Monday, October 22, 2001
This morning's post is exceptionally SCA heavy, so hang on tightly and enjoy the ride. [edited on 10/23 to use new footnote style.]
This past weekend was actually very, very good. I went down to Fall Creek for our group's annual bardic festival/competition, Amergin's Revenge. I had been charged with making sure there were enough award charters painted to be given out in court, plus I was also requested to be on site to fill in names and dates, make and bring the official Baronial seals, and otherwise tend to last minute scribal duties. I have learned, with regards to scribal duties, several key things: 1.) the list or award recipients that the Baron and Baroness give you to prepare scrolls for is only preliminary and may not bear any resemblance to the actual recipient list (based on who shows up on site, who may already have a certain award, and so on), so never ever write the names or dates in beforehand; 2.) think of the most important object you might need to complete your duties, and then leave it at home an hour away (in my case, pens! nibs! and paintbrushes! -- thank heavens for Raven being there with the first two items, the most necessary two); 3.) if it's your first time, nerves will ensure that anything that can go wrong, will (knocking box of pre-made fragile seals onto floor and shattering fully half of them, blobbling ink spots, and so on); 4.) the longest and most complicated name will invariably be matched with the award scroll with the least amount of room to accommodate it (*grin*).
I spent a good chunk of the morning secluded in a room by myself, carefully penning in names in secret and not to be revealed until court, feeling like the keeper of mysterious and arcane knowledge. And then as additional prospective award recipients showed up on site, I'd bop back into the room and fill out another one. I was destined to not get a hot cup of coffee that day. I really just wish I'd had my own pens, and oh yeah, I wish I had remembered to bring my book of calligraphy hands with me! But I did okay; I was not able to match the hand on the arts award (Order of the Fern and Quill) but I think I did a good job with the hand I did use.
Forgetting my brushes meant I was without something to really occupy myself with for most of the day (between scurrying off to scribal duties), as I was going to paint charters all day. I did get to see and talk to people I hadn't seen in a while, so that was good too.
After the day's competitions, the Golden Bear Players staged what was essentially a dress rehearsal of the Elizabethan play that they'll be performing at the Known World Arts and Sciences gathering next weekend. It was pretty good. Then the royalty held court after tables were added for the feast. Much to my surprise I was given the first award, a "Baronial Brownie" (which is kind of a token of recognition that has a little bit of fun mixed into it -- having to do with bad puns, like brown sawtooth dags being called "brownie points"). This got snuck by me totally, was hand penned in by Raven and kept totally secret from me. I watched as the other awards were given out; the rest of the Baronial ones were, of course, no surprise to me but the Principality ones (and Kingdom ones that the Crown has granted the Prince and Princess the ability to give out) were. Court is always fun for me because it's so great to see deserving people given recognition for their achievements. Even when I know who's getting what, it's still fun because the anticipation of seeing the surprise on their faces is so very exciting.
Folks were getting restless for dinner and court was drawing to a close. Gifts were exchanged between the royals and also between the people who made the event happen and their helpers (as is customary). Near the end a fellow who was given an Award of Arms (the most basic of Kingdom level awards) earlier in that same court was brought back up because it was his birthday and we were to all sing for him. Except no one did. Someone cracked, "A room full of bards and no one's singing???" Then one bard piped up and sang (to the tune of "Tah rah rah Boom de ay"), "This is your BIRTHday song, it isn't VERy long." [silence] [laughter]
Oh, and just near the end (actually, the final award given out) they called me up there again. I blinked a few times and smiled and gathered my self together, thinking perhaps it was a Grail (Principality award given for recognition in arts, service, or martial skill (i.e. swords / armour / combat)). I made my way to the front of the room, bowing before the Prince and Princess, knelt before them and took their hands... and could see the paper that the herald held, could see through the paper from underneath (thanks to the ceiling lights), and recognized it to be the same thing that a friend had received a moment ago and that Andra had received in July, a Goutte de Sang for my work with the scribal arts (which to me is strange, since I don't think of it as work!). I was speechless. It was so unreal to me, but there I was, and the pendant that comes with the award was being placed over my head and around my shoulders, and I was handed a gorgeous scroll saying that yes, you really did do good work (and a lot of work) and now you're a Ladyship.
It was difficult to stay focused, driving home afterwards (since I didn't stay for the feast). I was sad only because Andra wasn't there to see me get it, since she had to work the café that day. I watched TV that night, MadTV and Saturday Night Live and a forensic science show on the Learning Channel or Discovery, then took a shower and went to bed at about 2am.
That night I dreamt that Bane and Meagan, Prince and Princess of the Summits, were hosting Saturday Night Live. I remember laughing uproariously at the sketches that they were in. Weird what the brain does at times; I was just happy that I hadn't dreamt about them being in the forensic science show!
