Unto the heralds and populace of the Kingdom of Lochac does Amanda Martel, Crux Australis Principal Herald, send greetings.

I fear this missive may be somewhat later than is preferable for one aimed to be labelled “February”. It was the wisdom of my predecessors to link the monthly letter from Crux to the monthly Letter of Acceptance and Response, and as the timing of these drift, so too does my letter.

A word on the timing of the LoAR, for the education of the populace. You’ll note below that this letter comes with word of the “December 2018” LoAR. That letter is named for the date of the meeting at which the decisions were made, rather than the timing of the release. The delay from then to now is because the decisions have to be written up, and then proofread.

This can take a while, since this (fairly typical) Letter was approximately 21,000 words all together, and the decisions set heraldic law by precedent. Given that last part, some care in the proofreading stage is, I think, rather wise.

There’s an old joke among heralds that every time someone asks how long until the next LoAR, fate pushes it back by another day.

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I would like to properly begin this missive by thanking Lord Gunther Boese for his sterling service as Rocket Herald for the last two years. Processing all of Lochac’s heraldic submissions is surely one of the busiest of my deputy’s roles, and a task I am deeply grateful was passed from Crux Australis to Rocket well before my tenure.

I would also like to thank him for his excellent work in training a deputy and successor, in the person of Lord Bjǫrn Bassason. Bjǫrn has already been doing good work as a deputy to Rocket, and I’m confident in the future with him taking up the role.

As of the 1st day of March, AS 53, Lord Gunther Boese is relieved of his burden with my thanks for a tenure well executed, and Lord Bjǫrn Bassason is appointed to the office of Rocket Herald.

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On the topic of my deputies, I am calling for applications for Coffyn Herald.

This role is my second-in-command and drop-dead deputy (should I be rendered unable to serve as Crux Australis, Coffyn Herald holds things together until I’m back in action or a new Crux can be found). Coffyn also handles and/or manages the various special projects going on within the College of Heralds.

If you think you’d be a good match for this role, please send your application to herald@lochac.sca.org. As part of applications, I would also be interested to hear if you have project ideas that you think would benefit the Kingdom.

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In other news for this week, I have created a new Facebook group for the College of Heralds: the Lochac Heralds’ Campfire group. The intention for this group is to provide a conversational space for the heralds of the Kingdom, in contrast to the public-facing consultation space that is Lochac Heraldry Chat.

To ensure that the space remains for the use of heralds, and doesn’t become a forum for public debates about the merits of the College of Heralds, membership will be restricted to those on the Lochac College of Heralds roster.

The group can be found at www.facebook.com/groups/heraldcampfire/

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The following items have been registered in Lochac on the December 2018 Letter of Acceptance and Response:

Alessandra de Fiorenza. Name.

Alexandria Biener. Name.

Benedict Yorke. Name and device. Gules, within a loop of rope ends crossed in base a horse’s head couped, a chief argent.

Brykcy Karol Gdanski. Device. Gules, in saltire two scythes and a bordure Or.

Cesare d’Orso. Name and device. Per fess azure and vert, a bear couchant contourny Or.

Christine Bess Duvant. Name.

Douglas Graham. Name and device. Per fess azure and sable, a bear sejant erect Or and a narwhal naiant embowed argent.

Ethan Darison. Name and device. Or, a bear rampant azure.

Fionnabhair inghean ui Mheadhra. Badge. Purpure, two sea-unicorns respectant argent each charged with an ermine spot sable.

James Roycroft. Name.

Killian Nachtmann. Name and device. Sable, a winged lion passant guardant maintaining an open book argent.

Marget die Goldschmiedin. Name.

Mathias Hall. Name and device. Sable, three fish fretted in triangle Or pellety.

Pantero Pantera di Valembrosa. Name and device. Per fess Or and gules, an ounce passant sable incensed gules and on an open book argent two paw prints sable.

Richard of Dunheved. Device change. Per pale ermine and gules, a winged lion rampant reguardant coward, a bordure counterchanged.

Rosalind Beaufort. Household name Casa degli Libri.

Snorri Ormstunga Grímsson. Name.

Thomas of Caerdyf. Device. Argent, on a saltire sable a pheon inverted argent.

Thorbjorn Svithinhorni. Request for name reconsideration from Þorbj{o,}rn Sviðinhorni.

Thorbjorn Svithinhorni. Badge. Argent, on a pellet a tree blasted and eradicated Or, a bordure sable.

Violetta Vasari. Name change from Ydeneya de Baillencourt.

Waldemar van der Daughawe. Name and device. Or, a bend sable doubly cotised the interiors of the cotises potent counter-potent gules.

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.

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Yours in service to the Kingdom and Crown of Lochac,

Amanda Martel
Crux Australis Principal Herald