Stormvale
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| Stormvale | ||||
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 Argent, two chevronels gemel, braced and fretted vert, between three quatrefoils azure, in chief a laurel wreath vert. | ||||
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About
Stormvale is a Shire in the Pentamere Region of the Middle Kingdom. It consists of Genesee, Lapeer, Sanilac and Huron counties of Michigan. Most of Stormvale's activity is centered in and around Flint, in Genesee County.
The group has disbanded, as noted in the January 18, 2020 BOD Notes
Heraldry
- Arms/Device - Argent, two chevronels gemel, braced and fretted vert, between three quatrefoils azure, in chief a laurel wreath vert.
- Badge - (Fieldless) A quatrefoil azure.
History
The Shire of Stormvale was founded in October 1982 by students at the University of Michigan-Flint. It was originally called the Canton of the Towers of the Morning, an ironic reference to the various colleges in the area. When this was discovered to be similar to a name in fantasy literature, the members quickly renamed it the Shire of the Soaring Phoenix in December 1982. Soaring Phoenix was a reference to the notion of a branch rising from the ashes of two previous groups in the area, the Canton of Withermoor in the mid-1970s and the Shire of Westvale, which had a brief and controversial life from 1981-82. The branch was renamed the Shire of Stormvale in the fall of 1983. This name was a commentary on what had been stormy weather in the area that had seemed to the members to last for an unusually long time, and perhaps a self-deprecatory reference to the interactions of boldly opinionated members. Mostly, however, it just seemed to sound good.
Stormvale was based around the University of Michigan-Flint in downtown Flint, Michigan in the early years. Other members attended high schools or Mott Community College. The original members were quite young, but by the mid 1990s, there were more college instructors in the branch than college students. While Flint and its suburbs were the center of activity for Stormvale, the branch claimed all of Genesee County from the beginning. Later, the branch claimed Lapeer County to the east. Later still, the Barony of Northwoods transferred the counties of Sanilac and Huron to Stormvale during a general clarification of borders in the area in the late 1990s.
Due to falling membership and participation, the Shire made the decision to dissolve in January 2020, and the lands have now reverted to the Barony of Northwoods.
Heraldry History
The name Shire of Stormvale was registered with the SCA College of Heralds in December of 1988.
The heraldic device blazoned "Argent, two chevronels gemel, braced and fretted vert, between three quatrefoils azure, in chief a laurel wreath vert." was registered in January of 1993. <br<
The badge blazoned "(Fieldless) A quatrefoil azure." was registered in February of 1996.
Event Highlights
The Shire of Stormvale has been an energetic participant in event-staging. The first event was the Feast of Apples, held on December 10, 1982. The second event was the Feast of St. John the Baptist in 1986. The St. John event was held annually through 1990. In 1990, the shire added a second event in the fall. Over the years, this has been variously named and is currently Halloween-themed, the Harvest of Souls. In 1991, a spring event called Vikings Go Home! was added. This was continued through the mid-1990s. In October 1992, Stormvale hosted the Fall Crown Tournament. In 1999, five separate events were held by the branch, including two equestrian events and a Royal University session. From 1998-2001, local members humorously referred to Stormvale as the equestrian capitol of Pentamere, as over a half-dozen equestrian events were held, usually each spring and fall. The branch held a 20th Anniversary Celebration in October 2002.
Here is a list of all events held by the Shire of Stormvale as compiled by Gerard von Lowenstein:
| Event Name | Date | Autocrat | Notes | |
| Feast of the Apples | December 10, 1982 | Garth of Boggs | ||
| Feast of St. John the Baptist | June 26, 1986 | Anthea of Blue Lake | ||
| Feast of St. John II | July 4, 1987 | Morgaine MacLeod | ||
| Feast of St. John III | June 25, 1988 | Dougal MacLean | ||
| Feast of St. John IV | June 24, 1989 | Rhiannon y Glas | ||
| Feast of St. John V | June 2, 1990 | Wilhelm von Buch | ||
| All Saints Day | November 10, 1990 | Balian de Brionne / Ariel the Fairhair | ||
| Feast of St. John VI | June 8, 1991 | Skalla-Geirmundr Ulfsson | ||
| Festival of Samhain | November 9, 1991 | Ian MacThomaidh | ||
| Vikings Go Home! & Regional A&S | March 7, 1992 | Ananda the Fiery / Breac / Balian de Brionne | ||
| Crown Tourney | October 17, 1992 | Anastasia Donskoi | ||
| Vikings Go Home! II & Regional A&S | March 6, 1993 | Ananda the Fiery | ||
| All Hallows Feast | October 30, 1993 | Melisande of Woodcrest | ||
| Vikings Go Home! III | February 26, 1994 | Giovanni Fontananera / Gerard von Lowenstein | ||
| Feast of St. Elizabeth of Hungary | November 19, 1994 | Genevieve Okeburne de la Mere (aka Aesa) | ||
| Kings Tax Day | March 18, 1995 | Ananda the Fiery | ||
| Feast of St. Elizabeth of Hungary | November 23, 1996 | Bronwynn Brightoaks | ||
| Pentamere War Maneuvers | June 29, 1996 | Clarissa Wykeham | ||
| Vikings Go Home! IV & Regional A&S | May 3, 1997 | Clarissa Wykeham | ||
| Yuletide Celebration | December 6, 1997 | Clarissa Wykeham / Balian de Brionne | ||
| Lillies Pity Party | June 13, 1998 | Balian de Brionne | ||
| Harvest of Souls | October 31, 1998 | Gerard von Lowenstein | ||
| Yuletide Celebration & Toys 4 Tots | December 12, 1998 | Clarissa Wykeham | ||
| Vikings Go Home! V | May 7-9, 1999 | Rosettus Glendrake | ||
| Black Dragon Rising II - Crusader's Quest | October 9, 1999 | Melisande of Woodcrest | ||
| Harvest of Souls II | November 6, 1999 | Gerard von Lowenstein / Breac macFinnean | ||
| Yuletide Celebration & Toys 4 Tots | December 11, 1999 | Melisande of Woodcrest | ||
| Royal University of the Midrealm (RUM) | October 2, 1999 | N/A | ||
| Vikings Go Home! VI - Equestrian Emprise 1 | June 16-18, 2000 | Rosettus Glendrake | ||
| Black Dragon Rising III | Sept 29-Oct 1, 2000 | Rosettus Glendrake / Lucia Amberle | ||
| Vikings Go Home! VIII - Equestrian Emprise 2 | June 8-10, 2001 | Lucia Amberle | ||
| Black Dragon Rising IV - Dragon's Gauntlet | Oct 5-7, 2001 | Lucia Amberle | ||
| Stormvale 20th Anniversary Celebration | October 26, 2002 | ? | ||
| Feast of St. Joan of Arc | May 30-June 1, 2003 | Aileran o'Faelain / Tighearnan McVeigh | ||
| Harvest of Souls III | November 1, 2003 | Gerard von Lowenstein | ||
| Harvest of Souls IV | November 13, 2004 | Gerard von Lowenstein | ||
| Harvest of Souls V | 2005 | Bronwynn Brightoaks | ||
| Black Dragon Rising - Pentamere Equestrian Championship | ? | Rosettus Glendrake | ||
| Harvest of Souls VI | 2006 | Desiderada del Rio | ||
| Reign of Arrows | October 6, 2012 | Brianne MacAuley | ||
| Reign of Arrows II | September 7,2013 | Brianne MacAuley / Ligessac d'Isigny | ||
| Reign of Arrows III | September 6, 2014 | Brianne MacAuley | ||
| Reign of Arrows IV | September 5, 2015 | Gerard von Lowenstein | ||
| Reign of Arrows V | September 10, 2016 | Gerard von Lowenstein | ||
| Reign of Arrows VI | September 30, 2017 | |||
| Reign of Arrows VII | September 15, 2018 | |||
| Reign of Arrows VIII | September 14, 2019 | Brianne MacAuley |
Reign of Arrows, an all archery event, was the host to the Middle Kingdom Summer Schutzenfest from 2014-2019
Other Activities
Stormvale members at Pennsic. L to R: Balian de Brionne, Skalla Geirmundr Ulfsson, Nagatatsu Satto, Tsunamei Kenjiro Torashi.
Stormvale has had a sizable camp at the Pennsic War in August of each year since 1989. Since 1991, it has been located at the base of Runestone Hill. The branch has produced a number of heralds, including one Dragon Herald, two Fenris Heralds, two Rouge Scarpe Heralds, an Escutcheon Herald, a Lakes Pursuivant and two Opinicus Pursuivants. Other members have served as Kingdom Minister of Arts and Sciences, Pentamere Regional Minister of Arts and Sciences, and Pentamere Regional Archery Marshal. The branch fielded a good-sized Stormvale Militia armored combat group in the early 1990s. The Shire of Stormvale currently has a large archery group along with several Foresters.
The newsletter of the shire was called the "Storm Warning".
Links
Here is an old blog which has discussed Stormvale activities: http://clarionhall.blogspot.com
