Mora Ottavia Spadera
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The Honorable Lady Mora Ottavia Spadera has an identity which is a cross between cavalier and courtesan. She resides in the sunny Shire of Isles, and can generally be found at events on the rapier field or, formerly, carousing at the Inn of the Crimson Spade as one of its most dedicated patrons. On the field at Potrero War 2014, Mora was admitted to the Order of the White Scarf of Caid.
Persona
Mora was born and raised in Venezia, the eighth daughter of a former courtesan and her prosperous merchant husband. Rather than continuing to follow in her mother's footsteps, Mora did some traveling, and met Angus le Todde Mac Donnell while in Flanders. After deciding to wed, Todde and Mora have embroiled themselves in a variety of small business ventures, some of which take them regularly to Caid. They founded a merchant company, Calix Inundans with some other businessfolk, and can often be found doing business with the White Star while loitering at the Inn of the Crimson Spade.
Some of the details of Mora's childhood in Venice, and subsequent events, are recorded in the tale of The Young Girl and the Inn.
Background
Mora has resided in the Shire of Isles since she found the SCA in 1999, when starting at the University in Santa Barbara. She immediately took up the rapier, learned to manufacture garb for large swaths of the Isles rapier community, became Shire Exchequer within a year, and comprehensively immersed herself in the Dream while pursuing a degree in Physics. Meanwhile, she fell in love with and married Angus le Todde Mac Donnell and sealed her fate as a lifetime member of the Society at his side. Todde and Mora became fixtures of the Shire of Isles, and compulsive volunteering brought them both recognition in the Order of the Crescent at the 2007 King's Hunt.
Mora is a serial dabbler when it comes to the Arts and Sciences. Her Fifty-Year Challenge is to acquire the rudiments of fifty different arts. Her most continuous interests have been in rapier (she is a companion of the Duellist of Caid and the Vanguard of Honor, and is presently Queen's Champion to her Majesty A'isha), garb construction, and persona play, with a good bit of dancing and bardic arts thrown in for good measure. She is passionate about period ambiance, persona development, and the mental and 'meta' aspects of playing and participating in the Dream. Her largest A&S project yet is the creation and upbringing of offspring in the society.
She has not yet found a good reason to leave the temperate and sunny Isles, but with Todde and others, operates a small trading venture company, Calix Inundans, which travels often to do business with gentles far beyond the borders of their Shire.
Offices & Positions
- Exchequer, Isles, 2000 to 2003
- Seneschal, Isles, 2003 to 2007
- Queen's Champion, Rapier, to A'isha bint Shamir, 2013
- Bard of Isles, 2017-2018
Classes Taught
- Smocking, Collegium Caidis Fall 2008
- Courtly Art of Comportment, Collegium Caidis 2009
Original Bardic Pieces
Miscellany
- Registered Personal Badge: (Fieldless) An artichoke Or.
50-year Challenge
The rudiments of fifty different arts, enough so I can explain the principles to a newcomer and teach a basic class given time to prepare.
- Historical Rapier Combat - [Capo Ferro and Italian study]
- Basic Clothing Patterning - [Classes taught, many garments patterned and contructed]
- Handsewing: Clothing construction - [fully handsewn yellow Venetian gown, 2012]
- Handsewing: Colored thread embroidery - [embellishment on 11th C linen undergown]
- Handsewing: Metal thread embroidery - [embellishment on rapier fighting glove cuffs, award medallion]
- Knitting - [garment construction for offspring]
- Bobbin lace making - [several small samplers, pillow and bolster construction]
- Hand spinning - [drop spindle, purple wool]
- Lucet - [many many garment and shoe cords]
- Tablet weaving - [orange/purple interlocking eye pattern, 1 yard]
- Bardic composition: storytelling - [The Young Girl and the Inn]
- Bardic composition: poetry - [When my Lady Wakens, many others]
- Solo Singing - [Solo performances at multiple Potrero Concerts and bardic fires]
- Storytelling - [The Young Girl and the Inn]
- Directing - [Lysistrata, SCA version, King's Hunt early 2000's]
- Playing the Harp - [Several Cantigas and Irish pieces]
- English Country Dance - [All the basic ones, plus a bunch of complex ones]
- 15th and 16th C Italian Dance - [Amoroso, etc.]
- Leather hand-sewing - [multiple pieces, both glove-weight and armor-weight]
- Leatherwork embellishment design - [countless pieces executed by Todde mac Donnell]
- Freehand Acanthus Leaf illustration - [multiple leather pieces executed by Todde]
- Chain mail knitting - [brass wrist cuff]
- Silk banner painting, egg-wash method - [Todde and Mora's banners (now retired) plus others]
- Fabric block printing - [Caidan decorative hangings for King's Hunt]
- Chip carving - [NOT YET COMPLETE]
- Head cook of a Feast - [Isles Anniversary, late 2000's]
- Wood furniture construction - [Camp bed]
- Pavilion design and construction - [The Bunny Pavilion]
- Gardening with period herbs and vegetables - [I have an awesome garden]
- Non-alcoholic brewing: Sekanjabin and Hypocras - [Many times over the years]
- Hat-making - [Elizabethan flat cap, cavalier felt hat, coif, pill-box hat]
- Period hair-styles and head coverings - [Class taught]
- Period manners and comportment - [Class taught]
- Persona development - [Running of Isles Finishing Guild, comportment and persona group]
- Mental aspects of tournament combat - [Class to be taught early 2014]
- Pewter sandstone mold casting - [Site tokens, multiple Isles Anny's]
- Jewelry-making: bead necklaces and earrings - [Amber necklace, multiple others]
- Finger-loop braiding - [2 yard length]
- Cotehardie/women's fitted gown patterning and construction - [Multiple garments fit to multiple women]
- 15th and 16th century doublet/jerkin construction - [Fencing legal and not, multiple materials and styles]
- Venetian/Florentine women's gowns, 1540-1570 - [Yellow gown made so far, full wardrobe coming]
- Smocked embroidery - [Class taught, smocked apron construction]
- Poultry slaughter and cleaning - [chickens and turkeys]
- Knife and blade sharpening - [NOT YET COMPLETE]
