Message from Sir Riccardo di Pisa

[Baronman at aol.com]

My Dearest Friend- Sir Ricardo
           It is with the greatest joy to hear once again  your inspiring
words.  It seems like years ago that I sat at a Candlemas feast, as you slid
across the floor on your knees, and delivered the most awe inspiring sermon (
sorry- no religion alowed- diaribe) to assembled guests, in a valiant call to
war.  I remember telling my wife , that if I did that (slidding across the
floor on my knees), I wouldn't be able to walk for a week from popping my
knees out of joint.  Unknow to everyone assembled, that's exactly what you
had done to your knees (popped them out).  
         I stood across from our mighty foes in the  Battle of the Gulf Wars,
and I have the T shirts to prove I was there.  I have a T shirt  for every
Gulf War but this last one.  Much to my shame, I was not present.  I was
caught in the middle of my mid-term exams at the U of H, while trying to
break the land speed record for a Masters in Literature.  This is my reason,
not my excuse.  I justified my absence by saying that in the past we always
had so many fighters at the war that they surely won't miss me at this one.
 I was terribly wrong!  Next week is our Baronial Champion Tourney.  The
Crown will be present, and I don't know how I am going to face the King, and
explain to him why I wasn't at the War.
       As to where the fighters are, I cann't answer.  At one time in our
Barony, we could field 14- 16 fighters from the Loch, today maybe 4-5.  My
own knight  ( Sir Rurik) doesn't even play that much anymore, although there
were rumours about him winning Lyoness.  They must have confused him with
some other good looking dude. ( Are you reading this Rurik?)  Many of our
fighters have either moved away or quit fighting, and there are not the new
people coming in to replace them. What the answer is, I don't know. From what
I have heard and read, concerning the War, it sounds like the Northern part
of the Kingdom was well represented , with alot of the Southern missing.
 Perhaps one day when we can put all of this damn regionalism away, then we
can truely put on a unified front at the War.

Your long lost brother in beer,
 Baron Bors of Lothian
  ---------------------------------------------------------------
  Par Deu, bel sire, cist est de ae vostre lin,
  Et si mangue un grant braun porcin
  Et a dous traitz beit un cester de vin.
  Ben dure guete deit il rendre a sun veisin.