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January 1st, 2013 - Volume 1 - Issue 1

Kingdom of the month:

Dragonspine has existed since 1990 and became the 7th kingdom of Amtgard in 1994. Chapters of Dragonspine exist all over New Mexico, Arizona, California, and Alaska,

with outposts around the globe. The founding chapter in Las Cruces, New Mexico meets every Saturday at Apodaca Park at about noon and plays until past four.

The Kingdom of Dragonspine is made up of several chapters.

1. Kingdom of Dragonspine - Las Cruces, NM

2. Duchy of Astral Winds - Fairbanks, AK

3. Duchy of Pegasus Valley - Albuquerque,

NM

4. Barony of Cloud's Edge - Silver City, NM

5. Barony of High Oasis - Tempe, AZ

6. Shire of the Savage Highlands - Ruidoso,

NM

7. Shire of Drifting Winds

Cottonwood/Cornville, AZ

8. Shire of Thundering Mountain - Socorro,

NM

9. Shire of Lost Souls - Santa Fe, NM

Confederacy of Westmarch (Principality)

1. Duchy of Crimson Wood - Rohnert Park,

CA

2. Duchy of Wavehaven - Santa Cruz, CA

3. Duchy of Thor's Refuge - Sacramento, CA

4. Barony of Seven Sleeping Dragons - San

Luis Obispo, CA

5. Barony of Siar Geata – Carlsbad, CA

6. Barony of Ashen Spire - San Jose, CA

7. Barony of Fal Dare - Carson City, NV

8. Shire of Wyvern's Spur - Berkeley, CA

9. Shire of Sunset Cliffs - San Diego, CA

10. Shire of Diablo's Cauldron – Concord, CA

11. Shire of Aegir's Hall – Lodi, CA

12. Shire of The Eternal Wolf - Reno, NV

Kingdom of the month is a monthly feature of Marcher’s Missive. While we have a few we plan to do over the next

several months, if there are requests to bring certain Kingdoms

up sooner, we can adjust the schedule.

Marcher’s Table of Contents

Kingdom of the Month Pg 1

Amtgardian of the Month Pg 3

Messages: Prime Minister Pg 4

Champion Pg 5

Recipe Pg 6

Coloring Page Pg 7

Events Pg 8

Treasurers Report Pg 8

Items for Sale Pg 9

Dragonspine

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Here is what members of Dragonspine had to say about their land:

Abby Wade said:

“I have a Dragonspine fun fact about a little Shire in Tucson AZ. Hidden in the little gem of a Shire, there is

still founding blood seeding itself within the roots and limbs of Amtgard's great family tree. Caspin Tree

(Matthew Passmore), brother to the Second Monarch of the Burning Lands, Gilos Dawnhope (Ben

Passmore). He has after many a moon come home to his roots of Amtgard and now is branching of from his

Brother's royal roots to make his new home with Shire of Obsidian Gates. This move perhaps will bring

with it, the chance for the propagation of a new royal realm.

This brings to question, could there be a new Kingdom to sprout in one of the high desert Oasises of the

outer realms of Dragonspine? Who can say?”

Ben Glicker said:“The history of the name is a story I tell our newbies -- in 1990, Quicksilver founded

the Barony of Dragonspine (with Alaeric, Stelios, people like Blackthorn, F'lar), and she said the Organ

Mountains out east of Las Cruces looked like a sleeping dragon. Hence the name.”

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Gwendair Tryst: Amtgardian of the Month

1. Who got you involved with Amtgard or how

did you discover Amtgard?

Torbjorn Kegslayer

2. How long have you been in Amtgard and

where did you start?

Oct 2002, Crimson Wood

3. Do you have any personal goals you're

currently working on in Amtgard?

Continue to learn new techniques to improve

my crafting.

4. What have you learned from Amtgard that

has had an effect on your life?

Event planning has come in handy at my new

job.

5. If you could be in any theatrical (movie)

scene, what would it be and why?

Elizabeth and being dressed in such beautiful

costuming.

6. Are you a member of a household or

fighting group? Tell us about it.

Bellator Adamas. It is full of wonderful fighters,

great leaders and fabulous crafters.

7. What elected positions have you held in the

past?

I’ve been the PM for Crimson Wood, Regent for

Wavehaven a few times, Regent, Champion and

now Princess for Westmarch.

8. What positions have you held in the past?

Treasurer on the BOD for Wavehaven for many

years.

9. When did you become a knight? And how

did you feel the day you became one?

May 2010 at Darkshore 13. Extremely excited

and very nervous

10. What is your favorite event? And why?

Rakis, I get to be with my fighting company.

11. What lands have you visited? Any out of

state lands?

Dragonspine, Burning Lands, Iron Mountain

Proper, a large amount of the California lands.

12. Is there anything you would like to add for

our readers?

Have fun and enjoy your day at Amtgard!

Amtgardian of the month is a monthly feature of Marcher’s Missive. While we have a few other people we

plan to feature over the next several months, if there are requests to bring certain member’s of your land up

sooner, we can adjust the schedule.

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Words from our Prime Minister!

PART I

As we are at the end of the year, it is in the best

interest of all PMs to begin gathering their audit

items sooner rather than later. This audit period

covers July 1, 2012 to Dec 31, 2012. Here is a

reminder of what is required:

Shires must submit:

i. Copies of sign in sheets for the past six (6)

months.

ii. Proof of advertising their chapter, such as a

flyer for a demo.

*Please note, you must actually submit proof

such as a scan of a flyer, or a screenshot of your

Meetup page, etc. Just submitting a link will not

likely be acceptable.*

Duchies and Baronies must submit:

i. Copies of bank statements and financial

records for the past six (6) months.

ii. Copies of sign in sheets for the past six (6

)months.

iii. A list of current officers.

iv. A list of current dues-paid members.

v. The results of most recent crown

qualifications.

vi. The most recent crown election results. [Must

include # of votes/no confidence/etc]

vii. Duchies: Proof of a bank account showing

the required stable balance required per land

size ($100.00 for Duchies)

In addition, it would be a good idea for lands to

adhere to the additional requirements set forth

in the proposed kingdom corpora, as it gives the

lands an opportunity to practice for the new set

and also allows us to troubleshoot during the

audit process for any potential changes. The

following represents the additions to the existing

audit documentation:

-Copies of financial records and ledger for the

past six (6) months.

-Copies of bank statements, if applicable.

-minimum attendance requirements equal to

75% of the numbers they needed to become their

current size

**Note: This would mean a shire would need to

submit a copy of financial records and ledger,

and a bank statement if they had an account (the

account is not a requirement, but if they have

one they must submit bank statements covering

the audit period)

Also remember, that an “Excellent” rated audit

is exactly that: excellent. If you are missing a

couple of sign in sheets, that is not likely to be

deemed an “Excellent” audit. Please take time to

make sure all your scanned documents are

clearly legible and in order. If there is an

unusual circumstance, make sure to clearly

explain it on your cover sheet.

For any dates that were cancelled due to rain or

inclement weather, you still should include a sign

in sheet for that day with “CANCELLED DUE

TO RAIN” scrawled across it, followed by a

printout or screen capture from a weather

report supporting that cancellation (I’ve found

http://www.wunderground.com to be a good

source of weather reports from earlier in the

year).

Here is some information from the last audit

period from the BoD. It would be in your best

interests to adhere to these standards:

Late audits will never receive higher than a pass.

A descriptive placeholder must be inserted in

place of a missed game day identifying reason for

miss. Allowable excuses are Rain Days,

Westmarch Days and Westmarch Events. It is

preferred that rain days include a weather

report for that day.

For a game day where a portion of the land is

not present due to attending an event outside of

Westmarch, the number of sign-ins locally and

abroad must be entered separately. If the

number of sign-ins abroad is greater than the

number locally, then this will constitute an

excused day.

The BOD is fairly split on the Corpora requiring

Baronies to have Bank Accounts. But the BOD

interprets the Corpora to require it so. As such,

all lands Barony and above are required to

submit bank statements covering the whole audit

period.

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The BOD interprets the term "results of

qualifications" to require the results of the A&S

tourney, fighting tourney, and test scores from

the Corpora and Rules Tests. Additionally, you

must list how many A&S categories scored

higher than 3.0 and number of fighting

categories entered for each applicant for office.

The key to a successful audit is meeting the core

requirements and clearly explaining any

deviations. If you let the BOD guess what is

going on, it will most likely not work out in your

favor. Of note, "We chose not to do it because,"

will not work.

Please refer to the following links for the handy-

dandy audit form for your group size:

Please refer to the following links for the handy-

dandy audit form for your group size:

Shire

http://www.caamtgard.com/docs/forms/wm-

audit-shire-form.pdf

Barony

http://www.caamtgard.com/docs/forms/wm-

audit-barony-form.pdf

Duchy

http://www.caamtgard.com/docs/forms/wm-

audit-duchy-form.pdf

If you have any questions or need assistance

please contact me.

-Deimos

Part II

The end of the year is upon us, and so it is time

for us to thank our BoD for their efforts

throughout the year, and reward them by giving

them the chance to escape. With that in mind, we

will now be accepting declarations for the 2013

Westmarch Board of Directors. Some things to

keep in mind:

-The BoD meets on a monthly basis via Ventrilo

(unless a meeting is cancelled due to lack of

business)

-Positions within the BoD are not elected by the

general populace. Once the BoD is established,

they vote amongst themselves to establish

President, Vice President, Treasurer, etc.

-Westmarch audit will likely be performed

sometime between Feb 1 and Feb 8, as the audit

is typically due to Dragonspine on the 15th.

-Westmarch’s second audit is typically in August

-Board of Directors members serve for one year

(except the Monarch and PM)

Candidates must meet the following

requirements:

a. Only voting members may hold a seat on the

Board of Directors.

b. Candidates must announce their candidacy

publicly and in writing to the Prime Minister at

least one (1) week prior to the election.

c. All candidates must be eighteen (18) years or

older.

d. The winners of the election shall be the five (5)

people who earn the most votes, with the 6th

person reserved as the alternate member.

Declarations are due by Midnight January 13th.

Elections will be held January 19th/20th. Results

must be reported to me no later than Jan 23rd.

Thank you, and good luck.

-Deimos

A few words from our Champion Mikezilla:

All I have to tell the people is "Keep it safe out there and remember we are playing Amtgard not

Bellagarth. Park champions should be conducting equipment checks that include shields, throwies,

arrows&bows, game props, anything that is used on the field at least once a month. As always get on the

boards and get in the know. Now go spread the love that is Amtgard to all you meet. Stay classy

Westmarch!"

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Best Challah (Egg Bread)

Adapted from Joan Nathan

The secrets to good challah are simple: Use two

coats of egg wash to get that laquer-like crust and

don’t overbake it. Joan Nathan, who this recipe is

adapted from, adds that three risings always makes

for the tastiest loaves, even better if one of them is

slowed down in the fridge.

Time: about 1 hour, plus 2 1/2 hours’ rising

Yield: 2 loaves

1 1/2 packages active dry yeast (1 1/2 tablespoons

or 3/8 ounces or 11 grams)

1 tablespoon (13 grams) plus 1/2 cup (100 grams)

sugar

1/2 cup (118 ml) olive or vegetable oil, plus more

for greasing the bowl

5 large eggs

1 tablespoon (14 grams) table salt

8 to 8 1/2 cups (1000 to 1063 grams) all-purpose

flour

1/2 cup raisins (about 70 grams) per challah, if

using, plumped in hot water and drained

Poppy or sesame seeds for sprinkling.

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon

(13 grams) sugar in 1 3/4 cups lukewarm water.

2. Whisk oil into yeast, then beat in 4 eggs, one at a

time, with remaining sugar and salt. Gradually add

flour. When dough holds together, it is ready for

kneading. (You can also use a mixer with a dough

hook for both mixing and kneading, but be careful if

using a standard size KitchenAid–it’s a bit much for

it, though it can be done.)

3. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead

until smooth. Clean out bowl and grease it, then

return dough to bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and

let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until almost

doubled in size. Dough may also rise in an oven that

has been warmed to 150 degrees then turned off.

Punch down dough, cover and let rise again in a

warm place for another half-hour.

4. At this point, you can knead the raisins into the

challah, if you’re using them, before forming the

loaves. To make a 6-braid challah, either straight or

circular, take half the dough and form it into 6 balls.

With your hands, roll each ball into a strand about

12 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide. Place the 6 in

a row, parallel to one another. Pinch the tops of the

strands together. Move the outside right strand over

2 strands. Then take the second strand from the left

and move it to the far right. Take the outside left

strand and move it over 2. Move second strand from

the right over to the far left. Start over with the

outside right strand. Continue this until all strands

are braided. For a straight loaf, tuck ends

underneath. For a circular loaf, twist into a circle,

pinching ends together. Make a second loaf the

same way. Place braided loaves on a greased cookie

sheet with at least 2 inches in between.

5. Beat remaining egg and brush it on loaves. Either

freeze breads or let rise another hour.

6. If baking immediately, preheat oven to 375

degrees and brush loaves again. Sprinkle bread with

seeds, if using. If freezing, remove from freezer 5

hours before baking.

7. Bake in middle of oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or

until golden. (If you have an instant read

thermometer, you can take it out when it hits an

internal temperature of 190 degrees.) Cool loaves

on a rack.

Note: Any of the three risings can be done in the

fridge for a few hours, for more deeply-developed

flavor. When you’re ready to work with it again,

bring it back to room temperature before moving

onto the next step.

This recipe was copied from The Smitten Kitchen:

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2008/09/best-

challah-egg-bread/

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Events January 5

th - Sir Francis Drake & the Spanish Main

Flurbtastic-1st lead up.

February 9th

- Midreign-Taming of the Shrew

2nd

Flurbtastic Lead up- Additional information will

be posted by the Crats. (Dragon master, Weapon

master, and Feast)

March 1st

- 3rd

Flurbtastic-

Addition information will be posted by the Crats.

April 6th

- Crown Quals-

to be held at Wyvern's Spur (If they choose to run it,

since it is their turn to run it per corpora)

May-9th

- 12th

- Spring Coronation –

Romeo & Juliet- Darkshore XVI- Additional

information will be posted by the Crats.

Treasurers Report

Current account balances

(as of 11/17/12):

WM Checking: $1534.60

WM Savings: $200.35

WM Savings (Clan fund):

$887.59

Total: $2622.54

Incom e

Tithes: $250.00

Feast of Mars profit: $273.01

Interest: $.28

Total: $539.29

Expenses

$16.17 Vent server*

$46.13 regent supplies

$19.87 Midreign feast loss

$7.31 Water cups for WTF

$17.07 battle-game

reimbursement

Total: $106.55

*Note: Vent server fees are

authorized under an

assumed 10% expenditure

allowance of monarch

and/or PM, as there does

not appear to be a

persistent authorization

for this expense otherwise

Ledger balance: $2611.76

Bank Acct balance: $2622.54

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MacAbee Items for Sale!

Patches

We also have Thor’s Refuge, Westmarch, Burning Lands, Emerald Hills, Crystal Groves, Goldenvale,

Iron Mountains, Desert Winds, Black Spire, and Tal Dagore

Starter Kits

Wizard Starter Kit: Yellow Sash, 4 enchantment

strips, 2 ice balls and 2 magic bolts, 1 circle of

protection, all with your name on it. 20 dollars

Druid Starter Kit: Brown Sash, 4 enchantment

strips, 2 entangle balls, 2 acid bolt, 1 thorn wall strip,

all with your name on it. 20 dollars

Healer Starter Kit: Red Sash, 4 white enchantment

strips, 4 entangle balls, 1 black touch of death strip, 1

circle of protection, all with your name on it. 20

dollars

Bard Starter Kit: Blue Sash, 5 enchantment strips,

2 berserk headband, 1 dagger, all with your name on

it. 20 dollars

Warrior Starter Kit: Purple Sash, 2 enchantment

strips, short sword, all with your name on it. 20

dollars

Barbarian Starter Kit: Fur Sash, Berserk

headband, 1 short sword all with your name on it. 20

dollars

Scout Starter Kit: Green Sash, 1 green loop 10’, 1

purple strip 18”, 1 gray arrow cover, 1 orange arrow

cover, all with your name on it. 10 dollars

Archer Starter Kit: Orange Sash, 1 purple strip 18”, 1

gray arrow cover, 1 orange arrow cover, 1 blue

arrow cover, 1 black arrow cover, all with your

name on it. 10 dollars

Assassin Starter Kit: Black Sash, 2 black strips,

dagger, and a face cover, all with your name on it. 20

dollars

Monk Starter Kit: 1 Gray Sash, 1 black strip, 1 short

sword, and 2 sword leashes, all with your name on

it. 20 dollars

Individual Prices includes your name on it:

Sashes 5 dollars ea

Enchantment Strips 1 dollar ea

Spell balls 5 dollars or 3 for 10

Arrow covers 2 dollars each

10 ft Strips 2 dollars

Daggers 10 dollars

Short Sword 15 dollars

Long Sword 20 dollars

Boulder 15 dollars

Assassin face-cover 5 dollars

Sword leash 1 dollar

Berserk Headband 5 dollars

Tunic 35 dollars and up

Tabard 30 dollars and up

Place your AD with Lady Tamara (TMBergman45@aol.com). There is no charge for Amtgard Related items.