Re: On the differences between the North and South...

[Ann & Les Shelton <sheltons@conterra.com>]

Poster: Ann & Les Shelton <sheltons@conterra.com>

Greetings,

I read with interest Herveus's post about insight gained at Coronation.
I was left with a number of perceptions that I ask your sufferance in
sharing.

First, the idea intrigued me,  we do indeed have a very different
culture with multiple Cantons serving as the local groups.  This is
certainly the case here in Nottinghill Coill as I have discussed in the
past with friends up North.  I do believe this and other cultural
differences make any proposed change to the Kingdom more difficult for
all to understand.

However, I sure that this is only a subset of the misunderstanding.  I
was heartened to hear that the idea of the principality proposal was
discussed with such insight on both parts.  Many of you may have heard
me speak of this hope at the party at Pennsic.

It is my belief that what has happened is that folks down here heard you
were discussing the idea again.  This had happened in the past and
therefore was not in and of itself a surprise.  I think what was a
surprise was the momentum that the idea took this time.  Caught unaware
there has been a "Whoa! We didn't know it would happen this fast."
feeling.

IMHO, discussions like the one Herveus had and his post to the list
cannot help but help us all reach the level of understanding necessary
for the health of our kingdom.  As I have publicly stated before, I have
no particular issue for or against the proposal.  I am however, pro
communication with all parties.  I hope others on the list will share
their knowledge and opinions with friends both North and South and do so
in this spirit of patience and caring.

In that spirit, I would like to thank Herveus and the rest of the folks
I talked with at Pennsic.  I feel much better informed and have more
ease of mind as a benefit of these opportunities.

Anne le Coeur
Dep Kingdom Seneschal for SC/GA



> 
> This weekend, while at Coronation, I stumbled onto an insight that I
> thought I should share. I think it may serve to explain why the idea of a
> Northern Principality is attractive in the North. I also think that this
> might explain why people in Windmaster's Hill and Sacred Stone are having a
> hard time coming to terms with this idea.
> 
> >From my perspective, there is a significant difference in the structure and
> operation of the groups north of Caer Mear versus (in particular) the two
> baronies in North Carolina. In Windmaster's Hill and Sacred Stone, there
> exist a number of cantons which are distinct (and perhaps distinctive)
> groups with their own identities. A number of these cantons could
> potentially stand as baronies in their own rights. In addition to this
> local group, there is the baronial presence. This baronial presence
> provides an additional layer of resources and "cool stuff", and a regional
> identity.
> 
> North of Caer Mear, there are six baronies, two shires, and a canton which
> is probably going to become a barony itself at some point in the not too
> distant future. There is much commerce among these groups, and each has a
> distinctive character.
> 
> The difference here is that in the North, there is no regional unifying
> entity. That role is where a Principality comes in. My sense is that
> Windmaster's Hill and Sacred Stone are each much like principalities in
> their effect. I suspect that each has within itself the resources to become
> such, were they minded to do so.
> 
> I am less familiar with the way Nottinghill Coill and Hidden Mountain work
> as groups, so I am not able to speak to how they compare here.
> 
> I can understand how someone from Windmaster's Hill or Sacred Stone would
> have a hard time seeing the motivations of Northerners. It seems to me that
> the most strident voices decrying the idea have been residents of these
> baronies. If you have a functional local group along with a functional and
> attentive baronial infrastructure overlying the local structure, it is
> harder to understand how yet another layer is helpful unless one were
> looking to make that new layer the ultimate layer (as in kingdom). When one
> is in a circumstance where there is only the local layer and the kingdom
> layer, having that additional, intermediate layer is more attractive, and
> leads to less pressure to make it a kingdom.
> 
> I hope this makes sense, and helps to bridge the gap in understanding that
> appears to have opened up.
> 
> yours in service,
> Herveus
> 
> ------------------------------------------------------------------
> Michael and MJ Houghton   | Herveus d'Ormonde and Megan O'Donnelly
> herveus@access.digex.net  | White Wolf and the Phoenix
> Bowie, MD, USA            | Tablet and Inkle bands, and other stuff
>                           | http://www.access.digex.net/~herveus/
> 
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