ANST - Fwd: EK: Pennsic Message from TRM Timothy and Gabrielle (fwd)

[Burke McCrory]

>Forwarded message:
>  Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1998 19:17:06 -0400
>  From: Timothy & Gabrielle Taylor <wingbear at Blast.net>
>  To: SCA East List <sca-east at indra.com>
>  Subject: EK: Pennsic Message from TRM Timothy and Gabrielle
>
>  -Poster: Timothy & Gabrielle Taylor <wingbear at Blast.net>
>
>  Unto all interested and concerned parties do Timothy and Gabrielle, King
>  and Queen of the East send greetings,
>
>   We understand why their may be some curiosity in regards to our actions
>  on the field of battle on Saturday.  Rather than let the rumor mill or
>  idle speculation carry the day, we thought it best for us to explain our
>  actions.  Please know that we harbor no ill will towards anyone
>  involved, and we are sorry that the last hours of Pennsic were tarnished
>  for so many.  Regardless of what you may suspect or believe, this is why
>  we took what action we did.  Though we consulted and had the support of
>  others, the final decision was ours and ours alone.  If you find fault
>  with it, blame us and not others.
>   On Friday, at the conclusion of the Bridge Battle, we were told by a
>  marshal that the Middle had control of the bridge closest to the archery
>  field.  Since I (Timothy) knew the results on the other two bridges,
>  based on the information available, we assumed that the Middle was
>  victorious.  However, a few minutes before the Great Court that evening,
>  we were informed that, in fact, the third bridge was in dispute at the
>  time the cannon went off.  The unfortunate timing of a medical hold that
>  required fighters to back off to allow an injured fighter to be removed
>  made it appear that the Middle had control at the end.
>   A Middle Kingdom marshal, Duke Sir Dagin, and an East Realm marshal,
>  Count Master Bjorn Karlsson, called a Marshal's Court to discuss the
>  matter.  Amongst others present at this meeting were Duke Sir Gregor,
>  the Marshal-in-Charge of Pennsic, and both HRM Kenna and her advisor
>  Duke Sir Palymar. We were told that the decision of this meeting was
>  that there was no easy resolve to the matter at hand, and that the
>  matter should be resolved by their majesties (Kenna, Gabrielle and
>  myself).  With this information, Gabrielle and I pondered all of the
>  ways to settle this dispute.
>   Before the Mountain Pass battle, we tried, to no avail to locate either
>  HRM Kenna or Their Highnesses.  The marshals started the battle, and the
>  East won a hard fought, very chivalrous battle.  When it was over,
>  Gabrielle and I , along with a rather large escort approached HRM
>  Kenna's pavilion to make our proposal.  I spoke for the two of us, and
>  said something to the effect of "Your Majesty, we feel that both sides

>  have fought too hard for the war to end in a draw.  We propose a single
>  combat between either myself, my champion or my heir and any fighter on
>  your side to decide the outcome of the battle."  To us this seemed a
>  fair and equitable way to decide the outcome of the battle.  We were
>  told flat out that the Middle had won the Bridge battle and they were
>  not going to accept our offer.  They were unwilling to negotiate.  It
>  was theirs.
>   Because of a separate, unrelated on site incident, at this point HRM
>  Kenna was in tears and Gabrielle and I decided that under the
>  circumstances everyone concerned would be better served to have the
>  Middle declared the winners of the disputed Bridge battle.  We told HRM
>  Kenna that we would accept this.  At this point His Highness Dag told us
>  he would not accept from us that which was already theirs.  Further, and
>  as far as Gabrielle and I were concerned, here was the one item that
>  truly broke the camel's back, so to speak, he stated, and I remember the
>  words exactly, "Ordinarily the Middle fights for chivalry and honor.
>  This year, however, the Middle fights to win". Considering how
>  chivalrously both sides had fought all war, and how everyone on both
>  sides had been fighting in Jafar's memory, we consulted several of our
>  Chivalry  as well as our Allies.  We agreed that leaving the field and
>  not fighting the last battle was the best course of action (though our
>  advisor's individual reasons may or may not have been the same).
>  As we were leaving, HRH Dag said several things that were insulting and
>  inflammatory.  My champion, Duke Sir Gregor, took exception to these and
>  challenged HRH Dag in my defense.  When we returned and the fight was
>  preparing to commence, he attempted to apologize for the inflammatory
>  comments.  I stubbornly refused to accept his apology.  They fought, and
>  His Highness won, whereupon he reiterated his apology and I accepted.
>   In his further defense, I would like to state that HRH Dag did come
>  over to East Kingdom Royal encampment later, in order to ensure that
>  Gabrielle and I were really not upset with him.  I told him, as before,
>  that I had accepted his apology for those inflammatory things said, and
>  told him that the insulting words were not what had led to the East
>  retiring the field. (What did lead us to retiring from the field was his
>  statement that "Ordinarily the Middle fights for chivalry and honor.
>  This year, however, the Middle fights to win," which he had not
>  apologized for and we don't feel he could since it was a statement of
>  personal belief and ideology rather than an insult that could be
>  apologized for).  I stated to him that I would not, nor could have the
>  troops return to the field.
>   There had been a few other incidents during the week that had been
>  somewhat inflammatory, but for the most part, they were either pranks
>  gone awry, or misunderstandings.
>    I certainly wish that I had accepted HRH Dag's apology for his insults
>  towards us before the challenge match, but Gabrielle and I are certain
>  that we made the correct decision when we had the troops march off the

>  field.  The war was turning into something that it hadn't been, and
>  Jafar's memory didn't deserve that.  In defense of ourselves, the
>  decision was nearly universally received by the Eastern and Allied
>  chivalry and commanders, especially those who knew all the details of
>  the circumstances. We do believe that when HRH Dag said "Ordinarily the
>  Middle fights for chivalry and honor.  This year, however, the Middle
>  fights to win" he was not speaking for the entire Middle Kingdom, but
>  his words had a drastic effect nonetheless.  In many ways, regardless of
>  how the last few minutes of the War went, both sides may be considered
>  to have won.  Certainly all the fighters and archers were having a good
>  time, and it was a war fought for Honor and Chivalry.
>
>  Setting the record straight,
>  In Service to the Society,
>  Timothy and Gabrielle
> 
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