Well Met! 🛡️
I am Karius Hutzelmann, of Haus von Swetzingen, and a proud member of the Order of the Pelican.
My adventures in the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) began in 2013 alongside my partner, Apollonia Faust. We were searching for a new social outlet after finding ourselves constantly tethered to _World of Warcraft_ following the birth of our son. While WoW was a great diversion, we soon realized we needed more community interaction.
My dear friend, Master Nicolas, introduced me to the SCA and helped us get started at the Lagerdamm Newcomers event. One of the first classes I ever attended was on armor making. It goes without saying, I was hooked! My DIY dæmon was fully stoked and engaged.
Service and Community
Since those early days, I’ve found a deep love for service within the SCA—from event stewarding and serving as a Webminister to mentoring others and helping steer the direction of our local groups.
The service I am most proud of is being a Squiprentice (both squired and apprenticed) to Duke Fabian von Swetzingen. Duke Fabian is an extraordinary person: he holds four peerages, is a fantastic parent, is accomplished outside of the SCA, and has dedicated his life to helping and guiding others. It has been a great honor to serve him and his household.
Finding Family in the West
For me, the SCA’s greatest strength is its community. This became especially clear when we made the daunting move from Central Arkansas to the Bay Area in California, a transition to the West Kingdom.
Landing in new, unfamiliar territory was both terrifying and exciting. But we quickly realized the connections we had made in the Kingdom of Gleann Abhann (Central Arkansas) were instrumental in helping us here in the West. Within three to four months of moving, we made contact with the local group, the Shire of Southern Shores.
That initial contact has resulted in countless adventures, a peerage each for Apollonia and me, and, most importantly, a huge extended family. I could not be more thankful for the support and love we have found here.
