Bishop Slate
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![]() Lord Edward Michael "Bishop" DeLace of the House of Slate, First Baron of Tamworth, circa 1521 CE Lord High Chancellor, English Expeditionary Privy Council, New World Territories (Cabinet of King Henry Tudor VIII)
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Information |
Resides: Kingdom of the East |
Status: Active |
Awards: Order of Precedence |
Heraldry |
![]() The Banner of Azrael, English Portcullis encased Or, Four Seraphs arranged in cross Or, Sable per Saltire Or. |
Award & Office Badges |
Introduction
Having been acquainted with the new lands (specifically during his time in the Kingdom of the West) since 2010, Bishop Slate became man at arms in 2011 during the War of the Baronies in the West Kingdom, sparking his full time devotion to the society upon his landing on the Kingdom of Trimaris and taking up fencing as well as heavy fighting. After mundane undergrad school, he was squired in 2014 during Gulf Wars XXIII after displayed promise in the arts (bardic, scrollwork, cartography, fiber and clothing arts) as well as prowess in sword and shield, Greatsword (complimented by his time within ACL alongside Florida Storm[now of ACW]), and polearm(billhook). In 2016 he made a temporary move to the Kingdom of Drachenwald's regions of Eplaheimr, Knight's Crossing, and its far away places to campaign in the middle east and African continent, temporarily hosting an SCA chapter in the Gulf of Aden. Upon completion of this campaign, he traveled to the Kingdom of the East to find quiet and more peaceful pursuits. Although an avid fighter of all disciplines, mundane injuries prevent him from advancing any further in the realm of arms (though he will continue in the attempt until his dying day). Instead, if ever found, he prefers passing down what he knows, and will be usually found smithing, sewing, painting, composing, dancing, and most things becoming of a 16th century man of his station. Due to instances of unchivalrous conduct from Peers and other members of these aforementioned kingdoms, he severed active ties with the society in 2014. He asks that no further interrogation or investigation into the matter be made, and his privacy on it respected. Bishop currently enjoys the society from a bystander's leisure, and holds no current interest in pursuing paths for protégé, knighthood, apprenticeship or otherwise.
Mission
To recreate most faithfully the persona of a mid 16th century English Baron. This is to include the attainment of land and development for a Barony, with work towards its management, recruitment, and promotion towards a higher quality of life for its tenants (participants) their (and by default the Barony's) renown, and mass unit prowess. This would have been the exact and only purpose of a contemporary individual of such station. Additionally, the future organization intends to pilot new society practices, such as elevation to seats of power through representation in the Arts and Sciences as well as Service, complimenting the present means by combat. The purpose of this is to continue to aid the society in staying fresh, current and opportunity-rich by bringing the other two thirds of the society into the whole of its ways for participating in high offices of leadership. In order for this to succeed, the barony will work towards status of Principality so as to give the company and kingdoms fair and ample data of successful practice should the matter eventually arrive at board discussion.
Persona
The Masked Man, the Black Rose, The Mum Judge, Lord Tamworth, Little is known about the man's early days. A veteran sergeant at arms from the War of the League of Cambrai, Bishop was elevated to the House of Lords by his majesty King Henry VIII for actions during The Battle of the Spurs, at the cost of severe injuries. He saw further service volunteering to provide said services to the Holy League in their campaigns against the Duchy of Ferrara. After completing his duty, Lord Slate returned to England to officially take his charge over his Barony of Tamworth. With permission from his royal majesty, he adopted his black rose to King Henry’s in the condition his men would never fight under the royal force’s tutelage or be raised within England proper. Instead, his forces remain stationed at Calais as England’s frontier force.
It wasn't long after his return that he rendered his services for the king once more, though for subterfuge. It is rumored that he is currently spymaster for the crown, more insidiously, delivering contract killings on traitors slipping from bills of attainder.When he does take to the field during war, he is known for his banner, and the silent men who fight under it. Everywhere the English crown pitches battle, the angel stares at all accross the field. This expeditionary force has and continues to adapt the military traditions of its hosts abroad, incorporating efficiency, new strategies, and psychological aspects into its ever evolving doctrine. It’s been long since anyone has seen his face, and he remains it so all the same to excel in his charges as chief of intelligence when he does not take to the field in command of forces. On a personal note, Tamworth is not regarded as much of a conversationalist, a warm man, or much of a courtier. He sees court as a duty to the realm which "must be swallowed as a poultice is applied for the benefit of the humours".
Lord Tamworth further plans to raise troops in the East Kingdom under his house’s banner from the populace. Whether to support the Kingdom or present a threat is no one’s knowledge. Rumours abound that he brings support to the King of the East on behalf of Henry, as the lands hold significance of patrimony to the English king, and therefore, to England herself. At the moment, he is also preoccupied with rooting out French and Spanish agents in the East. Knowledge of their influence in these lands are of very strategic importance to the crown.
House Slate
The Noble House of Slate was founded following Bishop’s investiture as First Baron of Tamworth. Without a spouse, Lord Tamworth has no issue, and therefore requested command of the crown's first expeditionary force. Historically, the House of Tudor has always been exceptionally cautious of the Gentry’s efforts to subvert the crown, drawing much fear from the ghosts of the prior civil war fought against the Plantagenets and the House of York. These fears were dissuaded by Bishop’s minor birth, minor rank, lack of extended family, direct friendship with the DeLace family, and Bishop’s renown for duty. As an additional precaution, Henry named the youngest brother Thomas to Lord Exchequer of the Privy, effectively safeguarding his relationship. With this, Lord Tamworth and his brother Lord Robert Slate traveled to Westminster and pledged the House towards the establishment and command of the Royal Expeditionary Forces, designated Tamworth.
Mottos
Grand Motto
Nolite Timere
Meaning:
Be Not Afraid
Infantry Motto (Call and Response)
Centum![Aut Centum!]
Meaning:
A hundred, or a hundred. The policy of the infantry is to give it all or give it all. To fight to the death, if necessary. House Slate does not break contact or retreat unless to screen.
Salute Motto
In Service to Honor
Meaning:
In the House of Slate, service is to honor first, the lordship second, and lastly to oneself. However, by serving honor, all are paid highest tribute in irrelevance to order of precedence
Royal Expeditionary Forces
The purpose of Royal Expeditionary Forces is to establish a universal precedent for the conduct, execution, honour, and treatise of a unifying standard for the business concerning pursuit of war in the kingdom’s ruling stratagem. The moving paradigm behind this armed host is to do away with the disarray and unreliable nature of feudal forces whilst consolidating such an army under the same structures. For this, his majesty King Henry calls for a standardization approach towards the art of war. The body of methodology Bishop uses as the backbone to establish this undertaking is reliant on what survives of the Byzantines and their western counterpart, Rome. However, where Lord Tamworth differs in approach is utilizing his intelligence network to recruit and turn assets across the eastern and Portuguese trade routes. These individuals bring with them war imports in the forms of traditions, new weapons, engineering, officers, supply routes etc…
With these new ideas and materials, Lord Tamworth forms the doctrine of the expeditionary forces from a mosaic of the best the known world has to offer in order to most efficiently achieve victory and maintain dominion over territorial gains.
As part of the effort to standardize his forces, Lord Tamworth has organized the hierarchy of command into one loyal to the officers within the jurisdiction of the force alone as opposed to geography and noble families. Available here is a short example of the Command Muster.
Rank | Holder | Privilege | Status of Gentry |
---|---|---|---|
Lord Chancellor | Lord Edward Michael Bishop DeLace | Chamber Command | invested |
Lord High Marshal | Lord Robert James DeLace | High Command | invested |
Archbishop | Archbishop Roland Eustace Surrey | Chamber Command | invested |
Lord Marshal | Lord William Grammercy | High Command | invested |
Lord Provost | Lord Thomas Grey | Battle Group Command | invested |
Lord Provost | Lord Catherine Rose | Battle Group Command | invested |
Lord Colonel | Lord Johnathan Capwell | Column Command | invested |
Lord Colonel | Lord Mary Waltham | Column Command | invested |
Lord Colonel | Don Eusebio Rodolfo Jimenez | Column Command | invested |
Lord Colonel | Lord Eugenia Calderon | Column Command | invested |
Captain | Captain Robert Andrews | Vanguard Company Command | uninvested |
Captain | Captain Hans Brugher | Drilling Company Command | uninvested |
Captain | Captain Tailor Kline | Reartrain Company Command | uninvested |
Captain | Captain Juliette Champ | Garrison Company Command | uninvested |
Captain | Captain Christopher Mason | War Carriage Command | uninvested |
As the only of three blood members bearing the name Slate, the rest of the adopted family is instead chosen from trusted lieutenants from within the barony's hierarchy as well as campaign theaters. Lords and Clergy are reserved members of the Force’ Invested Commands. This is done to adhere to contemporary social expectations from all class sensibilities. The difference in command presence amongst the troops of the line in the Royal Expeditionary Forces lies in the use of sergeants to be the face of the army amongst the populace and lead musters of new recruits.

The house's power stems from what's arguably the crown's sole standing professional army outside its boundaries. The forces number two thousand and four hundred men respectively. The soldiery is drawn from the fields of England proper and trained as well as equipped to hold garrison or wage war at the pleasure of the king. The officers are drawn from the knighted gentry of the kingdom, and are expected to relinquish any practices of chivalry which are otherwise un english and outdated. At the discretion of the royal exchequer and the offices of the kingdom's chancellor Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, a manifest proclamation was written by Lord Tamworth in order to set a charter of laws and governance for the annexed territories west of England. This charter and constitution is notarized by the hands of the king and chancellor themselves, and therefore grants new lands protection under membership of Henry's kingdoms.
Planned Reforms
War is a sin which I intend to scour from this Earth. Through a beginning in committing to this task in the flesh, we will work towards an eye to the scientific machines of wars to come, and leave this practice to the inhumanity it beckons: away from the draw of our race to false glories and triumphs.
-Lord Edward Michael ‘Bishop’ DeLace of House Slate, First Lord of Tamworth
It is the intent and policy of the expeditionary force’s chamber command to work towards a replacement of its human fighting elements with mechanical leverage. Through the import of scientific visionaries from across Europe and beyond, Lord Tamworth plans to commission the construction of engineering feats to push the capacities of the army towards crewing machines of war with the existing soldiery to act as both engineers and ground troops guarding the integrity of the structures. Through this, Lord Tamworth intends to quite literally dehumanize war fighting and extend his own force’s ability to prolong efforts and delay exhaustion through the automation of combat tasks. This delegation of task to automata will help retain the strength of the forces through an ever changing battlefield.


Organizational Structure
The forces fall under a very strict and enforced hierarchy in its martial institution. This system is the cornerstone of the army’s cohesion both on the field as well as garrison, and forms the great divide between Henry’s reforms and feudal Europe.
Utilizing this structure, the soldiery is organized into companies of specific privileges. These range from front line engagement infantry to support units.
Men of Foot
-Pikemen/500/armed with a 12 foot pike/split between towermen who march with the 7' pavise with side sword, forward spear, flank spear and relief/Each team is simply referred to as a pavise, and all members rotate clockwise throughout battle.
-Halberdiers/500/ who are armed with the halberd/support pavises by offering reach defense against enemy who slip past the spear-tip line
Men of Missile
-Crossbowmen/250/separated into piercers (who fire from the rear), and skirmishers (who fire in front of the line and transition to positions along the flanks./armed with a 600lb draw heavy crossbow.
-longbowmen/250/armed with a 160lb draw war bow
Cavalry
-Light/500/two companies/armed with 100 lb short bows and longsword
-heavy/400/two companies/armed with lance and longsword
Engineers
-Seraphims(onagers)/4 engine, 20 crew each/ firepot(30)and stone(30) per engine/ armed with side swords.
-Sappers/50/armed with side swords
Support
-Baggage Train/100 personnel/200 wagons/400 mules/ no followers camp/ entrusted with logistics and field support of troops.
Battle Line Structure
There are two Battle Groups in the army: First and Second. Each Battle Group is composed of two columns, and each column is a self-contained element composed of all classes save cavalry, of which there are four separate companies.
New Tamworth
As of October of the year 2021(present time, 1521 in play) , the vanguard of the Royal Expeditionary Forces, led by War Marshall Lord Robert Slate, arrived at the site of what would eventually become the Barony of New Tamworth, Riding to Tamworth proper. The following excerpt is taken from Lord War Marshall Slate's report of the land's accounting. Certain data is omitted for organizational practices:
For the desk of [omitted] lordship,
I, Robert James DeLace of the House of Slate, have ridden ahead of my brother's element to survey the future location of New Tamworth's central hold. Our vanguard have identified a birch grove, a Dutch elm, and a great Eastern white pine of great preservation importance to the household. There are collectively [x] acres of sugaring maples, more than half of which is ready for harvest, these will be sustainably exploited in clusters. About [x] acres of lumber maple exists as well, but the household prefers to permanently hold on felling, as these groves also house very old species of mycelium and two species of corvids (corvus corax and another yet unidentified), an attempt will be made to establish a relationship with these ravens. Mycelium include calvatia gigantea, Lycoperdon perlatum, and very importantly, Fomitopsis betulina, which is the primary reason for Birch grove conservation. This fungus will aid our fighting elements and settlers combat parasitic intrusions on the humours. There are tracks of badger and small deer, of importance for tanning, food, and adhesives. At this time, our advisors do not deem the populations ready for exploit, they will be protected under poach statute. There is an abundance of lichen removed from substrate and gall-bearing oak. These are deemed highly important for the household's production of black linen. A creek runs throughout the length of the surveyed area, being fed from a pond two miles northeast our forward-most position. There is enough volume crossing our stretch to feed the tables underneath our most level ground, providing a steady source of clean drinking water, as well as feeding the flora and fauna along its beds. We look forward to explore these more. There are two major structural resources available and abundant. There are rich deposits of granite and slate fieldstone, as well as one quarry ready mound of pure granite. The field stone not home to necessary wildlife will suffice for fortifications and other structural needs. The far edges of the region are dotted by natural clearings populated by blackberry. [X] acres have year round full sun exposure. There are [x] acres of partial to low sun exposure. The rest of the land is canopied. An acre of full sun exposure land lies at the foot of a rock rise, making ideal temporary shelter during the regionally common colder months. This is due to its orientation opposite the wind direction in the evenings and sun's exposure during the hours of light. The foot of the rise is surrounded by a natural moat. [X] acres sit on an even deposit of pure clay about 15 feet deep. Ceramics are a growing focus for the household, and will take advantage of this bed. This report in service to the pleasure of the crown on behalf of my brother, Lord Tamworth.
In service to honor,
Robert James DeLace of the House of Slate
In addition to Lord Robert's efforts, Lord Tamworth has assigned his brother Thomas Slate, Lord Exchequer and currently on state business in the Kingdom of Trimaris, to oversee the logistical and financial muster of the necessary provisions to hasten construction, production, and fortification of the land. The current timeline is set to the fall of 2026 for completion of the final redoubt upon the upper levels of the walled settlement. The current number of household officers and gentry at the ready to plead the regional throne on behalf of the new territory's sovereignty stands at thirty eight (November 2021 C.E.).

Offices & Positions
- Name of Position, Location, mm/dd/yyyy to mm/dd/yyyy
- List in Chronological order, oldest to newest
Event Staff
- Name of Position, Name of Event, mm/dd/yyyy
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Projects & Publications
Gothic Bladed Arms, their history, and uses//Class for Panteria 05/25/19
- Name of Project/Publication, Other info, mm/dd/yyyy
- List in Chronological order, oldest to newest
In Case of Court
It is best to notify him through Kit de Coldwood, commander serving the Northern Army and most appropriate Liaison. It should be noted Tamworth holds no love for court life or its proceedings, but will observe his duty to attend court when summoned, either personally or by proxy through his brother, Robert James DeLace of the House of Slate. He is often found peering from the room's darkest corner.
For Royal Guard and Staff at Court
Lord Tamworth's faith and oaths compel him to remain armed with his {*OOC* blunt/rebated} rondel dagger at all times.
More Information
In the Mundane world, I am a retired infantry squad leader from the US Army. I moved to Vermont after my combat tours in search of a quieter life and so far have been my own worse enemy in that regard. I don't have the fighting speed I used to have before my last deployment, but it is my hope to pass on what I do know and, eventually, earn a place in a leadership role so as to translate my experience in infantry line maneuvers and hoplology to aid the kingdom's armies in the wars to come. My personas are just that, and my mundane personality is very much one that thrives in being approached and talked with about anything. Sharing improves our game!