Unto the Heralds and Populace of Lochac, greetings.

This CAMEL is a month late and is going to be long. For both those things, I apologise. To assist with the later, here is a table of contents for what is in this missive:

1. On Tardiness
2. On being a consulting herald
3. On reporting
4. On the release of the Pursuivant Readiness Project
5. On the good work of the College of Heralds

1. ON TARDINESS

February is a short, but busy, month. The LoAR came out at the start, in the middle I was following up on baronies and shires who needed to report, and at the end I had to write my own report. I had wanted to comment on reports in my CAMEL but it keep getting put off. For that I apologise. I had all confidence in Rocket and Quarrel that they would do their job and notify the people with registrations mentioned in the LoAR and update the Roll of Arms (respectively), and that confidence was not misplaced. The people at the end of this CAMEL should not be surprised by their inclusion in the list.

2. ON BEING A CONSULTING HERALD

In conversations and reports recently, it has become apparent that the role of consulting herald is not as well understood as I would like it to be. As a result, I would like to clarify some things:

a. Consulting does not mean doing. Someone consulting you on a name and device submission is expected to complete the paperwork themselves. You’re there to help with understanding the rules, knowing how things work, and helping get the completed forms to Rocket. If you want to help with drawing the devices or other details like that, then you’re doing so as a favour on your own: it’s not part of the consultation.

b. Consulting does mean following up. Be proactive as a herald: if you’ve been consulted, then follow up later and find out if they got the submission done or if there’s more advice that they need. If you’ve been given the paperwork to send through to Rocket, check the progress on OSCAR, follow up on commentary, given feedback to the person on how their submission is going (and be proactive about any questions in commentary – the submission doesn’t have to be rejected before it can get fixed).

c. Most importantly, BE CONTACTABLE. Stay in touch with your client and ensure they are informed about what’s happening. Most complaints about the registration process seem to be about the feeling that they through their ideas into an incomprehensible black hole and if they’re lucky they might get something back. We need to do better. Touching on tardiness … if something holds you up on fulfilling a commitment, tell them. You might not have time to do what you said you would, but surely there’s time for a quick message to say “I haven’t been able to do it yet, but I haven’t forgotten”?

3. ON REPORTING

Further to being contactable, if you’re a group herald or other office holder, you need to be checking your emails REGULARLY (every other day at least). Your email needs to work and you need to reply when you’re contacted. Especially if it’s your upline officer. If reports are due, DO THEM. If you can’t get it done by the deadline, LET YOUR UPLINE KNOW. Just like consulting heralds aren’t there to do the submissions – they’re there to see them through the process, officers aren’t there to do all the heralding – they’re there to make sure it happens and is reported on.

Please ensure that you make the time, when it’s time, to complete the report properly: there’s even a template to use. There’s no excuse for not supplying adequate detail. If time is you issue, let me know – again a message to say “sorry, it’ll be a little late” doesn’t take long. If you can’t find the time to do the reporting, then look for a deputy and start a plan of succession. That might seem harsh – but reporting is central to your office.

4. ON THE RELEASE OF THE PURSUIVANT READINESS PROJECT

On happier news, I am thrilled that the Pursuivant Readiness Project (I’m going with PRP as the abbreviation now) is almost ready for release. Coffyn has done a lot of work addressing the feedback we’ve been receiving from the trial users and those others who we have consulted with. Chaineshot (our education and training deputy) is on board as the person who will receive, access and advice on submissions (if a person is promoted to Pursuivant will be Crux’s call though). The official launch is currently expected to be in the next CAMEL (which is likely only a week away depending on the next LoAR publication). The reason this CAMEL is long is because I want the next to be ONLY about the PRP. Stay tuned for that one!

5. ON THE GOOD WORK OF THE COLLEGE OF HERALDS

Every day the heralds in the College of Heralds are doing good work. From time to time I receive feedback on what heralds have been up to and I am uplifted. Please keep it coming: let the Crown and I know if people are doing good work, recommend them for awards (to the Crown). Depending on the recommendations, promotions within the College could be possible too.

On that topic, because of her hard work on the Pursuivant Readiness Project and as Coffyn Herald for quite some time, I hereby announce that Lady Amanda Martel is promoted to the personal rank of Herald in the College of Heralds for the Kingdom of Lochac. It is well deserved, and about time. Congratulations to Amanda Herald.

Finally (thank you for reading this far), here are the registrations from the December 2017 LoAR:

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Anna Felice Tavestoche. Badge. Per fess argent and gules, a sea-serpent ondoyant counterchanged.

Anne de Tournai. Household name Company of Saint Meinrad and badge. (Fieldless) An escallop inverted argent.

Beatris la Serena. Name and device. Or, a brunette mermaid maintaining a peacock plume proper and a closed book azure.

Caitríona Ruadh inghean Bhriain. Name and device. Vert, a beaver rampant contourny argent.

Dismal Fogs, Shire of. Badge for populace. (Fieldless) A tower issuant from a cloud in base argent.

Dismal Fogs, Shire of. Badge for populace. Azure, a tower issuant from a base nebuly argent.

Francesca Orsini. Name and device. Sable, a bend flory counter-flory argent.

Helena the Innocent. Device. Quarterly azure and argent, a fess fusilly gules.

Hrolf Herjolfssen. Alternate name Ethelbreth the Unsteady.

J{o,}rundr Bjarki. Name and device. Per saltire arrondi sable and gules, a sea-goat Or.

Julian Greenwood. Device. Azure, in fess two vegetable lambs, in base a ram’s skull argent.

Lucius Cornelius Gordianus. Name and device. Argent, a wyvern displayed maintaining in its feet two swords in pile sable.

Merlin Grindall le Chat. Name and device. Azure mullety argent, a domestic cat dormant guardant Or, on a base enarched indented argent a triquetra braced with an annulet azure.

Merlin Grindall le Chat. Badge. Argent, a bend sinister sable between three candles in fess azure and a triskelion of spirals vert.

Merlin Grindall le Chat. Badge. Azure vêtu and mullety argent, a winged domestic cat sejant Or.

Merlin Grindall le Chat. Badge. Azure mullety argent, a domestic cat’s head cabossed Or.

Southron Gaard, Barony of. Badge. (Fieldless) A water bouget per pale Or and azure.

Southron Gaard, Barony of. Badge. Per pale azure and Or, a water bouget counterchanged.

Stewart Foxe. Name and device. Per fess argent and gules, a fox’s tail with tip to base counterchanged.

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Rocket Herald will have already sent out individual missives to all those with acceptances and returns. Quarrel Herald has already updated the Lochac Roll of Arms, which can will be available here. They were both much more efficient than I. Huzzah for these new registrations!

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

Sorle Maknicoll
Crux Australis Principal Herald.