So It Begins...

Many a year has passed since first I began my journey into the Knowne World. As a mere child the glistening knights and the decorative ladies brought forth my imagination and encouraged my love of the arcane. As I grew, so to did my knowledge and appreciation of the society I had become a part of. No longer did I airily claim to be a princess in satin dresses running through the camp, instead a need to participate and make my mark made itself known. 

The path of the fearless fighter striding into battle was not for me, neither was that of the craftsmen who works with wood, metal, and other materials. The self-sacrificing pelican, while a part of the way I was raised, was too hidden for my tastes as was. Instead, my talents lay in the ancient art of the scrivener. 

Traditionally, a scrivener (or scribe) was one of the few persons able to read and write. As such they were often employed by nobles or members of the clergy to record their histories, dictate letters, keep business records, etc. A professional copyist, it was often a scrivener who would use their skill in calligraphy and illumination to create the beautiful manuscripts that survive to this day.

As all must do in a new trade, I began at the bottom of the tier. My first forays into the art of the scrivener were nothing more than penning letters in various scripts and learning the art of calligraphy. After several years my penmanship was adequate enough to begin the next step of my trade, illumination. Illumination is the medieval art of book and page decoration to enhance the text of a manuscript in the form of initials, borders, and miniatures. Often done by the use of paint and gold leaf applied to the pages. 

Traditionally illumination was done in plant dyes and other natural pigments, in modern times we must substitute these with gouache, a water-based paint as close to the original consistency as possible. 

In the Kingdom of Calontir an illuminator begins their foray into the trade with the basic AOA. I completed roughly a dozen of these basic scrolls before I became bored with the monotony and simplicity of these pre made scrolls.

I was now ready to begin the third tier of my trade, original manuscripts. The work that goes into an original piece far exceeds anything done previously in the trade. It requires hours of research into period sources, countless attempts at recreation, and the patience to complete it correctly and as accurate as possible. But this was the challenge I needed, the extra nudge to test myself and prove what I could do.

And so my journey begins........