INVOCATION
The Crown may first seat themselves, or if they wish may come in with their
retinue before the procession.
At Their Majesties command the Herald shall call for the presence of the populace to witness the Invocation of the Lists.
HERALD: Let all who would compete in the Crown Lists of the Kingdom of An Tir present themselves before Their Majesties _______________ and _______________, King and Queen of An Tir.
PROCESSION
The order of the procession shall be as follows:
As the procession enters the Royal Presence, the heralds will announce each branch and combatants. And when all have entered the court, the herald shall proclaim:
HERALD: People of An Tir, see here the combatants in the Crown List of the Kingdom of An Tir. Great is the honor of competing in this list, for the victor, with their consort, shall wear the Crowns of An Tir.
But you who enter into honorable combat do, by your courtesy and valor, show forth the renown of the Kingdom of An Tir, and the greater glory your inspiration. Let brave deeds and chivalric conduct prove you worthy of the honor you seek and the favors you bear.
If the King or Queen wish to speak, the herald shall say:
HERALD: Hear now the words of the Crown.
And the King or Queen shall speak such words of inspiration or instruction as they shall desire.
Following the Crown's talk, the Earl Marshal (with the senior marshals) and the Kingdom Constable (with his/her deputies) shall approach from opposite sides of the field, and meeting the herald they shall bow to the Crown, and face each other.
HERALD: While there has been no combat in progress within this field, it has been the responsibility of the Constabulary to maintain order and safety here. Now that combat for the Crown of An Tir is about to begin, do you, _______________, Chief Constable of An Tir cede your jurisdiction over this field to the Earl Marshal and the Marshalate of An Tir.
CONSTABLE: I do.
HERALD : Do you, _______________, Earl Marshal of An Tir, accept authority over this field.
EARL MARSHAL: I do.
HERALD: Henceforth, let none but the chivalric combatants and those with official business pertaining to combat, come within these precincts, until the combat is concluded.
Here the Constables and Marshals shall bow and withdraw.
THE OATH
HERALD: Let the people of An Tir bear witness to the Combatants’ Oath.
Do you each know and swear to abide by the rules of the lists?
Do you each have a lord or lady whose favor you advance, and whom you may crown as your consort, should you prove victorious on the field today?
Do you each swear that if victory is yours today, you and your chosen consort will attend your coronation, the Crown Tournament to select your successor, and your successor's coronation?
Do you affirm that if victory is yours today, you and your consort shall swear fealty to the Crown of An Tir.
Do you also affirm that you and your consort will fulfill the duties and obligations of the King and Queen of An Tir, ruling justly, according to the Laws and Customs to the utmost of your abilities, so long as you shall reign?
Then go bravely forth to the Field of Honor to prove the worth of your inspiration in noble victory or honorable defeat.
The populace will then be given an opportunity to present favors to the combatants, the herald saying:
HERALD: Let any of the populace who desire come forth now to bestow favors upon these combatants of An Tir.
THE CHALLENGES, IF DONE
As the unbelted fighters generally outnumber the belted fighters, the
King may invite selected unbelted fighters to take a place in
the ranks of the
belted. If there are an odd number of fighters, the King shall
be sure to put more
on the belted side than upon the unbelted, so a belted combatant
gets the Bye.
THE FIRST ROUND, IF DONE
HERALD: Let the unbelted combatants now issue their challenges for the first round. When challenge has been issued and accepted, begin the combat, and then go unto the Master of the Lists to record the result.
People of An Tir! Attend you now the beginning of the List of the Crown Tournament of the Kingdom of An Tir. Heralds to the fields! Marshals to the fields! Let the List begin!
THE FINAL ROUND
When there are only two combatants remaining, the herald shall, at their Majesties command, invoke the Final Round. The populace will be called to witness the final combat.
HERALD: Let the final round of the Crown List of the Kingdom of An Tir begin. Come now the finalists who will do battle for the Kingdom of An Tir.
HERALD: People of An Tir! witness now the final round for the Crown and Kingdom of An Tir. Here do meet _______________, bearing (-arms-), and _______________, bearing (-arms-).
The combatants will enter, each with their entourage and their personal herald. The worth and virtues of the combatant and inspiration will be proclaimed by the personal herald.
The Crown will invite the inspirations to witness the combat from seats by the thrones.
When the inspirations have been seated, the herald and entourage will retire.
The herald will then announce the manner in which the final round will be organized (e.g., best two out of three). At Their Majesties whim, the chivalry will then be called onto the field to witness the combat.
The usual salutes will be made, and the combat will begin.
When the combat is over, the investiture of the new Crown Prince and Crown Princess shall take place, at a time and place commanded by the Crown.
NOTES FOR THE HERALD
If time and/or weather precludes, or if Their Majesties desire, a procession is not required.
As the branches enter in procession, it is helpful to have heralds direct them (after they bow to the Crown) to their places (behind the spots reserved for the fighters (see diagram - below).
When the challenges occur, the unbelted fighter nearest the Thrones should begin, followed by the one next to the first, etc. Encourage them to issue their invitation in a voice loud enough to be heard and in a bold manner.
The Order of Precedent of the Branches is:
Remind the Crown about a charge for the fighters.
Be sure that the Earl Marshal and the Kingdom Constable (or their representatives) will be available for their parts in the opening of the Lists. Tell them their responses.
Announce the time for the beginning of the procession.
Make certain you have cards and pencils for the fighters to fill out after signing up at the lists table. These are to be handed to the reading heralds at the fighters' entrance into court.
Also check with Lists to see how many belted and unbelted fighters there are. This will help you keep track of how many need to be moved to the other side.
By tradition, Black Lion’s deputy in charge of Court Heraldry heralds the Invocation and Black Lion’s deputy in charge of Field Heraldry heralds the Final Round.
BEFORE FINAL ROUND: REMIND THE CROWNS TO INVITE THE INSPIRATIONS TO SIT WITH THEM DURING FINAL ROUND (and to have seats available).
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