Digital Submissions in the Midrealm

Everyone wants digital submissions for heraldry. I totally get it - I want them, too. They are easier for the Submissions Herald, and with nearly everyone on a computer, and free image software available, just about anyone can create a beautiful digital image. Who wants to have to print out and color forms? Not me!

But as a Submissions Herald, we have to work with OSCAR (Online System for Commentary and Response), and it's finicky. All the love to Istvan who wrote it, because we couldn't do what we do as Submissions Heralds without it! But it's finicky.

Now, no one wants to do all the work of making a lovely piece of armory, and go to the trouble of putting in on the form electronically, thinking that you are doing the Submissions Herald a favor by submitting it digitally, only to unknowingly give them MORE work. So I'm going to give you a step-by-step on how exactly to provide the digital submission that your Escutcheon herald actually WANTS to receive. Alas, you still have to send in payment by mail (but it's much cheaper to send a single check than a packet of forms!)

My favorite program to use for digital submissions is GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program). It's free, works on GNU/Linux, OS X, Windows and more, and it's open-source. I highly recommend it. Today's instructions will be done using that program. If you use Adobe stuff, I am sure that the functions I will lead you through are similar, but possibly named different things. Unfortunately, I can't help anyone with Adobe anything, since I haven't used it since High School.

Your FIRST task is the same whether you are doing the submission digitally or on paper. Fill out the top section of the form. WAIT! Your FIRST first task is to go GET the form! You can find it in the Midrealm Library (scroll down to the Submissions Forms). There are a few forms, so please make sure you get the right one.

The Midrealm forms are fillable, which means you can type in your information directly into the forms. This is particularly nice for the submissions herald, because it means that we can copy/paste your name and email, instead of having to decipher any messy or tiny handwriting. Fill out the sections (skip birthday, we don't need to know when to send you a natal anniversary card, sorry), and here's where we start the digital submissions process.

Instead of printing the file, or saving it, choose PRINT TO FILE. This option is usually in the Print menu. Save it as a pdf (this might be your only choice). Make sure to give it a nice descriptive name, like "YourSCAName Device FORM.pdf". That way when the Submissions Herald saves in on their computer, they know whose and what it is.

Now that you've got a nice pdf of your form with your personal information on it, you can open it up in GIMP and put your armory on it. When you do, GIMP will open a dialog that asks you how you want to import it. The important part is to make sure you open it with a resolution 300 DPI.

GIMP PDF Import Dialog
with resolution control circled

This is important because OSCAR won't take a form if it's not within a certain pixel range. So please don't forget it!

Once you've got the form open, you can focus on the armory part of the form. There is a space that's either shaped like a shield or a square, depending on what kind of armory you're submitting. That's where your armory needs to go. Start by designing it in black and white. You will need to save a coloring book style version, so don't go coloring it in quite yet!

Now, if you've gone on the internet, and found a good charge to use, but it's in color already, don't panic! There's a tool called "Threshold" that will be your lifesaver. It's in the menu at the top called "Colors". This reduces your current selection to a B&W version. It doesn't work so great if your image is largely black, but for any other color, it works great.

GIMP Threshold Dialog. Move the center value control to the right to darken light lines.
The image on the left becomes the image on the right after threshold is applied.

This is also very useful for fuzzy images that have lots of chatter in them. It allows you to control which values become black, and which ones become white.

If you're going to copy/paste an already drawn up image, MAKE SURE that it's exactly the size AND SHAPE that is shown on the form. Erase the outer border of the pasted image if you have to, so that it fits inside the shape. The armory can be administratively returned if it's not on the exact shape that's provided on the form.

Now that you've got your "coloring book" armory, you need to "Flatten" your image. In the drop-down menu called "Image", near the bottom of the menu there's an option named "Flatten Image". This squashes all the layers together and removes any transparent parts and makes them white.

After you've flattened your image, go and take the square select tool in the tool window, and draw a box around just your armory.

Rectangle Select marked in pink

Select this section of your "coloring book" armory.

Using the "Edit" drop down menu, select "Copy" and then "Paste as New Image". This should create a new image with just your selection. Export that as something like "YourSCAName Device BW.jpg". MAKE SURE it's saved as a jpg. OSCAR only accepts JPGs. Remember to "Export" since "Save" will make it a gimp-only file.

You can close that image now, but keep your form image open! Now is the time to fill in all your colors. Pick nice bold heraldic colors. You can use your color picker to sample these, if you like. I've also added the RGB code for convenience.

If you're having trouble filling in the spaces without having the color spill all over, it's because there's a break in your black lines somewhere. Go grab your pencil tool, select the color black on your color picker, and make your brush size really small, like 3 pixels. Then go over your image with a fine toothed comb and find the gaps, and close them up.

Once you've got your image all colored in, EXPORT the form whole as a JPG, and then repeat the process for selecting just the armory section. Copy, paste as a new image, and then export it as something like "YourSCAName Device Color.jpg".

When you're all done, you should have four files:

• A PDF form that's got your text information on it, and no armory.
• A JPG file of the whole form with a color armory on it.
• A JPG file that's JUST the "coloring book" armory.
• A JPG file that's JUST the full color armory.

All that's left now is to put them in an email to the Submissions Herald, and send a check or money order in! Follow the instructions for mailing the check that are on the Escutcheon's webpage. The correct email for sending in the digital forms should also be on that page, near the top.

Congrats! You've done it! If you are having problems with my instructions, I am always happy to coach you via my email.

Submissions and OSCAR

I'm coming up on my fifth year as a Submissions Herald, and it's a job that has a lot of rewards, as well as its own challenges. There's a lot to learn about being a Submissions Herald, and you kind of get tossed in the deep end and it takes a few months to learn how to swim! I'd like to talk to you all today about what it takes to be a Submissions Herald, hopefully to demystify the job.

First of all, Submissions is primarily an administrative job. When I stepped up as the Escutcheon Herald, which is Midrealm Internal Submissions, I didn't have that much actual knowledge of book heraldry. But I am well-organized, and that was the critical skill that I needed to keep a handle on the job until I could learn the other rules. So don't feel that you NEED to have deep heraldic knowledge to be a good Submissions Herald!

The process is pretty simple, actually. The Internal Submissions (Escutcheon) Herald receives the name or armory from the submitter. Usually this is sent by mail, but it's usually acceptable to hand it to them personally, or submit at Pennsic. Escutcheon scans the forms, and then enters the data on the forms into OSCAR (Online System for Commentary and Response). We generate a "letter" each month that compiles the submissions for each month, and then it is published for anyone with permission to comment on. Those letters are open for one month, in which time commenters from all over the Known World do things like conflict checks and research, and leave messages on each submission.

After the month is up, the EXTERNAL Submissions Herald (Rouge Scarpe, that's me right now), goes over the commentary and decides on which submissions can be forwarded up to the Laurel Staff for a final decision, and which ones should be returned for more work by the submitter.

Decision making was a lot harder before the Internet

To make these decisions, I look at the commentary, and decide if any conflicts that were called are clearly conflicts, or not. I look at the armory, and make sure that it's clearly what it says it is, and that the blazon (that is, the words that describe it) are correctly spelled and in the proper order and have the proper grammar.

Recently, we've started doing a group meeting online to go over these items collectively. The biggest reason for doing this is that it is a good teaching tool for upcoming heralds to learn about what is a good submission and what is not. Each item is examined, and the commentary reviewed before I make a decision. People can ask questions, double check my work, voice their opinions, and in general have a fun time spending online time together with their fellow heralds. If you'd like to join in, these meetings are open to anyone, please email me or the Dragon Herald!

After the decision meeting, I transfer the items on the Internal Letter to an External Letter in OSCAR. This is the letter that gets sent upward for more commentary before items are either registered or returned.

The biggest part of my job is to summarize the documentation that's provided by both the submitter and the commenters. We summarize because the Laurel staff has twenty Kingdoms' worth of submissions to get through each month, and we want our documentation to be as succinct as possible while still providing everything they need to make an informed decision. While there are a lot of ways to summarize name documentation, I have a specific format that I use, and it gets compliments every few months. I'll share it with you!

Each name element needs a few things to verify that it's period. It needs the exact spelling that was found, the date, and the place. You should also include the gender of the element, if known, because some languages are gendered and there are different forms for feminine or masculine names. You should also include the author if the document if there is one, and the title of the same. If it's an internet document, a link is needed. If it's a book source, it might be on the no-photocopy list, but if it's not, you should also include the page of the information and a copy of the bibliographic page of the book.

By the time I'm done with it, all this data looks like this:

<name element> "whatever the document says about the entry, including header form, gender, date and place, and batch number if from Family Search". Title of document, author. (internet link if applicable)

That's it! It should be very brief, no more than a few lines.

After I make all the adjustments in OSCAR to the documentation, and delete any entries that are being returned, I go over any armory submissions that needed redrawing. If it's a minor change, I will go ahead and redraw the submission myself, and then email it to the submitter and ask if they accept the redraw.

Other than that, there are a few little administrative things that I have to make sure are included in "the packet", which is the collected private forms that get filed with the archivist.

And there's the job, in a nutshell. It's very detail oriented, and requires a fair bit of administrative prowess, but you don't have to be a master herald to do it, so don't let it scare you!

Future Heraldry Classes

I'm very excited! We just got word that there will be a Middle Kingdom Heraldic and Scribal Symposium this year at Mounted War Games over Labor Day weekend.

I adore going to Known World Heraldic and Scribal. It's one of the few events where I want to take every single class and I never have enough time to see everyone and learn all the things. It's my hope that we can recreate the experience for the Midrealm.

So, we're going to need a lot of teachers! I know we have many capable heralds in this Kingdom, but it's really difficult to know what to teach. So I'm going to spitball some class ideas out here, and if you'd like to teach it, please go ahead!

A Walking Tour of Voice Heraldry
This class would be best at an event where there are many martial activities going on. The class would meet at a location, and then walk over and observe each martial activity while the teacher talks about what a herald can do to serve that group. It would be best if there was a tournament going on with a Tourney Herald serving the list, so that the class could observe a herald in action.

Documenting an IAP
We all know how difficult it is to get all the parts needed to document an Individually Attested Pattern! This class would go over what is needed to document an IAP, and how you can best present your case for the heralds in OSCAR.

Mock Pre-Court Meeting
This would ideally involve a co-teaching team of the instructor and a former Royal who would pair up to show the students what a pre-court meeting is like. Bonus points for including fake scrolls for the "Royal" to sign while they are also trying to get dressed and meet with the herald.

Heraldic Wills and Permissions to Conflict
Ok, I already teach this one. But it's a good one! This class goes over the subject of what happens to your registrations after you pass away, and how you can leave someone else in charge of them when that happens, and WHY you would want to. It also covers Blanket Permissions to Conflict, which we want to encourage every person to file.

Managing the Dais
A how-to class on how to be an effective stage manager for multiple heralds on the dais. It's more than just taking turns!

Heraldic Dress and Accoutrements
This class would cover what to do with your heraldry after it's registered. It's more that just putting your device on a dress or a favor. Might also cover badges and what they are for and when to use them. Class should include the concepts of strewn charges and livery as well.

Heraldic Achievement Make and Take
Come and work up your own personal heraldic achievement. The class teacher would ideally come with pre-printed elements that people can use to put together their heraldic achievement. Perhaps by tracing from a lightbox, or cut and paste? Teacher would need to be familiar with the achievement display customs of the Midrealm.

To Speak Foresoothly
Adding variation and fancy language to your vocal pronouncements. Would cover the opening of court, different ways to summon people to the Crown in court, etc.

I hope this short list gives you a bit of inspiration for classes that you might teach. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone at MKHSS!

Field Book, Opened and Closed.

(Here continues the tale of my Field Herald's Manual. This is part [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] six of the story. The FINAL installment!)

With my book almost completed, the last thing I needed to do was put a section in the beginning that gave a framework for all the things that need to be done before Court begins.

My best friend Simcha had made up a Court Mad Libs sheet, and I really liked the idea, so I decided to use something similar in my book, in a much more stripped down format. The top of the sheet has a prompt for all the essential data that you need to open Court:

• Date
• Place
• Hosting Group
• Seneschal
• Anno Societatis Year (what year is it again?)
• Pronunciation of the Monarch's Names

Under the header section, I gave myself space to write down who else was on the dais, any announcements that the Crown needed me to give, and a space to note my additional heralds. These sections really help me fill out my court report!

I also added a place to write down the opening cry because I know that I always get flustered and just open with something plain, and I know that's a place where I would benefit with some forethought.  I do love the fancy language, but I'm not good at it on the fly.

When we open court, this is the place where we can really add some cool medieval flair! It's the place where you can sing the praises of the Nobles you are calling in, where the most vaulted adjectives are no longer over the top. But before court is a really busy time, and also, if I was writing this book to be used by other people, I knew that I could not depend on everyone to be a poet in such a short amount of time, so I sat down to write a few short ones for other people to use. My favorite one is full of alliteration:

All rise for (Name) and (Name), the Crown over Constellation, Monarchs of the Midlands, Overlords of Oaken, Potentates of Pentamere, Amir and Amira of Aethon, Sovereigns of the glorious and far-reaching Middle Kingdom!

Remember that you should ALWAYS check and make sure that your chosen opening is acceptable to the noble that you're calling in, especially if you don't know them, or if you are a new herald. Sometimes, a set of Nobles has a particular title that reflects their persona that they would prefer to use, so you should make sure to get that as well. Here's the officially recognized alternate titles maintained by the College of Heralds. If you know it ahead of time (some Royals publish this at the beginning of their Reign), you can do a little research and really give their court procession something perfect for them!

Always, ALWAYS check your fancy opening with the Crown...
OR ELSE!

If you're going to write your own, you can use some other beginnings to really give it some gravitas. Feel free to use these, or come up with your own.

• All hail and behold your Crown...
• All rise and bow your heads with respect...
• Rise, good gentles!
• Look with awe, people of the Midrealm! (my favorite!)

If you only have one Royal at your event, be sure to mention the other in your opening cry. For example, "(Sovereign's Name) who is inspired by (Consort's Name)" or "(Consort's Name), by the prowess of (Sovereign's Name)".

When writing your own, you want to include all the official details of the court. The date and AS year and the host group's name. That way you don't have to say them at the end of each of the awards given out.

With the opening section done, my book was finished! As you can tell from my many posts about it, I am very pleased with how easy to use it is. I've been slowly distributing it to the heralds of the Kingdom, and I've gotten a lot of happy messages from heralds who love it, which warms my heart.

If you'd like a copy, you can find it in the Midrealm Document Library.

Happy Heralding! May your arms never again grow tired.

The BIG Voice

The human voice is the most beautiful instrument of all, and it is the most difficult to play. - Richard Strauss

When we think of the ideal court herald, we envision one who can be heard throughout the noisy court, whose voice commands the attention of all in a room. They speak clearly, their words cutting though the din of rustling cloth and weary children and the inevitable bustle of a hundred people at the end of the day.

You might think that it takes a special kind of person to have that sort of voice, and while it's true that certain bodies have a natural pre-disposition toward being heard over a crowd, every person can learn how to project their voice to be heard clearly, if they practice good vocal projection techniques.

There are many things you can practice to help your vocal projection improve. Annunciation, breath support, and relaxation of the body are the primary ways that you can improve the sound you make to fill a room and carry your message clearly.

First, Relax!

It's easy to be nervous when you're standing up in front of a large crowd, with every eye trained on you, but do try to put that out of your mind. If you need to, pick someone in the back of the room, and pretend like you're trying to get your message to that one person.

Remember, vocal projection is not yelling. Yelling is a strident, constricted sound that lacks the fullness of a well-projected voice, and it will not carry with clarity and authority through a large room. When you yell, your vocal cords are tight, and the vibrations from pushing that much volume through tight vocal cords will stress them, which can cause you to lose your voice. If you do it enough, you can permanently damage your voice.

To help you relax, wiggle out your whole body. Shake your limbs up, stretch your body out into BIG postures. Stand in the Superman pose (studies show that boosts your confidence!). Activate your parasympathetic nervous system to convince your body that you're not in any danger. Purposely tense up all your major muscle groups, and then let them out to relax. Take in a big deep breath, and then think about yawning, and let that yawn get big and wide. Stretch. Make a silly noise with your mouth, and then laugh at yourself.

Support your breathing!

You can't make a big noise if you don't have big air to push it! Sit or stand up very straight, shoulders back, and breathe in the deepest breath you can. Feel it fill up your lungs, all the way down to your belly. Your diaphragm, that muscle that supports and fills your lungs, needs to stretch, too! Take a few big deep breaths, and then forcefully push them out through loosely pursed lips. Focus on making the biggest whoosh noise that you can with only your breath. Your belly should move the most, that's how you know that your diaphragm is supporting your air, instead of the smaller, more delicate muscles in the upper part of your ribcage.

Vocal exercises designed for theater students or cheerleaders can help you learn how it feels to have well supported breath. When I was a cheerleader, we used to lay down in pairs, with one laying their head on the other's belly, and practice our cheers with the goal of making our partner's head bounce with each word or syllable. You can practice this at home by yourself with a heavy book, though! Some people say it's like talking from your belly button. Remember, that if you're making a loud noise and your diaphragm isn't pushing that air, your vocal cords are supporting that noise instead and that's not good for them.

Here's a very good video from the National Theatre in England to help you practice your vocal support techniques. They lead you in ways to make sure that you are keeping your resonance in your chest, instead of in your sinus cavities or throat.

Articulation!

There's no use being loud if you're not clear! Vowel sounds carry very well, because they are made with your mouth open, but without consonants, your proclamation sounds like "AY AY OR EH OW UH EH IREL!" instead of "Make way for the Crown of the Midrealm!"

Practice making your consonants nice and crisp. Give them a little space in your speech, so that they don't squish together and get lost in the room. We instinctively stress most first consonants when being intentionally loud, but make sure not to swallow the ends of your words. This will help each word reach its intended audience clearly.

Also try to break up your sentences so that you don't try to make too many words with one breath, that will help ensure that your volume isn't trailing off near the end of a sentence. Most sentences have some natural moments when you can take a breath, so take advantage of them! Try this! First, read the whole first sentence of this paragraph in one breath. Then, try to read the same sentence again here with your big voice, but by stopping after each capitalized word.

"Also try to break up your SENTENCES so that you don't try to make too many WORDS with one BREATH, that will help ENSURE that your volume isn't trailing OFF near the end of the SENTENCE."

See how much easier it is to get all those words out when you are able to support them all fully? Remember that. Take your time reading scroll texts and proclamations, so that each sentence can be fully supported by the full strength of your lungs.

Fill the space!

Remember how I advised you at the beginning of this post to pick a person at the back of the room and focus on just them? That's not just a good technique for calming yourself. That's also a way to trick your mind into filling the room. Most people instinctively modulate their volume to fit just the space they are trying to communicate across. By focusing on someone at the back of the room, you're also tricking your mind into making your voice bigger. Even better is to remember to lift the top of your head so that your eyebrows are pointed at the corner of the ceiling and the back wall. This points your mouth above the crowd, and encourages you to drop your jaw and open your mouth fully. Remember, your mouth is the megaphone that amplifies your voice. OPEN YOUR MOUTH.

That's right. Show me your herald face!

The Big Voice is a skill that you can develop, even if you aren't naturally loud. Practice at home. Take a walk in the woods and bounce your voice off the trees if you're self-conscious practicing where people can hear you. But practice!

Meeting with a Vigilant

It's a wonderful occasion when someone is elevated to Peerage. Whether they are becoming a new Peer, or if this is not their first elevation, it's a moment that they've probably been working hard toward!

As the Herald in Charge of court for the event, you get a front row seat for that ceremony. It's honestly one of my favorite things about standing on the dais. I get a close up and personal view of the person getting one of the highest awards of the Realm, and it just makes my heart soar.

But long before that moment, many things have been going on behind the scenes! It's likely that the preparations for this day have been growing since their vigil was announced, or even further back.

When you hear from the Crown that an elevation will be happening during a Court you're running, you should make space in your day to meet with that vigilant. Why? Because (nearly) nothing that happens in court should be a surprise to anyone sitting on the dais, or the herald.

Now, it's common for a person to sit vigil the day of their elevation. Sitting vigil is a special custom that we have for people to come and congratulate the vigilant, and to give them advice. It's likely that they will have an area set aside with food and a private space. If they did their vigil earlier than that day, you should track them down to talk. But if their vigil is at the event, go there and talk to the vigil coordinator as soon as you can to set up a moment to talk with the vigilant. You should go over some things with them before court, so that everyone is prepared.

Make sure that you bring a pencil and paper, since you will want to take copious notes.

I just have a few questions....
(Francais 2090. f12v)

When you meet with the vigilant, the first thing (after you congratulate them) you should ask them is if they have their own herald. A lot of people ask a specific herald to do their ceremony because they have a special connection to that person. If they do have their own herald, GREAT! Your job is close to done. All you need to do at that point is find that herald and check in with them to make sure they have everything they need, and that they know who to come to if they have questions.

If they DON'T have their own herald, guess what? You're IT! You can pass the job off to one of your assistant heralds, that's ok, too. But you need to have a little chat with the vigilant and ask them some basic questions.

• Firstly, are they using their own ceremony, or the one out of the Book of Ceremonies? If they have their own ceremony, ask for a copy of it now, so that you have time to look it over. If they are using the standard ceremony, open it up in your book (you've got that with you, right?) and briefly skim it so that you're familiar with it, especially the parts about the accoutrements and the speakers.

• Ask them how they pronounce their name, and write it down phonetically. Say it back to them. Get their current title, and the title that they will be using after elevation. Most people use Master or Mistress, but there might be something persona specific and you want to make sure you say the right thing!

• Ask them who is starting the ceremony. Usually, the ceremony begins when a member of the Order they are joining begs, or re-begs, the boon. But, especially if they are using a custom ceremony, this might not be the case, so double check!

• Ask them if they need to be released from fealty. The pre-written ceremony doesn't contain this part, so if they do need that, you will need to make a note of it.

• Ask them who their speakers are. Write that down.

• Talk about regalia. Each ceremony uses different regalia, and sometimes there's a modification to the standard items. A hood instead of a cloak, no clothing at all, more than one medallion, etc. Make sure you know what pieces to expect, and which you need to add or skip.

• Traditionally, the Chivalry ceremony contains a buffet, but that is becoming more common in other Orders as well, even if it's still not common. Or there may be a dubbing with a scepter (that's what I had!). Make sure that you have the script for that noted, so that Their Majesties can have the correct wording to read.

• Ask if there will be a scroll, and if it is to be read, or just shown off, or nothing. If there is a scroll, should you hand it to someone at the end of the ceremony, or put it back down behind the thrones after you display it?

Remember that the Crown should have approved any modified ceremonies, but not all proto-Peers know or remember that, so ask if they did run it by the Crown, and if they didn't, take a moment after you meet with the vigilant to inform the Crown about that change, and offer to let them read it if they like.

Lastly, and I know this is a tough one - but try not to take up too much time, if you are meeting with the vigilant during their vigil. There are probably many people waiting to talk to them, so the more quickly that you can get through your list of questions, the happier everyone will be!

The Pre-Court Checklist

When you're the herald in charge for an event, you will be expected to meet with the Crown to go over the court before you all stand up on the dais and start the show. This meeting can be very pressed for time, as the Crown often always uses this time to get dressed, sign scrolls, and meet with other folks who have business for court.

It's your job to make sure that you cover everything that you need to know, so that you can present Court in the manner that the Crown wishes. It is their show, after all!

This rushed air can be nerve-wracking and it's easy to forget stuff that you want to ask and clarify.

I've compiled a list of things that you may want to ask the Crown during this meeting, so that you can make the most of your time with them.

Sometimes you just have to get it off your mind and on paper!
(Sloane MS 1977, f. 2r)

You should check in with the Crown early in the day to introduce yourself, let them know that you will be in charge for them today. Ask at that point if there will be any courts other than the main one in the evening, so that you can be prepared. Also ask them if there are any elevations planned for the day, so that you can check in with the vigilant and make sure that you are prepared for that.

Here are some things that you should think about asking the Crown during your meeting with the Crown before court.

• Confirm the nobles who will be joining the Crown on the dais. You're going to want to make sure before Court that the thrones are arranged properly.
   
• Will there be Oaths of Fealty taken? Which ones?
   
• Get the list of business and the awards to be given. Make sure you have the appropriate order. You are going to want to make sure that the Signet also knows this order, so that they can prepare the scrolls.
   
• What does the Crown want done with scrolls whose recipients aren't there to receive them? Common options include "someone to accept for them", having the recipient's local Baronage or Seneschal accept them, or returning them to the Signet for safe keeping.
   
• Will there be a Baronial Court? If there will be, make sure to check that the Barony has their own herald lined up.
   
• If there will be elevations, is there a particular herald that the vigilant wants? Will there be a script that's different from the standard one?
   
• Are there tourney results to announce? Who should you call up for that?
   
• DOUBLE CHECK to make sure that you have the names of the Royals pronounced correctly. Trust me, they would rather you check in private than mess it up in court! You may want to write it down phonetically, especially if you have other heralds joining you. Before Court, make sure that you double check that each one can pronounce the names of the Crown (and Heirs, if sitting) properly.
   
• Check the wording of your planned boast to announce the Crown at the beginning of court, especially if it's particularly flowery or non-traditional. At the same time, you should check to see what titles the Crown prefers. They may want something that is specific to their persona, and you will want to know how to pronounce that, too.
   

After you are done talking with the Crown, you have a few other things that you may want to do.

• Meet with the Signet and make sure you can read all the glosses on the back of the scroll. You will want to make sure that each scroll has a gloss. This is usually done by the signet, but you're the one who looks silly if you can't read a scroll text, so double check it for yourself!
   
• Practice the names of the awardees, especially if any of them have names that are tricky, or in an unfamiliar language.
   
• Get a list of scribes from the Signet.
   
• Note your Seneschal in your notes, the date, and location of the court.
   
• Head over to the dais area, and double check to make sure that it looks good. Stand back in the audience to get a view from back there. Hide anything modern that you can see. Straighten banners and rugs. Check the kneeling cushion. Make sure there's space between the thrones for your body.
   
• Double check your own personal appearance and regalia. You're a representative of the Crown, and court is a formal occasion. Remember that you're going to appear in a lot of pictures!
   
• Finally, wait with the signet on the dais for the Crown's signal to start.
   

I've prepared a short printable pdf that has much of this advice, so that you can bring it with you to the event. It's already contained in the Field Book, but in case you have a large format book, you can print one and include it. If it's written down, you won't have to remember, and that leaves more space in your brain for the things that you NEED to remember.

I would tell you "Good luck!" but with adequate preparation, you will do just fine! Take a deep breath, square your shoulders, and START THE SHOW!