The Twenty-Seventh Council-General of the Kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor.

His Grace, the Duke of Minhiriath, Lord Great Steward, announced several months in advance of the event that he would summon the 27th Council-General to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in the Palatine Duchy of Númenor, where it would meet in conjunction with Mythcon XXX / BreeMoot 4. Guests of Honor for Mythcon / BreeMoot, which began on Friday afternoon 15 Urui / 30 July and concluded Monday morning 18 Urui / 2 August, included the Rt. Hon. the Viscount Tookland, Secretary of State (Fan Guest of Honor) and Viscountess Tookland, Mayor of Caras Anduinad (Artist Guest of Honor). The weekend was one of the hottest in recent Wisconsin memory, and though a few of the conference rooms were air-conditioned, the general tendency was toward a rather more informal standard of dress than has sometimes been the case at Councils-General; even His Grace, the Duke of Númenor, Regent, who has been known to wear black full-dress uniform in high summer in his Palatine Duchy, appeared in a conference t-shirt.

Through the courtesy of the convention organizers, HAM realms received considerable attention throughout the convention. Participants in a panel on Tolkien fandom included Dame Nancy Martsch, D.E., the Secretary of State, and His Grace the Regent. The Crown and the Keble College Compact were displayed in the art exhibit room, and Viscountess Tookland's formal portrait of His Grace the Regent also hung among the art exhibits.

On Saturday evening, His Grace the Regent called a session of the Court Baron of his palatine duchy, for the purpose of raising Sir Eric Joseph Orsay Hadley-Ives, K.E., to the peerage, in the degree of Baronet. For the first time since his appointment, His Grace the Steward administered the Oath of Fealty. In the absence of more suitable vestments, the Steward also invested Sir Eric with his own peer's robe, causing the new Baronet to look like a duke of some years' seniority for the rest of the weekend. After the investiture, His Grace took the virtually unprecedented step of publishing the Writ of Summons for the Council-General by open proclamation, calling the peers and representatives to meet on the subsequent Sunday afternoon.

The support of convention committee members continued on the day of the convention, when Mr. David Emerson, recollecting his earlier days as organist in an Episcopal church, arranged to play a patriotic tune, "The Royal Standard" for the entrance of the Great Officers of State. Gregory Rihn, Esq. (who, having taken the Oath of Recognition only the day before, had been designated Representative of the Palatine Duchy of Númenor by His Grace the Regent), acted as Herald, reading the Writ of Summons and introducing Sir Eric. In the absence of Her Grace the Duchess of Belfalas, Lady President of the King's Councils, and of The Rt. Hon. the Baron Dunharrow, Lord High Chancellor, Sir Eric presided over the business of the parliament. Those present were His Grace, the Duke of Minhiriath, Lord Great Steward; His Grace, the Duke of Númenor, Regent; The Rt. Hon. the Viscount Tookland, Secretary of State; The Rt. Hon. the Viscountess Tookland, Mayor of Caras Anduinad; Sir Eric Hadley-Ives, Baronet; Dame Nancy Martsch, K.E., Representative of the Seventh Administrative Area; and Gregory Rihn, Esq., Representative of the Palatine Duchy of Númenor. The Hon. Tristan Hunnewell, known by courtesy as Baron Hunnewell-of-Tookborough, was also seated at the council table. Guests in the chamber included Mr. Emerson, Mr. Ron Siskind (husband of Dame Nancy), and Cary Hoagland and Jack Brooks, two friends of His Grace the Steward who were kind enough to provide us with the photographs illustrating this page.

Their Graces both made the traditional speeches, though only quick work by Gregory Rihn prevented Sir Eric from skipping over the Regent's remarks in the Orders of the Day and proceeding directly to elections. The Council passed a courtesy resolution thanking the Mythopoeic Society, Beyond Bree, and the Convention Committee for their several considerations over the course of the weekend, and His Grace the Regent read the resolution at the banquet later that day. In the only piece of legislative business, the Council passed A Resolution Concerning the Administrative Areas Act, proposed by His Grace the Regent, which directs the Privy Council to prepare legislation to allow for the appointment of Lords Lieutenant within the Palatine Duchies.

When the time for elections did at last come, Lord Hunnewell moved that the current office holders continue in office until the 28th Council-General. There being no small question as to whether a minor could act in the Council, the motion was both seconded and 'thirded' by Their Graces, and passed without objection.

After His Grace the Regent had renewed his Oath of Office, Sir Eric brought the proceedings to a close, and called the Privy Council into session. Mr. Emerson accompanied the traditional singing of "Kings of the West."