Do Practical Jokers Plague the Grand Duke?

A few days ago, a large package arrived by courier at gates of Krankenstadt Palace. Upon examination, it was found to be for Grand Duke Irwin-Amadeus II from the Graf Maurice von Hirschbock of distant Stagonia. Graf Maurice presented Irwin-Amadeus with a costume lobster claw, to replace the missing left claw of the original costume.

Unfortunately, Irwin-Amadeus now wears his costume with TWO (yes, that’s correct, TWO) right-handed claws. Stollenian ministers and advisors are concerned that this apparent mistake -- some openly suggest that a practical joke has been played on Stollen and its ruler— will only cause Irwin-Amadeus to lose the slight grip he has left on reality even more quickly than has been the case in recent weeks.

Given the serious nature of the current situation developing just over the frontier in the Electorate of Zichenau, and the need for rapid, informed decisions, those around our Grand Duke are troubled to say the least. For his part, Irwin-Amadeus seems terribly pleased with his replacement claw and sends his deepest gratitude to the Graf von Hirschbock.

Stollenian ministers and advisors are not as thrilled however. Since recent summer weather has been quite warm here in the Grand Duchy of Stollen, the atmosphere surrounding Irwin-Amadeus II in his lobster costume has become, to put it delicately, fetid. There is even talk in the palace of forcibly marching the Grand Duke at the end of a three meter pole into one of the fountains in the palace formal garden for a good soak and scrub down.

Of course, that cat has yet to be belled! However, a certain source in the palace reveals that the job may fall to the ultra-proper and reserved Minister of War, Herr Heinrich-Schatzi von Pelznikkel. Offiering his comments on the circulating rumor, the Prussian ambassador to the Grand Duchy of Stollen, the jovial Herr Heinz von dem Salat, chuckled, shook his head, and said, "Now that I would like to see!"

Others closer to the Grand Duke have stressed that this piece of gossip is just that -- gossip. Keep in mind that practical jokers may be behind this bit of information too. If Herr von Pelznikkel has, in fact, been informed that he is to bathe the Grand Duke publicly, he has yet to issue a public statement about it. We at Die Krankenstadt Tageblat do, though, have a difficult time picturing Herr von Pelznikkel engaged in washing down the stiflingly ripe Grand Duke Irwin-Amadeus! As more details unfold in this developing story, you can read about them right here.

-- Katrina Bettina von Heffelfinger, Die Krankenstadt Tageblat

Presenting the Anspach-Bayreuth Kuirassiere!!!

Here they are, with the rearmost nine figures still drying, three squadrons of the Anspach-Bayreuth Kuirassiere, now in the service of the Grand Duchy of Stollen. And now, it's onto that artillery!

And It's the End of September!!!

Saxony's Ploetz Cuirassiers, an illustration lifted from the Kronoskaf website, which has thus far guided my spectacularly glacial painting of 30 28mm Eureka Saxon cuirassiers purchased all the way back in October 2016. A gray, cool Saturday here in Mid-Michigan with rain in the forecast. The Grand Duchess is away at a conference, so it's just "The Boys" here at home. The Young Master (almost 15) has retreated to his room for something or other following breakfast while I have stolen back down here to Zum Stollenkeller (masquerading as my office) with a second mug of coffee and both cats comfortably ensconced nearby. Enjoying the late morning and still in my pajamas! Not much planned for today beyond designing a couple of promotional flyers for workshops my department is presenting (small parties we will throw?) in October and November. With maybe a bit of on the next podcast script. More important, I am toying with the idea of returning for an hour or...

Happy September 2nd!!!

T his weekend, the question of what, precisely, constitutes an "imagination" came up in an online forum of which I am a part. To be fair, the issue originates from further afield in a Facebook group that I am not a member of, but I weighed in with my own view. The following was in response to the question posed yesterday (Sunday) morning by an exasperated member of my own rather more gentlemanly town square, who had been met with a strident response to information he shared about his (admirable) hobby activities on said FB group. Here is, more or less, what I wrote: To my mind, the concept of imagi-nation(s) is a broad one. It can range from historical refights or what-if scenarios/battles/campaigns between armies of a particular era, to completely made up combatants operating in a quasi-historical setting, to the rather generic red and blue forces of the Prussian Kriegspiel that examine a particular tactical problem, task, or exercise. ...

The Grand Duchy of Stollen

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