Unto the members of the Imperial College of Arms does Sir Nigel the Byzantine, Fleur-de-Lis King of Arms and Baronet, send Greetings and Salutations!

There were several hurdles to clear which delayed the publication of this Letter, not all of which I will go into here.

The way records are maintained in the database has had to be radically changed. I used to have two separate databases; one for the active Armorial and one for the Backlist. This has proven to be extremely unworkable. Not only is the annual transference of released arms from one database to the other cumbersome, it messes up the numbering system in both databases. The numbering system helps because not only do people's Game names change, their mundane names may change as well, due to marriage or other circumstances. Armory may also be transferred from one individual to another, or even from an Estate to an individual (or vice versa). The numbering system was supposed to make things easy by keeping all associated graphics and database keys consistent. Before, when a record was released, its number in the active database was taken over by a new entry, and it was assigned a new number in the backlist database. This forced me to keep re-numbering things, especially now since some formerly released arms have been re-instated. All this has changed. From now on, there is only one database, which contains ALL records, active and released. Each record now has a unique five-digit number that will never change, which will really make the system consistent and workable. This will allow us to grow to 99,999 records, something which I do not forsee us reaching anytime in the near future.

HERALDIC RULING

At the Imperial Crown War in September 2000, a complaint was filed with the Imperial Sovereign of Arms by Dame Roawyn O'Reilly of Umbria against Dame Delia von Burg of Umbria. The complaint alleged that Dame Delia was improperly displaying a banner which did not belong to her. Dame Roawyn claimed that the banner being flown by Dame Delia was the heraldic and actual property of the Kingdom of Umbria. Dame Roawyn's evidence of this was her recollection of an Umbrian event wherein Dame Delia, then the Queen of Umbria, had presented the banner in question to the People of Umbria as a gift. Dame Delia contended that the banner had been made by her with the intent that, should she step down off the Throne of Umbria after a full reign, she would present it to the Kingdom of Umbria as the Presence Banner of the Queen. Since Dame Delia did not complete her reign, she felt entitled to keep the banner and display it however she saw fit.

I received written statements from both the complainant and the respondant. Because this complaint was filed at an Imperial Event, the Imperial Sovereign of Arms was forced into conducting the investigation. As part of my investigation, I requested a list of the chattel goods of the Kingdom of Umbria.

The banner in question was blazoned Quarterly or and vert, in bend two roses vert. No record exists at any time in Adria's history for such a registration to any individual or Estate. The Steward of Umbria did not provide me a list of the chattel goods of Umbria which contained mention of the banner in question.

There is no Law in the Adrian Empire that prohibits the display of unregistered armory (and if Fleur-de-Lis has anything to say about it, there never will be). Dame Roawyn could not provide adequate proof that the banner physically belonged to anyone but Dame Delia.

Therefore, it is the ruling of the Imperial Sovereign of Arms that the banner in question is the personal property of Dame Delia von Burg, and since she is armigerous according to the definition laid out by the Estates Writ on Armigerous Rights, she may display it however she wishes.

Fleur-de-Lis would further like to strongly suggest that Dame Delia present paperwork for the registration of this banner if she wishes to continue displaying it, lest someone else register the same design.

Registrations and Returns

If you have any questions about anything on the LoRR, please feel free to ask. Also, if you disagree with any of my rulings, please feel free to comment. I am not infallible.

ADMINISTRATIVE TRANSFERS:

TerreNeuve, Kingdom of (Effective August 2000)

Entehaupter, Hausen aus der (House) (Estate: TerreNeuve, Feb 1996) Or, on a cross formy sable a death's head or. Transfer to Klaus van Isbjerg as a badge for alternate persona Gralor von Entehaupter. Blazon correction: change tincture of death's head from Or to Argent.

Gralor von Entehaupter (Device: TerreNeuve, Jul 1997) Per chevron gules and sable, in base two lions combatant argent, all within a bordure or. Name change to Klaus van Isbjerg.

Pangea, Barony of (Estate: TerreNeuve, Jun 1996) Sable, a plate fracted per pale. Transfer to Klaus van Isbjerg as a badge.

THE FOLLOWING ITEMS HAVE BEEN REGISTERED:

Aragon, Kingdom of

Aragon, Kingdom of (Badge) Gules, a sun in his splendor or. (National Flag)

Aragon, Kingdom of (Badge) Gules, in pale a crown and a sun in his splendor or, on a chief sable a lion passant between two fleurs-de-lis or. (for the King's Presence Banner)

Aragon, Kingdom of (Badge) Gules, in pale a crown and a sun in his splendor or, on a chief sable a rose between two fleurs-de-lis or. (for the Queen's Presence Banner)

Aragon, Kingdom of (Badge) Gules, on a bend sinister between two suns in splendor or, three fleurs-de-lis palewise gules, all within a bordure erminois. (for Solaris Sovereign of Arms)

Fleur-de-Lis is of the opinion that this may be too complex for the arms of a heraldic office, but is still acceptable within the Rules.

Aragon, Kingdom of (Badge) Per bend sinister gules and sable, a bend sinister between a lock and a sword bendwise sinister argent. (for the Constable's Guild)

The padlock is a Period charge, dating to 1485 in the badge of Francis, Viscount Lovel. While Fleur-de-Lis thinks this is a bit too busy for a badge, it is marginally acceptable. A better design would be something creating a unified design. The padlock by itself would work just fine for that.

Anna Peruzzi (Device) Per bend azure and or, a griffin segreant contourny gules.

Anna Peruzzi (Badge) Azure, a wyvern passant argent.

Catrina O'Shaughnessy (Badge) (Fieldless) a unicorn rampant argent.

Darkened Skies, HMS (Estate) Per fess azure and sable, a mullet of four greater and four lesser points argent.

Kern Thanatos (Device) Argent, a fess between three death's heads sable.

Fleur-de-Lis feels that this combination of name and armoury may tend a bit much towards morbid imagery.

Marchellina de Peruzzi (Badge) (Fieldless) a dolphin naiant argent.

Pendra di Medici (Device) Argent, a fleur-de-lis sable.

Pendra di Medici (Badge) (Fieldless) a fleur-de-lis sable.

Reaper, House (Estate) Per fess purpure and sable, a death's head and a pair of scythes in saltire argent.

Seawitch, House (Estate) Sable, a mermaid erect supporting a crescent-headed staff within a bordure argent.

Seawulf, Barony (Estate Resub) Per fess sable and azure, a sea-wolf erect supporting a trident argent.

This fixes the problem with their earlier presentation from July 1999, Per fess wavy sable and azure, a sea-wolf erect contourny supporting a trident argent. By straightening out the line, it removes the problem with the violation of the Rule of Tincture.

Serina de Torsiello (Badge) (Fieldless) a dove displayed argent debruised of a rose sable.

Siff of Aragon (Device) Per pale gules and sable, an oak leaf argent.

Thurston Kobald Thornson (Device) Vert, a ram's head caboshed argent.

Dragon's Mist, Duchy of

Dragon's Mist, Duchy of (Estate) Vert, a dragon or.

Esperance, Kingdom of

Aileen O'Kelly (Device Resub) Sable, on a plate a rose gules, barbed vert and seeded or.

Amber, House (Estate) Gules, on a fess or three lozenges sable.

de Monet, County (Estate) Vert, in bend three bezants.

Dennis of the Dell (Device) Vert, on a plate enhanced to chief between two talbots sejant addorsed argent, a cross couped vert, all within an orle of harps or.

Edward McMasters (Device) Sable, on a bend sinister argent a fleur-de-lis palewise azure.

Nelda Costner (Device) Per bend sinister argent and or, a bend sinister azure and overall a battle-axe argent hafted proper.

No Game name is indicated, so this is being registered with her mundane name.

Thatuna, Shire of

Payne, House of (Estate) Argent, a grenade sable enflamed proper.

Trahern Farrall Price (Device) Azure, a griffin passant or.

Tierra del Fuego, Archduchy of

Elisabeth Grey (Device) Azure, a chief potenty or.

Elisabeth Grey (Badge) Gules, a chief embattled or.

Maud de Clayton (Device) Azure, three escallops inverted one-and-two argent.

Umbria, Kingdom of

Dragon Star, County of (Estate) Azure, a mullet of four points argent.

York, Kingdom of

Alaric Thorne (Device) Sable, a wyvern displayed argent and a chief embattled or.

Please draw the chief and embattlements thicker.

THE FOLLOWING ARE BEING RETURNED FOR FURTHER WORK:

Aragon, Kingdom of

Antonio Shivaldi da Julio (Device) Sable, a fess azure and in base an increscent or.

Return for violation of the Rule of Tincture. Azure ordinaries may not be placed on sable fields. Best fix is to change the tincture of the fess to Or. Second-best fix is to fimbriate the fess Or.

Trae-lynne of Aragon (Device) Vert, a chevron between in chief an increscent and a decrescent and in base a dragon in annulo deocil, all argent.

Return for non-Period style. The dragon is in a non-heraldic pose and must be presented in a standard style to be registerable.

Esperance, Kingdom of

Julianna Elizabeth Veronica Joanna Messina (Device) Quarterly gules and argent, a lozenge quarterly argent and azure, overall five roses in cross counterchanged.

This is being returned for lack of Period style. Despite the exhaustive efforts of several experienced researchers, no evidence of three-tincture counterchanging can be found in (or even out of) our Period. Likewise, no evidence has been found of having an arrangement of a geometric charge with overall multiple charges, some of which overly the boundaries of the underlying geometric charge.

Fleur-de-Lis has been in contact with the presenter, and a design is being created that will conform with the Rules and be pleasing to its owner. These discussions have led to the following precedent:

PRECEDENT

Currently, the College of Arms protects the Tudor Rose in all its forms. A Tudor Rose is defined in the Armorial as a red and white rose, one impaling, surmounting, quartering, or otherwise combined with the other. The Tudor Rose is a restricted charge, being only used by the British Crown. Current practice prohibits ALL instances of red-and-white roses, even where allusion to the Tudor family is not otherwise implied.

Many in the College, in concurrence with Fleur-de-Lis, feel that this is too strict of a restriction.

In essence, a Tudor Rose is a marshalled charge, not unlike the lion conjoined to a ship's hulk used by the Cinque Ports. It is a marshalling of the White Rose of York with the Red Rose of Lancaster. This marshalling occurs in Period heraldic and non-heraldic art of the time as any one of the following:

• A red rose charged with a smaller white rose

• A white rose charged with a smaller red rose (rare)

• A rose per pale gules and argent (or per pale argent and gules)

• A rose per fess gules and argent (or per fess argent and gules)

• A rose quarterly gules and argent (or quarterly argent and gules)

• and other similar constructions.

Since marshalling is a restricted form in Adrian heraldry, this type of usage already falls under our existing guidelines.

Therefore, as of this date, roses divided between gules and argent may appear in armory if such division is part of an overall scheme of counterchanging. Acceptable examples of this usage include:

• Quarterly gules and argent, in cross four roses counterchanged.

• Per pale argent and gules, in pale three roses counterchanged.

Unacceptable uses include:

• Azure, three roses per pale gules and argent.

• Per saltire vert and or, in saltire four roses counterchanged argent and gules.

Likewise, Fleur-de-Lis would like to make it clear that roses of any tincture may be charged with smaller roses of any other tincture, save in gules-and-argent combinations.

Tierra del Fuego, Archduchy of

Elisabeth Grey (Badge) Gules, a Maltese cross within a bordure argent. (for the Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem)

Return for conflict with Malta, Order of the Knights of (Badge: Mundane, Dec 1998) Gules, a Maltese cross argent. Only 1 CD for addition of bordure.