Ravenscrawl: The Rookery

  Summer 2026 is on its way, with programs starting on Monday, July 6. There is still space in each of the programs, so visit the Current Program tab for information about enrollment. Registration forms are on the Registration & Contact tab. I am delighted to be starting a new branch of exploration of tabletop gaming -- with Ravenscrawl cards designed and on their way. These cards will be used by our gamers to design Encounters, Challenges, and Artifacts that enter the game randomly as they are drawn from the deck. The image shows a sneak peak at the three card designs. The back is left empty, for our artists to design their own encounters, challenges and artifacts. I am also working on a new website, an Etsy store, and T-shirt designs that will launch in the next month or two. They will be available for kids and adults, in colors similar to the designs shown here.  

Summer 2026, Session 5: Book of Secrets The word mage has roots that travel back in time through England and France to Rome and Greece, and finally to the ancient Persians with their deeper roots in India. The Greek term referred to the fire priests of the Zarathustrian religion, who were astronomers and scholars known for their learned studies of sky and earth. We will learn about Zarathustrian beliefs and mythology, and look at the way this old idea of a scholar priest has morphed into our forms of wizards in D&D and fantasy. We'll look at the ancient Persian tradition of sharing knowledge and see how great kings like Darius I brought different ideas together to form libraries and centers of knowledge. We will make our own Books of Secrets – and fill them with matters that matter from our own life stories. We'll consider what type of mage we might be at heart, and how that affects our choices within the ordinary world. Are we elemental mages like the druids or do we work...