SRWC - Teo's Silver Rapier, Charitye's Maunche and Antonio's Silver Brooch Borders

This past weekend, the weekend of June 10th 2017, was the Southern Region War Camp. This was actually one of the events that I've been anxiously awaiting this summer. Primarily because I would finally be seeing one of my scrolls going out in court. You know, after over a year of doing scroll work I'd finally be able to see one! Three, technically; that is if we're counting scrolls that I worked with my lovely Laurel, Elizabeth, and my Apprentice Sisters. What made it even better was that the first scroll I knew I'd be seeing going out was Teo's Silver Rapier.

Calligraphy: Tola knitýr. Words: Master Frasier MacLeod and Alys Mackyntoich. Illumination by: Mýrún Leifsdóttir (Me!)

Now, granted, I didn't do the calligraphy for this one, that beautiful work goes out to my Apprentice Sister, Tola. But I'm still pretty pleased with the illumination. Originally Teo was supposed to get his Silver Rapier at Balfars Challenge back in April, but there wouldn't be a scroll or a lot of the people we've come to know and love from the south there to witness it. You know, a lot of the people who wanted to see him get it. It was definitely short notice, that's for sure.

So, thinks were done, people spoken to, and the award was pushed back a bit to allow for more loved ones to be there and a scroll.

Only catch? I was the one that would handle the scroll. You'd figure that wouldn't be so hard, right? I mean, who wouldn't want to handle a scroll for their loved ones? The challenge: Come up with a scroll that Teo would love but also that I was able to do during the times he wasn't home and be able to hide it. Totally doable.

With that in mind, I reached out to Frasier and Alys to ask them to come up with words; knowing full well the words would mean more if they came from people he loved. Espeially if they came from the man who has been training him this whole time. They agreed to do it. Then I reached out to my awesome Apprentice sister and asked her if she'd be willing to do the calligraphy for the scroll. I'm still not confident enough in my calligraphy, but I'm working on it!

After that I got to work finding the inspiration for the illumination. I knew I wanted to do the scroll in pen/ink; sort of in homage to his AoA which was done by our current Queen, Honig, in pen/ink as well. In the assignment email, it mentioned his dagger work, plus that's his favored form, so I knew I wanted to include something that had to do with dagger as well. I remembered him mentioning Fabris before so I set out to find a Fabris manuscript. Success! Pages upon pages of form images, it was a veritable gold mine. But I found the one that called out to me the most and dove head first into the scroll.

Original image taken from a Fabris manuscript.

I loved the aesthetic this presented, especially when I added the award in the center, beneath the points of the swords/daggers. I had to wait until Teo went to work before I started, but once I started I managed to get it done in the eight hours I had between him leaving for work and coming home.

Pen/ink on perg.

Then I just had to send it over to Tola for calligraphy; as I had already sent her over the words. The best part about getting it to her? I made Teo mail his own scroll to her and he had no clue.

Beautiful calligraphy done by Tola knitýr

Words by Frasier MacLeod and Alys Mackyntoich:

Ioannes the King and Ro Honig the Queen, to all and sundry our subjects to whose knowledge these our letters shall come, greeting. Forasmuch as we will and wish the wealth, profit and quietness of the realm to continue with us and our posterity, nothing earthly is more joyous and happy to us than to see men expending their strength in defense of our realm.  Our good and worthy liegeman Matteo Cole Amici has labored these ten years under harsh and despitous tutelage in the study of swordsmanship, and has faced grimful foes upon the battlefield in our name.  As these deeds are pleasing in our sight, we do hereby invest and endow the said Matteo with the Order of the Silver Rapier to have and to hold fully, freely and peaceably.  That this our charter may take more solemn effect, and that none pretend ignorance thereof, we have caused our words to be committed to paper and be published at all places needful. Subscribed with our hand, upon ____ in the fifty-second year of the Society.



Having Teo's scroll be the first of my illumination to see go out was quite possibly my favorite thing. Right next to having him ask me 'When the hell did you do this?'. It was a great feeling.



Also having gone out during SRCW were two more scrolls that I helped work on; I did the borders.

Tola, Elizabeth and I all conspired to work on Charitye's Maunche scroll behind her back. Malcolm even did the words. Elizabeth did the main focal point and Tola did the calligraphy (not pictured).

Inspiration for the border

Border for Charitye's Maunche done by Me. Focal point done by Elizabeth.

Elizabeth, Tola, Charitye and Myself all conspired to do Antonio's Silver brooch. Charitye did the words, Elizabeth did the main focal point in the bottom right, I did the border and the Silver Brooch on the panel and Tola did the calligraphy (not pictured).

Inspiration for Antonio's border, on the left. 

Adaptation of the inspiration in the border.