To be, or not to be -- that is the question. And it’s a question I think we need to ask ourselves with regards to House Corvus, our place in it, and its place in the Society.

For a while now, I’ve been wondering, is House Corvus slowly turning into the very type of household I swore we’d never become. That is, one of those über, but now spent, houses in the SCA. We have a large membership. We have fairly good name recognition throughout the SCA, or at least Atlantia. We still have members who hold a variety of important, highly-placed offices. We still have members who carry on the day-to-day operations of their local branches. In almost all ways, we’re still as relevant as we’ve ever been. But how much do we still care about making a difference *as* a household or to the other members within it?

I am perfectly willing to concede that I may be projecting. Perhaps my own disillusionment with certain aspects of the Society are coloring my view of House Corvus. But, if other members of House Corvus are thinking what I’m thinking or, worse, not thinking of House Corvus at all, then I think it’s time to lay my thoughts out on the table and see where we stand.

Don’t get me wrong. My love for House Corvus and every single member of it has not diminished in any way. And, no matter what choices we make, I can’t imagine that ever changing. When you were inducted into House Corvus, you became a part of my life. That’s not a door I open easily. But, once opened, it rarely closes.

But I also realize that all of our lives change. And certainly, our interest in the SCA waxes and wanes like every single other member the Society has ever known. The question then becomes, is that waning likely to be a permanent thing or is a renaissance on the horizon?

We’ve all seen this happen in the SCA. Certain households become these great, wonderful things. They attract the crème de la crème of their local memberships and blossom into vital, contributing components of their kingdom. This is what we in Corvus have always strived towards and what we have most definitely achieved.

But then we’ve also all seen this. Large, vigorous households slowly fade. They don’t lose their memberships, per se, but they start to back off of their local branches. And, before you know it, they barely register an SCA presence at all. Even if the members themselves remain in close, constant contact; they don’t make that presence known in an SCA context. So, while the SCA household name persist, the household unit has actually ceased to be an SCA thing. Is this where Corvus is headed? Or are we already there?

My opinion is, if I thought we were already there, I’d likely dissolve House Corvus and either start a new household or allow myself to fade into SCA obscurity. I’m not quite ready to let that happen though. In fact, slowly (oh-so-terribly-slowly), I’m starting to get reinvested in the SCA. After too much time off, too much time away, I’m rediscovering many of the things I loved about being in the Society. True, I’ve also been reminded of many of the things I hate about the SCA. But, you know what? Those were never going to go away. I just stopped fighting the good fight against them. “All that is necessary for evil to triumph is that good men do nothing” and all that...

So, rather than dissolve House Corvus and release many of the good men and women who are still interested in participating in both the household and the Society, I’d like to rededicate myself to everything that House Corvus has always been and all that it has always stood for: making a difference. It’s no secret that I’ve always considered us the good guys and it’s been both my honor and privilege to fight the forces of evil with you. Of course, in a less grandiose sense, it’s also always been fun to do the other thing House Corvus has always been so very good at: setting a good example for what the SCA can and should be like.

So, again, no disbanding. But a definite reorganization is in order. I’m not going to ask anyone to leave the household. But I do think that what you, as individual members of House Corvus need to decide is, do you still want to be a part of all this?

I’m including a card in this mailing. Think of the card as an invitation to rejoin House Corvus. Use this invitation as an excuse and an opportunity to help you reflect on the Society/your kingdom/your barony/your branch/your persona and whether or not any of those things still hold a place in your heart or, more importantly, in your future.

Are you done with the SCA? Then, even if the members of House Corvus are your friends and will remain a part of your modern, non-SCA life; maybe it’s time to let an SCA-thing like House Corvus go.

Are you pretty much done with the SCA but like having your toe in the pool and may even come to an event at some point in the future? Then, maybe you should move to House Corvus Emeritus status. I won’t remove you from the overall roster of household members, but I will consider you, for all intents and purposes inactive.

Are you still into the SCA but just haven’t managed to fit it into a hectic life? But you still plan on coming back “someday” and you think you can manage the one SCA event a year that I consider the minimum for “active” membership? Then maybe you might still want to leave House Corvus and alleviate the expectation of service I hold of all Corvus members. I won’t hold it against you. Sometimes we all get tired and just don’t feel like certain activities anymore. It’s not a bad thing. It is, however, counterproductive to remain on the House Corvus roster even though we’re not likely to ever see you again at an event. Again, this seems like either an inactive or Emeritus approach.

As much as I truly, truly love you guys, it’s pretty silly to keep someone that I haven’t seen, heard from, or communicated with in years on the House Corvus roster. That doesn’t mean that I don’t want to see you, but it simply makes our roster look padded and even a bit sad. Why have fifty-plus names on the roster when only thirty-odd of us even play in the SCA anymore?

I think that, for some of us, we know that we’ll never be coming back to the SCA. But being in House Corvus makes us feel like we’re still connected. Like we “could” come back, even though we know that we won’t. I don’t want to sever that link and, I genuinely hope, that being connected to House Corvus will, in fact, prompt some people to get their feet wet again, as it were. But, that’s what the Emeritus status is for. The active roster should reflect the people who are actively playing (once a year – it’s not that much!) and upon whom other members of Corvus can likely depend to help out with some aspect of their office or an event, even if it’s to a very small degree.

So, think on it. That’s all I’m asking. I know I’ve been feeling a bit of a disconnect with both the SCA and House Corvus lately and I know that some of you have as well. So, before we fade away, I want to do something about it. And, as usual, I need all of you to help me. Remember, I’m not throwing anyone out of House Corvus, it’s not that. I’d just like to see where we stand and how active you all want to be. Within minutes of just mentioning the idea of thinning out the roster, three people contacted me. Obviously, they’re not people I see as being inactive! But others may feel that it’s time they moved on from House Corvus and this allows them a graceful exit. Think of this as a Corvus Spring cleaning. We’re not throwing anything out. But we are reorganizing the garage so we can start new projects.

Along those lines, I cannot believe that it is almost the end of April already! We have GOT to have a Corvus weekend – and I mean soon! It doesn’t just have to be all about Pennsic prep work. I think we need to get together, in general, just to recharge our batteries. Would anyone like to volunteer to host? Speak up on the Corvus List a.s.a.p. please and let’s put it together.

Robert and I will likely be moving again in August which puts my own Pennsic plans in a whirl. No matter what, though, I will be going for part of it. Even if I just go up for Land Grab and help set up. Has everyone who is planning on going to Pennsic checked-in with Mistress Rhiannon? If not, please do so at your earliest possible convenience. It’s definitely time to be putting all of our Pennsic ducks in a row.

Michael O’ also suggested recently that we needed a Corvus weekend and I couldn’t agree more. Is there anyone who’d like to host? I usually think of V&G, the E’s, or Oshi and Sine when I think Corvus work weekends just because they have the space to accommodate. But do any of you have the desire? Our summer schedules are all rapidly filling up, but I think we should make an extra special effort to make something like this happen. not just to take on a Pennsic project or two, but to touch base with one another in a more personal manner then the internet.

Of course, some of us will be attending Fall Crown Tourney the first weekend in May with still others of us coming together to celebrate the Barony of Hawkwood’s fifth baronial birthday and its third baronial investiture the following weekend. I hope as many of us as possible will be on hand to watch our fellow Corvus members, Thórgrímr and Adeliza retire as Hawkwood’s Coronet while, at the same time, celebrating the investiture of our own Deirdre Fletcher as the new Baroness Hawkwood. I’m autocratting the event and Oshi’s cooking. How old school is that? It took me a while to get my groove back, but I’m actually very excited about the prospect as it draws nearer. Do try and make it to the event if you can.

Should you miss Hawkwood’s Baronial Birthday & Investiture the second weekend in May (7, 8, 9), you’ll have a second opportunity to spend time with your housemates in Hawkwood. Lady Isolde will be autocratting her first event for Hawkwood in June. Try and put Just a Tourney III on your calendar and come support Isolde’s efforts. Plus, attending events is fun! Well, in Hawkwood anyway! ;-)

The same weekend as Hawkwood’s BB&I, our own Mistress Siobhán nic Dhuinnshléibhe will be graduating from nursing school. She has worked so long and so hard and sacrificed a lot of her SCA involvement to achieve this and is to be congratulated! It will be so wonderful to have her back at more events now that she’ll have more weekends free for the SCA and not homework! --BRAN

MAY 2010
1st - Atlantia: Spring Crown Tournament in Hidden Mountain (Blacksburg, SC)
8th - Atlantia: Baronial Birthday & Investiture in Hawkwood (Arden, NC) Bran is autocrat, Oshi is cooking.
9th - Antonia's Birthday
9th - MOTHER’S DAY!
10th - Thorgrimr's Birthday
10th - Anne Marie’s Birthday
12th - Alys's Birthday
15th - Helfdan's Birthday
15th - Atlantia: Feast of the Saints in Falconcree (Clinton, SC)
15th - Mail in registration deadline for Pennsic XXXIX
18th - Cassan's Birthday
22nd - Atlantia: Baronial Birthday in Hidden Mountain (Bennettsville, SC) Cecilia is autocrat, Oshi is cooking.
29th - Atlantia: Sapphire Joust XI & Investiture in Caer Mear (Amelia, VA)
30th - Luqman's Birthday
31st - MEMORIAL DAY!

JUNE 2010
4th - Rowan’s Birthday
5th - Triton Senior Staff Retreat
5th - Caid: Coronation in Naevehjem (Ridgecrest, CA)
12th - Atlantia: Atlantian University #77 in Tir-y-Don (Hampton, VA) Bran and Peter are teaching.
12th - Caid: Gyldenholt Anniversary in Gyldenholt (Huntington Beach, CA) Giuseppe is cooking.
14th - FLAG DAY!
15th - Online registration deadline for Pennsic XXXIX
19th - Atlantia: Drums of War in Baelfire Dunn (Boonville, NC)
20th - FATHER’S DAY!
21st - Raimondo and Lauren’s Anniversary
25th - Joseph's Birthday
26th - Krystyne's Birthday
26th - Muriele and Ronan’s Anniversary
26th - Atlantia: Just a Tourney III in Hawkwood (Asheville, NC) Isolde is autocrat, Deirdre is cooking.
29th - Isabella and Rouland’s Anniversary
30th - Alessandra’s Birthday

Find and circle all of the words from the poem "The Raven" that are hidden in the grid. The remaining letters spell an Edgar Allan Poe quotation.

ANGELS BEAK BEGUILING BIRD BLACK BLEAK BURNING BUST CHAMBER CROAKING DARKNESS DECEMBER

DOOR DREAMS DREARY EBONY ENTRANCE EYES FEATHER FIEND FLITTING FLUTTER FOWL GHASTLY

GRIM HEART HORROR LATTICE LENORE LORE MAIDEN MELANCHOLY MIDNIGHT MORTAL MYSTERY NAMELESS

NAPPING NEPENTHE NEVERMORE OMINOUS PALLAS PALLID PERCHED PLACID PLUME PLUTONIAN PROPHET QUAFF

QUOTH RADIANT RAPPING RAVEN RUSTLING SHADOW SHUTTER SOUL TAPPING VISITOR WEARY WIND