Welcome to Drachenwald! We're glad you're here.

This article covers some of the aspects of heraldry, protocol and traditions of Drachenwald. It is especially intended for Society folk coming from other kingdoms.

Court and regalia customs

Kingdom cheer

The kingdom cheer is "Vivat!" for a single person, or "Vivant!" for more than one person, repeated three times.

Coronets and circlets

Drachenwald law does not define the style or colour of viscounty, territorial or court barony coronets. As a result, coronets worn by Drachenwalders vary according to taste and budget. To find out what a coronet represents, feel free to ask.

If you have regalia for a title from another kingdom, you can wear it here. 

Drachenwald does not define circlet or coronet sizes or styles. We recognize the regalia protected by Corpora, and registered with the College of Arms. These include the white belt and unbroken chain, the laurel wreath, the pelican in its piety, and county and ducal coronets.  

Clothing customs 

The customs about what marks someone as a peer's dependent can wear vary. You will see some coloured belts and some braids, but the 'rules' are not as hard and fast here as in some other kingdoms.

If you want to know if a person is a protege or squire, you can ask them (graciously, of course).

Toasts

 In Drachenwald, typically the highest ranking peers make the toasts to their Majesties the king and queen, to their Highnesses the crown prince and princess, and to the kingdom. They can include toasts to Nordmark, or to a barony, if the event is in that region.

Typically the attending peers work out who toasts what for themselves.

Awards and Orders of Precedence

We have an entire article dedicated just to the OP.

Polling orders in Drachenwald

Drachenwald polls for the Society-wide bestowed peerages: Chivalry, Laurel, Pelican, Mastery of Defense.

The Order of the Dragon's Steel, a Grant-level award for excellence in the art of defense, was a consultative order. It was similar to many other kingdoms' Order of the White Scarf. It closed in AS 50 when the Society introduced the Mastery of Defense.

Honourable Lord and Lady or Lordship and Ladyship

Some lands use these styles for holders of Grants of Arms. If you hold a grant, you can use that style.

Most people will use whatever title and name you introduce yourself with.

The style isn't defined or protected in Drachenwald law. It exists as a custom, as a courtesy to your previous kingdom's honours. Like all out-of-kingdom awards, if you hold a grant of arms, it conveys the same precedence here that it does in your previous kingdom.

Submitting names and arms

Finding arms submitted from another kingdom

Submissions in process are grouped by kingdom. If you submitted your names and arms in another kingdom, your submission will continue in the process. Noone will pull it out just because your address has changed.

Contact the herald in charge of submissions (or external submissions) in your previous home kingdom, and let them know you have moved.

Provide your new contact details, so they can get in touch with you when your submission appears in the Letter of Acceptances and Returns (LoAR). If you have an idea of when the decision was due, you can also check the LoAR archive yourself on http://heraldry.sca.org/loar.

If you submitted arms here in Drachenwald, but now are moving out of kingdom,  contact the Albion Herald (e-mail address is on the heraldry section of the kingdom website).

Make sure Albion has your new contact details, so when your submission comes through, you'll still get the news.

If your first submission in another kingdom was returned, Drachenwald will allow you to resubmit for free.

First, contact your home kingdom and try to find out why your submission was returned. Then come to us and we can work out how to remedy the problem, or submit something entirely different.

Joining the Drachenwald College of Heralds

If you've moved to Drachenwald and want to keep doing heraldry: contact the Schwarzdrachen Herald (e-mail address is on the heraldry section of the kingdom website) to introduce yourself.

You request a warrant by providing your Society and legal names and your contact information. Both branch heralds and heralds-at-large report quarterly to remain warranted.

Join the Drachenwald heralds list for announcements and discussion. The subscription information is on the kingdom website.

The Drachenwald college doesn't conduct tests for pursuivants. Your enthusiasm, interest and expertise at whatever level are qualification enough. Don't worry - there's lots of heraldry to go round.

Commenting on names and armory in Drachenwald

Contact the Edelweiss Herald to get on the internal letter distribution list and get an OSCAR login.