Heralds of Ilbarych

Heraldic Status

• Herald: Status 3.
• Herald of a Fellowship: Status 4.
• Herald of the Crown's Own: Status 5.

Known Heralds

Deyandar Valsomir Herald • Fellowship of the Palfrey • 33 years Gregarious and bright-eyed, Herald Deyandar prefers the parts of a Herald's duties that allow him to travel and meet new folk. A member of the Fellowship of the Palfrey, Deyandar's horse Elbari is easily his best friend. He exercises her on a daily basis.

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The Heralds

The Heralds of the Crown are an order of courtier-scholars of specialized training who are dedicated to the service of the Crown and Crowndom. Their roles include:

• Heraldic Canon: The heralds keep the Heraldic Canon, a chronicle of the various forms of heraldry and display arms used in the histories of both Old Empire and Crowndom of Ilbarych. Heralds are trained as artists, paid by nobles and knights to render the arms desired, and to compare them with the Heraldic Canon to prevent duplication.
• Genealogical Records: The heralds also maintain a vast archive of genealogical records, recording and tracking the bloodlines of Ilbarych's nobility. In order to retain the integrity of these records, any noble birth must be attended by a herald, to formally record the child's arrival to that mother. Noble children born without a herald present are generally referred to as "unheralded," a status that prevents them from inheriting sovereignty over House or lands. Because of this, many noble women of courts that do not have a herald choose to move to Crownhold for their lying-in, to ensure a herald will guaranteed to be there.
• Territorial Records: Heralds are also trained as surveyors and cartographers, and they keep meticulous notes on borders and boundaries of all sorts. Any disputes may be submitted to the heralds for judgment, although doing so incurs a fee from both parties, ensuring that they only hear important disputes that cannot be worked out any other way.
• Announcements & Messages: All heralds are trained riders, and frequently ride circuits throughout the Crowndom. A herald may claim bed and board in any noble holding in the Crowndom in order to facilitate this quick passage. Heralds who ride these circuits usually carry word on the passage of laws or royal proclamations, allowing outlying domains to receive word quickly and from a reliable source. Likewise, the heralds will carry messages and small parcels to Crownhold, or to any of the locations along their route. They are not a dedicated post service, although they are certainly the surest way to ensure a message reaches the hands of the Crown or someone located in Crownhold.
• Royal Witnesses: Any subject of the Crown may call upon a present herald to "don the signet," at which point the herald extracts a medallion emblazoned with the heraldry of the Crown. From that point forward, everything that occurs there will be included in a report to the Crown. Folk are careful to not use this right frivolously, as the Crown has been known to levy a "reading fee" for witnessed events that do not truly warrant royal attention.

Heraldic Fellowships

The Crown may award a Herald membership in a fellowship for some particularly noteworthy service or undertaking. Because these are most often associated with either years of service or tasks of particularly noteworthy merit, most heralds belong to no more than one of these. Those who belong to more than one are automatically brought into the Fellowship of the Crown, and accorded respect and a place in the royal household should they seek it. Other than this fellowship, most of the others use heraldic animals as their insignia.

• Fellowship of the Palfrey, a fellowship of heralds who have demonstrated great fortitude and speed in their roles as messengers and couriers.
• Fellowship of the Owl, a fellowship of heralds who specialize in the Heraldic Canon and the creation of new heraldry.
• Fellowship of the Stag, a fellowship of heralds who specialize in the keeping of genealogical records and the witnessing of noble births. Many of them are trained in midwifery to assist in extreme circumstances.
• Fellowship of the Wolf, a fellowship of herald-surveyors who specialize in the creation of new and accurate maps and in settling disputes of territory using old heraldic records.
• Fellowship of the Rook, a fellowship of heralds who specialize in taking disguises and reporting the goings-on in the realm to the Crown, reporting on the doings of noble and commoner alike. No herald admits to being part of this fellowship.
• Fellowship of the Bull, a fellowship of herald-mentors who specialize in recruiting new heralds and training them to the duties of the position.
• Fellowship of the Crown, also called the "Crown's Own," these are senior heralds whose service has merited them invitation into two or more fellowships.