SCA - West Kingdom College of Heralds | Heraldic Templates

Heraldic Templates -- Ordinaries and Peripheral Charges

The following links are to pages that contain images that you can use to help design your armory -- this set of images are for what are called ordinaries and peripheral charges -- there are descriptions below.

Instructions (please read):

If you want to use this for your heraldic submission, or print it for any reason, click on the 'PDF File' link -- a new browser window will open, and you can print from there.

When you print the PDF file, make sure that the option "Fit to page" is not selected, otherwise it may print the charges larger than expected.
These should be sized to be close to the submission forms, and you can trace over them directly onto your form(s). For straight lines you might want to use a ruler to help.
For charges that do not depend on the field for their shape the PDF contains multiple sizes of individual charges to assist in getting something close to what you might need for your armory. For charges that depend on the field (the heater/shield shape) for their shape, only one size is given.

Note that printing the GIF Files may not provide images that are the correct size for the heraldic submission forms.

Ordinaries and Peripheral Charges

Most of the following is extracted from or paraphrased from A Pictorial Dictionary of Heraldry As Used in the Society for Creative Anachronism¹ as are many of the descriptions used for the ordinaries and peripheral charges.

Ordinaries are perhaps the oldest and most common heraldic charges, being simple geometric shapes bounded by straight lines (or semi-circular curves, for some). Their shapes may have been derived from the reinforcing bands of a shield. There is disagreement in heraldry texts over the distinction (if any) between an ordinary and a sub-ordinary, and which charges fall into which categories. The general SCA usage refers to the central ordinaries, which cross the center of the field -- the bend, chevron, cross, fess, pale, pall, pile, and saltire -- and the peripheral ordinaries, which lie on the field's edge -- the base, bordure, canton, chief, flaunches, orle, and tierce.
     In general, ordinaries are drawn so as to take up one-fourth to one-third the width of the shield; the bordure and the orle are typically somewhat narrower. These are rules of thumb only, not precise divisions; the exact proportions will vary, depending on the composition of the device. If the ordinary is surrounded by secondary charges, it will be drawn somewhat narrower; if the ordinary is itself charged, or if it has a complex line of division, it will be somewhat wider.
     When more than one of an ordinary is used in armory, they must necessarily be drawn narrower; these are called the diminuitives of that ordinary. Special terms may be used in those cases: the diminuitive of the fess is the bar, the diminuitive of the bend is the bendlet, etc. The diminuitive term should not be applied to single ordinaries, but only when there are two or more of them (or, rarely, when the visual importance of the ordinary is in some way reduced: a bendlet enhanced, for instance).
     Ordinaries are subject to the complex lines of division -- embattled, wavy, etc. Only the double-sided ordinaries, however, may be dancetty, voided, fimbriated, or cotised. For more information, see the entries for the individual ordinaries.
Cotising is the addition to either side of an ordinary of a stripe parallel to the ordinary's edge; these stripes are usually termed cotises. The bend was the earliest ordinary to be cotised in mundane heraldry, but the fess and the pale quickly followed; and any double-sided ordinary may be cotised in Society heraldry.
     Cotising an ordinary is considered the addition of secondary charges; a bend between two cotises is another way of saying a bend cotised. (Alternatively, cotising an ordinary is equivalent to placing it inside an ordinary voided; e.g. a cross cotised and a cross within a cross voided yield the same emblazon.) In some ways, however, cotising is comporable to a complex line of division; certainly the cotises cannot exist without the central ordinary, and they have nothing to do with any other secondary charges.
     Cotises follow the line of their central ordinary by default; e.g. a fess wavy cotised will have a fess wavy between cotises wavy. It is also possible for the cotises to have a different line than their ordinary: e.g. a bend plain cotised dancetty, c.1420. Double and triple cotises are also possible, although the latter in only the simplest of armory.
     Some ordinaries have special terms for cotising: the cotises for a pale are called endorses, and the whole is blazoned a pale endorsed or between endorses. The cotises for a chevron may also be called couple-closes.
Gemel -- the term means "twinned", and was the medieval term for what is today blazoned a bar gemelle. In Society armory, other ordinaries may be gemelled as well ... An ordinary gemelled looks no different from that ordinary voided, but the usage is not the same: an ordinary gemelled has no charges in is interior. It is considered a single, self-contained charge.

In addition, Friar (A Dictionary of Heraldry, Stephen Friar, Harmony Books, ISBN: 0-517-56665-6) notes these attributes:

Fimbriated -- An ordinary when edged by a narrow band of metal or colour is said to be fimbriated. The tincture of the fimbriation should always comply with the tincture convetion. This enables a red cross to be combined with a blue field when fimbriated Argent, for example.
Voided -- Of a charge, the centre of which is removed to reveal the field or another tincture.

Ordinaries

Ordinaries in the definition used here cross the center of the field. They are generally large, although depending on what else you are doing you might need to make them a bit smaller. The rule of thumb is that ordinaries are about one-third to one-fourth of the width of the shield.

NOTE: if you click on the link for the ordinary you will be taken to a new page that shows ordinary with the different lines of partition. For example, in the first column the word "Bend" is underlined - this is a link, and if you click on that, a new page will appear that shows the bend with different lines ...

Bend     The bend is an heraldic ordinary, a diagonal stripe from the dexter chief to the sinister base of the shield. Its diminuitive is is the bendlet; SCA blazonry does not recognize any other terms for the bend's diminuitives.
     The baton or baston was originally another term for the bendlet; but by the 14th Century it had acquired the meaning of bend couped, and this is both its modern and its Society interpretation.
     The bend embattled is only embattled on its upper edge, unless specifically blazoned (embattled) counter-embattled or bretessé. The bend enarched (or embowed) curves to chief unless otherwise specified; it was originally meant to depict the convexity of the shield, and consequently no heraldic difference. The bend bevilled, was used (under a different blazon) in the arms of Yorkes, mid-16th Century.

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Bend Sinister     The bend sinister is the mirror image of the bend, running from sinister chief to dexter base. Its diminuitives may be called bendlets sinister or scarpes In other respects, the comments on the bend apply to the bend sinister as well.

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Chevron     The chevron is an heraldic ordinary, an inverted V-shape issuant from the sides of the shield. The placement on the shield may vary, depending on the surrounding charges and the style of the emblazon. It may be throughout, or not, without necessarily being so blazoned; it may be slightly raised to chief, or shoved to base, and this would not be blazoned.
     The diminuitive of the chevron is the chevronel; SCA blazonry does not recognize any other terms for the chevron's diminuitives. Chevronels or multiple chevrons are in pale by default. Another common arrangement is chevronels braced, with the limbs of the chevronels fretted together.
     A chevron between couple-closes is another way of blazoning a chevron cotised. When a chevron is inverted, its limbs still issue from the sides of the shield (not from the corners of the chief); this variant is found c.1600 in the arms of von Chöntzin. A chevron embattled is only embattled on its upper edge, unless specifically blazoned (embattled) counter-embattled or bretessed.
     Of the more bizarre terminology: A chevron ecimé has its point lopped off. A chevron couched is issuant from the side of the shield; the chevron should be specified as couched from dexter or couched from sinister. ... a chevron enarched is bowed to chief, convex; a chevron ployé is bowed to base, concave. These were originally meant to depict the convexity of the shield, and consequently carry no heraldic difference from a plain chevron.
     The most confusion has come from what may be called the "broken chevrons": those that are in some way fracted or offset. No two references define them in the same way, and even SCA definitions have changed over time. The following are definitions currently in use: A chevron rompu or debruised has its point offset to chief; it is found as an heraldic charge in Glover's Ordinary, 154. A chevron fracted has its point offset to base (as shown in Elvin's Dictionary of Heraldry). A chevron disjoint has its point removed altogether, rather like two batons conjoined in chevron. (It is termed a chevron fracted in Woodward; some early SCA blazons use the term in that meaning.)

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Cross     The cross is an heraldic ordinary, a vertical lath conjoined to a horizontal lath. As an ordinary, it is throughout by default, and subject to all the usual treatments -- e.g. embattled, wavy, voided, cotised -- but as the symbol of Christianity, it was elaborated and varied by the medievals more often than any other charge.
[Details on use of the cross as a charge, not as an ordinary, can be found in its own category here: Crosses]

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Fess     The fess is an heraldic ordinary, a horizontal stripe across the center of the shield. Its diminuitive is the bar, or in extreme cases the barrulet; Society blazonry does not recognize any other terms for the fess's diminuitives.
     The dance is another name for the fess dancetty; some texts hold that it was an independent charge in medieval times. The term is authorized for use in SCA blazonry, in the hope that it will reinforce the medieval definition of dancetty.
The bar gemel (literally "twinned bar") is visually equivalent to a fess voided; it differs in use, in that it is considered an independent charge, and no other charges come between its two halves. Medieval heralds blazoned it simply a gemelle, but the treatment may be applied to other ordinaries as well.
     In like manner, the humet is a medieval name for a fess humetty; the term is not much used today, since other ordinaries may also be humetty.
     The fess embattled is only embattled on its upper edge, unless specifically blazoned (embattled) counter-embattled or bretessed. The fess enarched curves to chief unless otherwise specified; it was originally meant to depict the convexity of the shield, and consequently carries no heraldic difference from the plain fess.

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Pale     The pale is an heraldic ordinary, a vertical band down the center of the shield, occupying roughly one-third to one-fourth the shield's width. Its diminuitive is the pallet; SCA blazonry does not recognize any other term for the pale's diminuitive.
     The pale offset is divided along the fess line, with each half then shifted to dexter or sinister. The pale bevilled is divided bendwise sinister and similarly shifted. The cotises of a pale are termed endorses; it may be blazoned a pale endorsed or a pale between two endorses.

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Pall     The pall is an heraldic ordinary, a Y-shaped form joining the points of the shield with its center. Its width is one-third to one-fifth that of the shield. Like the cross, the pall has no diminuitives.
     The pall is often found inverted in Society heraldry. Other special terms include the shakefork, a pall humetty. ... The pall's limbs may also be treated in the same manner as those of the cross: e.g. a pall patonce is cited in mundane armory.

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Pile     The pile is an heraldic ordinary consisting of a triangle issuant from the chief of the shield to the base point, or almost reaching it. It seems to have derived from attempts to fit a pale onto a heater-shaped shield, with the bottom pinched together rather than cut off.
     The medieval pile is about one-third the shield's width at top, and is throughout to the base point; the Tudor pile is wider and squatter, and does not reach all the way throughout. Either form is found in Society heraldry, though the medieval form is encouraged; no heraldic difference is counted between the two, or between throughout vs. not.
     Multiple piles are common in mundane and Society heraldry; no diminuitives of the pile are recognized. Multiple piles with their points conjoined may be blazoned piles in point; this was the medieval default for multiple piles, due to their derivation from pinched pallets. If multiple piles are palewise, instead of in point, this should be explicitly blazoned.
     Piles sometimes issue from other points besides the chief: there are examples in late-period armory of piles inverted or issuant from base, piles issuant from dexter, and bendwise (issuant from dexter chief). In Society heraldry there are even piles in saltire.
     The pile is subject to the normal lines of division, including cotising and voiding; the pile ployé, with concave arched lines, is unique to Society heraldry.

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Saltire     The saltire is an heraldic ordinary, an X-shaped form intersecting the upper corners of the shield, and occupying one-third to one-fourth of its width. The diminuitive of the saltire is called a saltorel; this term is only used when there is mor than one saltire on the field, as in three saltorels flory. (The term does not mean a skinny saltire; as with the fillet cross, such non-medieval usage is not permitted.)
     The saltire was also called the cross of St. Andrew, since the saint was supposed to have been murdered on one. Other special forms include the saltire couped, dating from 1275 in the arms of Boyville; this variant is normally couped horizontally, rather than squarely (though there are some exceptions in Dutch arms). The cross of St. Julian is a cross crosslet set saltirewise. In other respects, the saltire may be treated as if it were a cross: for example, one might have a saltire flory, or a saltire patonce. It is also subject to the usual lines of partition: embattling, voiding, cotising.

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Peripheral Charges

Peripheral Charges in the definition used here tend to lie at the edge of the shield. They are generally large, although depending on what else you are doing you might need to make them a bit smaller. The rule of thumb is that peripheral charges are about one-third to one-fourth of the width of the shield. Bordures and orles tend to be smaller.

[Changing the type of peripheral charge is a single difference when comparing to pieces of armory for conflict.]

Base     The base is an heraldic ordinary, occupying the bottom one-third to one-fourth of the shield. It is subject to most of the lines of partition -- embattled, nebuly, etc. -- but because it has only one edge, a base may not be dancetty, nor may it be fimbriated, cotised or voided. The base has no diminuitives.
      A ford proper is a base barry wavy azure and argent, and is used to represent water (or for canting purposes). It is argent and azure on a dark field, and azure and argent on a light field. Other tinctures may not be termed a ford, but must be blazoned explicitly; i.e., one would not blazon a ford vert and Or, but rather a base wavy barry wavy vert and Or.
      Other forms of the base are a point, a point pointed, and a mount.

A mount is the heraldic representation of a hill. It is drawn as a rounded hillock issuant from base; it is equivalent to a base enarched to chief. It is sometimes drawn naturalistically, with tufts of grass; Society heraldry considers this artistic license, and it's often ignored in SCA emblazons. A mount proper is vert, and some texts claim that mounts are vert by default; but they have no default coloration in Society heraldry.
     If the mount is not issuant from base, but cut off at the bottom, it must be blazoned couped. The mount may also have more than a single hillock, especially in Italian heraldry: three, six, or ten hillocks are possible, and would be blazoned, e.g., a mount of three hillocks (or coupeaux, or peaks). This form dates from 1413, in the arms of the Kings of Hungary.
     A variant of a mount is the mountain, representing a mountain instead of a hill. The mountain is usually drawn naturalistically, with rocky crags and a peak; the exact details are not blazoned. Like the mount, it is issuant from base unless otherwise specified.
     The mount should not be confused with the mound, which is another name for the orb.
A point is one of the corners of the shield. The unmodified term is synonymous with a base. ... Society armory may use either the base point alone or all three points; the latter is considered balanced enough to be compatible with period style.
     The point is most often used in a modified form called a point pointed: a triangular shape issuant from base, extending roughly one-third the height of the shield. The sides are properly drawn with concave sides, but flat sides seem to be within the artist's license.

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Bordure     The bordure is an ordinary around the edge of the shield, typically one-eighth to one-tenth its width. It is subject to most of the lines of division -- embattled, wavy, etc. -- but because it has only a single edge, the bordure cannot be dancetty, nor may it be fimbriated, voided, or cotised.
      The bordure has no diminuitives in present Society heraldry. Some early SCA blazons used the term bordurelet, as an indication to the artist that the bordure should be skinny; but this is poor practice, and is no longer done.
     The addition of a charged bordure is a common way of differencing, both in mundane and Society heraldry. Bordures surmount all other ordinaries except chiefs and cantons. Even then, the bordure does not run along the bottom edge of the chief; rather, the chief completely surmounts the bordure The use of both chief and bordure is considered at best poor practice, and is disallowed when the chief and bordure are of the same tincture.

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Canton     The canton is a square section of the shield, issuant from one of the corners. It is a charge from early armory, c.1255. Unless stated otherwise, it issues from the dexter chief corner; a sinister canton issues from the sinister chief.
     The canton is classed as a sub-ordinary by some authors. The same charge is also called a quarter; 19th Century writers tried to distinguish between the two, saying the quarter was one fourth the area of the shield, and the canton one-ninth. No such distinction is made in medieval and Society heraldry; it's drawn as large as necessary, to accomodate the design of the shield.
     Charged cantons were a period form of augmentation, and their use is so reserved in the Society.

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Chief     The chief is an heraldic ordinary, occupying the upper one-third to one-fourth of the shield. It is subject to most of the lines of partition -- embattled, nebuly, etc. -- but because it has only one edge, a chief may not be dancetty, nor may it be fimbriated, cotised, or voided.
     A chief triangular is formed by lines from the upper points of the shield, drawn to a point. The name is a translation of chef triangulaire, the French term for the charge; but the charge is found in English armory (under another name) as early as 1480, in the arms of Bamme.
     A chief enarched is drawn with a concave arch; it was originally meant to depict the convexity of the shield, and consequently carries no heraldic difference. The chief double-arched and triple-arched (with two and three concavities each) seem to be Society inventions.
     A fillet is a narrow bar overlying the edge of a chief; though attested in heraldic tracts (Legh, 1562), it does not seem to have been actually used in period armory ... unlike the diminutives of other ordinaries, the fillet cannot be used except with its parent chief. Since the fillet's prescribed usage is equivalent to a fimbriated chief, the only permitted way it may be used in the Society is a chief charged with a fillet counterchanged.

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Flaunches     Flaunches (singular flank) are of obscure origin, but are said to represent the gaps in a lady's sideless surcoat. They issue from the corners of the chief, and proceed in circular arcs to base.
     Flaunches always occur in pairs; there are no single flaunches. They were sometimes charged in period, the earliest instances dating to c.1460, and may thus be charged in Society heraldry.
     Some texts consider flaunches to be sub-ordinaries, but Society heraldry doesn't recognize that distinction. Flaunches do share the restrictions on other single-sided ordinaries, however: they may not be voided, cotised, or fimbriated. There are no diminutives of flaunches in Society heraldry, nor may they be born enhanced.

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Gore     A gore is considered a sub-ordinary by some texts, and a rebatement of honor by others; it seems to be an invention of heraldic writers. It probably is not an actual medieval charge at all -- no instance of actual period use has yet been documented -- but as it was described in Legh's Accidence of Armory, 1562, it has been accepted for use in Society heraldry.
     The gore may issue from either the dexter or sinister side of the shield; the default gore issues from dexter. It may be found either singly, or in pairs; the former has been termed better armory.
     The gusset is an artistic variant of the gore, which is drawn with straight lines instead of curved lines. Actual instances of its use have been documented in Scots heraldry, in the arms of Cunningham, c.1610; unlike the gore, gussets were often found in pairs.
     Charged gores and gussets had at one time been registered in Society armory, but the results were usually unbalanced; at the present, neither the gore nor the gusset may be charged in Society armory.

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Orle     The orle is an heraldic ordinary, a band parallel to the edge of the shield; its width is typically one-tenth to one-twelfth that of the shield. Its original form was as an escutcheon voided, which form dates to c.1255; but unlike an escutcheon voided, which is always escutcheon-shaped, the orle conforms to the shape of the field it charges. It is subject to most of the usual treatments.
     The diminuitive of the orle is the tressure; the term is used when there are two or more of the charge. The number is given as, e.g., a double tressure or triple tressure. Double tressures are found as early as 1280, in the arms of the Kings of Scots. The tressure used in those arms, the double tressure flory counter-flory is an augmentation from the Crown of Scotland, and not permitted in Society heraldry; and even charges suggestive of the Scots tressure, such as the orle demi-flory, are disallowed. (The arms of Scotland originally used an orle flory counter-flory, c.1244, so the prohibition has some historical basis.)
     The term orle had another usage in medieval blazons, predating the escutcheon voided: it described an unnumbered group of charges arranged around the edge of the shield, were the edge of a bordure would be. Thus, in the arms of the Earls of Pembroke, c.1244, a group of martlets around the shield's edge would be blazoned an orle of martlets medievally, or martlets in orle in more modern parlance. Either phrase may be used in SCA blazonry.

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Tierce     The tierce is an heraldic ordinary, a vertical band issuant from the dexter side of the shield. As the name implies, it is usually drawn one-third the width of the shield; this proportion may vary, depending on the presence of other charges, or on complex lines of division. The tierce may also be called a side; it has no diminuitives in Society heraldry.
     The tierce may also issue from the sinister, which ase is always specified. (In fact, the dexter tierce is often explicitly blazoned as well.) The tierce is subject to the normal lines of partition -- embattled, wavy, etc. -- but like the chief and other single-sided ordinaries, the tierce may not be cotised, voided, dancetty or fimbriated.
     The tierce does not appear to have been used in period heraldry; it is permitted in Society heraldry. However, because a charged tierce looks like impaled armory, and is unbalanced, tierces may no longer be charged in Society armory.

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Footnotes:
¹ The Pictorial Dictionary of Heraldry as Used in the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc., 2nd Edition, Bruce Draconarius of Mistholme and Akagawa Yoshio, 1992, self-published.

Disclaimer: All of these drawings are intended for use in the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc., specifically for heraldic purposes. However, these pages do not delineate SCA College of Arms or West Kingdom College of Heralds policy. All attempts are made when describing or portraying the elements of armory used in these pages to be as accurate to both medieval and SCA usage as possible, but if you are not sure, you should check with the College of Arms or the College of Heralds. You may use these drawings "as is" for the purpose of designing heraldry for use within the SCA with this understanding. All decisions by the West Kingdom College of Heraldry and/or the SCA's College of Arms regarding the depictions used on your submission forms supercedes anything found here.

Heraldic Templates Main Page


Bend	The bend is an heraldic ordinary, a diagonal stripe from the dexter chief to the sinister base of the shield. Its diminuitive is is the bendlet; SCA blazonry does not recognize any other terms for the bend's diminuitives. The baton or baston was originally another term for the bendlet; but by the 14th Century it had acquired the meaning of bend couped, and this is both its modern and its Society interpretation. The bend embattled is only embattled on its upper edge, unless specifically blazoned (embattled) counter-embattled or bretessé. The bend enarched (or embowed) curves to chief unless otherwise specified; it was originally meant to depict the convexity of the shield, and consequently no heraldic difference. The bend bevilled, was used (under a different blazon) in the arms of Yorkes, mid-16th Century.
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Bend Sinister	The bend sinister is the mirror image of the bend, running from sinister chief to dexter base. Its diminuitives may be called bendlets sinister or scarpes In other respects, the comments on the bend apply to the bend sinister as well.
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Chevron	The chevron is an heraldic ordinary, an inverted V-shape issuant from the sides of the shield. The placement on the shield may vary, depending on the surrounding charges and the style of the emblazon. It may be throughout, or not, without necessarily being so blazoned; it may be slightly raised to chief, or shoved to base, and this would not be blazoned. The diminuitive of the chevron is the chevronel; SCA blazonry does not recognize any other terms for the chevron's diminuitives. Chevronels or multiple chevrons are in pale by default. Another common arrangement is chevronels braced, with the limbs of the chevronels fretted together. A chevron between couple-closes is another way of blazoning a chevron cotised. When a chevron is inverted, its limbs still issue from the sides of the shield (not from the corners of the chief); this variant is found c.1600 in the arms of von Chöntzin. A chevron embattled is only embattled on its upper edge, unless specifically blazoned (embattled) counter-embattled or bretessed. Of the more bizarre terminology: A chevron ecimé has its point lopped off. A chevron couched is issuant from the side of the shield; the chevron should be specified as couched from dexter or couched from sinister. ... a chevron enarched is bowed to chief, convex; a chevron ployé is bowed to base, concave. These were originally meant to depict the convexity of the shield, and consequently carry no heraldic difference from a plain chevron. The most confusion has come from what may be called the "broken chevrons": those that are in some way fracted or offset. No two references define them in the same way, and even SCA definitions have changed over time. The following are definitions currently in use: A chevron rompu or debruised has its point offset to chief; it is found as an heraldic charge in Glover's Ordinary, 154. A chevron fracted has its point offset to base (as shown in Elvin's Dictionary of Heraldry). A chevron disjoint has its point removed altogether, rather like two batons conjoined in chevron. (It is termed a chevron fracted in Woodward; some early SCA blazons use the term in that meaning.)
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Cross	The cross is an heraldic ordinary, a vertical lath conjoined to a horizontal lath. As an ordinary, it is throughout by default, and subject to all the usual treatments -- e.g. embattled, wavy, voided, cotised -- but as the symbol of Christianity, it was elaborated and varied by the medievals more often than any other charge. [Details on use of the cross as a charge, not as an ordinary, can be found in its own category here: Crosses]
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Fess	The fess is an heraldic ordinary, a horizontal stripe across the center of the shield. Its diminuitive is the bar, or in extreme cases the barrulet; Society blazonry does not recognize any other terms for the fess's diminuitives. The dance is another name for the fess dancetty; some texts hold that it was an independent charge in medieval times. The term is authorized for use in SCA blazonry, in the hope that it will reinforce the medieval definition of dancetty. The bar gemel (literally "twinned bar") is visually equivalent to a fess voided; it differs in use, in that it is considered an independent charge, and no other charges come between its two halves. Medieval heralds blazoned it simply a gemelle, but the treatment may be applied to other ordinaries as well. In like manner, the humet is a medieval name for a fess humetty; the term is not much used today, since other ordinaries may also be humetty. The fess embattled is only embattled on its upper edge, unless specifically blazoned (embattled) counter-embattled or bretessed. The fess enarched curves to chief unless otherwise specified; it was originally meant to depict the convexity of the shield, and consequently carries no heraldic difference from the plain fess.
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Pale	The pale is an heraldic ordinary, a vertical band down the center of the shield, occupying roughly one-third to one-fourth the shield's width. Its diminuitive is the pallet; SCA blazonry does not recognize any other term for the pale's diminuitive. The pale offset is divided along the fess line, with each half then shifted to dexter or sinister. The pale bevilled is divided bendwise sinister and similarly shifted. The cotises of a pale are termed endorses; it may be blazoned a pale endorsed or a pale between two endorses.
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Pall	The pall is an heraldic ordinary, a Y-shaped form joining the points of the shield with its center. Its width is one-third to one-fifth that of the shield. Like the cross, the pall has no diminuitives. The pall is often found inverted in Society heraldry. Other special terms include the shakefork, a pall humetty. ... The pall's limbs may also be treated in the same manner as those of the cross: e.g. a pall patonce is cited in mundane armory.
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Pile	The pile is an heraldic ordinary consisting of a triangle issuant from the chief of the shield to the base point, or almost reaching it. It seems to have derived from attempts to fit a pale onto a heater-shaped shield, with the bottom pinched together rather than cut off. The medieval pile is about one-third the shield's width at top, and is throughout to the base point; the Tudor pile is wider and squatter, and does not reach all the way throughout. Either form is found in Society heraldry, though the medieval form is encouraged; no heraldic difference is counted between the two, or between throughout vs. not. Multiple piles are common in mundane and Society heraldry; no diminuitives of the pile are recognized. Multiple piles with their points conjoined may be blazoned piles in point; this was the medieval default for multiple piles, due to their derivation from pinched pallets. If multiple piles are palewise, instead of in point, this should be explicitly blazoned. Piles sometimes issue from other points besides the chief: there are examples in late-period armory of piles inverted or issuant from base, piles issuant from dexter, and bendwise (issuant from dexter chief). In Society heraldry there are even piles in saltire. The pile is subject to the normal lines of division, including cotising and voiding; the pile ployé, with concave arched lines, is unique to Society heraldry.
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Saltire	The saltire is an heraldic ordinary, an X-shaped form intersecting the upper corners of the shield, and occupying one-third to one-fourth of its width. The diminuitive of the saltire is called a saltorel; this term is only used when there is mor than one saltire on the field, as in three saltorels flory. (The term does not mean a skinny saltire; as with the fillet cross, such non-medieval usage is not permitted.) The saltire was also called the cross of St. Andrew, since the saint was supposed to have been murdered on one. Other special forms include the saltire couped, dating from 1275 in the arms of Boyville; this variant is normally couped horizontally, rather than squarely (though there are some exceptions in Dutch arms). The cross of St. Julian is a cross crosslet set saltirewise. In other respects, the saltire may be treated as if it were a cross: for example, one might have a saltire flory, or a saltire patonce. It is also subject to the usual lines of partition: embattling, voiding, cotising.
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Base	The base is an heraldic ordinary, occupying the bottom one-third to one-fourth of the shield. It is subject to most of the lines of partition -- embattled, nebuly, etc. -- but because it has only one edge, a base may not be dancetty, nor may it be fimbriated, cotised or voided. The base has no diminuitives. A ford proper is a base barry wavy azure and argent, and is used to represent water (or for canting purposes). It is argent and azure on a dark field, and azure and argent on a light field. Other tinctures may not be termed a ford, but must be blazoned explicitly; i.e., one would not blazon a ford vert and Or, but rather a base wavy barry wavy vert and Or. Other forms of the base are a point, a point pointed, and a mount. A mount is the heraldic representation of a hill. It is drawn as a rounded hillock issuant from base; it is equivalent to a base enarched to chief. It is sometimes drawn naturalistically, with tufts of grass; Society heraldry considers this artistic license, and it's often ignored in SCA emblazons. A mount proper is vert, and some texts claim that mounts are vert by default; but they have no default coloration in Society heraldry. If the mount is not issuant from base, but cut off at the bottom, it must be blazoned couped. The mount may also have more than a single hillock, especially in Italian heraldry: three, six, or ten hillocks are possible, and would be blazoned, e.g., a mount of three hillocks (or coupeaux, or peaks). This form dates from 1413, in the arms of the Kings of Hungary. A variant of a mount is the mountain, representing a mountain instead of a hill. The mountain is usually drawn naturalistically, with rocky crags and a peak; the exact details are not blazoned. Like the mount, it is issuant from base unless otherwise specified. The mount should not be confused with the mound, which is another name for the orb. A point is one of the corners of the shield. The unmodified term is synonymous with a base. ... Society armory may use either the base point alone or all three points; the latter is considered balanced enough to be compatible with period style. The point is most often used in a modified form called a point pointed: a triangular shape issuant from base, extending roughly one-third the height of the shield. The sides are properly drawn with concave sides, but flat sides seem to be within the artist's license.
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Bordure	The bordure is an ordinary around the edge of the shield, typically one-eighth to one-tenth its width. It is subject to most of the lines of division -- embattled, wavy, etc. -- but because it has only a single edge, the bordure cannot be dancetty, nor may it be fimbriated, voided, or cotised. The bordure has no diminuitives in present Society heraldry. Some early SCA blazons used the term bordurelet, as an indication to the artist that the bordure should be skinny; but this is poor practice, and is no longer done. The addition of a charged bordure is a common way of differencing, both in mundane and Society heraldry. Bordures surmount all other ordinaries except chiefs and cantons. Even then, the bordure does not run along the bottom edge of the chief; rather, the chief completely surmounts the bordure The use of both chief and bordure is considered at best poor practice, and is disallowed when the chief and bordure are of the same tincture.
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Canton	The canton is a square section of the shield, issuant from one of the corners. It is a charge from early armory, c.1255. Unless stated otherwise, it issues from the dexter chief corner; a sinister canton issues from the sinister chief. The canton is classed as a sub-ordinary by some authors. The same charge is also called a quarter; 19th Century writers tried to distinguish between the two, saying the quarter was one fourth the area of the shield, and the canton one-ninth. No such distinction is made in medieval and Society heraldry; it's drawn as large as necessary, to accomodate the design of the shield. Charged cantons were a period form of augmentation, and their use is so reserved in the Society.
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Chief	The chief is an heraldic ordinary, occupying the upper one-third to one-fourth of the shield. It is subject to most of the lines of partition -- embattled, nebuly, etc. -- but because it has only one edge, a chief may not be dancetty, nor may it be fimbriated, cotised, or voided. A chief triangular is formed by lines from the upper points of the shield, drawn to a point. The name is a translation of chef triangulaire, the French term for the charge; but the charge is found in English armory (under another name) as early as 1480, in the arms of Bamme. A chief enarched is drawn with a concave arch; it was originally meant to depict the convexity of the shield, and consequently carries no heraldic difference. The chief double-arched and triple-arched (with two and three concavities each) seem to be Society inventions. A fillet is a narrow bar overlying the edge of a chief; though attested in heraldic tracts (Legh, 1562), it does not seem to have been actually used in period armory ... unlike the diminutives of other ordinaries, the fillet cannot be used except with its parent chief. Since the fillet's prescribed usage is equivalent to a fimbriated chief, the only permitted way it may be used in the Society is a chief charged with a fillet counterchanged.
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Flaunches	Flaunches (singular flank) are of obscure origin, but are said to represent the gaps in a lady's sideless surcoat. They issue from the corners of the chief, and proceed in circular arcs to base. Flaunches always occur in pairs; there are no single flaunches. They were sometimes charged in period, the earliest instances dating to c.1460, and may thus be charged in Society heraldry. Some texts consider flaunches to be sub-ordinaries, but Society heraldry doesn't recognize that distinction. Flaunches do share the restrictions on other single-sided ordinaries, however: they may not be voided, cotised, or fimbriated. There are no diminutives of flaunches in Society heraldry, nor may they be born enhanced.
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Gore	A gore is considered a sub-ordinary by some texts, and a rebatement of honor by others; it seems to be an invention of heraldic writers. It probably is not an actual medieval charge at all -- no instance of actual period use has yet been documented -- but as it was described in Legh's Accidence of Armory, 1562, it has been accepted for use in Society heraldry. The gore may issue from either the dexter or sinister side of the shield; the default gore issues from dexter. It may be found either singly, or in pairs; the former has been termed better armory. The gusset is an artistic variant of the gore, which is drawn with straight lines instead of curved lines. Actual instances of its use have been documented in Scots heraldry, in the arms of Cunningham, c.1610; unlike the gore, gussets were often found in pairs. Charged gores and gussets had at one time been registered in Society armory, but the results were usually unbalanced; at the present, neither the gore nor the gusset may be charged in Society armory.
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Orle	The orle is an heraldic ordinary, a band parallel to the edge of the shield; its width is typically one-tenth to one-twelfth that of the shield. Its original form was as an escutcheon voided, which form dates to c.1255; but unlike an escutcheon voided, which is always escutcheon-shaped, the orle conforms to the shape of the field it charges. It is subject to most of the usual treatments. The diminuitive of the orle is the tressure; the term is used when there are two or more of the charge. The number is given as, e.g., a double tressure or triple tressure. Double tressures are found as early as 1280, in the arms of the Kings of Scots. The tressure used in those arms, the double tressure flory counter-flory is an augmentation from the Crown of Scotland, and not permitted in Society heraldry; and even charges suggestive of the Scots tressure, such as the orle demi-flory, are disallowed. (The arms of Scotland originally used an orle flory counter-flory, c.1244, so the prohibition has some historical basis.) The term orle had another usage in medieval blazons, predating the escutcheon voided: it described an unnumbered group of charges arranged around the edge of the shield, were the edge of a bordure would be. Thus, in the arms of the Earls of Pembroke, c.1244, a group of martlets around the shield's edge would be blazoned an orle of martlets medievally, or martlets in orle in more modern parlance. Either phrase may be used in SCA blazonry.
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Tierce	The tierce is an heraldic ordinary, a vertical band issuant from the dexter side of the shield. As the name implies, it is usually drawn one-third the width of the shield; this proportion may vary, depending on the presence of other charges, or on complex lines of division. The tierce may also be called a side; it has no diminuitives in Society heraldry. The tierce may also issue from the sinister, which ase is always specified. (In fact, the dexter tierce is often explicitly blazoned as well.) The tierce is subject to the normal lines of partition -- embattled, wavy, etc. -- but like the chief and other single-sided ordinaries, the tierce may not be cotised, voided, dancetty or fimbriated. The tierce does not appear to have been used in period heraldry; it is permitted in Society heraldry. However, because a charged tierce looks like impaled armory, and is unbalanced, tierces may no longer be charged in Society armory.
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