[Steppes] Our Thanks

[Duncan Hepburn]

Greetings to the populace of the Barony of the Steppes from Master  
Duncan Hepburn and Mistress Genevieve de Courtanvaux.

We are brimming with emotions that we wanted to share with everyone.

First off, we are glad that the baronial succession process is over  
*whew*. As any who have participated as a candidate can attest, it can  
be an exhausting experience. The barony can now focus on our future  
greatness and the fun times we hope to have as a group.

We are grateful to Sir Lasguaard, Lady Lyneya, and Honorable Lady  
Katya for recognizing in themselves that they were very suitable  
candidates, and stepping up and placing themselves in the line of fire  
with us.

We admire of the accomplishments of Baroness Katheryn and wish her the  
best as she moves forward in her mundane career and SCA pursuits. Her  
accomplishments while serving as our Oaken Lady have been substantial,  
and she leaves big shoes to fill.

We are thankful to those friends and SCA family who have supported us  
and who have pledged to continue to support us in our mission to  
follow in Katheryn's footsteps to bring greater glory and success to  
the Steppes.

We are proud to live is such a wonderful barony, where a baronial  
succession is not an ugly thing, but instead a time to come together  
as a group to support each other.

Above all (and we searched long and hard for the right word for this)  
we are truly humbled by Their Majesties selection of us and our  
recognition of the immense task before us.

We look forward to serving the barony and the kingdom in the capacity  
of Baron and Baroness. This is a busy time for us, as you can imagine,  
but we welcome any comments, suggestions, or questions from anyone.

In service,

Duncan and Genevieve