From Preperation to Vigil
My Journey: Vigil
It just so happened that I had a new device in the works, so one of the first things I did was to ensure it was moving along. This worked out well. Everything that was used in my elevation with arms on it would be the correct arms, not the one belonging to my old self. I spent the next few months hoping the design would pass.
It did pass. Thank You Browen O’Gydweli.
Some other projects required quite a bit of lead time. For one, I reached out to my Die Maker to create a custom set of dies, allowing me to strike some coins of my own, and then there was the banner. My hope was for one particular person to make it, and I really wanted it unveiled at the ceremony. This meant there would be a long time between the writ and the elevation. It also turned out that with my new dog in the mix, my itinerary of events was going to be cut back over the spring and summer months.
As the date was finalized and quickly approached, things started to fall into place, including the production of both garb for the vigil and for the elevation. Constanza Consuela Ximena de Valencia made the vigil dress and produced the underdress used for both. While I had wonderful people working on my behalf across the known world, I was hard at work with some glasswork. I wanted to offer up my work as tokens for the event, so I made over 500 glass beads inspired by Japanese finds to be used as tokens for Red Tower.
Japanese Inspired Beads
I had some plates for painting from a Covid project that was never finished. I decided to finish that project. The plates were painted with a faux enamel paint. The plan was to paint them with the regalia for myself and the honors I have been given.
Meanwhile THL Ælfric Hort was hard at work doing some bone carving for me. This would become the drinking horn for the vigil.
Lord Emeric de Rammesburi was hard at work making an apron for the Elevation Ceremony, one that displayed the tools of my trade.
I continued with my glass projects. including making my own Laurel Wreath.
The work progress on rainbow glass laurel.
All the while Countess Gwenhwyfar Mwyn worked away on the banner.
In the final days, everything started to come together, and on the morning of the event, I received the coin dies from Master Emmerich of Vakkerfjell in the mail and struck those coins. I also removed the last of the token beads from the kiln and packed them for troll.
I took a lot of time to settle on an event and site, but in the end, I was able to get the site I wanted most, Bert Adams Scout Camp. Red Tower is also the event where my household, Stone Hill Keep, was founded back in 1992. So it seemed like a fitting location.
Site Map
The long house was the thing that made me want to use this site so much. I had a vision of what this could become.
The Long House
The Mead Hall Before
I arrived on site roughly around noon, handed over the site tokens to Troll, and began the work of turning the building into a long house. I pulled everything from my collection of SCA stuff, and my friends contributed as well. Mistress Christianna MacGrain took the lead in decorating, and Baroness Ximena Yannez de Talavera took on the role of host for the night. Lady Liv Ivarsdatter was the mead server for the night.
Mistress Christian MacGrain served as Chef, preparing these awesome Norse/Scandinavian-inspired hors d'oeuvres. I loved it all, especially the Heraldic display of the household arms in cheese.
With the arrival of the Royals and their court, I was placed on vigil and left the Long house in the capable hands of my host and her team.
I had a wonderful time visiting with everyone who stopped by for a one-on-one. Then, with the hour growing late, I returned to the long house to visit with the gathered group.
My Vigil Space
Next the long house was reopened to for continued visits.
And as court drew near it was time to start getting ready for the Elevation.
Thank You to all who helped with the Vigil the Party and all those who attended.
