Well, this year was a little differnt, but is many good ways.
Lady Adelheid had asked me some time ago to help her with heradling Court at Namron, she's new, and the Crown would be there, so to say that their would be pressure was a fair statement.
Well, let me tell you, I arrived saturday morning, and found out that the pressure got turned up just a notch, Adelheid had been drafted as herald for their majesties, and Sarrait (whom was one of the organizers of the Skorrgard Heraldry day) had been drafted as the herald for their excelencies Narmon.
I offered to stunt herald (stand next to her and act as a second set of eyes) with Sarrait for morning court, and she jumped at the oportunity.
To her credit, she handled her first court well. Adelheid had written out the whole court on 3x5 cards, and all that was being handed out that morning wound up being a few baronial service awards (Torsades as it happend). Not diminished the Torsade, but it is one type of award, and the text isn't wind warpingly hard to read, so for a first time herald, its not a bad way to cut teeth. Sarrait did well, and I only really had to lean in and offer occation encouragements. I had to pass a few messages that came up from beind the court, but those went over without a hitch.
On a side note, two of the people who were called up her Adelhaid and her Husband Lucas, both to receive Torsades. HE Donnchadh spoke well of both of them, and as a fell herald with Ahelhaid, and a fellow bard with Lucas, I was really happy to see them thustly recognized.
After court, I set to work organizing the heraldry for the Heavy tourneyment, which was my promary reason for coming in the first place.
As a herald, your only as good as the effort you put into the job, and as an organizing herald, Your only as good as the people you have working with you. Well, I]ll tell you, I poured my heart and sole into that job, and the people working with me did the say, I coulnd't have asked more of any of them, and I dont think anyone was even remotely disapointed with the result.
My undisputed right hand during the heay was HL Adalya, whom I have said before is easily the better list herald, and someone I have reciently dubbed a "voice of nature" in refernce to how she commands most situations. Not that I mind, I've never seen her bite off more than she can chew, she's never failed to give her best when heralding.
Working with us;
Sarrait would be heralding her first list.
Layla, whom I had only seena few times before that.
Michelle, who had done so well at ATriumph a few weeks before
Sarron (SP) whom I had only met that day. (As a totally unrelated asside, he had a 9 month old german shepard puppy with him who was the friendliest things you have ever seen)
Master Cadfin, who not only heralds, but makes every world that leave his mouth a bardic performance, and is just a sight to behold!
And finally, Castallina, formerly known as Gipsey. Young and eager, a little baudy at times, but a good head on her shoulders and projection to spare.
I did do something I hadn't done before, I held a quick get togeather with the marshals to make sure we were all on the same page. Lord Rolf said that he was as new to marshaling as some of my heralds, and when I propoased a quick coordination meeting, he was very agreeable to it. Honestly, while nothing was changed in terms of planning, I think everyone benifited from seeing who they would be working with ahead of time, or at least I know I did:)
Now that I've described my team, let me also describe my job. we had over 30 fighters, and untimately ran 4 fields in a swiss five, and then had a bunch of elimination rounds afterwords when people kept double killing. I didn't herald anything myself, health concerns kept me away from the adsolute front lines, but I kept people going, and kept them cycled in and out, and made sure they had drink, sunscreen and rest in good measure.
Sarrait had me on her shoulder for the first round, just making sure she was ready for it. A few bumps her and there, and a few questions were the worst of the learning curve. But the Majority of it she picked up quickly and took off with it. I pulled her out for the next round, mostly because I wanted her to get a drink. But a little bit later, I walked up to her and asked how she was doing. With a huge smile, and a bit of a glow about her, she goes "I'm hooked, when can I go back in there?"
All of heralds did a spectacular job, and like I said before, the heavy went on a little longer than even the nobles were expecting thanks to a few more double-kills then usual.
Anyway, when it was all done, I had to round everyone up again and get a team togeathe for the rapier tourney.
Adalia had stepped out (this was prearrainged, and agreeded upon by me, so no accusations of ducking responcability) and a lot of the people who had taken the lions share of the work for the heavy were looking like the effort had taken a bit of a tole on them. But none the less, the rest were still eager to go. This time we ran two fields, and their were only about 14 fighters, so it was much, much more low key. I know Sarait was having the time of her life out there for a good portion of it, and Michelle was just living it up in much the same fashion.
Towards the very end, my own health got the better of me, and I had to sit down before I collapsed, to their credit, my remaining heralds stuck out to the end.
Their isn't really much I can say beyond the above. I had a great team, a good group of marshals to work with, and fighters that completed out the triad that make the SCA list field such a magical place.
Lord Ivo Blackhawk
Protege to Master Robert Fitzmorgan
Province of Mooneschadowe
Kingdom of Ansteorra
"God Save the King!"
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