The Pearls of Great Price of Stargate

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Holders of the Pearls of Great Price of Stargate
The Pearl of Great Price is the highest honor bestowed by the Barony. It is given solely at the descretion of the Baron and Baroness. It is non-armigous and carries no precedence but to be named a Pearl is a rare honor. The tale of the Pearl of Great Price is given at the bottom of the roll of the holders of the Pearl.

Sabia Gunnhild Hunang given by Baron Tarl Mapt

Edwina Dirks Sterne

Geoffrey Cathan given by Baron Bran de Tintreak and Her Excellency Mistress Ellisena "Lissa" de Bayonne

Fenris of Twycross given by Baron Bran de Tintreak and Her Excellency Mistress Ellisena "Lissa" de Bayonne

Bran de Tintreak given by Baron Michael Silverhands and Mistress Neassa the Obstreperous

William of Weir given by Baron Michael Silverhands and Mistress Neassa the Obstreperous

Philippa Rookhaven given by Baron Michael Silverhands and Mistress Neassa the Obstreperous

Rose Stewart Cathan given by Baron Michael Silverhands and Mistress Neassa the Obstreperous

Hillary Rose Greenslade given by Baron Michael Silverhands and Mistress Neassa the Obstreperous

Michael Silverhands given by Their Excellencies Sir Godwin of Edington & Mistress Ellisena "Lissa" de Bayonne

Neassa the Obstreperous given by Their Excellencies Sir Godwin of Edington & Mistress Ellisena "Lissa" de Bayonne

Francois la Flamme given by Their Excellencies Sir Godwin of Edington & Mistress Ellisena "Lissa" de Bayonne

Perronnelle Charrette de La Tour du Pin given by Their Excellencies Sir Godwin of Edington & Mistress Ellisena "Lissa" de Bayonne

Kaitlyn McKenna given by Their Excellencies Sir Godwin of Edington & Mistress Ellisena "Lissa" de Bayonne

Katherine Constancia de Feltre given by Their Excellencies Sir Godwin of Edington & Mistress Ellisena "Lissa" de Bayonne

Mistress Ellisena "Lissa" de Bayonne given by Their Excellencies Master Ihon Vinson MacFergus & HL Isabeau Quiquandon

Mistress Annes Clotilde von Bamburg given by Their Excellencies Master Ihon Vinson MacFergus & HL Isabeau Quiquandon

His Excellency Sir Godwin of Edington given by Their Excellencies Master Ihon Vinson MacFergus & HL Isabeau Quiquandon

The Tale of the Pearl of Great Price
 
Many a year ago, in the mists of time, in the earliest year of the Stargate, Myrrdyn ap Rhys, First Baron, First of The Nine, walked alone and burdened with the cares of his young barony. His mind was bent to the problems that beset the populace given into his care by the King of Atenveldt (for Ansteorra was not even a glimmer in the mind of the people of the time). He felt the weight of responsiblity and wondered how he could persever against such odds as he forsaw in his darkling dreams.
 
Wrapped in his cloak, he thought of the storms the barony had just weathered and his eyes took in the wrack of leaves and litter that drifted here and there, piled up by wind and wave and drenching rains.
 
His wandering feet took him down to the shore away from the castle, his mind and soul instinctively seeking the home from whence he came, for the Sea was the original home of the Nine. The day was sullen and the winds quiet. Even the waves merely lapped at the shore as though even the sea itself was exhausted from the violence of the last few hours. The stillness weighed upon him and the sound of his boots grating in the sand sounded loud in his ears. Head bowed; his eyes watched his boot tips kick up sand with each step.
 
Suddenly, into his limited downward gaze came a gleam of white so pure and rare that he stopped in amazement. There, strewn through the sand at his feet, were numberless pearls, each perfect, each gleaming with a rare and luminous light. Falling to his knees in the wet sand, he picked up one with a trembling hand and held it up to his eyes. Never had he seen something so beautiful. He understood in a flash that with just this one pearl he could demand anything of any man and they would give everything they had, instantly, in order to possess it....and he had so many of them...laying in front of him, just waiting for his hands to gather them.
 
And gather them he did, sifting the sand through his fingers to find and save each precious pearl. As he did so, his hands found something hard buried in the sand and gently scraping he uncovered an ancient crown encrusted with more of the beautiful, luminous, gleaming pearls. Many pearls were missing in their settings and he realized that the loose pearls he had been gathering came from this Crown. He uncovered it and prized it from the clinging sand and held it up to the sky to view its beauty.
 
The gleam from the wet pearls intensified to pierce his eyes and as the light reached a painful peak he heard a voice speak in his mind. It was like unto the voice he heard upon seeking a name for The Stargate and it said, "Give my beauty to those who are worthy. Give my price to those who give of themselves without counting the cost."
 
Trembling he asked, "How shall I know them?" The voice replied, "Watch carefully. Those who shall be called The Pearls will reveal themselves to you by their thoughts, their words, and their deeds. You will know them by the light in their eyes. You, and all who shall follow you when you are gone, shall have The Sight to see those who are The Pearls, for this Crown bestows this gift upon you and all who succeed you." Myrrdyn bowed his head in acceptance of the gift.
 
"But", the voice grew stern, "Tell no one how many Pearls you have nor how many remain as they are given. For if their number is known, they shall crumble into dust and be no more and The Stargate will loose its greatest treasure." With these words, the ancient Crown suddenly began to crumble.
 
Myrrdyn scrambled to catch the pearls as they dropped from the disintigrating crown. Some he lost in the sand and a few washed out with the retreating waves, but he recovered many. These he carefully wrapped in a corner of his cloak and turning, he walked back up the shore and into castle where he secreted them away in a place known only to himself.
 
Since that day and all the days since, the Rulers of the Stargate have the Sight. Their eyes can find those that walk among us who are so precious to our Barony that if we should lose them, we would feel as though we had lost all. To each of these gentles, softly and with great love, Myrrdyn and all that followed--Tarl and Arlene; William and Gladwyn; William of Wier and Pippa; Bran and Elissena; Bran and Sindra; Michael and Neassa; Godwin and Elissena; Ihon and Isabeau and all who will follow these--to each that they find of such priceless value---they gift this worthy with one of the Pearls of Great Price with joy and honor for the beauty of their life among us. 
 
Only the Barons and Baronesses know how many Pearls are left to us. Let us hope that they are a countless as the stars and the sands of the shore.