SCA near Rice University? (fwd)

[David L. Backlin]

> >I know there are other groups scattered around the Kingdom that have a
> >definable starting point, and probably a charismatic leader, a household
> >affiliation, or a gaming group.
> >
> >What I would like to know, is what was it about these origins that these
> >people have in common?  Is it only a statisical percentage of the total
> >groups that stayed active at such a high level? Or was there something else? 
> >


Greetings unto the peoples of Ansteorra!

This missive was sent to me by another individual who asked me to explain
the origins of our home Shire.

The Shire-March of the Grimfells (Fayetteville, AR) was founded in the
Summer of 1978 by Lord Erich Hlodowechssun (now Herro Erich, I believe)
who brought the concept to this are from the Barony of Three Rivers.

I myself joined late in the Fall of that year. I can recall approximately
eight other individuals who belonged at the time. Of them, I am the sole
remaining member. Most have scattered to other corners of the Known World
and a couple have simply dropped out or "disappeared". One member, Squire
Adrian of Castle Lori (Squire to Sir John of Outman in Meridies), has
sadly passed from this realm.

Many have come and gone over the years... so many it is hard to remember
them all. One individual who joined approximately a year after I did has
gone on to make a name for himself in Calontir... that being Baron Master
Master Pavel Iosevich. Master Pavel, his wife Countess Fiona nic Allisdar,
and myself are the only ones who have remained with Grimfells over the
years.

 
In the beginning, many of us were gamers and most of us played the
Cal-Tech mutation of D&D. Over the years however, many (including myself)
have quit gaming while others have continued and some have left the SCA to
devote more attention to gaming. There is some crossover between the
groups, but not as much as there once was.


As an aside to this, many people have asked over the years: "why is
Grimfells in Calontir and not Merieies?" The answer is complicated, yet
simple. When Grimfells was founded, there were no other groups in
Arkansas. The closest group in Meridies was Grey Niche (Memphis), but
there were several groups in the then Region of Calontir that were even
closer (Forgotten Sea, Standing Stones, Three Rivers, and a couple
others). We therefore requested that our Shire be declared part of the
Middle Kingdom. It was not an easy decision to make on anyone's part.
Later, when Calontir became a Kingdom in it's own right, Grimfells was
included. 


Since those "bygone days of yesteryear", Grimfells has spawned its own
progeny in the form of the Shire of Smythkepe (Ft. Smith, AR). This group
was formed by four wayward Grimfells folk: Master William Claibourne (aka
Thomas Axehand, aka Thomas the Procurer), one of the original members of
Grimfells; his lady wife, Mistress Arianna (sp?) of Perry; Lord Dylan
Smallwood of Somerset; and a fourth individual whose name escapes me
(occasionally referred to as the "invisible founder").

Smythkepe survives to this day, though its founders have also scattered to
far corners of the Known World. Smythkepe, too, has spawned progeny, but
that, good gentles, is a story for another day.

Your in service (and reminiscence),

Lord Edrei the Quiet
Shire-March of the Grimfells
Kingdom of Calontir

dbackli at comp.uark.edu