In DrawShield we use the term 'achievement' to mean all those things other than the shield and those items "fixed" to the shield such as helmets etc.

Background

Blazonry has a long history of precision in describing the shield itself (known as the escutcheon when we come to talk the full achievement). This means that when it comes to tinctures, ordinaries, divisions and all the component parts of the escutcheon there is widespread agreement on what everything means, and this is backed by a large body of evidence.

Sadly, the same does not seem to be true for the rest of the component parts of the full achievement of arms. How should we describe the colours of the mantling, style of helmet and so on? I have tried where possible to follow similar practice to that found on the escutcheon but there is little actual precedence for this style of language, and hence it is subject to change and further discussion!

Usage

The description of the achievement must follow the description of the shield. Normally DrawShield can figure out where the achievement starts but if you need to make this explicit then you can just put the word achievement between them. This word instructs the parser to now look for parts of the achievement.

You can also repeat the word achievement and follow it with another set of cloaks or crests and each achievement will "enclose" the previous one, which can be used to create some impressive effects, for example:

In order to keep things within the boundaries of the overall windows you cannot apply Artist Hints to the achievement as a whole. You can however adjust the content of what is inside the achievement using the construction the interior shown whatever.... You can also use the words the contents or just the shield whatever makes the most sense in your context.

Catalog

DrawShield supports the following types of things as part of the achievement:

Multiple Shields in the same Achievement

Mantling

Ornaments

Crests

Mottoes

Compartment

Supporters