To the populace of the Crown Province of Østgarðr, on behalf of their Viceroy and Vicereine, does Mathghamhain Ua Ruadháin send his greetings.

Following this evening’s Commons meeting, the Provincial Officers Council gathered to review the candidates for those offices whose terms expire this month.

Herein are recorded the result of that session as I recall them.

Baronè Francesco Gaetano Grèco d’Edessa has stepped down as Seneschal. Please join me in thanking him for his service.

Hlæfdige Alienor Salton, called Piglet, has been selected as the new Provincial Seneschal by a vote of the Officers Council.

Alienor has also been appointed to be the province’s Webminister. The former occupant of that office, Lady Arnora Ketilsdottir, stepped down earlier this year to care for her newborn — our thanks and congratulations to her and her family.

Alienor is stepping down from her positions in the Canton of Whyt Whey, ceding those offices to her deputies; Lady Vika Grigina z Prahy will serve as the Seneschal of Whyt Whey, and Lady Anneke Valmarsdotter will become the Whyt Whey webminister.

Lord Mongu Chinua has stepped down as Herald. He has the province’s appreciation for his efforts in this office in recent years.

Your humble correspondent, Mathghamhain Ua Ruadháin, has been appointed to be the new provincial Herald. I have asked Chinua to stay on and assist me as deputy herald, for I shall have need of his knowledge.

I am stepping down from my position as Herald of Whyt Whey, and passing that office to my deputy, Lord Erich Guter Muth, who served in that position before me.

Lady Marion of York has stepped down as provincial Fencing Marshal. She has ably led the rapier corps, and we look forward to seeing her on the field again in the coming year.

Alexander MacLachlan has been appointed to serve as the Fencing Marshal. In recent months he has been actively working to energize the fencing program and we eagerly anticipate his continued success. Alienor has also asked him to assist her as deputy Seneschal, where his experience will be much appreciated.

Magistra Rufina Cambrensis has been re-appointed to her position as provincial Chronicler. Her reliable publication of our monthly newsletter, the E-Horse, is a valuable service to all members of the populace.

For the outgoing and incoming officers of the province — Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!

By my hand at Straus Park on the feast day of St. Florentius, I remain yours in service,

— Mathghamhain Ua Ruadháin
Seahorse Pursuivant

Sententiae Viceregalis

Secunda Epistula, Dec AS XLI

by Alexandre Lerot d’Avigne and Eularia Trewe,
Viceroy and Vicereine of Østgarðr

Greetings again to the people of the Crown Province of Østgarðr from Alexandre and Eularia, Viceroy and Vicereine of Østgarðr. Our thanks go out this time to those who made Agincourt such a pleasure this year: the autocrat, head cook, and the many, many people whose hands make light (or lighter at least) work. Which brings us to this month’s topic. In the Prima Epistula, we spoke of the officers who keep the groups functioning. This month We shall speak of event staff, those who make events happen.

Unlike the Officer Corp, Event staff can vary quite a bit depending on the kind of event. Typically, an event will require some or all of:

• an autocrat, the main organizer of the event
• a co-autocrat, often a less experienced person learning the ropes
• a head cook, if food is to be served
• cooking crew, if more than a little bit of food is to be served
• marshals, if there’s martial activity
• merchant wranglers, if there is space for merchants
• set-up crew, to get the hall or space into shape for the event
• clean up crew, to return the site to good shape for site owner

Event staff are not required to be officers. In many cases it is better if they are not, since the officers have regular duties which take up their time, and running events takes up a lot of time, although over a shorter period. However, there is sometimes overlap, particularly among the various marshallates.

What this means is that anyone can run an event or help in running an event. It all starts with an idea and a proposed autocrat. From there, a bid is prepared and the event is on its way to becoming reality.

The Provincial Officer Corp is developing guidelines to clarify what is needed to put together an event bid, but in essence a bid is a proposal put to the officers of the Province or a Canton for an event. It should include some discussion of what staff will be needed and who will fill those positions, when and where the event will be, what activities are planned, and some budgetary information. The bid allows the group to decide if they will sanction the event; without that sanction it can not be an official SCA event.

With traditional events, some of those steps are often taken care of: there may be a traditional date or site, or both, for instance. With traditional events, an autocrat is sometimes drafted if no one has volunteered, but if someone wants to autocrat one of the traditional events, We and the officers are delighted to hear from them, and will do our best to provide the new autocrat with the tools needed to succeed. It is usually a good idea to volunteer as co-autocrat first, since events often represent a substantial investment of group funds and energy.

If autocratting is a bit daunting, try volunteering to help out in some other way with the event. Autocrats are almost always looking for people to fill out their staff and it’s a good way to get your feet wet.