This is the September 2025 issue of Across the Hills, a publication of the Barony of Endless Hills of the Society of Creative Anachronism, Inc. (SCA, Inc.). Across the Hills is made available from Endless Hills Chronicler- Lady Matilda of the Endless Hills. Contact at chronicler@endlesshills.aethelmearc.org. It is not a corporate publication of SCA, Inc., and does not delineate SCA, Inc. policies. Opinions are those of the authors and may not reflect or imply the view of Across the Hills or any member of its staff. Content is used with permission. Copyright (c) 2025. Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc. For information on reprinting photographs, articles, or artwork from this publication, please contact the chronicler, who will assist you in contacting the original creator of the piece. Please respect the legal rights of our contributors.
Welcome from The Excellencies of the Hills
Greetings, Endless Hills! We’ve made it to Fall!
We are looking at a schedule jam packed with wonderful events scattered across our Kingdom for the next couple of months but before we know it the winter will slow down the travel, making it perfect for activities closer to home. With the change in sunlight and colder weather, we expect our outdoor activities like thrown weapons and archery will get put on hold in the next month or so as well.
Refna and I would love to see an uptick in arts and sciences here in the Barony and would gladly support anyone wishing to host an A&S related gathering this fall! Baronial elections are also coming up and we are excited to see new faces take positions as some of current officers take a well deserved break from their current positions.
Vivat to the wonderful individuals who have served to keep this Barony rolling in these responsibilities and provided a background of support to all of us. If there are questions about positions or responsibilities, we are always available for discussions. We have also been very excited by the new faces coming to practices and want to extend our greetings to everyone joining our Barony.
Please know we are always here to be a resource to everyone.
In Service,
Baronesses Kolfinna and Refna
Pennsic and Seven Pearls Recap
Pennsic War 52- July 25th-Aug 10th, 2025
Great times to be had by all who were in attendance at the Great Pennsic War 52. Personally, I had an amazing experience. Being able to escape from the real world, and step back in time to the pre-17th century is 100% worth it! It was also a plus that the weather held up and we were able to get all the tournaments and battles in. During the war, I especially took note of all the butterflies that were floating across the field. It reminded me of all the SCA members that have started this adventure before me. We are all like a butterfly, floating through life until we end up back at home on the Pennsic fields. To anyone that is considering going to Pennsic, take a chance and go. There was a sign in Pennsic University that read: Find your people, Find your family, Cherish Them I have found my family, and I have started to make memories with them. I will cherish them forever! – Lady Matilda of the Endless Hills
Seven Pearls: Aug 22nd-24th, 2025
At 7 Pearls, I had an amazing time. It was great to represent my barony and compete against the others. I had a lot of fun throwing different weapons. Especially throwing spears and plumbata! Definitely support getting some for our barony in the future! – Lord Crow M’caulif
Baronial Member Highlight straight from AE Brewers Guild
The August Beverage of the month comes from Daven MacKennaugh from the Barony of the Endless Hills. I made my first batch of mead out of aphid honey. It’s historically Greek or French made from bees that gather secretions off aphids that feed off fir tree sap. It has a dark woodsy flavor that matches well with ice and mint. It’s like walking through a forest of evergreen in early spring.
There is very little historical reference for this specific process as it wasn’t understood in period but we have documentation of mead in the regions so we assume that the honey would be the same and mint grew and was used as a flavoring agent in the regions as well. I call the mead “bug juice.” If you have questions about the recipe below, please get in touch with Daven . The following makes a one gallon batch of mead.
Primary
- 4 lbs. of fir honey
- Water to one gallon
- Yeast (I used Kvike)
- Yeast nutrient (I used orange rinds and orange slices)
CRASH!!!
- Back sweeten with:
- 1/2lb Fir honey
- 12 simmered Mint leaves
Past Court Reports- Baronial Court at the Great Pennsic War
Being a true recounting of the Court of Kolfinna Jodisardottir and Refna Lunaris, Baronesses of the Hills that are Endless, at the 52nd Great Pennsic War, Aug 6th and 8th AS LX. As transcribed by Master Po Silvertop the Rogue, Zule Pursuivant, with the assistance of Lord Gideon le Jars.
Their Excellencies called before Them THL Salvatore Moro DiMedici and for his efforts and creativity as a blacksmith inducted him into the Baronial Order of the Golden Lamp. Their Excellencies requested the presence of the Order of the Red Thunderbolt and, speaking on the topic of prowess upon the field, inducted Lord Kass of the Endless Hills into that Order. While the Red Thunderbolt was convened, Lord Finnegan McCormack was also brought before Their Excellencies and for his feats of valor was also added to the Order of the Red Thunderbolt.
Lady Matilda of the Endless Hills was requested by Their Excellencies who spoke at length about her helpfulness in general at practices and events and specifically about her accomplishments as Chronicler, for her efforts she was then inducted into the Order of the Zule.
Court was then suspended.
Thursday of War week at the Hus encampment – Their Excellencies were welcomed into the Hus encampment, where they requested the attendance of THL Birna Hakadottir. Remarking upon all the wonderful things that she had done for the Barony and the Kingdom insisted that she belonged in Their Order of the Zule. There being no further business, Baronial Court was then closed.
Notable Kingdom Court Awards
Thanks to one of the champions selected to represent the Kingdom in the Arts and Sciences War Point: The Honorable Lady Birna Hakadottir
Their Majesties sought Their Youth Champion, Dmitri . They spoke with him of his notable and tireless dedication to fighting, and of his great courtesy and kindness to his companions both on and off the field. In recognition of this passion and chivalry beyond his years, They named him a Companion of the Silver Alce.
On the field, following the Field Battle, Their Majesties reopened Court to thank the Army for the battles in which they could not be prouder to be monarchs of the Kingdom. They were compelled to recognize Sir Lotharius qui et Segimundus with a Golden Thorn for his quick action in the first engagement in which His Majesty was thrown to the ground, and Sir Lothar covered His Majesty to protect His person.
Prep for Nominations-Positions Up for Re-election
Baronial nominations will be taken at the September and October barony business meetings! (Sept 14th at 7:30 & Oct 12th at 7:30)
Voting will occur at the November meeting. Positions that will be up which are elected in Odd Number Years
- Seneschal-great office
- Social Media officer- great office
- Knight marshal- great office
- Minister of Arts & Sciences- great office
- Chatelaine- great office
- Captain of Archers- lesser office
- Captain of Rapier- lesser office
- Captain of Thrown Weapons- lesser office
According to our Baronial Policies the following is how nominations work:
Terms of Office and Election of Officers
- 1. Terms of Great and Lesser Offices is two (2) years and terms expire in the month of November
- 2. Nominating Process
- a. Nominations will be taken at the September and October barony business meetings.
- b. Candidates must accept nomination to proceed.
- c. Candidate names will be published at least two weeks prior to the November meeting and in at least two of the following: the barony website, the barony newsletter or barony Facebook Page.
- d. Voting will occur at the November meeting.
- 3. Eligibility to hold office nominees must be a paid member of SCA Inc. and resident of the Barony who is Eighteen (18) years old or older.
Any questions, please contact any of the officers: or the Seneschal (in charge of our election process) THL Julianna Woolworth- Seneschal: seneschal@endlesshills.aethelmearc.org
Baronial Notes
All baronial officers will need to make an inventory list of their baronial belongings and share with the Exchequer by October 1st. Any questions please contact our Exchequer- Dame Kateryna Ty Isaf, exchequer@endlesshills.aethelmearc.org.
According to our Baronial Policies the following is how inventory works: IX. Inventory A. An annual inventory accounting shall be given to the office of the Exchequer by all baronial officers and baronial guild masters who have materials or items purchased with baronial funds or donated to the Barony. B. This inventory is due on or before October 1st of each year. C. A new inventory is due within sixty (60) days when the office holders change. D. Inventories will include explanations for changes from the previous inventory. E. Inventories will contain consumable and non-consumable items. F. Disposal of inventory due to age and wear is done at the discretion of the office holder with prior approval by the Exchequer. G. A Deputy Exchequer can be responsible for inventory control. H. Inventory control shall consist of itemized categories with original cost or value, means of acquisition, and present condition. I. Any person maintaining Barony property shall be responsible for the items in their possession. In the event of damage to or loss of the items, the person responsible for the damage or loss must reimburse the Barony at replacement cost, or provide a replacement of like kind and quality. This reimbursement/replacement requirement does not apply to damage due to normal usage.
Please consider submitting an award recommendation for our Barony!
A listing of all baronial awards and their descriptions can be found here: https://endlesshills.aethelmearc.org/herald-news/
The recommendation form can be found here: https://aethelmearc.org/award-recommendation-form/
Any questions can be brought to the Heralds attention at: herald@endlesshills.aethelmearc.org
Closing Chronicler Remarks
Greetings Endless Hills, it is I, Lady Matilda!
I hope everything is going smoothly. The summer has been crazy hectic for the majority of our barony. Feels like yesterday we were just prepping for Melee Madness in May and now we are set to host Coronation in September. Time flies when you are having fun with family and friends in the SCA.
A point I would like to take note of for this newsletter is service! These events aren’t possible without an autocrat to keep things organized and well mannered. Parking is certainly not as easy without parking help. Imagine forgetting to eat breakfast on your way to an event and not having hospitality there to give you a muffin.
A quote that motivates me personally is: “You have two hands: One to help yourself, the second to help others.” – Audrey Hepburn
Service is a huge topic of discussion in the SCA. If one barony member lends a helping hand for another person for 20 minutes, just imagine how fast things can get accomplished if all of our members help. We are all placed on this Earth for a reason. We all joined the SCA for a reason. If we all help one another just imagine the barony that we can create for the Endless Hills!
Baronial Meetings & Practices
- Rapier Practice
- Every Tuesday evening at 7:00 p.m.
- Ovation Playhouse, 75 Stark St, Hudson PA 18705, 2nd floor
- Cooks Guild
- Every other Monday evening at 5:30 p.m.
- Locations will be announced on the baronial Facebook group for each meeting
- Medieval Club
- Every other Thursday evening at 6:00 p.m.
- Johnson College Gym, 3427 N Main Ave, Scranton PA 18508
- Barony Meeting
- Sunday March 16th ■ On Google Meet, at 7:30 p.m.
- Sunday April 13th ■ On Google Meet, at 7:30 p.m.
If you have anything you would like to share with the rest of the Barony, please forward it to me at chronicler@endlesshills.aethelmearc.org. Any articles, poems, thoughts, feelings, projects are welcomed! Fellow members of the barony who are receiving an award, please forward to me! Your input is always appreciated and will be added. Any critiques and/or suggestions are also appreciated. Please send to the baronial chronicler email at chronicler@endlesshill