GSIII Weddings: Brownyng and Enegue

Brownyng and Enegue

On December 7, 1996, Lord Enegue LionHeart, the owner of the Silvergate Inn and one of Elanthia's most respected men stunned the Wehnimer's Landing social set by slipping off on the night of Silvergate's first Winter Gala and secretly marrying an unknown healer of six trainings named Brownyng Borouk. Choruses of "It will never last" were soon lost in a marriage that has come to be known as one of the most stable and productive in all of Elanthia.

A year after that first elopement (which was witnessed only by Enegue's brother and Anthius, the House Clerk), it was decided that a more appropriate ceremony should take place to celebrate the long marriage. On December 6, 1997, both a second Winter Gala and a Vow Renewal Ceremony were planned. The ceremony would not only resolidify the couple's commitment before society, but would also allow them to incorporate Brownyng's rich Illistim heritage into their marriage through the bonding of the RuneRings. Furthermore, it gave them the opportunity to announce the impending birth of their son, Ilstar, who was born the following July.

On the night of the Gala, several hundred friends and relatives gathered in the newly-built Performance Hall to witness the ceremony. The Hall was sanctuaried to minimize distractions, and before the ceremony guests were able to take in the new Hall, with it's velvet curtains and lovely friezes.

The group of those taking part in the ceremony entered the room at once, led by Lord Enegue. He looked dashing in a stately royal blue velvet cloak, caught at the shoulder with a silver clasp fashioned into the shape of his family and House crest: a rampant lion. He wore a white silk shirt, black trousers edged with silver runes, highly polished black boots and a silver band tying back his sandy blonde hair.

Denoting her status as mother-to-be, his young wife was wearing a lovely gown of gold threaded ivory damask in a beautiful rose pattern, with a high waist, softly draping skirt, fitted sleeves and gold cording trim. She wore an antique Ixyian lace veil, and carried a book of prayers to her goddess Oleani. A tiny gardenia attached to a silk ribbon between the prayer book's pages filled the room with Brownyng's signature scent.

The ceremony was conducted by two Legendary clerics from the beginnings of time, before Elanthia was Elanthia. Lord Raphael Kinevon, Chairman and Co-Founder of the House of the Arcane Masters and Lady Misdy Meanor honoured the couple by conducting the vow renewal. Raphael opened the ceremony with a blessing, and then called the four elements in a moving ritual.

Once the ceremony was opened, the honour attendants each blessed the couple with a special ceremony of their own design. Lady Cullien De'Chezeray served as the bride's honour attendant, and performed a beautiful ceremony in which the ate salted bread and drank whiskey, while remembering the sanctity and brevity of life. Lady Mistyrose Le'Brat, Lord Enegue's honour attendant, then performed her own ceremony in which she blessed the couple's unborn child, and sang her first (and she says last) song in public in honour of her friend the master Bard, who sang at her own wedding many years before.

After the honour attendants' rituals, they each presented the two clerics with the RuneRings, the sacred marriage rings of the Elven House of Illistim. Wrought from a single piece of pure gold, the RuneRings were infused with strong magic by Illistim craftsman, and etched with the Elf Runes for trust, fidelity, friendship, contentment, passion and love. During the ceremony, each rune would be 'activated' by the clerics, so that when the RuneRings were worn by the couple, they would become one soul and their marriage would be infused with the essence of the Runes.

Each Rune was invoked separately by either Lord Raphael or Lady Misdy. Each would speak a blessing about the quality imbued by the Rune and then, holding the RuneRings above their heads, invoke the powers of that Rune into the rings. At that point, one of Brownyng's and Enegue's friends from the crowd would stand up and present the couple with a gemstone. Each gemstone was chosen for its meaning and presented with the Rune that it matched. The couple keeps the gems in white silk pouches as a reminder both of their bond, and of the friends that they hold dear. The gemstone for trust (aquamarine) was presented by Lord Quiet, the master Thief; Lord Celtic presented a dragonsbreath sapphire for fidelity; Lord Dartaghan presented an amethyst for friendship; Lady Ylena gave the bride an emerald for contentment; and Lord Kree presented a ruby for passion. The couple presented each other with gemstones representing their love for each other.

The astute amongst the guests noticed a certain tongue-in-cheek aspect to the presentation of the different gemstones. The trust gem was presented by Quiet, a master thief who, after presenting Enegue with the gem, promptly stole it back. Lord Celtic, known throughout the Lands for his tastes for and in women, presented fidelity, and Lady Ylena, whose clothing and useless item collection is the most extensive in the Lands, presented contentment. Lord Kree, widely known as being completely passionless, presented passion and Lord Dartaghan attempted to eat his gem. Noone knows why. The silliness, which was near hysteria in group whispers, did not seem to have any permanent ill effects on the marriage.

After the invoking of the final Rune, the couple each slipped the RuneRing on their own finger in the elven tradition, and were declared one soul for time and for all eternity. After much congratulations and well wishes, many guests returned to the Gala, while others remained in the Performance Hall for a lovely concert featuring Lady Ylena.

Re-copied from Silvergate Inn Wedding Pages, click here.

Note: I have borrowed copies of the weddings from the Silvergate Inn and other places to preserve memories incase of lost or stolen pages. If you do not wish for me to have these on my shelves, I will remove them and store them away in my vault.

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