We will be holding our weekly archery practice in Willowbrook Park today (Sunday). Loaner gear will be available.
Practice will be beginning promptly at 1pm until 3pm. This will be the regular time for practices, hence forth. Targets will remain out after 3pm for people to continue shooting if they wish. This beginning time is scheduled for SCAdians who wish to shoot. i.e. people who are, or are very interested in becoming SCAdians. There has been an issue of people coming out just to shoot and not have any interest in the society and have been monopolizing the marshal’s time and equipment. This is why we are leaving the targets up after 3pm. If the mundanes want to shoot, we will welcome them to shoot after 3pm.
If you have any questions feel free to contact myself or the other Marshal’s, Chinua or Conor.
In Service,
Lord Suuder Saran
Captain of Archer of Ostgardr
Marshal
The weather has warmed and many have seen the ground thaw. Thus it is time to open the Archery Season this Sunday at Willow Brook Park Archery Range on Staten Island at 1pm. There will be loaner gear for anyone who wants to use it.
Willowbrook Park, Eton Place, Staten Island, NY. When you get to Willowbrook Park in Staten Island, go all the way back to the end of the parking lot. That is right next to the archery range.
Archery Practices: All archery practices listed below require traditional bows without modern accessories, and wooden shaft arrows. Loaner gear is available for newcomers on a first-come-first-serve basis.
Run by Lord Suuder of Silver Horde. These practices are posted on the local email lists, with cancellations the morning of the practice if weather interferes. Practices generally start between 1-1:30, and end whenever people get tired. There are barbeque pits and picnic areas near the range, so there can be other activities at this practice, including heavy weapons practice. There is ample parking. This is a free practice. No crossbows are allowed per NYS law. Directionshere.
Run by Lady Arnbjorg Nilsdottir. These practices are posted on the local email lists, with cancelations the morning of the practice if weather interferes. There is ample parking, and after Memorial Day, if you are not a Nassau County resident, the park charges a $10 parking fee. The practice itself is free. No crossbows per NYS law.
A wide variety of activities are planned to add to the joy of the day. Read below for the details of the activities. Check the schedule to see when activities will occur.
Heavy Combat – Missive From Alexander Krause, Ostgardr Heavy Combat Champion
Gather ye warriors of valor for the Østgarðr Heavy Weapons Champion Tournament!
Greetings, Noble Fighters: By decree of the Province of Østgarðr, we summon forth the bravest and most skilled warriors to compete in the esteemed Heavy Weapons Champion Tournament. This event shall be a testament to chivalry and martial prowess.
Challenge Thy Might: All knights, squires, and noble warriors of the Society for Creative Anachronism are invited to prove their mettle. Doth thou possess the strength and skill to be crowned Champion of this most noble Province?
Format of the Tournament:
Round Robin: We shall start the tournament with a Round Robin Tournament. 1 point for a win, 0 for a loss. Re-fight double kills.
Top 4: The top 4 fighters with the most points shall fight be paired off and fight best 2/3. Winners are finalists. Bring your best!
Finals: Finals shall be best 2/3 with the most noble of weapons forms, Greatsword!
Gather your arms, don your armor, and prepare for a day of gallant combat and camaraderie. Let the trumpets sound and the banners fly high as we embark on this noble quest to find the next Heavy Weapons Champion!
In addition to anointing our Champion, we shall also bestow accolades upon:
• Finest Regalia
• Most Glorious Defeat
• The Vicereigns Choice
• The Valiant Runner-Up
Signed,
Alexander Krause
Bardic – Missive From Foxy The Bard
“To the performers, musicians, and bards I present to thee: A CHALLENGE!
I wish to see three performances that will entertain, educate, and impress us and the audience!
This year’s challenge will be three rounds:
The first round will be to entertain us. Bring us your most jovial, amusing, and laugh-inducing performance!
The second round, we ask you to educate us. Give us a performance that teaches us, either through song/lyrics/performance/sources, of a period or an event that interests you.
The third round is one of technical prowess! Display to us your best skill, whether it be in instrument, vocals, or mummery!
Each participant will be scored at the end of the round.
If there are more than 12 participants, then half will be selected to proceed to the 2nd round. After the second round half will be selected again for the final round.
If there are less than 11 participants, all will continue to the second round and three will be selected for the final round.
At the end of the championship there will be two winners:
-The New Ostgardr Bardic Champion
-The People’s Bardic Choice Award
Yours in Song,
Foxy the Bard
Archery – Missive From Eanraig The Bonesetter
Unto the populace of Ostgardr and the East, a challenge will be put forth to all archers who wish to vie for the honor of Archery Champion of Ostgardr. For this year’s Archery Championship, a series of challenging shoots will be presented in a fashion of a maritime quest. Archers will need a minimum of 12 arrows to complete the quests.
THE HUNT FOR EPIC LOOT
As to the quest, archers must first procure a crew from the Bloody Kneecap Inn – a Quartermaster is a must, and a ship must have a minimum of 6 crew. Next, to get to a ship for your travels, you must thin a herd of sheep that block your path. Next, you must “liberate” a ship from its moorings, without harming your crew (if you should lose crew members, you will pay a penalty). Then, you must navigate the treacherous shoals and sandbars by plotting a course from our shores to the wide open Ocean. After this, you will have to choose wisely which small island may be the hidden home of the fabled treasure, and lastly, after finding the treasure chest, you must either destroy the lock or get one of your reluctant crew to pick the trapped chest. Scoring will be based on the total number of arrows used to complete the quest, and if a tie happens, a tie breaker will be decided the day of the event. There will be in play a “mercy” rule, should a single shoot be too difficult. The overall winner is the archer who uses the fewest arrows, and the Vicereigns will choose from the members using the fewest shots to be their next Archery Champion.
THE SHOOTS
THE RULES:
12 arrows per shoot maximum. You can bypass any shoot by paying a 12 arrow penalty, OR take a score of 12 if you decide the shoot is too difficult at any time during each individual round.
Winner will be the person who uses the LEAST amount of arrows over the entire challenge.
Archers can choose which shoot they wish to do, in any order.
Archers will work in pairs and on the honor system to count their shots and score.
PICK A CREW You need 6 crew members to man the Brinehammer, your ship. Go to the Bloody Kneecap and select crew – your ship NEEDS a Quartermaster, so that target is at a premium. There are 2 other special crew members – the Sawbones (-1 arrow on the Liberate the Brinehammer shoot) and the Carpenter (-1 arrow on the Navigate the Seas) You may do 6 arrows/bolts twice, OR pay the 12 arrow penalty – you will automatically be granted a Quartermaster.
THIN THE HERD A flock of sheep, a rare MacEanraig short legged rainbow hybrid, blocks your path to the Brinehammer. You must hit each sheep ONCE to clear the flock. You are responsible to figure out if you have hit a sheep or not. Should you miss the first time around, you must shoot the ones you missed in the second round. Paying the 12 arrow penalty will allow the Shepherd to clear the flock, at his own pace.
LIBERATE THE BRINEHAMMER (30 SECONDS TIMED) Archers need 2 arrows/bolts in the rope to free the ship. Your less than intelligent crew is helping, but may get in the way. If you hit one of your crew, +1 arrow penalty (the Sawbones will negate the first crew hit at each round of shooting, max -2 arrows/bolts). You may pay the arrow penalty at any time to free your ship.
NAVIGATE THE SEAS The path to the Seas is fraught with dangers and sandbars. You must navigate to the Seas by selecting a waypoint in the dark blue waters for your ship. Ties go to the Sandbar. Each waypoint can be chosen once, in any order. If you miss a waypoint, you MUST hit it on your second round of shooting. Running aground on a sandbar will cost you a +1 arrow/bolt penalty, (the Carpenter will negate first arrow penalty per round, max -2 arrows/bolts). Paying the 12 arrow penalty get the Quartermaster to wake up and sail the Brinehammer out to sea.
FIND THE TREASURE ISLAND (30 SECONDS TIMED) You need only 1 arrow or bolt in the island chosen for you. (see numbers next to your name) Trees do NOT count, and you must decide if you have hit the correct Island. You may shoot 6 projectiles twice for this, or pay the 12 arrow penalty at any time during this shoot to have the Lucky Sea Otter guide you to the correct island.
GET THE TREASURE You have found the treasure chest, but there is a poison needle trap in the lock. You must EITHER 1) get 2 arrows/bolts in the lock to break it, OR 2) shoot Philippe Lafitte in the feet 3 times, to coerce him to pick the lock. If you hit Philippe ANYWHERE but his bare legs and feet, he runs away and you must shoot the lock from that point on (even in round 2 of shooting). Paying the 12 arrow penalty will cause your rowdy impatient crew to smash the chest open with picks and shovels.
Fencing – Missive From Ryouku’jin of the Iron Skies
We are doing 4 buckets of round robin using:
Sword and dagger/Case
Sword and buckler
2 hander
Top 4 of each pool make the 16
Rotating forms at the quarters
Finals are best of 7 opening with spears Loser gets first choice
If we don’t have enough fencers for buckets we do a full round Robin with top score to make the 16.
Missive From Samson of Ireland, Host of Sir Edward’s Challenge
Northpass, and the Crown Province of Ostgardr welcome all rattan fighters who are able to travel to our lands this Day of John Barleycorn to come and test not only their skill of arms but their knowledge as well in the traditional tournament of Sir Edward! This tournament will begin with Sir Edward’s classic general knowledge written exam to include heraldry, dance, chess and both world and SCA history!
The tournament, also in the vein of tradition this year, will be a double elimination bracket tournament fought with a bring your best weapon form, semi and finals best of 3 and 5 respectively, forms to be determined day of.
Join us to show your skill, knowledge, and spirit!
Thrown Weapons – Missive from Madwen, Osgardr Thrown Weaspons Champion
Dydd Da! It’s that time of the year again – we gather to cut down the stalks and collect ears and ears and ears of our favorite maize: corn!
Lady Madwen Gam challenges you to harvest the “Barely-Corn” for this year’s harvest. Two Ears (points) for solid hits and 1 Ear (point) for hitting the target. May your harvest be bountiful!
In service,
Lady Madwen Gam
Bartertown at Barleycorn!
From 11am-3:00pm bring your SCAdian flavored possessions to trade and barter, with no money exchanging hands!
Set up begins at 10am/Take down starts at 3pm.
Here are the rules:
• Absolutely no money will exchange hands. Items and services exchange only.
• Keep items medieval-inspired/SCA related and within the rules of the site, laws of the land.
• Services may be bartered! This includes everything from setting up tents at events, babysitting, tour guide, writing documentation, performing (song/story/poem/etc), research, etc. The only guideline is to keep it rated PG.
• Alcohol is not allowed as per the site rules. Therefore no alcohol may be used at the Barleycorn BarterTown
• While there are picnic tables available for use, they need to be returned to their original spot at the end of BarterTown.
• If personal chairs and tables are used, don’t forget them at the end of BarterTown!
• BarterTown Staff will not arrange barters or settle disputes, beyond their own items. All arrangements are made and upheld by the two or more parties involved.
Many thanks,
Aislinn, Jenna, and Gibbs
Youth Activities
There will be a youth point available for members of all ages located next to the Youth Combat area.
Join us in celebrating the turning of the seasons as we celebrate the oncoming of John Barleycorn and his harvest! This year, the Canton of Northpass will be hosting multiple championship titles on behalf of the Crown Province of Ostgardr.
This year, we are hosting the following championships and tournaments:
Ostgardr Heavy Combat Championship, coordinated by Alexander Kraus
Ostgardr Fencing Championship, coordinated by Count Ryouko’jin Of-The Iron-Skies
Ostgardr Thrown Weapons Championship, coordinated by Madwen of Ostgardr
Ostgardr Archery Championship, coordinated by Eainraig the Bonesetter
Ostgardr Bardic Championship, coordinated by Foxy the Bard
The Crown Province of Østgarðr is currently holding elections for the position of Seneschal (local chapter president). The winner of this election will hold the office for a two year term, beginning January 1, 2023.
There are two candidates for the office (listed below with links to their respective letters of intent for the office and East Kingdom Wiki pages):
All Østgarðrians 14 years old or older who are currently registered members of the SCA, are eligible and encouraged to vote for the candidate they would prefer to have as Seneschal of Østgarðr. Voting ends on December 19, 2023. To vote, please complete the online form linked below:
Please note, due to ongoing issues with the SCA member database, you may be asked in a follow-up email to confirm your membership status.
If you have any questions about the election process, please contact their Excellencies, the Viceregents of Østgarðr at Viceregents@ostgardr.eastkingdom.org.
Confirmation of Other Officers
Additionally, there are seven other Provincial officer positions where only one candidate stepped forward to serve during the nomination period. They are:
Knight Marshal: Albrecht Anker
Herald: Mathghamhain Ua Ruadháin
Marshal of Fence: Alexander MacLachlan
Youth Marshal: Arnora Ketilsdottir
Webminister: Antonius Gracus (called Twyg)
Historian: Mathghamhain Ua Ruadháin
Chamberlain: Mathghamhain Ua Ruadháin
When only one candidate has stepped forward for an officer position, the Provincial Officers Council votes on the approval of the candidates in accordance with the Provincial Charter (section V.H). The results of this vote by the Officers council, will be announced at the Provincial Commons meeting on December 20, 2023.
The provincial officer elections for the upcoming year will include the following positions. We are still taking letters of intent from those interested in serving in any of these offices. The current tally of candidates willing to assume office is as follows:
Seneschal: 2 candidates
Herald: 1 candidate
Fencing Marshal: 1 candidate
Knight Marshal: 1 candidate
Web Minister: 0 candidates
Historian: 0 candidates
Archery Captain: 0 candidates
Youth Combat Marshal: 1 candidate
Chamberlain: 0 candidate
We are open to receiving Letters of Intent (LOI) for any of the positions mentioned above. Please be aware that the deadline for LOI submissions is November 14th. To submit your LOI, please send an email to both the Seneschal and the Viceregents. In your email, specify the officer position you are interested in and provide any relevant information that highlights your qualifications for that role.
