Greetings unto Their Royal Majesties, Their Royal Highnesses, Landed Coronets, the good nobles and gentles of the Middle Kingdom, especially the Barony of North Woods, and all who hold interest in these matters from Áindle Ó Diarmada and Alianor bat Asriel, current Territorial Baron and Baroness of North Woods.
We humbly and boldly present ourselves once again for consideration to hold the lands of North Woods in fief for the Crown of the Middle Kingdom.
We began our current term with the intent, desire, and willingness to invest of ourselves, ourtime, our talents, and our resources to elevate and to represent the Barony of North Woods in a manner befitting the Premiere Barony of the Middle Kingdom and by so doing, to serve the Kingdom and the Dream. Our intent, desire, and willingness have not changed.
Two years into our term, the Known World was besieged by a pandemic which disrupted life and the activities of our Society. It is our feeling that we did not get to serve the Crown, the Barony, or the people to the extent we desired because so much was put on hold during the ensuing shutdown.
Over the course of the pandemic shut-down and the subsequent re-opening of our Society, it was inevitable that changes would occur. Some have already happened, some are revealing themselves as we write this, and we are certain there are more to come. We have welcomed new members and had to say farewell to others. Some farewells were due to illness or loss of life and others were due to inactivity, finding other interests, and unfortunately, burn-out. We are very aware that the immediate path forward is likely to be challenging and we feel up to this challenge. We are excited to see what the future holds for North Woods and to be active participants in that future.
The uniqueness, strengths, and focus of each of the Cantons of North Woods is important to the Barony. We support the Cantons of North Woods in all ways possible. We offer our time, talents, resources, and presence at every opportunity. Though the individuality of our Cantons has been a treasure for the Barony, we also encourage cooperation and cohesion within the Barony. We have experienced the disbanding of Altenberg due primarily to the exhaustion of human resources. This is not a problem unique to Altenberg. We believe the strength of the Barony going forward will lie in the willingness of the Cantons to support one another under the unifying Banner of the Barony. The recent cry of “One Midrealm!” has been heard throughout the Kingdom! This did not hail the demise of the individual Baronies and Shires of the Kingdom, rather it is a recognition that we are in it together and need to encourage a “one for all and all for one” mind set. It is time for North Woods to howl “One North Woods!” with pride, enthusiasm, and hope for the future.
In A.S. LV we were excited to begin our 50-year celebration. This too was interrupted and postponed by the pandemic. North Woods Golden Dream – 50 Years was successfully celebrated in November A.S. LVII. It came together with the help of folks from all over the Barony and beyond and could not have happened without this cooperative spirit. We were honored to host all the former Coronets of the Barony, excluding Baron Thorvald who was unable to attend due to health, as well as guests from long ago and far away. The fellowship and sharing of stories was beyond anything we hoped for and we learned so much about the history and richness of North Woods. We all became witnesses to the pride and history of North Woods – of One North Woods – and the part it has played in proud service to the Kingdom and The Dream.
We would very much like the opportunity to continue serving the Barony of North Woods as we emerge from the pandemic and move forward into the next 50 years of history. We believe we can offer an experienced, supportive, encouraging, welcoming, accepting, and active leadership for the Barony. We will strive to continue to present North Woods and ourselves in the best light possible by listening to the concerns and opinions within her borders and responding to them with considered and constructive advice and a positive attitude. We will continue to represent North Woods honorably and honestly to the Crown and to convey the words and wisdom of the Crown to the edges of her borders.
North Woods is a formidable entity populated by amazing people. We would be proud and honored to be entrusted, for a while longer, with the care and representation of this most noble Barony.
ABOUT US
Áindle Ó Diarmada
- Pursuivant/Herald for Wealdlake in (2002-Date)
- Herald-at-Large (2019-Date)
- Pentemere Fenris Herald (2016-2018)
- Webminister: Wealdlake (2003-Date) and North Woods (2007-2015)
- Event Steward: Wealdlake’s Herald’s Pointe/Scribal Collegium (2008-2017)
- Event Co-Steward: North Woods Golden Dream – Celebrating 50 Years
- Rapier Marshall: Warrant status – Current
- Authorizations: Armored, Seige, Rapier
- SCA Awards:
- Award of Arms (Apr 2007)
- Purple Fret (Jun 2010)
- Order of the Willow (Nov 2014)
- Cavendish Knot (Jun 2017)
- Dragon’s Heart (Nov 2018)
- Augmentation of Arms (Jan 2022)
- Baronial Awards: White Wolf, Northern Stars: A&S (2), Martial (1), and Service (4)
- Other Activities:
- Archery, Thrown Weapons and Darts
- Áindle is also very helpful around events, pitching in when help is needed in the kitchens, with set-up and tear-down, and running general “OMG” errands.
- SCA Hobbies: Wood working, cooking, collecting the stories and history of North Woods, taking classes
- Outside of the SCA:
- Mark has a Master’s Degree in Information Assurance from Eastern Michigan University, holds CISSP certification, and is a member of Infragard and the SANS Institute. He works for the State of Michigan (MSHDA) and is a Webmaster (pro bono) for several 501c3 groups.
Alianor (Aliyah) bat Asriel
- Historian/Archivist for Wealdlake (2005-2014)
- Midrealm Scribe (2008-Date)
- North Woods A&S Champion (2014)
- Member of 1st Pennsic A&S War Point Team (2018)
- Apprentice to Mistress Dulcinea Maria Magdelena von Muhlberg y Aguilar
- Minister of A&S: Wealdlake (2013-2019) and North Woods (2015-2019)
- Event Steward: Ale to the Victors (3 times), North Woods Golden Dream – Celebrating 50 Years
- Event Co-Steward: It Takes My Child to Raze a Village (4 times)
- SCA Awards:
- Award of Arms (Apr 2007)
- Purple Fret (Jun 2010)
- Order of the Willow (Sep2013)
- Order of the Dragon’s Heart (May 2017)
- Evergreen (Nov 2019)
- Augmentation of Arms (Gold Quill – Sep 2017 and Beacon – Jan 2022)
- Baronial Awards: White Wolf, Northern Stars: A&S (3) and Service
- SCA Hobbies: Scribal work, teaching, cooking, sewing, research, decorating veils, and Aliyah’s
- Aromatics (which include Bruise Butter and Sore Muscle Rub)
- Outside of the SCA:
- Marilyn has a BA from the University of Michigan. She has been a stay-at-home mom and a working mom in food service, retail service, and been a before and after school latchkey/enrichment director and substitute teacher. For the last 21 years she has worked as a chiropractic office manager in Brighton.