OK, I know what the coat of arms for the Hardby Marines looks like but has there been anything done for the Hardby Militia, the city itself or the Gynarchs?
Hmm - I thought I'd added something on this into the City of the Scorned Article, but it must have got cut.
I remember deciding that, given the colour of the sail on the ship in the Arms of the Marines was black and gold (sable and Or), that the arms of the city should be something along those lines.
So - after 10 minutes scratching on the back of a bit of scrap paper - how about:
The City of Hardby:
Per fess, azure, a ship or between two towers argent, sable, six lozenges Or in arrowhead, point baseward.
Translation: the shield is divided into horizontal halves. The top half has a blue field, with a gold ship between two white towers. the lower half has a black field six golden diamonds arranged in the shape of an arrow head, point downwards.
The Hardby Militia:
Per Pale, Or, a spear sable point chiefward, sable six lozenges Or in arrowhead, point baseward.
Translation: the shield is divided into vertical halves. The left half has a gold field and a black spear with the point upwards; the right half has a black field with six golden diamonds arranged in the shape of an arrow head, point downwards.
The Gynarchy:
Sable, six lozenges Or in arrowhead, point baseward.
Translation: A black field with six golden diamonds arranged in the shape of an arrow head, point downwards.
For the office of the Despotrix herself would be represented by:
Sable, a wooden throne proper, six lozenges Or in arrowhead, point baseward; in chief per bend (the tinctures of the family from which the Despotrix is drawn).
Translation: A brown throne on a black field above six gold diamonds arranged in the shape of an arrow head, point downwards all under s tripe at the top of the shield divided diagonally from left to right between the colours of the family from which the Despotrix is drawn.
The five original Families would probably share the same basic coat or arms, differing by tincture:
Norbelos: Purpre, a lozenge Or (a gold diamond on a purple field)
Gerneskir: Azure, a lozenge Or (a gold diamond on a blue field)
Jonnosh: Gules, a lozenge Or (a gold diamond on a red field)
Havelos: Sable, a lozenge Or (a gold diamond on a black field)
Maynem: Vert, a lozenge Or (a gold diamond on a green field)
As a matter of academic interest - the original sixth family, the Yragerne ahd the blazon Argent, a lozenge Or (a gold diamond on a white field)- a contravention of the Rule of Tincture (no colours on colours or metals on metals), but typical of the waywardness of the house.
The Sixth family, Longland, wasn't one of the originals - so it's blazon is distinct:
Chequey, argent and sable, a lozenge Or (A golden diamond on a field of black and white checks)
Individual members of the Families would modify these arms to personalise them.
So the arms of the current Despotrix, Ilena Norbelos would be:
Sable, a wooden throne proper, six lozenges Or in arrowhead, point baseward; in chief per bend, purpre and Or.
(apologies to any professional heralds for my no doubt terrible blazoning)
The lozanges represent the Six Great Families of the Gynarchy, while limiting the arms to only two tinctures (colours) reflects the Sueloise roots of the city (Suel nobles preferred coats of arms with two colours according to the 83 WoG boxed set).
Before the The Merchants' Coup of 517 CY, the arms of the city were the same as the arms of the Gynarchy. The new "rulers" of the city promulgated the modified arms to signify their triumph over the Gynarchs. The Gynarchs, knowing that they held all the strings anyway, were content to let the menfolk have their little delusions of grandeur.
:)
P.
Last edited by Woesinger on Wed Aug 24, 2005 3:24 am; edited 1 time in total
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Nice! Works for me.