Almanac – Prime Matter
January 24th, 2014Today’s Almanac entry is the Prime Matter. This is the foundation stone of the universe in alchemical theory. You can see it in Greek mythology as the chaos that existed before the creation of the world. It is the nothing of the empty waters of Genesis. And you can see it in many other creation stories from around the globe. But to the alchemists of Corthis, the Prime Matter still exists, lurking under the covers of reality, waiting for someone to find it.
Brittany has headed off to Ohayocon. She and her sister will be there, representing Snow by Night. If you’re going, please stop by and say hello.
Almanac – Matter Part 1
January 17th, 2014Matter is the matter of today’s Almanac Entry, as I discuss matter from an Alchemical point of view. As can be seen by the characteristics that the Alchemists chose for describing matter, their view of what was important is significantly different than real world scientists. I’ll continue the discussion of matter next week when I address the elusive Primal Matter.
Almanac – Elemental Square of Opposition
January 9th, 2014This week’s Almanac entry is the Elemental Square of Opposition. I’ve described the four elements before. Now we get to see how they interact. And the entry comes with a handy graphic for illustration purposes.
Snow by Night will be at Ohayocon on Jan 24-26. Brittany and her sister Bethany will be manning the table. I will be staying at home this time. My wife and I are expecting our second child this month so no convention trips for me for a bit. If you’re going by Ohayocon, be sure to go by and tell Brittany hello.
And the SpiderForest Webcomic of the week is Damsels Don’t Wear Glasses. Check it out!
Almanac – The Lakelands
December 19th, 2013For the final Almanac entry before we go on our holiday break, I discuss the Lakelands. At the heart of northern Everique, the Lakelands are the ecoregion that surrounds the Sweet Seas. It’s the home of several powerful native nations.
Happy Holidays everyone! We’ll see you all in the new year!
Almanac – Wall of the West
December 13th, 2013This week’s Almanac entry is the Wall of the West. This mountain range rises on the western edge of the Great Grass Sea and bars further exploration into the west. The mountains were inspired by the Rocky Mountains. I have some family out in Denver and on my last visit we saw the Flatirons. They are an intriguing and picturesque mountain formation, and they reminded me of a wall, hemming in the open lands to the east. The image stuck with me so here they are in the world of Corthis.
Denver is also the home of my friend Robin Childs of Leylines. She’s running a Kickstarter for her 3rd Volume. Please join me in supporting her project and bringing this volume to print.
Almanac – The Great Grass Sea
December 6th, 2013This week’s Almanac entry is The Great Grass Sea. This is my fantasy version of the Great Plains. I imagine the prairie dogs freaking out the first Japethan explorers. Oh heavens, it’s been a long day and I’m tired. So I’m going to wrap up the journal entry here. Have a great weekend, everyone.
Almanac – The Sweet Seas
November 22nd, 2013This week’s Almanac entry are The Sweet Seas. What happens when you put the Great Lakes through a fantasy filter? Great things, naturally. (Oh, the puns.) Read all about the five freshwater seas of Everique in the almanac. They are the beating heart of trade, communication, agriculture, and a vibrant native society.
Don’t forget to check out Kez’s What It Takes. It’s a fine webcomic with good art and good story.
Almanac – Beavers
November 15th, 2013Today, I wanted to talk about Beavers in the Almanac. Yes, I said beavers. Beavers! I want to talk about these furry little rodents. They’re the basis of the economy in Aradie and the lure that drew so voyageurs like Peyre deep into the Upper Country. Peyre is lucky. He only had to paddle to the Great Lakes from Montreal. As the beaver thinned out, the voyageurs had to paddle further and further into first Manitoba and then Saskatchewan to get the furs they wanted. That’s a really long way.
In non-beaver related news, Snow by Night will be returning to Katsucon in 2014. It’s a fun convention with a heavily emphasis on cosplay. It also has one of the best venues I’ve ever seen.
