J: Pardon me but my shire's device has a dragon.....

Morgannah looking at Jake with concern: Do you mind if I check your Tournament Illuminated mailing sticker before we continue to pack?

From all of us here at The Dragon's Tongue – Have a Safe and Happy War!

~Lady Briant, Sterling, Perote, Jake, and Morgannah,

The Legal Stuff

Dragon images used with permission of Kevin Palivec from his website

http://dragonneo.com/mainpage-version3.html.

"This is the Pennsic, 2009, issue of The Dragon's Tongue, a publication of the Shire of Sterlynge Vayle of the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc. (SCA, Inc.). The Dragon's Tongue is available from Deborah Gorton, 57 Chapel St, Windsor, NY 13865. It is not a corporate publication of SCA, Inc., and does not delineate SCA, Inc. policies. Copyright © 2005 Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc. For information on reprinting photographs, articles, or artwork from this publication, please contact the Chronicler, who will assist you in contacting the original creator of the piece. Please respect the legal rights of our contributors."

July 2009

The Dragon's Tongue

Newsletter of the Shire of Sterlynge Vayle

April 2009

Shire Officers

Seneschal:

Lord Robert O'Connor

Exchequer:

Dame George Anne

Herald:

Lord Robert O'Connor

Chatelaine:

Lady Briant of Glamorgan

Arts & Sciences:

Kayley of the Vayle

Chronicler:

Lady Briant of Glamorgan

Knight Marshal:

Sir Magnus Tindal

Fencing Marshal:

Chernislava

Archery Marshal:

Lady Mariana

Yout Marshal:

Olaf

Webmistress:

Ravyn

Dates to Remember

Within Sterlynge Vayle:

September 12 – Bards and Bows

Recurring Dates in the Shire:

First Sunday – Business Meeting – Robert and Kayley's 6-8pm

Second Sunday is the A&S Meeting at Robert and Kayley's

Fourth Sunday is a “Stitch and Bitch”

Thursdays – fight practice – contact Sir Tindal

Sundays – 3-6pm – Fight Practice in Walton. Contact Olaf

Æthelmearc Events:

July 2-5 – Known World Dance and Music Symposium –

Ealdormere, Ontario Canada

July 10-12 – Pilgrimage to St. Swithin's

July 11-12 – Pirate Parade and Festival Demo

July 24-August 9 PENNSIC WAR

August 28-30 Children's Crusade – Steltonwald

September 4-6 – Known World Heraldic and Scribal Symposium -

Calontir

September 12 – Summer's End – Beau Fleuve

From the Chatelaine

Well, here we are again!

We have an upcoming demo in October at the Walton Harvest Festival. Please see the full notice later in this issue! Your help for this demo is greatly appreciated.

I am still trying to locate the gold key feast gear. As such, I am accepting donations to begin a new gold key feast gear setup. We are also in need of larger tunics and trews for lords to add to the garb selection for gold key.

Chronicler's Quill

Greetings Dragons! Whoo! Sterling threatens to barbeque people and I get two multi part articles/ class guides to print! Whee! The folks who have been writing so much for the DT are most relieved at this. Thank you so much Despina!

Now... how about some more things to include: Jokes, images, etc.

Remember, this is your newsletter... if you don't like the content don't blame me!

Dollars and Cents – From the Exchequer

The shire has a positive balance in the checking account.

A Pennsic Announcement

“Unto the children and parents of the Known World do Mistress Rhonwen glyn Conwy and THL Tyzes

"Zsof" Sofia send greetings!

We plan to bring Children's Theatre back at Pennsic 39 and look forward to seeing all of you then.

In Service,

Rhonwen and Zsof”

UPON MY CHOPPING BLOCK - a mad chefs

view of the S.C.A.

An occasional article by Perote Gormal Campbell

Food Glorious Food.

Why whine over wine?

It is not often you get to wander a huge cave system filled with dusty racks of wine. If you were to peek into Sterling's wine cellar you would probably find a half dozen 1787 Chateau d'Yquem, a few cases of 2007 Sutter home blush, A Sakonnet vineyard Eye of the storm 1996, and a few 2009 mad dog 20/20. (I’ll not mention how much Night Train we found, apparently Sterling refuses to discard gifts…)

Rules of wine

White wine goes with chicken

Red wine goes with beef

Only cooking wine should be cooked with

OK lets toss that stuff out the window.

White wine goes with just about anything. The point is not to over power it. Is easy to say it should go with chicken because chicken is usually mildly flavored, Its easy to serve a nice woody red with a roast beef because its able to take the flavors head on. It also comes from the fact that if you put a half a cow on a spit, slowly turn it, flogging it ever so often with a bundle of fresh herbs and a good dousing of red wine now and then, the fire builds up a wonderful layer of flavor that can make even the most diligent author drool on his keyboard.

So new rules of wine should be written lets get out the wax tablet but as we don’t need anymore laws in this world lets make a suggestion list instead. Suggestions for wine

· Some white wines prefer a delicately flavored dish

· Rieslings being an exception can handle spicy foods so don’t be afraid to try something new. Reds don’t need to be room temperature, Dessert reds like a nice cold nap before service, and can you imagine a warm sangria?

· Cooking wines are…… well in my world they don’t exist. They are a silly notion for the most part and I want to add wine not salt.

Lets look outside the box a bit more and talk about box wine. Some people will say only natural cork, no cardboard, well lets toss that around a bit too. If you like it drink it. Don’t let Bob the wine guy tell you this $300 bottle is better then that $22 box. If you haven’t tasted it you don’t know which is more to your liking, and unless you and Bob have the same taste its moot. Sounds like its time for a wine study session….

If you want to learn a lot about wine, and your friends, why not try this? Tidy up your living room. Ask 10 friends to bring 1 bottle of wine each and 1 appetizer they like with that wine. Someone may bring a nice light white with a fresh fruit platter. If they have a dark red they might like it with pepper jack and club crackers. Point is to have small glasses of each and chat about what we as a collective do or do not like in our wines. We all share the cost, and we all teach each other.

My contribution to your party is a simple one but hopefully the host/ess can whip it up and save a little time. If your more of a traditionalist my red sangria is also below.

White sangria with Summer fruits-

750ml of a fruity wine such as Schwartzkats

Look for the black cat on the label. Its German.

1/8-1/4 cup splenda or fine sugar

1 peach unpeeled and sliced

6-8 strawberries sliced and hulled

Serve it well chilled or for a change of pace, cube pound cake and toast it off in your oven.

Spoon a small amount over 3-4 pieces of pound cake and serve with a dollop of whipped cream. It’s a very sweet dish so adjust the sugar to your taste.

The “Brothers” Sangria

750 ml of your favorite red wine

½ cup splenda or fine sugar

1 apple (try Fiji or Granny Smith) sliced

1 orange sliced

¼ cup warm water

2 oz Grand Mariner

Mix water and sugar till dissolved.

combine all ingredients and serve well chilled.

Until next time-

Keep your knives sharp and your work area clean.

ASK STERLING DRAGON

Dear Sterling Dragon -

Why do dragons always get slayed by oppressive humans with pointy sticks? What can a young dragon do to keep on the guest list and not the course list for the local baronial feast?

Cave bound in Caid

Oh, my Dear Cave Bound....

This is something which we dragons have been trying to find the answer to for several thousand years.

Unfortunately, there is a limited number of things we can do. I got rather lucky in this regard. See, the Shire of Sterlynge Vayle has a dragon on their heraldry and I rather took that as a sign that perhaps they might not be so quick with the sticks. As my name is not terribly pronounceable in the spoken language of humans, I took a name that was a homophone to the name of the local group.

Then came the hard part... finding a human to contact who would not be likely to skewer first and ask questions later. I thought that Briant might be a likely choice as I had caught her reading those Pern books by that human author A nne McCaffery. Turns out it w as a good choice. She didn't run scream ing for a Knight or anything. At the time she seemed a bit surprised – then I offered to write a column for her. When she moved... well, she hadn't really introduced me to anyone so I rather stayed out of sight for fear that others in the shire might not take kindly to my presence. Since she has returned though, I am getting to meet more and more people. I haven't had any mishaps – likely due to how Briant presents the fact that the Shire has their own dragon.

So, what can you do? Find someone to be a friend! Ask that person for introductions to others. Offer to help out. (W e can certainly help with cooking the feast – there is nothing quite like a spit roasted cow , just make sure to point out the time savings for the cook – I am sure he'll agree that having you turn and cook the food will be a huge help!) Offer to help the local Chronicler by writing a column. We have a wealth of knowledge at our disposal, make use of it.

If this all doesn't work, you always have those shiny baubles we collect – you might be able to use them as bribes for the local B aron.

Cheers!

Sterling

WANTED:

Your submissions for the newsletter!

Help cure this horrible white space issue

we have!

Announcement regarding change in Pennsic War 38 gate entry

(Troll) payment options.

The Pennsic War 38 staff has been notified that due to increasing fraud, Cooper's Lake Campground will no longer be able to accept Traveler's Checks or Money Orders to pay for entrance fees at Pennsic War. Only cash and credit cards will be accepted as methods to pay for your gate fees. And, as always, personal checks will NOT BE ACCEPTED. Please adjust your plans as needed.

Should you have any questions, please contact:

Viscount Edward Zifran of Gendy

Public Information, Pennsic War 38

Walton Demo – October 10

Site: Walton Fairgrounds

Time: 10AM-4PM 9AM if you can help to set up

Fee: No Charge for Entertainment

Directions: Take best route to Delaware Street in Walton,NY. Turn onto Bridge Street. Turn right onto

Stockton Ave., the fairground entrance is on the right.

Vendor space is available at reasonable rates but no outside fund raising is allowed. This event benefits the

American Cancer Society.

YIS,

Olaf

Easy Ink

by Domina Despina de la Braşov

Part 1

Even Shakespeare knew of what ink was/is made, and he found it punny:

Twelfth Night Act 3, Scene 2

“Go, write it in a martial hand; be curst and brief; it is no matter how witty, so it be eloquent and fun of invention: taunt him with the licence of ink: if thou thou'st him some thrice, it shall not be amiss; and as many lies as will lie in thy sheet of paper, although the sheet were big enough for the bed of Ware in England, set 'em down: go, about it. Let there be gall enough in thy ink, though thou write with a goose-pen, no matter: about it.”

Ink. Without some form of it, you would most likely not be reading this because there wouldn’t be anything on the paper in your hands.

You think “secret ink” that you used as a child was unknown? Ha! Read on….. “John Baptista Porta of Naples, 1445 - 1515, is best known as the inventor of the "camera obscuro;" was also the author of many MSS. books compiled. Two of these treatises which were extant in the first half of the seventeenth century, dated respectively 1481 and 1483, dwell at great length on SECRET inks. “ (Carvalho)

as quoted in Carvalho, 1904:

If you write with the juice of Citrons, Oranges, Onyons, or almost any sharp things, if you make it hot at the fire, their acrimony is presently discovered: for they are undigested juices, whereas they are detected by the heat of the fire, and then they show forth those colours that they would show if they were ripe. If you write with a sowre Grape that would be black, or with Cervices; when you hold them to the fire they are concocted, and will give the same colour they would in due time give upon the tree, when they were ripe. Juice of Cherries, added to Calamus, will make a green: to sow- bread a red: so divers juices of Fruits will show divers colours by the fire. By these means Maids sending and receiving love-letters, escape from those that have charge of them. There is also a kind of Salt called Ammoniac: this powdered and mingled with water, will write white letters, and can hardly be distinguished from the paper, but hold them to the fire, and they will shew black."

I ask who didn’t use lemon juice to write in and then get yelled at by their mother to not catch the house on fire when you were just trying to warm the paper enough to make the juice readable? Hmmmmm? I must admit, I was in my 20’s before I knew about the onion though.

The most difficult thing about making your own ink can often be the smell if you’re cooking the ink – particularly in the case of walnut ink. Cooking walnut husks has yet to smell good to me, so I highly recommend doing it outside on the grill. Get one of those little Hibachi grills with the cover and you’ll be fine, you don’t have to use the uber-Webber to do this. Certain barks, leaves, and such will also not be the most welcoming scent…. Honeysuckle berry, on the other hand, isn’t so bad to make in the house.

Highly recommended for making ink:

Some rusty nails (pull them out of the fence)

Basically, rust, scrape some off of something in the yard if you’re in a pinch

Old cast iron pan

Porcelain pan

Wooden spoons – one for ink with iron, one for ink without iron

Some people like a different spoon for each type of ink they make

If not wooden spoons, popsicle sticks work really well to stir ink in the pot as well.

Galls Walnut husks Lampblack

Fruits Vegetables Wine

Water Small beer RUBBER GLOVES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! APRON!!!!!!!!!!!!

Making ink is similar to following your grandmother’s instructions to cook a dish. There aren’t always exact amounts; sometimes when there are exact amounts, they don’t work for you; sometimes it comes out beautifully the first time; sometimes you wonder how I ever talked you into trying this. Ink can be made using water, small beer, or wine as a liquid base, incorporating something that will impart color, and adding something that will help the ink stick to the paper. It’s really that simple. Okay, so you have to strain out the bits that are chunky, but otherwise, that’s all it takes.

Oak gall ink is ink that is made through extracting the tannins from oak galls, adding a bit of iron to darken it, and some gum to hold the ink to the paper. It is often also called iron gall ink, which is kind of repetitive, as you are using galls and iron to make the ink. It is not, however, the only iron ink. Any ink made with iron is iron ink.

Walnut ink can be made just from putting walnut husks in water and allowing it to sit. If you want a darker ink, add some iron. Neither I, nor anyone I know to date has found a period recipe for walnut ink. However; walnut husks contain a lot of tannin, in the form of juglans – there’s a reason not much grows under an oak or walnut tree, it’s the tannins in the oak and the juglans in the walnuts – and therefore, it makes a wonderful ink.

I have never been able to achieve a true black walnut ink; some very dark browns, yes, but never a true black. (I probably don’t have enough iron in it and should just cheat and add some lamp black.) Ink can be made from bark, acorns, leaves, and some fruits and vegetables. Galls, as found on oak trees, are the most frequently used “base” for making ink. This is also the type of ink for which we have the most number of period recipes.

The Legal Stuff

Dragon images used with permission of Kevin Palivec from his website

"This is the July, 2009, issue of The Dragon's Tongue, a publication of the Shire of Sterlynge Vayle of the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc. (SCA, Inc.). The Dragon's Tongue is available from Deborah Gorton, 57 Chapel St, Windsor, NY 13865. It is not a corporate publication of SCA, Inc., and does not delineate SCA, Inc. policies. Copyright © 2005 Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc. For information on reprinting photographs, articles, or artwork from this publication, please contact the Chronicler, who will assist you in contacting the original creator of the piece. Please respect the legal rights of our contributors.

June 2009

The Dragon's Tongue

Newsletter of the Shire of Sterlynge Vayle

June 2009

Shire Officers

Seneschal:

Lord Robert O'Connor

Exchequer:

Dame George Anne

Herald:

Lord Robert O'Connor

Chatelaine:

Lady Briant of Glamorgan

Arts & Sciences:

Kayley of the Vayle

Chronicler:

Lady Briant of Glamorgan

Knight Marshal:

Sir Magnus Tindal

Fencing Marshal:

Chernislava

Archery Marshal:

Lady Mariana

Youth Marshal:

Olaf

Webmistress:

Ravyn

Dates to Remember:

Within Sterlynge Vayle:

June 19-21 – Barony Wars and Bazaar IV

September 12 – Bards and Bows

Recurring Dates in the Shire:

First Sunday – Business Meeting – Robert and Kayley's 6-8pm

Second Sunday is the A&S Meeting at Robert and Kayley's

Fourth Sunday is a “Stitch and Bitch”

Thursdays – fight practice – contact Sir Tindal

Æthelmearc Events:

June 12-14 – Myrkfaelinn Summer War Practice

June 26-28 – Pax Interruptus – Thescorre

July 2-5 – Known World Dance and Music Symposium –

Ealdormere, Ontario Canada

July 10-12 – Pilgrimage to St. Swithin's

July 11-12 – Pirate Parade and Festival Demo

July 24-August 9 PENNSIC WAR

August 28-30 Children's Crusade – Steltonwald

September 4-6 – Known World Heraldic and Scribal Symposium -

Calontir

September 12 – Summer's End – Beau Fleuve

Dollars and Cents – From the Exchequer

The shire has a positive balance in the checking account.

BUSINESS MEETING NOTES – JUNE 7, 2009

In attendance were Robert, Kayley, Georg, Briant, Keran, Sara, Gabe.

Meeting begun at: 6:17pm

Mariana called – stakes will be acquired thru Kayley's work to hold up the archery targets. Potential expense will be about $25.

Barony Wars – There will be period gaming. Region 5 MOL class will be at the event. Chirg needs a place to set up.

All the marshals needed have been taken care of except for the director of bardic judging. It is uncertain if the person who did it last year will be able to do so again later. Discussion held on Theme ideas: A&S – Champions, Best Novice, Best Overall – limited one entry per person. Bardic – Champions, Best Overall, Best Thematic Piece. Fencing and Heavy – Champion, Top 5 in Double Elimination Tourney, Field Battles. TW Stands – we have two that are in good shape. Funding are needed to build two more.

Signs offered for directional signage at the site.

Booklet for event – several sheets 2-3 sheets folded for a booklet.

Discussion held on the silent auction. Are we going to have one? Yes. Discussion on how the

Merchant point is being scored.

Items are being requested for the Treasure Chest. If you have any items please let Robert know.

Please make your reservations and bring your pouches. The above the salt feast is limited to 24 people.

Anne is working on the tokens – 75 for Delftwood and 50 or so for Concordia of the Snows. Help is direly needed. Tuesday and Wednesday evenings – 6:15 to ? To complete this.

Robert will be onsite about 8am on Friday of the event.

Crown – Bid has been submitted. There has been confusion as to if we will get the bid or not due to scheduling.

Meeting was adjourned at 6:53pm

UPON MY CHOPPING BLOCK

- a mad chefs view of the S.C.A. An occasional article by Perote Gormal Campbell

Food Glorious Food.

How often have you walked past a pastry shop's window and felt the saliva glands kick into overdrive. It might be the smell of fresh bread. (yea that is

alcohol cooking off and humans love the smell of food based alcohols) Could be you caught the delicate piping bag work on a cake, or saw the glistening glaze on a fresh tartlet. Presentation is a big thing in the culinary world so maybe we should take a look at it.

For the sake of this let’s look at the lowly Sheppard’s pie. (You don’t know how to make one? No worries I’ll include a recipe at the end its publicly available, and not a bad version.) So, we can skip right to the potato layer as it is the first thing people see, and the only layer we can decorate. Even your kids can help with this.

Rustic- If your going for a rustic look try making your mash with the skins still on, the little bits of skin will give a mottled top and make it look more traditional. I like to add a bit of parsley to mine. Makes it not so traditional but it is your kitchen. You should be cooking to your taste. (Trust me guys this is pretty easy and most Women love a man who can cook, clean dishes, hang drapes……)

Upscale- Get out your pastry bag and a small star tip. Level off your potatoes to a perfectly flat surface with an offset spatula then pipe a thin line in any pattern you like. (I prefer a serpentine myself just picture a tight little curl like the top of a lower case e one right after another)

Upscale 2- (but Perote I don’t have a pastry bag) No Bag- No Problem! Grab a gallon zipper bag, fill it with potatoes and nip a lower corner. Smaller cut will give you a finer pipe line. You can do the funky patterns with a little practice but an easy one is to make a 1 inch line then go back about a quarter inch so you made a little mound and keep up the forward 1 inch back ¼ pattern. Practice will make perfect!

Easy peasy- Flatten out your potato layer with a spatula. Now take a fork and gently drag the tines in a diagonal pattern making little ridges. (My 4 year old apprentice/nephew could probably get an A&S award for this as he puts the first tine in the last line each time he starts a new trip across the pie, nice (mostly) straight lines. For a 4 year old he puts some Iron Chefs to shame)

Final touch- drizzle a little melted butter on the top. This will crisp the mashed potatoes a bit and will turn a nice golden brown.

4 finishes…1 meal… in one pan… home made is not ever much easier then this.

Unicorn pub Shepard’s pie as found at ichef.com

Ingredients:

2 lb Ground beef, lean

1 c Onion; diced

1 c Carrots; diced

1 c Celery; diced

1 1/2 c Corn; fresh or frozen

Garlic clove; minced

Salt; to taste

Pepper; to taste

1/2 tsp Nutmeg

8 oz Beef broth

2 tb Butter

2 tb Flour

2 lb Potatoes; cooked and mashed

Butter

Method of Prep

1. Cook ground beef in frying pan until brown. Add onion, carrots, celery, garlic, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Lower heat and cook for 10 minutes or until vegetables are wilted. Add beef broth, bring to a boil. Stir in enough of the butter/flour roux to make a thick gravy to bind the filling. Pour into large shallow baking pan and cool. The filling should be about 1-1/2 inches deep.

2. Cover the meat mixture in the pan with the corn and then top with the hot mashed potatoes. smooth potatoes evenly, brush surface with butter. Bake at 325 F for 35-40 minutes.

ASK STERLING DRAGON

Instead of answering a question this month, I thought I would bring something to everyone's attention. I found this when I borrowed Briant's laptop last week. She was off at work and I didn't think she would mind if I made use of it to check my email and do my column. She is rather picky about those deadlines of hers....

I digress. I opened iTunes with the thought of listening to a bit of music but found these wonderful things call Podcasts. Seems that there are people out there that record 'shows' and upload them to the internet for people to listen to – for free. Now, there was one in particular that Briant has subscribed to that really caught my attention – it's the Chivalry Today Podcast. The host is Scott Farrell. Now for those of you that read your Society documents you will likely recognize this name – he is the current Society Media Officer (Sir Guillaume de la Belgique).

Once a month – roughly – Scott publishes this podcast and interviews a variety of people from all over the world on Chivalry and how it applies to the world today. He's drawn comparisons between the Jedi Knights and the Code of Chivalry, and Indiana Jones, and in the most recent episode he spoke to one of the consultants on the show The Deadliest Warrior.

One of the episodes was a pirate vs. a knight. For those that haven't heard of this show – the premise is that they take two people or warriors from a culture that would never have met and using technology test the weapons and run simulations to see which of the two would be more effective – and thereby The Deadliest Warrior. For this episode they did not reveal the result of the contest, but did say that it had a few startling conclusions and was really not what they expected.

The second half was about a Knight for a Day camp. It is a day camp where children learn about the code of chivalry and seige weapons, holding a shield wall, and a host of other things. How cool is that? Well, finding those podcasts got me thinking – I wonder what else there is available. So I did a search and here are just a few that I found: Oxford University: Podcasts from Medieval English lectures, Tudorcast, and All Things Medieval.

So, if you have an ipod or MP3 player – or a computer – get yourself a podcatcher and start searching. There are a lot of podcasts available and most all of them are free!

Knowledge is power.

Happy learning!

Sterling

The Legal Stuff

Dragon images used with permission of Kevin Palivec from his website

http://dragonneo.com/mainpage-version3.html.

"This is the June, 2009, issue of The Dragon's Tongue, a publication of the Shire of Sterlynge Vayle of the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc. (SCA, Inc.). The Dragon's Tongue is available from Deborah Gorton, 57 Chapel St, Windsor, NY 13865. It is not a corporate publication of SCA, Inc., and does not delineate SCA, Inc. policies. Copyright © 2005 Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc. For information on reprinting photographs, articles, or artwork from this publication, please contact the Chronicler, who will assist you in contacting the original creator of the piece. Please respect the legal rights of our contributors."

WANTED:

Your submissions for the

newsletter!

Help cure this horrible white space

issue

we have!

May 2009

The Dragon's Tongue

Newsletter of the Shire of Sterlynge Vayle

May 2009

Shire Officers

Seneschal:

Lord Eoghan Rurkison

Exchequer:

Dame George Anne

Herald:

Lord Robert O'Connor

Chatelaine:

Lady Briant of Glamorgan

Arts & Sciences:

Kayley of the Vayle

Chronicler:

Lady Briant of Glamorgan

Knight Marshal:

Sir Magnus Tindal

Fencing Marshal:

Chernislava

Archery Marshal:

Lady Mariana

Mistress of the list:

Sara

Youth Marshal:

Olaf

Webmistress:

Ravyn

Dates to Remember:

Within Sterlynge Vayle:

May 3 - Last Date for Officer Reports in the Dragon's Tongue

May 5 - Dragon's Tongue published

May 30 - Last date for article submissions - June Dragon's Tongue

June 19-21 – Barony Wars and Bazaar IV - HERE!

Recurring Dates in the Shire:

First Sunday – Business Meeting – Robert and Kayley's 6-8pm

Second Sunday is the A&S Meeting at Robert and Kayley's

Fourth Sunday is a “Stitch and Bitch”

Thursdays – fight practice – contact Sir Tindal

Æthelmearc Events:

May 8-10 – Spring Crown Tournament – ACG

May 14-17 – War Practice XX – Steltonwald

May 17 – Curia – Steltonwald

May 24-25 – Baronial Champs – Thescorre

May 29-31 – Melee Madness – Endless Hills

June 5-7 – Coppertree Challenge – El Squid

June 6 – Aethelmearc War College

June 12-14 – Myrkfaelinn Summer War Practice

June 26-28 – Pax Interruptus – Thescorre

Pennsic: July 24-August 9. Pre-reg is open!

Dollars and Cents – From the Exchequer

The shire has a positive balance in the checking account.

From the Chatelaine

Hello again everyone. I recently completed a listing of all the shire loaner gear, and it seems that we are missing a rather substantial quantity of feast gear. At last report it was in a yellow colored rubbermaid style tote. I would greatly appreciate it if everyone could check their garage/basement/attic to be sure that these items didn't get put in a “safe place”. (You all know how it is, you want to keep something safe, and then forget where you put it... I'm still looking for a necklace I put in a safe place.)

I am currently looking for a deputy to help me organize demos and create some demo materials. The Chatelaine website has a TON of information that we can use – flyers and posters, tri-fold brochures – lots of things to assist with recruitment of new members. I would love to have a few people willing to assist me with editing the materials with the shire information, and helping me with posting them in areas that might help us find new members.

I am also planning a get together at my house in Windsor as a pot luck dinner in the early evening – possibly a barbeque. I'm waiting for the weather to become a bit more cooperative first though.

Stay tuned!

As always, if you have information or an idea for a demo or a way to find new members, please let me know!

Chronicler's Quill

Greetings Dragons! Thank you all so much for the feedback regarding the last issue of the newsletter. I again apologize for the difficulty of mailing, and I am hopeful that this month the issues will be ironed out. If they are not – then I will create a mailing list and send out PDF copies of the newsletter to anyone who requests it.

As always, I am looking for content for the newsletter! Please submit artwork, articles, games and stories. This is your newsletter – please help me to fill it with things of interest to YOU.

The website archive of past issues is working very well, although we are missing a number of older issues. Please take a moment to look through your files, and if you have any of the missing issues – please forward it to me so I can complete the newsletter history for Sterlynge Vayle.

BUSINESS MEETING NOTES – MAY 3, 2009

In attendance were Georg, Giovanna, Robert, Kayley, Chernoslava, and Briant.

A quorum of officers was reached and the meeting proceeded. An officer vote was held to elect the Deputy Seneschal – Robert – into the position of Seneschal as Eoghan had decided to step down effective this meeting. All officers voted in favor of Robert completing the remainder of the term.

The Brewer's Guild finished a full grain brew – and the general consensus was that everyone should try it once in order to truly appreciate the convenience of beer that has been purchased at a store. Additionally, the guild started a crock wine, and used a kit to start a pilsner. On May 18th (MONDAY!) there will be a bottling party starting at 6pm. Pizza will be served – please bring drinks and donations for the cost of the pizza. Contact Robert and Kayley for directions or further information.

Barony Wars – Progress is being made. Tokens will start being made at A&S this week – which will be held at Anne and Eoghan's from 2-6pm. The prize chest for the winner is being organized.

Please contact Robert about helping with this.

Demos – The demo for the Boy Scouts was declined as it was in direct conflict with AE War Practice – and there simply were not enough people available to make it feasible. They will keep us in mind for future demos.

Keeler Building Demo is on May 28th. Demo time is 6-8pm and will run on 2 40 minute presentations. Briant will be bringing the shire demo boards, as well as other items. We will need fencers, fighters, and other folks to provide 'color'. Bring your spinning, your inkles, chain maille, samples of illumination....

Robert has requested assistance this week if people could assist in painting small shields for the list tree at Crown THIS WEEKEND! Please contact him for times and directions.

Open discussion was held on the process for heraldic submissions.

Discussion was held on a summer schedule for Business meetings – First Sunday of the month, at 6pm at Robert and Kayley's home. This was determined to order to allow people to return from weekend camping events during the summer months.

Meeting was Adjourned

UPON MY CHOPPING BLOCK - a mad chefs view of the S.C.A.

Sweating the small stuff….. the culinary terms you should know…

How many times have you heard Chef Bubba on the Food Network, or QVC, or PBS (yea you should be watching PBS, and supporting it if you can) ramble on telling you to sweat the leeks, sauté the peppers,and caramelize the red onions? It's amazing that people toss around the terms as if everyone on the planet can tell them apart. They are all similar, noninterchangeable, and need to be handled carefully.

Jeff Smith (The Frugal Gourmet) was fond of working with children’s groups. He once did an entire 3 episodes with Elmo. Now you have to imagine a gray haired minister telling Elmo that sauté means “to jump” as he sautés up veggies. Suddenly we have a red fuzz ball jumping up and down in the kitchen every time the word sauté passes someone’s lips, and in his caring parent style Jeff reminds Elmo that we don’t jump in a kitchen because its too dangerous. 2 lessons for the price of one for America's kidlets.

Assorted chefs would tell us sauté is “To cook food quickly in a small amount of oil in a skillet or sauté pan over direct heat.” So it’s a hot pan, lightly greased moving like a disco fanatic. (If you can do the oh so cool chef sauté toss with one hand it's oh so impressive; if you can’t just drop a few handfuls of beans in a pan and practice till your arms are tired, then try again tomorrow. Feel free to email me and I’ll go over the procedure with you - I would prefer to save the space here)

Caramelize is only similar in that it involves food and heat and a pan. Lower your heat, keep everything moving slowly and let your onions slowly climb to about 320 degrees. Too hot and to fast and you burn, low and slow (like good bar-b-que) draws out the internal sugars and adds a subtle sweetness. I tend to use a bit of butter and oil blended for this as the oil will help keep your butter from burning. You can add them to a range of items. From brauts to speidies nothing savory should be safe from a random caramelized onion/leek accent.

Sweat? Don’t we do enough of that at Pennsic? Imagine caramelize but not letting them get brown. Sweat should not change your color profile just the flavors. And remember that fat in the pan is going to be loaded with flavor so use it don’t discard it.

Well that about wraps us for the 3 most tossed about sauté pan terms…

Till next time keep your knives sharp and your work area clean!

ASK STERLING DRAGON

Sterling-

I need a wingman for the dating scene. Care to lend a fighter a few pointers or a personal appearance?

Mott of the hoople

Dear Mott:

I no longer make personal appearances, seems that Knights all over have an innate desire to kill dragons. That becomes rather pesky when all I want is a bit of salad from the dayboard. I try to spear a hard boiled egg with a claw, and the knight tries to make me the entree for dinner – Dragon Shish-ka-bob.

That being said I can offer a bit of advice for the dating scene, though I expect that human customs of courtship are vastly different from draconian ones. Firstly, I'm sure that you have heard the filk “When Your Lord is a Fighter” (If you haven't, I've asked Lady Briant to include the lyrics later in this issue.) Within this song there is a line “And I'll fetch for him drinks as he sweats on the field.” Now, we all know that women swoon with rapture at the mere thought of men who are all sweaty from a great work out. This usually only lasts about 15 minutes – if that long – before the funk of your gambeson overpowers her delicate sensibilities. Do yourself, and everyone a favor, make sure to shower and put on fresh clothing prior to hitting the tavern that night.

Nothing says, “I play hard, but enjoy being around other people” more than having arrived at a party just after showering and having freshly washed hair. Girls also love to run their fingers through damp hair – so it's a two for one deal.

The second thing to keep in mind is Courtesy. Yes, I did capitalize that for a reason. Treat women like the Ladies they are. This does not mean coddle them, or treat them as servants, but do be polite. Inquire if you can procure the lady in question a beverage. Compliment her on her hair, her dress, or something else she is wearing. Keep crass comments to yourself. No matter how low cut her dress is, do not compliment her on her décolletage. You may find that drink thrown in your face, or the lady could do something worse. (See the song “Ladies of the SCA” for reference.”)

Thirdly – Be prepared. The Boy Scouts have it right – tasty little creatures that they are... I remember this one time a whole troop of them... Oh, sorry... that is a story for another time. As I was saying, be prepared. Have a clean cup for drinking, carry a handkerchief, carry a tin of altoids!

Hope that this helps you with the dating scene.

Sterling Dragon

Potable notables

The history of famous SCAdians you never met from the archives of Hibbity Fidgit, Chief Librarian of the Library of Nod.

A fictitious randomly published bit of mirth

The case of Hansel Witch Slayer. While many of you know of Hansel and his sister's adventures in illicit food munching and witch slaughtering most of you may not know how he went on to become a Founding member of Drachenwald.

In the year PAS24 (Pre Anno Societatum 24) he received his thrown weapons marshellette and single handedly made up the entire populace of the Shire of Grimmlandia (no it is not a cheese, that is the Royal Etherial Body of Gouda, more commonly known as the moon and no all the SCAdians there are not giant green mice who sing ancient viking battle dirges. Gee, where do you get your information?) but I digress.... anyway, back then polling to be Barony required no minimum percentages so asking himself if he should become a Barony, and his vote being to the affirmative, he renamed himself Baron Hansel Witch Slayer. However, the heralds at the time found his name in conflict with Hansel Witch Slighter ( well known for insulting witch's manner of dress, and transportation choices). So ,can you guess how he finally appears on the rolls of the SCA?

Well, he went back to another name capitalizing on his earlier exploits..... Baron von Munch Hausen

Musical Interlude

When Your Lord is a Fighter

Tune: The Wild Rover

Lyrics by Ellen McDaniel-Weissler

Chorus: And it's flat, light, tippy,

Good, excessive, or clean;

When your lord is a fighter,

You know what I mean.

Oh, my lover gets clubbed like a baby harp seal

And so what else is new, this is not a big deal.

I hear his helm ring and I watch his eyes spin,

But I don't worry till rigor mortis sets in! (Chorus)

He dons all his armor and chain mail each week.

He's a weekend stick-jock, other days he's a geek!

He has bruises to spare-battle scars make him boast!

(It's the whining next day that annoys me the most.) (Chorus)

He will re-live each moment, each blow of each fight,

And he'll tell me the details the rest of the night!

I've given up fearing his head bouncing free -

'Cause I'll hear all about his duct tape surgery! (Chorus)

He yacks about great swords and wrap shots and such -

I admit, as a bard, I don't sympathize much!

I keep hoping someday he'll stop thinking it's fun -

But by then, I'm afraid, the brain damage is done! (Chorus)

He went to Crown Tourney, a'seeking for fame -

For to rule this fair kingdom and honor my name.

He fought, but he lost, which was fine, though unplanned -

To be Queen would have cost me an extra ten grand! (Chorus)

We'll travel to Pennsic, I'll carry his shield,

And I'll fetch for him drinks as he sweats on the field.

He'll gripe when, at daylight, he's forced to wake up –

When we get to the field he's forgotten his cup! (Chorus)

Last year's Highland River: for the short journey back,

He had leaned up his spear then proceeded to pack;

But the spear slipped and hit me as hard as it could;

As I fell down unconscious, I forgot to tell “Good!” (Chorus)

When Your Lord is a Fighter – Continued

We are poor but so happy, tho' our furniture's sparse;

We have food and a home, and much laughter and farce.

But poverty's choices oft-times overwhelm:

Should we buy a new sofa or buy a new helm? (Chorus)

If someday we marry, how happy we'll be!

We'll have sons like my lord, we'll have daughters like me!

They'll be SCAdian children, but at one thought I quail:

I will not have them christened in infant chain mail! (Chorus)

My lord joins me dancing at Pennsic each night -

He can beg all he wants, but I won't join the fight.

I'll cheer as opponents unnumbered he fells -

But there's got to be one of us guarding brain cells! (Chorus)

I've never met someone who bruises so much!

And he gets them in places no polearm can touch!

I'd fear that he's cheating with some other maid -

But she'd run from his scars if he tried to get... close! (Chorus)

The Legal Stuff

Dragon images used with permission of Kevin Palivec from his website

http://dragonneo.com/mainpage-version3.html.

"This is the May, 2009, issue of The Dragon's Tongue, a publication of the Shire of Sterlynge Vayle of the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc. (SCA, Inc.). The Dragon's Tongue is available from Deborah Gorton, 57 Chapel St, Windsor, NY 13865. It is not a corporate publication of SCA, Inc., and does not delineate SCA, Inc. policies. Copyright © 2005 Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc. For information on reprinting photographs, articles, or artwork from this publication, please contact the Chronicler, who will assist you in contacting the original creator of the piece. Please respect the legal rights of our contributors."

April 2009

The Dragon's Tongue

Newsletter of the Shire of Sterlynge Vayle

April 2009

Shire Officers

Seneschal:

Lord Eoghan Rurkison

Exchequer:

Dame George Anne

Herald:

Lord Robert O'Connor

Chatelaine:

Lady Briant of Glamorgan

Arts & Sciences:

Kayley of the Vayle

Chronicler:

Lady Briant of Glamorgan

Knight Marshal:

Sir Magnus Tindal

Fencing Marshal:

Chernislava

Archery Marshal:

Lady Mariana

Mistress of the list:

Sara

Youth Marshal:

Olaf

Webmistress:

Ravyn

Calender of events

Dates to Remember:

Within Sterlynge Vayle:

April 19 - Brewer's Guild meeting - Kayley's and Robert's - 10 AM - bring dish for breakfast!

April 25 - Last date for article submissions - May Dragon's

Tongue

May 3 - Last Date for Officer Reports in the Dragon's Tongue

May 5 - Dragon's Tongue published

May 30 - Last date for article submissions - June Dragon's

Tongue

June 19-21 – Barony Wars and Bazaar IV - HERE!

Recurring Dates in the Shire:

Second Sunday is the A&S Meeting at Robert and Kayley's

Fourth Sunday is a “Stitch and Bitch”

Thursdays – Please contact Sir Tindal-

TheKnightMarshal(AT)binghamtonsca(DOT)com

Æthelmearc Events:

April 18 – Coronation of Maynard II & Liadain I – Beau Fleuve

April 23-25 – Blackstone Raid XVIII – Blackstone Mountain

May 8-10 – Spring Crown Tournament – ACG

May 14-17 – War Practice XX – Steltonwald

May 17 – Curia – Steltonwald

May 24-25 – Baronial Champs – Thescorre

May 29-31 - Melee Madness - Endless Hills

Seneschal's Ramblings

Good Day to you Soggy Dragons everywhere!!

This month, our warm weather has returned! This brings with it outdoor event season!! May to June is a busy season in this area, with events all around us – please check the calendar and help support our neighbors to the north, south and west! (and east to – if you wish to see what is happening in the East Kingdom!)

We have Barony Wars coming up in June – please contact your autocrats and see if you can help! We need items for the prize baskets, gift baskets and help with EVERYTHING!!! Please consider what you can do to help out!

On a more serious note – I am searching for people interested in becoming Deputy Seneschal. I ran at elections as there was no one else that wanted it. To be blunt, the SCA is no longer fun for me, and being Seneschal has simply been something that I was doing because no one else will. I am hoping to be leaving the area in the next few months – which would make it impossible for me to continue in this position. As such, I will be resigning as Seneschal – most likely effective May 1st (or so). I hope to have a deputy to step in at this time, but will resign even without one. I know that there were people unhappy with the job I was doing, I would like to suggest that they consider stepping up and taking this position. Someone who has been in the SCA, but not active in this area – could offer some great new insight to this group. Those that have been in the shire, know our history and also can offer new variety based on what they have observed.

In total, I have been Seneschal for far to many of the last few years – and think that the shire needs new blood in the position.

Thank you,

Lord Eoghan Roriksson

Seneschal, Shire of Sterlynge Vayle

From the Chatelaine

Greetings Everyone! Thanks for trusting me with the task of coordinating services for our new members! Though I may hold the official title of Chatelaine, I cannot do the job on my own. Everyone in the Shire – and within the SCA as a whole – is a Chatelaine. We are all responsible for helping our newer members. This is something we do without even thinking about it, we talk to friends and co-workers about what we do; we project an image of what the SCA is with our words, our tone of voice, and our actions. We will not get a chance to make a first impression with many of the people we come into contact with. Let us all do our best to make those first impressions good ones.

On a more local note – many people within the Shire are facing difficult economic times, let us help each other – carpool to events to save money, carpool to fight practices and shire meetings. It may not seem like much, but it can – and will – help every one of us in the Shire.

New Members: Welcome to our new members! Perote Gormal Campbell – technically of The East but wanting to play with Sterlynge Vayle and Darcy (?) a friend of Lady Anne's. Welcome to Sterlynge Vayle!

Flights of fancy with the Archery Marshal

I have taken on 3 new MIT for Archery. There was no regional practice for the Winter Shoot because of timing. With the Winter Shoot ending on April 15th, there will not be any regional practice in April. Looking ahead as soon as the backyard dries up a little more we will be moving outdoors. I will be checking with Gander Mountain to see if we can use their range while it dries out. I am looking at Monday or Tuesday nights for practice. Please let me know if one is better than the other.

Scratchings from the Chronicler's Quill

Greetings good gentles all! Welcome to the “New” Dragon's Tongue. I will be playing a bit with the format for the next few issues. If you have any comments to make on things – what does or does not work, what you can or cannot read easily. This is, ultimately, the Newsletter of the Shire – not any one person's vehicle for expression – and your input in it is essential. If this format does not work for you, then tell me. If you would prefer a different method of delivery – then tell me. I will do my best to accommodate as many people as I am able to with the formatting of this newsletter, and find alternatives as needed.

That being said, this is YOUR newsletter. I am in need of articles, artwork, puzzles, games, recipes... anything! Please submit them to me at your convenience. If I am unable to run a long article in one issue, I will break it into smaller segments and run it for several months.

Additionally, the new home of The Dragon's Tongue online issues is now up and running officially. Thanks to Perote for his invaluable assistance in getting the site going.

UPON MY CHOPPING BLOCK

- a mad chefs view of the S.C.A.

So you want to learn about the day board eh? Well it’s a land mine covered piece of turf. Lets look at it through the newcomer's eyes. It's your first event, you see a table covered in food and you wonder… “Is this food for everybody or just the fighters as they are the only ones I see hanging around it? Is that a scone? Wow citrus fruit that will be a great thing in today’s heat. But is it really period? What is that lumpy orange thing? I wonder if this is Kosher…”

1- Troll can help out by pointing out that “ at about such time a lunch buffet will be available in x location” This way your newer members know it is open for all, and everyone knows where it is.

2- Labels are your ultimate helper. If you make it, or set it, find a way to make sure people know what it is. EG: If your 4 year old can't say “That's a grape” you should probably lend a hand and make sure people know what it is. What did you think the first time you saw a fighter biscuit?

3- Let's make this pretty clear. Period is not a debate on your day board. If you want to make things period I assure you the fact that genetic cross breeding has gone on for so long that most of our versions and flavor profiles are not truly period. Yes, I know suspended disbelief says an eggplant today is the same as it was a century ago but genetically speaking… it really isn’t. Day boards are intended to refresh the populace and if we loose sight of that purpose it is not a day board.

4- See a lost soul, help a lost soul. We are an educational group (yes, I harp on that point) if someone looks lost be it first timer, a Duke on benadryl, or a retainer from another kingdom, offer a hand. It may not be that big of a deal but it shows hospitality, and helpfulness. Point to a label, offer to pour some water, your shire is your home so be a host!

5- Did I mention labels? Labels are an important part of an event. People with allergies and food concerns should be able to find the information they need. In many states the person serving the food is responsible for it's safe handling. If you have an allergy it can range from a rash to not breathing as anaphylaxis sets in. I have often wondered why more cooks don’t bring their recipes so others can view them. If you’re working in the kitchen after you know where the first aid kit is, you should ask where the recipes are.

Hopefully this mental meal has given you something to ponder…

Until next time keep your blades sharp and work area clean.

Perote "Gormal" Campbell

Oh No Its the Dread Pirate Void!

Your Article could be saving this space from The Dreaded Pirate Void! Won't you submit now and save a space from the horrors of The Void?

Your Chronicler is standing by.... waiting.......

for you to send her an article!

ASK STERLING DRAGON

Dear Sterling -

I have heard a lot about “Gold Key”. Can you tell me what it is?

Thanks,

Keyless

Dear Keyless,

“Gold Key” has three slightly different meanings depending on what region of the SCA you are from, and the way the phrase is used.

The first one refers to the overall badge design of the Office of Chatelaine (also known as Hospitaler.) The registered badge shows a gold key, vertically on a green background. Therefore, the entire office in some areas is noted as “Gold Key”. This can get a bit confusing though as the Seneschal's badge is a gold key, horizontally on a red background. Due to this – you won't find the officer position referred to as “Gold Key” all that often.

The second is that “Gold Key” refers to something specifically held by the Chatelaine for use by newcomer's. Most frequently this includes garb and basic feast gear. Since it is required that those who attend SCA events wear an attempt at pre-1600 clothing the vast portion of the “Gold Key” is assorted tunics that people who are interested in the SCA can borrow for an event or two while they learn about us and make their own garb. Since it is often that those who are brand new do not have tablewear for day board or feast – most “Gold Key” includes this as well.

The third meaning of “Gold Key” refers to a Deputy of the Chatelaine who is in charge of maintaining and dispensing the group's “loaner” clothing. Not all groups have a deputy of this type, and it is most often assumed by the Chatelaine/Hospitaler instead of a deputy.

In Service,

Sterling

Announcements of general interest

Sterlynge Vayle Brewers!

The Brewer's Guild has been revived, and feels ambitious. We are remaining informal in nature with no guildmaster or ranking system.

For those interested in coming to the next meeting, we're meeting at 10 AM on April 19 for breakfast and to do a full grain boil of some sort of stout. Granted most of us have only seen this done by other people and

have not attempted it ourselves, and we're not completely sure we'll have all the necessary equipment, but we're going to give it a shot. We will also attempt a peach country wine and a partial boil amber ale.

News from around the Society

From Sir Omarad the Wary- Society Earl Marshal

Rulings and interpretations

Effective as of March 15th, 2009

Interpretations

Buffer Zones for Combat Archery

B. A buffer zone needs to be provided between the edges of the battlefield and spectators at all times. This needs to be increased when combat archery is included. The Marshal-in-Charge must ensure that it is a safe distance, taking into account the type of scenario, to minimize the chances of deflected shots traveling into the spectators. Physical barriers may eliminate the need for a buffer zone or lessen the distance needed.

My interpretation of this rule means that spectators should be safe from deflected shots such as bounces off of helmets as well as direct fire. No spectators should be able to be hit with a bounced arrow as well as direct fire. I've personally seen a bounceback that went 30 feet right back at the archer and a skipoff that went 90 degrees and 30 feet or so. These usually involve tumbling of the arrow and are very dangerous.

Striking surface

Because of the nature of our activities and the ability of our weapons to break during use the "striking surface" of a weapon is to be considered throughout the entire striking portion, blade, or head, of the weapon, not only the outside "skin" or layer. This includes all interior construction materials and parts no matter how "deep" inside.

Rulings

Weapon construction

"With the exception of the hilts, guards and pommels, no metal or non-approved rigid, granular, or liquid material may be used in the construction of single or two-handed weapons including spears."

Single Hand weapons: thrusting tips

VII. WEAPONS STANDARDS, Section B, page 13

Old Standard

5. When thrusting tips are used, they shall be at least the same diameter as the shaft of the weapon they are mounted on and have at least 1 1/4 inch (31.8 mm) of resilient material in front of the rigid tip of the weapon providing at least 1/2 inch (12.7 mm) of progressively resistant give across the face of the thrusting tip. (Note: Pressing with the thumb into the center of the thrusting tip is not an adequate test. The give must be across the entire face of the tip.).

New Standard

5. When thrusting tips are used, they shall be at least the same diameter as the shaft of the weapon they are mounted on and have at least 3/4 inch (19.1 mm) of resilient material in front of the rigid tip of the weapon providing at least 3/8 inch (9.53 mm) of progressively resistant give across the face of the thrusting tip. (Note: Pressing with the thumb into the center of the thrusting tip is not an adequate test. The give must be across the entire face of the tip.)

Rattan Two-handed weapons: thrusting tips

VII. WEAPONS STANDARDS, Section C, page 14

Old Standard

5. When thrusting tips are used, they shall be no less than 2 inches (50.8 mm) in diameter/cross- section and have 2 inches (50.8 mm) of resilient material in front of the rigid tip of the weapon, thereby providing progressively resistant give.

New Standard

5. (a) When thrusting tips are used on rattan weapons with greater length than 7.5', they shall be no less than 2 inches (50.8 mm) in diameter/cross- section and have 2 inches (50.8 mm) of resilient material in front of the rigid tip of the weapon, thereby providing progressively resistant give.
(b) When thrusting tips are used on rattan weapons with length less than or equal to 7.5', they shall be at least the same diameter as the shaft of the weapon they are mounted on and have 1.5 inches (38.1 mm) of resilient material in front of the rigid tip of the weapon, thereby providing progressively resistant give. (Note: Pressing with the thumb into the center of the thrusting tip is not an adequate test. The give must be across the entire face of the tip.)

Marking minors who participate with adults in martial activities

Any minor participating in martial activities (fighting / fencing / combat archery / siege / etc...) with adults will have their Kingdom's specific minor helm marking, or an event specified marking that will identify them as a minor participant on the front half of their helmet / mask. The marking is up to the Kingdom of residence or the Kingdom hosting the event and event staff shall be made aware of it. In addition to this all minors will have "minor" marked on their authorization card large enough that a list person can easily see it.

NOTE FROM SIR TRISTEN: AS PER THE NEW AETHELMEARC POLICY, THIS MARKING SHALL BE AS FOLLOWS: In all cases in which a youth engages an adult the youth shall wear on the front of their fencing mask or helm a square of tape or sticker blazoned with a capital “Y” of a size clearly visible from a distance designating them as a youth.

In Service,

Sir Tristen Sexwulf

Earl Marshal of Æthelmearc

“Quicumque est necesse pro malum praevaleo est pro bonus hominum efficio nihil.”

(304) 549-6214 - Voice & Text Message

24 Hour Fax (304) 241-4867

eMail: ae.marshal(at)aethelme arc(dot)org

website: marshal.aethelmearc .org

From the Pennsic Staff:

Unto the Teachers, Administrators, Artisans & Scholars of the Known World, Comes this Call for Classes at Pennsic 38!

Teacher's Registration is now open for classes to be taught to the citizens of Pennsic 38. We invite all who have knowledge on any subject, at any level, to come and fill our Pennsic University class tents.

The Teacher Registration site is now available at:

http://pennsicwar.org/penn38/AANDS/PENNU/

If you have any questions regarding A&S activities for Pennsic 38, please contact the Deputy Mayor in charge of Cultural Affairs, Mistress Chai' usun, at culturalaffairs@pennsicwar.org.

If you have questions concerning the University and its facilities, please contact Baroness Aldermoureis Ventzke at university@pennsicwar.org.

If you have questions about your particular class needs, please feel free to contact me personally at classes@pennsicwar.org.

Don't wait until the last minute to sign up! The deadline to guarantee that your class will be listed in the Pennsic book is May 1st!

In Service,

THLady Fiadnata ó Gleann Àlainn

Pennsic University A&S Class Scheduler

Carol Reed

348 Melanie Drive

Franklin, OH 45005

(937) 219-3967 (No Calls Answered After 10:00 PM EDT)

E-Mail: classes (at) pennsicwar (dot) org

The Legal Stuff

Dragon images used with permission of Kevin Palivec from his website

http://dragonneo.com/mainpage-version3.html.

"This is the April, 2009, issue of The Dragon's Tongue, a publication of the Shire of Sterlynge Vayle of the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc. (SCA, Inc.). The Dragon's Tongue is available from Deborah Gorton, 57 Chapel St, Windsor, NY 13865. It is not a corporate publication of SCA, Inc., and does not delineate SCA, Inc. policies. Copyright © 2005 Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc. For information on reprinting photographs, articles, or artwork from this publication, please contact the Chronicler, who will assist you in contacting the original creator of the piece. Please respect the legal rights of our contributors."

March 2009

SHIRE OFFICERS

Seneschal Lord Eoghan Roriksson
Exchequer Dame George Anne
Herald Lord Robert O'Connor
Arts and Sciences Lady Anne Diarmat
Castellan Lord Malcolum Willelm
Deputy for Demos Lady Anne Diarmat,

General Deputy THL Keran Roslin
Chronicler THL Keran Roslin
Knight Marshal Sir Magnus Tindal
Archery Marshal Lady Mariana Maria Pietrosanti
Minister of Lists Vacant
Minister of Youth Vacant
Web Mistress Ravyn

MARCH IN STERLYNGE VAYLE
Mar. 1 - Business Meeting - ELECTIONS - 6:30 PM - Kayley & Bob the Herald's
house - 65 Baldwin Street, Binghamton, NY (See Yahoo list for directions)
Please bring a dish to pass.
Mar. 8 - Newcomers' Meeting
Marc. 12 - Combat Archery & Fight Practice

MEETINGS

Binghamton area meetings are at Anne and Eoghan's in Binghamton unless
otherwise listed.

As always, if you have a talent to share, a class you would like to teach or
something you would like to learn, please send Lady Anne Diarmat an email at
arudolph AT stny DOT rr.com

Thursday nights - Fight Practice - 6 PM - Greater Binghamton Health Center,
425 Robinson Street, Binghamton, NY. The gymnasium is in the Keeler
building. Go right at the entrance and all the way to the end next to the
VA. Directions to the site:
http://www.omh.state.ny.us/omhweb/facilities/bipc/directions.htm Please
contact Tindal lancebrown AT yahoo DOT com or Eoghan to see if there will be
practice. Bring your fencing gear, A&S project and a chair, or your armor
and enjoy. Please watch the Sterlynge Vayle Yahoo list for cancellations due
to weather.

WALTON MEETINGS
Contact Olaf Thornstein for directions (MKA Richard Schmidt 607-865-5394
ruadjusted AT stny DOT rr DOT com)

Thanks to Anne, Mariana, Tindal, and Olaf for organizing meetings and
practices for us.

2009 IN STERLYNGE VAYLE
June 19-21 - Barony Wars and Bazaar III - Camp Amahami - Sanford, NY
(Corrected date)

MARCH & BEYOND IN AETHELMEARC
Mar. 7 - Gathering of the Bards - Myrkfaelinn (Ithaca, NY)
Mar. 7 - Gathering of Scribes - Gryffyn's Keep (Union Presbyterian Church,
656 Rt. 380, Murraysville, PA) - Not in the AEstel
Mar. 28 - Ice Dragon - Rhydderich Hael - New location: The Western New York
Event Center, 11163 Main St., Clarence, NY
http://www.ice-dragon.info/

Apr. 18 - Coronation - Belle Fleuve

May 8-10 - Crown Tourney - Abhainn Ciach Ghlais (Millmont, PA)
May 14-17 - War Practice - Steltonwald - Cooper's Lake
May 29-31 - Melee Madness - Endless Hills (Mehoopany, PA)

June 6 - AEthelmearc War College - Dorseyville Fire Dept. Social Hall
(Pittsburgh, PA)

EAST KINGDOM
Mar. 7 - Princess Gabriella's Challenge - Shire of Eisental (Bethlehem, PA)
Mar. 14 - Hrim Schola - Shire of Rusted Hills (Millbrook, NY)
Mar. 14 - All Things Scribal - Barony of Bergental (Springfield, Mass)
Mar. 21 - Northern Lights - Shire of Mountain Freehold (Warren, VT)
Mar. 21 - Nova Schola - Shire of Hartshorndale (Blue Bell, PA)

June 12-14 - Barren Sands War - Shire of Barren Sands (Elmer, NJ)

Check out http://www.eastkingdom.org/ for more info.

STERLYNGE VAYLE CANDIDATES
Lady Anne Diarmat wishes to continue as Arts & Sciences Minister, if it is
your pleasure.
THL Keran Roslin wishes to step down from the position of Chronicler.
Lady Briant would consider the position of Chatelaine or Chronicler.
Rayvn would like to continue as Webmistress, if it is your pleasure.

UPON MY CHOPPING BLOCK- a mad chef's view of the S.C.A.
So you're probably asking who the heck has assumed he can write a culinary
viewpoint article for Sterlynge Vayle. Let's get it out of the way quick and
easy.

Salutations-

I am Perote Gormal Campbell, OBT EK (Order of the Burdened Tyger, East
Kingdom). I am a classically trained pastry chef and have taught classes on
basic culinary arts within the state of NJ and EK, and was for a time a
caterer's Garde-manger / Saucier, Soux-chef and Head chef.
While I no longer work in the field, I do still enjoy dabbling and for that
matter mocking chefs on TV who are too full of themselves. I would like to
say that my opinions are my own and will not often be based on hard boiled
culinary truths passed down from the dawn of mankind, but hard fought
culinary battles in the kitchen.
I have decided to write some articles with the hopes of opening minds and
possibly loosening tongues in regards to cooking in the period style as well
as basic cookery and the vantage point I love the most, the eyes of a
neophyte learning about food, the SCA, and life. (Well maybe not in that
order.)

Until next time, keep your blades sharp and your work area clean.

DRAGON ADVICE AVAILABLE
Greetings good gentles! After a sojourn in other lands I have returned to
the land of my birth - Sterlynge Vayle. It is good to be home. I have
greatly missed the verdant green of the lands here. There is a great deal
more moisture in the air, and I do not have to be quite so concerned about
setting things aflame.
I attended your lovely Sterlynge Schola and was pleased to see so many new
faces - as well as so many familiar ones. Such a wonderful group full of
diverse people and interests! It makes me happy. Ah, but there I go,
getting off track again. Years ago, I started writing for The Dragon's
Tongue and answering any SCA question put to me. I again would like to offer
my services to the Shire as a dispenser of advice. I note that the world
has gone ga ga over the internet and this thing called "e-mail" so I finally
broke down and got myself a computer and started a gmail account. You can
reach me at sterling.dragon93@.... Let's hope I have better luck with
computers - and don't set this on fire like I did to so many books!
Yours in service,
Sterling

CHATELAINE/CASTELLAN NEWSLETTER
http://chatelaine.aethelmearc.org/Chatelaines/newspage.html

NEWS
As of Mar. 6 the new Assistant Vice President for Press and Media Relations
for the SCA will be Duke Guillaume de Belgique (Scott Farrell). See
http://www.chivalrytoday.com/ for more info.
Do you think there should be a fourth Peerage? http://www.sca.org/4peerage/

PURSES
Byzantine Medieval Alms Purse
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ragnvaeig/2636655238/
Excellent pics from the German National Museum
http://medievalpurses.blogspot.com/
Foxley Manor
http://foxleymanor.blogspot.com/2008/06/knitted-medieval-purse.html
French Almoner's Purse
http://www.doctorbeer.com/joyce/emb/almpouch/almpouch.htm
History of the Handbag
http://blog.aurorahistoryboutique.com/tag/medieval-lovers-purse/
Material Culture Links http://larsdatter.com/pouches.htm

ATLANTIS?
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2255989.ece?print=yes

CHRONICLER
It has been my pleasure and honor to serve as your Chronicler for several
years. Thank you for your help with the job. I hope that you have enjoyed
the Dragon's Tongue while I've been editor. I also hope that you will
provide your new Chronicler with assistance and articles in a timely manner.
Remember that he or she will need your help.
Yours in Service,
Keran

PENNSIC 2009 July 25 - August 9, 2009
http://www.pennsicwar.org/penn38/ Preregistration is open.

OTHER WARS
Gulf Wars (Mar. 15 - 22, 2009) - Lumberton, Mississippi
http://www.gulfwars.org/
Lilies War (June 12 - 21, 2009) - Smithville, Missouri
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
--
This is your newsletter. Remember to fill it with things which interest you
and will interest others. It is not an official publication of the SCA, Inc.
Articles found herein are the property of their authors. Please respect the
legal rights of the contributors and contact the Chronicler if you wish to
reprint an article. Opinions and statements are those of the articles'
authors.

February 2009

THE DRAGON'S TONGUE
NEWSLETTER OF THE SHIRE OF STERLYNGE VAYLE
FEBRUARY 2009

SHIRE OFFICERS
Seneschal Lord Eoghan Roriksson
Exchequer Dame George Anne
Herald Lord Robert O'Connor
Arts and Sciences Lady Anne Diarmat
Castellan Lord Malcolum Willelm
Deputy for Demos Lady Anne Diarmat, General Deputy THL Keran Roslin
Chronicler THL Keran Roslin
Knight Marshal Sir Magnus Tindal
Archery Marshal Lady Mariana Maria Pietrosanti
Minister of Lists Vacant
Minister of Youth Vacant
Web Mistress Ravyn

FEBRUARY IN STERLYNGE VAYLE
Feb. 1 - Business Meeting - 6:30 PM - Anne & Eoghan's house - Binghamton, NY
Feb. 8 - Playing with our inkle looms
Feb. 12 - Fight practice - 6-9 - There will also be Combat Archery -
Greater Binghamton Health Center
Feb. 15 - Cutting out favors
February 19 - Fight practice- There will also be a fencing marshal - Greater
Binghamton Health Center
Feb. 22 - Tablet weaving

Mar. 1 - Business Meeting - Elections - 6:30 PM - Anne & Eoghan's house -
Binghamton, NY
Mar. 8 - Newcomers' Meeting

No archery this week at Gander Mountain as they have their own Tues. night
league which started last week? I am checking to see what other night works
for everyone.
Mariana

Binghamton area meetings are at Anne and Eoghan's in Binghamton unless
otherwise listed.
As always, if you have a talent to share, a class you would like to teach or
something you would like to learn, please send Lady Anne Diarmat an email at
arudolph AT stny DOT rr.com

Thursday nights - Fight Practice - 6 PM - Greater Binghamton Health Center,
425 Robinson Street, Binghamton, NY. The gymnasium is in the Keeler
building. Go right at the entrance and all the way to the end next to the
VA. Directions to the site:
http://www.omh.state.ny.us/omhweb/facilities/bipc/directions.htm Please
contact Tindal lancebrown AT yahoo DOT com or Eoghan to see if there will be
practice. Bring your fencing gear, A&S project and a chair, or your armor
and enjoy. Please watch the Sterlynge Vayle Yahoo list for cancellations due
to weather.

WALTON MEETINGS
Contact Olaf Thornstein for directions (MKA Richard Schmidt 607-865-5394
ruadjusted AT stny DOT rr DOT com)

Thanks to Anne, Mariana, Tindal, and Olaf for organizing meetings and
practices for us.

2009 IN STERLYNGE VAYLE
March Business meeting - Elections
June 13-15 - Barony Wars and Bazaar III - Camp Amahami - Sanford, NY

FEBRUARY & BEYOND IN AETHELMEARC
Feb. 15 - Regional Heavy Weapons Practice - Barony of Delftwood - Polish
American Citizen's Club (PACC) in Syracuse, New York.
Practice will begin in the upstairs hall at 1:30 PM and run until no one
wishes to continue fighting.
Feb. 22 - Regional Fight Practice - Olean, NY (See announcement below)
Feb. 28 - College of Three Ravens - Thescorre (Palmyra, NY)

Mar. 28 - Ice Dragon - Rhydderich Hael - New location: The Western New York
Event Center, 11163 Main St., Clarence, NY
Apr. 18 - Coronation - Belle Fleuve

EAST KINGDOM
Feb. 7 - At the Sign of the Dancing Fox XI - Shire of Nordenhalle (Kingston,
NY)
Check out http://www.eastkingdom.org/ for more info.

SENESCHAL'S RAMBLINGS
Unto the Shire of Sterlynge Vayle, does Eoghan Roriksson send greetings!
As my term as seneschal slowly comes to a close - I look back on the last
two years, and must smile. Everyone has really stepped up and done a great
job the last couple of years. Thank you.
With the elections coming up next month - I would like to remind people that
our shire IS a volunteer force. All of our officers are volunteers. Without
them - we cannot do the great things we have in the past.
We have many officer positions. Certainly there is something that interest
you and you would like to try out?
Seneschal Arts and Sciences Knight Marshal Herald
Chatelaine Chronicler Minister of the Lists Youth Officer
Archery Marshal Webminister Youth Marshal Chiurgeon (First Aid)
Equestrian Marshal Fencing Marshal Thrown Weapons
If you feel you don't have the qualifications - don't let that stop you! We
will help you get them!
I remain yours in service,
Eoghan
CANDIDATES
Lady Anne Diarmat wishes to continue as Arts & Sciences Minister if it is
your pleasure.
THL Keran Roslin wishes to step down from the position of Chronicler.

REGIONAL FIGHT PRACTICE February 22, 2009 2009
There will be a regional fight practice in Olean, NY. Sponsored by the Shire
of Blackwater, on February 22nd 2009 from 10 am till 7 p.m. This will be in
conjunction with their Rattan Symposium February 21st. 2009 9 am till 7 pm.
The day is encouraged to revolve around getting to know one another with a
Bear Pit Style Tourney, to be followed by pickups between several weapon
specific tourneys to round out the day. And of course there is always the
possibility of some melees. So, plan on coming to this ready for anything.
And fight till your arms fall off! ALL skill levels welcome and encouraged
to participate.
The lunch for the day will be a "bring a dish to pass" pot luck. There will
be a donations collection to cover Hall rental for the day, Checks payable
to SCA Inc, Blackwater. If you would like to Head Marshal a Tourney, or
have any questions related to this regional practice, or wish to Teach a
class please contact; Lord Arddenn Scot at lordarddenn AT gmail.com or
585-596-0613 after 6:30 pm please. No calls after 9 pm. If there are any
questions about the Rattan Symposium or you wish to Teach a class contact:
Autocrat, Lord Nugg (Russell Chamberlain) 1372 Lillibridge, Portville NY
14770 lordnugg AT yahoo.com, 716-373-0988.
Please join the Shire of Blackwater for a Rattan Symposium on February 21
and 22. Bring your sword and armor for a day of teaching and learning how to
build a sword to advanced melee tactics. Classes will be catered to the
students in attendance. And classes are hands on. For those who don't get
enough fighting there is a regional fight practice on Sunday with a dish to
pass lunch. Those without armor, fear not there will be a place to have
hands on help building armour. And hopefully enough time to finish before
Sunday. There will be an armor garage sale so bring extra armor you have
lying around, slap a price on it and see if you can get someone else to take
it home.
There will be a female fighter tract for those who are in need of guidance
or who need some girl time. Saturday site fee is $7 and a $3 non-member
surcharge does apply. This includes lunch on Saturday. Sunday donations will
be taken to cover hall rental. Make checks payable to SCA Inc., Blackwater.
Site opens at 9:00 AM and closes at 7:00 PM. on Saturday. 12 PM a lunch of
pizza and wings with root beer made by Lord Nugg will be served.
Directions: Find your best route to Interstate 86. From the West, go east.
From the East - go west toward Olean. Get off at Buffalo Road. Exit from the
West, turn right. Exit from the East, turn left toward town. At the second
light, turn right onto 12th St/Buffalo Road, go straight until you get to a
T. At the T, turn right onto West State. At 17th St., turn left. The church
is on the corner and has tan bricks.

KINGDOM CHAMPIONSHIP
AEthelmearc Arts & Sciences Championship

As it is Maynard and Liadain's wish to showcase the artisans of AEthelmearc
to all the Known World, the theme will be Largess.

Entrants are asked to provide at least one item of largess crafted by
themselves, in any suitable media of their choice, to be donated at the
event for the Crown to give out as gifts during Their Reign. Multiple items
of largess are allowed and encouraged. Candidates should provide a
business-card(s) or equivalent written note(s) with their name (and contact
info if desired), to be given to the eventual recipient along with the
largess, for due acknowledgment of their skill and generosity.

Entrants are also encouraged to present a portfolio (photo or written
summaries) of their body of creative works. This way, artisans may display
their greater works while submitting a smaller portion for the competition
(ie. a piece of garb may be displayed while the hand crafted buttons are
entered). Basic documentation is requested (typewritten preferred, no more
than two pages please).

Questions should be directed to the current A&S Champion, Ld. Pearce
Redsmythe, william@..., 607-330-2598 weekday evenings from 5 till
11 PM, and weekends from 9 AM till 11 PM.

All are encouraged to participate in this event from novice to master, young
to old. In addition to the selection of the Champion, there will be
additional prizes awarded (ie. Best Youth Entry, Populace Choice, Laurel's
Choice).

FROM THE KINGDOM WEBMINISTER
Greetings unto the Fair Populace of AEthelmearc!
For those that have used the online event registration on the Kingdom
website before, you might notice a few changes if you visit again soon. A
new version has just gone live which includes much of the feedback and
comments that I've received about the original system. Hopefully, this new
version will make life just that little bit easier (even than before!) for
harried autocrat :)
PLEASE NOTE: if you have an event upcoming that has already been entered
into the system, you will need to add '000' to the beginning of your event
id. This is the result of new security measures that have been implemented,
and will only be for these transitional events. If you register a new
event, starting from here forward, you will simply use the 6+ digit event id
supplied at the time of registration.
As always, if you have any questions, comments, suggestions, etc. regarding
the new event management system, or any aspect of the Kingdom website,
please do not hesitate to drop me a line.
- Iain mac an Bhaird
AEthelmearc Webminister iainmacabhaird@...

PENNSIC 2009 July 25 - August 9, 2009
http://www.pennsicwar.org/penn38/ Preregistration is open.

OTHER WARS
Estrella War XXIV (Feb. 9 - 16, 2009) - Florence, AZ
http://www.estrellawar.org/
Gulf Wars (Mar. 15 - 22, 2009) - Lumberton, Mississippi
http://www.gulfwars.org/
Lilies War (June 12 - 21, 2009) - Smithville, Missouri
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
--
This is your newsletter. Remember to fill it with things which interest you
and will interest others. It is not an official publication of the SCA, Inc.
Articles found herein are the property of their authors. Please respect the
legal rights of the contributors and contact the Chronicler if you wish to
reprint an article. Opinions and statements are those of the articles'
authors.

January 2009

THE DRAGON'S TONGUE
NEWSLETTER OF THE SHIRE OF STERLYNGE VAYLE
JANUARY 2009

SHIRE OFFICERS
Seneschal Lord Eoghan Roriksson
Exchequer Dame George Anne
Herald Lord Robert O'Connor
Arts and Sciences Lady Anne Diarmat
Castellan Lord Malcolum Willelm
Deputy for Demos Lady Anne Diarmat, General Deputy THL Keran Roslin
Chronicler THL Keran Roslin
Knight Marshal Sir Magnus Tindal
Archery Marshal Lady Mariana Maria Pietrosanti
Minister of Lists Vacant
Minister of Youth Vacant
Web Mistress Ravyn

JANUARY IN STERLYNGE VAYLE
Jan. 5 - Monday - Business Meeting - 6:30 PM - Anne & Eoghan's house -
Binghamton, NY
Jan. 7 & 21 - 11-3 - Archery at the Gander Mountain practice range in
Johnson City
Jan. 11 - 3-5 - Inkle Looms
Jan. 14 - No archery
Jan. 17 - Sterlynge Schola - Trinity Episcopal Church - Binghamton
(Directions to Trinity are on our website) Make your reservations to
attend and contact Dame George Anne if you want to teach.
Jan. 18 - No Meeting
Jan. 25 - Inkle Looms
Jan. 28 - Archery at Mariana's house to make arrows &/or for archery
discussions (Contact Lady Mariana for more info or Directions at MMYurko AT
aol DOT com)

Feb. 1 - Business Meeting
Feb. 8 - Playing with our inkle looms
Feb. 15 - Cutting out favors
Feb. 22 - Tablet weaving

Mar. 1 - Business Meeting - Elections
Mar. 8 - Newcomers' Meeting

Binghamton area meetings are at Anne and Eoghan's in Binghamton unless
otherwise listed.
As always, if you have a talent to share, a class you would like to teach or
something you would like to learn, please send Lady Anne Diarmat an email at
arudolph AT stny DOT rr.com

Thursday nights - Fight Practice - 6 PM - Greater Binghamton Health Center,
425 Robinson Street, Binghamton, NY. The gymnasium is in the Keeler
building. Go right at the entrance and all the way to the end next to the
VA. Directions to the site:
http://www.omh.state.ny.us/omhweb/facilities/bipc/directions.htm Please
contact Tindal lancebrown AT yahoo DOT com or Eoghan to see if there will be
practice. Bring your fencing gear, A&S project and a chair, or your armor
and enjoy. Please watch the Sterlynge Vayle Yahoo list for cancellations due
to weather.

WALTON MEETINGS
Contact Olaf Thornstein for directions (MKA Richard Schmidt 607-865-5394
ruadjusted AT stny DOT rr DOT com)

Thanks to Anne, Mariana, Tindal, and Olaf for organizing meetings and
practices for us.

2009 IN STERLYNGE VAYLE
March Business meeting - Elections
June 13-15 - Barony Wars and Bazaar III - Camp Amahami - Sanford, NY

JANUARY & BEYOND IN AETHELMEARC
Jan. 10, 2008 - Twelfth Night - Riversedge (Seton Catholic School, 385 Pine
St., Meadville, PA.)
Jan. 31, 2008 - Courtlandtslot - A&S Event - Courtlandslot (Marathon, NY)
Feb. 7 - Feast of the Seven Deadly Sins - Delftwood (Auburn, NY) (see
announcement & new site info below)
Feb. 22 - Regional Fight Practice - Olean, NY (See announcement below)
Feb. 28 - College of Three Ravens - Thescorre (Palmyra, NY)
Mar. 28 - Ice Dragon - Rhydderich Hael - New location: The Western New York
Event Center, 11163 Main St., Clarence, NY
Apr. 18 - Coronation - Belle Fleuve

EAST KINGDOM
Jan. 10 - East Kingdom 12th Night - Shire of Rusted Woodlands
(Washingtonville, NY)
Jan. 30-31 - Market Day at Birka - Barony of Stonemarche (Manchester, NH)
Jan. 24 - King's and Queen's Bardic Champions - Barony of Concordia of the
Snows - Beukendaal Masonic Temple, 22 Schonowee Ave.
Scotia, NY 12302
Feb. 7 - At the Sign of the Dancing Fox XI - Shire of Nordenhalle (Kingston,
NY)
Check out http://www.eastkingdom.org/ for more info.

THE FEAST OF THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS - CHANGE OF VENUE - Barony of Delftwood,
Syracuse NY - February 7th, 2009
Come with us and tumble down the Tunnel of Time from the beautiful Barony of
Delftwood in Syracuse, NY, into the streets of medieval Siracusa in Sicily!
The Feast of the Seven Deadly Sins will make its appearance on Saturday,
February 7th, 2009, within the Ukrainian National Club, 125 Washington St,
Auburn NY, 13021. Doors will open at 9:00 a.m. and close promptly at 11:00
p.m.
Seek advice from il Padrino and his merry troupe of buskers known as the
Sins! Enjoy a special Sicilian-inspired feast! Rejoice in the Den of
Iniquity (over 18 only) and take part in the "Fabulous Hat Contest" or our
Arts and Sciences Competition. This year's theme: The 7 Deadly Sins in Any
Media (except alcoholic, please). As always, rapier play is encouraged with
a tournament for all comers, and our Baronial Championship to be decided!
Keep in mind that we will have a Bardic competition, and select our Baronial
Bardic Champion as well. The site is damp, however, ALL alcohol must be
purchased in the UNC Bar (Sorry, only one this year!). This site is Handicap
Accessible. Only enclosed flames are allowed at feast.
Our Co- Autocrats for the day are THL Moniczka Elzbietka Poznanska ( Martha
Powers, 253 Seymour Street, Auburn NY 13021 (315) 515-3086, moniczka AT
twcny.rr.com ) and Lady Gillian McGill, 4 No. Fulton St. Auburn NY 13021
(gmcgdeverona AT gmail.com) Our Head Cook is Thegn Oeric Lestrange, who
may be contacted with dietary concerns at chronicler@... (use
"Seven Deadlies" in the subject line). Merchants are always welcome, our
liaison is Lady Fenris McGill ( ladyfenris AT verizon.net ), please contact
her before January 23rd, as space is limited. (Tables are available on
site.)
Costs for this day of sinful merriment are $8.00 for the day, plus $8.00 for
Feast. (12 and under, half price, babes-in-arms are free). Reservations may
be sent to our tollner, Baron Cyneric Drakenheorte (James Lienhart), at
Barony of Delftwood, P.O. Box 6694, Syracuse NY 13217. (Checks made payable
to "SCA - Barony of Delftwood") Feast reservations must be in by February
2nd, 2009. If you are coming from Canada, please contact the Tollner at
exchequer AT delftwood.org , before sending your reservation. The only
reservation is a paid reservation.
Directions: (More details available through Yahoo! Maps or Map-Quest) Take
your best route to I-90 exit #40 at Weedsport, follow Hwy 34 thru Weedsport
to Auburn. Turn right onto Cottage St, follow Cottage St to Washington St.
The Ukrainian Club is on the corner of Cottage and Washington. Parking is
behind the building off Cottage St.

REGIONAL FIGHT PRACTICE
February 22,2009
There will be a regional fight practice in Olean, NY. Sponsored by the Shire
of Blackwater, on February 22nd 2009 from 10 am till 7 p.m. This will be in
conjunction with their Rattan Symposium February 21st. 2009 9 am till 7 pm.
The day is encouraged to revolve around getting to know one another with a
Bear Pit Style Tourney, to be followed by pickups between several weapon
specific tourneys to round out the day. And of course there is always the
possibility of some melees. So, plan on coming to this ready for anything.
And fight till your arms fall off! ALL skill levels welcome and encouraged
to participate.
The lunch for the day will be a "bring a dish to pass" pot luck. There will
be a donations collection to cover Hall rental for the day, Checks payable
to SCA Inc, Blackwater. If you would like to Head Marshal a Tourney, or
have any questions related to this regional practice, or wish to Teach a
class please contact; Lord Arddenn Scot at lordarddenn AT gmail.com or
585-596-0613 after 6:30 pm please. No calls after 9 pm. If there are any
questions about the Rattan Symposium or you wish to Teach a class contact:
Autocrat, Lord Nugg (Russell Chamberlain) 1372 Lillibridge, Portville NY
14770 lordnugg AT yahoo.com, 716-373-0988.
Please join the Shire of Blackwater for a Rattan Symposium on February 21
and 22. Bring your sword and armor for a day of teaching and learning how to
build a sword to advanced melee tactics. Classes will be catered to the
students in attendance. And classes are hands on. For those who don't get
enough fighting there is a regional fight practice on Sunday with a dish to
pass lunch. Those without armor, fear not there will be a place to have
hands on help building armour. And hopefully enough time to finish before
Sunday. There will be an armor garage sale so bring extra armor you have
lying around, slap a price on it and see if you can get someone else to take
it home.
There will be a female fighter tract for those who are in need of guidance
or who need some girl time. Saturday site fee is $7 and a $3 non-member
surcharge does apply. This includes lunch on Saturday. Sunday donations will
be taken to cover hall rental. Make checks payable to SCA Inc., Blackwater.
Site opens at 9:00 AM and closes at 7:00 PM. on Saturday. 12 PM a lunch of
pizza and wings with root beer made by Lord Nugg will be served.
Directions: Find your best route to Interstate 86. From the West, go east.
From the East - go west toward Olean. Get off at Buffalo Road. Exit from the
West, turn right. Exit from the East, turn left toward town. At the second
light, turn right onto 12th St/Buffalo Road, go straight until you get to a
T. At the T, turn right onto West State. At 17th St., turn left. The church
is on the corner and has tan bricks.

SKIN & BONES

Hello all, I've been embarking on a new and interesting hobby
and would love to invite anyone along who would like to join me. I've gotten
three different hunters to give donate usable parts of the deer that they
have taken this winter. These would have been simply thrown away in ALL
cases, and hence I feel very good about not wasting any gift from the
animals involved. I will be making Leather (some hair on, some hair off),
as well as many bone instruments such as handles, dice, flutes, recorders,
buttons and needles. If anyone is interesting in joining me in any of these
endeavors (or have experience with such skills), please send me an email at
Hiroofthesca AT witty.com or and we can work out a schedule.
My materials, right now, range from completely unprocessed skins, up to
nearly finished leather, and a very large lot of bones with which to make
many things. Thanks for your time, Hiro No Goketsu

MARCH ELECTIONS

It is not my intention to run for Chronicler again in March,
however I will continue to serve if no other candidate can be found. Keran
Please state your intention to run or not for a shire office. I will be
happy to put them in the newsletter. Below are our Shire Policies. Keran

II. Shire Officers
A. Terms of Office and Election of Officers. Officers shall hold one year
terms, except Exchequer and Seneschal, which shall have two year terms. All
elections shall be held at the March business meeting, with the Exchequer
election occurring in odd numbered years, and Seneschal election in
even-numbered years.
If an Officer resigns unexpectedly, the Deputy will take over the duties of
the office, and solicit letters of intent for a successor. In the event of
there being no Deputy, the Seneschal shall appoint an interim officer. If no
candidates step forward, the first person to leave for the bathroom during
the business meeting shall be nominated for that office, if they do not hold
an office already. The person so nominated is not forced to accept the
interim post.
The Shire officer may pick a deputy from those who volunteer. If the shire
officer exits office, the deputy becomes the interim officer until the next
Shire Business meeting. Then the Interim officer must be ratified. If the
Interim officer is not ratified, a new election must be held at that
meeting.
The election shall be by a show of hands or by hidden ballot by the request
of any member at the meeting, with all Shire members eligible to vote. In
the case of hidden ballot, counting shall be done by the Seneschal or
Exchequer and one other member. Any member of the Shire wishing to vote but
unable to attend the meeting may send in their vote "by proxy" up to one
week prior to the election, either in writing, on the phone to the Seneschal
or via e-mail, and the Seneschal shall read those votes into the voting
record. The term of office for the newly elected officer shall begin at that
meeting, with the outgoing officer transferring all files, records, and
shire property associated with that office to the new officer in a timely
fashion.
All officers are required to fulfill their duties as per kingdom law. This
includes being warranted, possessing a blue card, and filing timely reports.
Officers are required to contact their kingdom officer within 30 days of
taking office. If an officer does not do this, they shall receive a verbal
warning from the Seneschal and a 10 day grace period to remedy matters. If
the officer is still unable to begin their duties, they shall receive a
written warning from the Seneschal and a further 10 days. If no attempt is
made to remedy matters, a new officer will be elected at the next business
meeting.
C. Removal of warranted officers
A petition of 5 signatures of blue card holders is required to call for a
vote to remove an officer. At the next business meeting, a 2/3 majority may
vote to eject an officer. Proxy votes are allowed. Once the signed petition
is given to the seneschal, the officer petitioned against shall be shown the
petition. This should constitute a fair warning to improve the situation. As
per kingdom law, the Exchequer may only be removed by the Kingdom Exchequer,
but this vote of no-confidence shall be immediately given to the Kingdom
Exchequer for their judgment.
D. Exclusions to Office Eligibility
The Seneschal and Exchequer cannot be Royalty and retain their office.
Before entering a Crown or Coronet Tourney, they must prepare their deputy
to be their successor. At the moment they win, their office transfers to
their deputy. As per kingdom law, the Seneschal and Exchequer may not reside
at the same address.

YOU KNOW YOU'RE IN THE SCA WHEN
http://www.ecst.csuchico.edu/~amarth/sca/ykyitscaw.html

SCA DATES
Need to know what the date is in SCA years? Try
http://www.sca.org/links/calendar.html

PENNSIC 2009 July 25 - August 9, 2009
http://www.pennsicwar.org/penn38/ Preregistration is open.

OTHER WARS
Estrella War XXIV (Feb. 9 - 16, 2009) - Florence, AZ
http://www.estrellawar.org/
Gulf Wars (Mar. 15 - 22, 2009) - Lumberton, Mississippi
http://www.gulfwars.org/
Lilies War (June 12 - 21, 2009) - Smithville, Missouri
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September 2009

Pennsic War XXXVIII

July 2009

June 2009

May 2009

April 2009

March 2009

February 2009

January 2009