Officer Reports

Updates from Bhakail’s Officers

April 2025 Business Meetings Notes

Officers in Attendance: Mikael melrakki, Margarette la Gantiere, Chana Freidl the Maker, Dillena o’r Gwyrdd, Ellyn Grene, Mael Eoin mac Echuid, Ysmay de Lynn, Finnólfr Hrafnsson, Martyn de Halliwell

Other populace in attendance: Philadelphia Brown

Events

Waking of the Salamander

The event starts tomorrow evening, Friday, April 18! There are 42 pre-registered for the event.

Champions and Commons, Bhakail Yule, and Tavern 2026

Bids are sought for these upcoming events! Yule is tentatively scheduled for December 13, 2025.

Old Business

Thrown Weapons Marshal

A vote was taken and Mikael melrakki was approved as Baronial Thrown Weapons Marshal

New Business

Chronicler

Ellyn Grene’s term as Chronicler as ended. She as indicated her willingness to serve another term. Letters of intent are welcomed from anyone else interested in the position or in serving as Deputy Chronicler.

Proposed Change of Officer Positions

Scolastica Capellaria has communicated her intent to step down as Minister of Arts & Sciences and would like to take the position of Social Media Deputy. Concurrently, Dillena o’r Gwyrddol has communicated her intent to step down as Social Media Deputy and would like to take the position of Minister of Arts & Sciences. Letters of intent from anyone else interested in serving in these roles are welcomed.

Additional Officer Reports

Chamberlain – Dame Ysmay de Lynn

I will be scheduling a re-organizing session some time after Salamander. I will also be compiling a list of things for the barony to purchase after the re-org.

Minute notes recorded by Ellyn Grene

April 2025 Officer Reports

Following are the monthly officer reports that have been submitted prior to the Bhakail monthly business meeting of April 17, 2025.

Coronet’s Report – Baron Mikael melrakki

Greetings,

Waking of the Salamander is right around the corner and is shaping up to be a fun event.

I will be hosting a “Meet & Greet” on Saturday of the event at about 1pm. It will be a time for people to come talk with me, ask me questions, or just hang out.

I am putting out a call for Largesse. In particular, I am looking to gather a collection of periodish bags of all sorts. I would be planning these as gifts to newcomers, gift baskets for royals or other Baronetcies, to hold medallions in, etc. Anything from a small pouch to place an order medallion in, to pouches to hold cell phones or wallets, to haversacks to carry event supplies in.

Salamander Pursuivant’s Report – Lord Finnólfr Hrafnsson

No updates currently.

Rapier Marshal – Don Melchior Kriebel

Fencing practice continued to be held at the Reform Lutheran Church in Media, PA. Attendance has been heavy, with about 18-20 fencers showing for each practice.

Archery Marshal – Lady Ellyn Grene

Practices have begun for the year, and are being held Sundays 2-4pm at Mikael’s, weather permitting. See the Bhakail calendar on the website for further details.

The East Kingdom Archery Championship Tournament will be held this year at Southern Region War Camp the weekend of May 30-June 1. Check for event webpage for further details as we get closer to the date: https://www.eastkingdom.org/event-details/?eid=4369

Thrown Weapons Marshal – currently vacant; Kenarri Mikael melrakki, reporting

Practices have started on Sunday, 11 am to 1 pm. I will be looking for some new rounds for targets. Good rounds are 16-20 inches in diameter (our target zone is a 14 in circle) and about 6-8 inches thick. If one person would have trouble carrying it, then it probably is too big.

Chronicler – Lady Ellyn Grene

Nothing much to report this month.

Minister of Arts & Sciences – Honorable Lady Scolastica Capellaria

After a busy march with our Kingdom A&S championship and Mudthaw, Bhakail’s artisans prepare for the waking of the salamander with many an arts and science activity to be had.

If you are interested in teaching a class, holding an A&S night, or other A&S related activity, please contact me!

There are A&S opportunities at the following local events:

April 18-20, 2025: Waking of the Salamander IV (Media PA). An Artisans village and weekend of camping and learning.
April 26, 2025: Spring Schola, Barony of An Dubhaigeainn (Stony Brook NY)
May 16-18: Tournament of the Sprining Doe, Shire of Caer Adamant (Denton MD). A&S Competition, arts and science display, bardic contest, and dancing!
May 17, 2025: Lions End Schola: Pride of Lions, Canton of Lions End (Glen Cove, NY). A Day of A&S Classes and A&S Competition.
May 23-26: Quest for Wit and Wisdom, Barony of Settmour Swamp (Pittstown NJ). A weekend of questing and learning about Celtic history and Lore.
May 30-June1: Southern Region War Camp and East Kingdom Archery Championship. Includes arts and science competition, guild meetings and more!
June 14th: May-be (I’ll try something new) Barony of Iron Bog (Pilesgrove, NJ). A day of classes and learning and trying new things!
June 21: Buckland Cross A&S and Bardic Championship (Location tba Pennsylvania). The Barony’s A&S and bardic championships!

The Kingdom MOAs office now has a calendar for arts and science events across the kingdom! https://moas.eastkingdom.org/event-calendar/

If you have any A&S interests that you would like to explore, need help researching something, or are looking for resources feel free to email me at MOAS@bhakail.eastkingdom.org. I also would love to see what you are working on! Please send me pictures of your projects!

Chatelaine – Lady Chana Freidl the Maker

A popular Philadelphia podcaster posted a short video of Bhakail’s weekly fight practice on TikTok/Instagram that generated some buzz. A couple of the fighters and I answered all the comments with invitations to join practice, and I got one response so far. We will also see a lot of public involvement at Waking of the Salamander next weekend, so please take the time to talk to the people who walk through the park who show interest!

Webminister – Máistir Mael Eoin mac Echuidh

Not much progress, still working on a new Bhakail website and looking for photos of our regular activities to make the website reflect what we’re currently doing, preferably updated over time.

March 2025 Officer Reports

Following are the monthly officer reports that have been submitted prior to the Bhakail monthly business meeting of March 20, 2025.

Coronet’s Report – Baron Mikael melrakki

Lots of things going on. Both inside and outside of the Barony. But there can be more things.
More Things!
MORE THINGS!
MUST HAVE ALL THE THINGS!!!!
Muhahahahaha…
Sorry, Evil Baron mode slipped in.

Anyway, yes, there is always room for the Barony to do more things.
If you have ideas for things that the Barony can be doing, let me know.

Mikael

Rapier Marshal – Don Melchior Kriebel

Rapier practice continued to be held at the Reformation Lutheran Church in Media. Practice consistently had around 20 fencers per practice.

Our new baronial loaner blade should arrive this week.

Archery Marshal – Lady Ellyn Grene

The weather is hinting that we will be able to start weekly practices soon! This Sunday, March 23 there will be a range day to work on a few projects to get ready to resume practices. The main projects will be remeasuring the range and considering how to best position targets to avoid the arrow-eating tree, and putting together some new target backs to replace the ones that got all shot up last year. Come by Mikael’s at 2pm if you want to help.

This year archery practices will still be on Sunday afternoons, but the start time is moving back half an hour to 2:00pm. This will give time between TW and archery practices for brunch and socializing!

The East Kingdom Archery Championship competition will this year be in the southern region, scheduled to be held during Southern Region War Camp in Carillion, May 30 – June 1.

Chronicler – Lady Ellyn Grene

Currently working on the next issue of the Salamander.

Minister of Arts & Sciences – Honorable Lady Scolastica Capellaria

Several Bhakailis displayed and competed at the Kingdom A&S Championships to much aplomb and excitement! And our Seneschal taught an impromptu class for scribes!

If you are interested in teaching a class, holding an A&S night, or other A&S related activity, please contact me!

The Next Kingdom Online display deadline is April 15. Details to be released to the list shortly!

There are A&S opportunities at the following local events:

March 29, 2025: Mudthaw XLIV, Settmour Swamp (Washington, NJ). A&S Challenge and Display.
April 12, 2025: Dumpling-fest aka Dumpling-Palooza, Shire of the Rusted Woodlands (Sussex, NJ). A day of cooking and learning about dumplings!
April 18-20, 2025: Waking of the Salamander IV (Media PA). An Artisans village and weekend of camping and learning.
April 26, 2025: Spring Schola, Barony of An Dubhaigeainn (Stony Brook NY)
May 17, 2025: Lions End Schola: Pride of Lions, Canton of Lions End (Glen Cove, NY). A Day of A&S Classes and A&S Competition.
May 23-26: Quest for Wit and Wisdom, Barony of Settmour Swamp (Pittstown NJ). A weekend of questing and learning about Celtic history and Lore.

The Kingdom MOAs office now has a calendar for arts and science events across the kingdom! https://moas.eastkingdom.org/event-calendar/

Chatelaine – Lady Chana Freidl the Maker

I plan on downsizing our Gold Key collection as I will be moving and losing some storage space. Other local groups have expressed a desire for a Gold Key swap to make sure we all have the sizes and styles we need, so hopefully that can be organized soon.

Bailiwick of Ivyeinrust – Deputy Seneschal Livia Petralia reporting

the Bailiwick had a short meeting on march 3 covering important topics like:

The next Bailiwick meeting will be Monday, April 14th at 7:15pm on Zoom
The next Lunch! In the Bailiwick will be Monday, March 10th around noon-thirty at Sang Kee
The next event to be advertised on the Bailiwick’s website will be Waking of the Salamander
We have donated some of our Gold Key to University of Mary Washington Renaissance Club (Fredricksburg, VA) via the SCA College Network discord server. Their post about it on instagram (https://www.instagram.com/p/DGqqOPKRoaS/) was picked up by the SCASocial account. But we are not looking to make our own social media post about it (because we are feeling guilty about not writing to all of the former Bhakailis who have donated to our Gold Key to inform them of the transfer ahead of time). This donation is still less than half of our Gold Key holdings.
We are making progress in getting our bank signatories card updated.

Feebruary 2025 Officer Reports

Following are the monthly officer reports that have been submitted prior to the Bhakail monthly business meeting of February 20, 2025.

Salamander Pursuivant’s Report – Finnólfr Hrafnsson

Court – At the Sign of the Elderflower and Boot

We had an excellent court where we crowned two new Baronial Champions!

Melvin Silber won the Bardic Competition hosted by Sabine de Kerbriant and is our new Baronial Bardic Champion!

Emily Della Luna won the gaming Competition hosed by Magister Rowen Cloteworthy and is our new Baronial Gaming Champion!

We thank Magister Rowen and Zacharie de Syrens for their excellent service during their time as Baronial Gaming and Bardic Champions respectively.

In addition, Dragmall Viðnir was presented with a Flame of Bhakail for his creation of the astounding new Baronial Archery Regalia. Lady Dillena o’r Gwyrddol and Lord Aiden Underhill were presented with Flames of Bhakail for hosting and running the event. Finally, Anshelm Hofer was given a Flame for his fantastic dayboard for the event.

In addition to court, I have assisted Francisco de Monte Cristo with registering his new Device and have begun working with Merlin Silber on registering a name and device.

Rapier Marshal – Don Melchior Kriebel

Rapier practice continued to be held at the Reformation Lutheran Church in Media. There were no incidents of note, and attendance was heavy, with 18-24 fencers in each practice.

Of note we sold one of the old loaner rapier (one that everyone but one person hated – the one who bought it) the funds from that sale have gone towards the purchase of a new loaner rapier blade.

We are also starting work on a long-term project to reduce the bulk of the rapier loaner gear using the new rapier armor standards.

Archery Marshal – Lady Ellyn Grene

Nothing to report.

Chronicler – Lady Ellyn Grene

The next issue of The Salamander will be published in March. Please send me any content you would like to contribute by March 21.

Minister of Arts & Sciences – Honorable Lady Scolastica Capellaria

If you are interested in teaching a class, holding an A&S night, or other A&S related activity, please contact me!

There are A&S opportunities at the following local events:

March 1, 2025: East Kingdom Crown’s Arts and Science Champions Competition: Kingdom A&S Championship! Settmour Swamp, (Washington NJ.) A great place to display and compete on the kingdom level.
March 8, 2025: Nova Schola, Hartshorndale (Collegeville PA). A Day of learning with classes!
March 29, 2025: Mudthaw XLIV, Settmour Swamp (Washington, NJ). A&S Challenge and Display.
April 12, 2025: Dumpling-fest aka Dumpling-Palooza, Shire of the Rusted Woodlands (Sussex, NJ). A day of cooking and learning about dumplings!
April 26, 2025: Spring Schola, Barony of An Dubhaigeainn (Stony Brook NY)
May 17, 2025: Lions End Schola: Pride of Lions, Canton of Lions End (Glen Cove, NY). A Day of A&S Classes and A&S Competition.
May 23-26: Quest for Wit and Wisdom, Barony of Settmour Swamp (Pittstown NJ). A weekend of questing and learning about Celtic history and Lore.

The Kingdom MOAs office now has a calendar for arts and science events across the kingdom! https://moas.eastkingdom.org/event-calendar/

Chatelaine – Lady Chana Freidl the Maker

Nothing much to report. A few responses from my mass PAX email blast have been trickling in, bringing our total positive responses to 5! Better than ever before! A lot of the people from outside Bhakail received emails from their local chatelaine, since I copied them on the initial message, but I don’t know if they’ve followed up since then.

Bailiwick of Ivyeinrust – Deputery Seneschal Livie Petralia reporting

Thank you to everyone who attended the February business meeting for the Bailiwick!

Our next meeting will be Monday, March 3rd. Still at 7:15pm. Still virtual (link will be announced closer to the meeting date).

We will be having an A&S open house gathering, but we are no longer trying to coordinate scheduling a room and parking and wearing pants. Instead, PLEASE ALL join us for AN AMAZING lowkey A&S EXTRAVAGANZA in which we all hang out on zoom and craft. At home. Or work. Or wherever. No matter where you are or what group you are in, please feel free to join us! Friday, February 28th from 4-8pm EST. You do not have to stay for the whole thing. If this works out, we will schedule others at different times so that if this conflicts with a religious service, hopefully the next one will not. But we are doing a thing! Possibly in pajamas (all outfits should be safe for workplace screens).

And we’ve updated the website so that the next local event we will be highlighting is Hartshorn-dale’s Nova Schola on March 8th. If you’d like to coordinate carpooling to get there, bring that up on the listserv or the baronial discord!

January 2025 Officer Reports

Following are the monthly officer reports that have been submitted prior to the Bhakail monthly business meeting of January 16, 2025..

Coronet’s Report – Baron Mikael melrakki

Greetings,

Well, I have survived my first month as Baron, so I guess that is a good start. 🙂

Once again, I want to thank everyone for your faith and confidence in me. I will strive to do my best for Bhakail and hope to see the Barony prosper.

I have set myself several goals for things to work on to improve the Barony, such as reviewing our bylaws and financial policies, our event planning process, and our champions. However, if there are other things that you have noticed that you believe can be improved upon, please let me know.

I am here to serve you, but I can’t do everything. I need you to be my eyes and ears. If there are people needing recognition to let me know. If you have ideas, come forward and let me know. If you can run a class or a workshop, let me know. If you want to help, but don’t know where to start, let me know.

Mikael

Archery Marshal – Lady Ellyn Grene

Practices are on hiatus until spring appears.

I’m now set up to submit scores for the InterKingdom Archery Competition (IKAC), which is a privately sponsored “postal match” style shoot open to the entire Known World. The annual standings are based on the scores of the top 3 archers from each kingdom in different divisions, and medals are awarded after the season closes. The divisions are based on equipment used (open bow, open crossbow, period bow, period crossbow), and with adult and various youth archer divisions. An IKAC round is equivalent to two Royal Rounds plus 2 timed ends each at 30 and 40 yards. Support the East in 2025 by coming out to Bhakail archery practice and shooting some IKACs!

Chamberlain – Dame Ysmay de Lynn

There will be an organizing session sometime in the next few weeks to put everything away, from Yule and Tavern, label and catalogue everything. Having all the items in the same place seems to be working for the event stewards and cooks.

Chronicler – Lady Ellyn Grene

The chronicler keeps chronicling. If you have any content to contribute to the next issue of the Salamander, please get it to me by Jan 20.

Minister of Arts & Sciences – Honorable Lady Scolastica Capellaria

Winter is here and its time for our Bardic and Gaming Competitions which will take place at the Sign of the Elderflower and Boot on January 25:

***Bardic Competition:***

This year’s Bardic Championship will be in two rounds.

One round will be based on the theme of Winter. The work can be, warm & cozy, seasonally festive, dark & cold; however you want to represent the season. The other round will be bards choice. Be prepared to present a favorite performance piece, or something you love.

Performances may be any kind of entertainment, including but not limited to songs, instrumental music, stories, dance, juggling acts, and puppet shows. Pieces should be period, period-compatible, or SCA-related, but no documentation will be required. Each piece should be less than 5 minutes. If there are five or more contestants, contestants may be eliminated after the first round.

_____

***Gaming Competition: ***

Bhakail is in the midst of an exciting time! We have just witnessed the Investiture of our new Baron, kennari Mikael melrakki. It is one of His Excellency’s early obligations to appoint a new Baronial Gaming Champion. At Tavern at the Sign of the Elderflower and Boot, a new Champion will be decided. The format will be as follows. Boards will be set out for chess (a medieval form, rules below), nard (backgammon without doublets or a doubling cube), alquerques, plaisant (modern checkers or draughts), and fox and geese. Players may play any combination of games, but must win at least two different games. The player with the most wins at the end of the tourney will be declared the winner. In the event of a tie, the champion will be decided by a best of three of nine man morris.

Our version of chess will be one of the earliest versions, taken from CA #71 and called “simple chess” by the author. All pieces except the pawn and the queen move as modern pieces do. The pawn does not have an opening two space move, but otherwise moves and captures as in modern chess. The queen may move only two squares, though in any direction as in modern chess. There is no castling. A pawn that makes the final row is promoted to the capitol piece that started in that space, though the king or queen’s space is promoted to a bishop.

______

If you are interested in teaching a class, holding an A&S night, or other A&S related activity, please contact me!

There are A&S opportunities at the following local events:

January 18, 2025: Owlsherst County Twelfth Night (York PA). A&S Display, period games, sing-along and dancing.
January 25, 2025: Tavern At the sign of the Elderflower and Boot. Barony of Bhakail (Philadelphia). Baronial Bardic Competition and Period Games Competition.
March 1, 2025: East Kingdom Crown’s Arts and Science Champions Competition: Kingdom A&S Championship! Settmour Swamp, (Washington NJ.)A great place to display and compete on the kingdom level.
March 8, 2025: Nova Schola, Hartshorndale (Collegeville PA). A Day of learning with classes!
March 29, 2025: Mudthaw XLIV, Settmour Swamp (Washington, NJ). A&S Challenge and Display.

The Kingdom MOAs office now has a calendar for arts and science events across the kingdom! https://moas.eastkingdom.org/event-calendar/

Deadline for entering the EK MOAS A&S Online Display is November 15, 2024! Contact me or email MOAS.Display@eastkingdom.org with any questions or more information.

Chatelaine – Lady Chana Freidl the Maker

I have reached out to everyone that gave me their contact information at PAX, a total of 67 emails. I copied their local chatelaines as well, allowing me to reach out to chatelaines in 6 kingdoms. A lot of people have yet to respond, but a couple people have been in communication since PAX and we are looking forward to welcoming them. I highlighted Tavern as a great event to introduce them to the SCA in a small environment, and I know at least one newcomer will be joining us there.

Pennsic report – Pennsic pre-reg has begun, and online paid pre-reg ends June 15th. Please note the Pennsic War website has been updated, and new rules about Pennsic are being released. If you camp with Bhakail, please notify me if you intend to camp with us again this year before pre-regging. We will have a camp meeting this Sunday, January 19th, at 5pm using the Google Meet link used for our baronial business meetings (https://meet.google.com/gpf-gerd-ikj).

Webminister – Máistir Mael Eoin mac Echuidh

I am still redoing the website; the current theme is a custom theme that doesn’t allow photos and having newcomers encounter a wall of just text isn’t very engaging. Looking for content – photos especially – to keep the website appealing.

December 2024 Officer Reports

Following are the monthly officer reports that have been submitted prior to the Bhakail monthly business meeting of December 10, 2024.

Archery Marshal – Lady Ellyn Grene

Baronial practices have wrapped up for the winter and will resume in the spring once the weather is springy enough. Thank you to all who came out to the range maintenance day on Black Friday.

Chronicler – Lady Ellyn Grene

Finishing up the next issue of the Salamander!

Chatelaine – Lady Chana Freidl the Maker

We had a hugely successful demo at PAX Unplugged this past weekend, which included medieval games, fencing demos, and heavy fighting demos. I received contact information for 67 people who want to learn more about the SCA and will be contacting them and copying their chatelaines on those emails. I have a ton of people to thank, which I will do after I’ve slept a bit more, but suffice it to say, our demo team was incredible this year, and each year is better than the last!

November 2024 Officer Reports

Following are the monthly officer reports that have been submitted prior to the Bhakail monthly business meeting of November 12, 2024.

Rapier Marshal – Don Melchior Kriebel

Bhakail rapier practice continues to be held at the Reform Lutheran Church in Media, PA. Attendance has been good with numbers around 14-18 fencers. There were no incidents of note.

Archery Marshal and reporting for Thrown Weapons – Lady Ellyn Grene

Sunday, November 17 will be the last regularly scheduled archery and thrown weapons practices for 2024. TW targets will be disassembled on Nov 22 so Mikael can take them to 100 Minutes War. We may be able to squeeze in a few more archery practices, if people are interested and weather permits.

But that’s not all for the season! On Nov 29 (Black Friday) we will be having a range cleanup day to give a good fall cleanup of the TW and archery ranges to thank MIkael for the use of his yard and to set us up for success in 2025! Stay tuned for a specific start time.

Chronicler – Lady Ellyn Grene

It’s November, and that means the next issue of the Salamander is coming up! If you have any content you would like to contribute, please send to me by November 15.

Minister of Arts & Sciences – Honorable Lady Scolastica Capellaria

Fall is here, and Bhakailis are busying themselves by preparing for Yule! Competition themes for the A&S and Brewing Competitions have been announced!

***A&S Competition:***

We all have made mistakes, some big, some so tiny only you are aware of, but we always learn something from them. Show me a mistake you made on your arts and science journey, a small error in planning, a project you’ve put down or restarted, or a hypothesis proven incorrect, and tell me about what you learned from it. Display your mistake, your attempts, and the final result!

Entries must not contain food or liquids per site requirements as the competition will take place in the library. If you are interested in presenting food or beverage for this project, please contact Scolastica in advance to make arrangements.

Documentation is encouraged. Please forward documentation to Scolastica in advance of the event for full review. Please contact Scolastica Capellaria at 253492@members.eastkingdom.org with any questions.

_____

***Brewing Competition Rules — Just Gruit!:***

Hail all ye good gentle brewers! For this year’s brewing competition we are throwing it back to the days before hops were widely used to bitter the beers and other beverages. Before the 1200’s, a variety of bitter and flavoring adjuncts were used instead, such as dandelion, bog myrtle, mugwort, rosemary, resin and juniper. All beverage types will be allowed, meaning beers, ciders, meads and wines will all be judged. Whatever your drink, your submission must be flavored with at least one herb. Anything with hops will be disqualified.

Beverages will be judged on presence of an ingredient list, documentation and taste. At the very least, please list your ingredients so we may know what we’re drinking. Mystery brews (those without ingredient lists) will not be judged due to the risk of not knowing what we’re imbibing.

**Please avoid Mint as Kennari Mikael is allergic.**

A note of caution: Please do your research before adding herbs to your brew. Some plants can cause allergic and other adverse reactions. For example, henbane was used to flavor beers in Germany and gave people the sense of flight and hallucinations. It’s also a very toxic nightshade and, taken in high quantities, can cause coma, respiratory paralysis and death. So please, let’s not kill our fellow Bhakailis.

Good luck and Gānbēi!

Any questions please contact Lui Wing-Ken at adamlouie@gmail.com

_____

If you are interested in teaching a class, holding an A&S night, or other A&S related activity, please contact me!

There are A&S opportunities at the following local events:

November 16, 2024: Harvest Toys for Tots Tourney (Carlisle, PA). Classes will be had.
December 14, 2024: Bhakail Yule (Philadelphia, PA). Our baronial Arts and Science Competition, Brewing Competition, and revelry with music, dancing and laughter.

The Kingdom MOAs office now has a calendar for arts and science events across the kingdom! https://moas.eastkingdom.org/event-calendar/

_____

Deadline for entering the EK MOAS A&S Online Display is November 15, 2024! Contact me or email MOAS.Display@eastkingdom.org with any questions or more information.

_____

Chatelaine – Lady Chana Freidl the Maker

PAX approaches and I am excited for this year! If you are willing and/or able to help at the booth, please let me know. We will once again have heavy fighting demos on Saturday and are working with some fencers to see if we can include them this year as well.

As always, be kind to each other. Help each other. Include those who may be new to our family.

October 2024 Business Meeting Notes

Old Business

Baronial Polling

The Seneschal received a letter yesterday evening from the crown, and read it aloud to the populace at the meeting:

Greetings to Lady Margarette le Gantiere, Seneschal of the Barony of Bhakail, and Baron Thomas of Effingham, OD, Seneschal of the East Kingdom,

We have received the results of the Baronial Polling for the Barony of Bhakail, and after discussion we have made the decision to invest Master Mikael Melrakki, OP, as Baron for an initial term as prescribed by East Kingdom Law.

Warmly,
Queen Fiamuin and King Matthew
Crowns of the East Kingdom

The Seneschal has communicated to the Crowns that investiture is preferred to be held during Bhakail Yule on December 14, 2024.

A motion was passed to officially congratulate Mikael from the populace of Bhakail, and to thank Ian and Triona for stepping forward and participating as candidates.

Webminister

The position of westminster was announced as open at the September business meeting. Mael Eoin mac Echuid has submitted a letter of intent for the position. A vote was held to approve him as the webminster, which passed.

Events

Yule

With the investiture being official, discussion was had about any special plans that must be made for Yule. Martyn reported that planning is going well. If anyone would like to volunteer, particularly for setup or breakdown, email yule@bhakail.eastkingdom.org. A substantial dayboard will be provided with a Persian theme. If you have any other questions or comments about the event, please reach out to Martyn at 181171@members.eastkingdom.org.

Margarette reported that five scrolls are in the works for Yule, and wordsmiths and scribes are needed. Reach out to Margarette at 254471@members.eastkingdom.org if you would like to volunteer to help with scrolls.

Champions and Commons

Dillena reported that the event went well.

Tavern

A bid is sought for tavern!

Additional Officer Reports

Exchequer – Lord Martyn de Halliwell

Martyn will soon be looking for new members of the financial committee. If you are interested in volunteering to be on the committee or in learning more, please contact Martyn at 181171@members.eastkingdom.org.

A bid was submitted to the financial committee for Yule and was accepted.

Chamberlain – Baroness Ysmay de Lynn

The great reorganizing project of Bhakail stuff has been on hold for the summer, but should resume this fall. The Barony was able to consolidate more of its gold key and give it to the chatelain, who was able to add some pieces to the sale at Champions and Commons.

The event stewards of Champions and Commons were able to access the goods they needed for the event.

The efforts everyone is making to have the Baronal goods more useable is bearing fruit, and it should get better in the future.

Minister of the List – Honorable Lord Bryan mac Dhughaill an Boghadair

I have sent my report for Commons. I would like to thank Mistress Lu An-Hua for guiding me through my first tournament. I learned a lot and am ready for the next one.

Minute notes recorded by Ellyn Grene

October 2024 Officer Reports

Following are the monthly officer reports that have been submitted prior to the Bhakail monthly business meeting of October 8, 2024.

Coronet’s Report – Baron Muin maqq Minain

Greetings the Peoples of the Barony, Our neighbors and Our Allies…and THAT guy…;

As the Barony has, as yet, failed to spontaneously combust in the heat of the Unreasonable Summer Months in this Ominous Year of the Discontent Wombat, THe Barony of Bhakail has surpassed all expectations!

HUZZAH!

I know you could all do it, and highly recommend pats on the backs, all around. Bask in your distinctly NON-pyrrhic victory.

Regardless of all else, as We meander into the delightful time of the year known as Autumn, please take note of the activities within the Barony and without that are still on offer for those willing to risk distinctly non sweat inducing weather. We also are hoping to see as many of you all at upcoming events both within AND without the bounds of Bhakail!

Yule is coming up soon… very soon, in fact. It will be here more quickly than you anticipate… GODS HELP US ALL, IT’S JUST AROUND THE CORNER!

So, with that in mind, have fun and be ready for what the turning of the year has in store for us all!

Remember:
Hydration.
Do not overexert.
Do not overextend!
What you do is always more important than what someone else is doing, don’t be that guy.
Remember the Olio!
Help others when you see they need it.
In the course of the year to come, be calm, and patient.
With yourself AND others.

Looking forward to seeing all the happy faces at Yule 53: The Yulening!

Be well;

Muin,

Baron of Bhakail (For a little longer)

Archery Marshal – Lady Ellyn Grene

Weekly practices will continue to be held on Sundays until the weather forces us to suspend for the winter. We have a good assortment of loaner gear available, so if you want to give archery a try, come to a practice!

Chronicler – Lady Ellyn Grene

The next issue of the newsletter will be published in November. If you have any content you would like to contribute, please send them to me by November 15.

Minister of Arts & Sciences – Honorable Lady Scolastica Capellaria

Fall is here, and Bhakailis are busying themselves by preparing for Yule!

If you are interested in teaching a class, holding an A&S night, or other A&S related activity, please contact me!

There are A&S opportunities at the following local events:

October 11, 2024: Ghosts Ghouls and Goblins. Barony of Carillion (Manalapan NJ): Arts and Science challenges and bardic circles;
October 12, 2024: Food, Fiber, Forestry and Fun. Shire of Owlsherst, (Narvon PA) a day of outdoor arts and sciences
November 9, 2024: Harts and Horns, Shire of Hartshorn-Dale (Douglassville, PA). Arts and science display, dancing, gaming and cheese making competition.
November 16, 2024: Harvest Toys for Tots Tourney (Carlisle, PA). Classes will be had.
December 14, 2024: Bhakail Yule (Philadelphia, PA). Our baronial Arts and Science Competition, Brewing Competition, and revelry with music, dancing and laughter.

The Kingdom MOAs office now has a calendar for arts and science events across the kingdom! https://moas.eastkingdom.org/event-calendar/

Chatelaine – Lady Chana Freidl the Maker

We had a large group of newcomers at Champions and Commons, and it was great to see the Barony welcoming them with open arms. Our Gold Key Rummage sale raised $291, a record for us! I hope to use that money to make some pants and tunics to round out our collection. I have also been talking to other local chatelaines about having a Gold Key exchange to help other groups get garb in sizes they are lacking.

The next big event for me as Chatelaine is PAX Unplugged, which is the first weekend of December. If you’ll be going to PAX and want to spend time teaching people medieval board games, please let me know! Also, I’m looking to decorate the space better this year – if anyone has banner stands I could borrow for that weekend, I would love to have them!

September 2024 Business Meeting Notes

Events

Thrown Weapons and Archery Championships

These baronial championship competitions are scheduled for this Sunday, September 15 at the normal venue and times for thrown weapons and archery practices. See the baronial calendar or contact Mikael at 92117@members.eastkingdom.org for directions. The populace is invited to attend, although parking is limited.

Champions and Commons

The event will be held on September 29. A rummage sale will be held from the baronial gold key (loaner garb). More details at https://www.eastkingdom.org/event-details/?eid=4325.

Yule Bid

No bid has been submitted to date. Martyn reported that a bid is forthcoming. The event needs to be on the calendar asap to allow the royals to decide if it will be a royal progress. A vote was held to move forward with adding Yule to the East Kingdom event calendar now, even without a bid in hand.

Old Business

Baronial Polling

Polling is officially underway! The first emails went out on Sunday. The deadline for responses is September 27, 2024. Margarette will continue reminding people up to the deadline that responses are needed. If you have any questions or issues, please contact the East Kingdom Polling Deputy at web_pollingadmin@eastkingdom.org. At least 50% of the populace on the polling list must respond for this to be considered a valid polling. If you did not respond to the multiple requests to provide an email address for inclusion in the polling, you have not received a ballot. If you have not responded to this point and want to participate in the polling, please contact Margarette at seneschal@bhakail.eastkingdom.org.

Webminister

The position of westminster is currently open, and as of the meeting no letters of intent have been submitted. If you are interested in the position, please contact Margarette at seneschal@bhakail.eastkingdom.org.

New Business

Timely Submission of Bids for Events

A discussion was held on possible solutions for ensuring that events, particularly events that are routinely held each year, have bids submitted in a timely manner and can be officially scheduled. Margarette suggested publishing a calendar of when normally scheduled events are anticipated and when bids are desired.

Ragna has begun gathering a list of potential event sites, and needs help from experienced autocrats to craft a description of site requirements for events. Please reach out to Ragna at 233662@members.eastkingdom.org if you can help out.

Deputy Herald Sought

Ragna is seeking a Deputy Herald. Please reach out to Margarette and/or Ragna if you are interested in learning more.

Additional Officer Reports

Minister of the List – Honorable Lord Bryan mac Dhughaill an Boghadair

I’m working on the equipment and paperwork for champions. I spoke with the Champions and am researching the tournaments they want to run.

Minute notes recorded by Ellyn Grene