Black Hats

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Information
Founded: 2021 Status: Active
Heraldry
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Good Morning! Here's what I have for the Black Hats. The Fellowship of the Black Hats is a network of warbands in the SCA based on the Chorny Klobuki, the military elite of steppes tribes who formed autonomous warrior communities.

It serves as an umbrella for the different individual fighters and small units, in which the small units, while retaining their group identities and autonomy, help to create something larger. We can organize, make our small groups a strength, instead of being individuals fed into battle one or a few at a time.

Members and those who hire on for a war are paid individually in coin minted for the SCA, as well as receiving something for their unit participation. A token of membership is a black-furred, white topped kubanka-style hat.

The reasons this was formed go back to the Bukellarii, the First Brigade of the Royal Army of Caid. Modeled on the Bukellarii of Count Belisarius, who welcomed those of all backgrounds into the ranks of his personal household, this played to the strengths of widely scattered groups having to perform as one.

With the dismantling of the brigade system of the Royal Army, something new had to be formed, which would fill that void of incorporating widely scattered units and lone wolves and providing them an umbrella to operate from.

Membership is not permanent. Signing on for one war doesn’t make an individual or group permanent members, but some groups might make it a regular thing at wars, and may identify as Black Hats outside of wars. Others may drift in and out, or having participated once, may decide it is not for them. And they may decide to try it again.

This is a war group for those who don’t have one, and don’t want to be treated as fodder, although there may be an echo of a “Forlorn Hope.” Time will tell. The households/war bands (since individuals are too many to name) who fought under our banners were the Siech (more formally Siech Persistent), Deterioatta, Wandering Wheel, and Blackrune Free Company.

History

• Founded in 2021 by Kyr Yaroslav the Persistent

• First fielded fighters at Great Western War 10/2021
  • The pay was: A Yari coin for each fighter. 2 Yari coins for each commanders. Each unit got 2 bottles of infused vodka and a bottle of rum.

Units

• Blackrune Free Company
• Deterioatta
• Siech Persistent
• Wandering Wheel

Photos

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  Yari coins: a gold one, a silver one, and the usual copper one, made using the dye that the late Master Peter of Dun Calma made in Yari's honor when he stepped down as Captain-general after six years

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  Taken at Great Western War: Yaroslav the Persistent is 2nd from the right, Philip of Meadhe is on the right

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  The Black Hats very first battle, successfully sweeping the enemy's left flank at Great Western War 2021