About Gaius

Formerly known as Gnaeus Gaius Claudius Valarianus, Gaius has been involved with the SCA since A.S. XXXIV (1999) when he first made a pilgrimage to the (formerly) Debatable Lands to witness the Pennsic War. Since then he has taken to the battlefield at numerous event across many kingdoms (well, at least two), attended many events and is always working to spread Roman values wherever he may go. Adopted by Clan Blackhart, a coined Brother of the Black Rose, blooded brother of Rolling Thunder hailing from Thunder Mountain, a Companion Under Nefarious Terms of Gretehed Holde and willful indentured servant of Clan Shadowood, Gaius has a home wherever he may roam from Rome.

Retired Roman soldier. First took up arms at Great North Eastern War, continued to expand martial involvement with several weapons forms including combat archery. Fought on the fields of the great Pennsic Wars and War Practice exercises in Aethelmearc. Took up arms and rocks (and severed heads) in the first Uncivil War. Fought along side Kings and Dukes at the War Practices in the Northern Region of the East. And a part of several other campaigns as a member of the Northern Army, Third Division. Now retired from the army life spending most time plying skills with metal. Casting, etching, designing, molding, a maker of things. Started with personal tokens and coins and badges for households. Followed by awards to be granted and given freely. On to coronets and crowns for respected friends. Making things, learning thing, and sharing the knowledge gained. Teaching classes to help involve more members into a budding local community of metalsmiths and craftsmen. Always happy to chat, share a tale or a glass with a friend and meet new ones along the way.

Gaius is apprenticed to Countess Ro Honig von Sommerfeldt.  Affectionately called Secundus, Gaius is the middle “child” in the family, along with his big sister, Mistress Christiana Crane and his little sisters, Yasemin Bint Al-Hajjar, Shoshana Gryffyth, and Lily Morgaine.   He is constantly amazed by the wondrous talent he has managed to surround himself with and hopes that he will learn and absorb the collected wisdom, knowledge and talent from his family.

Who Is Gaius?

Baron Gaius Claudius Valerianus
I am a maker of artifacts for use in the SCA to enhance the game for all those involved. I use period designs and extant period museum pieces as sources and inspiration. I rarely re-create, but prefer to personalize, or add my own artistic vision to a project but will draw inspiration from research combined with aspects of personas and personalities. While my persona is Roman, I enjoy learning about skills, techniques and documented pieces that may have come from different eras and geographies, often time using techniques that might have originated from earlier periods, and were modified or improved upon to explore the progression of technology and craftsmanship over time. I combine techniques that might not have been combined but still tend to be available in period of the artifact, along with currently available analogs and new technologies to mimic assistants, apprentices, and the efforts of fellow artisans when creating some artifacts. Casting, champlevé and cloisonné enameling, pierce scroll work, soldering, painting, etching, repoussé and chasing, are examples of techniques that I use to form these artifacts that might have been. I make use of the multitude of disparate concepts and inspirational designs and create something new from the creative merging of anachronistic materials, technologies and tools to create an artifact for the society we exist in.

I am an artificer in the SCA.