Lapin Star of Valour

The Lapin Star of Valour is the third-highest award within the Lapin system of honours, surpassed only by The Badger's Paw and The Queen's Crescent. It is the highest award available to civilians. Created in 2021 when the Lapin Protectorate was officially founded, the medallion is presented to individuals, Lapinites or foreigners, living and deceased, who have performed acts of the most conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme peril and grants recipients the ability to use the post-nominal letters LSV.

Mechanics & Inner Workings

Design

The medal is a star of eight equal limbs rendered in Meteoric Iron, with the obverse enameled in blue and edged with silver, and bearing at the centre a gold rabbit's head surrounded by a gold laurel wreath. On the reverse is the Royal Cypher of the reigning Chief Rabbit and a crown above, on the upper point, while the words VALOUR • VAILLANCE (French) are etched below, extending along the upper edge of the two lateral points of the star. The recipient's name and the date of the incident for which they are being honoured are engraved in the centre of the medal, underneath the motto.
This medallion is worn suspended from a light blue striped ribbon with gold pinstripes around the neck; a miniature gold rabbit head may be worn on the ribbon bar in undress. Should an individual already possessing a Star of Valour be awarded the medal again for subsequent valourous acts, they are granted a silver eight-pointed star to be carried on the same ring from which the original rabbit head is hung. No bars have been issued to date.

Manufacturing process

The medallions are cast directly from their sourced metals. While rusting is uncommon for meteoric iron, especially if worn or handled regularly, the iron parts of the medal are still encased in a thin zinc-rich protective coating to prevent corrosion.

History

In the establishment of the Lapin Protectorate, the Mother of Bunnies thought it important to find a way to recognize acts of valour and heroism in the newly minted nation. With a large population of former Canadians, along with a sizeable population of formerly American refugees, she drew upon the traditions of both Canada and the United States in the creation of the Lapin honours system. The Lapin Star of Valour is inspired by the Canadian Cross of Valour and the American Silver Star.

Recipients

To date, only nine Lapin Stars of Valour have been awarded:

Owsla Captain James Woodwright - for risking his life to save the Chief Rabbit and DM Stretch in the Lapin Rout ( First Word War ) - Queen Sable subsequently created the Owsla based on this act

Nathalia Books for sacrificing her life to save the Chief Rabbit and DM Stretch, then-commander of the Varangian Guard, in the Lapin Rout ( First Word War ). Seneschal Brocktree Purpleheart has since recovered her memory and realized that she is Nathalia Books, and Queen Sable has now given the medal into her hands.

Owsla Officer Dame Gwenefre - for burying herself in an escape tunnel and defending it alone against the breeching Undead Horde during the Battle of the Warren, in what has become known as the "Bigwig Maneuver" ( Second Word War )

Owsla Commander Kitoypoy - for poisoning himself resuscitating Queen Sable when she was poisoned by ingesting strychnine

Panda Polemarch Senna Nightshade - for sacrificing her life to save the House Ailurus storehouses and her sister, Archon Mykola Void at The Battle of Sydney Cavern ( Third Word War )

Feral Foxx - for holding off a platoon of zombies pursuing them and Archon Mykola Void alone, and with only their katana, following The Battle of Sydney Cavern (Third Word War )

MCpl Jean W. Tremaine - for driving her Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicle (TAPV) directly into a swarm of zombies to cover the retreat of her company of British Columbia Dragoons in the opening salvos of The Battle of Kin Beach ( Third Word War )

CSM Dennis Reilly - a Rocky Mountain Ranger who held off a platoon of zombies by standing his ground in The Battle of Kin Beach and emptying his entire arsenal, including a 60 mm mortar, a grenade launcher, a machine gun and a Carl Gustov recoilless rifle ( Third Word War )

Owsla Commander DM Stretch - for "undisclosed actions in service to the Carrot Throne". It is generally assumed this had something to do with the reasons behind his disappearance in April 2022.

This article is a work in progress, and may be subject to changes.

This article is part of a series related to streaming the Game of Tomes. For more information, see Streaming Game of Tomes.

Lapin Star of Valour by Barbarossa Sparklebeard

LSV Ribbon by Sable Aradia

Item type

Award

Creation Date

March 1, 2021

Creator

Sable Aradia

Owning Organization

House Lapin

Rarity

Extremely rare

Dimensions

1.375 inches (35 mm) wide; ribbon is 38 mm wide

Base Price

It is illegal to sell official medals in the Lapin Protectorate, although they may be bequeathed in a will.

Raw materials & Components

The medallion is fashioned of Meteoric Iron, with the rabbit head and laurel wreath fashioned of 24 carat gold. The meteoric iron is sourced from a large deposit in Sudbury, Ontario, the third largest impact crater in the world and one of the most ancient. The gold is sourced from the Lapin Arctic (primarily Alaska and the Yukon.)

Awarded for

Acts of the most conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme peril

Presented by

The Monarch of the Lapin Protectorate

Post Nominals

LSV

First Awarded

March 1, 2021

Total Awarded

9

Total Awarded Posthumously

2