Category: Blog Archive

Eglantine is a House that brings forth the spirit of Naamah’s creativity. “To Create Is To Live” are our words, and so we pay homage with every stroke of the pen, every note sung with grace, every garment made with a purpose. We give all of ourselves, pouring our soul into our craft. Our imagination and innovation is power! Who else but an Eglantine adept could write words to move men to tears? Where else can you find singers that could sway the will of rulers? Nowhere else but the House where creativity runs through our veins.

We pour our souls into our craft, whatever it may be.

To Create Is To Live.

For us, we aren’t living unless we create.

 

Hilde de Reneille no Eglantine

Dowayne of Eglantine House

Orchis House is one of the thirteen houses of the Night Court. The adepts approach Naamah’s Service with joy, laughter and gaiety. Fun is perhaps not the only purpose but it certainly can be the reason. Laughter is universal. It transcends all cultures, all languages, all creeds, and all times. The best thing about Joy in Laughter is how sexy laughter can be. There is no one, no matter how stunningly beautiful or ridiculously well endowed who is not instantly more attractive when they make you smile. When we are lost in laughter it is the time when we also allow others to see us at the best of who we are.

I think the best feature of Orchis is that it is compatible with all other houses. Joy and laughter, while sweet is not only sugar. Orchis can be the salt to life, where it enhances all other tastes. Laughter can sharpen Mandrake’s edge and ease Balm’s path to healing. Fun is why we seek out Eglantine’s art and Bryony’s games. All the pleasures of Jasmine and perfection of Camellia are experienced in joy. While taste can bring some together for a short time, the devotion of Heliotrope often comes with the partner who can make us laugh.

So on this the Longest Night of Midwinter, I hope that we find what we seek and we find them all in joy. Joy to you on the Longest Night.

 

Xixiliya no Orchis

Dowayne of Orchis and “Clown Princess”

From Lady Kalisa Shahrizai:

“I am pleased to announce that bottles of Joie will be available again this year at the Masque and will feature original artwork by my dear cousin, Lady Melusine. Due to liquor laws, we cannot sell it at the Masque this year. However! For every $25 donation made to Petapalooza PA by December 25, 2018, you will receive a bottle of Joie as a Thank You! There are even a few bottles from previous years available. If you are missing one in your collection, now is the time to get one. Contact me at mistressbitchella@yahoo.com (use “Joie” in the subject line so I don’t think it’s spam) with any questions or concerns, or to request a specific label.

To submit your donation, use Petapalooza PA’s online portal or checks can be made out and mailed to:

Petapalooza PA

attn: Bitsy McCann
105 Hunters Ridge Drive
Harrisburg, PA 17110

Can’t wait to party with everyone soon,

~Kalisa”

We are excited to announce, due to overwhelming demand, the extension of General Admission token sales through January 3^rd, 2019!

General Admission tokens are $100 through December 12^th. As of December 13^th, General Admission tokens are $125.

We look forward to seeing you!

 

From the frozen wastes of Skaldia, to the rocky desert of Khebbel-im-Akkad, from the wet, chilly isles of Eire to the exotic land of Ch’in—where would our heroes be without high-quality wool? Wool for blankets, wool for cloaks, for dry weather, for wet, for cold…

Founded in 1984 by a couple who likewise understood the timeless value of wool and an aversion to “fast” fashion, Half Moon Travel Clothing has built a reputation for quality garments that last all over the world. With a base of operations in Colorado, this family-owned enterprise took the Renaissance Festival Circuit by storm. You will be hard-pressed to visit a Renaissance Festival on a cold, rainy day without spotting at least a dozen garments crafted by these artisans worn proudly by their owners.

With buttons sourced through the Tagua Initiative and wool that is simultaneously water-resistant, biodegradable, recyclable, and energy efficient, purchasing a Half Moon garment supports small communities in Ecuador, helps conserve the Amazon rain forest, and keeps you warm and dry throughout all conceivable weather.

Visit  for their website  to view Half Moon’s extensive catalog! Have an idea for a custom garment? They will make it for you! Have a custom design? Send them an image and they will replicate it! Best of all, as we celebrate Jacqueline Carey and her extraordinary world at the Longest Night Masque, Half Moon Travel Clothing will be on site with gorgeous cloaks, capes, coats, jackets and vests for you to try on and take home! You can also place custom orders with the owner at the Masque!

Not so much into wool? That’s okay—they are working with other fabrics too, including silk, so drop them a line! You can contact Half Moon through their webpage here https://hmoon.com/contact/. You can also follow Half Moon on Facebook or any of their myriad Festival fan-pages.

(Editor’s note: “I own no less than six of their pieces. I can attest to their quality, beauty, practicality, dependability, and customer service. I would dare Skaldia in the dead of winter with a Half Moon cloak any day.” ~ Melusine Shahrizai)

 

The marque is the ubiquitous symbol of the Court of Night Blooming Flowers, marking the skin of those who serve Naamah much as she marked the skin of her own lovers.  Adepts bear the marques of their Houses with pride as these pieces of artwork develop on their bodies.  Blossoming from the base of the spine up to the flowers in the finial at the nape of the neck, the marque is a pleasing reminder of the holy work done by the members of the Night Court in service to Naamah.

Many readers of the Kushiel’s Legacy series have found themselves inspired by the adepts’ marque  – Phedré’s in particular – and have chosen to adorn themselves with tattoos of their own.  If you have a marque or other body art inspired by Jacqueline Carey’s novels, we encourage you to submit a photo for inclusion in an online gallery on our website.

Email a digital photo to info@thelongestnightmasque.com along with your name and any special details you would like included.  Please include the name of your tattoo artist and/or person who designed your work so that we may give proper credit.

There’s been a wave of interest recently about the sharper pleasures in life. Giving credit where credit is due, this possibly issues from a more open mindedness in society, an availability of (very well written) romances involving said pleasures, and a general wave of acceptability for those of us who sit outside the norm.

Not a certain book and film series which will not be named…

 

That said, even fun, exciting past times need their limits – and this is a good thing! Boundaries give us a field to play upon, as well as keeping our partner(s) safe and happy. Healthy Kink can be summed up in a tried and true mantra: Safe, Sane, and Consensual.

To the outsider looking in, certain aspects of BDSM (bondage, discipline, sadism, and masochism) just don’t seem all that safe or sane. Bondage restricts movement, sometimes even inhibiting speech, so how can that be safe? Disciple – the stereotypical whips and chains – couldn’t possibly be safe, could they? It’s not so hard really, but it relies on honest communication between the parties involved. Lay out which activities which are a definite “yes,” which are “maybes,” and which are very hard line “no.”

So what about the sane part? To be blunt, being sane means keeping the scene (the place and actions which participants are playing) well within the previously agreed limits. Do not surprise a partner with a new toy, binding, or punishment if the idea happens to pop into your head half way through a scene. It’s not sexy to rush someone into a scene without fully explaining what might occur and obtaining their consent ahead of time. Bank that idea, describe it later and, if all are in agreement, go with it next time and have fun!

Finally: consent. The practice of healthy kink is 100% dependent on the concept of consent. Healthy, pleasurable, exciting scenes all depend on what the dominant and submissive find enjoyable and to which they both consent.    Consent can be a discussion over coffee, on the phone, in a club geared toward the lifestyle, or in the privacy of the bedroom. Pushing one’s boundaries can be fun, but make sure there is a Safe Word or Signal that is memorable and well known to your partner(s). If the Safe Word or Signal is given, the scene stops, no questions asked.  The Safe Word/Signal is sacrosanct in the practice of healthy kink.

Again, unlike a nameless book/film franchise.

Kink should be fun for all involved. Consent is not a chore, but it is a requirement. Planning scenes with your partner(s) can be an enlightening experience, a way of getting to know someone and their desires better.

Following these basic concepts can lead to a a lot of fun, so make some notes and give it a try the next time you’re feeling sexy.