Arnora Dunestan

Persona

Baroness Arnora Dunestan is a late 14th Century English baronet's wife, from a minor Lancashire aristocratic family long affiliated with John of Gaunt and the House of Lancaster. She herself is a staunch Lancastrian supporter and sports the red roses of the House proudly.

Arnora has been and done a lot of things over 35 years in the Society, many of which can be loosely grouped under the heading, “Shenanigans and Sass,” and much of which cannot be disclosed because of statutes of limitations across several kingdoms. She mostly likes to ignore sumptuary laws in occasionally-incendiary ways, and displays a certain aptitude for schtick-handling in court.

She is the long-standing “official” Ambassador between AEthelmearc and Ealdormere, a role which has absolutely zero political clout and yet has caused no end of consternation and face-palming amongst the royalty in both kingdoms. Ask her sometime about how she successfully conscripted a number of unwitting AEthelmearc fighters for Ealdormerean Queen Dagmar's Pennsic army right under the noses of Their Sylvan Majesties, Christopher and Morgan.

All claims of a strange relationship to a shady character known as “Sister Insubstantia of the Holy Orifice” are complete conjecture and utter poppycock, not to be taken seriously.

Arnora is also the Sponsor and Principal of a 14thC tournament company, the Company of Our Ladys Heart (name registered with the Laurel Sovereign of Arms 19 December 2019), but the official chartering and launching of that company got deferred by a stupid for-realz Plague. She hopes to get back to that project Sometime Real Soon Now.

Whereabouts

Without ever moving from her hometown, in the course of her life Arnora has been a subject of the Midrealm, the Barony of Septentria, the principality of Ealdormere, the kingdom of Ealdormere, and the kingdom of AEthelmearc.

Arnora currently (and indeed still) resides in the canton of Bryniau Tywynnog, now in the barony of Ramshaven rather than Septentria, but is a fealty-sworn subject of AEthelmearc.

“You can either know where Arnora -IS- or where she is -GOING-, but not both simultaneously.”

Heraldry

Device: Sable, a horseshoe inverted and on a chief argent three roses gules.
Badge 1: Per pale sable and argent, two serpents coiled erect addorsed counterchanged.
Badge 2: (Fieldless) A horseshoe inverted argent entwined by a riband, ends pendant in base, charged between the heels with a rose gules.

(There is an ongoing battle over whether horseshoes are supposed to be positioned upright to retain the luck, or aimed downward to allow luck to spill onto those passing under it, so “inverted” is open for debate; her device presentation has only ever shown the horseshoe pointed upwards, because that is truly inverted. Just ask the horse.)

Current Office(s)

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA…no.

Arnora avoids official responsibilities like the Plague.

Past Offices

Seneschal - Canton of Bryniau Tywynnog (two and a half terms)
Chronicler - Canton of Bryniau Tywynnog (once)

In the past, Arnora has also been the occasional publisher of scandals and scurrilous rumours in broadsheet format, just for kicks.

SCA History

[REDACTED FOR INTERNATIONAL SECURITY]

Associations (that we can publicly discuss)

Arnora was originally apprenticed to Duchess Caitlin Stewart (1993ish-1997ish) in the earliest days of the Hrogn, then later took up with notorious Norsewoman Visakona Ragnheithr_Thorbjarnardottir, managing to slide right into a green belt the very day Heithr was Laureled. Though briefly suspended over a period of mutual inactivity, both have recently (AS 58/2023) exhibited questionable wisdom in renewing the wayward-apprentice/much-put-upon-Laurel relationship. Arnora is already shopping for a shiny new green belt, because of course she is–it's all about the accessories with her.

Interests (that we can publicly discuss)

Shenanigans and sass.
Court schtick.
Poking at sumptuary laws with big sticks.
Tweaking the nose of authenticity mavens through creative applications of garb design.
Ridiculously-complicated embroidery projects.
Taking waaaaaay too much furniture to events.

Awards

Award of the Bear's Claw - August 19th, 1989
Award of Arms - April 14th, 1990 (Kingdom of the Middle)
Order of the Willow - September 20th, 1991 (Kingdom of the Middle)
Order of the Bee - December 13th, 1997
Award of the Guidon du Sang - December 12th, 1998
Order of the Crucible - October 14th, 2000
Award of the Favour of Ramshaven - November 18th, 2000
Award of the Guidon d'Argent - November 3rd, 2001
Award of the Maiden's Heart - May 3rd, 2003
Award of the Guidon d'Or - November 15th, 2003
Order of the Wain - September 25th, 2004
Order of the Keystone - October 12th, 2013 (AEthelmearc)
Court Barony - March 25, 2023 (AEthelmearc)

Other Activities (that we can publicly discuss)

That thing with the Brussels sprouts is a True Story™.

That other thing with the Jello Shooters while heralding court, and heralding a procession from under head table, also True Stories™.

Wahini Redbeard? True Story™.

Wombat in her underwear for a friend's Laurelling ceremony? True Story™.

Flames of Hell, Poodle Skirt, Soft Kitty cotehardies? Sassy Latin motto cotehardies? Hawaiian-print Norse and Mongolian ensembles?? All very True Stories™.