29 March 1999

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

Fellow Heralds:

I apologize for the tardiness of this LoRR, but as some of you know already, I had a family crisis that needed attention, in addition to a hard disk crash and my need to prepare for the Estates Meeting. I apologize for any inconvenience.

Please keep Sir Camillo, Aragon Sovereign of Arms, in your thoughts and your prayers. He is just out of the hospital recuperating from a sudden illness. We wish him well and a speedy recovery.

Disposition of the Meeting of the Imperial Estates General

I know you're all waiting with bated breath to hear whether or not the Estates passed the Manual we are currently using. Well, I have good news and I have bad news.

First, the bad news: The Manual was not passed as Law.

Second, the good news: The Estates decided that obeying the Bylaws was the better part of discretion, and voted to allow the College of Arms to decide for itself what rules to follow.

More good news: The Estates also voted to rescind the Knight Minister requirement for the office of Imperial Sovereign of Arms, making the requirement into something along the lines of "an advanced knowledge of heraldry". I believe the Rector requirement for Subdivision SoA's was also rescinded. See next month's Adrian Herald for the specifics.

Adrian College of Arms Convention and Symposium

By the will of the Estates and at the specific command of Their Imperial Majesties, I have begun the planning for a national conclave of all members of the Imperial College of Arms and all other interested parties for the purpose of reviewing the Manual and Guidelines. As much as possible, we would like to hold this Convention in person. Tentative time schedule is June or July of this year. Please report back to me as soon as possible to let me know about feasibility and your ease of travel. We will not rule out an electronic meeting, but face-to-face interaction is preferred.

The Agenda of this Convention is simple: What would the Populace and the College of Arms like to see in the Rules for Heraldic Registrations? The Convention's sole purpose is a collective brainstorming effort. Its goal is to produce a list of additions and changes to and deletions from the current Manual and Guidelines, so that the results can be compiled by senior ICoA staff and then presented to a second Convention as a single coherent set of Rules for Heraldic Registrations later this year or early next year.

Time is of the essence because the Empire has languished for too long without any clear set of Heraldic Rules, and Their Imperial Majesties do not wish to wait much longer.

Anyone interested in hosting such a Convention, especially in the Central Region, please contact me as soon as possible. We need someone to arrange meeting and crash space, and to find a cheap/decent hotel in the area. It doesn't need to be overly large, just inexpensive. It will be open not only to Heralds and members of the College of Arms, but to any other interested member of the Adrian Empire.

Until the Convention produces a coherent document, we will continue to operate under the Manual and Guidelines you currently have. There is one caveat: Any decision made under these interim Rules will be subject to rescinding by the results of the Convention. This means that if we return something under the interim Rules, and the second Convention adopts a set of Rules which invalidates that ruling, then the item returned will be reconsidered under the new Rules as if it was originally presented under them. Call it an insurance policy against a decision by Fleur-de-Lis that could go contrary to the will of the College and the Populace.

In addition to the Convention, I would like to take this opportunity to hold a Symposium that same weekend. This would be a collection of Collegia that YOU, the members of the College, would present. Anyone and everyone are welcome to hold a collegium, which would, of course, be eligible for a DI point. Talk about a captive audience! J Please submit your class proposals to me before 30 April so we can draw up a schedule.

New Titles!

The Estates created the titles of Archduke and Viscount. A Duchy that gets over a certain number of people can be made into an Archduchy. Archduchies are considered part of the Estates Royal, while Duchies are part of the Estates Major. Retired Archdukes and Archduchesses may be granted the title Viscount or Viscountess, with no Estate vote. See the Minutes of the Estates Meeting for specifics.

Archdukes may be addressed as "Your Royal Grace" and Viscounts may be addressed as "Your Excellency". Both ranks may wear coronets, but Viscounts may not wear a chain as they have no Estate vote.

The creation of these new titles has forced the Ministry of Rolls and the College of Arms to re-evaluate the Order of Precedence. Sir Coda and I are working together on this project, which includes a re-vamping of the Sumptuary laws, Banner sizes, and Achievements. Stay tuned.

Adrian Period Extended

One further thing the Estates voted on: the Adrian Period now extends from 1150 through 1603, the year of the death of Elizabeth I of England. This opens up much costuming, cooking, and other Arts, as well as making legitimate some of the forms of Combat we already use. This also opens up the possibility for some abberant styles of Heraldry. The College's suggestions about what to do in this matter will be sincerely appreciated.

Waiver Notice

At the command of Their Imperial Majesties, I am hereby making known to the College that I hold this Office of Imperial Sovereign of Arms under the waiver provided for in Article VII.E of the Bylaws.

Herald's Reports

Several members of the College have expressed their concern that they don't know how to fill out the reports we all must put in. So, to help out, I am including with this Letter a sample report. Feel free to use this model.

Help Wanted: Update

Dragon Sovereign of Arms has been chosen! Thorfinn Stridskjold the Just of Isenwold, has been selected, out of only two applicants.

Aerindane McLorie of Chesapeake was the other applicant. Both of these individuals are very qualified for the position, so I was hard pressed to make a choice. Aerindane will still continue as Chesapeake SoA, and continue his excellent work in that incipient Duchy (see below). Eastern SoA's, please send copies of all your reports (not your presentations) to Thorfinn. His address is in the Roster. Vivat Draconis!

O&A Update

The Armorial is complete! There are almost 500 entries, including the mundane armory that we will be protecting from conflict. Now it has to undergo the final formatting before its digitization is complete. Work continues apace.

Once that is done, then the compilation of the Ordinary can be commenced.

Adria_Heraldry Mailing List Update

I noticed that several people have joined the List, but so far, nobody has taken advantage of it. I'm sure that you all have questions you'd like answered. Even if it's a basic heraldry question, just ask it. Some SCA heralds who are friends of mine are on the List as well, and they're happy to answer anything you care to ask.

Go to http://www.onelist.com and follow the link called "Find a List". At the prompt, type in Adria, and you'll see a bunch of sites dedicated to that guy from Highlander. You'll also see the Adria_Heraldry list. Click on it, and then click on "Subscribe". Follow the instructions for setting up a Onelist account (they won't hurt, honest), and then you're set! Archives are also available.

Onelist does not use email addresses for any reason; your privacy is always protected. I've been using Onelist for some time now, and I'm very happy with their service, which is always FREE.

Any interesting discussions will be archived into print for the benefit of those who do not have internet access.

Cant

You’ll notice that I talk a lot in the LoRR about cant. Cant is the term used in Heraldry to denote a visual pun between someone’s name and their armory. The cities of Bern and Berlin both use a Bear on their arms. The city of Oxford has, you guessed it, an Ox crossing a Ford. There are more subtle puns. Where I see a good cant, I’ll point it out.

Rules/Manual Amendments

Because of Bylaw conflicts found and the results of the Estates Meeting (see above), certain sections of the current Manual and Rules for Heraldic Registrations (RfHR) need to be clarified, stricken, or changed.

Manual I.A.1: Strike entirely.

Manual I.A.3: Even though the Bylaws VII.F.4.a clearly state that the members of the College of Arms are exclusively the ISoA and the regional SoA's, the Bylaws VII.B. allow ministers to appoint deputies, allowing any deputies to the ISoA by extension to be considered members of the College.

Manual I.A.5: Strike entirely.

Manual II.D: Strike entirely.

Manual X: This needs to be stricken and re-written, since practice has determined that registering armory under the person's mundane name is much more practical than by game name.

Manual XII.D: Change the period ending from 1550 to 1603.

Manual XX and XXI: Strike in their entirety. Because of the addition of new titles by the Estates (see above), we need to re-vamp the entire Precedence structure, including sumptuaries, banners, and achievements. This project should be completed before the November Estates Meeting.

RfHR III.C: change the Adrian Period ending from 1550 to 1603.

RfHR IV.C: Strike entirely.

Reports

One more piece of bad-guy stuff: Please please please get your reports in. So far, the only region to send in reports regularly is the Shire (incipient Duchy) of Chesapeake.

I know that the Roster is already out-of-date; the new SoA's need to send in those Roster Update Forms. So get 'em in, lords and ladies! J

Kudos

Congratulations to Chesapeake for being the only region to send in reports consistently on a monthly basis! Congratulations again to Chesapeake for two consecutive months of presentations! Things are going well in Chesapeake! Vivant!

As always, please feel free to contact either Nigel, Gregor, or Thorfinn with any comments, questions, or concerns you may have.

Yours in service to the Empire and the Dream,

Nigel the Byzantine

Fleur-de-Lis King of Arms

In order for those members of the College not well-versed in Heraldry to make sense of the LoRR, I am including such things as Complexity Count in the comments. 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.

The last page has depictions of the arms presented. I would encourage you to color them in for the practice. All of this will be posted on the website once we have it up and running.

Please note that these items are being registered or returned on an interim basis, depending on the results of the Convention.

THE FOLLOWING ITEMS HAVE BEEN REGISTERED:

Chesapeake, Shire of

Harte, House (Device) – Bendy sinister gules and argent, a heart azure.

Complexity count 5. Excellent design and cant. No conflicts found in the Armorial. This could also be blazoned as Gules, three bendlets sinister argent, overall a heart azure. See comments on Memnoch Harte, below.

Harte, House (Badge) – Gules, a bend sinister argent and overall a heart azure.

Complexity count 5. Excellent. No conflicts found. This is clear of the House device, according to the Rules cited in the next entry.

Memnoch Harte (Device) – Bendy sinister azure and argent, a heart gules.

Complexity count 5. Excellent, simple design. The size of the bends is a tad large, but still within acceptable boundaries. This is clear of House Harte (see above) according to If at least half of the field is changed, the fields will be considered different. Changing the tincture of the field from bendy sinister gules and argent to bendy sinister azure and argent is at least half of the field, and therefore grants 1 clear difference (CD). According to RfHR XI.C.4: Tincture Changes. Changing the tinctures or division of any group of charges placed directly on the field, including strewn charges or charges overall, is one clear difference. Changing the tincture of at least half of the charges in a group is one clear difference. In this case, changing the tincture of the heart (the primary charge) from Azure to Argent gives us the second CD, thereby making this clear of his House's registration. No other conflicts found.

It is also an excellent cant on his name. This could also be blazoned as Azure, three bendlets sinister argent, overall a heart gules. For further cant, he could use a deer (hart) on any badges he wishes to register in the future.

Memnoch Harte (Badge) – Azure, a bend sinister argent and overall a heart gules.

Complexity count 5. Excellent. Having a badge be a simpler design than your arms is an excellent idea. Clear of the Badge for House Harte by the rules listed above. No other conflicts found.

TerreNeuve, Kingdom of

Heather Hyppalita O’Shea (Device) – Gules, a bend sinister argent, overall a horse’s head couped contourny sable.

Complexity count 5. Simple, clear armory. Well-designed. No conflicts found. The use of the bend underneath the central charge is an exellent way to avoid problems with the Rule of Tincture. If at least half of a charge is laying on a tincture of the opposite type (in this case, a color charge on top of a metal ordinary), then it's clear of the Rule of Tincture. Tell the registrant to draw the bend about three times as wide, to allow for proper contrast. As it stands now, the bend is too narrow to account for much contrast, but this artistic detail is not significant enough to return the device..

Nigel the Byzantine (Device) – Purpure bezanty, a bordure or.

Complexity count 4. Clear of Cornwall, Sable bezanty, by RfHR XI.C.1 (cited above), changing the tincture of the field from Sable to Purpure, and adding the bordure according to RfHR XI.C.2: Addition of Charges on the Field. Adding or removing any group of charges placed directly on the field, including strewn charges, is one clear difference. Note the cant between Byzantine and Bezanty.

Rose de Coucy-Vasalle (Device) – Gules, on a chevron sable between three roses or, three hearts gules.

Complexity count 7. Nice cant. No conflicts found. This is clear of the Rule of Tincture, according to RfHR I.A: The so-called "simple" Ordinaries (Pale, Fess, Bend, Bend Sinister, Cross, Saltire, Pall, or Pall Inverted) may be used in the following manner so long as they contain no complex lines: Gules on Sable or Azure field; or Sable or Azure on Gules field.

Please inform the registrant that the artistic style of the roses is post-Period. We do not blazon the difference between tea or garden roses (natural-looking roses) and Heraldic roses. Suggest that the registrant draw the chevron wider, and choose a more Period style for her roses. In spite of this, artistic style is not in and of itself a reason for return.

Sivax Wartongue (Device) – Gules, an eagle displayed or breasted gules.

Complexity count 3. This is a clear, concise, Period design. No conflicts found.

Please inform the registrant that his style of drawing with the separations between parts is 20^th century and should be avoided. Simple cartoon-like divisions are sufficient. However, drawing style is not in and of itself a reason for return. The registrant may wish to emphasize the tongue of the bird to play on his name.

Sivax Wartongue (Badge) – Gules, a demi-eagle displayed issuant from base or breasted gules.

Complexity count 3. No conflicts found.

Tell the registrant to draw the bird’s breast as part of the bird. The way he has it now, it is a disjointed pair of wings with a bird's head above. We have blazoned it thus since from the colored emblazon, this appears to be the registrant's intent. This style of drawing is 20^th century and should be avoided. Otherwise a nice piece of armory. He may wish to emphasize the tongue of the bird for the cant.

York, Kingdom of

Gryphon von Hohenheim (Device) – Per pale purpure and sable, a griffin’s head erased between in chief a Rod of Asclepius and a mortar and pestle or.

Complexity count 6. No conflicts found. The charges are drawn perfectly according to Period Heraldic style. This is not the best arrangement of charges; it borders on "slot-machine" heraldry, but is technically legal. Nice cant between the name and the primary charge.

THE FOLLOWING ITEMS ARE BEING RETURNED FOR FURTHER WORK

Chesapeake, Shire of

Aerindane McLorie (Device) – Gules, a Bengal tiger rampant or marked and maintaining a sword sable.

Complexity count 5. Simple, clear armory. Unfortunately, this has several possible conflicts. I will note them all here and point out which ones are clear. Please note that lions, domestic cats, and Bengal tigers all conflict against each other. Cats is cats. There is no problem with the sable sword on the gules background because maintained charges, which are considered to be artistic details which do not count towards conflict, are exempt from the Rule of Tincture, RfHR I.F: Small details of a charge, such as eyes, tongue, or claws on a beast, are exempt from this Rule.

Adria, Empire of – Badge for the Order of the Lion of Adria – Gules, a lion sejant or.

Changing the posture from sejant to rampant is a substantial change under RfHR XI.C.8: Posture Changes. Significantly changing the posture or overall orientation of charges in any group placed on the field, including strewn charges or charges overall, is one clear difference. … A change of posture must affect the orientation of the charge, or significantly change its appearance. It is clear under RfHR XI.B: Difference of Primary Charges. simple armory does not conflict with other simple armory if the type of every primary charge is substantially changed. This is defined as "simple armory" under RfHR XI.B.1: Armory that has only a primary group of identical charges is simple armory.

Aquitaine (Mundane) - Gules, a lion passant guardant or.

Changing the posture from passant guardant to rampant is a substantial change under RfHR XI.C.8 (see above). Clear.

Bulgaria (Mundane) - Gules, a lion rampant crowned or.

No CD is granted for either the crown or the sword, since they are maintained charges, blazoned but not counting for difference. The fact that the tiger is marked with sable stripes is not significant enough to warrant a difference. Conflict.

Luxemburg (Mundane) - Barry argent and azure, a lion rampant queue-forchy gules crowned or.

1 CD for changing the tincture/pattern of the field. No CD granted for queue-fourchy or crowning or sword.

Netherlands (Mundane) - Azure billety, a lion rampant crowned or maintainint a sword proper and a sheaf of seven arrows inverted argent tipped or.

1 CD for changing the tincture of the field. 1 CD for adding strewn charges (the billets). No CD for the arrows. Clear.

Norway (Mundane) - Gules, a lion rampant (sometimes crowned) or sustaining a battleaxe argent.

See comments under Bulgaria, above.

Cedrik Kilshannig (Device) - Gules, a lion rampant or.

This device was registered under the old rules which did not check much conflict. See the comments under Bulgaria, above. Even if we did not check against famous mundane armory, this would still be a conflict.

Cedrik Kilshannig (Badge) - Per bend sable and gules, a lion rampant reguardant or.

1 CD for changing the tincture of at least half of the field. No CD for adding the sword or the stripes. Even without checking against mundane armory, this is still a conflict.

Simple fix would be to reverse the position of the tiger from dexter to sinister. That would warrant the extra CD that would clear the above conflicts. It would also be clear of the rest of the Armorial. Adding a bordure is also a very simple fix which would satisfy the requirements without changing the basic design overmuch.

Chesapeake, Shire of (Device) – Azure, a sea serpent ondoyant-emergent or.

Complexity count 3. This style of drawing a sea serpent with only the portions above the water visible is an SCA invention, used exclusively in the arms of the SCA Barony of Calafia (Azure, a sea serpent ondoyant-emergent sable fimbriated, overall a trident with a laurel wreath entwined in its tines or). This is what we call a SCAbomination. Since it is a 20^th century depiction (it is never found in Period armory), it is disallowed in Adrian armory, per RfHR III.A: All armory must be presented in a Period heraldic style. This is not to say that the drawing style must be Period; only that the basic design must be found in Period armorial style. Take a look at some Period rolls of arms: you'll see armory in a rather cartoonish style.

Simplest fix is to draw an entire sea serpent.

Since this is a Geographic Chartered Subdivision, soon to be a Duchy, perhaps they should consider incorporating a fleur-de-lis and/or a crown into their armory.

Mathew Sealgaer (Device) – Vert, on a pheon inverted sable a thistle head proper.

Complexity count 5. This falls afoul of the Rule of Tincture. The sable arrowhead cannot be placed on a vert field; likewise, the green-and-purple thistle cannot be placed on a sable charge.

I would suggest that the pheon be drawn in a more Period fashion; it took a phone call to Chesapeake to determine exactly what that charge was. The illustration shows a period pheon in its default position. Default for an arrow or arrowhead or pheon (which is a stylized arrowhead) is to base rather than to chief. Think of default position as being "ready-to-use". Swords are point up because that's how they're "ready-to-use" in real life. Arrows are point down because they're only "ready-to-use" when they're coming down at you out of the sky.

It should also be noted that a pheon looks awfully like a thistle. Suggest to the presenter that he draw the thistle slipped and leaved to further facilitate identifiability. Easiest fix would be to tincture the pheon Or or Argent.

Sven Iceman (Device) – Azure, a dragon sejant erect sable maintaining a torteau, all fimbriated or.

Complexity count 6. This falls afoul of the Rule against Excessive Fimbriation, RfHR III.G: Fimbriation and voiding will only be permitted with simple geometric charges and ordinaries that have straight, non-complex lines. Fimbriation should not be used on complex charges like dragons. Fleur-de-Lis has been in contact with the presenter who will make appropriate changes and re-present. There will be an article forthcoming about this subject.

TerreNeuve, Kingdom of

Sivax Wartongue (Badge) – I’m not sure how to blazon this. The field is sable, and each of the long skinny things is a different tincture. As a general rule, if it’s hard to blazon accurately, it’s probably not Period style, and is therefore not registerable under RfHR III.A., and perhaps B, as well: Overly modern design or allusion to modern insignia, trademarks, or other designs will not be registered. First, this should have been presented on a square Badge form, not a Device form (although that in and of itself would not prevent it from being registered). The problem is that we have four different-colored needle-shaped things, all trying to form a unified whole. The presenter puts the blazon merely as "shooting comets". The illustration shows what a Period-style comet looks like. Show the presenter what Period heraldry looks like and suggest that he think about redesigning this badge to appear more Heraldic. If the presenter is intending to draw a Chinese or Japanese Kanji character (or other form of writing), then suggest that he draw it correctly, and make it all one tincture (preferably argent on the sable background). This would then be registerable. The presenter states that this badge is for an as-yet-unnamed Order. Until he names this Order, we will register any badges under his name, which will enable him to allow anyone he chooses to wear it, and add the Order name when he's decided on it.

Sivax Wartongue (Badge) – I’m not sure how to blazon this. The field is sable, and each of the long skinny things is a different tincture.

See comments above. This is also a non-Period design and is being returned.

Edward McMasters (Device) – Sable, a mullet argent and a chief azure.

Complexity count 5. No conflicts found. Nice, simple armory. However, it falls afoul of the Rule of Tincture. Were this Sable, a mullet argent and a chief gules or Gules, a mullet argent and a chief azure, it would be OK. Simplest fix is to fimbriate the edge of the chief with a thin white line.

York, Kingdom of

Cullen Crombie of the Berwickshire Gordons (Device) – Per pale vert and sable, a griffin and a unicorn combattant argent.

Complexity count 5. This falls afoul of the rule on Marshalling, RfHR VI: Marshalled Armory. Marshalling is the practice of combining two or more devices on one shield or banner. It is generally used to show a relationship of marriage, or to combine the arms of an individual with the office(s) they hold. Section A continues: Because each element must be independently registered, registration of the marshalled arms is unnecessary and will not be permitted.

This appears to be an impalement of vert, a griffin segreant contourny argent and sable, a unicorn rampant argent. We claim nobility on our own rights; we do not claim it based on who our parents were. Were this merely Vert, a griffin segreant contourny argent, it would pass with no problem. Likewise, Sable, a unicorn rampant argent would pass with no problems.

Easiest fix is for the presenter to register either one of these arms independently. If the presenter wishes to display marshalled armory, then he should display his registered arms impaling those of his spouse or significant other. Such a display would not be registerable as such, since each separate coat of arms should be independently registered (thus making registration of the marshalling redundant), but would be a very Period way of showing the union of two people.

Second-best fix is to place a Pale Argent between the two creatures. This would not create a completely Period design, but would at least satisfy RfHR VI, and would not be obtrusively UN-Period. The creatures are very nicely drawn; perfect Period style.

Please Note: My comments on artistic style are not to be construed as implying that one must have perfectly-drawn armory to be registered. So long as the charges are identifiable, any drawing style will be acceptable for the purposes of registration so long as the charges are clearly identifiable.

Attachments

Sample Letter of Right to Use a Restricted Charge

This letter is to certify that Charles the New has attained the rank of Viscount and is entitled to all the Heraldic rights associated thereunto.

(signed)

Bruce the Robert

Minister of Rolls, Duchy of Utopia

Sample Letter of Right to Use a Restricted Charge

This letter is to certify that the former Shire of Utopia has been raised to the level of Duchy and is entitled to all of the Heraldic rights associated thereunto.

(signed)

Sir Richard Chickenheart

Duke of Utopia

Sample Petition for Group Armory

We, the Undersigned members of the Duchy of Utopia, do hereby state our wish to register the following arms:

Or, three bendlets gules.

By our hand this 31st Day of February, 1999:

(signed)

Richard Sanders (Richard Chickenheart, Duke of Utopia)
Penny Sanders (Penelope Harlansdottir, Duchess of Utopia)
Chuck Nuevo (Viscount Charles the New)
John Public (Bruce the Robert, Baron of Fiorenza)
Jane Public (Johanna von Bundes, Sire of House Roberti)
Brian Babe (Sir Brian the Undeniable, Knight Doctor)

Sample Monthly Report

Duchy of Utopia Sovereign of Arms Report - April 1999

Sir Brian the Undeniable, Dystopic King of Arms

Enclosed are the following presentations:

Utopia, Duchy of. Device: Or, three bendlets gules.

Charles the New. Device: Gules, three bendlets or, overall a viscomital coronet argent. He wishes to retain is previously-registered arms, Per pale purpure and argent, a bend counterchanged, as a badge.

Bruce the Robert. Device: Vert, a fleur-de-lis or. I told him he couldn't have a gold fleur-de-lis, but he doesn't believe me, so I'm sending this up anyway.

I held a class in Basic Heralic design at this month's tourney, with 10 people attending.

My email address has changed: It is now undeniableme@home.com

Sample Monthly Report (Alternate)

Duchy of Utopia Sovereign of Arms Report - April 1999

Sir Brian the Undeniable, Dystopic King of Arms

We had no heraldic activity this month.