March 2, 2014

Order of the Willow - March 2014

The Order of the Willow is an award given by the crown to those who have shown proficiency in the arts. The recipients are known by the badge blazoned: Purpure, a willow tree eradicated Or. This award is equal to the awards: Order of the Silver Oak.

The Award of the Purple Fret was created on pergamenata with Windsor-Newton gouache and  Speedball calligraphy ink using a C3 nib. The text reads as follows:
Let the words of the Crown be sung throughout the lands of the Middle Kingdom! Pleased are we to recognize the enthusiastic pursuit of music and the tutelage of the Cleftlands Choir shown by our loyal subject Patrick of Cleftlands. Henceforth he shall be numbered as a companion of our noble Order of the Willow with the right to bear the badge: Purpure, a willow tree eradicated Or Given by the hands of Vukasin, Royal Patroness of the Arts, and Cellach our King on this first day of March, Anno Societatis XLVIII in our glorious Marche of Alderford.
The wording of the text feels a little out of order from the standard Midrealm Scribes handbook. The recipient was in court, receiving his Award of Arms (I think for the second time) when his Majesty asked him if he had a Willow. Patrick politely said no, your Majesty by which King Cellach commanded that the award be changed to a Willow and Herald Make It So! The award scroll was created after the fact, so I tried to impart a little of the imperative tone of the edict. Hopefully it came through as more of a missive and declaration rather than a casual invite to the order.

Finished work.
Inspiration piece.