Awards and Coronets

[Aodhan Ite an Fhithich]

Dia duit!

 [Replying to a message of James Crouchet  to All]

 JC> There didn't  really seem to be a great
 JC> need for a new armored fighting award, and it's  creation left a
 JC> glaring hole in the rapier hierchy -- either at the CSS  level or the
 JC> KSCA level according to your point of view -- if you compare  the two
 JC> (many people do).

Savian, I'm not sure what you mean here.  There has always, in this Kingdom,
been a number of gaps in the fighting hierarchies as compared to the arts and
service.  Heavy fighters were either Knights/Masters or they weren't - there
were no intermediate awards to serve as progress markers.  Rapier fighters
were either Dons or not - the Society hasn't seen fit grant them the peerage
we all pretend the WSA to be, and there was no intermediate progress marker. 
The CSS partially redresses the gaps for the heavy fighters.  The situation
for rapier fighters is essentially unchanged (although making the WSA a
polling order may give its members a notch more prestige).

Not that I'm necessarily advocating AoA level awards for fighters.  Part of me
thinks they're being slighted by not having a level of recognition that's
available for artisans and worker-bees.  But the precedent herald in me thinks
our system is already too much like a merit badge system.

'Tis a dilemma.

 JC> Just to confuse things more, the WSAs were converted from swearing 
 JC> service to the queen to swearing fealty to the crown at the same time 
 JC> these other changes took place.  Note that this was a change in
 JC> tradition  made at the request of the crown, not a change to kingdom
 JC> law.

I presume the Crown here was Inman?  Then get Michael and Michaela to change
the tradition back.

Feicfidh me' ari's thu',

Aodhan
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Baron Aodhan Ite an Fhithich    aodhan at dobharchu.org
Master of the Laurel            Lough na Dobharchu' BBS  1-713-338-2570
Dobharchu' Herald               "Your Information Roman Road"
mka David H. Brummel            1:106/22  180:11/22  762:2200/2
SCA Member 02245                Barony of Loch Soilleir, Ansteorra
http://www.phoenix.net/~dbrummel
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