What Do All Those Letters After Their Names Mean?
The letters following the names in the bylines represent some, but not necessarily all, of the Kingdom or Society level awards that person has received. This list of acronyms was compiled from the Rolls Ethereal.
KSCA - Knight of the Society (Society Level Award)
OL - Order of the Laurel (Society Level Award)
OP - Order of the Pelican (Society Level Award)
OC - Order of the Crescent (Grant Level Award)
OGC - Order of the Gauntlet (Grant Level Award)
OLC - Order of the Lux Caidus (Grant Level Award)
AOA - Award of Arms (Amerigious Award)
OCS - Order of the Crescent Sword (Amerigious Award)
ODC - Order of the Dolphin (Amerigious Award)
OHA - Order of the Harp Argent (Amerigious Award)
LoC - Legion of Courtesy
What Do They Mean by That?
For those who are unfamiliar with some of the terms and acronyms used within this Web site, here is a list of definitions:
MKA - Mundanely Known As. This acronym refers to a person’s legal name. We refer to life outside of the society as the Mundane world.
SCA – Society of Creative Anachronism. This is the name of the organization. For more information regarding the SCA, go to www.sca.org
Event – this is the standard word used to describe most gatherings that occur within the Kingdom of Caid (which incorporates Southern California, parts of Nevada, and the state of Hawaii). Generally events are only 1 day. However there are several events that can last several days, such as Collegium or Pentathalon. Events can include a wide range of activities, such as Tourneys, Feasts, Revels, etc.
Tourney – this is an event whose main feature is a fighting competition. It can be of any fighting form: heavies, rapier, youth combat, archery, or equestrian. For heavies, rapier, and youth combat, the format is typically one-on-one fights arranged in a double-elimination list.
Lists – this is both the name of the List of Combatants as well as the title of the person who is in charge of the List and the order of combat.
Heavies – this is the fighting form you would typically think of when you think of medieval combat. If you think knight in shining armor, you just might see one. Some of the fighters choose to wear full plate armor even though it is not the minimum arming requirement. This fighting form represents the dominant fighting form from the Roman legions to the heavy plate armor.
Rapier – this is the fighting form that you would associate with the Three Musketeers movies. The rapier started to be used in the 1500s.
War – this is a multiple day camping event whose main feature is to allow melee fighting scenarios. However, wars are known for a large range of activities and features, such as Merchants Row, A&S classes, and a variety of competitions.
THL – The highborn lord or lady. This is the title of recipients of a Grant level award. When addressing a person with this title your will call them, your lordship or ladyship. Recipients of amerigous awards only have the title of Lord or Lady and are addressed as My Lord or My Lady. Anyone without rank is still assumed to be of gentle birth and should be addressed as milord or milady even if they do not yet have an award or if it is only their first day.
Don – the title of a recipient of the Order of the White scarf.
Sir – the title of a Knight (within the SCA).
Master or Mistress – the title of recipients of Laurel or Pelican.
Baron or Baroness – the title of either the landed baron or baroness (the people who hold the Land of the Barony in the King’s name) or a court Baron or Baroness (recipients of the Kingdom level award). When addressing a baron or baroness you would call them Your Excellency.
King or Queen – the current head of state for the Kingdom of Caid. This position is a 6-month reign that is determined by the Championship of the Crown Tourney held in April or September. There is a 2 month period during which time the winner of Crown and the winner’s consort are called Prince and Princess. They assume the mantleship of the reign at Coronation held in June and November. When addressing a king or queen you would call them Your Majesty. When addressing a Prince or Princess you would call them Your Highness.
Duke or Duchess – When a person steps down from the throne, they are give a kingdom level award. The first time they step down they are given the title of Court or Countess (some people choose to use a title more appropriate to their persona, such as Yarl or Condessa). The second time the step down they given the title of Duke or Duchess. There are no additional ranks for someone who has been King or Queen more than 2 times. When addressing a count of countess, you would call them Your Excellency. When addressing a duke or Duchess you would call them Your Grace.