THE ICE DRAGON

Remembering Durlome Rakesh d'Mithnan called Dwarf
Back in the early times, when we were all much
younger and the world was a brighter place,
there lived a man named Durlome Rakesh
d'Mithnan. Son of Hannibal of the
Rhydderich Hael and a high-born Castilian
lady, grandson of Morgan Argante Elandris;
Durlome, known as Dwarf, was the sworn man
of Morgan Elandris to the end.
Through the years, he took part in raids on the
Midrealm and traveled far through all the
lands that were once the East Kingdom. He
was one of the original Rhinos of the Elandris
Shieldwall, protecting the pole-arms-men and
shield-men. The sheer mass of the men of the
Shieldwall was calculated to press the enemy,
and in many battles Elandris was seen leading
charges to break through the enemy lines. With
Mthumbal, Hak, Stor Dodlig and others, the
Rhinos’ fierce reputation was feared throughout
the Known World.
Dwarf was a soldier. His preferred weapons
form was sword and shield, though he did delight
in large heavy maces and mass weapons
he referred to as ‘weapons of mass destruction’
long before the term acquired other connotations.
He concentrated on melees and the arts
of war, not the arts of the tournament. His
task was to make the spears and pole-arms
more effective. His driving purpose was to protect
his Baroness. His lifeblood was his loyalty
and that loyalty defined his friendships
and his life in the Society.
In a more modern parlance, Dwarf - as Greg
Tamutis was known to his many friends - was
a sturdy pier upon which the Rhydderich
Hael, Shire and Barony, was built and his influence
lasts to this day.
Dwarf joined the Society in Fredonia when
the Rhydderich Hael was centered there. He
had graduated from the college and was working
there when he got involved with the organization.
Ever thinking of others, he sold his small car
and bought an Impala – the better to transport
the members of the fledgling group to New
York City, Toronto, Philadelphia, New England
and beyond; exposing the members of
what was a very isolated group from the far
Western Marches - what is the now the Kingdom
of AEthelmearc - to the major characters
and movements that were shaping the Society
of that time. And to give you a better idea of
just how different life in the SCA was then,
the Impala held six people and all their SCA
stuff for the weekend. It was a smaller world
then in many ways.
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