red6count

1- What was your first Westermark Play?
Actually I was in all of the Westermark Players Plays except one (when Ariella the wicked witch of Aptos held me captive. So my first was "Drought"

2- What will be your next artistic or service-oriented project?
Hummm, I am learning to be a court herald, does that count?

3- Tell me your favorite piece of classical music.
I really like Beethoven, the fifth of course is good and the choral section of the 9th is good.. I like Haydn as well

4- If you could create a new Kingdom level award of any type, what would it be for?
LOL.. I'd create a grant level award for service, in the other two peerages after you get the laurel or the belt you can get other recognition, but there is nothing for additional service, we do not have the equivalent of the "Lion of AnTir or some such" So I'd insert the service grant award and make getting the Pel a little longer.

5- If you took the 7 virtues:
most commonly referring to the 4 Cardinal virtues of
Prudence,
Justice,
Restraint (or Temperance),
Courage (or Fortitude),
and the 3 Theological virtues of
Faith,
Hope,
Love (or Charity).

What would be your favorite three?
Love... after all according to Paul it is the greatest of the three.
Courage - doing the right thing is the bravest thing you can do.
Hope - because sometimes that can keep you going in the face of adversity.


Great Questions

1. If you could take back any one thing you have said or done in your life, what would it be?
"Shannon will you marry me?"
2. You have an amazing number of very giving people in your life - why do you think that is?
A. I am very lucky
B. I too am very giving, I'd like to think
3. If you could watch only one sport, and all others were banned, which would you choose?
A. Football
4. What is the most surprising good thing that has happened to you in the last year?
A. To discover how much I didn't know about sales.
5. Fast-forward thirty years. You and Melissa are sitting on a sunny porch somewhere. Where are you and what are you talking about?
A. Somewhere warm.. South of France, Italy, but Brugges might work too, and how lucky we were to have been able to spend 35 years with each other.

If you are a veteran. Thank you.

In the recent discussion regarding banishment the question has been batted back and forth regarding the Royalty's options once imposing a level two. The reason that the BoD gets involved is that the Royalty has essentially suspended the members rights to play in the group in their local area. Ysabella is not banished from AnTir or Caid or any other Kingdom, just the West.
The fact is that once imposed the only thing that is automatic is a BoD review of the sanction. The Crown can and has the right to lift the imposed sanction, if they so choose, at any time. It makes sense in "The Crown's word is Law"
So the argument that the Crown CANNOT lift the sanction is not true, the part that the BoD review is automatic IS true.

I am a big believer in public mistake, public apology, private mistake private apology. In that vain I have posted this reply to a post from Duke Jade. He chided me for not apologizing for my conduct in going "over the top" in my LIES and DAMN LIES post. I agree with him that an apology is necessary. So I am posting it with the small emphasis that my original post received and not buried in amongst a bunch of other responses.

Here is what I posted in response to His Grace.


Last week I posted the following:

Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
Proverbs 28:13


In that vain, Duke Jade has raised a valid point, and one that was there, but clearly I could and did not articulate. Thank you, Your Grace, for pointing out and clarifying my transgression.

My post which was titled LIES and DAMN LIES, contained the regretable term "a royal peer", was an addition that was unnecessary, and personal to the point of addressing the issue at hand. The fact that it was included in anger was not the conduct worthy of Knight of this realm and for that I do apologize to the Kingdom at large for that transgression.


Viscount Leon von Schrecken K.S.C.A.

What a great weekend! Muriel was in her element running around being Seawolf Herald. I got to fight Leohtulf in the semi-final bye fight. He killed me with one of my own shots beautifully executed and then won the finals going away. How far he has come fighting-wise, and otherwise. If is going be fun to see Wulf and Gillian as Prince and Princess.
Got see some really outsiding fighting from some up and coming unbelts who I expect sometime in the future to be calling Your Highness or Your Majesty.
Brian of Gloustenbury taking Linnet as a "man at arms" and having fun teasing her about it. They are both lucky.
I was especially impressed with Miles Fitzrolf who was by far and away the most under control unbelted fighter on the field, Miles also won the Torse of Honor, he had my vote on that, he fought great and while he didn't progress as far as some did much for his wordfame, and by my own squire Ronvaldr Sax (Rogan) who seemed to be able to find the shot needed to win his fights. Loy certainly had a nice day of which he should be very proud.
Our dinner was just outstanding, the food the company, the stories, it was one of the absolutely period moments. We really enjoyed hosting the owners of Calontir Trims.

In several discussions regarding what happened at GWW. It is clear that many people are operating on partial and incomplete information, some of it from within the EC and some of it not. It is also clear that giving people an opportunity to fill in a blank of information that they do not know, they can be very creative and very distructive in how they fill in the things they do not know or think they know.
Here is a brief summary of what happened, but first an explaination. The Ermine Company is not a household, nor a political entity. If is a war-unit formed for a specific purpose and only meets twice a year. It is made up of Knights and other peers who have banded together their vassals and supporters to field a war company for the Kingdom of the West. It was holds a royal charter from the Crown and has some rules in how it meets, how it selects a commander, and some other "housekeeping" items (typically the units tabards and shields) So, other than the selection of its commander, and what wars it fights at, the Ermine Company cannot vote on ANYTHING that binds it peer members to ANY course of action. I hope that is clear.
The issue of the exile-from-the-realm of Viscountess Ysabella Dolphin, had a direct impact on the feudal relationship between Her Excellency and a couple of peers who are also members of the Ermine Company. These peers raised valid concerns about how the appearance of supporting a Crown at war also supports other actions of the Crown that they cannot and do not support. I am sure that at some point, perhaps, every option available to these peers was discussed, from doing nothing, to not showing up, at NO point was raising arms against the Crown or Kingdom EVER considered. However, some people, perhaps projecting what they might do if confronted with the same situation, and certainly based upon incomplete information, began suggesting that if the King took the field, the Ermine Company would fight on the the other side. Those people, especially those present at the war, it seems did not take the time to come over and ASK us if this story had any validity, but had no problem wandering around the camp to spread that story.
On Saturday, Duke Radnor, Knight, Hero of the West, and commander of the Ermine Company discussed with King Titus, the issue of the discontent of some peers with the political actions Their Majesties, Radnor asked his Western Majesty essentially two questions. One if he had any real-time discussion with Viscountess Ysabella during this reign before imposing the sanction and if upon consideration of that, if he would consider vacating the sanction, the answer to both questions being no, Radnor ask permission to address the Western Army, and the Western Army alone on this issue. His Majesty granted His Grace permission, and based upon that Radnor led the Ermine Company, in its entirety to the field with every intension of every fighter fighting with the King. However, His Majesty, elected not to take the field that day. The King of Caid in the spirit of friendship and goodwill, requested that the armies split up and exchange units so that instead of Caid against the world, two teams would be made up of the units from all Kingdoms. In fact His Caiden Majesty has already divided the Caiden forces. Since the King of the West was not on the field to "captain" one of the sides, the King of Caid being the captain of the "other" side, Duke Radnor was asked to the captain, but the Prince of the Mists, he having been delegated the "command" of the Western Army by King Titus, himself. So, by mutual agreement the King of Caid was captain of one side and Duke Radnor was the captain of the other, and to the easiest way to make the two sides even, and NOT break up individual war units, was to send the largest Western War unit over the the King of Caid's side and leave all the other Western and Atenveldt war units on the side of Duke Radnor. The largest Western War unit on the field was the Ermine Company. That is the reason and the only reason why the EC fought on the King of Caid's team, it was the easiest way to make the sides fair. In an ironic twist, on Saturday the only person in fealty that the EC fought against was not the King of the West, but its own Commander, Duke Radnor.
So the facts of the matter are these:
1) The Ermine Company never even considered fighting against the King of the West or the West Kingdom ever
2) This is made moot by the fact that the King never took the field
3) That the only reason why, on Saturday, the EC was on the King of Caid team was not political, it made the sides even.

So for those who might might not be clear on what happened at GWW vis-a-vis the EC and the King, I hope this help to clear that up. Second if you are telling other people people otherwise and you have not had the courtesy of asking any Peer of the EC what happened you are speading a lie with malice and forethought. Please stop.

On Monday last I wrote a scathing and angry post about the spreading of a vicious rumor. In that post I specified that it was being passed by a "Royal Peer". Which at the time I felt was generic enough. However, in the course of that thread several unfortunate things happens.
That Royal Peer and I have met and discussed the matter. Based upon that meeting and allowing each of us to clear up the misunderstanding of who and what was said, it is clear that my post would have better served the purpose of attacking the spread of the rumor, without using the words "a Royal Peer" for a couple of reasons. First, there is NOW good reason to believe that a misunderstanding occured in the communication from one person to another and that made an innocent comment become tangled in translation and translated into something worse. So I now hold the Royal Peer harmless in this matter. Second that a well meaning friend, in an effort to save this Royal Peer from Leon's wrath threw them under the bus of public scrutiny. At the end of our conversation, neither one of us asked for, or needed an apology, I do however feel bad that the Peer's name was made public and that they had to suffer for that revelation, I would like to make it clear I had nothing to do with the naming of names.

I return you to your regular LJ drama.

Four years ago today, I hit the jackpot and was married to my outstanding wife, Melissa. While every day has not been perfect, overall my life with my wife has been as close to perfect I think I could get without gaining the displeasure of the Gods. So Happy Anniversary, my love, here is to 40 more years.

Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.

A valuable lessons for ALL sides. NO?

A rumor is being passed around that is a DAMN LIE, that the Ermine Company refused to take the field Saturday with the King of the West, and indeed that the Ermine Company and the peers therein were going to "change sides" and "fight against the King". If you have heard this story, or any variation involving the Ermine Company or its members, it is a damn lie, and if after reading this you spread the story then you will become a damn liar!
While there was certainly much discussion, amongst the peers whose war units and household members comprise the Ermine Company of how to show our displeasure with some of the actions of the Crown, treason was certainly not one of the options considered. In fact every peer in fealty, to the Crown who was in armor, in the Ermine Company was absolutely willing to fulfill their feudal duty to fight with the King on the field against all enemies in every battle. So to Royal Peer going around calling good and loyal Knights such as Duke Radnor, Sir Janos, Viscount Geoffrey Scott, Viscount Leohtulf of the Silverhills, myself, and other peers such as Viscountess Catherine of Wessex (who is also a kingdom officer) Countess Etain du Pommier, traitors, know you are treading on dangerous ground.
So if you have heard the lie, and having heard it, spread it, you are calling all the above peers traitors and oath breakers, and those words my friends are fighting words. If you can even believe that Duke Radnor, or any of the above mentioned peers would engage in war against the Crown, in violation of our oaths, then you are clearly have no understanding of the West and the code of honor of its peers and populace.

This weekend mainly was about Muriel. I hadn't been practicing, work and other stuff just kept getting in the way. But my lady just kept amazing me with her doings, She managed to research build and deliver three punishment devices, a preforming arts piece, a wooden spoon entry, and a period "buffet" for 40 people. All after ungoing major surgery in July.
While she didn't "win" the Torture and Punishment part of the competition, she attained victory with her "Punishment Parade" around the eric. The "chain of cheaters" is my personal favorite. She won her fourth wooden spoon this year, and her fifth overall! and the buffet had people who have sort of poo-poo'd period food in our little household, raving about how great it was. The woman is a mean cooker. My little blond Medieval buzzsaw just continues to amaze me. I am so very lucky to have the opportunity to be in the presence of such a wonderful and accomplished woman, who is on a path the knowledge and enlightenment.

It seems that it will take a long time til it gets were you are.
I was talking with a fighter of some mean skill, who is of the "just win baby" school of fighting and his observations about the Western Crown Tourney and was a little shocked when this came out for their mouth. I am shocked only because in several previous conversations the Knight a said that they got the "fighting for the fun of the combat"
JWB KSCA: "Imagine Janos coming out to the finals with a buckler!, man he must not have wanted to win!" I mean going out with a buckler against Uther?!"
ME: "Well Janos had been fighting with the buckler the whole day"
JWB KSCA: "Maybe, but then some guys came out and fought him with matched weapons, how crazy it that!?"
ME: Well maybe there were inspired by his example to match their knightly skill versus his"
JWB KSCA: "But why not come out and fight him with their best weapons style? Didn't they want to win?"
ME: Uhhh, cause they thought it would be fun?"
JWB KSCA: "Fun?"
At this point it was just wiser to change the subject.
Most of my other fighting conversations were about Alden's amazing Tourney fights. He basically fought single sword, using a very small buckler has hand protection only, so that his opponents did not feel obligated to drop their weapons and fight him single sword. In fact he talked everybody out of that who offered. Janos' amazing run, oh and the fighter who managed to really irritate two and maybe more knights with calibration issues. I'll be talking to that fighter's Knight.
Anyway, I wanted to commend, Duke Alden, Sir Connal, Commendabilis Janos, Sir Stephen of Greenwood, for setting an outstanding example of Western Chivary, the example being that winning is not necessarily victory, and that you can make that statement with courtesy, honor, valor, and chivalry, and that these virtues are still alive and well in the West Kingdom. You guys made me proud to be a Knight of the West. You guys get the word-fame this weekend.
I would also like to congratulate Crown Prince Uther on winning his eighth Western Crown, and ninth Crown overall (no mean feat) and on his engagement to his lady Crown Princess Kara. That was a nice touch.

I did not know Kofinna, as well as I would have liked. She was just a great person. Every interaction I ever had with her was classy. She was a shining star of what a Duchess of any realm should be, and a pretty damn good fighter too. I send my condolences to Sven, and their household and friends. I know Caid has suffered a great loss, and I have something orange on, when I take the field at Crown and GWW.

Today is 9/11, a day that changed America is so many ways, a day we were dasterdly attacked, victims of our own arrogance and naitivity, and complacence. We should not forget that for several thousands of our fellow Americans, that day the choice they were confronted with was to burn to death or jump to their death. That while some died unsuspectingly, others tried to save themselves, lost their lives, but in doing so saved how many others? Do not forget that while the Tower has our focus, the attack was also a military attack, plan by people under the protection of the Taliban, who were at the time in control of the government of Afghanistan. The attack on the WTC was a terrorist attack the attack on the Pentagon was an act of war.
The good news as we look back, we can say that Alqueda's plan has failed, America is still hated in many places in the Arab world, but their plan to oust America and separate us from our friends (such as they are) in that region has failed, and even in areas where direct conflict with America is possible, even those that hate us and would raise arms against us, have joined with us against Alquida, but our our efforts haven't been much better. Today, our fellow Americans, stand in harms way in Iraq, and Afghanistan, and in other places around the world, and because they do, our only worry going to the airport is how long will we have to stand in line, not will the airport still be there, and that when 40,000 of us go to the Giant-Dodger game today is will be is Cain good enough to beat the dreaded blue? So if you are in line today for lunch or at the store and you see someone wearing the uniform of our country, say THANK YOU, you don't have to agree with how they are being used, but because they are there you ARE safer.

Given the commentary on an earlier post, and someone's post of their five favorite things, segued me into my choice of the Five Top Western Dukes If Knights are our fighting All-Stars, then our Dukes are our Hall of Famers. So here is my List

1) Duke Paul of Bellatrix, - He is the Abner Doubleday of our sport, he didn't start it, but he changed it from guys trying to hit each other with sticks to a martial combat endeavor. He has advance the techniques of training and fighter instruction, and if more knights could or would park their "I'm a KNIGHT, therefore I know everything" ego, and went and got some instruction from Paul, we would have much better fighters. Paul is the Babe Ruth of our sport.

2) Duke Radnor of Guildemar, he is second only because method of analytics can only be really understood at a much higher level. However, almost fighters I know, except Paul, and even those on my list would LOVE to be more like him. In his day he was the best fighter bar none in the Kingdom and probably the Knowne World. In one Crown, in his first eight fights he threw nine shots, that is unprecidented dominance. I'd say Radnor is the Hank Aaron of our Hall of Famers.

3) Duke Uther Schiemann der Hount - Uther has gotten some bad press recently, and I think to a certain degree unfairly. Clearly he is not the great PR machine of my first two choices, but has made HUGE contributions to how the West fights in wars, and his unique method of training and accessing where you are, and what you need to improve was very eye-opening to me. Plus, clearly Uther is THE current dominant fighter in our Kingdom, he trains for it, in other words he not just talks the talk, he walks the walk. Given everything, he'd be our Barry Bonds.

4) Duke Jade of Starfall - 16 Western Crown wins, what can I say. I'd be hard pressed to pick a winner between Jade and Uther, a shame they never put that question to the test. I'd say Jade is our Nolan Ryan

5) Duke Alden of Wolverton - He makes my top five because of demeanor, and perhaps because He did one of the coolest pieces of Court schtick I have every witnessed. His ride into court, bloody, with arrows piercing his armor and his entourage in like guise was a perfect way to open up call to arms for the West AnTir War. He is a GOD on the warfield, as well as clearly being an outstanding tourney fighter. He is thoughtful and considerate. After Radnor, perhaps my favorite King as a ruler. In keeping with the Hall of Fame theme, he is Willie Mays, but Norse...

Bonus Pick ; Duke Fabian Arnet Von Switzingan, Duke Fabian has, in my opinion, has exorcised some demons, and has overcome injuries that would have had many lesser men watching our sport as opposed to going out and winning four or five Crowns. I give him props for his attitude on reigning how much and how often. He gets it. He too is a god on war field. He also gets added because his Lady, Eliska, is in my estimation one of the finest ladies every to grace a Western throne. She probably holds me less regard, because during her reign I did one of my last, but pretty stupid, stupid things, but that does not change the fact, for calm, grace, beauty, and all the rest, she is truely outstanding.

That's my top five, yours may differ, I wouldn't be surprised, and I am not saying you couldn't make a case of a couple of others.

Over the years I have pondered this in our little game. In the West with our three-reign system, which is unique in the Knowne World, our reigns are like middle distance running competition versus the marathons that some Kingdom's semi-annual reigns are. Some are from victory to stepping down, eleven months of being royal. Having reigned three times as Prince of the Mists I can tell you six to eight months of being royal is just about the right amount before burn out sets in. There is a lot of angst generated by mega-multiple reigns, some of it justified, some of it not so much. Some of the justification seems valid, some is self-serving. I am not buying the "I have experience, therefore, I can do a better job reason", I have heard" I am also of the opinion that MMRs (Mega Multiple Reigns) are actually not so good for the Kingdom, with the same guys sitting on peerage councils, there cannot help but be a narrowing of "acceptable" candidates, or worse, elevation of KGBs (King's Good Buddies)versus, more worthy but not so GB candidates. At that point it is more on popularity and far less on talent or connection to the group.
Which gets me to my point. Our early predecessors, seemed to have understood that good fighters could dominate the Kingdom because they put in place the "you cannot succeed yourself rule" and innocently it seems created the title of "Duke" to encourage fighters to become elder statesmen versus continually King. However, they could not have foreseen how our group has grown or changed, and clearly underestimated the power of the drug of fighting and winning. I know, it is very very powerful, and very very insidious.
So here is my proposal. Extend the current you cannot succeed yourself to include the number of reigns you already have completed up to a number, I think five is a good one, but it could be different. So that Count X has to wait one reign, Duke X has to wait two, and if he wins again waits three, until the magic number, and then waits the magic number between each successive reign. I am proposing this for the fighter only, consorts and their inspiration is central to our game and should NEVER be messed with.
I would be interested to see if some like Jade, or Uther, or Radnor would embrace this idea, but it does beg the question, how many times is sufficient to prove you are a great fighter?

Sir Theodrick of Skane, suddenly and unexpectedly departed this world yesterday and it has left me very thoughtful about many things. First, I was not particularly close to Theodrick, his former wife, did make my stepping down garb, the first time I was Prince, but Theodrick and I ran in different circles and fought very differently. However, early on in my fighting career Theodrick taught me a very valuable lesson. Theodrick had been fighting for a year or so before I showed up in armor, and after passing through that first phase of being a target, at practice fighting him sword and board, I more than held my own, but at all those little tourneys that Radnor and I ran around to, Theodrick was also always there, the difference was on the tourney field, he was a damn swiss army knife, he would fight two weapons and never the same two, it seemed. One time it would be great sword and dagger, anotheer time axe and mace, the next sword and spear, another a short sword with q-tip thrusting point, and some other weird weapon, and time after time I would go out on the field and try to figure out what the heck he was doing, and wham.. I was dead. I can still remember more than once coming off the field having lost to Theodrik and Radnor shaking his head as if to say "How can you lose to that?" Then one day the Theodrik light bulb went off, an epiphany, "stop worrying about what Theodrik is doing and just do your own damn thing".. voila! A one-shot victory! and from then on, Theodrik was always a good fight, but never did he befuddle me like he had in the past.
But that is history, here is what I have been thinking of the past 40 or so hours since I heard that he had passed. Theodrik was a knight, in every sense, that you can see, but he never threatened to win a Coronet or Crown, in fact I am not even sure he particulary cared about the winning, but he did care about the how and why of fighting. It strikes me that he was content being a peer and a member of the Chivalry, and wasn't so caught up in the seeking of the hat or a victory peerage, and maybe, just maybe, the West would be better served by fighters who are content to be knights, to fight and support their Crown and Kingdom, train their squires, and not seek the grail, or golden circlet. That would be the legacy of Sir Theodrik of Skane.

I salute you, my brother.

From both of us. Have an EPIC Day

Thanks to everyone for all the kind thoughts for Muriel. I brought her home from the hospital and she is now enscounced on the couch chatting with Victoria, who offered to come over and help us out today. Muriel is still weak and walks like she is 90 but that will get better.
We had originally planned to pick her up at 11am, Kaiser's stated checkout time, but yesterday, the nurse mentioned that if possible they'd like to move that up to closer to 10. So the plan was to be there at 10:30. So at 6 Am the Dr. comes to remove the staples and so Muriel is up, and of course wants to come home. The funny thing is, I woke up at 6am and figuring that I had four hours before going to pick up Muriel, used up a bunch of energy to run the dishwasher, start a load of wash, and make sure the bed was made.. by seven I am wiped out and I am thinking, I got time, I need a nap. Right about then, Muriel texts me, "can you get me sooner?" So instead of napping, I called her brother Chris and he came over and we went to get Muriel. So she is home, Victoria is here to help, our friend have mostly been told she is home, so I am going to take a nap now.

Oh yeah, YEA! she is home.