An Imperator in Easaraigh

I, Eoin Mac Cana called 'Clyde', bear witness to the events that took place on a winter's eve in the Shire of Easaraigh, Kingdom of Meridies on February 23rd, 2017 Gregorian.

In the winter of A.S. LI, the good Imperator, Barthelemy, did travel in guise to the northern lands of his prosperous kingdom to visit his unsuspecting subjects in Easaraigh.

Earlier in the season, the Mistress of Winter had laid the land low with ice and snow. Through her mischief, the fair Shire of Easaraigh had to suffer the cancellation of well laid plans for a celebration in the Imperator's honor. This troubled the Imperator. This ruler is a true caretaker of his flock and desired to meet and share his generosity with all of his land. An Imperator's Will is not to be trifled with and this particular Imperator does not cow to the likes of Mother Nature.

His loyal Meridians in Easaraigh had come together to feast in jovial camaraderie with the Baron and Baroness of Glaedenfeld and other Baronial guests in celebration of neighborly friendship and to rejoice in the mild weather that had much eased the burden that the winter season tends to bring upon the land.

As the gathered settled down to their meal, enjoying the flavors and plenty that these types of events bring, the Imperator's confidant (a certain Master Alexander) did skillfully exit the hall without the slightest notice of those in attendance.

The assembled populace raised their voices in conversation and joy of a shared meal. Suddenly, in the midst of this pleasurable raucous, the booming voice of a well known herald cut though the chorus, "All Rise...".

Shock. Dismay. Surprise.

The Imperator entered.

Here was Barthelemy, the much beloved liege of the Meridians, standing in the meager mead hall of Easariagh.

The shirefolk, so unaccustomed to the royal presence, fell to silence. Here was their Imperator in all his splendor. Many held their eyes down in reverence to his bright presence (many more made a distinct effort to lift their unhinged jowls back into proper placement).

A pin dropped with a distinct 'ping'.

Their Excellencies Glaedenfeld, Griffin and Stephanie, rose and assumed positions with the Imperator. Griffin with the sword of state. Stephanie with the Imperator's sundry basket. Also, there was the clever Master of Stealth Heralds, Master Alexander.

"Here opens the court...", announced Alexander.

Dumbfounded. A royal court in a Shire mead hall? In Easaraigh?

Yes. It was happening.

The good Imperator, Barthelemy, did not only come to surprise the Easaraighains with his most pleasant company and sup with them but, He also came to raise up some of the gentry of this land in recognition for the service the hard working folk of this Shire put forth in the name of their kingdom, Meridies.

A call for the Oath was made and given.

The Imperator greeted the children and the new folks recently moved to the Shire.

He then called Meuric ap Rhys, a local illuminator. Meuric was presented an Award of Arms and a Meridian Cross to boot. Since arriving in Easaraigh from the wastes of the Outlands, Meuric has shown his worth in the production of beautiful illuminations for the Imperator's scribes for use in the recognition of His subjects.

The attendance rejoiced. A most worthy reward for a deserving man.

"Marek Arturson!" called Alexander.

With a grin reminiscent of the cats of Cheshire, Marek approached and was presented an Award of Arms. A long overdue award for a loyal citizen and friend of Easaraigh who's faced many trials to be here.

Huzzah!

Next came Lady Medb of the Wolf Dog. '..Order of the Argent Comet..', read Alexander. The Imperator spoke of many petitions from within and without that lauded Medb's generosity and sharing nature.

"...calls forth Lady Asa Kolbrun!"

Lord Eoin escorted Lady Asa to the front. A Order of the Argent Comet is presented. The Imperator regaled Asa for her communication skills and determined, hard work for her Shire and Kingdom.

More cheers and applause.

Lastly, '..Lady Ellen and Lord Eoin..'. Ellen and I met before the Imperator, basking in the royal presence. He spoke of our long service to Easaraigh. We were recognized for our efforts in maintaining his Shire through times of feast and famine. The Imperator saw our loyalty and love of Kingdom. A Grant of Arms was presented to us both.

Joyous noise.

The Imperator asked for pause and it was given.

He spoke to me directly. He spoke of my writings and how much he enjoyed my insight. He spoke of the inspiration and support they had given him. He spoke of shared ideals and belief being renewed. The Imperator granted me his Sovereign's Pleasure as 'Warden of the Northern Plateau'.

Awestruck with elation. I had no words. All was silence in my world for that moment.

The court adjourned and our Imperator joined our revelry with enthusiasm. Many congratulations and appreciations were shared in the hall over drink and delicacies.

Our Imperator shared with his people and it was good.

For my part, I have much happiness for my friends and my wife. I am still filled with euphoria as I write this. To be acknowledged be an Imperator in any way is special. It is a big Kingdom and to be brought to His attention (in a good way) is very much a rite that all Meridians treasure.

We in Easaraigh go forward on this day with a renewed vigor thanks to the efforts of a select few and one most excellent Imperator.

CORONA VULT!

Clyde's Travel Log - Meridian War College

Meridian War College

Dalwhinnie Fields, Marion, AL

Barony of Iron Mountain

February 3-5, 2017

So, late in the afternoon on Friday, February 3rd, I made the snap decision to pack my bags and head down to Meridian War College. After seeing the schedule published for the event, I thought that any marginally decent squire would be out of their mind missing it. Being a marginally decent squire...and in my 'right mind'...I talked myself into making the almost 5 1/2 hour trek from Easaraigh down to Dalwhinnie Fields in Marion, AL.

I was on the road by 5 pm and conducted an uneventful journey south down the King's road (I-59) to the lands of the Barony of Iron Mountain. Near the event site, I found refuge for the night in an Inn ran by the Hampton Family in a town called Selma. The Inn was only 20 minutes or so from site, so made for a good answer to the cold evening that had presented itself that night. By midnight, I had retired for the evening in a warm bed safe from the elements.

The Dalwhinnie Fields site is a new location for Meridians to congregate. This event was the first published event to occur there. The site is still being developed but I found the facilities and environment excellent for our activities as medieval recreationists. It is an all camping site, but there is a hall, a kitchen, a modern privy, and a designated tournament area with populace seating.

After troll, I found the fighting field and unloaded my gear. The field is still fairly rough, but spacious enough for a few hundred soldiers to wander around without being too crowded.

Before armoring, I performed a small service assisting with the royal pavilion setup under the knowledgeable guidance of THL Legio. Once that was set, I attended to my own needs and made ready for the lessons to come.

The first item on the agenda was a lecture on readiness and Esprit De Corps. Due to various factors, the cold of the previous night being a major component, the days schedule was running late. This created a relative example of the scheduled subject matter of time management and preparedness. It was addressed by our general, Sir Timothy. It was a valid lesson and well received I think. Tardiness in war is a bad thing after all. 

There were several 'tracks' in the days curriculum geared toward the main categories of heavy combatant in today's Meridian army. The categories of combatant are spear, shield wall, cav, support weapons, and archers.

I chose to stick with a 'shield wall' curriculum throughout the day. While I am an experienced shield man, I am quite rusty in the practical execution of the skill.

The first breakout session (Movement and Tactics) I attended was led by Graf Ulrich. The session concerned itself with 'Charging the Line'. His Excellency addressed charge targeting (go for the weak link), chain of command (whos in charge), charge execution/technique (practical application), and decision making (when/how to go). It was all good refresher for me (remembering some forgotten concepts) and set me up for a good train of thought for the rest of the day. A nice opening salvo.

From this point forward, one session ran into the next with only a lunch/court break. It was a rapid fire day where activity was non-stop and there was no real mandated down time. I liked it.

The first group session was a standard field melee bringing all the elements together and applying the practical application of the prior breakouts lessons. The adhoc group of Meridian soldiers was organized into roughly equal teams labelled 'Red' and 'Blue' (I might suggest 'Black' and 'White' might have been more Meridian, but I digress...). I didn't get exact numbers but it felt like we had 100 or so on the field. We fought 2 or 3 engagements with cav reserves, regrouping after contact, on the spot correction and review from our chivalry and Bears. It was very enjoyable exercise and a feeling of confidence was established in the soldiers present.

Lunch followed along with a brief court with HRM Barthelemy, HRHs Bryce and Rhiannon, Thier Excellencies Iron Mountain, Bjorn and Genevieve and visiting royalty from Gleann Abhann, HRMs Caillin and Danielle. 

After lunch, I attended breakout 2 (Fixed Line) led by Duke Kenneth on 'Surviving spears in a fixed line'. His Grace addressed the different 'types' of spearmen, A type (aggressive, dominant), snipers (patient hunters), and support (manipulators, assistants). We discussed 'team defense' concepts (protecting self, left and right) as well as opportunity attacks from the wall. He conducted some drills with us divided into two groups where we applied defense concepts and opportunity stikes. It was a good class that added on what we learned earlier without being too far off course with the material at hand.

The next group session was a bridge engagement. Red and Blue assembled at either end of a narrow corridor. Main lessons that I latched on to: how to stack the line and reinforcements, forming a cup or pocket defense, and supporting spearmen. 3 engagements were executed, but I was only involved in 2 (I got caught in a water break on the 3rd engagement).

I managed to squeeze in one pickup fight at this point with a squire named Michael whom I had never met before. We were able to get in a few passes before the next class started. My thanks to him for that opportunity.

The third breakout session (Timed Objectives) I attended was led by HRH Bryce with the support of Graf Ulrich. The subject was 'The Dynamic Wall'. The gist of this lesson was about the operational aspects of the wall in a fluid environment and a shieldman's (or shieldmaiden's) decision making process. More reinforcement of wall protection concepts along with relief in place (individual), regrouping/reinforcement tactics for resurrection scenarios and energy conservation/management.

The last group session, culminated all of the days lessons into a 30 minute resurrection fight with a point control element. This is much like what is done a Gulf Wars each year in the ravine. Red and Blue went at it with gusto for 30 minutes solid. Lots of small unit action with great communication. Communication turned out to be another subject that had subtle reinforcement throughout the day and was liberally applied with great success in the final group action without much of us realizing the improvement we had made during the days events.

At the conclusion of the day, the chivalry was called to meeting. Congratulations to Conrad and Seamus being called to vigil (I later found out).

The day was full of activity and well thought out. I found myself fairly spent and facing a long drive back home. With very little energy left for pickups and fighter practice in Easaraigh happening on the next day I decided to depart. With a few fond farewells, I packed my wagon and left for the King's Road and the journey north to the fair lands of Easaraigh.

Well met friends. Safe journey to thee!

Ld. Eoin Mac Cana, CACM
Knight Marshal, Shire of Easaraigh
Kingdom of Meridies