Thursday, September 3, 2015

A Call to Arms - Felwood

The View from Valehaven is pleased to announce the start of a new feature series, A Call to Arms, the aim of which is to showcase the different heraldries in the Realms. Every group and many organizations, guilds, and individuals have distinctive and different heraldries, and sometimes the outsider can't help but wonder what those heraldries mean to the people who bear them - what does the heraldry represent? How did it come to be? What is the story behind it? And so started the idea for this series. It is our hope at the View that we can all learn a bit more about each other, our game, and our history along the way. 
[Editor's note: if you are interested in submitting an individual, nation, guild, or group heraldry for the series, please email Jen (areni.daru@gmail.com) or any other View staff member]

The Felwood

by Steve "Sir Therian" Matulewicz

Photo provided by Steve Matulewicz



1. What does this heraldry currently represent?
This heraldry represents the Country known as the Felwood.

2. Please describe your heraldry for us.
It is forest green and brown, the split is vertical.  A gold quaternary Celtic knot in the center.  It is situated such that one quarter is halved by the split, leaving the center negative space to look like an "X".

3. Give us some background. How did your heraldry come to be? Who or what created it?
The Heraldry was created three years ago by myself, Sir Therian, along with  its other two founding members, Aymise and Hope.  The green and brown represent the forest itself, while the knot represents both eternity and the four elements.  The Gold of the knot represents wisdom, constancy, and faith.

4. Why was this heraldry chosen to represent you? What is the symbolism behind it? What was the inspiration behind the design?
The symbol was chosen to represent the coming together of peoples and creatures, within this sacred wood.   The base colors are the forest itself, which is actively defended by the sentient trees known as Ents.  The knot represents the unity of  the individuals that live in the forest, acknowledging that while we have all come from various parts and places, we are now one family and our fates are intertwined.

5. How long has the heraldry been in the game? Has it changed at any time since it was first created?
In its first creation about three or four years ago, , the background was a tan and the border and knot were red.  OOC, this came from an online game and I liked it initially.  But once we had the banner made, the tan color did not appeal to us as a group, and we changed it to reflect the developing philosophy.

6. What do you hope seeing this heraldry means to the rest of the Realms?
The purpose of Heraldry is identification, be it in a feast hall or across the field.  So at the very least, the hope is that people will see the banner and know this is for the Felwood.  On a more expanded level, the hope is that the name of the Felwood will  become known for honesty, truth even in the face of adversity, and for dependability in support of an endeavor.