Stormshadow

Description and Locale

The Shire of Stormshadow (also known as Storm Shadow) is a defunct branch that existed from circa 1977 into circa 1981 located in City of Salem and parts of Marion County, Oregon that were then within the Principality of An Tir in the Kingdom of the West.

In the words of Cesare the Merchant: “Stormshadow was located south of Three Mountains (Salem area) nestled in a beautiful valley with a majestic river flowing through it.”

Today the lands that formerly were a part of the Shire of Stormshadow compose the core of the Barony of Terra Pomaria.

Heraldry

Name

The meaning of the name seems obvious, however, the exact decision and means of how it was chosen is unknown. The branch name was registered in July of AS XIV/1979 with the SCA College of Arms.

Device

No device was registered for this branch. If an unregistered proposed device existed at one time, a description and its history is currently lost.

Timeline of General History

• Mid-year AS XII/1977 Stormshadow first forms when Dorthea of the Dunes moves to the Principality of An Tir, mundanely the area of Salem, Oregon from territory that was then in the Kingdom of Atenveldt, mundanely New Mexico.
• Dorthea of the Dunes is given an Award of Arms May 6 AS XIII/1978.
• July AS XIV/1979, the name Stormshadow is registered with the SCA College of Arms.
• Aug AS XIV/1979, first mention of "The Shire of Storm Shadow" in the Crier.
• January 6 AS XIV/1980 Stormshadow is featured in an article in the Statesman Journal, the local newspaper for Salem, Oregon, after recently holding a meeting at the Salem Public Library. In the article the branch is said to have been a year old.
• Jan 12 AS XIV/1980 Dorthea of the Dunes becomes the 18th Princess of An Tir a consort of Edward Zifran of Gendy.
• Circa AS XVI/1981, just prior to An Tir becoming a kingdom, interest in the SCA began waning among members of the shire. The zip codes of Stormshadow were eventually abandoned and the branch was officially declared defunct. Reasons are speculative, however, its possible Viscountess Dorthea of the Dunes may have either quit the SCA or moved out of area and the shire was unable to elevate a suitable leader to replace her. The Salem-area zip codes were given to the newly formed Shire of Nether Edge centered out of the City of Dallas in Polk County, Oregon.

Officers History

No records listing specific office-holders has been rediscovered regarding the Shire of Stormshadow. It’s speculative that since Dorthea of the Dunes founded the shire, she was likely the seneschal at one time, perhaps the only one the branch had.

Populace Facts & Milestones

According to Cesare the Merchant in the early/mid-1990s “… there are still a couple of members around that know of these distant times and the hardships faced by the people of Stormshadow.”

At the meeting in January AXXIV/1980, the newspaper article stated 16 people met around a table in the library. The same article states the branch had 5 paid members but desired to increase membership to 12 people so it could elevate to the status of barony.

Known residents

• Dorthea of the Dunes: Per The Crier issue 96 she was the Seneschal prior to becoming Princess of An Tir. (Ian Jameson)
• Dierdre
• Rhondelle of York
• Hermake
• Carroll Aemon
• Markaiv Vonyavitch
• Chandra of the East
• Iver of the Black Bow probably then called Adelgar Iver Donaldson
• Chris, a minor child training to be a page of Dorthea of the Dunes
• Craig Cumin Principality Constable (Ian Jameson)
• Danulas of the Dunes I'm pretty sure I've got the spelling wrong, she was Dorthea's younger sister. (Ian Jameson)
• Larry Freshner, whose SCA name I've long since forgotten. (Ian Jameson)

Events

According to Cesare the Merchant “The people of Stormshadow managed to put on a couple of events, but failed to learn the importance of working together.”

In the January 6 AX XIV/1980 Statesman Journal article it was noted that to-date the branch had not taken part in any tournaments nor “done much” other than preparations for a recent Yule Revel in Three Mountains. As well, shire members were eagerly preparing for next week’s Twelfth Night Coronation AS XIV/1980 in Adiantum obviously because their Lady Dorthea of the Dunes was soon-to-be crowned Princess of An Tir there.

Retrospectives

It seems the history of Stormshadow very much fit its name – coming and going with the breeze, fiercely making its presence known only to fade away to blue skies – that blue would be found in the device of Terra Pomaria, the silver lining behind the clouds. From all of the old-timers I have spoken to regarding its ever-distant past commentary indicates the shire's brief existence was “stormy” and the participants did not work well together thus leading to its downfall. No doubt Stormshadow is the predecessor of Terra Pomaria with a few of its members carrying over to the new branch, at least initially in the times of founding. Stormshadow and Terra Pomaria did hold a couple distinct characteristics in that both branches fiercely wanted to establish their own identities free of Three Mountains and other well-established neighboring areas. As well, Stormshadow early-on desired to be elevated to the status of barony, something Terra Pomaria would eventually achieve roughly 15 years after Stormshadow’s founding and 10 years after Terra Pomaria formed on May 16 during May Crown AS XXVII/1992 held on Terra Pomarian soil. --Jeanjacqueslavigne 23:39, 9 Jul 2006 (EDT)

I first met Rhondelle of York and a couple of others from Stormshadow at Orycon 1, in late 1979. Being a Salem expat I started hanging out with them, which resulted in my attending Adiantum 12th Night and getting involved with friends of theirs from Adiantum. Anyway, Stormshadow was something of a quasi-branch. It seemed to exist as a means of identifying themselves as more than "that lot from Salem." When Dorthea joined the military and moved out of the region, at the same time as Rhondelle and Larry headed off to Oregon State, and Craig moved elsewhere... That's four of the core members leaving permanently at the same time, and unless they'd doubled their paid members since the above quoted newspaper article that was four of their five paid members, and five were required for an official branch. RIP Stormshadow. ~~Ian Jameson

References

• Goodman, Howard. “Out of one era: Warriors and damsels return to good old days of Camelot.” Statesman Journal 6 Jan 1980, Sunday ed.: B1 +.

• Recollections of Cesare the Merchant as originally told in The Privy circa the early/mid 1990s, Terra Pomaria’s newsletter, as posted on the branch website http://www.terrapomaria.antir.sca.org/history.htm