Ducal Medalling Ceremony - July 28, 2012
When the tumult and stir of reunions made in the reestablished Wessex began to die down, the Duke stepped midway up a staircase and, without the aid of a herald, called all ears.
When all had quieted, he paused, clearly choosing words very carefully before he finally spoke. "Seeing so many of us return like this, I am reminded of why I was struck so hard to be cut out from Wessex. It was the realization that, with my being expelled, it would never again be possible to call so many of the same together again, even if only for nostalgia's sake. Even whether some those of us who are here intend to or can see themselves being a part of Wessex again for a game in the future, there is no denying that Wessex was something signficant for all of us. I do not think anyone would state otherwise, no matter their rank or involvement - indeed, we have received strong shows of support even from some who never played a game with us, just because of the impact of the time spent here, with all of us.
"Many even were expressing sentiments like this before these intervening years. I remember Koma's history of Wessex thread four years ago and how intricate it was, as well as his goodbye post in which he mentioned how much of a mentoring effect being a part of Wessex had had on him as a teenager. For that reason, I'd always wanted to hear from him again, and it's only because we were able to get Wessex back that that was even possible. The same goes for Sempiternam, Haeso, Einar, as well as Spaw and all that were connected to him. The recognition of the kind of significance that the memory of what we did, and who we were for what was a large period of time for all of our lives makes whatever petty trivialities that occurred in the past so dim - for whatever they were, they did not so much as make a dent in the importance of the times, and the importance of the collective experience we all were a part of.
"In light of keeping our traditions, I'd like to bring back another from the past. It's been a long time since there has been a medalling ceremony for this group of people. Sure, we conducted a few in Mortal Online, but many haven't been here since the close of Darkfall. It also goes without saying that there are several people deserving of recognition for the part they played in recent events.
"Now, on the topic of this reunion being possible only because of Wessex being salvaged, it follows that the first recognition should go to the one without whom there would have been no "Duchy of Wessex". There is by tradition one medal given to those who have "saved" the kingdom, whether by acting as leader for a time, or leading it to conquest - the Solar Legion of Honor. The medal is given to those without whom there would be no Wessex, and without Chrono having uploaded the Wessex site, this would be the case. The Solar Legion of Honor is not a standing army; it is an elite fraternity which has historically had only five members.
Sir Chrono once did some photoshop work on a headshot of mine so that I could use it to apply for a gig as an actor. In my eagerness to show appreciation, I wanted to give him a medal for that then, but he wisely told me that it wouldn't be right, seeing as that was neither a game related nor a Wessex related thing. He was right, of course. However, although this recent situation was a "real life" issue, there's also no denying it was a Wessex issue, along with all of the above. Therefore, as Grandmaster of the Legion, its titular head, it is my pleasure to induct Sir Chrono Veincrusher, already a baronet, as Knight of the Solar Legion of Honor.
At the same time, there is another whose assistance was instrumental in the reestablishment of the Duchy of Wessex, and that is Lord Brando de Medici, Doge of Aquileia. Lord Brando already holds the Solar Legion of Honor for his work in the conquest of Yssam during Hyperion's Darkfall tenure. Recently he spearheaded a legitimate return of Hyperion that conquered much contiguous territory in Darkfall, and at the same time he also was able to find and resurrect our old Hyperion forums, which I had believed lost, as well as giving me further assistance in retaking and refurbishing Wessex. For that reason, it is also my pleasure to award him the second Solar Legion, the "Knight Commander of the Solar Legion of Honor".
There is a class of medals outlined on the Wessex site "for Heroism". It is outlined that they are for "non combat related heroism". Usually, it is very difficult to come by such situations in games, because almost everything in games is accomplished by combat. Likewise, it's equally hard to find opportunities to earn them out of game, as almost everything done to assist the clan out of game falls under "service". However, the recent situation was a unique one, and accompanying it there are a few unique heroes.
Sayton de Gothia, aka Sayton Reinhardt, was the first to post support in my "Return of the Real Wessex" thread. To be the first meant that he did so before he even knew if anyone else would follow him, nor which of the two Wessexes would last, nor even if I was telling the truth. It was a risk that might have led to him being cut from the "kingdom" Wessex if all didn't pan out here, or if no one else followed. And yet, if no one had had the fortitude to go out on a limb and make that first post, the whole legitimacy of it would have been called into question. For Sayton Reinhardt's heroism, we award the LSV Iron Cross.
Thradok Odi, one of the first to find my "Return of Wessex" thread, was extraordinary in declaring loyalty early on and insuring that my posts were carried over to the "bizarro" Wessex, at least for a time, when every effort was being made to squelch the story. To Thradok, we award the LSV Iron Cross for his immediate willingness to support in this fashion, and his ongoing correspondence with me in assisting the spread of the word.
Mikhal Altus, who served as royal sheriff for Wessex in Hyperion and who still serves in Wessex in that capacity is also the administrator of the Wessex voice op server, and also has done this for a very long time. Mikhal Altus is another who made a split decision to transfer that same voice server from the kingdom's use to the duchy, and he did so while outnumbered ten to one on the server by people in support of the bizarro Wessex. He changed access, permissions, and even the subdomain url right under their noses, and he did so in a gentlemanly fashion that did not cause either a confrontation or an altercation. Needless to say, without access to the same voice server that had already been in use, it would have been difficult to lend legitimacy to the resurgence of the Duchy as the authentic Wessex, to say nothing of what convenience and future potential lie in a voice server of that capacity for a clan that aims to do the things Wessex always does. Out of gratitude to sheriff Mikhal Altus for his generosity, for his loyalty, and for his ultimate demonstrated belief in and love of Wessex, we award the Distinguished Star of Heroism.
There is also Haeso Le Gaude, who is esquire to the Doge of Aquileia. It seems to be that he was never recognized for the justly earned fame he had in Darkfall for a time as the pvper to beat, and the Champion of Hyperion. For that reason, it is fitting that Haeso Le Gaude be awarded the Distinguished Fighting Cross, and should he wish it - a knighthood.
Rhodri Taliesin was lucky enough to catch the only post I made on the kingdom forums in January of this year before it was deleted. It was he who convinced Rhygar, Malachi and Raize to actually speak to me about what they had done. This was not something he needed to do personally, but it was something that he recognized ought to have been done, and even though he was only a sergeant at the time, he put his leaders to shame and eventually convinced them. To Rhodri Taliesin we award the Commendation Medal.
To Sempiternam, who has made her return, we give thanks for the forthright zeal she has demonstrated in getting right down to business with cleaning up the forums and reestablishing written posts where possible back to the hands of those who originally wrote them. To Sempiternam, we award the Achievement Medal.
To Tewdric Veincrusher, who also got right back into business with his designs for the Wessex game night initiative as well as the Wessex July 12 anniversary, we award the Achievement Medal.
Now friends, in other business, there are a few appointments to the ducal court to be made. First, Duncan Blackmoor has been reappointed as the Ducal Chamberlain. Sempiternam resumes her position of ducal herald, and Tewdric Veincrusher continues his position as ducal herald. Mikhal Altus continues as sheriff.
Remember that those seeking freeman status as yeomen of the ducal court may always avail themselves of the yeoman exam, although for now it must be mailed to myself personally rather than submitted by form.
As a final word, as our reunion settles down and the excitement of the initial nostalgia begins to ebb, let me declare officially that Wessex will next play and prepare for Darkfall 2.0, with the hope that the game will meet expectations. I will be starting a new Darkfall 2.0 muster thread - please post your intention to *try that game with us.
In the event that it does not, or if there are those of you who have had quite enough of giving our Greek friends the benefit of the doubt, the long term plan remains Embers of Caerus which we have first hand knowledge of that it will be not only ideal for Wessex, but inspired in large part by Wessex. It remains my dream that many of you will meet me in the future in that game, in the Wessex that was meant to be when we were first inspired by what could happen in a game all those years ago. I do yearn for that day, or even another if a sooner comes. Until that time, I do hope to continue seeing you all here, and there are many I have seen whom I would be heartwarmed to speak with personally whom I have not yet. Please contact me and let us catch up about your experiences and memories of the past. Until then, my friends.
