(The site has now been up for a little more than a month. In keeping with clan tradition from the old site, we will be having monthly medalling ceremonies which are occasions to demonstrate appreciation for the contributions of some of our members. The medals are displayed on the medals section of the site which can be found under Accolades to the left. Also, this narrative post is intended to be taking place four years after the last event in the timeline, which will account for the events we accomplished in the last game we played (slightly modified for this story). And now, the first medalling ceremony at the Duchy of Wessex site...)

The outside of the Cathedral of St. Germaine was bedecked in golden sun banners and the massive front doors to the sanctuary were propped open. Palace and city guards in their finest ceremonal uniforms lined the street to form a walkway leading directly up to the open doors, holding back crowds of burgess and peasant onlookers. The crowd milled, bustled, and murmured. The breeze lightly flipped the corners of the banners.

And then, from down the road, at the palace, a trumpet fanfare sounded. The crowd erupted in applause and cheers, all straining their necks and standing at tiptoe to catch the first sight of the procession which was sure to becoming. Sure enough, the palace gates opened, and from the courtyard and onto the street emerged the parade with the four knights of the Duchy - Sir Thirlan, Sir Rybo, Sir Auden and Lord M. Aeneas walking ceremonially in the lead with their individual shields. They were followed by the heralds, Benjamin Sangly and Ellison Montjoy, who were loudly playing on the horns- Onlenn Raintracer was absent. Then came the sheriffs, the envoys, the clerks, and finally the Duke on horseback, waving to the crowds as they passed.

Servants helped His Grace from the saddle and then the two heralds lead the way in. Ellison Montjoy held a wooden case in front of him, ceremonially, and Benjamin Sangly carried a trumpet. Father Hadrian was waiting at the entrance to the Cathedral. The knights stood to either side of the door while the rest of the procession filed in and took their seats among the pews.

Guards held back the crowds from outside while the four knights entered and took their own places. Father Hadrian entered and mounted the pulpit then and began the mass. He waved his hands, lifted goblets, and chanted words in old Llyonessean for a quarter of an hour, and when he was done and the congregation had prayed, it was the duke who mounted the pulpit and addressed the congregation.

"Now is the time to place honors on our great luminaries, as my father before me did. It is fitting that those who have contributed to the prosperity, preservation and dignity of our state be acknowledged and honored. Soon will come a time of great trial unlike any before, of great strife and struggle. My father predicted it and I now know it to be true, for he was a shrewd statesman and many other things besides. That so many of you have answered our call to immigration is comforting, and so I call upon you now. Mark well and remember how we honor those among us who achieve great things and support the common good - for in these coming times it will be the work of heroes like the ones you will soon know that shall carry and preserve us."

The Duke stepped to the left. The herald Ellison Montjoy stood by in ducal tabard while ceremonially holding an open box of various medals. Smiling, the duke reached his hand into the box and withdrew a small golden diamond shaped medal on a ribbon.

"First, let us honor our new herald for his willingness to contribute to the Duchy by the crafting and illustration of the arms of our gentles. To Onlenn Raintracer, I award the Achievement Medal."

A surprised Onlenn, himself in heraldic tabard, rose from the congregation accompanied by applause and made his way to the front of the room, where the duke affixed the medal to the left breast of his tabard. The other heralds grinned and congratulated him while indicating he should stay and stand to the side.

When the applause had settled, the duke reached into the box again and withdrew another golden diamond. "To Ekaj, our new footman, I award the Achievement Medal for aiding us in conscripting new soldiers."

As before, Ekaj too had his time in the spotlight, and the medal was affixed to his uniform and he stood to the side, with Onlenn. And the Duke continued to reach into the box and draw out medals, calling out names and awarding them one by one.

"To Laflayus Saladri, my personal elven hunting guide, I award the Achievement Medal for his volunteering to run a post in the forum of town detailing and tracking the various skills of my subjects.

"Rivers Kelak receives the Achievement Medal for aiding in the conscription of new troops to the Duchy garrison.

"Sir Thirlan, knight bachelor, receives the Distinguished Fighting Cross for his treatise on the proper skills for a battlefield knight, including physic, and his demonstration of these principles to great effect during the recent wars. During these encounters, Sir Thirlan was nigh impregnable, and as such he was simultaneously able to minister with great effect to the wounded on our fronts, handling the combats with great ease and much accomplishment. In time even the enemy and other nations copied this template of training which Sir Thirlan had created.

"And now I call upon my brother."

The dignified, stately lord rose from the back of the room and strode toward the pulpit.

"For his part in the deception to acquire ownership of our training buildings from the traitor, I award Lord Miles the Brass Cross.

"Recently, Lord Miles has undertaken the practice of heraldry himself, remaking the livery of all of our soldiery, which is more than soldiers of other states ever receive, and that has made Wessex a very popular place indeed. For that, we award him one of the highest honors, the Ducal Award for Meritorious Achievement.

"But my brother is deserving of a yet higher honor, the highest of all." A collective gasp ran through the crowd as a special box was brought forth, separate from the first. From this, the duke withdrew a brilliant white cross on a golden chain. "This is the Solar Legion of Honor, a knightly order started by our ancestor, Oriens Dei, to honor heroes of the duchy after Wessex became a palatinate. But it is much more than a knighthood, for it is reserved only for those who have performed deeds of heroism or service to the Duchy of a nature far surpassing any other. Now that my father has passed, I became the Grand Master of that Order when I became Duke of Wessex."

"After the loss of our father, and when our beleaguered forces were driven to take shelter in that miraculous island of Elba, I was indisposed. During that time, Lord Miles Aeneas took command of all of our forces and was sovereign regent of the Duchy of Wessex. It is undoubtedly due to his heroic efforts that we even exist as a state or a noble house at all, much less standing as we are on the brink of a new chapter in our life as a family and as a state. He reorganized our soldiers, purged traitors and hangers on, accomplished miracles of diplomacy and even won us several new allies."

The duke drew a sword and the Constable kneeled. The duke lay the sword on his brother's shoulder and proclaimed, "You are Lord Miles Aeneas Dei, brother to the Duke of Wessex and knight of Wessex. With this cape, this badge, and this collar, I make you a knight of the Order of the Solar Legion, and invest you with all the regalia of that august company." Heralds draped a rich cloak over his shoulders, and the duke laid the golden collar over his head and affixed the badge to the cloak.

"And finally, the most decorated of all, the one we call 'Fishbarrel'".

The dwarf had been seated in the front row, and popped up suddenly yet nonchalantly, concealing any reaction with an accomplished poker face. Though he stumped when he walked as all dwarves did, this Fishbarrel had managed to acquire a regal gait. He already wore the same cape, collar and badge of the Solar Legion that Lord M. Aeneas had just received.

"All the last medals in the box are for Fishbarrel", the duke joked. The congregation chuckled.

The duke laughed. "Honestly, it has been some time since our last medal ceremony, and Von Fishbarrel has put that time to great use."

"For his aid to a neighboring foreign city to our island stronghold, in which he assumed command of their defense and won the battle for them, we award the Distinguished Star or Heroism. That foreign city later came to our defense in turn, and spread the fame of our name far and wide.

"There was an instance when that very stronghold city of ours was attacked by ten flying wizards. They flew up the northwest tower of our city walls and there intended to work a foul ritual to summon in an army right into our keep. With only one assistant hiding on the staircase to heal his wounds, Von Fishbarrel singlehandedly attacked the entire group of 10 magicians, and killed five and weakened the rest before falling. Because of this heroic action, our soldiers were able to arrive and kill the remaining five before they ever had a chance to carry out their plan. For this act of bravery and success in combat, I award Von Fisbarrel the Distinguished Star of Valor.

"For the construction of one of our cities, Von Fishbarrel stayed up for 3 nights straight overseeing efforts to acquire money to plant the central tree, making us among the first to have one. For that, I award him the Medal for Service to the Kingdom.

"For his role in the battle for the defense of our old capitol city, I award Von Fishbarrel the Combat Medal.

"There is one more instance of Von Fishbarrel's bravery and military prowess that deserves recognition, and this is the grandest by far. One of our cities was being attacked by 20 men, and only he was there to defend it. As they attacked our wall, Von Fishbarrel alone ran and paid the money to reinforce it, thwarting their efforts and miraculously avoiding their attacks. Then he barricaded himself in the keep. When they gained entrance through the roof, Von Fishbarrel ran about with amazing strategy and timing, managing to kill 6 before a successful escape, where he was able to gather reinforcements and save yet another city. For this amazing feat of combat against multiple opponents which saved one of our cities, I award the Ducal Award for Conspicuous Gallantry.

"And now, to his merit and service accomplishments, which are staggering.

"For his construction of our gift shop, we award his third Distinguished Star of Merit.

The duke added a small gold star pin next to another pin on the ribbon of the Distinguished Star of Merit the dwarf already was wearing.

"For providing us with materials and the very stone foundation that hosts the site where we gather, we also award a further Distinguished Star of Merit.

"He also receives two more Distguished Merit Stars for contributions which must remain secret at this time, but which nonetheless have provided our state with enormous advantage.

"For his aid in the construction of the palace and all of its unique and uncanny ins and outs, the very site that we look at when we visit Wessex, we award his second Ducal Award for Meritorious Achievement. For his designing of another site, we award him a third Ducal Award for Meritorious Achievement.

"We grant him a fourth Ducal Award for Meritorious Achievement for providing us all with beta testing through his efforts."

"We grant him a fifth Ducal Award for forging all of these medals as well as their unique method of display according to my father's design."

"But finally, I shall be able to honor the dwarf with a truly rare accolade. Von Fishbarrel is already a member of the Solar Legion of Honor. I now offer him a higher medal, and name him Knight Commander of the Solar Legion of Honor." The gold collar the dwarf was already wearing was replaced with one made with rubies in pointed leaves. "When we were driven from our first home, and our forces were shattered and dispersed, Von Fishbarrel accomplished nothing short of a miracle. He swam under the ocean, holding his breath for the gods know how long, and planted a seed of dwarven inspiration. That seed caused the land to rise from the ocean, and the incredible island of Elba was born, which was where we built our stronghold and held out against all odds, until very recently when were able to expand beyond that island. This rare honor could only be given for a feat that grand. Though Oriens never intended a higher accolade than the Solar Legion of Honor, I felt it fitting, so let it be that Lord Von Fishbarrel shall be known as the first Knight Commander of the Solar Legion of Honor."

The congregation suddenly burst into applause. Von Fishbarrel took his place among the other awardees, and all in the cathedral stood up in ovation. The awardees smiled and waved, and at that moment, the Sun climbed high enough in the sky to illuminate the stained glass window behind them with light, which diffused and drowned them all in glorious silhouette.