Scroll Text - Salvador Moro dei Medici - Chivalry Elevation 2025

Kingdom of AEthelmearc - Chivalry Elevation

Unto Our trusted and welbeloved subject Salvador Moro dei Medici. Hear these greetings from the Crown of AEthelmearc, Andreas and Kallista, third of those names. Being mindful of your prowess, courtesy, wisdom, and honor, and having received the wise counsel of our Noble Order of the Chivalry, as well as the words of the other peerages which We have heard today in Our Court, and being well pleased by your actions and demeanor, We do bestow the following accolades upon you. First do We elevate you to the rank of Knight of the Society with all Rights and Privileges that that entails and Grant you the right to wear the belt, chain, and spurs of a Knight. Secondly do we proclaim you a Peer of Our Realm by Letters Patent, to wit: Per chevron inverted sable and vert semy of skulls argent, in chief a dragon rampant Or. Thirdly we offer you a seat at Our Council of War so that you may offer Us advice in matters of the safety and defense of Our Realm. Furthermore, We permit you to bear arms in the presence of Ourselves and Our heirs, to lead Our warriors in battle, and to defend Our persons, Our Laws, and Our prerogatives. We entrust to you the safety of Our Crown and Our Kingdom, in company with all Our Martial Peers. We do charge you with the tasks of keeping the Crown's peace, instructing all who wish to learn the art of armored combat, to perform worthy deeds, and to act in all manners and at all times and at all places as an inspiration to all who may see or hear you. This warrant We sign with Our hands on Saint Crispin's Day, AS 60, at Agincourt 18.

 inspired by A.D. 700 or 715. Wihtred, king of Kent, to St Mary's Church, Lyminge; grant of 4 sulungs (aratra) at Pleghelmestun and pasture in Romney Marsh. Latin with bounds

https://www.flickr.com/photos/calebreynolds/54848248851/in/dateposted/

Scroll Text - Po Silvertop - Pelican 2024

Kingdom of AEthelmearc - Service Award

This is the scroll that never ends.

It just goes on and on, my friend.

Some heralds started reading it, not knowing what it was.

And, they’ll continue reading it forever, just because

This is the scroll that never ends.

This is the scroll that never ends.

It just goes on and on, my friend.

Some heralds started reading it, not knowing what it was.

And, they’ll continue reading it forever, just because

This is the scroll that never ends.

This is the scroll that never ends.

It just goes on and on, my friend.

Some heralds started reading it, not knowing what it was.

And, they’ll continue reading it forever, just because

This is the scroll that never ends.

And like this scroll, the Service of Po Silvertop never ends. Once the tourney is over, he lays his down his sword and picks up a marshal's staff to watch over other fencers. Once he lays down his marshal's staff, he picks up a herald's tabard and speaks for Coronet and Crown. As the long serving Voice of Endless Hills and as Jewel Herald for AEthelmearc his words rang out across Courts calling others to the thrones, and in the reading out of accolades. Once Court is finished, the thrones must be packed away. And then after the event, Po then sits down and creates such words that sets fire to the imagination of those who might hear them. At practice, you see him teaching all who wish to learn the finer arts of sword play. At Pennsic, a generation of novice fencers have dueled one another under his watch. The measure of a Pelican is not Service, in and of itself: Po was inducted into the Millrind for Service to AEthelmeac. The true measure of a Pelican is not the service done; it is the inspiration a Pelican gives to others. Let us measure how many marshals Po has trained. Let us measure the wordsmiths who picked up a pen after hearing Po's words. Let us measure the number of heralds he encouraged to also don a tabard and speak for Coronet and Crown. Let us measure the mark Po Silvertop has left upon Sylvan AEthelmearc and on the Ancient Eastern Kingdom. Our Society would be poorer without the inspiration of Po Silvertop. Thus do We, Gareth and Juliana, rightful monarchs of Sylvan AEthelmearc, and in Our rightful minds, bid the Noble Order of the Pelican to make him feel welcome for We will, on this 10th day of February, do induct the aforementioned Po Silvertop into the aforesaid Noble Order of the Pelican. Thus, on the day of the Lupercalia at our Hunting Lodge in Our Barony of Delftwood, do We sign this Warrant, granting all rights and privileges to Po as a member of the Pelican and proclaim that there shall be no backsies, for this is the scroll that never ends. It just goes on and on, my friend. Some heralds started reading it, not knowing what it was. And, they’ll continue reading it forever, just because This is the scroll that never ends.

Thoughts about sitting vigil

So..... I received a writ for Laurel a couple of months ago. I will admit that I was not expecting it. I felt the need to write down my thoughts on this before the elevation, just to clear my mind. I am not suffering from impostor syndrome; I know I have done good A&S work. I also do not think, "'Bout damn time!" I'm somewhere in between. Somewhere along the lines of, "Sure, I've done a lot of research projects, but are you sure it's at the level of a Laurel? Look at all of the spelling errors. Have you read my footnotes?"

When I received my writ to the Pelican, I did have impostor syndrome. "How am I being elevated when that person works harder than me?" My friends and worthies did have to show me how much work I had done over the years to make me see that I had earned a seat at the table. Somewhere around a decade later I can see, with clear 20/20 hind sight, that I was listening to the brain weasels a tad too much. 

With hind sight I can clearly see the amount of service I had done. How many fencers I taught. How many archers I taught. How many throwers. How many tourneys I ran. How many targets I created. How many site tokens. How many events I autocrated. How many web sites I created. How many pavilions I put up and then packed away. How many newsletters I edited. How many exchequer reports I filled out. How many event reports completed. How many officer positions I've held. The years sitting as a Landed Baron. Acting as a regional marshal. A deputy Kingdom officer and then a Kingdom officer. Hundreds of tables and chairs moved. A metric tonne of dirty dishes cleaned. Sitting here today, I realize that none of these things are what convinced the Order of the Pelican to vote to have me join the Order. None of these things were the tipping point to convince them.

Sitting here today, I can clearly see how many fencers, archers, and throwers I taught to be marshals. I can clearly see how many people I've mentored on the first event they'd autocrated. People who have gone on to autocrat events on their own and then to mentor others. I can see how many people I've encouraged to become local, regional or Kingdom officers by teaching them what I learned when I held those positions. My minions, those people who helped me when I was a Baron, have gone on to their own victories; earning their own places in Orders of High Merit.

I didn't need to teach my proteges and students how to serve; I just needed to encourage them a tad, and offer advice when needed. One now wears the Coronet that once sat upon my head. My students stride across the ranges as if they were born there. I take pride in the fact that they found encouragement in my words to take on more responsibility and do more service. 

I was once blinded by imposture syndrome, but now I can clearly see that in the last 30 or so years I moved through the chaos that can be the SCA and left a trail of order, and trained a good number of people to seek the chaos and transform it into order in their own way. 

This is how I see myself as a Pelican, today, and this is how I wish to see myself as a Laurel, in a couple of weeks. Only for research and study and documentation and experimentation and teaching, instead of lifting and carrying and marshaling. In less than two weeks I will be asked if I would join the Most Noble Order of the Laurel. The brain weasels are still chatting away but I am not listening to them, today. 

Scroll Text - Eleanore Godwin - Pelican 2023

Kingdom of AEthelmearc - Service Award

Open wide the gates and proclaim to all who might see or hear these words of our Sovereigns, Arnthor and Ceirich, King and Queen of Sylvan AEthelmearc. Know that a synod had assembled in the Noble Barony of the Rhydderich Hael, being a famous place that is called The Festival of the Passing of the Ice Dragon. At this place We have gathered our Nobles and Peers to hear of various matters and testimonies concerning Our Kingdom, most especially regarding Our Most Noble Order of the Pelican, not yet complete of it's full compliment. We asked our Knights, Laurels, Pelicans, MODs, and Royal Peers to consider necessary matters that had been handed down through tradition of the complete nature of the aforesaid Noble Order. At length it resulted from members of that same Order, that a request was made in the presence of all to invite Eleanore Godwin, Most Honorable Lady, forthwith. After this privilege had been read and examined among themselves, and many words had been spoken in the Presence of the aforesaid King and Queen, it was pleasing to all and they together declared that They were not able to find anything else so noble and so wisely formulated that was in accordance with the ancient traditions of the Kingdom. And agreeing that this stand and be confirmed by all, We, Arnthor and Ceirich, decree that Eleanore Godwin be at once inducted into the aforesaid Noble Order of the Pelican and prescribe to her all privileges and honors forthwith. Furthermore, do We Grant her Letters Patent, to wit, Or, on a cross formy throughout vert, an oil lamp argent. Done by Our Hands, the 25th day of March, AS 57, so that in all things the honor and authority and security of the Kingdom of AEthelmearc be denied by no person.

 

inspired by S-90, A.D. 742 (Clofeshos). Æthelbald, king of Mercia, to the Kentish churches; confirmation of privileges.