Nicholaus Barchatov

Unto the current and former populace of Grimwithshire, to my crew and my old friends where ever you may be,

Today my heart is breaking. In that awful, awful way that thankfully it rarely has. My good and beloved friend has left us. Left me.

I just received word today that Count Nicholaus Barchatov, (modernly known as Jerry Fries) has passed from this realm. It was sudden, unexpected and his passing quick. To say he will be missed would be a vast understatement.

Some who do not know may wonder why I pass this on to Grimwith? Because the formation of a branch in this area was originally his idea.

Long ago I knew him in Oertha, as well as his then lady Alyssia of Cameo Keepe. We shared many, many good times. I was seneschal of our group. He taught me to fight. I was on their retinue when they held the Coronets. I watched their son so they could hold court and my Diamond Willow still has Baraks teething marks. I am apprenticed to Alyssia's mother, Mistress Rolynnda.

When I moved to An Tir I knew no one here and was not active in the SCA anymore, but one day I looked up the Kingdom website and lo and behold who should be King & Queen but my old pals.

So I traveled to Ambergard just to see them. While he and I were talking and sharing a bottle of mead I was teasing him about an incident that happened many years ago in Oertha. He jokingly threatened that if I didn't keep shut about it here he would retaliate by making me "Seneschal by Kings Command" of whatever area I currently resided in.

I retorted "Hah! Good luck with that, I live in Unclaimed Lands!" Never one to be thwarted in an evil scheme he promptly puffed himself up, tapped the crown on the table between us and replied "Then I say you should get a branch formed up there". Well, you cannot ignore a command of thy King, can you? Not the clean version in the Grete Boke but nonetheless the truth about how the idea of Grimwith was conceived.

Count Nicholaus was my first choice for Royal Patron for Grimwith. But at the time he did not feel he could do the role justice and declined. He always planned to attend an event here - but as he often told me, "you live in the damn boonies!"

There is so much more I could share but the tears flow freely as I type, for this was truly one of my oldest and dearest friends, once and future Prince and the only One True King I have ever sworn fealty to outside of my obligations as an officer. Even when I was the consort of another at Crown tournament I was cheering inside for Nick to win again.

Godspeed my King, my friend and give my love to Kylson for I know he is waiting for you with a brimming tankard, a merry song and an eyeball exploding headshot.

I love you man.

Lady Wilhelmina Catherine de La Rochelle of House Ravenoak
Companion of the Diamond Willow
Order of the Ivory Quatrefoil
Former Seneschale of Selveirgard
Former Lady in Waiting to HRH Alyssia of Cameo Keepe
Apprentice to Mistress Rolynnda of the Azurestone
Distractor of the child
One of those infamous hair snake wranglers.

Better known to most of you as
Commodore Arnora Grimsdottir
founding Seneschale of Grimwithshire

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I didn't know him as King or any other royalty. I knew him as Nick because that is what he introduced himself as over a card game. It wasn't until much later that I knew he had held any title. He was as the salt of the earth adding a flavor to the gathering of friends that will be sorely missed for once having him there it will never again be quite the same.

What a delight to visit with this man. I will miss his candor and his laughter. We have lost a great example of what the society should be. Not perfect but open, charming, friendly and courteous even to those who aren't wearing the pointy hats of court.

Rae Yseulande
War Elephant Wrangler

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A few years ago some friends and I decided to go to Pennsic. Ya gotta go to Pennsic at some point when your in the SCA .. so tis written somewhere. We were coming from Washington State and Canada and were going to meet some folks that we online gamed with from Missouri, West Virginia and New York State...sorta central to us all or so we said.

We preregistered to camp in Antir Royal cause that way we would be sure of having a good camping place..and folks we knew to camp with, we thought. We arrived and discovered that there was a total of (I think) 27 Antir folk camping in Antir Royal including His Majesty King Nicholas. So we all happily stepped up to the job of 'insta-retinue'. Jeff McLean was "super squire" to Nick, Padraigin was cook and house mom and the rest of us were 'crew'.

We were all sitting around under a large blue tarp one hot sunny morning, complaining about the heat and discussing the day, when we heard a scream outside the campsite. We all rushed out to see what was wrong. A lord riding a handicapped four wheeled scooter had run over a ladies foot by accident. She was in much pain and very upset. We gathered her up and took her back to the campsite, set her in a chair, put her foot on a small cooler, and one of us ran for ice and some bandages.

She looked around at our decidedly 'rustic' campsite and wanted to know where she was. We said 'Antir Royal'.

She responded "AnTir Royal? So where is the King?".

"Gone to get you some ice for your foot."

"THE KING of AnTir has gone to get ice for my foot?"

"Well....he was the one sitting on the cooler."

There are parties every nite at Pennsic...where the booze is free and flows like a river....Nick decided he wanted to attend a party at the 'swamp' and invited us to go with him. Of the folk there that night, only myself and Jeff decided to go. We head down the hill and over the dale, around the corner..and .... you get the idea.

There is a gate with a large large lineup of folk standing waiting to get into the party. There is no charge to get into the party, but they are limiting how many people can get into their campsite at once. You have to show your id and your paid entrance token to get into the party....but...

We are walking with the King and he is wearing his crown...so

We go to the back entrance, and they wave us in...no checking, no verifying..we are in...

Cool

I am carrying my tankard, but Nick and Jeff have none. I know there is free booze somewhere in the campsite. I offer to go get His Majesty a drink...
I go over hill, around dale, round the corner...its about um...3 city blocks to the lineup for booze....or so it seems. ALOT of people in the campsite. and its huge. So..about 20 folks standing in line to get mountain dew and everclear..called swampwater....

I am standing there, and a lady comes by...would any of us like a drink? Well...I got this empty tankard..so I hold it out..and she dollops in a goodly portion of liquor..which I drink ... and continue to inch forward in the line. Another person comes by and offers us a drink..which I take...and inch forward...
4 or 5 drinks later, I get to the front of the line and they fill the tankard with Swamp Water. I take it back to Nick. (gotta sample it and make sure it aint poisonous you know). I give it to His Majesty, who quaffs it down and says "That was Good Genevieve, Go get me another!"

so...back over hill, up dale, ..whatever...get to the lineup...

4 or 5 good drinks later...swamp water for the king..back to Nick..wash rinse, repeat.

Third time thru the lineup, the last drink was amaretto...which may or may not have almonds in it..Nicholas was allergic to almonds....so I asked them to rinse out the tankard before filling it as the Lord it was for was allergic to nuts..she goes..who is it for? I answer Nicholas, King of AnTir. She says..oh hun, if your on retinue, you do not stand in line, you simply walk to the back and we will fill the tankard for you, and you take it back to the King. I answered..ohh I am from AnTir..we do not Jump the Line.

I told that story to Nicholas a few years later. He loved it, tho he did admit he wondered how I got so drunk on sampling his mountain dew and everclear. 'I am a cheap drunk I guess', I told him *GRINS*

I hope that when we get to the end of our journey, we can meet all of the friends we have lost. It will be a fine amazing company with such folk as Jeff and Nick, Gerhard and Roger and all the others....And I hope they leave me some beer.

In service to the dream and missing them badly

HL Genevieve Barbota of Gryphonshold

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My first encounter with Nick was shortly after he emigrated here to An Tir from parts unrecognised. I was at South Sound Unity Tourney in Blatha an Oir, still acting as Royal Bard, so hosted a knock down drag it out Master Class Bardic Tourney. Anyone could enter, but competition was gonna be stiff as hell, with some of the very best musicians, singers and storytellers in the Knowne Worlde concentrated in that region. James the Obscure, Owen the Merry, Maitresse Isolde de la Vielle a Roue, Leith and Allisaundra, Shaughnessy, HL Margaree ny Kenneth, Cymantha of Soundstream and several others, all of whom were familiar faces. Then there was this one, golden haired nobleman I'd never set eyes on before. He watched and listened and nodded appreciatively, then asked if he could throw his hat into the ring. We welcomed this new performer, curious as to what he would have to bring to such a solid stage of performances as we'd witnessed thus far. And he KNOCKED US FLYING.

This incredible, true tenor just powered out a song we'd never heard before: not period but who cared? He read and rocked his audience. When he finished, we hooted and hollered and applauded like madmen, and I asked, "My lord... WHO are YOU?" He swept into an elegant bow over my hand, placed a simple kiss and stated, "I am Nicholaus Barchatov, my lady," He then looked up with an impish gleam in his firelit eyes, and added "I'm new here." That was my introduction to Sir Nick.

In later days, it would be an anticipated pleasure that if I saw Nick about, I knew I would get to hear him sing later that event. He never let me down. I have not heard him for too long, and to know I shan't hear him again, fills me with sorrow. He will be missed, in many unforeseen ways.

Briana nic h'Eusaidh
Filidhe n'An Tir