Pearsons Renaissance Shoppe Blog

I was right: It was a trap. We followed Von Ottenhiem back to where he told us his band convened. After two days of travel, we came upon a small outcropping of rocks a short distance in the woods from the road. We all readied our weapons and slowly descended into the dark.

After a while, we were in total darkness. Josephus, knowing his bow would not be useful in such close quarters, made his way back to the mouth of the cave and fashioned a torch and returned to us. We pressed on, prodding Von Ottenhiem to the front of the line.

After a great deal of time, we entered into a circular antechamber. It was clearly made by a sentient being, as it had carvings on the wall with several passages. It almost looked like the courtyard of an underground castle, though the passages radiated out from the middle, as if this were the meeting point of several passages.

Von Ottenhiem said that this was the room where they would meet and discuss plans, though his band had been instructed to only use the passage we had just used to gain entrance. As we investigated the room, we heard Celebryn cry out. As I turned to look, I saw that he was on the ground, his legs bound by rope. Baltus had just enough time to draw his swords to ward off the attack of a man dressed as a monk. I turned and brought my pike to bear just as the head of a mace was swung in my direction. The shaft of my weapon blocked the blow, but splintered in the process. I drew my sword and entered the melee.

After a few moments of heated battle, our experienced group had subdued our attackers and had them all tied up for further questioning. This was clearly the band that we had been tracking. Just as Grantiere was about to start his interrogation, we heard footsteps from the passageway. As we turned and looked, we saw a man dressed in a dark Gatekeeper coat appear out of the shadowy entrance. He did not look alarmed and his sword was still grasped in his hands in a non-threatening manner.

He said in a firm voice, “Von Ottenhiem, my child…you did well.”

With Renaissance Faire season under way, some vendors are looking to provide authentic recipes for people to try while attending these types of events. One recipe that you can consider having at your stand is Beef Bourguignon. This is a traditional French recipe that started off as a peasant dish that worked its way into a high-quality meal. Therefore, if you are looking to feature it at your booth, you can still wear your Renaissance serving wench outfit as the dish has its roots in the peasantry.

Ingredients:

–        ¼ cup flour

–        1 Teaspoon salt

–        1 Teaspoon ground black pepper

–        4 Tablespoons butter

–        2 lbs cubed stew meat

–        1 Red pepper, diced

–        1 Onion, chopped

–        1 lb White pearl onion, peeled

–        3 Garlic cloves, minced

–        1 lb Button mushrooms

–        4 Carrots, peeled and sliced into ½ inch pieces

–        2 Cups red wine, preferably Burgundy

–        3 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

–        1 Teaspoon dried thyme

–        1 Bay leaf

Procedure:

1.      Put the flour, salt, and ground black pepper together in small bowl

2.      Place the beef cubes in to the bowl and cover them in this mixture

3.      Allow the butter to melt, over medium heat, in a cast iron pan

4.      Place the beef in the pan and allow it to brown well on all sides

5.      Once brown, add the onion, red pepper, garlic, mushrooms, and carrots

6.      Saute this mixture for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the onion is tender

7.      Next add the bay leaf, thyme, parsley, and red wine

8.      Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 2 ½ hours

9.      Remove the cover and bake the mixture for another 30 minutes

10.  More wine, chicken broth, or water may be added if needed

11.  Garnish the dish with parsley

Enjoy!

Have you ever seen this Hospitaller tunic on our website and wonder what exactly this group of knights was all about? We have all heard of other groups around the same time period such as the Templars, but this specific group operated under a different creed than that of its contemporary counterparts.

The Knights Hospitaller were a religious group of men dedicated to the maintenance and operation of a hospital in Jerusalem during the turbulent era of the Crusades. After arriving in the Holy City, the Hospitallers pledged to take offer medical aid to those pilgrims to the Holy Land who were injured, sick, or poor.

During the First Crusade, the Christian forces made significant pushes into Muslin lands and gained quite a hold. It was during this time that the Hospitallers founded their own charter and became an official religious and military organization whose chief concern was to protect and care for the Holy Land.

The order still is in existence today in a modern form as the Roman Catholic Sovereign Military Order of Malta.

If you are a LARPer looking in the Medieval cloaks section, that means one of two things.

One: You want to stay warm and dry.

Two: You’re playing a rogue.

Although the darker Medieval cloaks you can find at Pearsons are very adept at helping you hide in the darkness, that doesn’t mean you are all in the clear. If you don’t practice other stealthy actions, people will be alerting the night watchman. Here are some tips you can use while you are out at the LARP to try to remain hidden while you are sneaking around.

-Stick the edge of fields. If you have no other choice but moving through a field, don’t walk through the middle of it, stick to the edges. At night, peoples eyes play tricks with them and staying near the edge of field, especially if it is wooded, helps play into this. The dark background of the forest will help obscure you so long as you move carefully.

-Look for big trees.  If you must move through the woods move slowly and carefully. Quick movements will always draw attention. Try to plot your path from big tree to big tree. If someone happens by, you can try to use your cloak to help you blend into to the dark or into the tree. If there is a source of light, make sure to stay to the opposite side of it so you don’t end up being highlighted.

-Watch where you step. If you can find a softer surface to walk on, you’ll make less noise. Branches, dry leaves, and heavy gravel are all poor choices. Pine needles, dirt paths, grass patches, and minimal gravel are better choices. If you aren’t sure, ease your weight on to the surface to see if any noise will be made before you use your full weight.

With these tips, hopefully you will remain invisible to your enemies.

The “monk” finally came to. At first he was quite resistent to our questioning. Then Grantiere began his interrogation. He can be quick, persuasive, especially when he uses his chain mail gauntlets to do the talking.

The prisoner informed us that he was called Von Ottenhiem, and that he was on a very special mission for his employer. Von Ottenhiem stated that he had no information about his employer, which must be true because he looked like he could no longer take Grantiere’s interrogation.

All he was willing to divulge was that the person who hired him promised a lucrative sum of coin if he and his band were able to retrieve the stone from the Baron’s daughter. They took the guise of monks to gain the audience they required. Now we are going off of Von Ottenhiem’s directions and Josephus’ tracking abilities to attempt to find the small cavern this band of thieves uses as a hideout.

My instinct tells me this is a trap.

Comic-Con is an international convention for all things comics, fantasy, science fiction, horror, and so forth. Whether it was in a book, on TV, in a movie theater, or on the web, there is a good chance it will be represented at Comic-Con. Fans can expect to meet writers, directors, actors, illustrators, along with a whole host of people related to the industry.

Fans can also expect to meet a lot of other fans. The convention is just for that: The fans. Many fans like to dress up as their favorite characters to show off their love for these stories. Although it is more common to see Mr. Spock, the Joker, or Darth Vader, there are several fantasy themed characters out and about.

This year the Con is from July 21-24 and is being held in San Diego. If you are going to the Con and were interested in appearing as your favorite fantasy character, we wanted to advise that you order your fantasy costumes now. You want to make sure that they get to you in enough time for you to pack and try them on. Also don’t forget that as Steampunk makes more and more of an appearance in the mainstream, that you can also find Steampunk costumes at PearsonsRenaissanceShoppe.com.

We hope all of this year’s attendees have a great time!

Here at PearsonsRenaissanceShoppe.com, we pride ourselves at providing you authentic costuming for both the Renaissance and Medieval era. Our Renaissance costumes can help you fit in at a Renaissance Faire, a Medieval reenactment, or a Live Action Roleplaying (LARP) game.

But we also recognize that there are many other aspects of this exciting time in history that you may have questions about. In order to help you find the answers you may have about the Renaissance, we wanted to introduce you to a new ally of ours: Renaissance Spell.

Renaissance Society Informational site about the history of the times and culture of the Renaissance movement.

Renaissance Spell has many subcategories where visitors can learn a vast majority about a number of topics. If you are interested in learning about Renaissance art such as Leonard Da Vinci, Michelangelo, or Raphael, you can find almost anything you need to know. Interested in architecture? There is a section all about the buildings of the Renaissance. Almost anything you want to learn from an artistic standpoint, you can find at this site.

We’re happy to call them our friends.

If you are reading this blog, there is probably a good chance that you have LARPed, or you are planning on LARPing. LARP is an acronym for Live Action Role Playing game. LARPing is an interactive experience where players literally become their characters and act out scenarios in real time rather than from a video game console or computer screen.

When players arrive, there is usually a staff that runs and directs the gameplay. They help to set up the scene that the players will be using to interact. Players can create characters based upon the games rules and can take on roles such as a fighter, rogue, mage, or cleric. Depending on the game, there may even be live combat with foam or latex weapons.

The Renaissance clothing found at Pearson’s also works wonderfully as LARP costumes. For example. The dark cloak that you see here can be an excellent tool for rogues trying to sneak around in the dead of night. The wool material will not only keep you hidden, but also warm and dry. See what sort of mischief you can cause as a rogue with the LARP costumes you can find at PearsonsRenaissanceShoppe.com.

It’s finally here: Your very first Live Action Role Playing, or LARP, event. You’ve been waiting for this weekend for months and during that time you’ve been planning out your character from top to bottom. You’ve studied the rules and you can not wait for what you assume will be one of the best experiences of your life.  All you have to do is pack.

What will you take? You’ll want to pack your LARP costume, your boots, your boffer weapon, some sleeping gear, toiletries, and any makeup you may need. But don’t also forget about food.

LARP food can be tough to pack because you’re not sure what you should bring. You could bring packaged food that you cook in a kitchen, but that isn’t always on the Medieval theme. Now, nobody will tell you that you can’t eat the food that you bring, but when you are just looking for a snack, you may want to think of something you can use that is more appropriate for the time period.

The easiest way to have an authentic snack are fruits, cheese, and nuts. Many travelers in the Medieval era needed food that gave them energy and was also easy to carry. A small satchel full of various nuts fits this bill perfectly. Fruit like apples, grapes, pears, and cherries were also ideal traveling snacks because they would last longer than meat. The same can be said for small pieces of cheese.

We are on the road now. All five of us are about a day’s ride away from Castle. What lead us to this path was somewhat unique.

First, it was in fact a wizard who came to speak with us. He uncovered some of the mystery that has covered this necklace that we have been sent to find. Apparently this wizard had found this stone many years ago and it possess a magical power said to be destructive if in the wrong hands. It was given to the Baron’s daughter as a way to hide the stone in plain sight.

Well, we all know how well that plan worked out.

Shortly after the wizard delivered his message, we heard a commotion coming from the actual palace. On our way over, we saw several of our fellow guardsmen either wounded or subdued in front of the main door to the palace. From that door, the monks from a few days earlier raced from the building–one of them carrying the stone!

There was a brief skirmish but they were clearly utilizing their own form of magic to quickly elude our attacks. They made it past the front gate, but before they made it completely to safety, Josephus took out an arrow from the quiver on his Robin Hood belt, and let it loose. It pinned one of the monks down by his robe.

We knocked him unconscious, restrained him, and now he travels with us. When he wakes up, we plan on interrogating him, which I know is Grantiere’s specialty.