So today, at the Harvest Feast for Blatha an Oir, I put forth my petition to enter the Sergeantry Trials as an Artisan. His Excellency Nels Ulfger i Jaren is my sponsor.
This petition was written from the point of view of my persona, Sibilia dell’Acqua, and heavily drawn from the work that I did for my Black Death class. I made it into a small book.
The Text:
To Their Illustrious Excellencies of Blatha an Oir, most virtuous and noble of Coronets,
I write to you from the Most Serene Republic of Venezia with tidings of this past year and to implore of you a boon. You may have heard of our travails from those who have fled the city but I am among those who remained.
Perhaps tales have reached you of the besieging of- Caffa. In fall, the Genoese fled divine vengeance, leaping into their ships and sailing for Messina. They bore poison on their lips and breathed out sickness.
At the time, my household knew nothing of this. My husband had received a prestigious commission to work on the Basilica di San Marco. I was concerned with winter feasting.
O, what fools were we.
There were signs, that winter. Some say the birds flew backwards, that one morning, the waters were dark as wine.
In January, our servant Flos came from market. She said there was a strange illness among the poor.
As the New Year began, March brought with it plague to the rest of Venezia. The sickness carried a foul stench and its victims had great swellings on the stomach, thigh, or neck.
Some of the sick were taken with strange visions, others could not be roused. Still others coughed up blood. I did not see it but I am told that their limbs became black and hard as if they had turned to stone.
The Great Council fought this darkness. Every ship was searched. If it hid foreigners or disease, it was set on fire. Drinking houses and wine boats closed. Those who disobeyed had their wines tossed into the canal. Once again, the water darkened.
We did as the physicians bade us. Vinegar and wine at every meal. I told the servants to take away fruit and vegetables, to only serve the most delicate of fowl and precious nuts though it cost us greatly. We tried to make merry, to avoid accidents of the soul.
By April, gondolas traveled the canals, calling for our dead. Law demanded that we bring our loved ones to be buried on other islands. I was too ill to help bring Flos to the gondola. Pascal, my husband carried her in his own arms.
The next morning, Pascal himself had to be brought to the waters.
The weather grew warmer. Now the city was empty. So many had died. Nobles fled to their homes in the country. The prisons were opened to fill the streets and our mourning was forbidden. We must all wear bright colors now to honor life over death.
And yet, when all seemed lost, I found purpose. My hands, once so idle, were put to work.
I learned how to serve and tend the sick. To cook simple meals and sew garments for those who needed them.
In the dark hours, where once I had felt so alone, my husband’s brush and his pen comforted me. I painted to bring warmth and light to empty rooms.
As the days grew shorter, I found joy again. And I know now that I must serve and teach as I am able.
To share that even in the darkest times, there is light within us all.
I have traveled across sea and shore to petition this renowned court. I humbly ask that you allow me to stand the Trials as an Artisan for the Sergeantry of Blatha an Oir.
Regardless or should I pass or fail these Trials, I offer my fealty to you, the Baron and Baronesa, and to bring honor to our Fair Populace through word and deed.
In love and hope,
Sibilia dell’Acqua
Written in the land of the living; from the Ruga dei Oresi on the banks of the Rialto in the Most Serene Republic of Venezia; on the 7th of November, and in the year of our God 13481*
- I omitted the final paragraph in the book that I created but am leaving it here as I think it’s fun. This was a little historical nod to a letter written by Francisco Petrarch to Cicero on June 16, 1345. The Ruga dei Oresi is a street in Venice where historically, goldworkers lived. My persona is the daughter of a goldbeater who married a goldsmith and artist. This is the area where she would have lived, at least during the years her husband was living. /nerd ↩︎
Leave a Reply