Pearsons Renaissance Shoppe Blog

Where is the Baron's daughter?

We rode as hard and fast as was possible, stopping only to feed and water our steeds. We wanted to ensure we met with the appropriate time table of Vampire so that we did not insight the launch of the Unholy assault prematurely.

Trevor rode with us but had planned in advance to not accompany us inside of the underground structure. He was convinced that Rulatha would be able to sense his presence if he got too close as they have had encounters in the past. We agreed that as we descended into the depths that we would leave a trail of lamp oil behind us. If things did not go according to plan we would light the trail and Trevor would come to our assistance.

We tied our steeds off to a tree, readied the replica pendant and started down into the darkness, with but one lamp to light the way.

The closer we got to the antechamber the more we could hear the clicking of boney feet against the stone floor. As we entered, we saw a number of skeletons moving about, seemingly assembling the necessary accessories for war. Though, we did notice that the number of skeletal warriors had significantly decreased since the last time we were in this desolate place.

Suspended from the roof of the cavern we spied Josephus. He was bound by several leather straps and seemed to be unconscious. Beneath him stood the same skeleton, who wore the black Mage’s cloak, that transported us with such speed only a few days early. Its eyeless sockets turned toward us as we entered and although I knew it was impossible, it seemed to offer us a grin.

The Skeletal Mage lifted its arm, one of which grasped the staff made of petrified wood. An feint breeze rustled through cavern, causing the lamp lights to flicker for mere seconds. When the flames regained their intensity, standing before was Rulatha.

“You were wise to return,” his steady voice informed us, “Now where is the Baron’s daughter?”

Hear ye, Hear ye!

If you are planning on visiting a Renaissance Faire in the near future, wearing a costume can help add to the atmosphere.  Or maybe you are a seasoned veteran who loves to dress up, but you are looking for a different costume to change things up a bit.

Popular roles at a Faire are:

-Warriors

-Knights

-Clerics

-Tavern Keeps

-Pirates

But there is one role that people sometimes shy away from: The poet. Medieval poets were often great lyricists who penned some of the most beautiful poetry that we read today. If you are looking to meet a lovely lady while at the fair, why not consider wooing her with some vibrant verses? An appropriate costume to go along with this archetype would be this Renaissance cotton poet shirt.

We also wanted to bring up this idea this week because the 22^nd of December is National Haiku Day. We thought it might be fun to pair a pop-culture event with some of our Renaissance themes. Therefore, we have tried our hand at some of our own haiku.

“Cunning Rogue”

O’ Wondrous Maiden

Your vast beauty radiates.

Please bring me some ale.

“The Calm Before the Storm”

Rain, nor thunder could

draw the evil Duke from his lair

Churchmen prayed all night.

Can you come up with any? If you can feel free to post them in the comments section!

Getting ready for the battle

We’ve been on the move, doing our best to recall the path we initially took while traveling to the lair of the Master of the Night. We stayed constantly on guard, fearful that we are walking into an ambush—again. When we saw the cliff face, Trevor had us hold our position.

“You remember what you all must do?” Trevor asked.

“We’re supposed to go in and offer this pendant,” Grantiere replied.

“You’re forgetting an important element,” said Trevor.

“And we’re supposed to let the creature know that the Baron’s Daughter is on the way,” finished Celebryn.

“Correct,” Trevor started, “One last thing: I can not enter with you.”

“You’re the only one who knows how to fight this thing,” Baltus demanded.

“Rulatha will remember me and it will compromise the mission,” Trevor responded, “I will waiting outside should anything happen.”

“Isn’t that comforting,” Grantiere said, “We’re wasting time here.”

As we moved toward the cavern entrance, I couldn’t help but feel protected underneath my chain mail armor shirt. Even though we were facing a very unusual foe, I still could feel the exhilaration of the upcoming encounter. When the actual outcropping of the entrance came into view, we saw that it was patrolled by some of the same walking dead from the our last visit. We all dismounted and made our way to meet with the vampire.

Create authentic food for medieval celebrations

From time to time we like to bring you recipes that have a Medieval flair to them so that you can include period food during your reenactments or  LARP event. And so we realized that when it comes to the Middle Ages,  there is something that takes precedence when it comes to food: Preservation.

Since there were no means of freezing or refrigeration, tavern owners needed to adopt other methods of making their food harvested during Autumn last through the Winter. Here are some of the more popular methods, other than salting, that were used:

-Smoking: Smoking via wood smoke was the common way to preserve fish or pork.

-Drying: Grains, cereals, meats, and fruit could be preserved through drying.

-Picking: Substances high in salt such as brine, or liquids like vinegar, were the usual methods of preserving fish and others meats. This was also a great way to keep vegetables longer into the colder months.

-Honey: When it came to certain drinks, such as mead, honey was sometimes used as a way to preserve the eventual mixture.

-Gelatin: Meat and fresh fish could be well kept by cooking them in a material that will eventually produce and solidify into a gel.

These are just some of the methods used during those times. If you ever wanted to give your customers/players a true sense of historical food, you can consider trying one of these preservation techniques. It can also be an educational process if you have your servers, who are dressed in beer wench costumes, work with your customers/players in assisting with some of these methods so that they can learn how people had to prepare for the winter months in the Middle Ages.

What will happen?

The entirety of the kingdom is at a state of alert. Our couriers have been dispatched to all of the villages and dells, summoning all members of the army and all of the local militias. With the uncertainty of the unholy threat, the Bishop wanted the capitol well defended.  Men have been streaming in through the gates all morning and making their way to the armory in order pick up a weapon and to be fitted for Medieval armor.

Trevor is still formulating a plan, utilizing his vast experience in Witch Hunting to deal with the vampire. He feels that since my small troop has seen the vampire in action that we are the most qualified to participate in the attempt to destroy him. We are to leave immediately in order to meet the three day deadline so that we can rescue Josephus from the clutches of this villain.

Trevor has commissioned a Mage to assist with the creation of an artifact that bears a similar appearance to that of the pendant we are to return to the vampire. We hope that it is a close enough replica that it satisfies Rulatha long enough for us to return Josephus back to the castle. Once the vampire discovers that it is a forgery, we hope he still launches his assault. Our castle walls are formidable and can withstand the brunt of an assault, while our detachment moves into position to stake the enemy general.

We leave in mere moments. It has been quite some time since the Kingdom’s entire panoply of war has been assembled. Soldiers stand on the bulwarks at all hours, keeping watch for the army of the living dead that may already be on its way. Battle is imminent.

Baby, it's cold outside

Last time we wrote to you about how if you belong to one of the LARP groups that continues to hold events well into the winter, that there are certain precautions that you need to take. We gave you tips such as how you should bring extra socks to wear under your Renaissance boots, or bring some coffee or tea to drink to stay warm. But since newer LARPers can overlook what is needed to stay warm and safe during the winter, we thought of one more tip we wanted to pass on.

-Space Heaters: Some camps have cabins with electricity. Even though the aspect of most LARPs is to maintain the most authentic feel as possible, nobody will fault you for keeping an electric heater in your cabin. It is an excellent idea to warm up and dry off when it is cold out. However, you must always remember to keep flammable materials a distance away from the heater. The heater should be kept in the middle of the room and things like paper, cloth, leaves, and so forth should be kept away so that a fire doesn’t start. If you want to use the heater to dry out clothing, lay the clothing on the ground or over a chair but keep them far enough away so that they don’t get hot. Consider unplugging the heater when not in use. Also consider not leaving the heater on all night or when you are not in the cabin.

By keeping all of these things in mind while you are at and event, you will be taking steps to prevent fires through improper use of electrical heaters.

Does the weather stop your LARPing?

Now that we are well into November, most Live Action Role Playing or LARP groups have packed away their gear for the last time until the spring arrives. However, there are some groups that trek well into the winter to partake in this fantasy gaming hobby. If you are part of a group that still has events lined up for the year, we wanted to take some time to give you some winter LARPing reminders:

-Wool Cloaks: Renaissance wool cloaks are your best friends for the winter. Not only are they a dashing costume option, but they will help take the chill out of the air.

–Extra Socks: Nothing is worse than cold feet. Take several extra pairs of socks with you in case you step in a puddle, it starts to rain/snow, or you are just moving around a lot. The last thing you want to do is wake up and have to put wet socks back on.

-Coffee/Tea: Packing some sort of hot beverage is an excellent way to warm yourself up. If your camp has a “Tavern,” you can ask the person tending the tavern to heat it up for you then serve it to you in a period-appropriate cup. They also make those self heating drinks now that you can keep with you in your cabin before you go to bed.

–Fire Consciousness: Although a fire will keep you warm, just make sure you follow safe procedures. Keep everything in a fire ring, pit, or place, don’t go to bed leaving a fire unattended, and if you are having a dry winter, make sure that sparks don’t catch your clothing or dry leaves on fire.

Hopefully with these tips you’ll stay warm and dry while LARPing in the winter.

The truth is being revealed

“What would you have done in my position?” the Baron shouted at us, “She would have died!”

We all stood there, our faces twisted into expressions of confusion. Baron Galt-Haldane was only in his middle years; his daughter having just reached her 19^th celebration of birth. They both are well known for their youthful visages. But the woman we now stood before appeared to have walked the earth for more than a century. Her old and decrepit form was next to lifeless as she sat in a velvet chair, being attended to by aids. The Baron took off his Medieval Nobles Cloak, and slid into his own chair defeated.

“Tell us how this happened,” the Bishop commanded.

“When she was born, she had an illness that threatened her life,” the Baron started, “The physicians all said that nothing could be done. But then this man appeared and offered to save her.”

“This the same person we fought in the cave?” Grantiere queried.

“More than likely,” the Baron responded, “He said he could help with a price—her physical body would age ten years for each year she was alive.”

“But we’ve seen her many times, and she’s always appeared youthful,” said the Queen’s Advisor.

“We were told as long as she wore the pendant, she would retain her actual age,” answered the Baron, “When she turned 19, the man came back wanting to be her suitor, but I refused since he was not of noble claim.”

“Which explains why he wanted he sent his men after the pendant,” Trevor reasoned.

“And also what he’ll be after when he sends his skeleton army to attack the town,” said Grantiere.

“Skeleton army?” asked the Bishop.

“Yes my Lord—the walking dead,” responded Celebryn.

“What shall we do?” asked the Queen’s Advisor

“If we can destroy the vampire,” Trevor began, “Then the dark magic that binds his unholy hoarde together will dissipate.”

“Well,” I said, “We have three days until they get here.”

How do you celebrate Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving is said to have gotten its start at a three day feast that some of the earliest settlers had along with their Native American neighbors. They had the feast in order to celebrate a successful harvest after a brutal winter the year before. This original dinner has expanded into one of the most important days of the year in terms of feasting and spending time with friends and family.

A lot of people often wonder what the Pilgrims and Native Americans ate at the first Thanksgiving. You might be surprised to learn what was and wasn’t available. Although there are few accounts that describe the menu detail by detail, there are a few letters with specific details, along with educated deductions based upon what was available at the time.

Items that most likely would have been found:

-Venison

-Waterfowl

-Wild Turkey (though most likely not prepared the way we are used to it)

-Native Fruits: Plums, melons, grapes, & cranberries

-Local Vegetables: Wild onions, leeks, beans, Jerusalem artichokes, and squash

-Transplanted English crops: Thyme, rosemary, sage, parsley, carrots, parsnips, cabbage, and turnips

-Fish and shellfish

Despite the fact that this is regarded as the first Thanksgiving, there are well documented traditions throughout history all around the world of people having celebratory feasts this time of year in honor of the harvest. There are records that go as far back as the Greeks and Egyptians. If you ever wanted to consider having a Renaissance-themed Thanksgiving dinner, then you should feel free. You can even have the hostess serve the dishes wearing a Renaissance wench outfit.

Whatever way you celebrate Thanksgiving, or whatever you like to place on your table, please be sure to have an enjoyable holiday!

The right costumes can make or break the play

If you belong to a community theater, you know that you have to work hard to get as much out of the limited budget as possible. Each time you can find ways to save money, the more you can add to your overall performance.

One way to reduce costs for your company is to have an established wardrobe room. Having a wardrobe or costume room that you are continuously adding to means that you will accumulate a wealthy selection over time. When you have such a diversity of costumes to pick from, that means you will be more likely to find the correct costume for whatever show you plan on performing.

A popular style costume that can be used in a multitude of eras are Renaissance costumes. Whether you are working on something Shakespearean, Medieval, or any type of general historical setting from the Renaissance era, this style of costume can apply. Whenever there is a play with a King, a Queen, or nobility, these dresses or robes will certainly add a sense of atmosphere to your show. You can find these types of costumes at PearsonRenassainceShoppe.com, so that you can start building up the wardrobe at your theatre.