Minutes from 1-30-2005 - Twelfth Night

Stallari Meeting -Sunday, January 30, 2005
Nordskogen 12th Night

Present: HRM Siegfried (Chris Kalmbach); HRM Bridei (Lorece Aitken); HRH Tarrach (Dave Horvath); HRH Fina (Lorine Horvath); Caradoc Llew Du ap Morgan (Ross Quinn- Davis), Law Clerk; Maol Mhichil mac Gille Pheadair (Michael “Mikey” Scott Shappe), Herald; Katriona ni Chonarain (Katherine Kretchmar), Council Secretary; Sayf al-Qamar Tarik ibn Abdullah (Chuck Burton), MOAS; Elashava “Shava” bas Riva (Sue Gilbert), Seneschal; Margalit Medicus (Jamie Feldman), Chirurgeon; Friedrich von Augsburg (Jim Hoehn), Chronicler; Aleksandr Vasilevych Lev of Volynia (John Kowal), Emergency Deputy Seneschal; Anne Geoffreys of Warwick (Nancy Cumo-Schmitz) Emergency Deputy Exchequer

*Denotes action item:

1. Their Royal Majesties
2. Their Royal Highnesses
3. Seneschal
4. Exchequer
5. Chronicler
6. Chirurgeon
7. Herald
8. *Laws - Proposed Changes to Northshield Laws (Shava’s note: All proposed law changes have been approved by Society Seneschal.)
9. Marshal
10. MoAS
1. Midewinde's petition for baronial status
2. Shava was approached by a representative of Schattentor on a similar question of advancing to Baronial status but they are in no hurry. They have been encouraged to discuss the same questions that are being asked of Midewinde. A meeting will be held at Quest for Camelot and other groups in the area will be invited.
3. Allocation for $5000 from MK
4. Guilds
5. Patents for Royal Peers
6. *We need feast gear, as do TRH. Referred to Regalia Committee
1. No copy was sent to Seneschal
2. There will be a meeting at Une Fete, moderated by Julio Gal’van, Deputy Seneschal for New Groups & Transitions. The purpose of the meeting is to look at levels of activity and membership for approximately the last 5 years, encourage the process, answer questions, find out group’s motivation for wanting advancement, and get a feeling for what will happen next.
1. Received, intended for travel.
2. *It was agreed that $4500 would be split between TRM & TRH’s travel funds and the remaining $500 would be allocated for officers’ travel.
1. Leave unofficial. See law changes for rewording of protected terminology.
1. These are protected ranks at the Corporate level. We do not need to do anything to protect the rank in other kingdoms.
1. Award - Great Bear of Northshield; (something analogous to the Lion of Antir; Limited to one or perhaps two per reign, and to be for significant, enduring contribution to the culture of Northshield
2. Proposed addition to Law: Laurels and Pelicans who choose to swear fealty may wear medallion suspended from gold chain. Members of the populace who choose to swear fealty may wear the populace badge depending from a gold chain.
3. Random choice for Crown Tournament
4. Financial Plan for Northshield (Is there one? If not, we'd like to get started on creating one.)
5. Peerage websites and award recommendation database: What progress has been made? Timetable for implementation?
6. Book of Ceremonies - when available?
7. Quest for Camelot - bid for Kingdom event status
8. Inter-kingdom event with Calontir
9. Battlefield tent for Pennsic (20X20; $400)
1. Suggestion to use term “essence” rather than “culture”.
2. The Council liked the concept
3. *Mikey will talk to Aryanhwy about researching a name and making suggestions to TRHs
1. Not going with this implementation – please think about other ways of recognizing those in fealty/service
2. Possibly mantle? Pectoral collar? Other ideas for different personas?
1. Would like to allow for alternate tournament styles such as the first round being a challenge round.
2. Proposed law change (see laws section of minutes)
1. This is a priority for our reign
2. *Need to start a financial committee of 6-8 people preferably with modern experience. TRH will put in Northwatch letter
3. Please keep thinking about
1. Sir Aaron of Buckminster (Rusty) has been working on a combined Peerage website, beta-testing version with permissions. Hoping to have up and running this reign
2. Mikey has asked for the Midrealm code for the online award recommendation site for now, he can tweak it later.
1. *Richard of Cumberland, Minister of Protocol has written many of the ceremonies. TRH will check with Richard for progress of Book.
1. *They need help in special areas of expertise relating to kingdom offices and at front gate. Please read the bid that was posted to Stallari e-list by HrRH and offer consultation/advice/people who can help.
1. Unlikely that Armorgeodden will become an official inter-kingdom event.
2. Silfren Mere has volunteered to set up a joint war maneuver with Heralds Hill in Calontir. This would not be an official interkingdom event, at least this year. Profits split 40% per kingdom, 10% per shire
3. To make an official inter-kingdom event, Society policy must be followed.
1. In the past, NS fighters have shared the MK shade pavilion but that is not possible now.
2. We will rent one this year and collect donations. Any overages collected go to Griffin’s Gate Fund.
1. Seneschallate Policies
2. Althing/Officers’ Day/Town Meetings
3. *Media Relations at the Kingdom
4. State of the Kingdom/Domesday summary distributed
5. Mandatory 3rd office or not
6. Access to membership lists
7. Bids for Fall Coronation & Crown
8. Reporting Schedules
1. 2nd weekend restrictions & 150 mile rule have been published in the past
2. *Zip code policy & Change of Officer will be published in the March Northwatch.
3. All policies will be posted on the NS web-site
1. Want to have Althing and Officers’ Day at least every year, every reign would be nice but unlikely
2. Town meetings can be held at other events when it is determined that a specific topic will benefit from a face-to-face discussion
3. Best to be when Crown can be there, prefer all of Stallari if possible
1. Need to create a Media Relations position based on new Society policy. This will be a Deputy to the Seneschal. (see laws section). Will advertise in Northwatch.
1. Discussed on e-lists, resounding “NO” to requiring herald in shires/cantons
2. *Need method of monitoring that there is a third office. Shava will check with Teffan, Clerk of Warrants, and Wulfric, Webminister, to see if there is a good way to track this.
1. Membership lists are now available on Excel, so the data can be sorted.
2. Shava is getting list monthly
3. There is also a new tool available from Corporate that allows individual lookups by name or membership number. It is not set up for NS yet, though.
1. *Received 2 bids for Fall Crown in October--one from Coldedernhale and one from Castel Rouge. Both are good bids, tough choice. Coldedernhale was chosen and Shava will contact both groups..
2. Received incomplete bid from Mare Amethystinum for Fall Coronation in September, which is in rotation and a full bid from Rockwall, which is not in rotation. Delay decision for one month pending more complete bid from Mare Am. Shava will contact both groups. (Shava’s note: Rockwall has withdrawn their bid since they had promised the site and the hotels that a decision would be made by February 4.)
1. Can we get different officer reports in sync?
2. Corporate has very different deadlines, so probably not.
1. Kingdom of Northshield financial policies have been approved by BoD – YAY!
2. New policy concerning coins from Corporate
3. Travel funds
4. Reimbursements
5. There was a meeting about Tor Aerie at 12th Night and they are out of suspension
6. Bank accounts - name change status
7. There have been a lot of group exchequer changeovers recently.
8. There are new Corporate procedures for gate reconciliation at the end of an event.
9. Preliminary Domesday was distributed.
10. Proposed 2005 budget was distributed.
1. We will leave as is for now, with the recommendation that the levels be increased sometime in the more solvent future
2. Officers can submit receipts when they need to for possible approval
1. *Seneschals & Exchequers Symposium: Tarja and Shava will be going. Approved reimbursement of hotel (approximately $215.82 for the two nights) and airfare ($275.80 for Tarja and $253.20 for Shava) with receipts. Tarja will be reimbursed immediately and Shava will turn in receipts after Symposium.
2. Crowns – Done with reimbursements!
3. The last of the throne receipts were received yesterday at 12th Night.
1. Signature cards need signing again, will send to appropriate officers
1. Some numbers are still coming in
2. Depreciation was calculated incorrectly for a long time up through 3rd quarter, now adjusted
3. The majority of the income for this year was donations of regalia
1. Domesday summary
2. Event Advertising Options/Issues
3. New Society policy concerning copyright issues. It was published in February Northwatch
4. Calendar deadline has been moved to the 1st of the month, which is the same as the Northwatch deadline.
5. Website developments – there have been many changes
6. Webminister Compliance issues/warranting.
7. Website issues
8. Kingdom Chroniclers' Symposium (May 21-22, Knoxville)
1. Need to work on compliance
2. Budget is looking good
3. "Unofficial" issue at Korsvag
1. Not actually a problem because it is not an SCA publication. The seneschal will not report it in the future because it is an NDSU Medieval Society publication.
1. Groups need to get ads in on time and correctly
2. Online calendar submission form has changed
1. Online Calendar
2. Groups database / Link to Clerk of Warrants
3. Reworking for consistency
4. interface
1. There have been things on websites that shouldn’t be. How strict do we want to be other than copyright? For now leaving open
2. What makes a site "official"?
3. What do we do if they don't comply with warranting requirements? One link has been removed from Northshield webpage, but what else can we do?
1. Trying for uniform look
2. Moving towards officers being able to edit their own pages
3. *MOAS page will move to main NS page
1. Attendance is required by Corporate
2. Council approved reimbursement of airfare and hotel
1. Quest for Camelot
2. Suggestion for a non-armigerous combat support award. Discussion pointed out that if there were an award for this then other specific disciplines would want their own, etc. Better to give out cookies.
3. Working on the handbook
1. Not many Chirurgeons on that end of the kingdom
2. *Need a kit for the event and a local person to hold on to it during the year.
3. Chirurgeon-in-Charge will need logistical support from autocrat
1. Castel Rouge was suspended and now is reinstated. Aleksandr agreed to take the office until the group comes up with a new Herald in their own proscribed manner.
2. Only 5 groups dropped Herald’s office when new policy that doesn’t require the office was implemented.
3. 83 warranted heralds in kingdom
1. In I-200, delete "The Kingdom Clerk of the Roster" from the list of Lesser Officers, which was mistakenly included. Add "The Kingdom Media Relations Representative" (see 5a. below)
2. Amend I-300 by adding "Royal" to the list of restricted terms and extending the restriction to names of entities. Change from:
   I-300 The "Stallari" or "Stallari Council" consists of the Royalty and the Great Officers.
   Use of the name "Northshield" or "Kingdom" to suggest Kingdom sponsorship or sanction or that an event is a Kingdom-level event, is the prerogative of the Crown after consultation with the Stallari Council.
   to:
   I-300 The "Stallari" or "Stallari Council" consists of the Royalty and the Great Officers.
   Use of the name "Northshield", "Kingdom", or "Royal" to suggest Kingdom sponsorship or sanction or that an event is a Kingdom-level event, or in the name of any guild, household, or any other group is the prerogative of the Crown after consultation with the Stallari Council.
3. Amend I-700 to specifically provide for the case where a Society mandate requires implementation of a change in laws. Change from:
   I-700 Should the majority of the Stallari Council believe a change to statutory law to be substantive, the Crown must publish the proposed law change in the Northwatch and allow one month from publication for comment before proceeding.
   to:
   I-700 Should the majority of the Stallari Council believe a change to statutory law to be substantive, the Crown must publish the proposed law change in the Northwatch and allow one month from publication for comment before proceeding. When necessary to comply quickly with a Society directive, the period for comment may be shortened, postponed, or canceled.
4. Amend III-500 to permit the Presiding Royalty (the Crown Prince and Princess until Their coronation, the Crown thereafter) to pair the combatants in a nonrandom manner for the first round of Crown Tourney, with the consent of the Stallari Council:
   III-500 The Presiding Royalty will devise the format of the Crown Tournament, including any further restrictions upon entrants and their consorts. This information will then be published in the Northwatch at least six weeks prior to the Crown Tournament. Once the combatants are chosen, the pairings will be randomly drawn.
   to:
   III-500 The Presiding Royalty will devise the format of the Crown Tournament, including any further restrictions upon entrants and their consorts. This information will then be published in the Northwatch at least six weeks prior to the Crown Tournament. Once the combatants are chosen, the pairings will berandomly drawn, unless the consent of the Stallari Council is obtained beforehand for an alternative method.
5.  Add a new Lesser Officer under the Seneschal, in compliance with a directive from the Society level, by adding a new law:
   V-3180 The Media Relations Representative is a lesser officer to the Seneschal, responsible for the image of the Society and the Kingdom to the outside world, and should be able to reflect our goals, purpose for existence and the finer aspects of achievement. The Media Relations Representative is also responsible for those duties specified in the appropriate Society policies
6. Add "The Kingdom Media Relations Representative" to the list of Lesser Officers under the Seneschal in I-200, to follow "Kingdom Youth Minister".
7. Add a new law describing necessary officers for a Barony. Add:
   VII-440 A full set of officers for a Barony is defined as a Baron and/or a Baroness; a Seneschal; a Herald; a Marshal for at least one variety of martial activity; a Minister of Arts and Sciences; and a Chancellor of the Exchequer.
    
1. The change is meant to clarify that the Crown in Council, being responsible for the use of Northshield's name as much as other elements of its heraldry and reputation, necessarily has the authority implied by the responsibility.
1. Obviously, a Society/Corporate directive overrules Kingdom law, including the law on how we change our laws. This amendment simply points out that this may affect the length or existence of a comment period.
1. It's worth noting that "random" pairings in what has been the traditional manner only apply to the first round. This amendment gives the Crown greater latitude in how the initial round is set up. The requirement for general agreement from the Stallari as a whole gives the Heirs/Crown a chance to get advice on potential problems with an innovation.
1. Without this list, a Barony's "full set" of officers defaults to a mirror of the Kingdom's Great Officer set. This amendment limits the requirement to the positions named.
1. Handbook updates
2. Experimental weapons updates
3. Sidesword project
4. Youth program(s)
5. Warranting GMITs from here out
6. Switching deputies
7. Seige combat is now a separate authorization from combat archery (per Society).
1. Equestrian already passed
2. Rapier has now passed
3. *Expect 2 more this week from Society and the last two to be sent up to Society this week.
1. Rubber axe heads are now experimental
2. *Fiberglass arrows will be experimental after the criteria for their use has been written up.
1. Sidesword experiment has stopped for now because the Society Marshal feels it is unsafe and inconsistent
2. The BoD has given one month for clarification of reasons for shutting it down. Otherwise it will be reinstated
1. TRH would like to move rapier to 14 and up fighting with adults and heavy 16 and up fighting with adults as per Society minimums.
2. *The SCA legal committee has been asked to look at it.
3. The suggestion was made that maybe a minor participant who wishes to do this would work one year with the youth program first. This is something to think about.
1. Eastern Regional Armored Combat Marshal is now Adrien de Troyes
2. Field Marshals are now Gauis Niklos Luctator and Lyulf MacDougal, working together
3. Chief of Scouts is now Robina M'Baine
1. SUN (Stellar University of Northshield) proposal
2. Possibly shifting report deadlines from Jan 15 and July 15 to June 15 and Dec 15. Will talk to Society MoAS and come back with more info.
3. *A&S Faires/Competition--Looking for advice on whether to move ahead continuing to use the MK model until furhter notice or do we scrap that and implement something completely different. Would like input from Stallari and need input from Crown/Heirs. Want to be very careful about setting up precedent.
1. It was agreed that it would be good to set up a database of teachers and other resources.
2. Mairghread ingen Sean is now deputy
3. Not going to be detailed like a modern university
4. *Will advertise for a Chancellor for SUN

Next meeting will be Sunday morning after Crown Tournament in Shattered Oak.