[Steppes] Baronial Letter of Intent

[Valerie Kelley]

Unto the good gentles of the Steppes do Kadi Abd al Mahdi Jamal ibn Hakim and his ladywife Contessa Valeria Richila Navarro send Greetings:
 
Many long years have we been members of the Barony of the Steppes and like all the rest of you basked in the glory of this most excellent Barony and the radiance, beauty and wisdom of its leaders. Such leaders are the stuff of legend, Allemandus,Exeter and Ann Louise, Robin and Adelicia, Thorkel and Kalida, Edwin, Fritz and Katrin.
 Now it has come time to choose another to join this long line of luminaries. To that end we, Mahdi and Valeria, do humbly submit unto the members of this barony the letter of intent sent to their Majesties Ansteorra.
 
 
                                                                        September 2, 2003
 

 

Unto their Stellar Majesties Ulsted and Cateau, King and Queen of Ansteorra, doth Kadi Abd al-Mahdi Jamal ibn Hakim and Contessa Valeria Richila Navarro send greetings.

 

            It is our hope that this missive finds your Majesties in fine spirits and good health.  It is with a great deal of consideration and forethought that we offer our names as candidates to succeed their Excellencies Fritz and Catrin as Baron and Baroness of the Steppes. When their Excellencies announced a month ago that they would be stepping down from their positions on the upcoming Twelfth Night, we took the time to reflect not only upon the fine job that they have done, but also upon the possibility of assuming this important leadership position.  While there were a few personal reservations about taking on this responsibility, we came to realize these reservations were essentially selfish.  Mahdi has recently (last month) assumed the position of Oakenwald Herald, a job that he greatly admires and looks forward to performing to the standards set by such notable as Master Daud, Mistress Adelicia, and Baron Borek.  He also covets opportunities in the future to be again win
 Steppes Warlord, something he has done only once.  These reservations, however, pale in comparison to the honor and prestige that goes along with being leaders of the second oldest barony in the kingdom.  And it is a position that comes with tremendous responsibilities.  Responsibilities that we can very well understand

 

            Our experience within the kingdom, we believe, is well documented.  Mahdi has served as a local officer in both the shire of Emerald Keep (Minister of Arts & Sciences and Herald) and the Barony of the Steppes (as Knight Marshal).  He has also served as Central Region Knight Marshal.  Valeria has served the Barony of the Steppes as Minister of Arts and Sciences.  Each of us has also served as autocrats of local events (Mahdi at Emerald Tourney and Valeria at Steppes Artisan).  

 

            We have also earned several awards of note in our years in the SCA.  Valeria has been gifted by the Crown with an Award of Arms, two Sable Thistle (in Entertaining and Period Gaming) and a Sable Comet (for work with the Shire of Emerald Keep).  She is an accomplished list mistress and has worked to train others in this craft.  Before the Ansteorran College of Bards was disbanded, Valeria had been elevated from a Journeyman to a Second –Class Bard.  She has won individual competitions in Elfsea, Steppes and Bordermarch, as well as once becoming Titled Bard of the Shire of Middleford.  Valeria has also participated in four Kingdom Eisteoffeds.  Mahdi has been gifted with an Award of Arms, a Sable Falcon, a Sable Comet (for work in the Shire of Emerald Keep), the King’s Gauntlet  (from HRM Michael of Monmouthshire) and has twice served as King’s Champion (for HRM Michael and HRM Duncan). HRM Kein deemed it fit to elevate Mahdi to the rank of Knight of the Society for
 Creative Anachronism.

            It was through Valeria’s inspiration that Mahdi was able to win a Crown Tournament of Ansteorra, and together we served Ansteorra as King and Queen.  During our reign we were blessed with hard working officers and an adoring populace.  We had the fortune of leading our troops against our honored friends from Trimaris during Gulf Wars.  So impressed were we by the actions and deeds of our people that we were able to sign into Kingdom Law the awards of the King’s Battle Ribbon and the King’s Archer.  We were also blessed to serve as Ansteorra’s representative during the inaugural coronation of the Kingdom of Artemesia. We presently attend to our roles as Royal Peers by fulfilling any responsibilities given by Their Majesties.

 

            We feel that we would bring to this position the ability to speak in public as a team, having complimentary speaking styles. Having shared the throne of Ansteorra, we fully understand the responsibility of meeting the needs of the populace. Having had the opportunity to conduct a search for a baronial head for the Barony of Eldern Hills, we are quite aware of the requirements of leading a barony. While the positions of Crown and Barony appear similar, we know that people sit on the Kingdom throne do so for a relatively short period of time while those on a Baronial throne are in it “for the long haul”.

 

            We place our credentials into your capable hands and look forward to not only consulting with you but also in hearing of your decision on this matter.  Should you deem us worthy, we would look forward to serving this kingdom and barony in such a capacity.  Should you choose any of the other worthy candidates, we would continue to serve in our present positions (pleased all the while that Mahdi would still get the chance in the following years to try to take that elusive Warlord title. J

 

 Sincerely yours, in service to the Dream,

 

 

 

Abd al Mahdi Jamal ibn Hakim                                Valeria Richila Navarro