[Cynnabar] Archery GM in Cynnabar

Fri May 2 01:16:42 UTC 2014

To the Barony and especially to Lady Godaeth,

I sincerely apologize for misunderstanding Lady Godaeth’s originally message to me. Lady Godaeth’s message below clearly sets the record straight and I am sorry for any confusion or undue strife. 

-Finn

(your embarrassed) Seneschal

From: Barony [mailto:barony-bounces at cynnabar.org] On Behalf Of Elizabeth Calhoun
Sent: Wednesday, April 30, 2014 6:36 AM
To: barony; Cynnabar Seneschal; Fred; Karen; Greg Granger; Hannah; Art Sinclair
Subject: Re: [Cynnabar] Archery GM in Cynnabar

Unto Their Excellencies and Their Excellencies' most worthy Populace:

I want to thank everyone for their concern regarding the circumstances of my "resignation" --  in fact the email I sent our Seneschal, Their Excellencies, and the Foresters and our Group Marshal in Training asked that I be considered "on leave."  I have not resigned!  I took an Oath to the Populace at wassail 2012 and I have not asked to be released from it.  There are no dire circumstances prompting me to be considered "on leave," only the recognition that I need to begin the stepping-back process as GM and letting others, namely Lady Agnoletta, our Group Marshal in Training, come forward.

I am deeply embarrassed and sincerely apologize for any confusion.

Second, and most important, I'd like to address the nature of archery in Cynnabar.  Forester Dillon's range has always been, by his intent, "neutral ground" and his practices open to anyone who wishes to attend them.  His range is not specifically "Cynnabar territory" except that the presence of a "lawfully" warranted Baronial GM provides that *for the archers of the Barony.*  

>From Dillon's opening of his range until March 2012, Mistress Giovanna circulated the weekly announcements of open practice at Dillon's range and suggested that people interested in archery should go practice.  It was her hope that a contingent of Cynnabar archers would thus form.  (This from emails available in the Baronial email archive.)  Obviously, Mistress Giovanna was not the Group Marshal.  She was simply making known that there was archery practice available to the Populace.

Forester Dillon's range will continue to be open to all and any who wish to practice, including anyone from Cynnabar.  He does not assume a Baronial identification as does Master Nigel's range at Hawkland Moor, also privately owned and the site of the Northwoods Baronial Archery Championship (yearly at Smurf Shoot).  ALL are welcome, from any branch, and we do have several out-of-towners practice on Sundays.

Third, and this is just my opinion:  many groups have Captains or Champions of Archery which is a station unrelated to being a Group Marshal.  Group Marshals are warranted: they inspect tackle, submit reports, and so forth.  (At Pennsic it was assumed that Aeffe and I would be in charge of inspecting all the Baronial archers' equipment, an assumption we did not know about until it was explained to us by the then-Kingdom AG at the time, Mistress Roewynne.)  Champions embody the militia leadership of the archery company.  Nothing says that the two can't be one and the same!  But obviously, a branch might be too small to have its own range or GM, but still have a champion to gather the community of the branch's archers around him or her.

And in all honesty, if I, as GM (and hope to be until Closing of the Range, despite my leave-of-absence) had to identify ONE archer in Cynnabar to be Champion, it would be Lord Eachann de Barde, who won outright the Tapping of the Keg competition two years' running at Ale to the Victors, and whose courage in the face of a nearly-mortal stroke only resulted in a transition from hand-bow to cross-bow with no diminution of accuracy and achievement.  

THAT is the Spirit of Chivalry embodied in an archer.

In Service Still, I remain:

Godaeth, archer

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