Word of the Day -- Homily

A homily is a commentary that follows a reading of scripture. In Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, and Eastern Orthodox Churches, a homily is usually given during Mass (Divine Liturgy for Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches, and Divine Service for the Lutheran Church) at the end of the Liturgy of the Word. Many people consider it synonymous with a sermon.

The word homily is derived from the Greek word ὁμιλία homilia (from ὁμιλεῖν homilein), which means to have communion or hold verbal intercourse with a person. In this sense homilia is used in 1 Corinthians 15:33. In Luke 24:14, we find the word homiloun, and in Acts 24:26, homilei, both used in the sense of "speaking with". Origen was the first to distinguish between logos (sermo) and homilia (tractatus). Since Origen's time homily has meant, and still means, a commentary, without formal introduction, division, or conclusion, on some part of Sacred Scripture, the aim being to explain the literal, and evolve the spiritual, meaning of the Sacred Text. The latter, as a rule, is the more important; but if, as in the case of Origen, more attention be paid to the former, the homily will be called expository rather than moral or hortatory. It is the oldest form of Christian preaching.

This is a Homerly, not a Homily...

Daily Cosplay

C&C Basic and Open & Play

We are working on something new here in the Troll Dens. Its the basic rules for Castles & Crusades. They will make their debut in our Free RPG Day give away. The book Shadows of a Green Sky appears at participating retailers, here in the United States and overseas in Great Britain, France, Germany, Japan and other countries.

The basic rules offer the C&Cer nothing new. They are the same rules that you have in the C&C Players Handbook. They are streamlined somewhat and presented very differently.

Basic C&C is not a new game, its a new way of presenting the old game.

This Free RPG Day will see the release of our Open & Play Basic adventure Shadows of a Green Sky. In Shadows we've presented an adventure with all the necessary tropes of background, context, monsters, treasure, etc. But what's new is that the rules, the SIEGE Engine, are included in the adventure itself.

As you play, the game is explained to you. You'll learn how to roll attribute checks. We'll present the combat system in short. We even discuss what critical hits and fumbles are. For characters are included, complete with rules on how to play them. You can pick up Shadows of a Green Sky and with your own dice, start playing immediately. Even if you've never played before.

Open & Play Basic Rules.

I hope you enjoy them and Shadows of a Green Sky.

The Natural World

Our Fragile Earth

I picked that title up from an article over at space.com. Its discussing a new documentary that wants us to consider slowing down the fast pace of our technologically driven lives and embrace the rhythms of nature.

I'm not sure we see nature the same way.

The rhythms of nature are extremely violent, and the fragile earth? there is no such thing.

What there is the idea of stasis. We love the idea of stasis, because it fits our present world view. But nature is anything but stasis. We embody the concept of entropy, a balance created by energy in and energy out. We like these two interwoven concepts because the one creates the other and we can look out our window and know what to expect ever day.

But nature is anything but balanced. I will grant that temporary moments of equilibrium occur, but getting there is extraordinarily violent. From cosmic radiation to a single celled creature devouring another, nature is violent, mindless and ruthless. It is like one gigantic gladiatorial arena.

Homo sapiens have found an angle in that violent confrontation, our adaptation is such that it allows us to change the environment to fit our needs. That is adaptation we should embrace, not the indifferent rhythm of the natural world.

Does that mean we have to slaughter everything? No, of course. Out adaptation allows us to save everything. But do we embrace the idea of entropy?

Not sure that's a good idea.

Earth is not fragile. It is powerful and violent. It is enduring. We are just good, because our adaptation embraces that violence.

Armor Up (Two Hander)

Vorobiov

Movie Trailer ~ Yakuza Apocalypse

Before you watch this trailer, you must understand, that there is nothing in it that is not awesome!!!

Word of the Day --Mashriq

The Mashriq is the region of Arab countries to the east of Egypt. This composes the countries of Egypt, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, and Syria. Poetically the ‘place of sunrise’, the name is derived from the verb sharaqa, referring to the direction where the sun rises, namely, the east.[4][5]

As it refers to countries bounded between the Mediterranean Sea and Iran, it is therefore the companion term to Maghreb (western part of North Africa). Egypt occupies an ambiguous position: while it has cultural, ethnic and linguistic ties to both the Mashriq and the Maghreb, it is unique and different from both. Therefore, Egypt is located at the center/heart of the Arab world and that is why the headquarters of the Arab League is located in the Egyptian capital of Cairo. Thus, it is usually seen as being part of neither; however, when it is grouped with one or the other, it is generally considered part of the Mashriq on account of its closer ties to the Levant. Egypt and the Levant were often ruled as a single unit, as under the ancient Egyptian New Kingdom, the Umayyad, Abbasid, the Fatimid caliphates, the Ayyubid dynasty, the Mamluks, and for a time under Muhammad Ali Pasha. There are also similarity between the Egyptian and the nearby Levantine dialects.

Similarly, Libya is finds itself bifurcated between Mashriq and Maghrib influences, with its eastern part linked more to Egypt and the rest to the Mashriq.

These geographical terms date from the early Islamic expansion. This region is similar to the Bilad al-Sham and Mesopotamia regions combined.

As the Mashriq is home to several pilgrimage sites, some Muslims elsewhere view it as a source of religious legitimacy. Mashriqi learning is also esteemed by scholars from the Maghrib. As of 2014, the Mashriq is home to 1.7% of the global population.

Your Villain of the Week

Daily Cosplay

Dying Towns

When out west, heading north from Roswell, I remember passing through a few old, dying or wholly abandoned towns. Its always an interesting concept, the idea of a town dying. The anatomy of it interests me. Businesses move out or away, people follow them. Less move to the town. Less businesses and more people leave. The older people linger, no where to go, but the markets dry up and there is less of everything.

Eventually only a few lonely souls remain, remembering times past. But in time they too wander on or die and the town is a shell.

Its been happening for thousands of years, and continues to happen today. A town is much like a living organism. It lives. It thrives. It declines. It dies.