Medaling Ceremony- 7/16/06
Morning mist had just begun to thin on the banks of the River Albe, where an enormous wooden pavilion with a canopy had been erected for shelter from the midday sun which had not yet emerged. The common people of Wessex were gathered around it in great array, with stalls occupied by vendors selling roasted meats, wools, weapons, and other items. On the pavilion itself several chairs had been placed in rows, and at the head of them was a further raised platform. It was the annual Wessex Fair, where subjects of the entire duchy from all over would come to celebrate, trade and watch a tournament.
And in a moment, that Fair, already well under way, was disrupted by trumpets from that river echoing from within the billows of its mist. As all craned their heads, the fog on the water billowed one final time and then yielded to the emerging prow of a ship, and this was met with applause and cheering from the masses on the bank.
Within moments the sails pushed their way through the concealing vapors, displaying in bright red the arms of the House of Dei as a fanfare erupted again in far more detail, and seamen on board could be seen as they readied the mooring lines and the gangplank for the nearby dock.
And then as the ship made port and weighed anchor, the crowd all saw the sailors aboard the deck go ramrod straight in a military salute. From the cabin aboard, His Grace the Duke of Wessex came to the railing of the ship and waved a victory sign to the crowds ashore.
He still wore a loose white shirt fit for the ocean breezes, bound over with an exotic and ornate vest, no doubt an extravagance from his travels. When all was settled and the several silent conversations had transpired as they must after disembarking, the Duke took his place on that platform at the head of the pavilion alongside his herald, Ellison Montjoy, who had been waiting from before.
"Noble and honest inhabitants of Wessex, I have been away these many months pursuing our interests abroad. I saw many exotic locales and splendors that many of us could never have dreamed of. Yet when I sailed up the river coming today, I know that it is I who could never have imagined the magnificent state that you have developed this fair Duchy into!"
The crowd erupted into self-satisfied applause. It was true and they all knew it - there was surely nowhere in the world that could rival the Duchy of Wessex in wealth, spectacle, and civilization.
"And so today we will honor, as we always have, those among us who have been the cause and the drive for the wonder and majesty of the place that we call home. Huzzah to those luminaries, for it is with their brilliance that our cities outshine even Sanguine!"
As the tumult of applause rose againe, His Grace strode to where Ellison Montjoy held the felt lined box. "First, I call our sheriff of Wessex, Avarice! To Avarice I award a Combat Medal for his involvement in a successful raid that took place within one of our remote colonies. The colony on Aerynth had just been established that night, and attempts to secure income had failed twice and most other would be soldiers had given up. Together, Avarice and I and a few others crossed the wide geography of that place and secured a mine to fill our warehouses, making it the first that would do so."
I understand that in my absence we have gained new pursuivants pursuing the heralding arts. "To Sinvrall, Dianeva di Cabrea, Locklear, Coronach and Komako the Hawk I bestow Achievement Medals for their cataloguing of the signatures of our subjects."
"To the new herald Komako the Hawk we further award the following medals:
for devising a chart which accurately depicts the Wessex military for the illiterate peasantry, we award the Achievement Medal. And for authoring a work which goes graphically into detail about the nature of each position within our military, we award the Distinguished Star of Merit."
"To our clerk Destinova, now squired under Lord Fishbarrel, we bestow the Medal for Service to the Kingdom for the conception of the periodical 'The Ducal Chronicle'. For the rapport he has established with the rulers of this realm and the acclaim he has earned as an administrator beyond Wessex, we award him the Distinguished Star of Merit.
"To the famous Lord Von Fishbarrel, we award the Medal for Service to the Kingdom for again smithing the boxes which carry the submissions of our new villeins.
"For the construction of a Database for the Duchy's Chancery, we award the Distinguished Star of Merit to the envoy Angeleon Askeroth.
"For leasing out his personal stake in wilderness for hunting expeditions, we award Goodwrench the Medal for Service to the Kingdom.
"To our envoy Rudolph Guiscard, who wrote a very enlightening prose treatise on the proper business of diplomacy, we award the Achievement Medal."
"To our herald Nira Nathair, we bestow the following awards." The Duke grasped several medals from within the box held by Ellison and recited their descriptions one by one. "For her financial contributions to the Duchy, she receives the Commendation Medal. For streamlining a means by which full subjects of the court may make the request to place formal signatures in our register, she receives the Medal for Service to the Kingdom. And for completing redecorating the interior of our main forum for public discussion in the capitol city, we award the Distinguished Star of Merit. And for her acquisition and resumption of a project which will give us enormous advantage, we award the Royal Award for Meritorious Achievement.
"To the commoner architect Tagrun we also award the Distinguished Star of Merit for the assistance he provided in the construction of those new forums.
"For his donation of a ruin and a tree on the edge of Mercia with which the Duchy's armies might drill and train, we award Typho Iudex the Medal for Service to the Kingdom.
"In one of our remote expeditions, one of our soldiers has proven extraordinarily valiant and resourceful. To Jord Hunter, my personal esquire, I award the Distinguished Fighting Cross for singlehandedly taking every location of worth in that place.
"For their aid in recruiting for the Duchy, we award Achievement Medals to Moira Periploika and Protonix.
"For his successes in diplomacy, we award the envoy Protonix the Commendation Medal. And for expanding his influence beyond this realm, we award him the Distinguished Star of Merit.
"And to our other envoy, Brando Tanalet, we award the Royal Award for Meritorious Achievement for his organization of a scale model of our community, which depicts who lives where and who owes fealty to whom. For his development of media for the Duchy, we also award him the Medal for Service to the Kingdom.
"And there is one final honor to be bestowed. An announcement was made a month prior that the one who stood in greatest decoration after today's ceremony would be awarded the greatest prize of all, one of the twelve crowns of visions recovered by Fishbarrel from my father's treasury. Of those who do not already possess one, the most decorated of all subjects is..."
At this, drums rolled and the trumpeters crooned a low and mounting fanfare...
"Nira Nathair!"
Smiling with relief but not much surprise, the demure dwarf stood and blushed as the silver crown was placed on her brow. It glinted in the emerging sunlight so that all could notice an ancient Llyonessean character "B" labelling an inconspicuous slot cut into the front of it.
"And now let us all make one final ovation to our greatest heroes of Wessex!"
"And now let us take a brief break for dancing and merrymaking before we get to that pie tasting! I am wondering if the bakers of Wentus-Castrum can match what they did last year!"
As the revelry resumed, the Duke scanned the chairs on the pavilion for the person he had been looking for, and found him secluded on the far left side, making direct eye contact- Lord Reginald Bentley, ex-regent of Mercia during the minority of King Henry. Having spotted him, the Duke excused himself from the small talk on either side and made his way through the crowd, pausing to bless newlyweds and approve of overweight babies on his way.
The old man extended his hand. "770, Frater..." he said. The Duke took his hand in a peculiar way and the two went through a series of manual gymnastics.
The Duke smiled and looked back into the crowd. "770, Frater. What news of our cousin, Mercia?"
The ex-regent of Mercia had been awarded a life barony after yielding the throne to the mature King Henry, which was a middling honor considering his advanced age. Nonetheless, it afforded him the opportunity to mingle and hobnob at the royal palace and the House of Lords, so that he was well informed of the intrigues of court at Sanguine. Lord Reginald Bentley, or so he was now titled, smiled and heaved an experienced sigh. "Henry does his best with what he can, but his numerous detractors have not fallen silent. I keep abreast of the activities of his administration, and whether through impotence or folly he has done little in response to the insinuation of the Church's troops as guardians of Sanguine. The more proactive of his Cabinet are considering Imric conscripts from the border Marches. Even if they were to gather them, how they would justify their presence eludes me...And so it's the same, Henry is slowly being outmaneuvered and knows it, but is helpless to do anything but watch." The old lord shrugged benevolently.
The Duke sipped at a glass of claret and narrowed his eyes against the sun thoughtfully while surveying the celebrating masses. "And the prevailing sentiments among the other nobles?"
"If I had to place a bet, Manus, I would say that even they are starting to lose faith. And more. There may be an element among the Church itself as well."
The Duke of Wessex raised his eyebrows at this. "Then the time will be sooner than we thought. I am in your debt as ever, my friend. I trust all is well with your family?"
Lord Reginald smiled a smile that creased the whiskers of his dark beard. "Lucus and Julia are ready for knighthood. I'll send them to you as soon as you've settled in." He winked.
The Duke laughed. "Well and good, frater. Until then. 770."
Lord Reginald nodded. "And peace be with you, brother."
