The Crown has confirmed that the following candidates are acceptable to be considered for the position of Baron and Baroness of Stormhold
Eleanora and Aeddan
Sara and Rodrigo
Statements from the candidates follow in the order received.
ELEANORA & AEDDAN
Glitter, pagentry, entertainment, activities, fun, fighting.
We, along with many others, want to see a return of these things in Stormhold.
We want the Barony to be fun, and full of excitement, to bring back the
passion for the game, to reignite the dream.
We would encourage more events, with a wider variety of styles, themes and
activities. More events will give us more fun, more reason to play, more
opportunities to bring newcomers, and more chance for the group to grow,
which means more people to play with.
We have strong friendships within many households and groups and so mix
through many of the fragments that make up Stormhold. Stormhold currently
needs a focus to draw all these fragments together, to make people feel
involved and included. We would see these groups collaborate, to create a
focus and make Stormhold greater than its parts.
Our interests and experiences are diverse, from running kitchens and events,
to textiles, lists, heraldry, and all forms of combat.
Eleanora has been playing consistently since AS 27, and Aeddan since AS 30.
We expect to be Baron and Baroness for two to three years with a maximum of
four- Long enough for stability and growth but not so long as to stagnate.
It is going to take a lot of work but Stormhold is our home and we are
committed to the magic, chivalry and courtesy that defines the SCA.
In service to the dream,
Aeddan and eleanora.
SARA & RODRIGO
We have been married for 2 years and have recently had a baby daughter,
Rose. We have been playing in the SCA on and off since A.S. XX (about
1986) and have a long history of involvement in various activities
connected with the Society. We have both been officers at different
times. Rodrigo was Marshall and Chronicler in the Shire days and Sara
more recently as Arts and Sciences and Chronicler. We have been
mainstays in the Stormhold Shire and Barony and ran Winterfeast this
year. In the positions of Baron and Baroness we would bring a strong
background of sustained SCA experience.
We have qualities which complement each other very well. Sara has strong
organisational and communication skills while Rodrigo is good at making
things, performance, pageantry and fun. Sara looks at the big picture,
gets others involved and excited by her big ideas and plays the game....
Rodrigo does the small stuff, talks to people, plays music, also plays
the game and has a wicked sense of humour. Between us, we hope that
this range of talents will make the roles of Baron and Baroness
enjoyable, focused and rewarding to the populace.
Plans for the group:
We really enjoy the variety of hobbies and skills for which the SCA is a
supporting framework. We make medieval things and revel in the pleasure
that comes from trying to understand the methods, styles and mindset of
the cultures of the middle ages. Winterfeast exemplifies our approach to
how we play the game; the evening and feast were based on the Bruegal
painting, "A Peasant Wedding". We gathered a group of people who had
fun researching and redacting recipes from the period, encouraged others
to research and make clothing and games, we set up the hall based on the
painting and we even made serving trestles from doors. During the event
someone commented, "It's a lot like an Arrowsreach event - only
classier" - in other words, it was fun AND as period as possible
within the constraints of time, money etc.
Being based in Central Stormhold, our focus will be on developing the
Stormhold community. We want be able to create opportunities for people
to work together and feel involved. We like the challenge of finding
ways to have fun while making things as period as possible, and will
follow this philosophy within the baronial household and as part of the
theatre of court. By making our game fun and giving our re-enactment
strong focus we hope to attract "old-timers" back into the game and get
newcomers interested, excited and involved.
We feel that the marshal arts within Stormhold need to be further
developed. This will also encourage newcomers and give us more
opportunity for interaction with our neighbors, Krae Glas and
Arrowsreach. Everybody likes a good war! While we don't fight (at the
moment - Rodrigo swears he will take it up again "soon") we have good
relationships with the fighters of Stormhold, and will do what we can to
encourage the regular fighter training to become a vibrant part of the
Barony.
We belong to a household - Abbotsford, but we would develop a separate
baronial household which would include others from within the Barony. We
want to encourage Stormholders to learn and develop their skills through
close involvement with courts, running stuff and doing activites which
develop the SCA community.
Cairnfell is booming, so should be left to continue their great work,
with extra pageantry and example provided by the Baron and Baroness at
their events. We won't be travelling to Cairnfell weekly meetings, but
can be trusted to turn up to a majority of Cairnfell events. We'll
certainly be available for advice, although we're probably more likely
to ask for it ourselves :) .
We are aware that playing the roles of Baron and Baroness will be a huge
commitment of time and energy. It is well known for burning people out.
We both have real lives we need to maintain and we need the whole
barony to work with us to make sure that we _all_ have a good time.
The next year will be an exciting time for Stormhold and we want to
provide a focus for the activities of the populace. We want to connect
Stormholders together to enjoy this medieval game. We want Stormhold to
flourish and everyone living in it and around it to grow.
With your support we can do this.
Sara van der Hove and Rodrigo of Abbotsford
(Karen Hovenga and James Brown)
