Arvingstekja
The Arvingstekja was a ceremonony in Vanic Elwynn on 13.XIII.1636, in which Vilhjálm Daniel Gudrödar was anointed heir to the Elwynnese throne.
The Arvingstekja ceremony
The Arvingstekja of Prince Vilhjálm Daniel Gudrödar Noahs- og Noorsson took place on the thirteenth day of Muulantooquu in the year 1636.
The Commencement of the Ceremony
The Arvingstekja commenced with a 62-gun salute in honour of the Prince of Amokolia followed by the sound of twelve brass gongs being struck in unison by twelve of the thirteen Hjartardýrlafðir, the matriarchal council composed of the highest ranking clergy of the Froyalanish Ancient Ways, the High Priestesses of the Thirteen Temples of Eluin.
The twelve brass gongs were spaced equally around the top of a man-made hill that is situated on the Konungstekjostaðr, a sacred site associated with the Elwynnese Kingship which is located in the heart of the Forest of Araxion. The mound is called the Arvingshaug and it is made of soil from all the Bailiwicks of the Elwynnese Union and covered with grass grown from seeds hailing from all the Thirteen Princely Precincts of the Jewel of Many Facets.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, the combined guest bands of the Fleur de Lys-Longships Guard, the Union Defence Force, and the Gentle(wo)men-at-Cudgels!", the Princess Geirbjörg of Elwynn, the greatgrandmother of the Prince of Amokolia, proudly boomed after the sound of the gongs had faded away.
The Princess Geirbjörg was standing in the center of the Arvingshaug behind an altar that was carved from a solid block of oily black ancient Valtian stone, by hands that were not human but Elvish. Next to Her Riverine Highness was another Royal Lady: the Yfirfroyalansgythia and High Priestess of the White Orchid Temple, the highest ranking cleric of the Froyalanish Ancient Ways and qualitate qua a Princess of the Ancient Ways.
Several Royal Governors and Prominent Citizens of Elwynn were also present at the top of the Arvingshaug. The same applied to all living relatives of the Prince of Amokolia with a connection to the Lands of the Two Sacred Rivers and representatives of the Royal Governments of the Imperial States of Shireroth.
A warhorn sounded and then - led by Prince Audun Joel of Araxion, the uncle of the Prince of Amokolia - thousands of pipers and drummers marched onto the Konungstekjostaðr on the tunes of the ancient Elwynnese folk song called "Elwynn the Brave". It was a stirring sight and enchanting to the ears of the hundreds of thousands of people who had flocked to this most sacred site to witness the Arvingstekja, the official presentation to the Twelve Peoples of Elwynn of the heir apparent to the White Orchid Throne and future King of the Flower of the North.
It was a display of the prosperity and power of the Elwynnese Union under the House of Orchids. To the Princess Geirbjörg, and plenty of Elwynnese and outlanders for that matter, was it very hard to believe that less than two decades ago Elwynn was on the verge of being shut down and now the country had due to the wise and benevolent policies of the Lions and the Falcons grown into the powerhouse of Shireroth.
Twelve times the guest bands of the Fleur de Lys-Longships Guard, the Union Defence Force, and the Gentle(wo)men-at-Cudgels marched around the Arvingshaug before splitting up in mixed groups and taking their places around the Konungstekjostaðr to await the arrival of the Kingly Couple and the Prince of Amokolia, except for one piper who walked to the Lady Yumi Zotrasdóttir, the Secretary of the King's Court, who was standing at the foot of the Arvingshaug.
The Arrival of the King and the Queen Consort Mortal
From the top of the Arvingshaug and with big fat smiles on their faces the two Ladies Royal saw the arrival of the King and the Queen Consort Mortal. What a lovely, loving and regal couple they made!
King Noah and Queen Noor had travelled to the Konungstekjostaðr in a richly decorated chariot which was drawn by twelve horses, each one having been donated by one of the Twelve Peoples of Elwynn. The King was holding the chariot's reins, while the Queen Consort Mortal had Her infant son in her arms.
The King was dressed in regal robes in the style of the ancient Kings of Amokolia and had chosen the White Orchid Crown as His royal headgear. The Queen Consort Mortal wore the same red dress that the Lady Tuuler Kalir had once in days long gone by worn to the inauguration of her son, Rashid Arsalani, as Grand Vizier of Babkha and that the Lady Esther Ayreon-Kalirion had worn as her wedding dress at her wedding to the Storjarl Hallbjörn Haraldsson. Her Riverine Majesty also wore an open crown that once had been used by Queen Victoria of the Kingdom-Empire of Victoria in her capacity of Queen of Amokolia. Their baby boy was dressed in a richly embroidered royal romper in Valtian style.
King Noah halted near the lone piper and gracefully gave the reins of the royal chariot to a Longship Guard, while Queen Noor handed the Prince of Amokolia to the Lady Yumi. The little one recognized her and squealed of joy. Noah then graciously and regally disembarked the chariot, lifted the Lady Noor by the waist and swept her off the chariot, tenderly setting His Lady Wife Mortal on the grass of the sacred site.
Queen Noor, King Noah, and the Lady Yumi then followed the lone piper - who played the ancient Amokolian folksong called "Die Göttin Elwynn" (which since the Ducal Reign of Harald of Froyalan has been adopted by the Froyalanish Vanafolk) - up onto the Arvingshaug.
"Halt! Who comes? Who comes before the Gods? ", the Yfirfroyalansgythia and High Priestess of the White Orchid Temple asked.
"Noah and Noor, husband and wife, King and Queen, and We are here, as predicted and decreed by the Vyraq Sajuun, to present Our baby boy, who was born in the south to rule in the north, to the Twelve Peoples of Elwynn", the King beamingly replied.
The Presentation of Prince Vilhjálm
The Yfirfroyalansgythia raised her hands toward the sky and intoned the words of an ancient incantation in a strange and enchanting tongue. When the last word of the incantation has passed the lips of the High Priestess of the White Orchid Temple the other twelve High Priestesses of the Thirteen Temples of Eluin then again struck the brass gongs in unison.
"People of Elwynn in Øyrating assembled! Come and see! Come and see! Come and see your undoubted future King!", the Yfirfroyalansgythia solemnly exclaimed. Joyfully, but orderly the hundreds of thousands of people present at the Konungstekjostaðr moved towards the Arvingshaug till the crowd reached its slopes.
The Lady Yumi gently handed King Noah the Prince of Amokolia. With his infant son in His arms the King strode to the east, south, west and north of the Arvingshaug. At each side, the Lord of the White Orchid Throne called for the Recognition of the Heir, with the words: "Ladies and Gentlemen of the Øyrating, behold this little child that We hereby present unto you! His name is Vilhjálm Daniel Gudrödar Noahs- og Noorsson of the Houses of Ayreon-Kalirion and of the Descendants of Freyja. He is Our undoubted heir and your future King! Wherefore all you who are come this day to this most sacred site to do your homage and service, are you willing to do the same?" At each cardinal direction side of the mount the people responded to the King's words with a loud affirmative roar so forceful that would they have been inside a building it would have blown its roof off!
The King's Champion's Challenge
Prince Vilhjálm's aunt, the Princess Fjǫrleif Llængjarla of the Houses of Ayreon-Kalirion and of the Descendants of Freyja, Princess of Anun, appeared on the Konungstekjostaðr. With the Lady Aurelia Myksos riding to her right and Queen Æsileif of Ravaria riding to her left - all of them dressed in full knightly armour and seated on white unicorns - she, the King's Champion, galloped through the crowd on a path kept clear by the Fleur de Lys - Longships Guard.
When the three Ladies Royal and Imperial had reached the top of the Arvingshaug, the White Orchid Herald stepped forward and proclaimed: "If any person, of what degree soever, high or low, shall deny or gainsay the Prince of Amokolia, son and next heir unto our Riverine Lord the King, to be the right heir to the White Orchid Throne, or that he ought not to enjoy the same; here is his Champion, who saith that zie lieth, and is a false traitor, being ready in person to take that person to hólm; and for those false words that traitor shall on hólm pay the consequences, on what day soever zie shall be appointed."
The Lady Fjǫrleif then threw down the gauntlet and rode to the east, south, west and north of the Arvingshaug. At each cardinal direction side of the mound, Her Riverine Highness dared, challenged and goaded people to step forward and deny or gainsay the Prince of Amokolia's heirship, to speak up now or remain silent forever; there was no answer but eerie silence.
The Proclamation of Acclamation
After a silence which seemed to last ages the twelve brass gongs were struck again and the Yfirfroyalansgythia proudly proclaimed: "People of Elwynn in Øyrating assembled, I hereby declare in the name of the Lady Elwynn, from whom all authority in the Flower of the North is derived, that His Riverine Highness Prince Vilhjálm Daniel Gudrödar Noahs- og Noorsson of the Houses of Ayreon-Kalirion and of the Descendants of Freyja, Prince of Amokolia, Prince of Elwynn, Llængjarl of Elwynn, Imperial Prince of Shireroth, Count of Northshire, Count of Arietta, Count of the Lady Esther Isles, Scion of St. Harald, Knight of the Holy Lakes, Scion of the King of Kings, and Gyldenbéagstíweard ende Baljuw to the Manor of Wiseacre, the Manor of Halfoak and the Manor of Kempten in the Bailiwick of Petersburg in the Kingdom of Amokolia, has been acclaimed as the undoubted heir apparent to the White Orchid Throne!"
The proclamation by the High Priestess of the White Orchid Temple was followed by minutes of hearty cheering, which abruptly ended when the twelve gongs were struck again.
The Presentation of the Honours of Amokolia
"We now pray to the Lady Yumi to bring before Us the Heralds of Arms of Our Realm and the Pairs of Elwyna so that Our Most Dearly Beloved Son can be presented with the Honours of Amokolia and receive homage of the aforesaid Twelve Grandees", the King commanded - and so it happened.
The Heralds of Arms solemnly walked by the King and presented the Prince of Amokolia, who was still lying in His fatherly arms, with the girdle, sword, crown, ring, orb, sceptre and kingly mantle of the ancient Kings of Amokolia. They then laid the Honours of Amokolia on the altar.
Homage to Prince Vilhjálm by the Pairs of Elwyna
Each of the Pairs of Elwyna kneeled before the King and laid on behalf of the People of Elwynn (s)he hailed from a precious gift for the Prince Vilhjálm at the feet of the little one's Lord Father, and subsequently took - in their native tongue - an oath of fealthy to the Prince of Amokolia in which they swore to become his future liege (wo)men of life and limb and of earthly worship, and that they would bear faith and truth unto him, to live and die against all manner of folks.
Prayer to the Goddess Elwynn
After the last Pair of Elwyna had done zir homage a single flute started playing an ancient romantic tune and the Yfirstormarksgythia raised her arms high up in the air and chanted aloud:
"Your Most Sacred Majesty Lady Elwynn Kwendia Eiseamlars- og Spedomhainsdóttir of Mount Yaanek and the Tower of Araxion, mighty and everlasting White Orchid Goddess, Lady Creator of all things Elwynnese, Lady Commander of Valkyries, Sacred Queen of the Flower of the North, who caused Your faithful servant Hallbjörn to triumph over his enemies, gave many victories to Richard, Harald and Ardashir, the three true and ancient Leaders of Your People, exalted Your humble servant Noah to the eminence of Kingship, enriched Nathaniel with the ineffable gifts of wisdom and peace. Hear our humble prayers and multiply Your blessings upon Your Most Sacred Majesty's servant and future Sacred Consort, whom in prayerful devotion we shall one day consecrate our King; that he, being strengthened with the faith of Hallbjörn, endowed with the savviness of Jonathan, armed with the courage of the Lady Björka, exalted with the humility of the Lady Tuuler and distinguished with the wisdom of Nathaniel, may please Your Most Vanic Majesty in all things and always walk without offense in the way of justice. May he nourish and teach, defend and instruct Your Most Sacred Majesty's Churches and Peoples and as a powerful King administer a vigorous regimen against the insolent ingrates as well as all visible and invisible powers of darkness, chaos and evil and, with Your Most Vanic Majesty's aid, wholly destroy them to keep the Jewel of the Many Facets to the concord of true Societal Harmony and Universal Peace; that, supported by the ready obedience and glorified by the due love of these, His future Subjects, he may by Most Sacred Majesty's mercy and indulgence ascend to the position of his forebears and, defended by the helmet of Your Most Vanic Majesty's protection, covered with Your Most Sacred Majesty's invincible shield and completely clothed with the armour of Yaanek, he may in total victoriously triumph and by his power intimidate the haters and bring Peace to those who fight for You, in whom subsists all Elwynnese Power, Kingship and Victory, who are the embodiment of all what is Good as well as the Joy of Life and Happiness of Your People, who shall live and reign with Your Most Vanic Majesty through the Deeds of Tuuler Kalir and Björka Hnossdóttir, forever and ever. Awyn!"
The Appearance of the Goddess Elwynn
At that very moment the White Orchid Goddess appeared in a burst of colourful loving magic. The Lady Elwynn was dressed in dark pink and purple, colours associated with love and lordship.
Love flared outward, filling every person present it touched. With Her arms the White Orchid Lady mimicked the motions of a mother cradling a child and the Sacred Queen of the Lands of the Two Sacred Rivers smiled assuringly to King Noah, Queen Noor and the others present.
In a magical and musical voice the Lady Elwynn promised that Prince Vilhjálm will have it all: the power and the glory when his kingdom comes.
The Goddess Elwynn then slowly faded away, leaving all those present with feelings of joy, warmth, and contentment.
The Departure of the King and the Queen Consort Mortal
King Noah and Queen Noor then departed, escorted by mounted (wo)men of the Fleur de Lys-Longships Guard, the Konungstekjostaðr for Araxion Castle at the head of a Royal Procession of chariots and carriages.
