Kingdom of Farwinds
Excerpts from the Crimson Knights Guidebook
The structure of the society is set in such a way that it gives EVERY member an equal chance to hold a title. The following titles are either achieved in tourney or by some other form of standard. All are described herein and will give you a better understanding of what each one means.
OVERLORDESS: The Overlordess is the founder of the Crimson Knights and the main Crown. This title of course, never changes.
DUKE: The Duke is a person who is holding the Crown of King for a second term or more.
GRAND PRINCE: The Grand Prince is a person who is holding the Crown of Prince for a second term or more.
GRAND BARON: The Grand Baron is a person who is holding the Crown of Baron for a second term or more.
KING: The King is the coordinator of a Kingdom which consists of between 3 - 5 states.
PRINCE: The Prince is the coordinator of a Principality, which consists of one single state within it's Kingdom.
BARON: The Baron is the coordinator of a Barony, which consists of one large city or town, or several smaller cities or towns within it's Principality.
There are a few requirements that must be met before a person can hold a Crown for the first time. They are as follows:
1: MUST HAVE SERVED ON COUNCIL AT LEAST ONCE.
The above titles are the ruling Crown of the Crimson Knights, and MUST be treated with respect at all times! They can be seen wearing Crowns and/or sash's about the fields, and it is required that when you see them, you either bow or curtsey and address them as MAJESTY (for Overlordess, Duke and King) EXCELLENCY (for Grand Prince and Prince) and HIGHNESS (for Grand Baron and Baron).
The official tourney titles recognized in the Crimson Knghts are those which are won by tourney. In fairness, a non combatant may "hire" or ask a fighter to be their "proxy" in order to enter the tourney and gain any necessary combat points, but may NOT accept the title. The tourney titles are as follows:
WARLORD: The Warlord is a title won once per year in heavy weapons. He is a battlefield loaner who takes orders from no one (except the Crown) and gives them to no one in times of war.
BANNERETT: The Bannerett is a title won once per year in heavy weapons. He trains fighters and leads our troops in times of war.
SENTINAL: The Senfinal is a title won once per year in mid-weight weapons. He trains our fighters and leads our troops in times of war.
KHAN: The Khan is a title won once per year in light weapons. He trains our fighters and leads our troops in times of war.
CHAMPION: The Champion is a title won twice per year in heavy weapons. He protects the Baron and escorts him at events as well as stands beside the Throne in Court.
CENTURY: The Century is a title won twice per year in mid-weight weapons. He protects the Baron and escorts him at events as well as stands beside the Throne in Court.
GUARD: The Guard is a title won twice per year in light weapons. He protects the Baron and escorts him at events as well as stands beside the Throne in Court.
DEFENDER: The Defender is a title won once per year with one winner for each combat style. They protect any visiting Crown and are responsible for dealing with troublesome members and mundanes.
The remaining titles and ranks are defined in the Who's who section of the guidebook. It may all seem very confusing at first, but in time you will learn how to recognize everyone. No one expects you to know all of this right away!! The Crimson Knights has many titles and ranks, and it can be difficult to tell who is who! This section will explain just that! You can tell what title or rank a member is holding by certain items they wear. Below is a list of the remaining ranks, our non tourney titles, and Crown, and what each one wears (when applicable) when they are holding a title.
OVERLORDESS: Addressed as Majesty and wears a Crown and/or a black sash.
DUKE: Addressed as Duke or Majesty, and wears a Crown and/or a gold chain. GRAND PRINCE: Addressed as Grand Prince or Excellency and wears a Crown and/or a silver chain.
GRAND BARON: Addressed as Grand Baron or Highness and wears a Crown and/or a bronze chain.
KING: Addressed as Majesty and wears a Crown and/or a green sash.
PRINCE: Addressed as Excellency and wears a Crown and/or a yellow sash.
BARON: Addressed as Highness and wears a Crown and/or a blue sash.
HEIR: This title signifies that the person has stepped down or lost their Crown. They retain the title of Heir for one year, and if the Current Crown cannot complete his reign, the Heir steps in.
COUNT: This title signifies that the person has become a Knight, Magnus or Shogun for the second time.
THE COUNT KNIGHT: Wears a black belt.
THE COUNT MAGNUS: Wears a black belt with white circles.
THE COUNT SHOGUN: Wears a black belt with yellow circles.
KNIGHT: Addressed as Sir and wears a brown belt.
MAGNUS: Addressed as Sir and wears a gold belt.
SHOGUN: Addressed as Sir and wears a red belt.
SOUIRE: This title signifies that the person is training with a Knight to become a Knight. He wears a brown belt with white circles.
VARLET: A Magnus in training. Re wears a gold belt with red circles.
SAMURAI: A Shogun in training. Re wears a red belt with white circles.
GUILDMASTER: An honorary title signifying that the person is the leader of a Guild.
MASTER OF THE ARTS: Competed for once per year, the Master of the Arts is a person who has achieved high status in Arts & Science.
GRAND METALSMITH: Competed for once per year, the Grand Metalsmith is a person who has achieved high status in metalsmithing.
GRAND COSTUMER: Competed for once per year, the Grand Costumer is a person who has achieved high status in costuming.
GRAND CHEF: Competed for once per year, the Grand Chef is a person who has achieved high status in cookery.
GRAND BARD: Competed for once per year, the Grand Bard is a person who has achieved high status in bardic.
GRAND BREWER: Competed for once per year, the Grand Brewer is a person who has achieved high status in brewing.
MASTER: The Master is a person who has won the same award of peerage twice. He
wears two white sash's criss crossed.
PEER: The Peer is a person who has won an award of peerage. He wears a white sash.
PAGE: The Page is a Peer in training and wears a red sash.
MILORD/MILADY: All other members holding no title or rank.
When there is an overnight event or an event that takes place all day or is for something very important, there is usually a feast involved! It takes a lot of planning and a lot of help to put together an event or an event with a feast, so we have temporary titles one can hold to help out!
AUTOCRAT: This is a person who invents as well as operates any approved society function not organized by the Founder or other Crown.
FEASTOCRAT: This simply means that this person is charge of a feast!
The society has certain "mini-clubs" within it called Guilds. In these Guilds, you will find the following:
ARMORERS GUILD: This Guild (or Guilde) gets together and works on armor. They can sell their goods at events and/or through the newsletter.
COSTUMERS GUILD: This Guild gets together and works on costumes. They too, can sell their goods at events and through the newsletter.
BARDIC GUILD: This Guild gets together and practices bardic skills such as dancing, singing, playing medieval instruments and putting on plays.
COOKS GUILD: This Guild sometimes prepares the feasts at an event. They get together and work on medieval recipes.
These are but a few of the Guilds you can find in a Barony. If you have an idea for a Guild or want to join an existing one, speak with the Seneschal or a Guildmaster!
"A formal contest of skill at arms between a group of fighters" The early Tournaments were very much like real battles and served to train Knights in the art of warfare. The place of combat, called the "lists" was a large open space, usually with galleries for the spectators.
Groups of Knights took part in the tournament and each Knight wore an emblem or livery, and the figting went on until the judges awarded victory to one Knight or another. These tournaments ware hardly less dangerous than real battles, and many men were wounded.
When Armor was perfected and new rules for touament fighting were laid down, fewer men were hurt in the lists and the tournament became the occasion for great pageantry and display. Costumes, armor, pennons, banners, and elaborate heraldic devices added to the pomp and ceremony of the occasion.
Thanks to another previous member, Walter Ambrose for this submission to the Guidebook.
The Tournament is a large part of the Crimson Knights. Without the tourney, there would be no Titles that had any meaning. Tourneys are held at least every month and are for the various Titles lised in the beginning of this guidebook. When a tourney is beginning , you will see an area of the field roped off. The area inside the ropes is for the two combatants to do battle. The Master of the list will call 2 names, and at that point, you will see them enter the roped off area. The Marshall will ask if each fighter is prepared. They will then be asked to salute their worthy opponent, then asked to salute the person who's favor they hold, and then finally asked to salute the Royal Crown. The Marshall will then yell the words, "FOR HONOR AND THE FIELD, LAY ON" ! At that moment the combat begins and cotinues until one of those fighters is victorious. The Marshall will then announce the victorious fighter , and two more will be called out.
All members at the beginning of a Tourney will be asked to sign in for the event, and state if they will accept the Title or not. (Certain Titles cannot be held while another one is being held.) At the end of a Tourney , the Herald will call closing Court and at that time, the person with the most victories will be dubbed into their Title.
One of the very first things you will want to do after deciding to join, is put together what is called a "persona". This means you need to decide who you want to be in the society. It is who you would have wanted to be had you lived during these times. You need a name and a coat of arms (COA). For example, "Erik IbeHogollon was born in France, and when he became of age, he left his family to seek fame and fortune. In his travels, he met a
Knight who taught him how to wield a sword. When the time came for this Knight to go to battle, Erik began his solo travel's again, and came across a group called The Crimson Knights, where he now makes his home." You can go into more detail if you wish, just keep in mind that when you create your persona, it cannot be an actual historical person or a fictional one like Lancelot. (Although some would argue that Lancelot is not fictional!) This is your chance to be creative and use your imagination! You could have traveled with someone historic, but make sure your dates are correct or the Herald and Crown will not approve it. The next thing to do is design your COA. This is your personal identification so to speak. Once approved, it can be placed on your costume, pavilion, and/or battle shield. This allows others to recognize you and know who you are. Members have creative freedom in the Crimson Knights when designing COA's. 5ince we are here to have fun and do not rely on historics, it is perfectly alright if a metal touches a metal, or a color touches a color. Be creative but keep it medieval and not fantasy! After you have decided on all this, you will need to obtain a registry form from your Barony Herald. If no one else has your design, and your persona facts are correct, the Barony Herald will approve it. It will then go to the Baron for approval. The last step is that it is sent to the Realm Herald for final approval.
Next, you will need some garb (costume). Be as authentic as possible. If you have trouble with it, ask the Hospitaller or another member for help, or go to the society web site and check out the costume links. Sometimes the local thrift stores have great costumes or remnants of good costumes. You can also make your costume if you are so inclined! Remember that most members are very willing to help out, just ask!
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2: MUST PASS THE MAIN GUIDE TEST
3: MUST HAVE HELD AT LEAST ONE OFFICE AND ONE TITLE.
4: MUST KNOW THE RULES OF THE LIST FOR ALL WEAPON STYLES.
Tourney Titles
Tournament
Personas
� 2000 Lewis and Debbie Palmer [email protected]. All rights reserved.
Guidebook Excerpts � 1999 Crimson Knights. All rights reserved.
Guestbook by Dreambook