Sadly, some events have taken place and Gwynedd has lost long tenured members. His Royal Majesty King Lorrymar Wyndhaven is stepping down from his long reign as King of Gwynedd, and will officially be crowning Prince Cerrydan as our new king. He has stated that he will not be coming out for dagorhir events (save the Post Thanksgiving Battle), effectively retiring himself from the sport. Kensman Tauron Haldane has left Gwynedd and has been accepted into the lands of Indomar. Sir Laithe graciously sought the approval of His Highness Sir Cerrydan, and we as Gwynedd have no feud with Indomar. Lord Freewynd the Red has also left Gwynedd. With him we lose Swordbrother Bruhyra and the Lady Gwenhwyfar. Currently, he hasn’t decided to join any other units, and all should still be considered Gwyneddian in all but name. It has been decreed that we will continue being us, and thus ushers in a new age for the Kingdom of Gwynedd. This is an opportunity to allow Gwynedd to grow and to create positive relationships with other dagorhir units.



Swordbrother Tumbark Haldane has been named ‘Honorary’ Dux Bellorum for the interim, and everybody in the unit should respect the authority due the War Duke of Gwynedd.



Throughout her history, Gwynedd has existed on the extraordinary efforts of the few.. it’s about time for a change. Our former Dux Bellorum, and the War Duke before him practically broke their backs with their efforts to maintain Gwynedd. Rulers over the past thirty years have also selflessly given of themselves throughout their reigns. Prince Cerrydan does not want this tradition to continue into his reign, and therefore will be listing duties and jobs which he would like to see spread out among the people for fulfillment. The jobs will be posted and everybody will be given a chance to volunteer for the jobs that appeal to them. Any unfilled jobs will then be delegated among the people who haven’t taken it upon themselves to volunteer. There is absolutely no need to burn out the people who love this sport so much that they are already willing to take on the extra duties of leadership roles by also allowing them to take on all the extra work necessary to keep this kingdom running smoothly. If everybody gets a small chunk of the necessary workload, we all benefit and nobody gets overwhelmed!



It was discussed that we should get ourselves together and build weapons on a regular basis. At least once a month, Gwynedd should have a productive social gathering where all are encouraged to attend in order to work on their own personal weapons, help maintain the loaner weapons, and help the newer folk in the design and construction of their own weapons. The policy regarding loaner weapons is changing as we move forward into this new age, and Gwynedd will no longer be providing a massive stock of loaner weapons. Instead, there will be enough loaners on the field for walk-ons, and very new members, but it is imperative that anybody who has been involved in the unit long enough to have taken advantage of a build session or two should have their own equipment. Since there is no longer a central storage/transportation point for all of the loaners, unit members who show up to practices and battles regularly will be encouraged to carry a few loaner weapons and shields in their vehicles. Gwynedd will still maintain the spears currently in the loaner inventory. We should view the monthly weapon building sessions as an opportunity to learn from each other and help one another. This is an excellent time to build camaraderie among unit members and to help everybody to feel like they are a part of something bigger than ‘just another fighting unit,’ because for a lot of us, Gwynedd is a family! Our younger members will have an opportunity to socialize with the veterans, and even if you don’t need to work on weapons, there may be opportunities to be involved in other activities, such as garb making or even sparring.



As we move forward, Gwynedd should see a lot more one-on-one training at the regular practices. This should help everyone to progress as fighters. Ideas are being tossed around for training techniques that should help us all improve, and everybody is encouraged to think about what they feel may help to achieve this end.



This season, Gwynedd’s annual cook-out is to be held at Casa de Selecman (Prince Cerrydan’s father’s home in Occoquan, VA) instead of the park (May 1st). This will give us more time than we usually have at the park. We need to remember who we are, and have a great time, Gwyneddian style! There should be many events and activities to fill the day with, including Kub, Baubeling, the coronation of King Cerrydan, and a King’s Champion Tourney (so remember to bring some fight garb as well as your feasting best!!). This isn’t going to be a campout, so don’t worry about bringing a bunch of gear. Arrangements may be made in order to accommodate those who have a need of ‘sleeping it off’ a bit before hitting the road though.



With this coming season we have a number of scheduled activities which we are going to follow through with. Gwynedd is to host a battle at Cloverdale Park (Cloverwales) on March 13th, and we would like for it to be at least as successful as the battles we hosted there last season. There is work to be done, and volunteers will be appreciated. It is at this battle that Lord Talon Haldane would like to present Prince Cerrydan to Aratari as our future King, and he has something in the works for this occasion.

Over the past couple of seasons, Aratari lost Marietta Mansion as a campsite, and was unable to procure a suitable replacement site to host campouts… until now. During the interval, Gwynedd and Galatia have been hosting a number of campouts in Woodford, VA, and we have already set a date for Schatt Wars. Although it isn’t conflicting with Aratari’s scheduled Mayhem campout, it is the following weekend, so we won’t even have to unpack our cars from Mayhem. Schatt Wars is an important commemorative event for Gwynedd, and since this has been in the works for some time, we are still planning on having this event (May 28th – 30th).

Considering that Aratari has acquired a campsite for this season, plans for a second scheduled campout at Woodford, VA are going to be discussed, but we definitely don’t want to overextend ourselves. The heavy snows this winter may have played havoc on the Woodford campsite, and it may be necessary to schedule additional clean-up days prior to Schatt Wars. Anybody interested in being involved in the beautification of Gwyneddian lands is strongly encouraged to attend one or more of these clean-up sessions.



A re-vamping of the tax structure has also been proposed as follows:

Knights/Kensmen - $5.00/month

Squires/Swordbrothers - $3.00/month

Everybody else – donate as you see fit (not required)

- Anybody unable to make their obligatory tax payment may be called on to perform some such duty that benefits Gwynedd and her members in lieu of their taxes.



In the near future there will be a focus on recruitment. It is imperative that we continue to grow and avoid stagnation. Those of us who are currently attending classes in high school or college are strongly encouraged to spread the word and involve more people in the Greatness that is us! The rest of us need to step out of our comfort zones, for recruiting is integral to the growth of the unit. We need to make fliers, and anybody is encouraged to submit finished fliers to Cerrydan ASAP so that we can prepare to reproduce them and get them into circulation. If you are aware of any events where we may be able to do a foam combat demo, please bring it up. As it stands, we ARE NOT immediately pushing for active recruitment, for we still have much to accomplish internally. We hope that active recruitment can commence this spring.



There appears to be another unit forming to the south, currently known as the Bandits of Sherwood, which is currently being headed up by ‘Earl’ Robric Haldane. In order to avoid any confusion during the administration change, it has been said that Robric is not to attend any Gwynedd practices at Cloverwales until further notice.

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With Regard,
HRH Cerrydan Wyndhaven