ANST - Memories of Sir Riccardo

[PKieferjr]

In a message dated 98-03-17 20:09:56 EST, you write:

<< The first is one that many people, old and not so old, all share.  After
 winning Kingdom Warlord once many moons ago, Riccardo travelled the kingdom
to
 whip up fervor and enthusiasm for the upcoming war.  Riccardo would stand up
in
 court or at feast, and he would begin what you might term the Ansteorran War
 Revival and Holy Roller Incitement of the Black Star Warriors.  Picture it:
 Ricardo striding back and forth across the hall, preaching the war like an
old
 time gospel tent preacher, his eyes gleaming, the crowd following and
chanting
 at his direction.  The first dozen times Riccardo did it, I literally laughed
 until I cried.  But even many years later when I'd heard it for the umpteenth
 repitition, it had the power to move me as well as others.  Riccardo was able
 to take his own enthusiasm for the war, his own love of combat, and whip the
 crowd to a frenzy so that they felt his intensity and fervor and desire as
 well.  In this one field of performance, not even Ragnar Ulfgarsson could
outdo
 Riccardo.>>

While I have never experienced this particular speech, I do remember that
particular style given when I heard that Riccardo was enduring a battle with
cancer.  Believing that he would die soon, he gave the same type of
performance as his way of saying "goodbye" to his fellow Ansteorrans.  This
occured at Candlemas during the first time that it was held at St. Thomas
Moore Catholic Church on RM 620 near Austin.  It drew a rousing applause.

Of course, he had won that battle, just as he had won so many other battles
before.  The cancer went into remission.
 
 << Lastly, I will always recall the Candlemas some years ago where Riccardo
cooked the famous Italian all-you-can-eat-then-we'll-feed-you-some-more feast.
 Riccardo in his apron, fussing over diner after diner, encouraging them to
eat
 "just a little more" even when we were all stuffed and about to die of too
 much fantastic food.  This was still the best feast I've ever attended, and I
 never eat Italian food mundanely anymore without finding that it does not
hold
 a candle to Riccardo's wonderful cooking.
  >>

That was my first Candlemas event (in fact, the first event that I had ever
attended), when it was held at the Shriner hall in the Decker Lake area.  Yes,
I did get stuffed to the gills, but I enjoyed a great meal in the process.
As I recall, I believe he recieved an award right then and there for his
"culinary" skills, which I thought was well deserved.  My favorite dish was
the lasagna (I'm a sucker for lasagna).

Other than this, I had seen him pop up at our local fighter practice in Bryn
Gwlad from time to time, so I cannot say that I knew him personally. This,
along with not having known Master Wm. Blackfox personally, are among some of
my regrets, but life does go on, and so do I.  I'm sure Riccardo would have
preferred it that way, being the embodiment of life itself.

Lord Johann Kiefer Hayden  (Paul E. Kiefer, Jr.)
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