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Dun Or News

Welcome to DunOr.org

We are a Barony located in the Antelope Valley, high in Southern California, and encompassing the geographic area from Palmdale to the Tehachapi mountains. Made up of a smaller population but mighty in our members, we are very proud of their contributions within the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA). A true valley of Kings, for our Caidan Chapter has contributed 4 of the last 7 crowned since the Spring of 2006. We welcome all who are interested in our mission as a non-profit, educational, and historical society dedicated to reliving and recreating the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

Dressed to the Pinks

by Cera ingen Taidc, OC, OLC

On October 25, 2009, the Ladies of the Rose and the Barony of the Angels hosted a tourney supporting the fight against breast cancer. An impressive array of items were donated for the raffle, including a basket of pink hued indulgences donated by the Barony of Dun Or. In the spirit of the day, fighters fought on behalf of women who have had breast cancer in the “Defending Their Honor” tournament. The fighters were blushingly bright in their pink armor and garb. All in all it was a rosy, pink letter day for all.

A Well Rounded Day

by Cera ingen Taidc, OC, OLC

If you missed Great Western War, too bad. I can’t give you the
highlights as I only day tripped on Saturday. But it was a good day to
go to war.

As with any war, there was too much to do and too little time in which
to do it all. I didn’t have a chance to see a lot of the fighting. I
caught a glimpse of the heavies field during the bridge battle. As
usual, there wasn’t much to see from the sidelines, but you could hear
the impact of swords on armor and the shouts from war units. I could
envision the crush of the two lines coming together in the center,
enthusiastically pounding through the enemy lines to control the bridge.

As for the rest, well, I was distracted by the shopping. I only needed a
quiver and some new shoes, but who can resist looking through the shops
two or three times, or even five or six? And when you are shopping you
are going to bump into friends. Kelan was chatting with a crossbow
vendor. He was supposed to be looking for prizes for a Rapier
tournament, but you can’t get through merchants row without stopping to
catch up with friends. Domnaill was, well I’m not sure what Domnaill was
doing, he was chatting with a friend outside of the stall of a ceramic
merchant. I’m assuming he was watching the dog while his wife was
shopping for a mug, but Beathog had already moved down five stalls. For
that matter, Beathog was chatting too. I see a correlation here.

I bumped into some other friends in the artisan’s corner. Denewulf and
Belaset have been encouraging the bardic arts at wars since I first met
them. For years they’ve been running the Open Arms Bardic Hall and it is
really starting to take off. Their hall featured a shaded stage and
seating for a small audience. Every time slot for Saturday had been
filled by bards who were eager to perform. The hall was open walled,
everyone was welcome to drop by and listen. I caught three performances
that day. My favorite was the sing-along bardic orchestrated by Clair cu
Buidhe. I had forgotten how much fun it was to jam with friends.

The main reason I had gone to war that day was to attend the handfasting
of a good friend of mine. For those who know me, you know that I’ve
essentially crawled under a rock for the past couple of years. Blame
Rufus for making me come back out. Rufus and Reyna shared their vows in
a ceremony that was both beautiful and touching. The couple practically
glowed with the love they felt for one another.

I was lucky to be there for another special gathering. That afternoon
Caidans gathered to bid farewell to our friend, Kolfinna kottr. The
memorial was a tearful, sad, funny, and inspiring tribute to a wonderful
person. I think the most important thing that I took away from that
afternoon was that “Kolfinna isn’t dead, she’s just not here.” Those
words came from her mom and they give me the most comfort. But there was
another memorable quote, “Kolfinna will always be with us and she wants
us to party.”

The events of that single day seem to symbolize the best parts of being
a member of the SCA: fighting, shopping, friends and memories. I regret
having been away as long as I have and regret the experiences I have
missed. But I’m comforted that the SCA is always there, and even if I’m
not, I carry it and my friends in my heart.

(note: eventually pictures will be posted in the gallery. I’m having some technical difficulties, namely I have more enthusiasm for the job than technical expertise, please have patience.)

Uncle Or Wants You!

by Cera ingen Taidc, OC, OLC

The officers pages have been updated and guess what!?! The Barony has some vacant seats that need to be filled. Here’s the perfect opportunity for you to help!

The open offices are:
                                  Constable, 
                                  Deputy of Archery (under Marshal), and 
                                  Deputy of Rapier (also under Marshal)

Contact your seneschal (seneschal at dunor dot org) to learn how you can serve your Barony.

There is quite an amount of pending news in our desert lands…. A compilation here with more updates coming:

* At the foremost, The Great Western War Memorial for Duchess Kolfinna Kottr will be on the armored combat field at 2pm. A vigil pavilion will be at the Early Period Alliance Encampment through out the war.

Per Duchess Kolfinna’s family, there will not be a separate service.

* The Dun Or Anniversary was a golden success with many honors, remembrances, and awards given and received graciously.

Dun Or Anniversary’s new champions:
Heavies: Duke Sir Sven
Rapier: Duchess Sir Kolfinna Kottr (fought for by Baron Laertes Blackavar McBride)
A & S: Sir Donte

Awards:

For service: Sir Andrew Baird and Lady Khalida al-Khansa received L’Ordre de la Tour d’azure et d’Or (Order of the Gold and Blue Tower) (augmentations)
Baroness’ Favor: Lady Khalida al-Khansa
L’Ordre du Serpente Vert, Order of the Green Serpent: Baron Don Colyn mac Labhruinn and Hyoo of Dun Or

* For the Kingdom Travel Fund, the Dun Or donational bake sale raised $48.00. Huzzah and well done!

In other news:

* Sir Andrew Baird will be soon serving at the Kingdom Level (as of 12th Night). THL Ciar ingen Dáire will be taking up his Baronial Duties. We thank him for his dedicated service and wish him God speed on his new Caidian journey.

* Council Meetings are held every 3rd Sunday around 5pm at El Torito Restaurant, in Palmdale. We meet in the back area of the bar. For this month Council will meet October 18th.

* Date and details TBA, in April 2010 Dun Or will host a donational tournament in honor of Her Grace Duchess Kolfinna.

* In 2011 Darkwell will be resurrected! Details TBA.

And your footsteps will always fall here
Along Dun Or’s desert hills
Your candle’s burned out long before
Your legend ever will……
 
“It is with deep regret and much sorrow that after getting permission from Sven, I pass on that Duchess Kolfinna will lose her brave fight with H1N1 today, Oct 1, 2009. We all feel a great loss but Kolfinna’s family asks that her friends refrain from coming up to the hospital. There will be a memorial at Great Western War and there will be more information on that and final arrangements posted on the website later http://www.kolfinna .sca-caid. org/ — Thank you. Viscountess Lorissa”

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