====== Bardic College of Ealdormere ======
The **Bardic College of Ealdormere** is a voluntary association of *anyone* interested in the Bardic Arts.
The purpose of the College is to support the Bardic Arts within the Kingdom of [[branches:kingdom:ealdormere|Ealdormere]] and abroad, and to spread the knowledge and skills of its members. Some of the ways the College has done this in the past have included publications (notably //The Cry of the Wolf// songbooks and chapbooks), recordings (the Bardic Kitchen Party albums), and fundraising contributions to the Ealdormere Teachers' Fund.
Do you have to be a Kingdom/Baronial [[activities:service:offices:bard|Bard]]? No.
Do you have to be sponsored/put forth for membership by an "official" bard or current member of the College? No.
Do you have to be a renowned performer/author? No.
Do you have to be someone who enjoyed and supports the Bardic Arts? Yes! That's all it takes. Unlike other kingdoms, which may have their bardic Colleges structured as a challenge order, a sponsorship order, or an exclusive guild, the Ealdormere Bardic College is an organization open to all who may wish to join.
Furthermore, the College is a democratic association, where the [[activities:service:offices:bard|Kingdom Bard]] is simply a figurehead "leader". Anyone has the right to call a meeting, bring up business, suggest ideas, start a new project, etc.
No one has the right to tell anyone else they are not a member or are unwelcome in the College without open discussion and consensus of the College. The college exists to be a supportive, bully-free zone and will not tolerate any form of "bard shaming" from within.
In short, the Ealdormere Bardic College is for anyone and everyone. It is our hope that we can collectively make it the kind of association people will be proud to claim membership within.
//Text written by Ollamh [[people:emer_ingen_ui_aedan|Emer ingen Uí Áedán]].//
=====Current Official Bards=====
* **[[activities:service:offices:bard|Lupine (Kingdom) Bard]]:** Vacant
* **[[branches:barony:septentria|Ursine]] [[activities:service:offices:bard|Bard]]:** Vacant
* **[[activities:service:offices:bard|Bard]] of Skraeling Althing:** Vacant
* **[[activities:service:offices:bard|Bard]] of Rising Waters:** Baron Valdr jarnsmithr (Keeper of Tales)
* **[[activities:service:offices:bard|Bard]] of Ramshaven:** Lady [[people:dorothea_af_holm|Dorothea af Holm]]
* **[[activities:service:offices:bard|Bard]] of Ben Dunfirth:** Vacant
=====Current Members*=====
*This is not a comprehensive list. Additions to this list are encouraged.
* Master Hector of the Black Heights
* Ollamh [[people:emer_ingen_ui_aedan|Emer ingen Uí Áedán]]
* Mistress Eyrny Ormarsdottir
* Mistress Marian of Heatherdale
* Magistra [[people:marie_l_englois|Marie l'Englois]]
* Maister [[people:colyne_stewart|Colyne Stewart]]
* Master Martin Bildner
* Magistra [[people:roselyne_de_l_estrangere|Roselyne de l'Estrangere]]
* Master Rufus of Stamford
* Meister [[people:Dietrich von Sachsen]]
* Master Valdr jarnsmithr
* Baroness Anneke the Furious
* Baroness Sibylla of Glyndmere
* Baroness [[people:pesha|Pesha of Little Egypt]]
* Baron Justinian Clarus
* Magistra [[people:sciath_ingen_chaennaig|Sciath ingen Chaennaig]]
* The Honourable Lady [[people:thorfinna_grafeldr|Þorfinna gráfeldr]]
* The Honourable Lady [[people:orla_o_shanahan|Orla O'shanahan]]
* The Honourable Nagayori Yoshikuri go-taisho
* The Honourable Lord Guoillauc filius Brancu
* Lady Fursto de Robyne
* Captain Mic Cillian
* Lady Osc of the Harbours
* Lady Widow Kate, Lady of the Lake
* Lady [[people:Yngvildr Ádísardóttir]]
* Lord Rodrigo Navarro
* Lady Margrét Junc
* Lady Hannah of Trinovantia Nova
===== Contact Information =====
* [[https://www.facebook.com/groups/166859486846742/|Bardic College of Ealdormere Facebook Group]]
[{{:groups:guilds_and_orders:bardic_college_badge.png?200px|Badge of the Bardic College: //Gules, a wolf uluant contourney within an annulo of estoilles argent.//}}]