Heraldry & History
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The heraldry of the Realm has changed throughout history as various Dukes and Barons have ruled over the lands of the Duchy. With each change in leadership has come a change in the crests that represent the ruling powers and factions.

The Crest of Benedict the Just:

In the year 940 of the Age of Light, Benedict the Just was chosen to become the new Baron of Northgate. As such, his family crest became the ruling crest for the Barony.

For the next 68 years, the House of Benedict used this crest as the symbol of their rulership, under both Land Barons Benedict and Aaron. It was not until the the Third Barony Wars that a significant shift in power began to take place as Baron Aaron of Northgate was kidnapped.

The Crest of Silverpenny of Servosa:

A secret alliance by the Baronies of Servosa and Tomicia threatened to tear apart Northgate and destroy its demihuman population. As Servosan forces invaded neighboring demihuman lands, the Duke sent Tomician "peacekeeping" forces in to push out the invaders and reestablish order.

Fortunately, in the year 1008 of the Age of Light, Baron Silverpenny of Servosa, was captured near the front lines by the defenders of Northgate.

The six Royal Houses of Servosa, not completely behind the war in the first place, quickly abandoned their Baron's plight and left him to the judgement of the Northgate army. Forced to fend for himself, Silverpenny quickly agreed to a two-part deal for his own freedom.

First, Silverpenny revealed the location of Baron Aaron so that he could be freed. As the second part of the agreement, Silverpenny relinquished power of Servosa to the newly freed Baron Aaron, effectively taking Servosa out of the conflict. With the alliance now completely severed, Tomician forces withdrew from the lands they occupied and diplomatic resolutions began to take place.

Baron Aaron's departure from Northgate left a void in the ruling body. However, his ward and niece, Melissa, was almost old enough to assume leadership in his stead. Each heir of Benedict adopted the old crest into their own out of respect to their heritage, yet altering them slightly in order to match the lands of their rule.

The Crest of Melissa of Northgate:

Baroness Melissa kept the core principals of the traditional Crest of Benedict: two crossed keys of gold on a field of royal blue. The keys, however, were shifted to symbolize her alliance with her uncle, Aaron of Servosa, lest Tomicia forget the offenses committed during the recent conflict.

Baroness Melissa proposed, however, that it would benefit the healing process to revise the three crests of the Baronies, to symbolize the "fresh start" that the Duchy was undergoing. The Tomician diplomats, concerned more about keeping Duke von Ghering in power, seemed to appreciate the gesture and were more comprimising through the rest of the negotiations...

The Crest of Aaron of Servosa:

Baron Aaron took on the red halbard on a black field to represent the traditional colors of Servosa. To match the keys within the crest of his father, though, he incorporated two halbards to replace the keys.

By incorporating the design of his homeland that so many had died defending into the Servosan crest, Baron Aaron hoped that it would serve as a reminder for future generations of the past wars that had threatened to split the Duchy asunder. As did Baroness Melissa, Baron Aaron felt that the changing of the family crests represented a new beginning for their families in each of the two Baronies. The changes, he hoped, would help to facilitate the reunification of the Duchy, a union that will hopefully lead to a new age of prosperity.

The Crest of Duke von Ghering of Tomicia:

Duke Malcolm von Ghering maintained both his position of Baron of Tomicia and his rulership over the Duchy once the negotiations were completed. There were still many unanswered questions about the Duke's actual role in the Barony Wars, since some factions felt that his subordinates had acted on their own behalf with no instructions or orders from him.

Baroness Melissa and Baron Aaron knew the support to oust the Duke completely from power would not be found amongst the other leaders and nobles. With so much turmoil from the war within their own Baronies, though, they were content to not push the issue further and focus instead on protecting the region from further civil war. Thus, Malcolm von Ghering remained Duke of Allwyn. While his rulership of Tomicia was unaffected, however, his power and influence over Northgate and Servosa was greatly diminished.

Just as Baroness Melissa urged a new beginning, though, the Duke agreed to rearrange the white clovers of the Tomician Barony Crest to better symbolize the unity sought from the negotiations. This final concession seemed to end the negotiations on a positive note.

Former Crest of Tomicia		Unified Crest of Tomicia

In closing discussions, it was made clear by the Council of Barons and the other gathered leaders and diplomats that there was little tolerance for further scheming or aggression from the Duke, if he was in fact behind much of the conflict, in the future. Many in attendance desired instead a better future for the Duchy of Allwyn, agreeing that the chaos of the past once responsible for the downfall of Hadran had almost brought about the ruin of the realm once again...

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