Greetings unto the populace of Atenveldt, Outlands and all brethren to whom these letters may come.
Heavy are the heads that wear crowns and guide our beloved kingdoms. Great are the responsibilities of the officers as they manage their duties. Blessed are the populace who benefit from the strongest brotherhood of kingdoms in the known world: the friendship between Atenveldt and the Outlands!
Hear this missive from the Crowns of Atenveldt, the Crowns of the Outlands, the Seneschals, Exchequers, and Financial Committees of each of our kingdoms.
It is with somber hearts that we share news of Estrella: declining attendance, poor weather, consequences of a pandemic, and a new site, have hindered attempts to make this historic inter-kingdom war financially viable. We strongly considered delaying Estrella for one more year, however, financially it is not feasible under the current conditions. Therefore, we have decided to retire our plans for Estrella War as we currently know it.
The 2021 Estrella War budget is available for review in the next Southwind in which we are able to publish and on the Kingdom website. The budget presented shows higher costs for services that are beyond our control. Even with the thinnest of budgets and an increase in site fees, including a non-refundable registration fee of $20 per person, the number of attendees required for the event to be viable is out of reach.
We want to acknowledge the phenomenal team of main event stewards and their staff who have spent many a sleepless night for the last two years dealing with changes in dates, venues, and negotiating multiple bids for services. Special thanks to Master Gavin, who relentlessly negotiated with the new site to arrange for the greatest possibilities of accommodation with the least amount of expense. No matter how the financial committee runs the numbers or how much our spirits wish it, under current conditions, this war would likely have a significant financial loss.
Let it not be said that our relationship with our brothers and sisters in the Outlands is diminished! We are still committed to supporting each other for future events, including Battlemoor, which will be held June 30-July 4, 2022, in Buena Vista, CO. We anticipate a hearty contingency of populace members from Atenveldt to journey together for an amazing event in the beautiful mountains of Colorado and both kingdoms have arranged their calendars to support one another’s future events.
In the meantime, Atenveldt will explore creative options for events within our borders. In the future, a smaller regional event could allow Atenveldt to consider more venues with reasonable expenditures. Over the next few years, additional information about those efforts will be presented and we look forward to input and ideas from the populace.
Let us raise our glasses to past times in good company with our chosen family and look forward to creating new memories and traditions at future events together.
