Ravenscrawl: The Rookery

Preparations are underway for the Summer 2026 season of Ravenscrawl: The Rookery! Art supplies are ordered, game design is underway, and the first of Nine Dreamers is coming along as I create the makings needed for our tabletop gaming. A special thank you goes out to the Maine Founders who joined me for February and April vacation! Thee of them came to both Feb and April, and they shall ever been known as the Three. Their ravens were on display at the Earth Day celebration in Brunswick.  We had a great time developing the basic character traits for the game, and discussing how it would work. It's similar to the Dragon's Eye Joker's Wild mysteries, with cards participants will make using the themes for each session. These cards will represent allies, adversaries, challenges, and treasures encountered along the journey. Each story will feature a quest for an artifact that will enhance the ravenmage magic we're using in game. Our three Founders journeyed to the Dunraven Fa...

We will explore the lore of London underground, in particular the legends of the Rat Queen. This picks up on a running theme from Dragon's Eye, allowing us to return to the fun of making more crazy rats. They do tend to proliferate! We'll look at the actual history of Jack Black, Royal Ratcatcher to Queen Victoria, and learn about his connection to a Victorian craze for pet rats in exotic colors (like white).  We will make our own rats, and costume them in Elizabethan costumes as kings, queens, courtiers, pirates or other characters. Gamers will work on a London underground game. Are the rats the villains or the heroes? You decide! Feb 16 - 20, 2026 Theme: The Rat Queen's Entourage -- London Underground Lore 9 AM to 4 PM, Monday thru Friday Current Grades 5 - 8 $350 After Hrs 4 to 5:15 PM, M-F $60/5 days or $15/day Here are some other examples of rats that are possible:    

April Vacation 2026, Session B:  The Raven King’s Court This week’s theme draws on Celtic and English myths and lore about the fey folk who inhabit the burial mounds of the British Isles. The rich traditions combine ideas about the Underworld with those of the fey creatures we call fairies, elves, and gnomes.  We'll look at the story of Bran, the Welsh king who died protecting his sister's honor. We'll learn about his ties to the Tower of London, and the prophesies that came from consultations with his head. The 19th century brought a flourishing of these old stories, combined with the mythic imaginings by poets and writers -- and this in turn feeds our modern-day fantasy tales about the Raven king.  We will craft our own Raven kings, queens, courtiers, or other fey creatures who might inhabit the haunted groves of Dunraven Fair – a fictional night fair full of goblins, fairies, and spooky merchants. Gamers will work on a game based on the fairgrounds and all the things t...

Summer 2026, Session 1: Gardeners of the Sea Sea slugs and other intertidal zone creatures will be the focus of this week’s  creations. We'll share our collective knowledge the creatures who inhabit this zone: sea urchins, sea stars, sand dollars, sea slugs and so many more creatures and plants that make a life in this delicate in-between space. I am working on a how-to book about making sea slugs, so participants are welcome to test out the patterns that I have so far. If you made sea slugs or other sea creatures from Dragon' Eye Adventures, please bring them! We’ll look at sea slugs in modern Japanese animé including Pokémon, so this would be a great week for Pokémon players to bring their cards and games. Writers and artists may bring their inspirations from the world of animé and manga from Japan, Korea, or other cultures with bountiful animations about the sea. July 6 – 10, 2026  Theme: Gardeners of the Sea – Seaslugs and Friends in Animé 9 AM to 4 PM, Monday thru Friday ...

 Summer 2026, Session 2:  The Dreaming This week, we’ll explore Greek ideas about dreams. We'll visit the Cave of Sleep and speak with Morpheus and his brothers, Thanatos and Hypnos. We'll check in at the Palace of Dreams where Oneiros sends his Dream birds through the Gates of Ivory and Horn. We'll touch on other cultures' ideas of the Dreaming as well, with nods to the Baku from Japan and Vishnu, the ultimate dreamer from Hinduism. We'll create Dream Boxes -- sendings from Morpheus and Oneiros to speak to our waking selves. Just imagine what might go in your Dream Box?  We'll try a Dragon's Eye game from an adventure about Morpheus -- it turns shadowpuppetry into a team challenge, competing with the Greek god of dreams for a mortal's glimpse of Dream's mythic imagination. Gamers may want to make their own dream-based games. Just imagine the game pieces for a survival venture through the Dreaming? Take a step and see what the mythic imagination dev...

Summer 2026, Session Three: Eyes of the Beholder This week’s inspiration rises from a Dragon’s Eye Adventures discussion about floating eyeballs, which were common guards and lookouts in adventures. The detectives wanted to know why I included them so frequently in our stories. This week's theme is kind of an answer to that question. We'll look at how eyes are used in various myths and legends from around the world. We'll look at stories of the cyclops from ancient Greece, discover seraphim and beholders from Hebrew and Islamic mythology. We'll visit the use of eyes on the hands and bodies of Hindu gods and goddesses, and discover a Japanese yokai with many bulging eyes.  One might say the eyes have the upper hand in this week's explorations -- so yes, we'll look at the hamsa, the eye in the palm that has come down to us through palmistry and other sources. We’ll build game pieces and sculptures for a board game -- and experience some sneaking games in the hallw...