Jun 12

University of Citadel

SCA 101 Course Series

Staring on June 17th, 2018 at Military Gamer Supply 1121 Larry Mahan Suite A, El Paso, TX, 79925, at 6:00 pm Sir Berold the Baronial Historian will be teaching a series of classes on how to SCA wether you’re a New Commer or a Veteran.

Classes will be every Monday at 6:00pm at MGS (except for the 2nd on day of the month) for 6 weeks followed by the 201, 301, and 401 series.

University of Citadel Course List

101 Classes

1 – Overview & Introduction to the SCA

2 – Heraldry & Persona Development

3 – Fitting In & Getting Acquainted

4 – Who’s Who in the Society

5 – Arts & Sciences

6 – Combat & Martial Endeavors

(These of course are better attending in the order listed)

101A- Continuing Participation

Includes – Volunteering 

 Practical vs. Period Melding

Becoming an Officer

The Courtesy of SCA Life

Includes – Court Etiquette

    Feast Etiquette

    Camping Etiquette

201 Classes

1 – Desert SCA

2 – Largess Preparation

3 – Shoes & (other) Accessories

4 – Electronics & Photography: Boon or Bane

301 Classes

1 – Households & Other Affiliations

2 – Dependents

3 – Peerage: The Carrot & the Donkey

401 Class

Becoming “Landed” or “Royal”

Citadel Newcomer Class Schedule

Class #1 – Overview and Introduction to the SCA      Monday, June 17, 2019 6:00pm

What exactly is the SCA and how did it come about? Where do I go and who do I see about joining, interacting and participating…

Class #2 – Heraldry & Persona Development​         Monday, June 24, 2019 6:00pm

This class will introduce the newcomer to the various items of heraldry and awards in the Society and more specifically to the Kingdom and Barony in which we reside. Persona development will be explained and how it, and heraldry, is extremely useful to those in the Society.

Class #3 – Fitting In & Getting Acquainted​          Monday, July 1, 2019 6:00pm

This class will cover the etiquette of the Society including behavior at camping events, at feast, at court and during events in general.
Honor, chivalry and courtesy, the pillars upon which our Society are based, will be used as examples in explaining many of our rules and customs. Manners and hospitality will be discussed.

Class #4 – Who’s Who in the Society​​          Monday, July 15 17, 2019 6:00pm

This class will introduce the newcomer to the Society in its’ social form and the hierarchies one will find within it. 
Groups within the Society such as Households, Guilds, Troops and other groups will be discussed along with the pros and cons of joining or not joining said groups. Also discussed will be the creation and status of “dependents” (a term I use) – squires, provosts (students), men-at-arms, apprentices & protégées (students).
Other questions addressed will include – what is a Peerage and how is it attained? How does one become “the Crown”? Why do the Royals get special treatment? These questions and those like them will be discussed during this meeting.

Class #5 – Arts & Sciences​​​        Monday, July 22, 2019 6:00pm

The possibilities for newcomers to explore in the Arts & Sciences in the Society are almost endless. This class will start the newcomer on the road to enlightenment on where to go to begin!

Class #6 – Combat & Martial Endeavors​​       Monday, July 29, 2019 6:00pm

This class for newcomers will cover Heavy Weapons Combat, Fencing, both Target and Combat Archery, Thrown Weapons and Siege Weapons. Marshaling for these activities will be covered.

Jun 10

Tablet (card) Weaving Class

Reading a Pattern

7:00 PM 18 June (Tuesday) at the Baronial Estate 10512 Saigon Dr, El Paso, TX

Our teacher Edmund will be doing his last class on tablet Weaving please come and join us as he teaches a very awesome skill to put under your belt. We will look into how tablet weaving patterns are constructed and read. We will look at simple patterns and more complex ones. If there is time we will discuss continuous warping.

Jun 02

Baronial Letter for June 2019

Unto the populace of the Citadel of the Southern Pass,

Greetings! May has passed into June and we haven’t been forced to consume the minstrels (RE: Monty Python and the Holy Grail), although it isn’t winter yet.

Although there has been much rejoicing!

Looking into Our Recent Past

May was a great month and we accomplished many things thanks to all of your hard work and effort. THL Edmund hosted a Tablet Weaving Class that functions as a series of A&S events with some of our members doing some amazing things as a result.

Dolores is doing an amazing job

and they’re Citadel colors!!

We did Outlandish and Clann Wars as a Barony and it was a ton of fun. Both events are always a great time and this year was no exception. It was encouraging be with the crew from Citadel that attended and fully participated representing us all very well. Thank you again to all who made these events extra special.

Tons of great fun was had on and off the battlefield

Fighter practices are up in attendance and this past weekend we hosted two; one on Saturday and another on Sunday. We had a total of 18 unique fighters between lights and heavies across the two days. If we get these numbers consistently we will be ready to take the fields in the name of the Stag Crown as a fierce force of fury and might!

Special Boroughs of the Citadel Met Up

Boroughs are an unofficial thing made by us, and we’re experimenting with it here in the Citadel. I know, not very Italian, but I figured I’d reach across the channel for some inspiration to Medieval England. The Boroughs here in Citadel are meant to be special groupings in a location, specifically, Fort Bliss and UTEP. Each Borough now has a Deputy Seneschal who operates as the Point of Contact for those locations to help us understand their unique needs and considerations as a military installation and a university campus, respectively. Dominus Caledonius and Lady Caitriona will be stepping up to help us figure out how to generate interest and activity for these locations along with all of the wonderful gentles who attended our lunch meetings. I learned a ton and I even work on Fort Bliss!

In Our Immediate Future

Outlands Herald and Scribes Symposium was this past weekend, but other than that, June is generally a light schedule for us as the Summer begins its violent conquest of our backyards and open areas. As a result, most of the events on the calendar are in the North, which is okay for us because that means our weekends are open for looking inward towards the Barony and nearby to our amazing Southern Outlands neighbors for some of the more regular practices and workshops.

Lady Rita has handed off the reigns to our new A&S Minister, Albrecht the Wanderer (aptly named), who has returned to us after a stint in Trimaris. Look for the calendar to be populated with A&S classes for this month and beyond as he gets settled into his role. Lady Rita has done a wonderful job building our A&S community and we remain dedicated to making sure it stays strong in the future.

SCA 101 classes with Sir Berold are starting up! Mondays at 6 PM will be for those newcomers or some of us more veteran folks who want to learn. After SCA 101, head on over for Calyx Harmoniae just down the path a ways to participate in the choir or listen in on what they’ve got brewing for us.

There Will Be Friction; but We’re a Team!

As I continue to roll out my plans for the future, I acknowledge that there will be some friction in how we do business. It is inevitable in any group that something will get lost in communication and especially while we’re working to ensure that we achieve some next level coordination. Things will start feeling much more business like around the Officer Corps, but I want to make sure everyone feels comfortable, included, and valued.

We are a team; Team Citadel! As I’ve stated several times, if you come to me with something that would be better served by an officer, I will ask you if you’ve spoken with that officer first. This is not to shut you out, but it is to empower our officers to take care of the programs and offices they stepped up to lead. In your SCA experience, this may not be how it has always worked, but understand that I’m not trying to distance myself from all of you wonderful people. It might feel a bit weird at first, but I assure you that once we get this machine running I will have way more time to spend being among you and doing everything I should be doing as a Baron.

The exception to this whole effort of course is that if you have business with me, you should always feel free to approach me. I’m not going to hand you off to a secretary or a member of the retinue to schedule an appointment or some such nonsense, but understand that if I redirect you to an officer with your question or idea, it is because they are much more empowered and focused to handle that matter.

Officer and Populace Meeting Times

The current consensus within the Officer Corps and in my mind is that we will strive to make our monthly meetings make the most sense time wise leading to a regular effort to hold Officer Meetings on the 3rd Thursday of the Month and then Populace Meetings on the 3rd Saturday of the Month. The locations may change, so please keep an eye on the official Baronial Calendar as this will always be the source of the most correct information. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc. are not official sources, so please keep an eye on that calendar.

Not Distant, but Not Immediate Future

Coming up in July is Battlemoor and then in the Fall things start cooling down temperature wise, but start heating up for us. We have Fall Coronation, St Edrik’s and Hastilude to look forward to and as part of that we need your help! The bid for Fall Coronation will be submitted this week thanks to Domina Julia and Dominus Caledonius submitting a package. I also have interest expressed in 12th Night and an event coming up in April of 2020 that we’re hoping to have more information on coming soon. St Edrik and Hastilude still need bids, so please get those in to me at coronet@southernpass.org as soon as you can.

In Closing

Something in Citadel stirs and we are building up to a major movement that will see many new faces and opportunities. I ask that you continue to work as hard as you have in supporting this Dream. In everything we do, no matter how many great ideas or passionate acts we may conduct, you, the people, are always our greatest resource.

Yours In Service to Our Dream,

HE Bernardo dei Medici
13th Baron of the Citadel of the Southern Pass

May 31

Tablet Weaving Class

Section 4: How to Read Pattern Graphs

Friday May 31, 2019 will be the second part to the Tablet Weaving class series. Please join us at 3309 Nairn St. El Paso, TX 79925-4125 at 7pm.

We will start with section 4 and talk about how to read pattern graphs. We will also introduce continuous warping.
If you missed the first class read the first three sections of the handout (in the files located in the official Facebook website) and construct your own backstrap loom. Do the exercise patterns at the end of section 3.

May 22

Help Wanted: Rapier and Social Media

Rapier Marshal Wanted

Short Job Description for Rapier Marshal

Greetings to the Populace of the Citadel of the Southern Pass. We are looking for a Rapier Marshal to help run the light fighting in the Barony. The Marshal does not have to be of a particular skill level or even a rapier fighter; the main job of the Marshal is to ensure the program is being run safely, effectively, and within the confines of the guidance from Society and the Kingdom.

You are helping to run the Baronial Rapier program, but also are appointed by and report to the Kingdom Rapier Marshal.

How to Apply for Rapier Marshal

If you are interested in helping out as Rapier Marshal, please send a Letter of Intent that includes your Legal Name, SCA Name, SCA Member Number, and SCA Membership Expiration Date in the opening remarks. Following that information, please explain any SCA experience and mundane life experience that would help us make a decision regarding your application for the position.

Send that information in an email to coronet@southernpass.org, seneschal@southernpass.org, and rapiermarshal@outlands.org.

Social Media Officer Wanted

Short Job Description for Social Media Officer

For the Social Media Officer position the focus is on ensuring the presence of the Barony on social media is handled within the requirements of the Society and the Kingdom at the most basic level. The SMO has the ability to generate content and open up avenues to enhance the presence and reach of the Barony in tandem with the Webminister, Chronicler, and other Officers.

In the same way that the Rapier Marshal reports to and is appointed by their Kingdom counterpart, the same is true for the SMO. With social media being such an important part of our web presence, there are a lot of exciting opportunities to learn about some of the latest technologies and methods that can translate to personal and workplace benefits.

Special Incentives for Social Media Officer

Similar to the way that I offered to teach the latest techniques, methods, and technologies to the Webminister candidates, I am also offering to teach how social media marketing and campaigns can be used to enhance your resume for future job applications. Holding the position itself can be included on a resume for your job hunt or to enhance what you can offer your current employer for potential promotions and opportunities.

How to Apply for Social Media Officer

If you are interested in helping out as the SMO, please send a Letter of Intent that includes your Legal Name, SCA Name, SCA Member Number, and SCA Membership Expiration Date in the opening remarks. Following that information, please explain any SCA experience and mundane life experience that would help us make a decision regarding your application for the position.

Send that information in an email to coronet@southernpass.org, seneschal@southernpass.org, and socialmedia@outlands.org.

May 22

May Signoria

Good evening Citadel!

We started the meeting at 7:06pm with populace remarks- Monica and Eloy are wanting to start merchanting and will need guidance.

The Baron would like the future to be a time of growth and vision. This is a 5-10 year plan, not an immediate plan. There are things about his plan that will take some time to come to fruition. The Citadel will start up Burroughs, that is little suburbs on Fort Bliss, UTEP, east side and west side of El Paso. These Burroughs will allow for more targeted recruiting and activities. Each area has its own culture and we need to begin recognizing and celebrating those cultures.

The officers’ reports should be posted to the website no later than the 10th so that all the officers ad populace have a chance to check out the reports before the meetings. We are no longer reading out the reports at the meetings. Baron Bernardo will be posting a YouTube video on how to post to the website and he is requesting anyone who needs an account to contact him or the Webminister to get set up.

The youth program will be needing anyone interested in helping to contact Jessa (phoenixnest915@gmail.com) to get that process started. All adults working with children need a background check- this is free to you- and to be in the presence of another adult not in the same family at all times.

Heavy fighters had about 6 fighters and 1 new fighter in April. Rapier averages 5-7 weekly, archery averages 40- 12 of which are SCA weekly. No injuries to report for any of the marshalled activities.

Overall, the chats on the Citadel discussion FB group are a hit. There is plenty of chatter in them all and ideas are flowing. A&S is in need of more people and more reporting back to the A&S Minister monthly.

The herald reports that the choir badge and award for youth activities is pending. The populace is asking for a database/spreadsheet of the submissions so they can see the progress.

The exchequer is pending 1st quarter report and change over to the incoming exchequer.

Chatalaine office is pending, there is interest in the office with Monica.

The webminister, Cath, is still looking for updated pics for the website.

We are looking for event stewards for all the upcoming events, please see specific post regarding this from Baron Bernardo. We are going to run a joint event for St Edriks with Nahrun- the Trials of Edrik October 19-21. Hastilude, we are looking for either a solo steward or to cohost with Mons at Badlands. Coronation is coming up in November, please submit proposal letters ASAP.

May populace had a total of 43 attendees, some members of the general public were spotted around the edges of the event and participated in the archery after court.

Scribal demos are in the works at Literarity and the Art Center on Yandell It would be a benefit to the store and to the SCA to host at these locations.

Clann Wars in Nahrun May 17, followed by Outlandish the weekend after. Battlemoor and the Guard Azure Tournament July 9-14 are upcoming.

Attendees: Monica, Eloy, Carlos, Brandon, George, Elie, Rita, victor, Bruce, Thomas, Scott, Jessa, Claudia, Constance, Cath, Jack

Close of business: 8:30pm

May 20

Calling For Event Stewards

Coming up this year and into the next we are looking for members of the populace to volunteer to be Event Stewards. The following events are up for bids:

– St. Edrik’s*
– Hastilude* (also looking to include Southern War Collegium)
– Fall Coronation
– 12th Night (Early January 2020)

Once we secure bids for those events, we will open up the calendar even further.

What is Required for Initial Event Bids

The initial bids require an event site proposal, rough budget, initial list of event team staff, and a proposed list of activities. Please also include what you see as your qualifications to act as Event Steward(s). Feel free to include as many people in your initial proposal who have agreed to work with you to host the event.

*events already have event sites tied to them, so you may skip that part in your proposal or offer alternative sites if you feel that you have the perfect one in mind.

Event Bid Submission Process

Please send proposals to Seneschal@SouthernPass.org and Coronet@SouthernPass.org by 1 June 2019. You may submit multiple proposals, one for each event; we encourage you to rank order most desired to least when submitting proposals. Event Stewards who are chosen will be notified by the Seneschal or the Baron for each event and will be given the appropriate paperwork to fill out and have signed.

New Event Proposals

For any new events, please use the same process including a proposed set of dates. Please note that we are not looking to add anything at this time. However, we are always open to recommendations and will consider your proposal seriously as it deserves our attention.

May 14

What You Need to Know – Youth Ministry

It Takes a Village … or a Barony

Greetings, Citadel!

“The Youth are our Future.” I hear that a lot around the Barony, the Kingdom, and the Society at large, so to me that means that it’s important, not only to me, but to a lot of you. In order to ensure our Youth are taken care of, we need to invest time and energy in doing the right thing. Corpora outlines what some refer to as the “Two-Deep Rule,” meaning that any time there is a Youth activity, we are required to have two background checked adults who are not related to or living under the same roof together. This is to protect our children as much as we can in accordance with sound practice, but also to help out as a team.

Background Checked

I would ask that anyone who brings children to SCA events, to help out with your own and group activities. That means we need to get background checks accomplished. It may sound daunting or even expensive, but the great news is that it is completely FREE.

The Outlands and the Society will take care of your background check and Their Majesties and the Kingdom Seneschal have made it clear that they will do whatever they can to support growth in Youth Activities. The first step is to get background checks done for more members of our populace.

All you need to do is submit the following information to our local Seneschals at Seneschal@SouthernPass.org to get the ball rolling:

SCA name:
mundane name:
group: 
mailing address: 
email: 
phone: 
member # and expiration date: 

This is the information that the Seneschals need to send to Kingdom

Back to That Whole Village Thing

Now that we’ve got the admin stuff out of the way, we need to dedicate ourselves to working together to bring about compliance with these requirements. The Two-Deep Rule is a minimum and a requirement, but we shouldn’t be scrounging for volunteers in a Society built upon Courtesy and Service. Even if you don’t have children yourself, you’re interacting with future Barons and Baronesses, Peers, possibly even future Crowns. I plan to be around this Dream as long as I can, so it’s not far fetched to think that some day one of our currently active youth could step up as Baron or Baroness here in our Barony. We want them to grow up with the right ideas about Honor and Chivalry, Courtesy and Virtue.

Having said that, I will be taking on Pages as Retinue in the various areas of the SCA including Martial, Service, and A&S. We have Youth Champions, but we can’t stop there. There are youth dying to get involved in combat and while we can’t fight or have them join us on the field, there’s nothing stopping us from teaching them the mechanics or having them Herald or act as runners. I have seen some excellent examples at Crown Tournament and other events.

It Begins and Ends with Attitude

If we see Youth as an opportunity, it will grow as an opportunity. If we see it as a hurdle, it will most definitely become a hurdle for us. Youth doesn’t have to be a separate thing, it can be integrated into a lot of our activities. The SCA is a family friendly organization and that should be a good thing, not any sort of burden. If we approach Youth is an attitude of how to make it work, then we can only see positive dividends.

May 07

How to Find the Kingdom Newsletter

The Outlandish Herald

The Kingdom’s Newsletter is something that serves as a central hub of all the official information about events, officers, and many other useful things. Ever had a question on when and where an event was going to be? Most of us just rush over to Facebook to look, but the official record is out there on the SCA website for you to find it. It’s pretty easy to find once you know where to look for it. Keep in mind, though, that you have to be a member in order to log in and get your own copy.

Our Quest Begins at SCA.org

Your journey begins by simply clicking on this link or by typing sca.org into your browser’s URL window up top.

Click on Publications, then Kingdom E-Newsletters then BAM, the rest is easy

Once you’re at the website, just hover over Publications on the top bar. Once the menu appears, click on Kingdom E-Newsletters. It will prompt you to log in with the same information you use to manage your membership and take you right to a list of all the kingdoms. Just click on Outlands and you’re done. The Newsletter will either load into your browser for viewing or ask you to save it to your computer/device.

There’s Some Cool Stuff In There

There are articles, event listings, and some sweet pictures that I haven’t seen anywhere else. The article in May 2019’s edition has an awesome poem from Their Graces with some hidden subtext in it. It also has a letter from Their Majesties that they submitted before stepping up. It also lists all of the officers from the Kingdom, local groups, and the landed Barons and Baronesses. If any of it is wrong, you should email the Chronicler at Chronicler@Outlands.org.

Make Sure Your Group’s Info is Right

As I said, you need to make sure your group’s info is up to date as well. This ensures that others in the Kingdom are in the know about who is what and where and how and when and why … or something … The OH as it is affectionately known is a great resource and we should be using it as much as we can!

May 07

A&S Class: Tablet Weaving

Citadel’s Arts and Sciences (A&S) Classes Series

Monday May 13th, May 31st and to be aunnounced June 10th, 2019 will be a class taught by THL Edmund will be teaching table weaving. This class will be held at Lady Rita’s house, 3309 Nairn St, El Paso TX 79925-4125, from 7pm to 9pm. There is a “Tabletweavingclass.pdf” found on our files section of the Citadel group please download and print to better help each other prepare for the class.

The schedule is as follows with the following materials needed as well

May 13th Section 1: Equipment and Setup

  • Thread yarn in 2 contrasting colors
  • 2 medium binder clips of large safety pins
  • String
  • 2 wooden pencils or dowels
  • Belt rope to tie around waist
  • Sheet of heavy card stock or poster board
  • Piece of mat board
  • Ruler

Section 2: Wrapping the Loom

  • Thread or yarn in 2 contrasting colors
  • Chrochet hook or wire hook

Section 3: Weaving

  • Thread or yarn for the weft
  • Yarn needle or tapestry needle

May 31st Section 4: Threaded-in patterns

June 10th Section 5: Double Faced Weaving & Section 6: Deciphering Other’s Patterns

We hope everyone who is interested in the beautiful art can make it out and learn a new skill of our miedieval times, any further questions please feel free to contact our A&S officers.