In Memoriam: Lord Kieran Longstrider
It is my sad duty as eldest daughter to inform the populace of the passing of Lord Kieran Longstrider, Shire Reeve of the Barony of Stonemarche, on August 16, 2023. He joined his beloved wife Lady Brynnach Longstrider, who passed in 2016.
Known as “Papa Longstrider” for most if not all of the populace of the Barony, Lord Kieran was an active member earlier in his life, although he had slowed down in recent years. He was given his AoA at Birka in 1994 by Gregor and Christence, and his Silver Crescent in 2004 at Great Northeastern War by Gaufred Kelson and Geneviere. He was also a member of the Order of the Millstone for Stonemarche, becoming the first family to be inducted into the order in 1999.
He loved archery, cooking, sewing, leatherworking, and teaching. He was passionate about helping (one of my favorite memories of him was calling him out of the feast kitchen at Birka, where he was pretty much coated in garlic, to get his AoA). If you needed anything from a safety pin to a bandaid to a quick fix for armor, he was the one you went to. His pouch always held EXACTLY what was needed, no matter how esoteric, and if he didn’t have it, he could usually cobble something together fairly quickly.
He built a trebuchet on his front porch one summer, and then had to explain to the Nottingham police why we were launching watermelons down the street. He also built a ballista that he used several times at GNEW, gleefully taking aim down the field. He made and threw knives. He built his own English longbow.
He will be missed.
-Lady Cassandra Hobbes (Ciaernit Longstrider)