Middle Kingdom Pursuivants Handbook 2nd Edition - Midrealm ...

single peak in front. You can usually identify them by the fact that they don’t look like any of the gold coronetsfor lower ranks, or by the presence of the Midrealm arms on the front. The King and Queen may be addressedas “Your Majesty” or “Your Grace.”Royal CourtsMinna von LübeckEdited by Mistress Elena de Vexin, Dragon HeraldOne of the most exciting jobs you can do as a pursuivant or Herald is to herald a Royal Court. This job canalso strike fear in many hearts who just know that they will die of stage fright. Heralding a Royal Court is likeperforming one act of a play. It is an important part of many events, and sometimes actually the most climaticpart. Therefore, the decision of whether or not you want to herald court, once asked, is very important. Thereare some very good and acceptable reasons to decline. Some of these are: laryngitis, a cough, a voice that doesnot project well in a large auditorium or outside; you have never helped with a court and you have no idea ofwhere to even start. If you decide to decline, don’t worry: you won’t be beheaded. You may be asked to suggestsomeone else, or to help whoever accepts the job.What if you decide Court Heraldry is for you? Start out by watching other heralds, particularly the DragonHerald, Regional Heralds, or Principal Heralds from other Kingdoms. The items to note are: posture, poise,projection and presence. Their organization of Court is also important, but is more behind the scenes and issometimes dictated by the Royalty. An excellent way to learn about running a Court is to help the Herald who isrunning one. This will help you learn how to organize everything, give you some experience with working withRoyalty, and help you learn “stage presence” if you help hold the scrolls or perform some other duty duringcourt. Also, get a copy of the Midrealm Books of Ceremonies and Liturgies.How to Run a CourtFirst of all, the Royalty decides who will herald court if the Dragon Herald is not present. Do notautomatically assume you will do Court because you are the local pursuivant: generally the senior-most heraldpresent will be the one who gets the nod. Do offer your services to the Royalty as soon as possible (let themunload and change first, however). If the Crown chooses to have someone else herald, graciously offer to helpthat person in any way possible. If the Royalty do ask you to herald and for whatever reason you do not wish to,decline graciously and offer to help them find someone else, if needed. If you agree, then it is time to get towork.Check the Event ScheduleFind out approximately when Court is to be held. If it is right after the tournament ends, and before feast,preparations need to be begun as soon as possible (no later than the start of the tourney). If it will be afterfeast, you can begin preparation in the early afternoon (before 3:00).Incoming PresentationsAsk the field or event herald to announce to the populace to see you if they have presentations for theRoyalty. This announcement should be made at least twice during the early afternoon. Stay in one place (theTroll table is good) as much as possible for at least one hour.a. As people bring their presentations to you, you should have each individual or group completely fill outthe “Incoming Presentation” form. If it is a presentation from an SCA branch, the seneschal’s name andaddress should be noted; if it is a household, then use the head’s name and address.b. Examine the form carefully before letting the presenter leave. Check to see whether the presentation is apersonal gift (i.e., a gift to the person) or a gift to the Crown. If it is personal, then the gift should bepresented at Feast: inform the person/group of this. If it is a gift to the Crown/Kingdom, it should be donein court. If the gift is money, make sure that you know where the highest-ranking Chancellor of theExchequer is; and advise that gentle that he/she will be needed at court. Try to have all presentations ofmonies done back-to-back.24 Middle Kingdom Pursuivants Handbook2nd Edition - 2002