Lord Yvan Wolvesbane passed away suddenly on December 4, 2016. Always an upholder of the chivalrous arts – he was the third Knight Marshal for the Barony of Concordia of the Snows.

Yvan Wolvesbane discovered the SCA while he was in the Navy.  His first assignment on a ship was a great adventure for him.  When his was off duty he explored.  Imagine how surprised he was when he climbed a ladder to go on deck and stepped into a fight practice!

The ship was a successful little shire. The Shire even had permission to have little events on board.  His attempt at medieval clothing for his first event  was to pull the blanket off his cot and pin it on backwards as a cloak.  The blanket was stamped NAVY of course.  Rather deeply.  The ink had soaked through. When he told a shipmate he had not chosen a name, someone laughed and said it was written on his cloak! YVAN was a name that stuck for his entire career in the Game.

Reading was a great passion with Yvan.  There he discovered that choosing a persona was going to be a difficult decision.  He found the fascination with working metal and the fearlessness in battle that comes with believing that death is followed by waking up with your friends in Celtic cultures fascinating.  The Norse focus on fighting, travel, entrepreneurship, and farming was very, very appealing too.  He discovered that the culture in the around early Cornwall was a delicious blend of the two.

After his discharge, Yvan bought a Harley and traveled wherever his whims took him for several years.  But he never missed Pennsic.  He managed to take his armour and tent as well as his garb along with him on the bike, a pole arm sticking out on each end.  When there were fewer rules there he used his bike as a tent pole.  Once!   In a storm that year his tent fell over him!  After that the bike was usually a quiet companion in his tent.  His first air mattress exploded when Yvan hopped into bed.  Every year after that for a long time he broke his bed at Pennsic.   These are stories that will make you laugh for hours.

For him, fighting and metalwork were both arts.  Arts requiring study, research, skill acquired by practice, and creativity.  Making armour for fighting and tools for the forge were just as interesting to him as using them.  His helmet and his forge were prized possessions. Not only did he work at the forge, he found joy and passion in sharing his knowledge with anyone who showed interest. In 2015 he was inducted into the Order of the Maunche.

“Yvan Wolvesbane was a charismatic and honorable man who will be missed by everyone who knew him.  Sail off on your Death Ship, my friend, to Valhalla.  I will meet you there when I come to the Blessed Isle.” Mistress Brid nic Shearlais

Lord Lorenzo Quintain, mundanely known as Larry Scharf, passed from this world on November 7, 2016. He was an early founding member and subchieftain of the legendary House Three Skulls and a member of the Barony of An Dubhaigeainn, being one of its former Seneschals. He was a dedicated member of the Society, active as a Heavy List Fighter, Fencer, and Archer. Outside of the SCA he was the CEO and Co-Founder of Brothers Grim Games in Selden, NY and worked for the Suffolk County Police Department for over 27 years. Lord Lorenzo received his AoA in 1988 and was known by many for his stories, his friendliness, and his generous nature.

The Gazette thanks Lady Rue for her words, and Fiona the Volatile for the photograph.

Photo courtesy of Lady Lavina Attewode and Baroness Sara di Salaparuta

Lord Avraham ben Ahron passed away on October 20 after a brief battle with cancer.  Avraham was a lifelong resident of Eastern Connecticut except for a few years spent in Boston during his education.  His research into Sogdian culture and Gers (Yurts) was notable, as was his infectious enthusiasm and his generosity in sharing his work.  Avraham was among the first SCA ger builders and built his first over thirty years ago.  He researched Mongolian and other Silk Road cultures and artifacts.

Avraham was active in the SCA for many years, although he was absent for some time due to family obligations.  Baron of Dragonship Haven, Master  Joseph of the Red Griffin of Dragonship Haven, remembers making his first armor with Avrahm’s direction and help in Avrahm’s driveway sometime in the mid-1980s. Avraham was inducted into the Order of the Yale, Dragonship Haven’s Baronial service order, in 1981.  In 1987, he became a member of the Order of the Hawk’s Bell, a Dragonship Haven Baronial A&S order that has since closed.   The East bestowed an Award of Arms on him in 1982.

Master Jaji shared the following memories of Avraham.

Avraham at Pennsic. Photo courtesy of Virag Qarabay.

“Avrahm ben Ahron broke ground and blazed trails in the fields of Jews in the SCA period, and those who lived on/near the Steppes in particular. If you have seen a yurt (ger) in the SCA over the last 30 years, chances are it was based at least partly on his design. He forged his own blade which he carried proudly…even if he felt there were 27 flaws which he was surprised no one could see (but himself, of course).

As a dutiful son, he stopped his life entirely to care for his ailing mother. When she passed several years ago, he ‘returned to the fold’. Those who knew him before he stopped coming around welcomed him back, and those who had never met him had a chance to do so. He searched long and hard to locate the appropriate fabric for garb his new researches had shown him was more appropriate for his persona. He wore that as proudly as the saber he forged…along with the bow, quiver, and arrows he also made. I am honored to say that he called me a friend all these years. “

An obituary can be found online.