[Sca-cooks] Toasts: Was A Question of Serving

[Elise Fleming]

Daniel wrote:
>Hmmm... when I'm stewarding the hall I always look for the senior knight
>present and suggest that he/she make it. If I don't know who is senior I
>find one that is likely obliging and suggest that whomever senior present
in
>their circle make the toast. If none are present, unlikely, I would default
>to either a Laurel or a Pelican, best case being a double Peer. Is it being
>suggested that a Royal, in decending order Ducal, County or Vicounty, Peer
>rather than bestowed Peer have precedent is such cases?
 
Yes.  Now, that's the case in the Middle Kingdom and I am assuming that
this follows a Society standard, the variation being as I posted before,
that after Court Barons, the ranking person is the one who has received the
highest award the earliest.  Also, if a member of the Chivalry received the
peerage in 2001, any bestowed Peer (Pelican, Master of Arms, Laurel) who
received their peerage prior to that date would take precedence for doing
the toasts.  Double peerages don't count for twice the "peerage-strength". 
The peerage that counts is when the first one was given.  

Example, I received a Laurel in 1992.  Anyone who received a peerage before
Feb 22, 1992, outranked me.  I received a Pelican in 1994.  That didn't
make me "more of a Peer".  My "seniority" still dated from 2/22/92.  Now, I
became a Countess in September 2002.  I then "jumped over" every person
(Society-wide!) who was not an ex-royal, including those folk who received
a bestowed peerage prior to 2/22/92.  My ranking is below every Duke and
Duchess, regardless of when they received their ducal award, and I rank
below every Count and Countess who received their county prior to September
28, 2002.  If someone got their county in October 2002, I outrank them
because mine was given in September.

The "muddy" part, speaking strictly protocol-wise, is that if there are no
peers present (or you don't recognize any), then the offer to toast the
Crown should go to the person next down the award chain.  I don't know the
highest awards for other kingdoms, but in the Midrealm, under the court
baronage is the Dragon's Heart.  So someone who received their Dragon's
Heart in 1999 would outrank someone who received it in 2003.  Practically
speaking, most folk don't know who got what when, and won't get their noses
out of joint if they aren't invited to toast the Crown.  However, I've had
to go up to some "old peers" and ask when they got their peerage so we
could figure out who the "rankest" ones were.  

My most embarrassing time was not recalling which Duke reigned first, and
therefore asked a newer Duke if he'd toast the new Prince and Princess at a
Crown Tourney feast.  At that time we had a principality so there was a
need for four official toasters.  I'd gotten down to what I thought was a
newer Duke only to be quietly informed by him that he outranked the one who
was slated to toast the new Heirs, plus being the Baron of the group in
which the event took place - and he would really like to toast his friends
who had just won Crown.  I had to go back to the previous Duke and
apologize, asking if he'd mind toasting the principality Prince and
Princess.  At that point, he declined to toast them... and I was off to
look for the oldest bestowed peer.  

So, if it's a local event without fancy hats present it's probably just
fine whoever toasts the Crown.  

Alys Katharine

Elise Fleming
alysk at ix.netcom.com
http://home.netcom.com/~alysk/