Romanesque — The Light is On

All roads lead to Romanesque dreams… Romanesque — The Light is On

Medieval Monday: The Labors of June — Allison D. Reid

In the Middle Ages, the arrival of June meant not only a change in the weather, but a shift in daily labors, and in what was on the menu to eat. While most crops were harvested much later in the summer, hay was the first to be cut in June, though it was typically poor […]

Story Time: A Curse that Turned the Entire Bhangarh Fort into Ruins — CastlesandTurrets

In such old mysterious places, we often experience some kind of strange force calling for death, and we cannot stop at that place without the feeling of fear. There are many such forts and castles all around the world; even today whose stories tell about their dark past (such as these haunted castles in Scotland)! […]

Mind Magic: Escapism, Fantasy, and why it’s the best thing mankind invented. — BookmarkedOne

By now you know I am convinced fantasy is the best and most beautiful genre of fiction in the world. But I don’t often talk about why. A while back (yes, concerts and work and university finals, I know. I’m awake now) I stumbled across Sarah Seele’s lovely post “They Found Loveliness Everywhere.” Do go […]

Medieval Monday: Making Barrels and Wooden Vessels — Allison D. Reid

Medieval coopers were important craftsmen in the Middle Ages. Many different types of goods were kept in barrels, such as alcohol and salted meats. But barrels were not the only things coopers made. A variety of wooden vessels were needed for daily use by the average person as well as many other medieval craft and […]

Worldbuilding for Fantasy Writers and Gamemasters, Part Nine

TRADERS, PLUNDERERS, AND PIRATES Every fantasy world has its material goods, whether it be everyday items such as food and clothing, or more specialised items such as weapons and armour. The most basic goods will be made from the most basic, readily available materials, such as stone and bone, wood and horn, fur and feather,

Medieval Monday: Battling Against the Shield Wall — Allison D. Reid

Jason looks back at our shield wall experiment day that we filmed in the summer of 2017. We put shieldmaker Luke’s handiwork to the test with a group of twenty brave volunteers, who clashed together in various formations of shield wall. In doing so, we explored some of the events recounted in ancient sagas to […]

GeekDad: All Things Drizzt—Hot Summer Reveals for Forgotten Realms — GeekMom

Wizards of the Coast has announced a summer of Drizzt events, a multimedia/multiplatform series of releases featuring the Forgotten Realms and the iconic Drizzt Do’Urden. As the central character of over 30 novels, Drizzt has been explored in a huge array of situations, such as a coming-of-age story facing domestic/childhood abuse, racial discrimination, and forging… GeekDad:

Summer Solstice will return to Stonehenge this year. The celebration is due to take place on the evening of June 20th into the morning of June 21st. — Stonehenge Stone Circle News and Information

We all need a little positivity in our lives, so we are pleased to announce the 2021 Summer Solstice celebrations will return this year – if the lockdown restrictions are lifted as planned. The celebration is due to take place on the evening of June 20 into the morning of June 21 – the same […]

Worldbuilding for Fantasy Writers and Gamemasters, Part Eight

BARBARIANS With the rise of civilisation there came a new characterisation of those who had already existed since long before. As people began to gather together in large urban centres and dwell there for generations, putting down roots, the folk who had continued living nomadic or semi-nomadic hunter-gatherer or pastoralist/horticulturalist lifestyles as they had for