A crash course on Scribal

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A key part of the application to the Tournament of the Golden Swan is to hand write a letter in the style of your persona's time and place. I have zero skills in this so thankfully, my Pelican is extremely talented in Scribal!

In our Pel/proto ceremony I wrote her a small poem in which I emphasized I would never be a scribe. Fast forward to being in her workshop today. Look how happy she is:

I had worked with Elvina to have my letter blocked in an appropriate script and format. She created a document electronically for me to copy. It is gorgeous and it was fun to discuss the project with someone who was as enthusiastic as I was about letters and research. 

Once I had the layout, I had to learn a lot in a short amount of time. I had about 2 hours of undivided attention with the talented and knowledgeable Dama Maminka. She talked about paper, and specifically what I would be using, vegan vellum. She talked about some different inks, and gave me a thorough overview of the ink I would be using, including how it was made. 

She showed me dozens of writing utensils and all sorts of nibs, taking time to explain how they were the same, how they differed, and how various nibs would be used - here's just a sample of them below:

After the theoretical overview, she began a practical session. She showed me how to set up a light board, how to tape the pages down (not as simple as one would think), how to hold the pen, dip and prime the pen, and how to not drag your sleeves or other things through the finished work.

She gave a full demonstration, which I videoed, and then had me try. We tried several pens and different types of papers. Here I am trying three writing utensils on a piece of the pergamata (vegan vellum).

It looks pretty darn fine! It's surprisingly difficult to stop once started. I choose the second pen, just for interest's sake. She ended with showing me how to clean the pens, and then bundled everything up for me to take home.

By the time I left, I felt far more confident than when I first arrived. More than that, I'm looking forward to writing it out tomorrow. I'm so appreciative for my Pelican. No matter what she has going on in her life, she has time for me when I need her. Who knows... She might make a scribe of me yet!

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