My Persona
Of course, a large element of the SCA is what we call
our "Persona", a fictional character whose life we
center our interests around. A person can always
change personas, but it makes it harder for the person
and others they know to keep their facts straight.
We are always developing our persona, growing in
detail as we grow in detail of their lifestyle.
At this point, I've only known of the SCA for about a
year and a half, and my involvement just over a year
old. Needless to say, I'm still trying to make sense
of everything that happens and that I need to know
within the Society, and my time for a documentable
story has been next to nil. Here's what I've
developed so far.
I was born in the area immediately southwest of what
is currently known as Wicklow, Ireland in around the
year 1000-1003 A.D. I was the son of a carpenter, who,
though not wealthy, happily plyed his trade in the
town.
To give insight to the Irish culture and society of
the time, Ireland had been occupied by Viking invaders
since the 8th Century. Though the Norsemen were
fierce fighters and notorious vandals, they didn't
bother pillaging the emerald isle so much as use it as
a way station, an oversized pit stop on their way to
the European mainland. To their credit, however,
they developed the Island's capitol, Dublin, using
Irish workers. The Norsemen continued thriving in
Ireland, during which time they were slowly
assimilated, marrying into the native populace.
This caused resentment in many places, and from it
came prejudice against these halfbreeds of the
unwelcome invaders. My family line managed to stay
pure for a long time, until my mother's father married
into my bloodline. As a result, I am a quarter
Icelandic Norse.
After many generations of occupation, the Norse
eventually developed into traders, leaving most their
raiding days behind them. They became an integral
part of Ireland's import and export, bringing
treasures from far away lands, such as Greece, Turkey,
Italy, Spain, Scandinavia, Russia, and even Mongolia.
The bitterness of occupation was still in many
mouths of Irishmen however, and there was always talk
of revolt.
Finally, under the leadership of the great Brian Boru,
free men of all Ireland attacked the remnants of the
Vikings in the Battle of Clontarf, sending the
confused Norsemen back to wherever they came.
My father was killed in the battle. Before he died,
he entrusted me and my mother to the care of his
business partner and best friend, who worked as the
blacksmith in our town.
I have lived with this man ever since, who eventually
became my mentor when I came of age. He has spent the
last several years developing my skills in the
smithing arts, and I have attained the rank of
Journeyman. I have traversed all over the British
Isles, having embarked on a long journey when I was
about 18. I visited cousin Scotland, where I stayed
with a Clan for a little under a year. I proceeded by
foot down to England, where I found little of
interest, and peddled my wares from my Scottish stay.
I traveled by foot west to Wales,where I lived with
a friend and her family for a couple of years. On my
trip back to Ireland, the ship I was on stopped at
the Isle of Man to replenish supplies. A large storm
forced us to stay for a couple of weeks, after which
I reached my homeland.
