Amnara
Amnara, the real story
Amnara, aka Amanda McCartney, is one of the Bards of Keypoynt, along with her SCAdian AND real-life husband, Kenneniah, aka Nathan McCartney. The Bards of Keypoynt were named the Bardic Champions of Midhaven in 2008, and representing the Bards, Amnara became the Bardic Champion of Shittimwoode. This apparently makes her the long-awaited "Bride of Bunny" in the long and prestigeous line of "Bunny Bards."
Amnara became involved in the society during 40th Year Celebration and has attended a plethora of events every year since. As a member of the Towne of KeyPoynt, she and her husband naturally fell into the role of the Bards of Keypoynt along with their soon-to-be-brother-in-law, Reyus, aka Joshua Ian Scott. Together, they have produced their first album "Welcome to KeyPoynt," an original 15 song CD they sold through their merchanting business, Anacadia Artisans. Amnara also did the cover art for the album.
In the mundane world, Amanda is an artist of every sort, and is currently working on getting her first full-length musical on stage. As far as her SCAdian life goes, she enjoys getting the Bards out there, and wants to be a part of every Bardic Competition she can attend, because there are few things a bard loves more than meeting other bards!
For more information about Amnara and the Bards, please meander over to their official home page: http://bards.lendral.com
And for those interested...
The History of Amnara
Amnara was born in Eastern Scotland to a young woman named Caitlyn MacKenzie. Her father was a local nobleman, but this fact was never revealed to Amnara, and she grew up content to believe that whoever her father was didn't matter. Caitlyn's affair with the nobleman and the resulting pregnancy prompted her to run off into the forest, seeking to avoid scandal and the usually violent repercussions for a woman of the peasantry.
Once safely in the woods, she realized she did not know how to survive without the comforts of home. Luckily, she happened upon a band of druids, who took her in and taught her the ways of the forest, and helped her give birth to a healthy baby girl, whom she named after an ancient, and oft-forgot, Celtic goddess: Amnara.
Amnara was raised by her mother and the band of druids, and was taught many different skills, most of which were unavailable to women outside of the female-friendly druid clan. Once she reached young adulthood, she made up her mind to strike out on her own and see what she could of the world. Her mother stayed with the druids, who had become her second family. Amnara bid her mother and the band of druids farewell, and boldly made her way to the nearest large town.
She made a living by entertaining at local taverns, performing the dances she had learned and singing her own songs. She gained a small following, and earned enough to keep herself fed and housed. However, one fateful evening, a stranger wandered into the tavern she was performing at. She knew immediately that this was a man to keep her eye on. He watched her performance carefully, and after she had taken her bows, she made her way to his table.
His name was Kenneniah, and he was a traveling bard, much like herself. He had enjoyed her performance, and offered to join talents. Amnara had already decided that she liked him, and had made up her mind to marry him, so she agreed. They set out together, entertaining as a duet, and watched the money pour in. Eventually their comraderie became love, and the two spent every day together, making music and... other things.
Shortly into their travels, Amnara and Kenneniah ran across a group of travelers calling themselves the Towne of KeyPoynt. As the two had never heard of a traveling towne, they decided that such a group was perfect for their lifestyle, and they joined the towne, becoming the Bards of Keypoynt.
After they had been with the towne for over a year, Amnara decided it was time they married, to which Kenneniah had no objections. They were wed by Ambassador Constantine Seminovich in a ceremony which all attending would agree was mostly chaos and hilarity. They traveled with the towne for many years after, entertaining all who would listen, and living the lives they had always hoped for, side by side.