Crescent Flower of the Gallant

And there they were. Six generals, six heroes, being rewarded the highest honor by a coalition of kingdoms. Never before had Aell come together to recognize greatness. The crowd was weeping, their families stood proud behind them as the entourage of Queens and Kings awarded them their medal.

— Treatise on Honors & Awards around Aell, Dacie Trilles

The Crescent Flower of the Gallant is a medal given to heroes and veterans of the Irruption Wars. In total, about five dozen of these have been handed out. The uniqueness of this award is that they were presented and awarded by a coalition of Kings, Queens and governing entities of the surviving kingdoms from the war. It was led by Aurelians but as they had no kingdom of their own, the ceremonies were conducted in several kingdoms over a period of time.

History

The Crescent Flower of the Gallant was decided to be awarded immediately after the end of the Irruption Wars. Spirits were low and something was to be done, return hope to the denizens of Aell. So with the backing of the last remaining Aurelian nobles, a committee was formed with the participation of almost every surviving kingdom and decided to honor the heroes who distinguished themselves in this hard fight against the invaders.
The initial participants were the surviving members of the Grand Five and Nathaniel Whytelaw as their leader. Whytelaw, presumed missing or dead during the ceremonies is the only recipient who hasn't actually received his award having rejected it upon his return and having it placed on top of his family's grave.
Another notable recipient was Queen Statilia who despite her husband's, and then ruler, disagreement had taken a significant portion of the Iolcane's Imperium armies and joined the battle. Following after that with the Schism of the Iolcane which created the Domain of Satrea.
And one should not forget Chelbes the Raven who acting as a messenged delivered more than hundreds of messages across the battlefields, providing a strategic advantage.

Execution

The Crescent Flower of the Gallant as the name suggests has a crescent shape with a stem and has three tiers, each tier symbolized by a number of petals on the stem itself:

• One petal, for individuals who were valiant in any events within the Irruption Wars.
• Two petals, for individuals who were key to winning the Irruption Wars.
• Three petals, reserved only for those elite few who were not only instrumental in the Irruption Wars but also led the efforts to restore Aell to its former glory.

Components and tools

While the Crescent Flower of the Gallant was an award specific to the Irruption Wars, it has been recently reintroduced into Aell by The Illustrious Empire of Illion. It has been given to only two people so far, people who have been instrumental in bringing Aellirians closer together rather than driving a wedge between relationships.

Participants

List of individuals who have received this Honor:

• Jokaster Ermenred, Three Petals
• Kyrrian Mar, Three Petals
• Madame Avonne the Bright, Three Petals
• Alexander Backstrom, Three Petals
• Sir Urgay, Three Petals (post mortem)
• Nathaniel Whytelaw, Three Petals (never received or accepted)
• Statilia Progoni, Three Petals
• Alluin Farkana, Two Petals
• King Amatokos Crobán the Third, Two Petals
• Vénérande Marcatrude Saifuddien, Two Petals
• Noel Black Eye, One Petal
• Cierra - Arreic Ligriv, One Petal each
• Findguala the Pretty, One Petal
• Zaal Pandian, One Petal
• Chelbes the Raven, One Petal

Observance

The ceremonies were held at each honoree's kingdom or neutral grounds if that was not possible. The ruler of each kingdom, or the greatest military leader they had participated and each one of them hugged and thanked the participants. The ceremonies were grand and seas of people were gathered to watch, as it signified the end of a bloody war and the return of hope, hope that things might return to normal.
In each kingom, the recipient of the award was considered a person of honor and dignity, sometimes reaching to take part in governing their kingdom even. Some of them were considered of even higher repute than their own lords and ladies, the ones they served.

Primary Related Location

Aell