[Elfsea] Fwd: [Barony] Why Go to Gulf War?

[Paul or Galen]

And now, a brief digression from our immediate troubles, courtesy of Sir
Pendaran, via the barons' list.

Begin forwarded message:

> From: twinoak at prodigy.net
> Date: Fri Nov 16, 2001  03:37:25 PM US/Central
> To: barony at ansteorra.org
> Subject: [Barony] Why Go to Gulf War?
> Reply-To: barony at ansteorra.org
>
> Greetings One and All,
>
> As the year comes to an end, it is time for many of us
> to begin planning for and making time off requests at
> work for the next year.
>
> I know that many of you are already planning to attend
> Gulf War in the spring, and that many of you are
> thinking about it. There are probably a lot of folks
> who aren't seriously thinking about Gulf War, but who
> don't have any major conflicts preventing you from
> going.
>
> You can stop reading this if you're already planning
> to attend the war. If you haven't made up your mind
> yet, I ask that you stick with me for a bit and let me
> convince you why you should go to Gulf War.
>
> So, why should you go to Gulf War? To fight? Sure, but
> I'll get to that in a minute. Instead, think about the
> chance to get away from the mundane world for an
> entire week. Imagine that: Living in the Dream that is
> the SCA for a week. No bills, no dot com lay offs, no
> Taliban, just the friendship, camaraderie, honor and
> pure escapism that brings us back to the SCA over and
> over again. A week never seemed so short. Come to Gulf
> War and see what its like.
>
> How about the shopping? Been looking for that special
> trim or piece of armor or hat or crossbow or piece of
> jewelry or mug or, well whatever? If its an SCA item
> and you want it, chances are its at Gulf War. The
> merchant's area there is amazing and its half the
> distance of Pensic! Come to Gulf War and you'll see
> that its all there.(And no, I didn't get a kickback
> from Iolo for the crossbow reference. :-)
>
> How about the fighting? Nah, let's forget about the
> fighting for a minute. How about the spectacle. Ever
> seen eight or ten of the Crowned Heads of the Known
> World on horseback enter the grand opening ceremony?
> Have you ever seen the voice of the Ansteorran Crown
> shame that of Their adversaries and draw the swelling
> pride and applause from the crowd? Have you ever seen
> all of the landed nobility of the land, arrayed in
> their finest clothing with banner and pennants flying,
> all marching behind their King and Queen? Come to Gulf
> War and you will.
>
> Did I mention fighting? Wait, I'll get there. What
> about the Arts & Sciences? Have you ever seen an A&S
> competition pitting the very best artisans in two
> great kingdoms against one another? The calligraphy
> and illumination, the clothing, the stained glass, the
> weaving and the other breathtaking items must be seen
> to be believed, and they can only be seen at Gulf War.
>
> But that's just the static competition. What about the
> bardic arts? Have you ever seen performers who made
> you laugh. made you cry and made you sing along with
> pure joy? Have you seen King Henry's army route the
> French at Agincourt? I have, and I saw it at Gulf War.
>
> What about the parties and the general fun of it all?
> What about sitting around your camp with old friends
> and meeting new friends from different kingdoms? What
> about the grand spectacle of court and the pure, silly
> fun of the kamikaze party late on Wednesday night?
> What about the myriad of bardic circles and the
> roaming from camp to camp and the hafla in the middle-
> eastern camp? You know where you can find all of this:
> Gulf War.
>
> There are all of these wonderful things to see and do
> and there's even fighting to go along with it. I have
> seen such feats of honor and such feats of heroism at
> Gulf War to know that heroes tread this world. I have
> seen Ansteorra boldly take the middle banner and hold
> it against all of Atlantia and Trimaris. I have seen
> Calontir hold our gate and save our castle against
> incredible odds. I have seen our archers stop an
> enemy advance with their deadly feathered shafts, and
> I have seen mighty heroes stride across the field like
> giants. I have seen might time tournaments lit only by
> torchlight. I have seen battles in field, ravine and
> castle and seen greater feats than told of by Homer or
> Mallory. I have seen flashing rapiers route the enemy.
> I have seen the skill of our cadets far outstrip that
> of the enemy Dons, and seen our Dons held in awe by
> the enemy - and I saw it all at Gulf War.
>
> Greetings Cousins,
>
> I ask that you please post this to your local lists.
>
> With many thanks,
> Pendaran
>
>
> So if you're thinking about going to Gulf War, stop
> and think instead of what you'll miss if you don't go
> to Gulf War. Years from now, when the bards and the
> skalds and the poets tell the tales of Gulf War XI,
> you will want to be able to nod you head and say "Yes,
> I was there". But you can only do that if you go to
> Gulf War.
>
> I remain in service to Crown and Kingdom,
> Pendaran
>
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>

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