I Can't Even

I Can't Even 

by, 

Sara 'Zarine' Jessop

Death and Fashion

Last weekend I got the opportunity to attend the annual Black and White Masquerade. It was pretty exciting for me to get away from the bathhouse on a Saturday and actually attend a social event. I love a good masquerade, and I haven't gotten a chance to go to The Black and White since the very first weekend I came to these lands. Back then I was rather quiet and shy and I don't remember too much about it as I was still finding my bearings. But I have heard wonderful things about it over the years and I couldn't wait to experience it in all it's glory.

One of the things I was most looking forward to was the opportunity to see Death himself. I have heard a lot about him and his appearances at the annual event and how he traipses around punishes people for not wearing masks. First off, I am completely intrigued by any entity that castigates mortals for bad fashion choices. I have never been a person to worship gods, but this one sounds like one I could potentially be convinced to canonize.

So all night I waited for Death to arrive. I kept an eye on the people without masks in the hopes that he would come to smite them. I felt like a kid on the eve of Yule, except instead of being excited about an obese man bringing presents I was anticipating a blood bath involving unfashionably uncouth plebs. But alas, Dear Reader, for I was to be disappointed. All night I wondered, “What will Death wear?”, and still I wonder because he never showed up!

Seriously, Death, you've disappointed me. Here I was thinking we'd be great friends and now we aren't even mediocre acquaintances. I was expecting you to arrive in the most fabulous of ensembles with the most ridiculously fantastic mask and pass your haughty judgment over us all. I wanted to know what fabrics you prefer and how many shades of black are in your closet. I wanted to ask your opinion on a variety of different options for my own funeral attire. I mean, I would just die of embarrassment if I were arrive in the afterlife wearing the same thing as someone else who was recently deceased.

Now people tell me that sometimes Death just doesn't show up. Talk about a let down.

At least I got to discover what quinoa tastes like. Spoiler alert, it's awful.

See you next Tuesday.

Zarine is the proprietor and Madam at Alchimia Lupanar, a magic marshal approved practitioner of medicine, an award winning author, and has 36 years of experience in giving her unsolicited opinion.

Arc Sphere Distortions

Arc Sphere Distortions

by Steven "Therian" Matulewicz

Black and White 2016 Dessert Competition Winner

 From the kitchen of the Royal Patissier of Chimeron 

 2016 Winner: Areni's Cannoli Pie

 Shortbread Crust

• 1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup butter, chilled and cut into chunks
• 1 large egg

1. Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt in bowl of food processor; pulse to combine.
2. Add in cold butter chunks and pulse until the flour mixture looks sandy and the butter has been broken down into very small pieces.
3. Add the egg and pulse until the dough starts to come together. Dough should still be somewhat crumbly.
4. Transfer the sandy dough into a 9-inch pie plate and press it gently into an even layer up the sides and over the base of the pan. When the dough is evenly spread, pack it down firmly to create an even crust. Be sure to press the dough into the corners well.
NOTE: Crust should be stored in the fridge, covered with plastic wrap, until ready to fill.

Cannoli filling

• 1 pound (16 ounces) low-moisture whole milk ricotta cheese
• 8 ounces mascarpone cheese (can be replaced with cream cheese)
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 ounces miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips
• Melted chocolate, for drizzling (optional)
• Powdered sugar, for dusting (optional) 

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. Place the ricotta, mascarpone, eggs, vanilla, sugar and salt into a food processor; pulse until smooth. 

3. Add chocolate chips and mix until evenly distributed. 

4. Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust. 

5. Place pie plate into a larger, heat safe pan and place on the bottom rack of the oven.

6. Pour lukewarm water into the larger pan until reaches about halfway up the sides of the pie plate.

7.  Bake for about 50 minutes, or until the filling is mostly set. The center of the filling should shake in a controlled (not loose) way when shaken gently.

8. Remove large pan from oven; return only the pie plate to the oven.

9. Turn off oven and prop door open approximately two inches; allow pie to cool in the oven for ten minutes.

10. Remove and cool to room temperature, then cover and chill until firm, approximately one hour.

11. Drizzle with melted chocolate and dust with powdered sugar before slicing; serve chilled 

NOTE: mascarpone can be replaced with equal amount of cream cheese, if desired

What You Missed: Black & White 2017

What you Missed (Pictures): Black & White 2017

All pictures by David Harvill

Why You Should Go - Rhiassa Presents: Echoes of Ragnarok III

by Jason "Aeston" Rosa

The legends hold that Ragnarok is the battle that will end the world, where man and beast and god will clash is a titanic struggle that will rend apart our very existence so the world and all its souls can someday be born anew. It is a great and holy thing, even if it is also terrifying and strange.

But what if Ragnarok was stopped before it could reach its conclusion? What if the world was locked in a state where it could not die, but also could not go on with life? What if those souls were denied the rebirth that was promised to them through the covenant of their existence?

That is the story that has taken place in Echoes of Ragnarok. The onset and eventual disappearance of Beldam froze their world in a state where it could not sustain. The heroes of the Realms now burdened with an unusual task: help this broken world end itself.

Counting the What Lurks Beneath storyline that preceded Echoes of Ragnarok, this is Rhiassa’s eighth annual dungeon crawl. Capturing the feel of the classic dungeon delving adventure is an important part of our philosophy and in these years we have honed our ability to give our players the best experience we know how to.

At Echoes of Ragnarok this year, you can expect hours upon hours of slogging your way through corridors, fighting monsters, sneaking around to achieve your goals, overcoming challenges both mental and physical, and figuring out how to wrest victory from the challenging situations we will be putting in front of you. Of course fighting your way through waves and waves of monsters is an important part of that, but it’s far from the only content that we have planned for you. Crafting systems, resource management, group coordination to achieve objectives; all of these together make up the many things your party will have to face in order to find success at the end of the day.

Also on-site dinner break. We’ll be pushing you for hours so I guess it’s only fair to feed you in the midst of it.

So please come on down to Echoes of Ragnarok III: Helheim. There are still a few pre-reg slots left and paid pre-reges get a perk at check in! Register on RealmsNET today!

Ask the Editors

Ask the Editors

by

The Editors 

Episode 21

Well hello ghouls and goblins, Happy Halloween!. This weeks question is real treat:

“What's the best way to help a newer person that I might not be seeing? Lots of people out there are teaching them how to fight or making sure the have garb, but how else can I make myself useful in retaining newbies?”

~Anonymous

Let's get an answer from the spooktacular Jen 'Areni' DeNardis-Rosa:

“I would say that one of the biggest things a player can do to help retain newbies is simply to put on a kind face and sport a friendly attitude. Being open and welcoming to newer players, even if you don't know them, goes a long way towards making people feel comfortable and accepted in the game. Speaking from my experience as a newbie, when I first started I didn't know too many people beyond those who brought me into the game (thanks, Kyomi!) and whom I'd met at WPI practice, and I often felt timid and shy. When older or more experienced players would take the time to interact with me, even if it was just to say hello or to say something nice about the garb I had painstakingly put together or the sword that I cherished - it helped make me feel like I wasn't invisible and that I was a part of the community.

In fact, one particular story always sticks in my mind. It was many years ago, during a Tourneys of Chiron event. I was new and was proudly sporting my 3' katana while I was learning spells. There was a bear pit set up that I decided to participate in. Of course I lost every fight, but I kept getting in line anyway because I figured any practice was good practice. Afterwards, three veteran female players - Tanja (Katasha), Angie (Phoenix), and Wendy (Makela) - came up to me and told me how awesome they thought it was that, as both a newbie and a woman, I continued to fight and put myself out there despite not winning a single fight. To say that blew me away was an understatement. Like I said, that compliment has stayed with me to this day, and it was a major factor in helping me to feel like people noticed me, cared about me and how I was doing, and wanted to see me succeed.

So if you're wondering what you can do to help retain newbies - if you see them doing something you think is awesome, say it! If you see them wearing something you think is awesome, say it! If you don't have anything to say at the moment, a smile and simple "hello" go a long way too!”

Excellent advice, Jen!


Now, we hear from the Boo-tiful Lani 'Gwen' Grayson:

“Being a part of this Realms community has been an integral part of shaping me into the person that I am today. I feel incredibly lucky to have been taken in by a group of people who come together to make sure that others are lifted up and having fun. This would not have been possible if it weren’t for all the small and large things that people in this community did for me along the way to ensure that I stayed a part of the Realms. Here are a few things that I think we could all do more of to ensure that our newer players are having that same experience.

Make them feel welcome. Talk to them, ask their names, and ensure that they have someone to connect with at events. The Realms can be a little scary at first, and feeling safe and supported is necessary to ensure that players keep coming back.

Give positive reinforcement. Did that newbie just do something great like kill a troll? Do a great job role-playing an encounter? Make a neat piece of garb? Tell them about it. They need to hear that they are doing great things, and your words of encouragement matter.

Pass along some wisdom. Each of us is good at something in the Realms, and, when appropriate, it can be helpful to share some useful tips and tricks to newer players who could benefit from our experiences. Just don’t be too upset if they don’t take you up on your advice, because sometimes experience is the only teacher.

Thank you, Lani.


And last, we hear from the fangtastic Diana 'Kiira' Lapierre :

"Be welcoming. Don’t be an insufferable prick."

That sums it up quite nicely. Thanks Diana!

And there you have it. Some excellent advice on how to help newbies. We may not remember, but we were once newbies ourselves. So if you are wondering how best to help them out and make them feel welcome, ask yourself what you would have wanted when you were a fresh young zombie and the world was bright and scary. You probably just wanted to be included and feel important like all the old, crusty zombies. So go forth, and give them the best the Realms has to offer!

Thanks for reading! Please join us next time when we take on the question: “I'm throwing my first event. What's should I make sure I do or don't do in order to make it as great an experience as possible.”

Questions can be sent to Sara “Zarine” Jessop via email (Sarajjesop@gmail.com), facebook messenger, or in person. You can also ask any of our editors! Please note if you'd like your question to remain anonymous and/or if you would like to address specific editors

Arc Sphere Distortions

Arc Sphere Distortions

by Steven "Therian" Matulewicz