April Vacation 2018: Terra Incognita (Ages 6 to 16)

World Tree

RL McNulty 2018

Micron pen, colored pencil & digital ink

The April vacation adventure will be held at the Landing YMCA in Brunswick, for all ages (6 to 16). The program will run on Tuesday, April 17 through Friday, April 20, from 9 AM to 4 PM. After hours will run from 4 to 5:30 on Tuesday through Thursday, and until 5 PM on Friday.

The adventure is "Terra Incognita," the unknown lands. These are the lands marked on the edges of old maps, the unexplored corners of the world where monsters dwell. These unknown lands are growing, while the known lands are shrinking. The Detectives race against time to uncover the reason before their memories of the known are lost in the mist.

Pull at the rhumb lines of this adventure, and a whole network of world tree myths emerge, with the fearsome Three at its core. Do the Detectives have the courage (or folly?) to visit the Dread Three?

Our project this week is one of my favorites: Origin maps. Each participant should bring copies (not originals) of photos of the people, places, animals of their lives. We'll be mapping out our journeys with a bookmaking project.

We will host a Friday presentation for parents at 3:30 PM. This will be an exhibit of the group's origin maps.

Summer 2018, Session I: The Dreameater

The Baku

RL McNulty 2018

Micron pen, colored pencil & digital ink

Session I of the Summer 2018 season runs from July 2-6 at Bowdoin College in Brunswick. This is a four day adventure, with July 4 off as a holiday.

The mystery is called "The Dreameater." It draws on Japanese myths. Detectives should select one small and brave stuffed animal to bring to this adventure as a guest in the story.

Stormclouds full of nightmares gather in the Dreamtime, sending the Detectives on a quest for the legendary Baku, the Dreameater who feeds on nightmares. This elusive and shy creature inhabits the farthest reaches of the Dreamtime, the corners where many mortals fear to tread. Not our brave adventurers! Armed with their Courage Stones, our Detectives will dive right into the maelstrom, searching for the one who can help them defeat the Nightmare Maker.

Our stuffed animals will return home bolstered with enhanced nightmare deflection skills.

Summer 2018, Session II: DaVinci's Dragons

What Dragons?

RL McNulty 2018

Micron pen, colored pencil & digital ink

Session II of the Summer 2018 season runs from July 9 - 13 at Bowdoin College in Brunswick. Our adventure will be "DaVinci's Dragons." The story draws on Italian Renaissance legends about the artist Leonardo DaVinci.

The Detectives are called to New York City to investigate the disappearance of a brass globe. Clues lead them into the fairy realms and then back in time to the Renaissance studio of the great Leonardo. Fey dragons, fairies and famous artists -- what's not to love about this adventure?

Oh! I almost forgot to mention the gadgets. We can't visit Leonardo without making some cool and artsy gadgets and gizmos.

Summer 2018, Session III: Shadows of the Dawn

Shadows of Dawn
RL McNulty 2018
Micron pen & digital ink

Session III of the Summer 2018 season will run from July 16-20 at Bowdoin College in Brunswick. Our mystery this week will be "Shadows of the Dawn." The story is inspired by Indonesian shadow puppetry and the Hindu epic "The Ramayana." We'll be playing with Javanese and Balinese leather shadow puppets from my collection, and learning how to make our own from illustration board.

Our story leads into the realms of shadow and light, in search of the Princess Sita. She's been kidnapped yet again, and she's tired of waiting on the Monkey King and her husband, Rama, to send a rescue. With the help of our Detectives, she takes matters into her own hands, unleashing a world of chaos on the ogres.

Summer 2018 Session IV: The Rag and Bone Man

The Rag and Bone Man
RL McNulty 2018
Micron pen, colored pencil & digital ink

Session V from the Summer 2018 season runs from July 23-27 for ages 9 to 16 at Bowdoin College in Brunswick. It features a story called "The Rag and Bone Man." The rag and bone men traveled from house to house, buying old bones, rags, metal scrap and other household junk. They would sell the rags for making paper; and the bones were used to make handles for knives and other items. Soap was made from the grease. The metal scraps were the most valuable items, helping the ragpickers stay alive.

Our mystery involves a legendary rag and bone man from 19th century England. He and his horse made their way through the streets of London, and magic followed where they went. Madame Drak will be sending our Detectives on a mission to uncover some of the secrets of rag and bone magic. It's a grubby journey best undertaken by those who have no problem with mud pies.

Summer 2018 Session V: The Serpent Roads

The Serpent Roads

RL McNulty 2017

Micron pen & digital ink

Session V of the Summer 2018 season runs from July 30 -- Aug. 3 for ages 9 to 16 at Bowdoin College in Brunswick. Our mystery draws inspiration from Egyptian myths about "The Serpent Roads." These are the roads that lead the way through the underworld and into the stars. These roads are created within the body of the serpent god known as Mehen. In Egyptian art, Mehen is often seen as a kind of serpentine aura protecting Osiris as he journeys into the Duat.

Mehen makes his way into the Dragon's Eye world as the Ororborus, the magical serpent who transports the Detectives through time and space. Merneith the Time Raveler will be sending the Detectives into Oroborus on a tracking and trailing mission. We will be making our own time and space gadgets to survey the serpent roads. It's not easy mapping chaos, but we will do our best.

Summer 2018 Session VI: Hound and Horn

Hound and Horn

RL McNulty 2018

Micron pen, colored pencil & digital ink

Session VI of the Summer 2018 season runs from August 6 - 10, for ages 9 to 16 at Bowdoin College in Brunswick. The mystery is "Hound and Horn," a story drawn from Celtic and Russian mythologies. It is a sequel to last summer's "The Golden Cage," a Russian tale. The detectives from that case solved one problem by creating a new one, turning Koschei the Deathless into a baby and allowing Cernunnos the Horned God to take the infant home to care for him.

Cernunnos isn't normally part of "The Golden Cage." He was summoned by the magic of a detective who is fond of the chaotic god of the hunt. Every summer, Cernunnos has helped the detectives in some rather unexpected ways. His help comes at a cost. We'll discover that cost this summer, in the mystery "Hound and Horn."

We've already had hints of what's to come from the Dunraven Fair miniquests that were held last November. I can say that transporting an immortal from one mythological system to another (Russian to Celtic) sets up many intriguing questions about broken boundaries, so chances are Merneith the Time Raveler may be involved in this one.