Comets Everywhere
Some twenty-five years ago, Baron Len and Baroness Anne wanted to reward those residents of their barony who excelled in the arts, peaceful and martial, the sciences, and in rendering invaluable services. Thus, they designed and began to award the citizenry with the baronial comets.
The first comets were color coded, recognizing an aspect of the society that needed to be rewarded. Therefore, a red comet recognized skills in fighting, a silver those in the arts, while blue was recognition of excellence in the sciences, and a gold comet was awarded to those gentles who strove to serve. These first awards were given in court by the hand of the good baron and baroness, accompanied by a black pouch embellished with the colored comet, the originals of which were made by local, willing volunteers. In the interest of uniformity and expediency, however, the good baroness began making the pouches herself of black wool and felt appliquee. The scrolls that were given were made by the baron.
The badge, the comet, was chosen by our baron and baroness in keeping with the badge chosen in the formative years of the Barony-Marche of the Debatable Lands. "The Triumvirate", or our area's founding fathers, Baron Robert de la Torre Fraisse (commonly called Baron Bobby), Baron Volf of Novksorod, and Robert Strongvolley of Hardcourt chose a comet to represent the barony, because an astrological happening, the passing of the comet Kohoutek, passed simultaneously with the barony's formation. When the triumvirate chose to give an award, however, it was called the Morning or Evening Star that was depicted on the award.
Len and Anne wished to make the awards more easy to identify and have them represent many areas of skill. Choosing the comet to represent the awards given in the barony which was represented by a comet was, therefore, their choice. The colors could distinguish for what the gentle was recognized.
While Langdon and Ardis were Baron and Baroness, they chose to alter the awards slightly by removing the color from the comet. The logic behind this decision was to prevent the rivalries and differing status of any given comets. Any deserving gentle is now given a baronial comet undistinguished by a color in recognition of their achievements marked by a scroll illuminated by Baroness Ardis and calligraphed by Baron Langdon, given by their hands in court.
During the time that Tofi and Genevieve sat the Baronial thrones, they decided to reintroduce the colors but refer to them in heraldic terms, bringing us the Comet Or (service), Comet Gules (martial), Comet Azure-Argent (Arts and Sciences), Comet Vert (friends of the barony), and the Comet Purpure (children). At the beginning of her term as Baroness, Genevieve created each scroll herself. But in time the number of deserving gentles in our Barony grew so large that Her Excellency could no longer do justice to their deeds by herself, and the willing scribes of her Barony joyfully offered their assistance.
When Baron Alonzio and Baroness Tatyana stepped up, they decided to return our award structure to its roots and have created the Gold Comet (service), Silver Comet (arts), Red Comet (martial), Blue Comet (science), Green Comet (friends of the Barony), Purple Comet (children), and the Wax Comet (bringing color to the Barony). They have also introduced the Moonstone, for service to the Barony and its inhabitants above and beyond the call of duty.
Each award, no matter what it is called, is a warm recognition of the talents and abilities that each of its recipients brings to the group. There is no limit to how many of what comet you can have, and there are many who have contributed time and again without further recognition for their efforts who do truly deserve the "Thank You". Send e-mail to the Baron and Baroness and let them know what you see people doing in the area, be their eyes and ears around the Barony so that they may see all of the talent and service in the Barony.
The original article was written by Mistress Katerina Affodil. Vrouwe Odriana vander Brugghe updated the information.