Merry

Twelfth

Night!

Letter of Intent: Baron Takeda & The Honorable Lady Ariel Benne Douw

Greetings unto Their Majesties, Tsar Vladimir and Tsarina Kalisa from Baron Takeda Yoshinaka and The Honorable Lady Ariel Benne Douw,

We hope this missive finds you in good health and good spirits.

We offer ourselves as candidates for Baron and Baroness of Nottinghill Coill. We hope that Your Majesties, and the Gentles of our Barony, find us acceptable to serve in this position.

We both have enjoyed the Society for over twenty years and have a wide range of experiences. We hope to share that joy and experience with the populace of our Barony. We have held positions as Canton Seneschals (St. Georges and Ritterwald, respectively), are inductees in the Coill’s Champions (Heavy and Rapier, respectively), and are both members of the Gordian Knot, the highest service award in the Barony of Nottinghill Coill. Takeda has been Baronial Seneschal since September 2009 and has worked closely with Baron Geldamar and Baroness Etain.

Our goal is to continue the growth that has occurred in recent years. We would achieve this through encouraging more Events, Demos and public Fighter practices. Nottinghill Coill is a fun and active Barony. We will encourage our friends in the neighboring Kingdom to participate in Baronial activities (and attempt to start a border war with them!). We will continue to strive to make this Barony, and the Kingdom, grow.

We understand the duties and responsibilities that come with being Baron and Baroness and we have come to this decision after much reflection and consideration.

We have spoken with our respective families, friends, and Cantons, and have their full support in this endeavor. Since we come from two different Cantons we would have a larger support base and can cover more of the Baronial activities, such as Canton business meetings, A&S activities, and fighter practices which will show more Baronage support throughout the Barony. We hope you find our qualifications exemplary. We wish to build on the successful tenure of our current Baron and Baroness, Geldamar and Etain, and to continue to foster the camaraderie that we have experienced throughout our Barony in recent years. We submit this letter with all due respect and honor.

As always we remain,
In Service to the Dream,
Baron Takeda & The Honorable Lady Ariel

Baron Takeda Yoshinaka/Andrew M. Dutschke
(864) 430-5524
barontakeda {AT} yahoo.com

THL Ariel Benne Douw/Dawn Gillas
(803) 221-1427
gillasd {AT} bellsouth.net

Letter of Intent: THL Donal Oneal and Lady Milicent Shiveley

Unto the Their Royal Majesties Vladimir and Kalisa, Their Excellencies of Nottinghill Coill, Geldamar and Etain, SC/GA Regional Seneshal Baroness Bessenyei Rozsa, and the populous of our fair Barony, do we, THL Donal Oneal and Lady Milicent Shiveley send greetings.

Please know that it is our desire to be included in the polling for the next Baron and Baroness of Nottinghill Coill. In our years in this wonderful Barony, we have served as officers, event stewards, feast stewards, and have lead many workshops in the field of Arts and Sciences. We have formed many long lasting and valued friendships and learned more than we could have ever  imagined in the process.

Our goals are simple. We will act as an advocate for the populace by supporting and encouraging the growth of the martial arts, the A&S community and the guilds they have established including increasing the archery presence in our fair Barony. We would seek to increase teaching and learning activities at events and through workshops and collegiums throughout the Barony. We work well together, giving each other support and we believe the strength that we share will help Nottinghill Coill and it's Cantons continue on a positive path of growth.

Should we be chosen, we would happily put aside all personal pursuits in order to properly serve the Barony while promoting all activities and events and the great and varied skills of the populace in all areas. We would consider it a great honor and privilege to serve the populace of Nottinghill Coill, the fair Kingdom of Atlantia and the Society.

THL Donal Oneal
MKA: Donny O'Neal DRO322 {AT} aol.com
843-917-4511

Lady Milicent Shiveley
MKA: Robin O'Neal Hagatha819 {AT} aol.com
843-917-4511

Events, Demos, and Gatherings

2-4	Fall Coronation (R,H)	Marinus	Spring Grove, VA
10	Chalice of the Sun God	Ponte Alto	Leesburg, VA
14-18	War of the Wings X (R)	Sacred Stone	Boonville, NC
24	Dun Carraig Baronial Birthday	Dun Carraig	Waldorf, MD
24	Marinus Baronial Birthday and Investiture (R)	Marinus	Portsmouth, VA
31	All Hallows XXXV	Berley Cort	Courtland, VA
31	Harvest Border Wars	Bright Hills	Westminster, MD

For more event information, please visit the Kingdom of Atlantia Calendar of Events Page

Luminaries Illuminated: The History of Jonathen Hawke

I was born on Dec 2, 1159 to a Lady-in-Waiting to Eleanor of Aquitaine. My father was a Knight who refused to acknowledge my birth. Upon hearing the news of the betrayal, my young mother immediately then threw herself from a parapet. 

My maternal grandfather, who himself was a Baron in Brittany, agreed to take me, then hours-old, home to raise as his own. I was taught to read and write as well as the art of the sword and the lance. My grandfather loved me well from the first, creating a strong bond between the old warrior and myself. I learned all I knew from the knee of the Baron, and we would often spar until late into the evening.

By the age of 13, I was well-accomplished at sword and lance and knew much of the outer world. One day out hunting boar with my grandfather, I caught the notice of a young Prince Richard. Invited to join the Royal Hunt, Prince Richard and I spent several days together and eventually became life-long friends. We two often spent hours hunting and sparring together, each matched equally well.  

In 1175, I helped my friend and Prince put down a formidable revolt, exacting homage from the court of Toulouse.

I was yet again with the young Prince when Young Henry invaded Aquitaine, staying at Richard’s side - unlike those whose names I will not mention.

In June of 1191, I left with my King for the Crusades for the Holy Land. At Acre, we joined with the other Crusaders and we reduced it to rubble. Sometime later the same year, we met the Devil himself in the form of Saladin. At Arsurf, twice we fiercely fought and won, but in that second battle I was severely wounded, an arrow to the shoulder and two more – one in each leg. Dragged from the field, I regretted my wounds that prevented me from continuing the fight. As I lay bleeding, the King Himself came into the tent of the hospitaller tent to comfort me and to tell me of the outcome to the battle. He told me they were going to have to take their leave, but before going, He had a few gifts for me as a sign of our friendship and my loyalty over the years preceding. One, he granted me my Award of Arms. Two, upon the death of my beloved grandfather, I was to be granted his familial lands and property. Only then did my friend and companion bid me farewell.

I spent the next four months recuperating with the Knights Hospitallers, and at last was then sent homeward.

Upon my arrival home in August of 1193, my grandfather had a lavish banquet prepared for me in my honor. Later that evening, I was introduced to a couple and their young daughter from the Black Forest. Grandfather had arranged a marriage between the young Katyn and me. Three years later, we at last were wed on a clear and bright morning in June.

Over the next twelve years we were gifted with five children, three of whom were boys and two girls, but the last birth was especially difficult. Two days later, my beloved was gone. The babe, however, lived and thrived.

Life was not the same after 1208. My friend and benefactor, King Richard died merely a year later. Things just kept getting worse for me. We had a terrible blight that year, and a drought the year that followed. Finally, in 1211, my neighbors came raiding. My oldest saw them first, riding over the fences. He took to horse and rode in sounding the alarm. We had no time to gather in crops or livestock. It was close quarter combat. I saw my middle son go down with an arrow in his neck. The next thing I remember is having two of the enemy upon me. Daniel, my eldest, yelled for me to hold on for he was coming toward us. I keep on fighting for dear life, my arms getting sorer, my legs tired. I feel a slice burning into my right arm and the ground rising to meet me. I sense a second, cutting deep into my stomach. My blood spills out, pooling around me as my guts spew forth. As the light leaves my eyes and the very life force seeps from my body, I hear a hawk screaming high above as he circles the field below. Alas, the Hawke will fight no more.