Letter of Intent send by Lord Sympkyn of the Moor and Lady Elyna Delynor to Their Majesties Steffan and Branwen.
Unto Your Royal Majesties, King Steffan and Queen Branwen, and the populace of Ildhafn and Cluain do Sympkyn of the Moor and Elyna
Delynor send greetings.
We ask that we be considered as candidates for the next Baron and Baroness of Ildhafn.
From Sympkyn
While I have only been in the SCA for 4 years I have been involved in medieval re-enactment in the UK and NZ for almost 23 years. When I moved to New Zealand I wasn't sure what would happen to the hobby I had spent many years participating in. My first SCA event was St Catherine's Faire and on arriving it was like stepping back into the groups I had spent many years with in the UK.
I am involved with archery and I am an authorised target archery marshal, and am authorised in rapier combat. I am also passionate about music, dance, and games, and as a result both Elena and I have
been made Guildsmen of Ildhafn. I take a lot of pleasure in many aspects of living history camping and sharing what I have learnt over the years with others.
While I have held no formal positions in the SCA I have been involved in the running of a number of groups in the past and I have a good understanding of what it takes to get things done. I have also
assisted in the running of SCA events, normally in an informal manner, and I am organising the meal plans for the upcoming Labour weekend living history camp, and was in charge of entertainment coordination at Mid-Winter Coronation.
From Elyna
My introduction to the world of re-enactment was through metal weapon combat about ten years ago. Since then I have been to many multi-group events and been exposed to multiple aspects of the hobby, from horse-care to brewing, and discovered with joy that there are innumerable ways in which our hobby can appeal. There is so much to try!
The organised side to the SCA appealed to me, as it meant things actually happened, practices and regular events. I joined nearly 4 years ago. I now run the local music sessions and have volunteered as
deputy-steward for an upcoming event so I can learn more about how things are organised. I have also discovered that there is pleasure to be found in accuracy of living history, be it costume or other
aspects, and I take pride in the reputation that Lochac has earned for this.
I have presented harp workshops at past events and believe very strongly in music as an inclusive hobby… music is to be shared!
Sympkyn and I are both proud to be members of the Guild of Silver Rondels, as both dancers and dance musicians, and enjoy adding spontaneous music and dance to as many occasions as possible.
From us both
We feel that we work well together as a team and a couple. We each bring different and complementary skills and approaches to the things we do.
Events in Ildhafn & Cluain can vary in degree of formality depending on the occasion. We feel that it would be appropriate to structure courts in a manner that is relevant to the event. It is not always necessary to have a lot of ceremony, but sometimes it can be fun!
At the moment we both try to be as involved as possible in activities taking place at events. Were we to be chosen as Baron and Baroness, we would not intend this to change.
We would like to see the music and dance, for which the Barony is already getting a reputation, continue to be an area that we enhance. Encouraging other aspects of Arts and Sciences is also important to us and we would like to facilitate the continued growth and sharing of skills.
Within the martial arts, we would like to see a resurgence of our both our heavy and rapier fighters and the continuation of the prowess of our archers.
To be Baron and Baroness is to serve the populace of the Barony. As such we would strive to recognise the contributions of all members of the Barony and to make all members, both new and old, feel welcome and valued.
Within the existing structure of the SCA, there is ample scope for inclusion of new members and we see this as a priority. The benefit of our hobby is that there are so many aspects with which to get
involved, and differing degrees to which people wish to ‘play’. We hope to help everybody to use their unique perspective to enrich both the Barony and the Kingdom.