Adieu to The Crier.

.....Greetings All,

.....Today was the day. I uploaded the September issue of The Crier to the Idaho Falls FTP site and said my final good-byes to it. In some ways it was a very good feeling of relief to see those files uploading. But a very large part of me was feeling rather sad. The Crier has been a rather persistent and determined part of my life for three years now. Rather like a recalitrant child, and I'm already starting to feel like I'm seeing a good friend leave home for the big unknown.

.....When I took over as the Kingdom Chronicler, I really had no interest in the Kingdom At Large. During that time Dragon's Laire was my home and entire world. In my mind only those who wanted to play politics or fight on a more professional level played at the Kingdom Level. That was when Giovanni was about to step down as Baronial Seneschal. I was rather excited about being Seneschal. It was the office I had wanted for a while.

.....Then in steps Her Excellency Brighid. She pushed and prodded and basically twisted my arm to take on the office. The Kingdom was in a bind at the moment and they needed a Chronicler. She knew I could do the job and she knew that it would be good for me in several different ways. I was very reluctant, but was finally persuaded.

.....Those first handful of months were rough. The deadlines were brutal and at the Kingdom Level, people don't play around with the politics. They ARE the politics. If you don't watch where you step the quicksand will suck you right up. I definitely made a few mistakes. Got caught in a web of deceit by Sir Butt-Head and even got e-mail yelled at by a King.

.....But I learned A LOT. I met a lot of very good people. I learned how to play on a Kingdom level. I learned that these people were people as well. Not really icons or divas (for the most part :-)), but actually people. With their own stories and hobbies and passions. I learned how the Society works and how the different entities interact with each other. I had the opportunities to meet SCA people from all around the world. Where I was once very provincial, I finally grew to the point to where I could grasp the bigger picture. The SCA is a much bigger place than for what we give it credit for being.

.....So now my final issue is in the hopper. My new icon is part of the final cover art by THL Alis. It is of course the Beloved Tamm. :-) I guess that Alis is going to take a break from producing art covers for a little while as well. But she was approached by the art editor of Tournaments Illuminated, so I see great things in her future. :-)

.....At September Crown I turn the office over to Angharad. Then I plan on partying with Don Julio. Anyone who is a friend of the Don, come and join me if you get the chance. :-)

.....With Regret and Love, Aaron / Arontius.