The Chiron System is a sparse place compared to other solar systems,
often attributed to the density of the star and the high
electromagnetic core of Thor. The System contains one medium sized star,
a small rocky planet named Hermes, the terran sphere Thor with its single moon Apollo,
the gas giant Hercul with its 12 moons, the gas giant Tiamat with its 5
multi-colored rings and finally the terran sphere Trinity with its 3
moons in altered elliptical orbits. There are only 2 meteors that regularly travel through the system, and unlike the Sol System is contains no asteroid belt.
Chiron is a medium sized
star, with an intensely heated core. A higher than average core temperature fuels
the star, leading to frequent solar flares and expulsion of comic gas
into space. It also spins around the galactic core at an increased rate,
the movement speed helping to increase the heat density of the star
itself. Frequent solar storms have lead to a highly charged atmosphere in the planets within the Chiron System, as well as scorching and destroying any proto-planets that may have existed in a closer alignment in the early days of the system.
The first planet in the Chiron system is the planet
Hermes. Orbiting incredibly close to Chiron, Hermes races around its
star at a breakneck speed. One Hermes year is only 99.5 days, and
temperature extremes can reach up to 2000F on the daylight side (Hermes
has a 12 hour day) and plunging to 950F on the dark side. No moons, and
deemed uninhabitable by Apollo scientists, it is the smallest planet in
the Chiron System just a few miles in diameter less than Apollo.
The
Third planet, Hercul, is a gas giant. Swirling with gold and amber gas storms
all along the surface, the actual core of the planet is rumored to be no
larger than Apollo itself. Severe and frequent gas storms rage across the surface,
some which stop over the years others which have raged on since Apollo
first gazed eyes on it. Hercul is ringed with twelve moons, the largest
being Augean (with its volcano's spewing toxic clouds of gas and soot
into the air) to the smallest being Cretan.
The Fourth planet,
Tiamat, is another gas giant in orbit around Chiron. Tiamat's gas is a
prismatic coloration, naturally a soft black but when reflecting the
rays of Chiron is shimmers with color. Tiamat has no moons, Apollo
theorizes it was once of the last planets to develop from the excess storms cast off of Hercul, but instead has
five multicolored rings (red, blue, green, white and gold) which are all that remain of its original moons. The rings all spin incredibly fast, orbiting the planet similar to a moon, and it is gravity alone which keeps the rings from coliding into each other.
The
fifth, and last planet, in the Chiron system is Trinity. It is a terran
sphere, much like Thor and Hermes, and is shrouded in white coloration that seems to permeate the entire atmosphere. Apollo
scientists are unsure if the white coloration is due from a gigantic ice sheet
surrounding the planet or high density cloud and ozone cover. It has
three proto-moons (not true spheres but most likely asteroids caught in orbit), orbiting in opposing elliptical patterns around the planet.
It is the farthest away and thus the least is known planet in the whole system.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Welcome to Thor
Welcome
to Thor, 2nd planet in the Chiron System. It has but one orbital
satellite named Moon by the settlers of Thor, but now designated Apollo
by its inhabitants.
In 2109, the nations of the Earth began their first grand colonization project. Scientists were dedicated to the cause and money invested in grand projects for future homes for mankind among the stars while the nations of the world raced to be the first to establish colonies inside of the Sol System and beyond. However, like in everything that involves governments, politics came into play. Human rights activists, environmentalists. religious zealots and isolationist all found common ground in wanting to deny these programs from occurring. Public relation nightmares all over the globe put an end to publicly visible plans for colonization, politicians and national figures more interested in protecting their seats of power than the future of mankind bowed out and removed support.
But, what the people of Earth didn't know...wouldn't hurt them.
A massive ship, the first of its kind, was built in bunkers and secret locations all across Earth. Codenamed ARC, it stood for Aerial Relocation Colonizer. Ungraded with the most up-to-date technology the combined minds of Earths most brilliant men could come up with, it was fitted with everything a population would need to survive on a new world and flourish. Chosen for the this secret mission were those deemed expendable (and also most likely to survive near-impossible situations), prisoners and other convicts from jails and prisons. Given the choice of certain death via lethal injection/life in prison or the chance at a brand new life...a crew of 500,000 were chosen. Health screens, professions trained and rechecked before the final number, 325,000, was reached.
The launch was perfect, the massive ship and its crew were disguised as a asteroid belt mining ship to the press, and scientists cheered as the new experimental NLS engine pushed it out of the solar system in a matter of hours. Communications with the systems were perfect, and they all celebrated their luck.
Celebrated a bit too early it seems.
As the ARC traveled through various identified solar system, a problem occurred. An unstable star had entered its final death face, and random luck had it expand and explode as the ARC passed by. Going super nova the plasma and fusion waves pushed off the star, reaching the ARC in a matter of seconds. The plasma waves ripped through the ship, destroying the communication arrays and scrambling the autopilot navigation system. On Earth they were too late to do anything at all. By the time the plasma wave hit their sensors, the ship had already disappeared. In the black reaches outside of the Sol System the ARC was lost...and forgotten by all who lived back on that world.
The ship cruised on, traveling the void. It kept going deeper and farther, traveling beyond what any man would come to know for centuries, its NLS engines pushing it to the edge of the galaxy and beyond. As all things are want to do, it eventually ran out of power. Scanning the new solar system it had arrived in, it found that the Moon orbiting the 2nd planet in this system was the most Earth-like. It began to emergency eject it's inhabitants, dropping off most of the supplies and those deemed critical to a colonies survival first, before an electromagnetic wave radiating of the main planet tore through the ship. It destroyed what little automatic computer flight AI's were remaining, and while a quarter of the crew was landing on the moon and beginning to awaken from stasis, 3/4 remained as the ship careened into the planet below. Saved by the last of the emergency power, those who had to survive on the planet faced a far different world than either were accustomed to.
It has been 525 years. The two societies regained the ability of space travel, and the resulting war that took place between the two great peoples nearly tore all life apart. An uneasy peace has been brokered, and in a joint effort the two governments have built together their first deep space probe, aimed at exploring the remainder of the Chiron System.
You are those first brave souls to leave the orbits of Thor and Apollo.
Good Luck.
In 2109, the nations of the Earth began their first grand colonization project. Scientists were dedicated to the cause and money invested in grand projects for future homes for mankind among the stars while the nations of the world raced to be the first to establish colonies inside of the Sol System and beyond. However, like in everything that involves governments, politics came into play. Human rights activists, environmentalists. religious zealots and isolationist all found common ground in wanting to deny these programs from occurring. Public relation nightmares all over the globe put an end to publicly visible plans for colonization, politicians and national figures more interested in protecting their seats of power than the future of mankind bowed out and removed support.
But, what the people of Earth didn't know...wouldn't hurt them.
A massive ship, the first of its kind, was built in bunkers and secret locations all across Earth. Codenamed ARC, it stood for Aerial Relocation Colonizer. Ungraded with the most up-to-date technology the combined minds of Earths most brilliant men could come up with, it was fitted with everything a population would need to survive on a new world and flourish. Chosen for the this secret mission were those deemed expendable (and also most likely to survive near-impossible situations), prisoners and other convicts from jails and prisons. Given the choice of certain death via lethal injection/life in prison or the chance at a brand new life...a crew of 500,000 were chosen. Health screens, professions trained and rechecked before the final number, 325,000, was reached.
The launch was perfect, the massive ship and its crew were disguised as a asteroid belt mining ship to the press, and scientists cheered as the new experimental NLS engine pushed it out of the solar system in a matter of hours. Communications with the systems were perfect, and they all celebrated their luck.
Celebrated a bit too early it seems.
As the ARC traveled through various identified solar system, a problem occurred. An unstable star had entered its final death face, and random luck had it expand and explode as the ARC passed by. Going super nova the plasma and fusion waves pushed off the star, reaching the ARC in a matter of seconds. The plasma waves ripped through the ship, destroying the communication arrays and scrambling the autopilot navigation system. On Earth they were too late to do anything at all. By the time the plasma wave hit their sensors, the ship had already disappeared. In the black reaches outside of the Sol System the ARC was lost...and forgotten by all who lived back on that world.
The ship cruised on, traveling the void. It kept going deeper and farther, traveling beyond what any man would come to know for centuries, its NLS engines pushing it to the edge of the galaxy and beyond. As all things are want to do, it eventually ran out of power. Scanning the new solar system it had arrived in, it found that the Moon orbiting the 2nd planet in this system was the most Earth-like. It began to emergency eject it's inhabitants, dropping off most of the supplies and those deemed critical to a colonies survival first, before an electromagnetic wave radiating of the main planet tore through the ship. It destroyed what little automatic computer flight AI's were remaining, and while a quarter of the crew was landing on the moon and beginning to awaken from stasis, 3/4 remained as the ship careened into the planet below. Saved by the last of the emergency power, those who had to survive on the planet faced a far different world than either were accustomed to.
It has been 525 years. The two societies regained the ability of space travel, and the resulting war that took place between the two great peoples nearly tore all life apart. An uneasy peace has been brokered, and in a joint effort the two governments have built together their first deep space probe, aimed at exploring the remainder of the Chiron System.
You are those first brave souls to leave the orbits of Thor and Apollo.
Good Luck.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
I made a belt!
I did my first of leatherworking last night, it was a lot of fun! Philippe taught a class on the basics of leatherworking, at the end of it we had finished making our very own belt :). I learned a lot about leatherworking, the various tools and how leather goods are made! Here are some photos of my finished product.
According to Philippe, the buckle is actually period correct for the 14th century! The studs along the side were a more masculine touch, ad I'm happy with how the silver looks.
I think it looks really snazzy, and I'm always glad to have a more period attire for my garb!
I had a lot of fun doing the leatherworking, I'm considering looking more into it! I know my buddies Jake and Kaoru are investing more into it, I might play with their stuff to see if I like it :)
According to Philippe, the buckle is actually period correct for the 14th century! The studs along the side were a more masculine touch, ad I'm happy with how the silver looks.
I had a lot of fun doing the leatherworking, I'm considering looking more into it! I know my buddies Jake and Kaoru are investing more into it, I might play with their stuff to see if I like it :)
Monday, June 4, 2012
My first SCA meal: a review
This is another of (most likely) several more blog posts in result of TMT and everything that occurred there.
Let's start with a brief overview of what happened and how it went down -
Lunches sold:
The theme of the lunches for the weekend was cool and refreshing. On Saturday for 3 dollars you got a boxed lunch which contained half a banana, a dill pickle spear and a chicken caesar salad wrap (inside the wrap was chicken, salt, pepper, caesar dressing, spring mix greens, freshly shredded cheese and sprouts). The food could all be eaten chilled or cold, which was a plus for serving it in the hot Trimaris heat.
On Sunday the lunch was half a banana, a dill pickle spear or hard boiled egg (we were outselling far faster than we thought and had to use eggs to supplement the lack of pickles) and a BBQ pulled pork wrap (BBQ sauce, bacon, pulled rump pork, pork loin, fresh spinach leaves and freshly grated cheese).
Budget details:
Baroness Bebhin and I were given a budget of 75 per day for the fund-raising lunches, with a total of 150 to spend for the entire weekend. The chicken from Saturdays lunch was donated by Their Excellencies Darkwater as they had no need of it, and Baroness Bebhin herself donated the cost of the boxes for the lunch. These two donations really kept the price down, I would have been roughly 46 dollars over my budget had I had to pay the cost for both those items. The entirety of the over-budget would have been the box cost, something that I feel really drove the sale of the lunches.
On Saturday, of the 75 dollars set aside for me I only spent 70. On Sunday, of the 75 dollars set aside for me I only spent 52. In total I came in 28 dollars under budget. Since we used Kingdom funds to provide the starter for the lunch, the Kingdom asked us to pay back the cost for the lunch (which was totally fair). After paying back the 122 dollars spent, we generated a profit of 310 dollars in our fundraising lunch.
So with the start of the meal, we had done really good. The food cost was down, we were able to repay the Kingdom and we made a wonderful profit :)
Things that went well:
1) Providing the lunch in multiple locations really helped. By having the lunch down where the fighting was, I was able to sell meals to those who where at either side of the camp. This was a fantastic idea that was really only available to me because I had packed the lunches in box form. As well, having it down next to water point allowed me to not have to invest in specific drinks because they were provided a mere 6 feet away. I later moved the lunch to the next area of fighting on Sunday, I did a bit worse than Saturday but that was due to weather and not interest.
2) The boxes were the gang-buster hit of the lunch, and I cannot state that enough. The portability and lack of needed feast gear made this lunch a big hit, people could eat it on the go and were not nailed down to one specific spot just to eat. All the trash fit nicely into the boxes, and the boxes were cardboard so there was no guilt about just throwing them in the trash. It was also great advertzing, I would see people eating the lunch from the box while standing in merchants row/artisans row and people asked where to get it.
3) Working with the Feast crew to build the lunches was a great idea. Using the chicken Baron Herman wasn't planning on using saved cost, as well as the pork and spinach on Sunday with Sasha. This was a great save of money, and a great use of food product from both the feast teams. Baron Herman had a bulk of extra chicken, pork and spinach leaves and being able to use them instead of having them go to waste is just good news for everyone.
4) The price was cheaper than anything else on site, at 3 dollars I was able to attract my buyers simply because I was more affordable to those on a tight budget. The cheapest food item beyond that was 2 hot dogs at My Island Food Cart at 4 dollars, and for three dollars I was the budget price point for an entire meal.
5) The food choices seemed well aimed at the audience, cool foods to help settle the stomach against the heat of the day was a big win/win. No complaints against the noms, with the random exception of those with food allergies.
6) Wrapping each item individually was also a big win/win. People with allergy concerns were happy when I informed them that certain food items were wrapped to prevent any food-born allergy issues. The few food allergy concerns I had were mostly brushed away once I had told them about the individual wrap.
Things that went poorly:
1) I did not calculate those who would need lunch for "free" in my planning. I gave lunches to Their Majesty's both days and Their Highness's on Sunday, but reservations and gate also came and took lunches as well. I'd say I lost 15 lunches to freebies, which put me under the 75 lunches a day I had planned to sell. To improve next time, I need to count in the number of lunches I'll need to give away as a part of my lunch planning.
2) I did not doublecheck with the Autocrat on lunch times for Saturday. I was thankfully way ahead of the game that day, but because of Crown Lyst issues the lunches were requested to be sold an hour earlier. I was able to get the lunches sold at the time requested, but had I checked in earlier with him I could have been less frazzled in those last moments on Saturday. To improve next time, I sould keep a better check in with both the site Herald and the Autocrat.
3) I did not follow-up with a few people who volunteered to help as much as I should have. I ended up having to do a number of things myself before the event that others had promised to figure out, if I had checked in with them more regularly I could have noticed the problem earlier and been far less rushed the day of. To improve next time, I need to make sure to follow-up with people who have volunteered to help and assist. If they are unable/forget to to something to help I need to be ready to handle it myself if needed.
4) I need to relax a bit, yeesh! I had drawn maps and diagrams of the kitchen, organized my entire lunch set-up on 15 minute increments. Doing such (and being forced to do a large amout by msyelf in advance that i wasn't expecting to) made me a bit clingy, and I micro-managed a bit too much. Thankfully I had both Baroness Jehannette and Baroness Bebhin as well as Lady Squeaky to remind me of things I had forgotten/not thought of in my intense focus of the moment. To improve for next time, I need to relax more and let things go with the flow and trust my allies and volunteer helpers. I have a feeling that will get easier with time, as I become more comfortable with cooking.
All in all, this was an amazing experience! Something that really juiced up my desires to work on cooking in the SCA, and ramped up my interest in it all over again :)
Let's start with a brief overview of what happened and how it went down -
Lunches sold:
The theme of the lunches for the weekend was cool and refreshing. On Saturday for 3 dollars you got a boxed lunch which contained half a banana, a dill pickle spear and a chicken caesar salad wrap (inside the wrap was chicken, salt, pepper, caesar dressing, spring mix greens, freshly shredded cheese and sprouts). The food could all be eaten chilled or cold, which was a plus for serving it in the hot Trimaris heat.
On Sunday the lunch was half a banana, a dill pickle spear or hard boiled egg (we were outselling far faster than we thought and had to use eggs to supplement the lack of pickles) and a BBQ pulled pork wrap (BBQ sauce, bacon, pulled rump pork, pork loin, fresh spinach leaves and freshly grated cheese).
Budget details:
Baroness Bebhin and I were given a budget of 75 per day for the fund-raising lunches, with a total of 150 to spend for the entire weekend. The chicken from Saturdays lunch was donated by Their Excellencies Darkwater as they had no need of it, and Baroness Bebhin herself donated the cost of the boxes for the lunch. These two donations really kept the price down, I would have been roughly 46 dollars over my budget had I had to pay the cost for both those items. The entirety of the over-budget would have been the box cost, something that I feel really drove the sale of the lunches.
On Saturday, of the 75 dollars set aside for me I only spent 70. On Sunday, of the 75 dollars set aside for me I only spent 52. In total I came in 28 dollars under budget. Since we used Kingdom funds to provide the starter for the lunch, the Kingdom asked us to pay back the cost for the lunch (which was totally fair). After paying back the 122 dollars spent, we generated a profit of 310 dollars in our fundraising lunch.
So with the start of the meal, we had done really good. The food cost was down, we were able to repay the Kingdom and we made a wonderful profit :)
Things that went well:
1) Providing the lunch in multiple locations really helped. By having the lunch down where the fighting was, I was able to sell meals to those who where at either side of the camp. This was a fantastic idea that was really only available to me because I had packed the lunches in box form. As well, having it down next to water point allowed me to not have to invest in specific drinks because they were provided a mere 6 feet away. I later moved the lunch to the next area of fighting on Sunday, I did a bit worse than Saturday but that was due to weather and not interest.
2) The boxes were the gang-buster hit of the lunch, and I cannot state that enough. The portability and lack of needed feast gear made this lunch a big hit, people could eat it on the go and were not nailed down to one specific spot just to eat. All the trash fit nicely into the boxes, and the boxes were cardboard so there was no guilt about just throwing them in the trash. It was also great advertzing, I would see people eating the lunch from the box while standing in merchants row/artisans row and people asked where to get it.
3) Working with the Feast crew to build the lunches was a great idea. Using the chicken Baron Herman wasn't planning on using saved cost, as well as the pork and spinach on Sunday with Sasha. This was a great save of money, and a great use of food product from both the feast teams. Baron Herman had a bulk of extra chicken, pork and spinach leaves and being able to use them instead of having them go to waste is just good news for everyone.
4) The price was cheaper than anything else on site, at 3 dollars I was able to attract my buyers simply because I was more affordable to those on a tight budget. The cheapest food item beyond that was 2 hot dogs at My Island Food Cart at 4 dollars, and for three dollars I was the budget price point for an entire meal.
5) The food choices seemed well aimed at the audience, cool foods to help settle the stomach against the heat of the day was a big win/win. No complaints against the noms, with the random exception of those with food allergies.
6) Wrapping each item individually was also a big win/win. People with allergy concerns were happy when I informed them that certain food items were wrapped to prevent any food-born allergy issues. The few food allergy concerns I had were mostly brushed away once I had told them about the individual wrap.
Things that went poorly:
1) I did not calculate those who would need lunch for "free" in my planning. I gave lunches to Their Majesty's both days and Their Highness's on Sunday, but reservations and gate also came and took lunches as well. I'd say I lost 15 lunches to freebies, which put me under the 75 lunches a day I had planned to sell. To improve next time, I need to count in the number of lunches I'll need to give away as a part of my lunch planning.
2) I did not doublecheck with the Autocrat on lunch times for Saturday. I was thankfully way ahead of the game that day, but because of Crown Lyst issues the lunches were requested to be sold an hour earlier. I was able to get the lunches sold at the time requested, but had I checked in earlier with him I could have been less frazzled in those last moments on Saturday. To improve next time, I sould keep a better check in with both the site Herald and the Autocrat.
3) I did not follow-up with a few people who volunteered to help as much as I should have. I ended up having to do a number of things myself before the event that others had promised to figure out, if I had checked in with them more regularly I could have noticed the problem earlier and been far less rushed the day of. To improve next time, I need to make sure to follow-up with people who have volunteered to help and assist. If they are unable/forget to to something to help I need to be ready to handle it myself if needed.
4) I need to relax a bit, yeesh! I had drawn maps and diagrams of the kitchen, organized my entire lunch set-up on 15 minute increments. Doing such (and being forced to do a large amout by msyelf in advance that i wasn't expecting to) made me a bit clingy, and I micro-managed a bit too much. Thankfully I had both Baroness Jehannette and Baroness Bebhin as well as Lady Squeaky to remind me of things I had forgotten/not thought of in my intense focus of the moment. To improve for next time, I need to relax more and let things go with the flow and trust my allies and volunteer helpers. I have a feeling that will get easier with time, as I become more comfortable with cooking.
All in all, this was an amazing experience! Something that really juiced up my desires to work on cooking in the SCA, and ramped up my interest in it all over again :)
Monday, May 28, 2012
From the Vault - IC: Welcome Home...
This is a piece of short fiction from my Vampire: The Requiem game, one from the vaults so to speak. I was pretty happy with it at the time, so I htink I'll actually post it up here for viewing pleasure:
* * *
Lachlan scowled as he stepped off his private jet in the secluded airstrip. His trip from the Amazon had been most uneventful, mostly his own nerves getting the better of him as he thought of all his family. Their images from nearly a century ago still haunted his waking hours, not an hour has passed by since that first scattering that he did not think of them. The air was gritty with the pollution of the Kine, the land was lit by harsh bulbs which blocked the natural beauty of the stars...this was no Ireland by any stretch of the imagination.
His combat boots squelched in the mud as he stepped into the limo, adjusting the trench coat around his person to hide the various blades and guns on his person. A Knight of the Invictus, let alone a loyal Knight of the Scarabae, never entered a new scenario unprepared for anything that may arise. Taking deep breaths, not for air but for the sake of keeping calm, Lachlan forced himself to think on what was to come. Already Pelinora had fallen so low, lost so much of her civility...what had fared with the others?
Would the Twins still have that same sad smile when they looked at the world? Had the past century effected them so, warped their bond and driven a wedge between the both of them?
What had happened to the Amun? Lachlan's face turns into a scowl as he thinks of what may have befallen the once proud Nosferatu when separated from those that they worship. They both created such works of beauty for the Twins, giving up much of themselves into every bit of the art...how have they lasted while separated from their muse?
How had the separation been to the newest member of the family, the youngest known as Rhealette? Had the time apart from the family made her leery, made her separate? Would she fit in, would she even want to come back when Khemet so unjustly broke apart the one thing that was truly good in any of their lives?
What fate befell those star-crossed lovers, the stoic Corvin and Lachlan's dear sister Sairy? Had the century in isolation strengthen their bond, or had it weakened and crumbled without support? Had Corvin treated her right, had Sairy come to terms with her own power over Corvin? Lachlan places a hand on his thigh and squeezes it as he remembers Sairy as they used to walk for hours under the moonlight, just talking and sharing between the two. Would his bond to his Daeva sister ever be the same again?
Would his Elder Rainier receive him, welcome him, respect him? Would he be punished for allowing Khemet to split the family, would he be punished for Elebeta's death?
Lachlan closes his eyes and places a hand over his heart at the mere thought of his beloved, the only one he failed to save. Duty and honor made him abandon her, made him leave her to death. He had fought with her even then, tears of blood pouring down his face as his Duty and Honor fought with his Soul and Love. In the end it was she who convinced him to go, he would have surely betrayed Khemet and risked death for her life.
How her sweet words elated his soul, her gentle touch calmed him and excited him so. How she knew the animal inside his soul, that part of Lachlan that he kept hidden even from his dear Sairy. A part of him died with her that night, as he let her to the flames. She gave herself so the Family might live...but Lachlan was never sure if he would ever allow himself to live again.
As the car pulled off the side roads into the major interstate connecting Orlando, Lachlan could not help but have his breath caught in his throat. It had been long, too long, since he had been in a proper city. He could already feel his blood stirring, the Beast within pacing as it paws eagerly at the gates within his soul. It wanted to hunt, to claim his territory. It wanted to make this home so desperately...but a part of his heart remained cold. His eyes scanned the side of the road as his driver sped past the gleaming steel, searching for any sign of his Family.
It would not feel like home until they were all gathered. Not a moment before. And then he would guard them, protect his home from whatever danger might rise its dreadful head. Lachlan gives a silent prayer that the hole in his heart may one day be filled, and that he may hide his one weakness from the rest.
"Welcome home House Scarabae..."
* * *
Lachlan scowled as he stepped off his private jet in the secluded airstrip. His trip from the Amazon had been most uneventful, mostly his own nerves getting the better of him as he thought of all his family. Their images from nearly a century ago still haunted his waking hours, not an hour has passed by since that first scattering that he did not think of them. The air was gritty with the pollution of the Kine, the land was lit by harsh bulbs which blocked the natural beauty of the stars...this was no Ireland by any stretch of the imagination.
His combat boots squelched in the mud as he stepped into the limo, adjusting the trench coat around his person to hide the various blades and guns on his person. A Knight of the Invictus, let alone a loyal Knight of the Scarabae, never entered a new scenario unprepared for anything that may arise. Taking deep breaths, not for air but for the sake of keeping calm, Lachlan forced himself to think on what was to come. Already Pelinora had fallen so low, lost so much of her civility...what had fared with the others?
Would the Twins still have that same sad smile when they looked at the world? Had the past century effected them so, warped their bond and driven a wedge between the both of them?
What had happened to the Amun? Lachlan's face turns into a scowl as he thinks of what may have befallen the once proud Nosferatu when separated from those that they worship. They both created such works of beauty for the Twins, giving up much of themselves into every bit of the art...how have they lasted while separated from their muse?
How had the separation been to the newest member of the family, the youngest known as Rhealette? Had the time apart from the family made her leery, made her separate? Would she fit in, would she even want to come back when Khemet so unjustly broke apart the one thing that was truly good in any of their lives?
What fate befell those star-crossed lovers, the stoic Corvin and Lachlan's dear sister Sairy? Had the century in isolation strengthen their bond, or had it weakened and crumbled without support? Had Corvin treated her right, had Sairy come to terms with her own power over Corvin? Lachlan places a hand on his thigh and squeezes it as he remembers Sairy as they used to walk for hours under the moonlight, just talking and sharing between the two. Would his bond to his Daeva sister ever be the same again?
Would his Elder Rainier receive him, welcome him, respect him? Would he be punished for allowing Khemet to split the family, would he be punished for Elebeta's death?
Lachlan closes his eyes and places a hand over his heart at the mere thought of his beloved, the only one he failed to save. Duty and honor made him abandon her, made him leave her to death. He had fought with her even then, tears of blood pouring down his face as his Duty and Honor fought with his Soul and Love. In the end it was she who convinced him to go, he would have surely betrayed Khemet and risked death for her life.
How her sweet words elated his soul, her gentle touch calmed him and excited him so. How she knew the animal inside his soul, that part of Lachlan that he kept hidden even from his dear Sairy. A part of him died with her that night, as he let her to the flames. She gave herself so the Family might live...but Lachlan was never sure if he would ever allow himself to live again.
As the car pulled off the side roads into the major interstate connecting Orlando, Lachlan could not help but have his breath caught in his throat. It had been long, too long, since he had been in a proper city. He could already feel his blood stirring, the Beast within pacing as it paws eagerly at the gates within his soul. It wanted to hunt, to claim his territory. It wanted to make this home so desperately...but a part of his heart remained cold. His eyes scanned the side of the road as his driver sped past the gleaming steel, searching for any sign of his Family.
It would not feel like home until they were all gathered. Not a moment before. And then he would guard them, protect his home from whatever danger might rise its dreadful head. Lachlan gives a silent prayer that the hole in his heart may one day be filled, and that he may hide his one weakness from the rest.
"Welcome home House Scarabae..."
Because I cannot sleep...14th Century german Feast "gear"
At Feast on Sunday, my friend Jake made a passing comment that got a bit under my skin. I know he meant it in jest, but it still made me want to sit him down and discuss in detail how I was eating my food and why. Time did not allow me the pleasure of that, so I will do such here.
14th Century feasts were very similar in style and format across Europe, many countries duplicating others styles in order to try and 1-up them (such as the case in England or France) or they were still using the tried-and-true methods laid down by the Holy Roman Empire in its early unification of Europe (Germany and again France, those silly silly people). As such, each feast followed a very specialized format that was known to the eaters and thus accepted as a standard. Doing my best to research historical food, I have also discovered the ways in period that they would have eaten the food I make. With that in mind, I do my best to try and emulate and reenact what parts I can in the SCA feast.
I started the meal privately, normally a public gesture done with everyone at the table but I frankly didn't have a large enough bowl this time (next time I'll try and invest in one, though large glass/ceramic bowls are harder to find than a plastic). I washed my hands using a lavender water, patted them dry and then sat at my place and prepared for my meal. Historically a different style of tablecloth would be provided, but for this instance I simply laid down my own square of cloth to use as my placement cloth with enough extra hanging over to use as a napkin. I place my knife, spoon, bowl, plate and goblet on the table with the bowl facing the direction that the food would be served (in this case, the center of the table). I enured my knife was sharp, then set out my nef with sea salt in the center of the table for easy access by all participants as well as a display of our worth and wealth.
As the meal began, I ensured I ate properly. I only used my right hand, and only my first three fingers at that to provide good portion control and to not seem unsightly in front of the ladies by shoveling massive amounts of food into my mouth. My left hand was used for utensil selection, moving plates, conversation and other non-food related tasks that would arise. I sampled only the dishes I liked, taking the portions appropriate to share with the rest of the table. I ate gingerly, not speaking while eating and took the time to appreciate each dish and thinking on its taste and design. When my fingers became too dirty, I simply used the bottom (and hidden) section of my placement cloth to clean them to continue to have a clean white place setting and also clean fingers.
When finished with the platters and meals, I ensured that the uneaten bits were separated from any trash bits present (such as an uneaten chicken thigh amidst a pile of bones) for the "servants" to have for their supper later. I thanked my server for his hard work, then enjoyed my last bit of time at feast in reflection to my meal and having light and easy conversation with my tablemates. When the highest ranking Lady chose to retire from the table, I then left after ensuring she was the first to leave. I once again took my bowl, took my lavender water and cleaned my hands one last time to finish the meal.
That was a civilized, noble, honorable and chivalric way to eat. That was not barbaric to eat like that, that was period dining at the best I could reproduce.
14th Century feasts were very similar in style and format across Europe, many countries duplicating others styles in order to try and 1-up them (such as the case in England or France) or they were still using the tried-and-true methods laid down by the Holy Roman Empire in its early unification of Europe (Germany and again France, those silly silly people). As such, each feast followed a very specialized format that was known to the eaters and thus accepted as a standard. Doing my best to research historical food, I have also discovered the ways in period that they would have eaten the food I make. With that in mind, I do my best to try and emulate and reenact what parts I can in the SCA feast.
I started the meal privately, normally a public gesture done with everyone at the table but I frankly didn't have a large enough bowl this time (next time I'll try and invest in one, though large glass/ceramic bowls are harder to find than a plastic). I washed my hands using a lavender water, patted them dry and then sat at my place and prepared for my meal. Historically a different style of tablecloth would be provided, but for this instance I simply laid down my own square of cloth to use as my placement cloth with enough extra hanging over to use as a napkin. I place my knife, spoon, bowl, plate and goblet on the table with the bowl facing the direction that the food would be served (in this case, the center of the table). I enured my knife was sharp, then set out my nef with sea salt in the center of the table for easy access by all participants as well as a display of our worth and wealth.
As the meal began, I ensured I ate properly. I only used my right hand, and only my first three fingers at that to provide good portion control and to not seem unsightly in front of the ladies by shoveling massive amounts of food into my mouth. My left hand was used for utensil selection, moving plates, conversation and other non-food related tasks that would arise. I sampled only the dishes I liked, taking the portions appropriate to share with the rest of the table. I ate gingerly, not speaking while eating and took the time to appreciate each dish and thinking on its taste and design. When my fingers became too dirty, I simply used the bottom (and hidden) section of my placement cloth to clean them to continue to have a clean white place setting and also clean fingers.
When finished with the platters and meals, I ensured that the uneaten bits were separated from any trash bits present (such as an uneaten chicken thigh amidst a pile of bones) for the "servants" to have for their supper later. I thanked my server for his hard work, then enjoyed my last bit of time at feast in reflection to my meal and having light and easy conversation with my tablemates. When the highest ranking Lady chose to retire from the table, I then left after ensuring she was the first to leave. I once again took my bowl, took my lavender water and cleaned my hands one last time to finish the meal.
That was a civilized, noble, honorable and chivalric way to eat. That was not barbaric to eat like that, that was period dining at the best I could reproduce.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Filk: (Down in) Trimarian Lands
So I had this tune stuck in my brain for a while, and being the silly man that I am I filked it.
The original tune is based off Kokomo by the Beach Boys, I couldn't get the original song out of my head for days before the alternate chorus started flowing out of my mind. It took a few hours, but I decided to pen this down for my own personal amusement.
* * *
An Crossra, Star Haven ooo I wanna take ya to
The Ruins, Darkwater come on shine my armor in
Oldenfeld, Wyvernwoode baby why don't we go to Avalon
Where the three seas meet
There's a place with chivalry
That's where you wanna go to dance and sing the moon down
Fighting on the sands
Well-crafted mead chilling in your glass
We'll be falling in love
To the rhythm of a bardic band
Down in Trimarian Lands
An Crossra, Star Haven ooo I wanna take ya to
The Ruins, Darkwater come on shine my armor in
Oldenfeld, Wyvernwoode baby why don't we go
Down to Trimaris
I'll steal a kiss
While watching fencing lysts
That's where we find true bliss
Way down in Trimaris
To Martin's shrine, with water so divine.
We'll dye thread all night
Spin fibers by candlelight
By and by you will find, a doublet that will fit just right
Training Squires right
Consorts and Crown Lyst fights
That loving look in her eye
Escorting Princes as they claim their prize
Way down in Trimarian Land
An Crossra, Star Haven ooo I wanna take ya to
The Ruins, Darkwater come on shine my armor in
Oldenfeld, Wyvernwoode baby why don't we go
Down to Trimaris
I'll steal a kiss
While watching fencing lysts
That's where we find true bliss
Way down in Trimaris
Pots and pans, cooks highly in demand
Hearts shall always wish
To live down here in Trimaris
Where Peers of honor and grace
Are countless like all our sand
Here in Trimarian lands
An Crossra, Star Haven ooo I wanna take ya to
The Ruins, Darkwater come on shine my armor in
Oldenfeld, Wyvernwoode baby why don't we go
Down to Trimaris
We'll steal a kiss
While watching fencing lysts
That's where we find true bliss
Way down to Trimaris
An Crossra, Star Haven ooo I wanna take ya to
The Ruins, Darkwater come on shine my armor in
Oldenfeld, Wyvernwoode baby why don't we go
Down to Trimaris
I'll steal a kiss
While watching fencing lysts
That's where we find true bliss
Way down in Trimaris
An Crossra, Star Haven ooo I wanna take ya to
The Ruins, Darkwater come on shine my armor in
Oldenfeld, Wyvernwoode baby why don't we go
Down to Trimaris
I'll steal a kiss
While watching fencing lysts
That's where we find true bliss
Way down in Trimaris
The original tune is based off Kokomo by the Beach Boys, I couldn't get the original song out of my head for days before the alternate chorus started flowing out of my mind. It took a few hours, but I decided to pen this down for my own personal amusement.
* * *
An Crossra, Star Haven ooo I wanna take ya to
The Ruins, Darkwater come on shine my armor in
Oldenfeld, Wyvernwoode baby why don't we go to Avalon
Where the three seas meet
There's a place with chivalry
That's where you wanna go to dance and sing the moon down
Fighting on the sands
Well-crafted mead chilling in your glass
We'll be falling in love
To the rhythm of a bardic band
Down in Trimarian Lands
An Crossra, Star Haven ooo I wanna take ya to
The Ruins, Darkwater come on shine my armor in
Oldenfeld, Wyvernwoode baby why don't we go
Down to Trimaris
I'll steal a kiss
While watching fencing lysts
That's where we find true bliss
Way down in Trimaris
To Martin's shrine, with water so divine.
We'll dye thread all night
Spin fibers by candlelight
By and by you will find, a doublet that will fit just right
Training Squires right
Consorts and Crown Lyst fights
That loving look in her eye
Escorting Princes as they claim their prize
Way down in Trimarian Land
An Crossra, Star Haven ooo I wanna take ya to
The Ruins, Darkwater come on shine my armor in
Oldenfeld, Wyvernwoode baby why don't we go
Down to Trimaris
I'll steal a kiss
While watching fencing lysts
That's where we find true bliss
Way down in Trimaris
Pots and pans, cooks highly in demand
Hearts shall always wish
To live down here in Trimaris
Where Peers of honor and grace
Are countless like all our sand
Here in Trimarian lands
An Crossra, Star Haven ooo I wanna take ya to
The Ruins, Darkwater come on shine my armor in
Oldenfeld, Wyvernwoode baby why don't we go
Down to Trimaris
We'll steal a kiss
While watching fencing lysts
That's where we find true bliss
Way down to Trimaris
An Crossra, Star Haven ooo I wanna take ya to
The Ruins, Darkwater come on shine my armor in
Oldenfeld, Wyvernwoode baby why don't we go
Down to Trimaris
I'll steal a kiss
While watching fencing lysts
That's where we find true bliss
Way down in Trimaris
An Crossra, Star Haven ooo I wanna take ya to
The Ruins, Darkwater come on shine my armor in
Oldenfeld, Wyvernwoode baby why don't we go
Down to Trimaris
I'll steal a kiss
While watching fencing lysts
That's where we find true bliss
Way down in Trimaris
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