While the Hero Cloaks did not start out as a project of the Worshipful Company of Broderers, all the cloaks have been designed and organised by members of the Company within their own Baronies, and displayed to the Company at our Festival meeting, before being presented.

Duchess Eva von Danzig instigated the idea, based on the tradition of the An Tir War Cloak. Each year a beautiful cloak is presented during the An Tir West War from one Kingdom to a combatant from the opposing army who is deemed the most impressive and inspirational. The presenting Kingdom alternates from year to year. Duchess Eva thought that such an inspiring idea should be brought to Lochac, and presented the first Hero Cloak from the Barony of Innilgard at Rowany Festival 2015. The council of Baronages agree at Rowany Festival who will create and present the Hero Cloak for the following year.

	2015 – Barony of Innilgard The Innilgard cloak’s design was (very loosely) based on the ‘Mantle of the Virgin’, Netherlands Mid-15th Century, housed in Kunsthistorisches Museum, Austria The vestment was designed based on a ‘feud’ made to aid the story for Border War 2015 between Innilgard and Stormhold that was a gold dispute. The small design elements are all golden items or animals from mythology – Athena’s golden owl, the golden fleece, golden apples, a golden grail and a gold spur. The guard at the base made use of the iconic Shakespeare quote, “All that glitters is not gold.” The cloak was designed and coordinated by Duchess Eva Danzig and worked by the people of Innigard. The cloak was presented to Baron Master Hanbal, from Stormhold.
	2016 – Barony of Stormhold The Baron of Stormhold requested that their cloak be a much earlier design. The center of the clok holds the symbol of Yggdrasill, the world tree and the symbols around the border are taken from the borders of the Bayeaux embroidery. The cloak is made of wool, with the embroidery worked in applique and Bayeaux stitch, in wool. The cloak was designed and coordinated by Dame Miriam Galbraith and worked by the people of Stormhold. The cloak was presented to Adimar of St Florian.
	2017 – Barony of Aneala The cloak was designed and coordinated by Mistress Leonie de Grey and worked by the people of Aneala. The cloak was presented to Lord Kit Hackforth, from Innilgard.
	2018 – Barony of Rowany The cloak was designed by Mistress Eloise D’Arnell and coordinated by Mistress Keridwen the Mouse. The cloak was inspired by the Coronation Mantle of Roger II of Sicily and depicts the Rowan tree for Rowany, and the pegasus which are the traditional supporters for the Kingdom of Lochac. The cloak is made of silk, with silver cord is couched with silk thread, lined in linen.worked by more than 50 people of Rowany. The cloak was presented to Lord Thorsten Heppinmadr, from Mordenvale.
	2019 – Barony of Politarchopolis The Politarchopolis cloak was based on several extant 16th short cloaks. Many of these are in the form of a half circle of rich fabric, with a simple collar and a highly decorated edge, often worked in applique, laid work or a combination. The red brocade of the cloak was donated by Lord Lorcan Ruadh, in honour of Mistress Francesca Cellini who would have loved the project. The borders are worked in silver twist, couched with silk. The corners and back of the cloak feature Pegasus for the Kingdom of Lochac, Griffins for the Barony of Politarchopolis and Lions for the Heros. The cloak was designed by Mistress Murighein ni Ghrainne, coordinated by Mistress Rowan Perigrynne and worked by the people of Politarchopolis, Torlyon and Okewaite. The cloak presented to Sir Bain de St Florian.
	2022 – Barony of Mordenvale The cloak was completed in time for Rowany Festival 2020 however, due to the Covid-19 crisis, the event was not held in 2020 and 2021. Master Bjorn Sæmundarson and Mistress Dagný Sveinsdóttir spear-headed the project. It was based on the Mammen cloak find (Denmark 970-71 AD) and involved many hands from the Barony of Mordenvale to complete. The body of the cloak was made of ‘apple red’ Dorr Mill wool, and it was embroidered with the large mask motif from the Mammen find down the front and acanthus leaves from the Mammen find around the bottom edge. Dagny wove brocade for the closure. The cloak was presented at Rowany Festival 2022 to Count Henri de Montferrant.
	2023 – Barony of Saint-Florian-de-la-rivière The inspiration for this cloak was the Malterer hanging, produced in the Germanic states in 1310-1320. It was constructed on a linen ground and embroidered in coloured wool threads in klosterstich, stem stitch, split stitch, and satin stitch. The design of the motifs took inspiration from a range of 13th to 14th century embroideries. The motifs tell a story of Hercules and his twelve labours (drawing on each of Lochac’s twelve baronies). The latin quote embroidered on it says “veni ut me pugnare quia heros sum”, which translates to: come to fight me for I am a hero. The wool fabric was donated by Nicola de Coventre and the threads were donated by Acacia de Navarra, Drake Morgan, William Montrose, Lovet Dangerus, Nesta verch Wyn, and Nicola de Coventre. The cloak was presented to Duchess Eva von Danzig who immediately passed it on to Countess Beatrice Maria Malatesta.
	2024 – Regifting of the Hero Cloak from the Barony of Innilgard A new cloak was not made for Rowany Festival 2024, and so Master Hanbal generously donated his cloak as a perpetual Hero Cloak to be passed on year-to-year. The cloak was presented to Tullia.