Copyright © 1995 - Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc.
It was the consensus of the commenting heralds that the bat with the drops of blood was too suggestive of a vampiric persona which might be offensive to a substantial portion of the populace (and would be demonstrably a claim to powers beyond the normal sphere), even without the allusion to Dracula involved in the byname Draco. (LoAR 26 Oct 86, p. 12)
[A charged lozenge throughout fimbriated] The lozenge throughout is equivalent to "vetû" and that should never be fimbriated. (LoAR 23 Apr 88, p. 16)
Charging a chape or vetû is extremely bad practice in itself. (LoAR 30 Oct 88, p. 14)
[Vetû vs. a lozenge throughout] Long-standing Society precedent considers the two to be interchangeably depicted. (LoAR 17 Jun 90, p. 16)
[Barry of six, in pale on each trait a goutte] While a strict interpretation of the definitions for charges would imply that the gouttes here should be counted as charges, the small size of each charge diminishes the visual impact of each one. There is no doubt that visually they have only the weight of tertiary charges. (LoAR 25 Jan 87, p. 28)
In period a delf pierced would not have the piercing cover such a large portion of its "area" nor would it serve as a "frame" for another charge. However, both the proportionally greater "voided" space and the "frame" effect have been previously established in Society usage for mascles, which are no more complex visually, so it would appear pedantic to object to such a usage here. (LoAR 26 Apr 87, p. 1)
The use of a voided charge as a frame for another charge, whether or not that other charge is the primary charge is more than a trifle eccentric by mundane standards, period or modern, but it has been done frequently [enough] in Society heraldry to be accepted if the design is simple as it is here. (LoAR Aug 87, p. 6)
Despite its simplicity, the voided heart must be considered "thin line heraldry". (LoAR 30 Oct 88, p. 19)
Henceforth, any plain ordinary which may be placed in the center of the shield may be voided or given equivalent treatment (e.g., fimbriation if it is of the tincture of the field) without this being considered "thin line heraldry" or excessive fimbriation, even if that ordinary is charged, so long as no other voiding or fimbriation is present on the submitted armoury. (CL 20 May 89, p. 3)
While the degree of commentary on the issue of fimbriating and voiding complex ordinaries has not really been adequate to allow a clear-cut general precedent, there does seem to be a sort of queasy acceptance of such designs as this when the fimbriation gives the appearance of a diminutive of an ordinary and there are a limited number of tinctures involved. (LoAR 30 Sep 89, p. 2)
The cloves were too complex a charge to void (or chase or fimbriate, depending on how you were looking at the cloves).... They become classic "thin-line heraldry" when voided. This is a problem not only under the old rules (AR6c, Complexity Limit) but also under the new (Armorial Identifiability, VIII.3: "Voiding and fimbriation may only be used with simple geometric charges placed in the center of the design."). (LoAR 31 Dec 89, p. 22)
[Quarterly, five hearts conjoined in annulo, bases to center, voided] There is no doubt that the "voided heart" effect is too complex, especially when the hearts are conjoined in this unusual manner to form a pseudo-rose.... Even if you try and call it a single rose, there is substantial agreement in the College that the petals of a rose should not be voided, whether or not so blazoned. (LoAR 21 Jan 90, p. 19)
The voiding/fimbriation of the mullet unacceptably diminished its identifiability and, taken with its peripheral position, ... was just not period style. (LoAR 17 Jun 90, p. 15)
[The principal herald] has argued that a "properly drawn" pegasus volant will have the body essentially horizontal while the same beast rampant has the body essentially vertical. Unfortunately, there is no standard default depiction for monsters volant in the Society (the issue tends not to arise in mundane heraldry!) and the body position tends to vary somewhat. [LoAR July 88, p. 20)
Introduction and Index to Precedents of Alisoun MacCoul of Elphane