Baronial Awards: Dragon's Laire
A Barony in the Kingdom of An Tir which is
a Part of the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA, Inc)
How Are Awards Decided?
The following information has been researched and written by HE Laurellen, Baroness of Dragon's Laire, and emailed to the Dragon's Laire website on 07/25/2012
First, the system does not work without recommendations from people. The Crown, The Princes and Princesses, any Baron or Baroness cannot be everywhere at once. They are not magically endowed with omnipotence to the extent that they know all, see all, and are aware of all. They are human, they have modern lives and jobs, and they need a great deal of assistance in figuring out who is worthy for an award. That's where you, me, and any other citizen of the Glorious Kingdom of An Tir/Mighty Barony of Dragon's Laire come in! Anybody can write a Letter of Recommendation. Before His Excellency and I became your Baron and Baroness, we wrote Letters to the Crown on a regular basis, extolling the virtues of the people we observed during our SCA life. As Baron and Baroness, we write formal Letters to The Crown which carry the very same messages. ANY one of you may write the Crown or us, as your Baron and Baroness, and extol the virtues of those people whom you think are worthy of an award.
Without Letters of Recommendation, TRMs/TRHs/THEs may not know that m'Lord John of The Muddy Bog* has been running a new comer fight practice at his house for the better part of a year. They probably don't know that he's been helping people make or obtain armor. What they might see is that there are many people on the war field. If they don't attend the new comer fight practice, they will have no ability to learn any of these helpful details that certainly support m'Lord John of The Muddy Bog* for an AoA (Award of Arms). So if you are observing m'Lord John of the Muddy Bog*, have been a recipient of his efforts, or have heard of his word-fame, send in that Letter of Recommendation! Send it! Send it now!
Second, the system does not work if you and/or your friends do not volunteer or get involved. Getting involved at Baronial or Crown level events does a number of things. It gets you and/or your friends involved at the Baronial or Kingdom level so you and/or your friends can see how things work and what jobs there are to volunteer for. And you and/or your friends get to meet new friends! More friends! What this does is connect you and/or your friends with other people throughout the Barony and Kingdom. It will be less likely that someone like m'Lord John of The Muddy Bog* will slip through the cracks if he goes to Baronial or Kingdom events and volunteers to marshal, helps get his new fighters through the armor inspection process, or helps out at the list table.
Volunteering is a simple thing. It's nothing more than finding the right person who is in charge of the job or jobs that you would like to perform and then asking them if they need someone to do that job. Sometimes you have to ask several times. Most of the time, the people who are in charge of things at events are super busy. Keep at it. Or, if you feel that you have asked but are not being heard, come talk to His Excellency and I. That is one of the many reasons that we are here - to assist you in becoming more familiar with the SCA, to assist you in becoming more involved with the SCA, and to help you become more involved on the Baronial and Kingdom level.
Lastly, the system does not work quickly. The Kingdom of An Tir is immense and the Crown cannot be at every event. If you have written a letter for someone to the Crown and nothing has come of it after a year or so, write it again. It's sad but true that Letters of Recommendation do not always get passed along to the next Crown. So dig up your letter and send it in again. If you have written a Letter of Recommendation to His Excellency and I and nothing has happened, send it again or come talk to us. We may be in the process of making that recommendation happen.
When an award is decided upon, several things at the Baronial and Kingdom level happen before it is actually awarded. Here in Dragon's Laire, a scroll is generated. That takes time and effort from scribal volunteers. There might be a medallion associated with the award. That takes time and effort to obtain if we don't have that medallion 'in stock'. Lastly, we may be waiting for a family member to be able to attend the event. So be patient. But not too patient.
And, as an example of how passionate His Excellency and I are about Letters of Recommendation, I want to point out that we have received THREE letters in the last year. That's all. Only three Letters of Recommendation for a Barony that contains two hundred people. We know that things are happening, that people are volunteering and working, but we cannot be everywhere. The Crown suffers the same dearth of Letters of Recommendation as well. Here is where you, as a citizen of Dragon's Laire and of the Kingdom of An Tir can make a huge difference... send a Letter of Recommendation.
The Kingdom of An Tir maintains a database of its people and the awards they have been granted. Go there and find the person you want to send a Letter about and see if they have already been given the award you think they deserve. If you think they deserve a higher level award, recommend them for that.The Wyvern
The following information has been researched and written by HE Laurellen, Baroness of Dragon's Laire, and emailed to the Dragon's Laire website on 01/25/2012
From The Baronial Customary:
(a) The Order of the Wyvern actually predates the creation of the Barony. It was elevated to a Baronial award upon
recognition of Dragon's Laire as a Barony. Awarded to individuals for service to the Barony beyond the call of
duty. Current members of the order recommend selected individuals for admission to the order to the Baron and
Baroness. Insignia of the order consist of a wyvern charm, most often worn on a necklace.
What this means:
The Order of the Wyvern is the top service order of the Barony. This award is usually given to those individuals
who are constantly asking if they can help, constantly lending a hand where it is needed, and who can usually be
seen working behind the scenes at events to make them happen. This kind of service can manifest in being the first
one at an event and the last one to leave or it can manifest as a Baronial officer who goes above and beyond their
normal duties or it can simply be someone who steps up to autocrat on a regular basis. In short, a person who
exhibits Baronial leadership qualities - someone who consistently and successfully works to help make the Barony
run.
The Order of the Wyvern is a polling order, which is unusual at the Baronial level. It means that the members meet on a regular basis (currently quarterly) to talk about recommendations and then the group recommends individuals to the Baron and Baroness for possible elevation into the order. This group is also somewhat responsible for recommending Snapdragon awards, which is the Service/Thank-you award.
Do you know someone who fits this bill? Don't be shy! Go ahead and send a recommendation letter to coronets@dragonslaire.org. Please be sure to check the Kingdom Order of Precedence to see if the person already has this award.
The Dragon's Pearl
The following information has been researched and written by HE Laurellen, Baroness of Dragon's Laire, and emailed to the Dragon's Laire website on 02/07/2012
From The Baronial Customary:
The Order of the Dragon's Pearls: (Formerly the Order of the Albion Light) was formed to recognize
outstanding achievement in the arts & sciences in the Barony. Members of the Order are proficient in
several disciplines and committed to sharing their skills and knowledge. Current members of the order
recommend selected individuals for admission to the order to the Baron and Baroness.
What this means:
The Dragon's Pearl is awarded to an individual who has demonstrated not only a certain depth of knowledge in a
particular field in the Arts & Sciences but also a depth of knowledge in other fields. Often this is described
as a primary focus and ancillary foci or "Deadly (in one focus), Competent (in a second focus), Not a Novice
(in a third focus)".
This is the highest Baronial Arts & Sciences award and, like the Wyverns, is also a polling order. The Baron and Baroness meet with the order roughly once a quarter, discuss current candidates and recommendations from the populace, and the order recommends to the Baron and Baroness the various people they would like to see recognized.
Excellence in Arts & Sciences at the Baronial level can take many forms; someone who consistently teaches classes or an individual who consistently enters the Baronial Arts & Sciences and does well are two examples. A third example is a person who uses their skill to enhance the Barony, either through largess or the creation of Baronial items or as gifts to the Baronial folk who enter competitions.
Do you know someone who fits this bill? Please let us know! Send us your award recommendations!
The Mano Minos
The following information has been researched and written by HE Arontius, Baron of Dragon's Laire, and emailed to the Dragon's Laire website on 03/24/2012
The Mano Minos, or 'Small Hand,' is an award that we originated to recognize long term service to the Arts and Sciences in the Barony of Dragon's Laire. It is loosely based off of the Kingdom level award of the Mano d'Oro, or 'Hand of Gold', which recognizes those individuals who provide "....significant service to furtherance of the arts and sciences in the Kingdom." We wanted a token on the Baronial level to recognize those who have provided significant and sustained support over a long period of time to the Arts and Sciences in the Barony.
The first three awards were given at Last Chance, 2011. When you read of their achievements, you can best get an idea of what the Mano Minos is to represent:
THL Mateusz z Plocka, current Arts and Sciences Champion (for the second time), has been the Guild Minister for the Spiritmakers Guild for many years now and has been a consistent (and persistent) force advocating the joy and scholarship to be found in the creation of spirits (primarily beers, but also meads, ciders, etc.). He is known for his depth of knowledge in these arts and is sought by people actively for this expertise.
THL Rycheza z Polska, former Arts and Sciences Champion, has been the Guild Minister for the Culinary Guild of the Barony for well over a decade now and is an acknowledged expert on period forms of cooking. Her demonstrations at events are fascinating and her ability to put together a period feast that tastes good to modern tastes is also legendary. She is constantly sought for culinary support at events and gatherings and when she is in charge of providing food you know it will be done well.
THL Kassandra is well known for her abilities to make beautiful bobbin lace. Her teaching skills are tremendous she is sought out to teach of her skills at classes all over the Kingdom. Her skills have become such a force that she was recently asked to teach in Caid at the Interkingdom Intensive Needlework Symposium (IKINS), which is quite an honor.
As a Barony we are extremely fortunate to have these people as resources here in our own area. They all love to talk about what they do, demonstrate their skills; and most importantly, teach of their knowledge to those who want to learn.
These are the things we look for in awarding of the Mano Minos. Do you know of someone in the Barony who should be recognized with the Mano Minos? Let us know. Send a recommendation letter to us.
The Golden Hyphen
The following information has been researched and written by HE Arontius, Baron of Dragon's Laire, and emailed to the Dragon's Laire website on 03/24/2012
A Baronial 'Award' that has gone rather dormant for a number of years is 'The Golden Hyphen'.
From the Baronial Customary:
"The Most Noble and August Order of the Golden Hyphen. Admission into the
Noble Order of the Golden Hyphen is one of the truly great honors which can
be bestowed on a person from the fair Barony of Dragon's Laire. It is
granted to individuals who have demonstrated superior organizational
abilities. "Is There a ' - ' in Anal Retentive?" The Order was created at
June Faire in June, A. S. XXX, minutes after Dragon's Laire was elevated to
baronial status. It was the first truly baronial order. The first two
members of this elite order were presented with the golden hyphen medallions
symbolizing the order and special raiment."
The first two members of the Order, presented that day in A.S. XXX,
were THL Eric de Dragonslaire (First / Premier Member) and Tsuruko Sensei
(Second Member). The members assimilated after that date were:
- THL Catelin Spenser (No. 3)
- HE Arontius of Bygelswade (No. 4)
- THL Elbhin Nic Domnial, 'Eileen' (No. 5)
- THL Giovanni de la Rosa (No. 6 )
We are of the opinion and belief that people who pay such attention to detail that the general Populace thinks of it as an obsession are an asset to the Barony and the Society. That ability is what achieves administrative success in a World where Order must vanquish Chaos. Those who are thusly titled as 'Anal-Retentive' should carry that distinction proudly. :-)
It is observed that there are current members of the Baronial Populace who fit this description well and will ensure the future success of the Barony through their acts of Hyphen-ness. It is further observed that no new members have been named in a number of years. It is therefore the intention of Their Excellencies to ensure this discrepancy be corrected as soon as possible. :-)
Do you know someone in the Barony who should be recognized thusly with admittance into the Order of the Golden Hyphen? If so, let us know.
More information about the Other Awards of Dragon's Laire coming soon!
Direct Links to Our Awards Pages
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