Officer Reports

Updates from Bhakail’s Officers

July 2025 Business Meeting Notes

Officers in Attendance: Mikael melrakki, Margarette la Gantiere, Philadelphia Brown (emergency Exchequer), Ellyn Grene, Bryan mac Dhughaill an Boghadair, Dillena o’r Gwyrddol, Chana Freidl the Maker, Finnólfr Hrafnsson

Other populace in attendance: Beck of Copeland

Events

Champions and Commons

A bid has been approved by the financial committee. The date will be Sunday, September 14, and pavilion 17 at Ridley Creek State Park has been reserved. A vote was held and the event was approved by the barony.

Baronial archery and thrown weapons championships

Note that there was a typo in the notes from the last business meeting, and the target date is actually August 24. Stay tuned for more information from the current champions.

Bhakail Yule

A bid has not yet been submitted. The date planned is December 13.

Tavern 2026

A bid is still sought.

Old Business

Officer Position, Exchequer

One letter of intent had been received from Ellyn Grene

Officer Position, Chronicler

One letter of intent had been submitted by Beck of Copeland. A vote was held and she was approved.

Offer Position, Chatelaine

Chana’s term as Chatelaine ends in October and the position will be open at that time. Letters of intent are sought from individuals interested in the position.

Bhakail Sheet Wall for East Kingdom Royal Encampment at Pennsic

The sheet wall has been completed. Thank you to everyone who contributed to the project!

New Business

No new business was discussed.

Additional Officer Reports

Coronet’s Report – Baron Mikael melrakki

Pennsic is upon us. I wish everyone going to have safe travels and to have a good time.

While you are there, show your Bhakail pride. I will have some Bhakail favors that people can have to show how great we are.

You can join me as we process in with the kingdom during opening ceremonies. If you can, wear Bhakail colors, but I will also have some baldrics people can borrow.

We have several champions who will be competing in Known World Baronial Championships. I would love to have people join me in cheering them on to victory.

Let’s show the known world the best that Bhakail can be. Make your Baron proud!

Salamander Pursuivant’s Report – Lord Finnólfr Hrafnsson

I have been working with two individuals to register names and arms.

I have provided the paperwork and documentation for Luke Farrell to submit and register the name Lucas Ua Fearghail.

I have done the research and conflict checking on arms for Bryan Deemer and have the paperwork together to register them. I am finalizing research documentation for the name he wishes to register, and should be providing that to him to submit by this weekend.

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

Nothing to report.

Webminister – Máistir Mael Eoin mac Echuidh

My quarterly report was submitted to Kingdom this week and a completely revamped Baronial website will be demoed soon. It focuses more on the Barony’s activities – being more immediately appealing to those looking for what we do – so we’ll be looking for regularly-updated photos, write-ups of activities, etc. and if anyone’s interested in showcasing in-progress projects or the like, write something up and we’ll get things posted 🙂

Minute notes recorded by Ellyn Grene

July 2025 Officer Reports

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

Rapier Marshal – Don Melchior Kriebel

Practice continued to be held at the Reform Lutheran Church in Media. Attendance was light this month.

Archery Marshal – Lady Ellyn Grene

Archery and thrown weapons practices will be held at the regularly scheduled times on Sunday, July 20, and will be cancelled for the three weeks after that for Pennsic. Practice will resume on Sunday, August 17. If anyone going to Pennsic wants to borrow anything from the baronial archery loaner gear, please let me know and we can arrange a time for you to pick it up.

Chronicler – Lady Ellyn Grene

Nothing to report.

Chatelaine – Lady Chana Freidl the Maker

Nothing to report.

June 2025 Officer Reports

The following are the monthly officer reports that have been submitted prior to the Bhakail monthly business meeting of June 19, 2025.

Social Media Deputy – Honorable Lady Scolastica Capellaria

My quarterly report was submitted to the regional Social Media Officer. Bhakail has a healthy email list, Facebook Group, Discord and Instagram. There are no issues to report at this time.

I am looking for photos of Bhakailis doing good things to put on the instagram to show how cool we are. Contact me via Email at SocialMedia@bhakail.eastkingdom.org with any post you would like to see.

Rapier Marshal – Don Melchior Kriebel

Practice continued to be held at the Reformation Lutheran Church in Media, PA.

Attendance was moderate, although I was unable to be present for practice for much of the month due to surgery.

Archery Marshal – Lady Ellyn Grene

Bhakail practices continue on Sunday afternoons, weather permitting. There is loaner gear available for new folks who want to give archery a try!

Bhakail had a good showing at the East Kingdom Archery Championship held at Southern Region Warcamp. Congratulations to Ian Douglas, who made it to the final four.

Chronicler – Lady Ellyn Grene

Nothing to report.

Chatelaine – Lady Chana Freidl the Maker

I had several interested people approach me at the New Jersey Renaissance Faire to ask about the SCA and I spend time talking to them, though none have reached back out to me yet. One newcomer contacted me asking to get in touch with a herald, and we have a few newcomers camping with us at Pennsic who I’ve encouraged to come to social before then to meet everyone. I plan on using some of the rummage sale money from Commons to purchase more pants for Gold Key while at Pennsic, and I’m always up for ideas on how to support our newcomers!

May 2025 Officer Reports

Following are the monthly officer reports that have been submitted prior to the Bhakail monthly business meeting of May 15, 2025.

Coronet’s Report – Baron Mikael melrakki

Many things have happened around the Barony and the Kingdom in the past few weeks.

1) First, it is with a sad heart that I pass on that Arnulf Adler, 3rd Baron of Bhakail, passed away in April. Although he had not been active in the Barony in the recent past, it was my pleasure to get to know him when I first joined the Society. My condolences go out to his wife, Baroness Laura della Francesca, the first Baroness of Bhakail.

2) I want to remind people that bigotry, racism, intolerance, bullying and harassment are not acceptable in the SCA and will not be tolerated. If you experience any of this, please let our seneschal or myself know, and we, as well as the Kingdom, will back you. As is often said, in the East, we are many stripes, but one Tyger.

3) On an amazing day of many firsts, Crown Tournament was held on May 3rd. First, we have new heirs, Donovan and Megha, the first royals in the SCA to ever be chosen by rapier combat in one of the largest crown lists in Eastern history. During court, Their Majesties showed off new crowns for the East that are the first in the Society to be based on a medieval African design. Also, at the end of court, Their Majesties gave out the Writs to three gentles to be the first 3 members of the new peerage for ranged activities, the Order of the Mark.

I applaud all of the Bhakailis and friends of Bhakail who participated in the tournament as either a combatant or consort. You all did Bhakail proud.

Rapier Marshal – Don Melchior Kriebel

Practice continued to be held at the Reform Lutheran Church in Media, PA. Attendance was heavy in anticipation of Crown with Rapiers.

Speaking of, although it was held in May, Crown with Rapiers did happen and went off very well despite the rainy weather. Several fencers in the region participated as entrants or helped marshal the event. Congrats to Master Donovan and Countess Meggie for becoming the new heirs to the crown of the East.

As a further note, I will be undergoing surgery for my shoulder in mid-May and will likely miss practices during my recovery. Eva will be running practice while I am healing up.

Archery Marshal – Lady Ellyn Grene

Practices continue on Sundays at 2pm in Secane, PA. All are welcome, no experience necessary and loaner equipment is available.Note that archery practice on Sunday May 18 is tentative; I’m not able to attend and haven’t yet secured another marshal.

Thrown Weapons Marshal – Kennari Mikael melrakki

Practices continue on Sundays at 11 in Secane, PA. All are welcome, no experience necessary and loaner equipment is available.

Chamberlain – Dame Ysmay de Lynn

We have stuff.

Chronicler – Lady Ellyn Grene

Nothing new to report

Chatelaine – Lady Chana Freidl the Maker

Not much to report. We had a few newcomers come to Waking of the Salamander, including a couple people not associated with the SCA at all who showed a great interest in all the activities we held there. I have gotten a couple emails from people interested in joining, so hopefully we’ll see a few incoming people soon! I will have business cards at NJ Ren Faire for the next four weekends as well.

Webminister – Máistir Mael Eoin mac Echuidh

Having some issues developing the new website but plugging away at it.

We’d love to have regular photos (at least) if not also brief write-ups of regularly-scheduled activities now and then to keep things looking fresh on the website, so if anyone has anything to submit, let me know.

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!