For positively the last time ever does Karl Faustus von Aachen, Bard, Herald, Baron of the Court, co-founder of the Canton of Lightwood, co-founder of the Lionheart Company, Great Uncle of Clan Womble in the distant days when rocks were firm, and incidentally also Crux Australis Principal Herald for another six days or so, send formal and official greetings to the royalty, peers, armigers and citizens of the Kingdom of Lochac.

Ah yeah, g’day.

It is, as I write, less than a week until the November Crown Tournament in Torlyon, at which I will pass my tabard and fealty chain back to Their Majesties and step down as Crux. That means you only have to read one more of these rambling letters and then you’ll get to see how much of an improvement my successor, Baron Domhnall na Moicheirghe, can be. I’m not certain he’s got quite enough grey in his beard, but I’m sure that will come, possibly some time in the next two years. In every other way I’m sure he’ll be absolutely splendid.

I am unable, due to the limited time between now and the heat-death of the Universe, to thank everyone who has been of help and service to me in the past two and a half years. I have instead papered an archery target with all the names, employed a good Lightwoodian arrow and picked off the following random selections to thank. The rest may be justly miffed to be left out, and should present themselves to my successor to discuss how they may get onto his list for next time.

Master William de Wyke, The Honourable Lady Eleyne de Comnocke, the Council of the Purse and the Boards of Directors of the SCA in Australia and New Zealand, for successfully converting The Rocket Files, thirty years of Lochac’s heraldic records, into about 14 gigabytes of scanned files that can now be handled and stored without need for hundreds or thousands of dollars of shipping. I am forever in debt to all of them, especially Master William who I consider deserves canonisation if ever the College of Heralds converts fully to a church instead of just acting like one.

My deputies Lady Thyri skjaldmær, Rocket Herald; Lord Alexander a la Fontayne, Coffyn Herald; Baron Domhnall na Moicheirghe, former Rocket and Baryl Herald; Master Giles Leabrook, Bombarde Herald; Sorle Maknicoll, former Canon Herald; Gunther Boese, Canon Herald; Paul de la Ville, Mortar Herald; and Kazimira Suchenko, Astrolabe Herald. It used to be that Crux did pretty much all their jobs, and even in a small principality that was a big job. Now, Crux has deputies who do a ridiculous amount of work, leaving their boss to lie back and relax and bask in the reflected glory. This is a much nicer way to work! These people are glorious, and I love them dearly.

Mistress Tamsyn Northover, my predessor as Crux, and Mistress Teffania de Tuckerton, my successor as Canon; both are wise and wonderful women who have provided me with essential advice that, in some instances, saved me at the last moment from looking like a total numpty in public. I have to also mention Lady Adelindis filia Gotefridi, a quiet and unassuming A&S minister from a canton in the south of the Kingdom who also happens to have been my wife for the past ten years and ever shall be, because when it comes to advice and numpty-prevention, she is unparalleled.

Mistress Catherine de Arc, former Kingdom Seneschal, and Viscountess Cairistiona nic Bheathain, her successor. In learning to be a kingdom officer I relied greatly on their wisdom. Being able to have private snarky chats with them and let off steam about stuff I can’t talk to anyone else about has also been good for my sanity.

Baroness Blodeuwedd (Blod) y Gath and Master Pádraig (Paddy) Lowther, who have put in a lot of work on tidying up the kingdom’s ceremonies. I hope we’ll see the results of that shortly.

Countess Aryanhwy merch Catmael, Schwarzdrachen Principal Herald of Drachenwald and possibly the SCA’s premier expert in name research, as well as our own Mistress ffride wlffsdotter, Goutte d’Eau Herald in Stormhold but far better known as the source of some truly excellent assistance with names and entirely too much Estonian weirdness. You will find them both on Facebook helping people All The Time.

Amelot de Akeney, nicknamed the Cold Case Herald, who keeps inspiring people to submit for registration the names and armory they’ve been using for decades.

Master Gabriel Kjotvason, Laurel King of Arms, a boss who listened and gave good advice, and made me feel that the whole College of Arms was there to back me up if I needed it. I have no doubt that his successor, Master Andrewe Baldwyn, will follow suit.

The heralds who chat on the Lochac Heraldry Chat group on Facebook. You simultaneously improve the quality of submissions from this kingdom and make the College of Herald look friendly and responsive. Brilliant! Keep it up, chaps and chappettes!

And there are many more, but that will do or I’ll never get this finished. It’s been a fun two-and-a-bit years, much to my surprise, and I’m almost sorry to go. Almost.

Please give Baron Domhnall a big hand, and remember, if you remember nothing else: the “mh” is silent, so his name is pronounced DON-al, not DOM-nal. Don or Don Not, There Is No Dom. Easy!

In service, signed for the last time,

: Karl Crux :