Vindiorix Ordovix

Photo
Vindiorix "Black Finn" Ordovix
Information
Resides: Shire of Mountain Freehold
Status: Active Member
Awards: Order of Precedence
Heraldry
Vindiorix Ordovix's Device

Award & Office Badges

Introduction

Vindiorix "Black Finn" Ordovix of Clan Preachain, Fir naLeon, the Shire of Mountain Freehold, and the Northern Army.

A 1st Century CE Briton of the Ordovices tribe.

Forester, fighter, brewer, and half-ass maker of various things.

(He/Him)

(Vindiorix = Vin-DEE-Or-Ix) (Ordovix = Or-DOE-Vix)

Persona

Vindiorix Ordovix is a late 1st Century CE Briton of the Ordovices Tribe from what is now western Wales. He served for a time as a legionary with Legio V Alaudae along the Rhine frontier and during the Batavian Rebellion of 70 CE. When he learned Rome was campaigning against the tribes of western Britain in 74 CE, he deserted from the Legion and made his way back to defend his homeland. Four years later, in 78 CE, Rome successfully defeated the Ordovices and conquered Mona. Vindiorix fled Britannia and served as an auxiliary cavalryman with Ala Gallorum et Thracum Constantium in Syria. He now serves with Cohors III Legio Polaris (3rd Cohort of the Northern Legion of the East Kingdom's Army) and is perpetually stuck in the year 85 CE.

See "Masterwork Submission: Persona" for additional information: Paper

Interests

I enjoy fighting, learning, teaching and crafting. I serve as a sergeant in 3rd Division, Northern Army, and am active in both the Royal Forester's Guild and the Brewer's Guild. In addition to improving my own skills I am passionate about teaching others. Much of my teaching focuses on basics for new fighters, forester skills (both wilderness living skills and actual medieval forester topics), and historical brewing. I also particularly enjoy studying historical military tactics and strategy, comparing them to modern US military doctrine, and applying them to SCA battles.

Group Memberships and Affiliations

Shire of Mountain Freehold
Clan Preachain (Household)
Fir naLeon (Household)
East Kingdom Army's Third Division
East Kingdom Royal Foresters Guild
East Kingdom Brewers Guild
Vindiorix is squired to Master Tiernan Mac Alpin, Master of Arms
Vindiorix is apprenticed to Mistress Sunnifa Heinreksdottir, Laurel
Member of the Unbelted Champions team, 2022
Deputy of the Unbelted Champions team, 2023

Awards and Recognition

Awards:

Award of Arms - Panteria, May 2018
Sliver Brooch - Mudthaw, March 2019
Silver Tyger - Mimir's Well, March 2020
Golden Lyre - Sixth Ethereal Court, February 2021
Order of the Maunche - Ethereal Court, July 2021
Order of the Tygers Combatant - Ethereal Court, February 2022
Silver Wheel - Les Beltaines, June 2022
Sovereign’s Order of Esteem - Sultan (King) Mohammad, 2023
Consort’s Cipher - Brenhines (Queen) Corotica, 2023
Consort’s Order of Courtesy - Queen Caoilfhionn, 2023
Sovereign’s Order of Excellence, 2024

East Kingdom Forester's Guild:

Forester - Panteria, May 2018
Ranger (Order of Saint Hubert) - Endewearde Hunt, October 2018
Master Forester - Mimir's Well, March 2020
Grandmaster Forester - Endewearde Hunt, October 2024

East Kingdom Brewer's Guild:

Brewer - Birka, February 2019
Journeyman - Online Paneling, January 2021
Craftsman - Online Paneling, July 2021
Master - Panteria, May 2024

Other:

100 Day Pell Challenge (Reaper) - Completed on June 18, 2018
East Kingdom A&S Championships finalist - 2021
Artifacts of Life Baronial Choice Award - 2023
Rose Token - Brenhines (Queen) Corotica - 2023

Offices and Positions

Former Keeper of the Royal Forest of Mountain Freehold in the Shire of Mountain Freehold (2016 - 2019)
Sergeant in 3rd Division, Northern Army (2019 - 2022)
Commander, 3rd Division, Northern Army (2023 - 2024)
Armored Combat Marshal (July 2022 - present)
East Kingdom Royal Foresters Guild Warden of the Lakes (regional deputy warden) (2022)
East Kingdom Royal Foresters Guild Warden (guild master) (2022 - 2024)

SCA Battle Tactics

EK Small Unit Melee Leadership and Planning Paper
SCA Battle Planning: A primer on how to plan large-scale SCA battles using appropriate tactical fundamentals (Updated May 2021) Paper
Game of Thrones Winterfell Defense Critique and Tactical Decision Game (not period, but fun) Critique Tactical Decision Game
Tactical Decision Game - Scenarios 1 and 2 (attrition, overmatch, and flanking) (2021): Scenario Solution
Tactical Decision Game - Scenario 3 (analyzing the adversary) (2021): Scenario Solution
Tactical Decision Game - Scenario 4 (reserves and feints) (2021): Scenario Solution

Classes Taught

Introduction to the EK Royal Foresters Guild (October 2016)
Basic Forester Skills (October 2016)
Basic Knots for SCA Camping (October 2016)
Wild Edibles and Medicines (February 2017)
Introduction to Tracking (April 2017)
SCA Period Packs and Straps (AKA "How to Carry Stuff") (February 2018)
Wild Edibles and Domestic Fires (May 2018 and August 2019), co-taught with Corotica "Clovis" Senebelenae of Preachain, Pennsic Independent article here: PI 9 August 2019
A Romano-Celtic Cena (September 2018), co-taught with Corotica "Clovis" Senebelenae of Preachain
Forester Kit (AKA "What Should I Carry, and Why?") (March 2019)
Reconnaissance Patrol Class Appendix 1 Appendix 2 (May 2019)
Children's Class: Introduction to Tracking (May 2019)
Experimental Bronze Age Mead Class taught at BrewU (August 2020) Class Notes Enclosure 1 Enclosure 2
Romano-Celtic Hard and Soft Kit: Working Toward a More Historically Accurate Persona (September 2020)
Understanding the East Kingdom Brewers Guild Rubric (Pennsic, August 2022)
Roman Popina (pub) at Hadrian's Wall immersive class (Panteria, May 2023)
Iron Age One-Piece Shoes (Pennsic, August 2023), co-taught with Agatha Wanderer

East Kingdom Brewer's Guild Entries

First entry: Hydromeli (ca 77 CE), panel score 94 of 100 points, Panel Link, Documentation, Addendum

Second entry: Cocke Ale (ca 1666 CE), panel score 86 of 100 points, Documentation, Addendum

(Label by Clovis)

Third entry: Ninkasi - Sumerian Ale (ca 1800 BCE), panel score 96 of 100 points, Documentation

Fourth entry: Meadowsweet Mead (Bronze Age Scotland), panel score 63 of 70 points (0-30 for Workmanship not scored because it was an online paneling at BrewU due to COVID-19), see class on Meadowsweet Mead above for more details, Documentation
Fifth entry: Brakkot (ca 14th Century CE), panel score 93 of 100 points, Documentation

Sixth entry: Curmi (ca 400 BCE), panel score 79 of 100 points, Documentation, I started this brew as a Bronze Age ale but some parts of my experiment failed so I converted it to an Iron Age ale, Documentation
Seventh entry: Yemeni Subiyyah (13th Century CE), panel score 87.6 of 100 points, Documentation, Tasting Directions, Presentation

Eighth entry: Aqua Vitae (ca 14th Century CE), panel score 97 of 100 points.

Projects

Leather work (pouches, sheaths, and bog shoes) for Corotica and my persona.

Armor I made for myself.

Otzi-style pack frames based on artifacts and documentation from the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology. Link

Roy Croft pack frame, based on Mors Kochanski's book Northern Bushcraft. Anachronistic, but a reasonable and technologically legitimate approximation of period packs.

Stick (award winning entry at the 2018 Shire of Mountain Freehold Feast of Fools Silly A&S competition).

Teaching burning in a bowl and spoon with coals, Early Period A&S, Pennsic 48.

Celtic Shields, based on period examples but modified for SCA heavy combat.

Eala (Anglo-Saxon Beer) entry for the Bloodfeud in The Danelaw immersive event's A&S Challenge (September 2023)

Papers

How to Make an SCA Rattan Sword (2021): Paper
How to Make an SCA Unpadded Pole Arm (2021): Paper
How to Make an SCA Center-Grip Shield (2021): Paper
Armor Tips for New Fighters (2020): Paper
Reconnaissance and Security: European Medieval Military Doctrine, scored 32.5 of 48 points at EK K&Q A&S Competition at Mudthaw 2019, Paper, Annotated Bibliography
Masterwork Submission: Persona, accepted as my East Kingdom Royal Forester's Guild masterwork submission in December 2019, Paper
Ninkasi Ale: Recreation of an ale recipe based on the "Hymn to Ninkasi," scored 38 2/3 of 48 points at EK K&Q A&S Competition in 2021 placing as a finalist, Paper, Score Sheet
The Historical Ninja: Casting Light on the Shadows, EK Gazette Research Paper #32

In Case of Court or Scroll

Please inform my wife, Corotica "Clovis" Senebelenae (Jennifer Davis), Master Tiernan Mac Alpin and Mistress Sunnifa Heinreksdottir if I need to attend court. My persona is a 1st century CE Briton, so I prefer Iron Age British art and Romano-Celtic art from that time period when possible. If I were ever considered for a peerage I would like to receive a writ.

More Information

In mundane life I am Justin Davis. I dabbled in the SCA in college but only really became active starting in 2016 with the Shire of Mountain Freehold.

Vindiorix "Black Finn" Ordovix is in NO WAY related to Jack Flynn the infamous poacher known to frequent various forests of the East Kingdom.