Unto the Heralds and Populace of Lochac, greetings.

As my time as Crux Australis winds down, I have been reminded about how much harder this role could have been. I have been blessed with many amazing people who have worked in their specialised areas. Canon Herald and Rocket Herald are generally prominent, but there is so much more going on in the ‘offices’ of Crux. Previous Cruxes did a lot of work in creating roles for people to focus on and gain experience at the Kingdom level. I briefly would like to thank the current deputies.

• Amanda Coffyn Herald, my 2IC deputy and successor. I am confident handing over to you.
• Amos Canon Herald, Precedence Deputy, who has just taken on the role smoothly and effectively. I had held that role, I know what goes into it.
• Gunther Rocket Herald, Submissions Deputy, a glutton for punishment: he was Canon Herald before this. He has done remarkably well in a changing submissions context.
• Fiora Astrolabe Herald, my ‘eyes and ears’ in the East, you are amazing: literally everyone who talks to me about you says so.
• Annys Bombard Herald, Ceremonies Deputy, I wish I had time to go through all your ideas. I hope that Amanda Crux will be able to give them the attention they deserve.
• Padraig Chaineshot Herald, Education Deputy, you were the person that made me want to be a herald: if I could bottle your knowledge in podcasts, heralding in Lochac would be amazing (any chance of that?)
• William Quarrel Herald, Armorial Deputy, the Roll of Arms is hard to imagine in anyone else’s hands: that’s probably why you’re struggling to find a successor!
• Wei Min Powder Horn Herald, Records Deputy, thank you for taking on a role with only the barest idea of what it means. It’s going to change and adapt, but it’s going to be very important.
• Jadwiga Silent Herald, we need to get your role a name. I look forward to seeing signing at court, working out how to develop this role makes my head hurt: I’m glad you’re doing it.

Thank you, all of you – and those who came before you. I probably would have burned out a long time ago without your help.

As well as what my Deputies do, the work of knowledgeable others who are NOT in official roles boggle the mind. People like ffrw ffride wlffsdotter, who spends a LOT of time sharing her knowledge widely (I mean there are people on the far side of the world who consider her the final word on some name/cultures), make the work of heralds EVERYWHERE easier.

Without people providing their knowledge (especially if it’s applicable mundane expertise), our ability to expand our understanding of how names and heraldry worked pre-1600 would be limited to hearsay and guesswork. The rules might be a pain (I know there are quite a few people who think so), but they represent the best information we currently have that is able to be codified. Mundanely I’m a teacher, one of the things I teach is mathematics. In Mathematics, a process needs to be reliable and reproducible for it to become a rule. I teach my students that there might be different ways to achieve the same result, but the rules need to be followed otherwise we don’t get reliable answers. Changing the rules in the SCA is complex – there is a ‘society level’ organisation that determines how 20 Kingdoms work together to be the same Society. The two most common places this becomes an issue is in combat and heraldry. With combat, there can be exceptions carved out for specific Kingdoms (like we have for archery), but heraldry needs to be universal and the rules come down from on top.

The US BoD has recently changed the Mission Statement for the Society. In case you missed it, it’s now “The Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) is an international non-profit volunteer educational organization. The SCA is devoted to the research and re-creation of pre-seventeenth century skills, arts, combat, culture, and employing knowledge of history to enrich the lives of participants through events, demonstrations, and other educational presentations and activities.” Previously there was a stated focus on western europe in the middle ages. This is a big change, which is still being worked through at the College of Arms (CoA) level. The CoA is where heraldry rules are set. If you have knowledge on name construction or heraldry in times and places outside the western european middle ages, I’m fairly sure the CoA would be interested to hear from you. Of course, we’re an educational organisation … so we will need research and evidence (from multiple sources). I know that’s a pain … I’m not keen on it … but if you can help, you just might make things easier for someone who comes to us later. Without that evidence, we won’t be able to work out how to make it reproducible, consistent and documentable.

For everyone who works hard to make heralding and heraldry better in Lochac (and the Known World), thank you. For those who are unhappy with a decision – remember, your local herald (a member of the Lochac College of Heralds) can’t change the rules so please be kind to them. Also remember that the CoA doesn’t know everything – we need to show them what else can be demonstrated to have existed before 1600. If you know something, please help us.

Here are the successful registrations for Lochac from the July 2018 LoAR. This was a lot of work by a lot of people. Congratulations to all of them.

******

Ailith Ward. Badge. (Fieldless) A calygreyhound rampant purpure.

Amelot de Akeney and Álfgeirr Agnarsson. Joint household name Humiliation Griffins Tavern.

Anfridh i Svanshals. Name and device. Gules, a calamarie between flaunches argent.

Bj{o,}rn Bassason. Device. Barry dancetty and paly azure and argent.

Drake Morgan. Device change. Purpure ermined argent, two narwhals haurient respectant horns in saltire argent.

Gráinne of Bordescros. Badge. Argent, a domestic cat couchant and a bordure purpure.

Helen of Bordescros. Holding name and device. Azure semy of estoiles, a sword argent.

Jan de Smit. Name and device. Argent, in pall three crescents horns to center vert, within the horns of each a torteau.

Johanna de Assartis. Name and device. Per chevron throughout azure and argent, a drop-spindle azure.

Kamara Skleraina. Badge. Vert, a Gorgon’s head cabossed Or and a chief argent.

Kamara Skleraina. Badge. Vert, a Hungerford knot inverted, one end terminating in a serpent’s head Or, a chief argent.

Katherine Kerr of the Hermitage. Device change. Per chevron embattled gules and azure, two curs’ heads couped argent each gorged of a pearled coronet sable, attached thereto two chain links Or, and a tower argent.

Katheryn Wylde. Name and device. Vert, on a cross cotised argent a domestic cat passant guardent sable.

Lilavati of Lochac. Name change from holding name Laura of Lochac.

Rónán Herun. Name and device. Per chevron sable and purpure, a chevron Or and in chief a horse passant argent.

Rowany, Barony of. Badge association for populace. Per chevron dovetailed argent and vert.

Salbi{o,}rg vís. Badge. (Fieldless) An escallop per pale sable and argent.

Selwyn of Darton. Badge. (Fieldless) A domestic cat sejant purpure.

Sympkyn of the Moor. Device. Sable, three crosses of Saint Julian argent.

Ursula Roberta. Name and device. Per pale gules and Or, two winged sea-unicorns respectant within an orle counterchanged.

******

Rocket Herald will send out individual missives to all those with acceptances and returns. Quarrel Herald will update the Lochac Roll of Arms, which will be available at http://lochac.sca.org/LRoA/index.php?page=Recent when done.

In service to the Crown and Kingdom of Lochac, always.

Sorle Maknicoll
Crux Australis Principal Herald.