Minutes from 7-11-99 - WW

In Attendance:

Lesser Officers and Guests in Attendance:

I. June 13 Minutes

II. Their Serene Highnesses

III. Their Excellencies the Heirs

IV. Great Officers

• A. Seneschal

  1. Update on Insurance Inquiry: The lead Mistress Guenievre had on property insurance did not work out; Master Aaron Swiftrunner (George Reed, Grosse Pt. Woods, MI), Middle Kingdom Seneschal, has advised Northshield to research this on our own.
  2. Calendar Deadlines - Lord Padruig MacLennon (Timothy Moore, Madison, WI), Northshield Event Information Officer, will be moving the monthly deadline for information up to match the Pale's deadline. Recent problems with events being submitted late, missing the Pale and not being official, prompted this decision.
  3. Chatelaine - The position is open, and the Stallari are asked to spread the word. Especially sought is a proactive person who will take on the task of reviving the newcomers' seminar.
  4. Succession - Mistress Guenievre is halfway through her term, and is seeking candidates for her successor.

• B. Exchequer

  1. No report submitted; Lord Balthazar was unable to attend due to work
  2. Pavilion Coordinator
     • a. General topics - The dags are not selling very fast; in order to successfully energize sales at Pennsic and elsewhere, Lady Kassia needs an assistant to handle the financial side while she tends to matters of care, transportation, etc.
     • b. Proposed Policy for Principality Pavilion Use: (copied into the minutes without editing from the document handed out)
       • 1. The Pavilion being for the benefit of the Principality as a whole, not just the royalty, officers, or any specific group, the following policies are proposed:
         • a.) Any branch of the Society within the Principality which requests use of the Pavilion for an event or demo should be able to use it, provided proper transportation and storage (if necessary) can be found or supplied. The Coordinator(s) and the autocrat(s) of the event will work together to find a way to get the Pavilion to the
         • b.) In case of conflicting requests, the Principality Pavilion Coordinator(s) will make a decision based on factors such as, but not limited to, the proposed use of the pavilion, including any Principality activities such as moots and/or meetings.
         • c.) These scheduling decisions will be submitted to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Stallari Council on a regular basis, and will be subject to their approval.
     • c. Comments/Discussion of Proposed Policy
       • 1.) Sir Wulfgang suggested that a contract, including an inventory of equipment and a statement of responsibility for loss or damage, be signed by any group using the pavilion.
       • 2.) Lady Kassia confirmed that some damage to the roof did occur at this event due to high winds; the damage was minor and has been repaired, and storm lines will be added to prevent this happening again. She emphasized the need for careful set-up and periodic checks and adjustments of the pavilion at all events, and will write up instructions to accom
       • 3.) It was stated that should Royalty need to use the pavilion, they may pre-empt other scheduled uses.
       • 4.) Lady Kassia thanked His Lordship Richard Morgan of Cumberland, Lady Gwynnora Loveitt (Jean Darnell, Minneapolis, MN), and Lady Moraig Drummond (Sarah Folwston, Minneapolis, MN) for their assistance in many matters concerning the pavilion.
       • 5.) Sir Wulfgang moved that the policy be approved, with the additions of the contract requirement and provision for set-up and care instructions; Her Highness Isabelle seconded the motion, and it passed.
  3. Fundraising Coordinator
     • a. Lady Tarja stated that the auction had raised $798, and asked for a re-confirmation of auction proceed distribution - she understands it to be 60% to the General Fund, 20% for Their Highnesses' Travel Fund, and 20% for Their Excellencies' Travel Fund. Past minutes were not available to confirm this.
     • b. Lady Tatiana related that the griffin tabard blanks are behind schedule from the printer and have not shipped. They are expected soon.
     • c. Window Clings - 750 Middle Kingdom clings have arrived and are on sale for $5.00 each. Action on printing the Northshield griffin clings is deferred due to the absence of the Exchequer and current financial reports; this will remain an action item for the next meeting.
     • d. Lady Tatiana advanced the funds for the tabard blanks from her own funds, and needs re-imbursement. She has received no response to check requests from Lord Balthazar, and since the cash for the auction is available, she asked if she may be reimbursed from it, and stated that she will return any checks that may have gotten delayed in the mail. Mistress Guenievre moved to a

• C. Earl Marshal

  • 1. Succession - The positions of Principality Earl Marshal and Minister of the Lists are open and already have applicants. Changeover of both offices is planned for Twelfth Night in Nordskogen (January 2000.)
  • 2. Armored Combat - In general, doing well. Sir Wulfgang had to remove a group Marshal-in-Training this weekend due to complaints he had received; the individual in question will not be appealing this decision.
  • 3. Archery - His Lordship Robin Arthur Kyrke (Greg Young, Winnipeg, MAN), Principality Archer General, is doing a good job and keeping archery energized. There are no Regional Archery Marshals yet; reports go to HL Robin in any case.
  • 4. Rapier - The fencers are enjoying themselves, and have just elected officers for the new Northshield Rapier Guild.
  • 5. Equestrian - Going well in general. We are losing one authorized equestrian marshal, and Viscountess Kassandra Tenebrosa (Kristina Charron, Madison, WI) needs a replacement as Principality Equestrian Marshal, as she has completed her term. The situation is not too much of an emergency, as the Middle Kingdom Equestrian Marshal, Lady Mathilde of Jararvellir (Kim Kreuger, Madison, WI) lives in Northshield, but this must be
  • 6. Scouting - Sir Wulfgang has high hopes for and confidence in the new Principality Chief of Scouts, Lord Raoul de Boer (Andrew Barnes, Sioux Falls, SD).
  • 7. Moorish Tavern event - HE Sir Gaylen will be the Marshal-in-charge for this multi-kingdom event in Midewinde (Minot, ND), as he is familiar with An Tir and its customs. Mistress Guenievre has had questions from Midewinde regarding membership requirements for non-Midrealmers to participate in combat. As always, combatants will be required to be members of the Society. This is a requirement of Midrealm law and we cannot change it. However, Mistress Guenievre will be selling mem berships on site to prevent problems. As for different armor standards between kingdoms, the Marshals will work on that separately.

• D. Chronicler

  1. Webminister - Lady Aldiana Dragonetti (Lori Martell, Duluth, MN) is the new Webminister.
  2. Risograph - The project is on hold.
  3. Bulk Mail - The Northwatch is now being sent to the Milwaukee, WI, bulk mailing center to address complaints on delivery. Lord Roger is monitoring the progress of delivery for each issue.
  4. Subscriptions - The Northshield Table personnel have been pushing Northwatch subscriptions; keep up the great work. We are now up to 250 subscriptions for our population of approximately 1,200.

• E. Minister of Arts and Sciences

  1. Northstar Arts and Sciences Newsletter -- Sales at the Northshield table are slow, possibly due to the fact that the cover is the same color as another publication and people don't recognize it. Sales and subscriptions have been sufficient to repay almost the whole initial cost to the Barony of Nordskogen, which put up the funds.
  2. Successor - The search is going along; Mistress Libbet has a good candidate already.
  3. Northshield Arts and Sciences Faire 2000 - Inner Sea (Duluth, MN) is bidding for the Faire. We need a group to bid for the Pre-A&S Event as well.
  4. Web Page - the Arts and Sciences web page is expanding, and looks good.

• F. Polaris Herald

  1. E-mail - His Lordship Richard's e-mail is back up; he will send a test message. The address is rickandjean@isd.net.
  2. Award Modifications - There are still many award names and badges which are not registered; he is working on this. He would like active feedback, even on positive responses.
  3. Changes to Sheriffs and Constables -- His Lordship Richard suggested the "Order of the Griffin Passant," a single martial order with two levels, Sheriff and Constable. Qualifications for the orders would remain the same. People would be inducted first as Sheriffs, and then promoted within the Order should they attain Constable rank, rather than having a second induction into the same order. There would be separate badges for each level, and each would have a different style - "Sheriff/Constable of the Griffin Passant." Lord Richard noted that the current order names, "Griffin Sheriff" and "Stellar Constable," will not pass, so at very least new order names are required, although the styles of Sheriff and Constable will remain. It was decided to solicit opinions and talk with the Sheriffs and Constables at Armorgeddon about this proposal.
  4. Other Changes -- Her Highness Isabelle inquired about name and badge modifications for the Order of Persephone's Circle. Lord Richard is working on both this Order and that of Athena's Ring.

• F. Chirurgeon

  • Lady Sian has good applicants so far, and would like to designate her successor at Twelfth Night in Nordskogen to allow for training time. She will turn over the office at WWVII (July 2000.) Her Excellency Kelinda complimented Lady Sian on the fine job she has done and is doing with the Chirurgeon position.

V. Old Business

A. Officer Job Descriptions

1. Great Officers -- Their Excellencies expect roster warrants at Investiture in November, and this will be expected at each Investiture in the future. Mistress Guenievre requests job descriptions at Coronet/Investiture from all great officers, who are reminded to begin writing them (including actual duties vs. ideal duties).
2. Files - Each officer should keep copies of all correspondence, documents, etc. produced in the course of her or his duties, and add them to the file of the Office. These files should be transferred to successors when they take office, or as soon as possible thereafter. Job descriptions will also go into these files.
3. Lesser Officers - Great officers are reminded to ask their deputies for descriptions of their duties, and to discuss these descriptions as necessary. Lesser Officers should submit descriptions to their superiors early enough that the Great Officers can include them with their submissions at Investiture in November.

B. Laws/Policies Updates

1. Addenda -- Some addenda, namely the sections dealing with the Council of Nobles, were lost in the transfer of files between Mistress Guenievre and her predecessor, His Lordship Aleksandr Vasilevitch Lev of Volynia (John Kowal, Winnipeg, MAN). Mistress Guenievre will prepare this material for approval at the next meeting.
2. Officers - An addition to the current laws is planned. It will require Greater Officers to communicate with their deputies and associated Lesser Officers, rather than just with branch officers in their field. Mistress Guenievre will prepare this addition for approval at the next meeting.

C. Pennsic

1. Mayors -- Mistress Guenievre will transfer the paper work to our new Mayors of Griffin's Gate, Mistress Saexberga (Cindy Craig, St. Paul, MN) and Lord Tormod de Palermo (Jim Reif, Antigo, WI), immediately after the meeting.
2. Land - Northshield is the second-largest group at Pennsic, after the Great Dark Horde. We have 115 people pre-registered. It will be much more crowded at the new site compared to the previous site, but our Mayors are planning carefully.
3. Pre-registration problems - 15 to 20 people submitted forms to Mistress Guenievre as Griffin's Gate coordinator but did not register with the Coopers, and so we were not allocated land for them. Mistress Guenievre will speak with His Royal Highness Finn (Kevin Griggs, Cincinnati, OH), Pennsic Land Coordinator, for advice regarding this matter; he has been very generous and helpful to us

D. Spring 2000 Coronet Tourney

1. Bids - There is one bid, submitted by the Shire of Rockhaven. The event Stewards are Lord Magnus Mac Isaac Campbell of Breadalbane and Lady Ysenda inghen Sym Campbell of Breadalbane (Richard and Lara Campbell, St. Cloud, MN, soon to be of Peoria, IL.) There are two reservations about this bid - namely, that the site is expensive, and that the event steward/head cook team are moving out
2. Site - Lord Pasquale di Calamari presented an alternative site idea on behalf of Rockhaven. The Benton County Beach is available and is much cheaper; the Rockhaven Challenge will be held there and it can be better evaluated as an SCA site.
3. Rivenwood Tower - His Highness Alasdair suggested that Rockhaven consider working with the shire of Rivenwood Tower (Mankato, MN) to throw a combined event. Rivenwood Tower has a Boy Scout camp with a hall, a lake, equestrian facilities, and site rental of only $85.00.
4. Date - Her Highness Isabelle noted that Coronet dates have moved farther apart and the lengths of reigns are skewed. There are also many in Northshield who attend the Lilies War in Calontir during the middle two weeks of June, and Coronet usually conflicts with part of this event. She asks if it would be possible to fix the date for Coronet in order to address these issues. Lord Pasquale indicated tha
5. Staff Concerns - Rockhaven and the Stallari have great confidence in the skills and determination of Lord Magnus and Lady Ysenda regarding this event. However, as several members of the council attested from personal experience (including His Lordship Richard, Mistress Libbet, and Mistress Guenievre), having the event heads so far away creates many significant difficulties. It was suggested that, because Coronet is such an important and often unusually challenging event, and because we are at an early stage of the event planning, Rockhaven might look for a replacement team, or find someone in the group to perform the event steward duties with Lord Magnus keeping an advisory role and Lady Ysenda remaining head cook. Lord Pasquale indicated that there is a significant difference of opinion within the shire regarding re-structuring or replacing the event heads. He noted that there is a shire meeting on Thursday, July 15, and he will bring up this topic the re. Meanwhile, members of the Stallari will discuss the issues with Lord Magnus and Lady Ysenda. Approval of the Coronet bid was tabled; Lord Pasquale will return with more information.
6. Designation - Their Excellencies Gaylen and Kelinda asked why Coronet Tourneys are not official principality events, since the profit-sharing facet of this designation would be a great help for Northshield's meager finances. Sir Wulfgang mentioned several factors, including the perceived disincentive for groups in surrendering a portion of event profits and coordination to Northshield, as well as travel distances for Great Officers, who are technically supposed to be the d epartment heads at Coronet Tourneys. The latter point was set aside for discussion at a different time. It was mentioned that kingdom events are basically those which Their Royal Majesties attend, while Principality events as we are discussing them are concerned with finances and coordination. His Excellency Gaylen asked why these things were so important to the groups; Sir Wulfgang said that since our origins as a principality were not homogenous, but wide-ranging and independent in many ways, some parts of the adjustment to our status, while progressing, are slow. Continued education and cooperation will aid this process.

VI. New Business

• A. Law Wording Error

  • During the discussion of IV.F.3 above, Her Excellency Kelinda noted that in Northshield Law Article X-1500, the word "Consort" was incorrectly substituted for the word "Coronet." Mistress Guenievre noted this for correction.

• B. Their Excellencies

  • The Lord and Lady Heirs stated that They wish to emphasize education and fundraising during Their tenure. Her Excellency Kelinda mentioned Their desire and need to learn about Northshield's culture, and stated Their intention of looking to the Stallari as an extended household or family who are there to help Them.

• Next Meeting

  • The next Stallari meeting will be at Armorgeddon, Saturday, September 18, at 8:30 AM. Her Excellency Kelinda will provide breakfast.