Northern Regional and Namron

[Marthe Cole]

Mistress Claryce Rapheal Orfevre here.

First of all, I will say that these are my opinions, and not those of my husband, my protégés, my friends, my barony, or of anyone else.  Any responses, agreements, or arguments should be brought to my attention, not to theirs.

Next.  Up until the last few days I have chosen to be inactive within my home barony for my own reasons.  As a matter of fact, I did not know that Namron had even put in a bid for Northern Regional Tribute until the lists exploded.  I could have been considered indifferent to the actions of the barony.  This is no longer so. 

To the best of my memory, I can not remember a single occasion in the history of the entire kingdom of Ansteorra in 18 years where a local group (of whatever size) had an autocrat chosen for them by any outside party.  Let alone have an autocrat from outside of the local area chosen for the group.  In my entire experience of the chronicler's office (spanning over 10 years) I cannot recollect ever hearing about a group that had the autocrat selected by a regional or kingdom seneschal.

The local group has their name, their reputation, and their monies at risk every time they attach their name to an event regardless of whether the event is local, regional, kingdom, or society-wide.   Shouldn't the group itself have the right to choose who will represent them?  After all, this is the person that can and will commit the group to financial obligations or staffing requirements.

In addition, if such an unprecedented decision should be made, then by all rights, shouldn't the local group have the right to remove their name from the event???   Or, is the regional and kingdom seneschal now choosing who every group will have for an autocrat, regardless of whether the group approves of the person or not??  

Are we now living in a dictatorship where everything that can affect a group's reputation or finances now is dependent on regional or kingdom seneschals?  Has this been applied in other regions? Was the autocrat chosen by the regional/kingdom seneschalate for the upcoming coronation?  Has the autocrat been chosen by the seneschalate for the upcoming Queen's Champion?? 
If so, then why, all of a sudden, is the seneschal dictating orders to the local areas?   
If not, then why is Namron being singled out?

But it doesn't end there.  If  the group even considers pulling out, the seneshalate punishes the entire group for not going blindly along with the decisions of the seneschalate.  Is this right?

I ask you all to consider these things.  I won't argue people, personalities, or old conflicts.  I merely question whether the seneschalate is changing policy and dictating to the local groups of who will be allowed to commit them to expenses and reputations.  I also question whether this is being applied only to Namron (or the north), or whether the entire kingdom is being ordered to comply to the wishes of a few individuals.

Just my opinion,
Mistress Claryce Rapheal Orfevre

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.ansteorra.org/pipermail/namron-ansteorra.org/attachments/20010101/34f6cc9c/attachment-0002.htm>