The elevation of Mushir Abd al-Mahdi Jamal ibn Hakim

Climbing out of the car that Monday after a hot, un-air conditioned, hour-long drive from work left with with two main goals in my life for the moment; getting inside to AC, and getting something iced to drink. As I closed the car door behind me, I glanced at my phone, taking a mental inventory of the posts and instant messages that I hadn’t looked at while on the road. To my surprise, Mahdi’s name was on the list today.

“Are you planning on attending Warlord in two weeks?”

“Unfortunately, I am not,” I replied. “Why?”

“Too bad. I was going to ask if you could be my herald for my Master of Defense elevation ceremony.”

I staggered, mid stepp, as I read that. Gym bag over one shoulder, big thumbs hovering on my phone’s touch screen. It took me a moment to process the text, and then a moment more to process it’s meanings.

“Oh....!Well hell, that changes things!”

And that was how I found out I was going to herald for Mahdi.

About a year and a half (maybe less) before, I had happened into a chance conversation with Deana de la Penna, an interaction that proved to be the first step in my heralding my first first peer into their elevation ceremony. Ultimately, however, it would be held at the same event, the same site, one year previous.

And so, I set out to do in two already busy weeks what I had managed to do in about three or so months previously. The contrast between the two as clients was stark and a clear learning experience, but also, pleasant in itself. With Deana, I was able to talk in details about each step of the process, the procession, and the expectations we had for each other. I was setting benchmarks for myself, and I knew it, and I knew that coming up short on any of those was a failure by definition. I was okay with this, and Deana was, and remains a most gracious and wonderful client and person.

Mahdi, however, was much (much!) more on the fly. We had two weeks, and no time for finess. Each part of the team (vigil, procession, music, herald) would have to  throw their all into their own aspect of the process, and then we would come together at warlord. It wasn’t completely different from Deana's, but the differences did outnumber the similarities.

I wrote for two days, mostly stolen minutes and hours between breaks and lunches, and after I got home. I wrote, cut, wrote some more and cut some more. Much as before, I didn’t want this to be a bland reading of a list of awards. I can’t think of a faster way to make an audience’s eyes glaze over than something like that. It's not that the awards were unimportant, but they are not the reason we would be there, but rather indications, or symptoms (if you will) of the reasons. Those awards would have to be packaged inside a narrative that would be compelling, engaging, and (not in the least unimportant) less than four minutes to read.

I started by looking at the OP. If you read carefully, in this case the awards sort of tell their own story.

Award of Arms 1989-08-12 
Sable Falcon of Ansteorra 1989-11-11 
King's Champion 1990-03-18 Mikael II
King's Gauntlet of Ansteorra 1990-07-21 Mikael II
Knight o/t Society 1994-01-08 
County 1997-07-26 Kahlid
Sable Comet, Award o/t 2001-03-02 Emerald Keep
King's Champion 2001-07-07 Duncan I
King's Blade of Chivalry 2001-10-06 Duncan I
Court Barony 2004-01-03 Steppes 01/03/2004-05/26/2007
Oak o/t Steppes, Order o/t 2004-01-03 
Duchy 2006-07-08 called Mushir
Queen's Rapier of Ansteorra, Award o/t 2014-05-24 
Sable Talon of Ansteorra, Award o/t 2014-11-08 Rapier Combat
White Scarf of Ansteorra, Order o/t 2015-05-09 
Lion of Ansteorra; Defender o/t Dream 2017-05-27 Gabriel II & Sonja II
Queen's Blade of Honor 2018-05-12 Margherita II

I went over the list in my head several times before i began to see a pattern. Roughly speaking, the man’s career is in thirds, the first being his rise to knight, the second being his leadership as king, then landed baron, and then king again, and the third was his entry into rapier, culminating in his elevation. I worked with that, the theme ultimately codifying as “the biography of a hero” for me, with the story three chapters long (so far, anyway). It actually didn’t take me very long past that to write the skeleton of what I needed. Fleshing it out took a little longer, but with the proverbial bones in place, the shape of it wasn’t hard to clarify on my mind.

Two weeks later, my wife and I, our son in tow, rolled onto site for warlord.

The grounds were special to be. Twenty years before, my wife and I had shared our first kiss there, following the climactic battle between the Liondragon Guard and the Arthurian company. Coincidentally, that would mark the first time that the guard marched with a non-resident member in its ranks, as Count Mahdi had been welcomed into the unit that same morning.  The relationship between the tall, strikingly featured Moore and Mooneshadowe’s tough-as-rocks infantry unit would continue when Mahdi would ask the Liondragon to escort him into his second coronation (also at the same site), one of the few times when a guard unit not local to a king would serve in such a role. Later in the same reign, Mahdi while attending a Mooneschaodwe hosted King’s Round Table,  would oversee the announcement of the then Shire of Mooneschadowe’s  elevation to the kingdom's only Province. All of this put the man close at heart to Mooneschadowe and its people, myself included.

Mahdi wasn’t on site yet, he and his wife were celebrating a wedding anniversary. Ourselves, we were there to say hello, and maybe see if anyone would join us a dinner. Chance and goof fortunate conspired to see us run into Kel, a friend from the local area who I had spoken with a handful of times before. Dinner was just a wonderful chance to enjoy some air conditioning, talk, drink lots of iced soda, and have a good meal.

Dawn the next day brought us to the main event itself, a day of preparation, vigil, and me alternately talking with people and trying not to freak out over the procession. Say what you will, but my nerves seemed ready to give me a heart attack about seven or eight times throughout the day. As the day rolled into afternoon, and then evening, I was grateful for the conversations and the distractions that let me not hyper-focus on the procession, including a wildly successful salon hosted by HL Beatrix Funteyn. I think I was one of only a few men to sit down and share company with the otherwise female dominated circle, but the company was witty, funny, and all around pleasant. Another conversation I was honored to share was with an old face from my past, Airaklee  (“Eric Lee”) Wolf.

Twenty one years ago (at the same event where Mahdi had marched with the guard, and Lillias and I had first kissed), Airaklee had lead the “Scottish” side of the so-themed “Battle of three kings” event, taking on the roll of William Wallace (though I think as much of his performance that day was taken from the film than history). I had only chanced a few conversations with him in the intervening years, but he had always been someone who, at least for me, added to “the dream” around him when he spoke. That conversation was little different, with big ideas and glad tiding trading between us through genuine smiles.

Afternoon traded to evening, and court closed in on us. I went to Mahdi at this point and asked about the final details of the procession. A quick conference later, and we were gathering the final pieces of the puzzle that were the procession. Mistress Rhiannon would lead the party with a scimitar balanced atop of head, followed with Mahdi and Valeria, side by side. Flanking them would be two umbrella barriers, in the Mediterranean tradition, and in close formation around and behind  Mahdi, like a semicircle, would be balance of the party...

Photo compliments of Melanie Gallon

Including Tostig holding the “combat trumpet”.

Photo compliments of Melanie Gallon

I would lead, heralding the full length of the aisle by myself. When I turned and ushered the party in, musicians would play in accompaniment to the entrance while I also made my exit. I had timed my reading of the entrance script multiple times through; three minutes and twenty seconds. Longer than I might normally want a procession to be, but I was confident I could sell it, I could perform it and draw the audience in.

We sat in the back, waiting as court moved through the awards, local, AoA, and then Grants. Assuming they didn’t announce anyone, the first warning we would have would be the calling of the Masters of Defense. The wait was punishing for me, but I have never been good at waiting.

Sitting there, as the awards moved on I pulled on my formal garb, and then the heraldic tabard with his Grace’s arms on it. I cradled in my hand my herald’s baton, freshly detailed with his arms across the head. I was wearing 4 garments, one on top of the other, for well over 8 layers of fabric, some of it not inclined to breath in the still-warmer-than-comfortable hall.



Then, the herald called the Masters of Deference forward, and we knew we were down to the last moments. I rose, composed myself, and looked back over the procession party. They had stepped into place perfectly. They waited on my signal, and waited with silent smiles of excitement and anticipation.

The introductions up front were done, barely audible in the back. The King asked the Master’s if their order was complete, and as per the ceremony they replied ‘no’.

The crown herald called for Duke Mahdi to step forward.

The moment had come.

I started in the back, standing tall, and holding my baton high in the air.

Photo compliments of Melanie Gallon

Hear ye, hear ye! Today we see a biography in three chapters, a life of many adventures.

My voice carried like a thunderclap through the hall. I could hear it resonate off the ceiling. I had the unbroken attention of the whole court in that moment. The stage was mine, and I was going to make the most of it for the next three and a half minutes.

Mahdi: The story of a knight.

We see the fledgling efforts a man giving of himself on and off the field as he discovers this newfound dream. We see an award of arms, followed later that same year by a Sable falcon. Mahdi  would press on, eventually proving his prowess and becoming King’s champion under Mikael II, also earning a King’s Gauntlet. The final page of this first chapter was penned when 4 years later, Mahdi was welcomed into the order of the chivalry  and sworn in fidelity to the Crown of Ansteorra.

I had slowly stepped forward as the paragraph moved on. Making my way to the midpoint, halfway down the aisle. When it was completed, I stopped, raised my baton again, and continued.

Mahdi: The story of a Leader.

For ten years Mahdi proved himself both leader, and worker. Mahdi Sat the throne less than three years after becoming a knight.  But his work does not stop with his reign.  As a Count, properly called Kahlid, Mahdi would be awarded the Sable Comment for service to Emerald keep, and then again hold king’s champion and be named holder of the King’s blade of Chivalry. For three years he would lead the Barony of the Stepps next to his wife, Baron and Baroness, and then join the order of the Oak of the Stepps, while also being made a baron to the court. Our second chapter ends as Mahdi descends the thrones for the second reign, and is made a Duke, properly called  Mushir.

I was moving again, concluding as I reached the front. I still had almost every eye on me when I looked. I turned my left side to the crown, my back to the musicians at one side, and my front cutting across the majority of the audience.

Mahdi: The story of a Defender

On this site 9 years ago, Mahdi stood before Don Robin of Gillwell and took on the mantle of Cadet, setting forth on a new path, a new adventure. This story tells of studies and dedication,  recognized first with a  Queen’s rapier, and then with a Sable Talon. The midpoint of this chapter saw Madhi welcomed into the order of the White Scarf of Ansteorra.

The efforts of this man have forged a mind as sharp as any edge, a body as strong as any shield, and a heart dedicated to the dream. These traits were so recognized in this hall, one year ago, when Gabriel & Sonja II named Mushir Mahdi as their Lion, their defender of the dream.

So now we come together today to witness the last page of this the third chapter. We come as history is written, witnesses to a man ready to complete another journey.

I pointed my baton down the aisle, took a deep breath, and let everything I had blast out with the last line.

So now, before this august court and assembled gentles I present to you

Knight,

Baron,

Duke, 

Don,

and Lion! 

Mushir Abd al-Mahdi Jamal ibn Hakim!

With the last sound, the musicians started, and I turned to exit the court, my role done.

Mahdi was welcomed into the order with all of the reverence and splendor befitting a Master of Defense. Following the ceremony, the court closed, and the audience broke up quickly to tend to their evening plans, not the least of which for many was congratulating Mahdi.

Photo compliments of Melanie Gallon

As i made my way to the drinks left over from Mahdi's vigil, a lot of people were catching me and providing wide-eyed thumbs up over my introduction, including Wladyslaw, a good friend, and her wife both gleefully declaring “that was epic!” Mahdi voiced a wide-smiling approval of the whole procession, and was thankful for everyone’s part.

Tired, now horse from pushing myself too hard, and physically exhausted, I collected my family and we made our departure, the task at hand done.

His Lordship Ivo Blackhawk
Kingdom of Ansteorra
"Long Live the King!"