What, you may ask, is the Honor of Tadcaster?

Well, attend me, and you shall have your answer. It is an internal Tadcaster award, created to recognize those Tadcastrians who best exemplify what it means to be a Tad - those who exemplify the ideals and goals of the group, and as such can be held up as a shining example of what this mess is all about.

It began as a generous gift from Thomas delbroc, who, upon finding that a relative of his had a plasma cutter, set about making odd shapes from plasma-tortured sheet steel. At Pennsic XXXV, delbroc presented me with three such experiments, three discs with a single ermine shape cut into them.

The first two were quite large, and heavy (delbroc thought they might be nice as coasters for sedentary drinks). The third, though, was smaller, lighter, and of a more manageable size. Hung from a cord, he hypothesized, this might make a nice medallion or award. From this start, the discussion developed into the simple and straightforward mission statement you see above, and the medallion you see below.

The award is to be held for six months, changing hands at or around Pennsic and at the annual winter Tad gathering. The choice of the next bearer is the sole decision of the current bearer, although the bearer may solicit advice or input from others to aid in their decision.

Since Pennsic XXXV (when I was the first to bear the Honor while soliciting suggestions for the next awardee) until now, the rolls of the Honor of Tadcaster are as follows:

The Bearers of the Honor Of Tadcaster
Don Ian of Tadcaster, Premier
Don Collin Monroe of Tadcaster
Lady Elisabeth Underhill
Lord Merycke Winterbourne
Lady Alsone Gray
Lord Griffith Davion
Lord Melchior Kriebel
Lady Katya Gordon
Lord Davius St. Jacques
TE Collin & Marion, Baron et Baroness of Iron Bog
Lord Declan Gobha
Lord André l'Epervier
Lord Lorenzo Gorla
Lady Genevra D'Angouleme

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In addition to this accolade, there is another, less-serious award, which is often threatened to be given to the Tad who most makes themselves, and by extension, us, look like fools, and it is called the Dishonor of Tadcaster. It takes the form of a ridiculously heavy yet oddly reasonable-looking dagger, which no one would seriously want to carry from a belt. To date, it has not been given out, but the threat of its application has often been flung about as a deterrent to bad behavior. Will we ever see an act so egregious as to require the DoT to be laid upon an unfortunate Tad? Only time will tell.

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Annnnnd as luck would have it, as of Pennsic XXXVIII, we have a winner!

The Bearers of the Dishonor Of Tadcaster
Don Linus of the Cloak, Premier

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