To begin with, let me quote from the letter each candidate for the Sergeantry receives at the beginning of his or her training:
We are much honored by your interest in the Sergeantry of Aquaterra. Please read our words as you begin your training. You are about to be immersed in the customs and traditions of Aquaterra. You will be given a body of knowledge that contains the wisdom and craft of mankind as it existed in the Middle Ages. Study this custom and craft well, for you are bid to commit much of it to memory.
Way back when An Tir was still a Principality of the Kingdom of the West, it was a fifteen or twenty hour drive from the Kingdom of the West to the southern reaches of An Tir. This made it difficult for An Tirian fighters of peer quality to gain the attention that they deserved. A potential Knight's ability upon the field could be readily judged, but other important aspects of being a Knight could not be ascertained without firsthand knowledge of his/her training and character.
The Landed Baronesses developed a set of tests designed to find the most noble and worthy fighters in their Lands. Those that passed the tests became the Baroness' Guard. The tests evolved into the Trials, and the Baroness' Guard evolved into a Kingdom Order whose members were called Sergeants. The Baronesses hoped that when a Sergeant was being considered for a peerage, many questions regarding his or her abilities and level of service to the Kingdom would have already been answered by the very possession of the rank, Sergeant-at-Arms.
As time passed, the Sergeantry was opened to those with superior archery and thrown weapon skills, called Yeomen, and those with excellent rapier skills, called Gallants. When the Barony of Aquaterra was formed, our Founding Baron and Baroness, Julian and Arianne, recognized that dedicated service and unsurpassed artistry were another most potent form of weapon, and those who used this form were called Courtiers. That is how the Sergeantry of Aquaterra came to be.
As a member of the Sergeantry of Aquaterra, you will be honored and respected for your accomplishments. You will be entrusted with our safety and security, and you will act as our next generation of teachers, mentors, and artists. You will step forward and lead by example. You will be preferred over others as officers of the Barony, if you should wish to serve in that manner. You will be our council in matters military and scientific.
This year the Lancer was also added to the order. The Lancer is a horseman who competes in mounted competitions and combat. The Lancer also understands the training and care of horses as well as the historical aspects of the horse, the armor, and the weapons.
The standing Sergeantry serves the Barony in many capacities: as autocrats, as officers, as deputies, or as representatives of the Baron and Baroness in competitions.
If anyone has an interest in joining into this order, they should contact Baron Andreu, Baroness Fiamma, or the Clarke of the Sergeantry, Baron Julian.
In service - Rosamund - Sergeantry Training Officer for the year just passed.
Senescahl of Aquaterra, Kingdom of An Tir
Unto their Excellencies and the Good Gentles of the Barony of Dragon's Laire do I, the Honorable Lady Donwenna Beast Healer of Hawksheye, send greetings this 19th day of July, AS XXXVIII.
The news has been cried aloud throughout An Tir that your Barony will hold Sargentry Trials on October 10-12 . Although I hail from the Shire of Midhaven, I would beg leave of your Excellencies that I may come before you for the glory and honor of horse and rider to enter the Trials as a Lancer Candidate. I offer unto you my lineage, showing myself gently born and therefore granted a right to enter this Challenge . I was born in 1076 to a Noble Norman warrior and his Ladywife, a Welsh daughter of a Marcher Lord,. Our family raises and trains warhorses. Within the Society, I count among my forebears Viscount Sir Rapheal the Rogue.
As proof that others have found me worthy and chivalrous, I would let you know that THL Agelos Evienece, the Equestrian Champion of Dragon's Laire, has granted unto me the privilege of bearing his token upon Fields of Combat. Furthermore, I have the privilege of serving as the Captain of the Lance of St. Anne, the most esteemed and Noble Riders of the Known World and l ride bearing the Badge of the Company of St. Anne:Sable, muletty argent, an armored horse's head couped contourney a bordure Or. And displaying the Company of St. Anne motto: Cum honore equitate, vincete omnibus gloriam (We ride with Honor, we win Glory for All)
Know me also by my accomplishments: Lady of the Society, Companion of the Order of the Dolphin , Holder of the Tower of Dreiburgen , Holder of the Illuminated Tower of Dreiburgen for Equestrian Arts, Companion of the Order of the Harp Argent, and Companion of the Goutte de Sang.
Know me by my service! It was my honor in Caid to serve with my destrier, Venus, on the Queen's Horse Guard for Their Royal Majesties : Alisandra, Larissa, Deshive, Ceinwen,Darla,and Trista. By Right of Arms I won Her Majesty Darla, Queens's Equestrian Championship. And it was my honor to provide further service to all of the SCA as the Third SCA -wide Equestrian Officer who created the SCA-wide Equestrian Marshallate badge. I serve now as an Equestrian Marshal of An Tir.
I bear in my own right the arms awarded unto me by Their Royal Caidan Majesties Avery and Larissa: Sable muletty argent, a palomino horse contourney courant proper, in chief a tilting lance fesswise reversed Argent.
It is my hope to drink deep of the cup of honor that the noble Barony of Dragon's Laire carries always before it. I await your pleasure, most Noble Excellencies, and hope that you find me a worthy Lancer Candidate.
Done by my Hand this day 19 July of the Common Era 2003
THL Donwenna la Mareschale
