Ragnesfolk are an essentially Viking household; "Ragnesfolk" is Icelandic for "the rainy people", a good name considering the surrounding weather. Binghamton has the dubious privilege of being the second cloudiest place in the continental United States.
From 1992 through 1996, Dan went to events all around what was then the Principality of Aethelmearc. Due entirely to fortuitous circumstances, he moved to Carolingia early in 1997, before Aethelmearc became a Kingdom. Thus, Dan has always been a subject of the East. His first event in the Greater Carolingian Dominion^w^w^wBoston area was Falling Leaves, followed swiftly by Legends of Chivalry II.
After a while in Carolingia, Dan realized he had many more options open to him than just being a Viking (not that there's anything wrong with Vikings!, but it was sort of a default persona in Sterlynge Vale), and after some consideration he changed his persona to Shi Hua Fu, the son of a Jewish merchant living in Kaifeng, China at the end of the Silk Road. This name is in the Chinese style, with the family name (Shi) first, the generational name (Hua) second, and his individual name (Fu) last. If you are on good terms with him, you would address him as "Hua Fu". If you are very close, you might call him "Fu". "Shi" is one of the traditional Chinese surnames that the Jews were allowed to use, starting in the Ming Dynasty.
He has been researching period Jewish life in Kaifeng, China, and preparing to teach classes on the subject while participating in the SCA-China and SCA-Judaic group. Yeliz has been learning a lot from him, and has begun making him Chinese garb to replace all of his Viking stuff.
Since he came to Carolingia, Fu has been making himself useful in setting up and breaking down events, helping at Troll, doing kitchen work, and generally fetching, carrying, and lugging whenever people need him. He has spent several years singing in the Quire (where he & Yeliz met), and assists in heavy lifting and set wrangling for the Mummers. Fu took up archery last year and is working towards becoming an marshal, and you can find him spending time on the range supporting the archers and helping with tourneys. Most recently, Fu has become interested in Chinese calligraphy (when he decided that he ought to be able to sign his own name), and in period Chinese cooking.