New Battered Helm
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Given to recognize the Best death at the Consort's Champion tournament.
Titles
- Bestow no titles or precedence.
Token/Regalia
- A Battered Helm to be passed onto the next recipient.
From the Scribe Armarius Caidis, 1984
The New Battered Helm of Caid Once upon a time several reigns ago, a man came forward during the opening Court for the Queen's Champion Tournament carrying an ugly, pointed helm in his hands. He was called then Ari Negra Khan (but we now know his name to be Ari ben Abraham), and he had fashioned unlovely headpiece with his own hands.
He recalled to our minds the times when we had been one with the West Kingdom, and of their Old Battered Helm. He told of the manner of choosing its custodian: OBH was given to the fighter who had most exemplified the art of dying well (or at least histrionically), as determined by its previous possessor. Before passing it on, the current holder would batter the helm still further. Duke Martin the Temperate and Sir Einar aus Enwelt should remember this tradition most vividly, for they had the Old Battered Helm presented to them in the course of its history, and they had in turn left their marks upon it.
Lord Ari donated the helm he had newly fashioned to the custody of Her Majesty Natalya, to be presented under the same circumstances at each Queen's Champion Tourney. Her Majesty had the honor of determining the first custodian.
In the course of the day, Sir Gaston Bonneville de la Croix displayed the most panache (strictly speaking, the only panache ... of feathers) in the manner of his death, and became the first custodian. He left two marks of a hand axe upon it before judging Lord Casimer of Silesia a worthy possessor. Lord Casimer, inspired no doubt by the aerodynamic aspect of the helm's crown, attempted to fire it under its own power. The top rivets popped, and the points peeled outwards, but it did not fly.
The next worthy possessor was Lord Bartholomew du Massue Flammant, who used a fire stick to shoot three holes through the right side of the face plate, unquestionably to provide more adequate ventilation. Lord Emory MacMichael next took charge of storing and scoring the helm. He scored a crease in the left side with a wood axe to balance the effects of Lord Bartholomew's ministrations. He also fastened the top together again, making Lord Casimir's improvements to the helm's looks more subtle.
Most recently, Lord Emory asked the help of Her Majesty Troy, and the Princess Royal Roxanne, to determine the custodian for this reign. Again, wearing the only panache on the field, and dying with suitable grace and dignity (sorry, wrong death), and dying with suitable supplications and evidence of acing ability, did Sir Gaston Bonneville de la Croix earn custody of the helm.
To keep this bit of Caid History from escaping, it has been recorded on the Kingdom Order of Precedence (coming to a newsletter near you). However, the name it has been masquerading under is the New Battered Helm, highly derivative in name of the Old Battered Helm. A new name is needed, for it is too derivative, and might cause the uninitiated to confuse these two obviously distinct and distinctive honors. Send your suggestions to the Crescent Principal Herald.
~Recorded for posterity by the Scribe Armarius Caidis, 1984
Recipients
- Gaston Bonneville de la Croix, 1982-05-30
- Casimer of Silesia, 1982-11-21
- Bartholomew Gwaltrudd O'Cullaighne, 1983-05-29
- Emory MacMichael, 1983-11-27
- Gaston Bonneville de la Croix, 1984-06-03
- Edward Ian Anderson, 1985-06-02
- Adrian Buchanon, 1985-11-17
- Frewin Finnbogason, 1986-06-01
- Guy of Castle Kirk, 1986-11-23
- Yaroslav the Persistent, 1988-11-20
- Edward Ian Anderson, 1989-06-04
- William Schuyler, 1990-11-11
- Caius of Umber, 1991-06-02
- Karolyi Attila Laszlo, 1991-11-17
- Yaroslav the Persistent, 1992-11-08
- Karolyi Attila Laszlo, 1994-11-20
| Awards of Caid |
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| Patent: Chivalry, Laurel, Pelican, Defense, Royal Peerage. Grant: Grant of Arms, Argent Blade, Chiron, Crescent, Gauntlet, Golden Lance, Lux Caidis. Armigerous: Award of Arms, Court Barony, Arcus, Argent Arrow, Chamfron, Crescent Sword, Dolphin, Duellist, Harp Argent. Non-armigerous: Acorn, Argent Star, Augmentation of Arms, Chanson, Corde de Guerre, Crescent and Flame, Crossed Swords, Furison of Caid, Legion of Courtesy, Ordo Cordis, Royal Recognition of Excellence, Signum Reginae, Sigillum Regis, Signum Regni, Vanguard of Honor. Honors: Arts and Sciences Pentathlon Champion, King's Champion, Personal Heraldic Title, Queen's Champion, Right Noble, Rose. Closed: White Scarf, Landmark, New Battered Helm. Other Information: Alternate Titles, Award Cords, Award Types, Closed Award, Polling Order, Rare and special award. |
