<rss version="2.0">
 <channel>
  <title>The Dementia of Magic</title>
  <link>https://dementiaofmagic.net/</link>
  <description>The Dementia of Magic - A medieval fantasy webcomic with just the right blend of story and silliness.  By Nicholas Killewald.</description>
  <copyright>Copyright 2002-2024 Nicholas Killewald</copyright>
  <generator>AutoFox 2.5.7.2</generator>
  <lastBuildDate>Fri, 06 Mar 2026 01:01:06 -0700</lastBuildDate>
  <docs>https://validator.w3.org/feed/docs/rss2.html</docs>
  <image>
   <url>https://dementiaofmagic.net/images/DoMCastNasalFly128x128.png</url>
   <title>The Dementia of Magic</title>
   <link>https://dementiaofmagic.net/</link>
  </image>
      <item>
       <title>Comic for Friday, September 19, 2025</title>
       <link>https://dementiaofmagic.net/d/20250919.html</link>
       <guid>https://dementiaofmagic.net/d/20250919.html</guid>
       <pubDate>Fri, 19 Sep 2025 00:00:01 -0700</pubDate>
   <description><![CDATA[<img src="https://dementiaofmagic.net/comics/DoM20250919.png" alt="Nick is STILL at his table again.  He is wearing the green scarf the bar patron was wearing, holding up its loose end while measuring it with a tailor&#39;s tape measure.  He is glancing at his sketchbook on the table, apparently comparing the measurement he&#39;s reading with some note he made.  The sketchbook is open to a page that looks vaguely like the literal page in my own sketchbook I used to give a rough layout of the final comic in this story, as well as quick test sketches of both the bartender and the patron.  

I wound up writing and re-evaluating that whole story way more than I care to admit, hence why it took so long.  Sorry.  The next one&#39;s a bit clearer in my head, though." title="It wasn&#39;t worth the wait, was it?  I&#39;m such a fraud.  But, I&#39;m a fraud with this scarf!  ...I don&#39;t actually have a scarf like that."><br />]]></description>
  </item>
      <item>
       <title>Comic for Wednesday, September 17, 2025</title>
       <link>https://dementiaofmagic.net/d/20250917.html</link>
       <guid>https://dementiaofmagic.net/d/20250917.html</guid>
       <pubDate>Wed, 17 Sep 2025 00:00:01 -0700</pubDate>
   <description><![CDATA[<img src="https://dementiaofmagic.net/comics/DoM20250917.png" alt="We turn to a lonely pub on the Landis side of the Landis-Terakol border, today.  It is late at night, the winter landscape is covered in snow, icicles hang from the roof of the pub in a way I&#39;m not sure actually works and should have researched better, and the pub itself is clearly closed to the public for the night.  From inside, we hear Catherine: &quot;I&#39;ve been tailing them around Terakol for months now... *grumble* ...and that dwarf&#39;s right, something&#39;s wrong up there.&quot;

Inside the pub, we see Catherine sitting at the bar, telling her story to the other two people there this late: The bartender, a heavy-set woman with light brown hair in a purple suit with a light green shirt underneath, who is serving both Catherine and a patron of the pub ales; and the patron, a younger, lighter woman with short black hair in a layered outfit and a large green scarf covering the lower half of her face.  Catherine continues: &quot;The more I saw, the more it just bugged me.  Like, I don&#39;t have any idea what in the hell council lackeys in sanitation uniforms are doing taking notes on random mining experiments and rocket tests, and it just got worse from that.

The patron interjects: &quot;Yeah?  They&#39;re council goons, right?  Get anything from the castle?&quot;  Catherine responds, with a slight glare from her good eye as if the answer were obvious, &quot;Couldn&#39;t get near it.  I don&#39;t exactly blend in with dwarves.&quot;

The bartender then speaks up: &quot;Sure, sure... what about Jacob?&quot;  Catherine answers: &quot;Haven&#39;t talked to him yet.  He&#39;s clearly not happy about this, but it looks like he&#39;s got his own idea.  I don&#39;t want him to know I&#39;m there until I know what he&#39;s got in mind.&quot;

As Catherine starts to drink her ale, she concludes: &quot;And Bnorm&#39;s with them.  I do NOT want to deal with him at any rate.&quot;  The patron and the bartender both respond in general agreement and understanding at that statement as the bartender walks off and the patron drinks her own ale (moving her scarf out of the way first).

After a beat of Catherine silently considering something (and not looking happy about it), she asks the patron, &quot;Where&#39;s Matthew?&quot;  The patron replies, &quot;Matt?  Last anyone saw him, he and his sister went down to Roslori.  You heard what happened there.&quot;  Catherine, unfazed, responds &quot;Eh, he&#39;ll be fine.  He knows how to run.&quot;" title="The Dementia of Magic: Dedicated to making up new characters out of whole cloth for single appearances and expecting you to act like that&#39;s perfectly normal."><br />]]></description>
  </item>
      <item>
       <title>Comic for Monday, September 15, 2025</title>
       <link>https://dementiaofmagic.net/d/20250915.html</link>
       <guid>https://dementiaofmagic.net/d/20250915.html</guid>
       <pubDate>Mon, 15 Sep 2025 00:00:01 -0700</pubDate>
   <description><![CDATA[<img src="https://dementiaofmagic.net/comics/DoM20250915.png" alt="Vince again continues writing in his room.  &quot;Regardless, I&#39;m a part of this now.&quot;

We now see the mountainside where Ogin finishes talking to Vince, with his lackey nearby, Jacob still leaning against the nearby wall, and Bnorm standing behind Ogin&#39;s lackey.  Vince continues narrating: &quot;I have no idea what lies in store for me in the upcoming days, months, or however long this lasts.&quot;

Vince watches as the other four walk away off-panel to the left.  Jacob glares at Bnorm.  Bnorm snarls back at Jacob.  Vince continues: &quot;I only hope Ogin knows what he&#39;s doing, both for my adopted kingdom and my homeland.&quot;

Vince also walks off-panel to the left.  He concludes: &quot;But for now, I must sign off.  It has been a very strange series of days, and I need sleep.&quot;

Vince&#39;s narration concluded, the mountain scene is now empty and silent.

However, then a lone pebble falls and plinks off a rocky angle in the wall.  A short &quot;Hrmph&quot; is heard from above.

Just above where the three were being lectured by Ogin and his lackey, we now see Catherine.  She has clearly been listening to the conversation, undetected.  In her own notebook, she writes a bulleted summary:

- Dwarves acting stranger than usual?
- Jacob&#39;s keeping quiet; what&#39;s his plan?
- Don&#39;t know what the beanpole&#39;s deal is.
- What the hell is Bnorm doing here?" title="If only above Catherine was, I don&#39;t know, Quertia the witch watching the whole situation, then I could&#39;ve just kept going up the mountain with more characters I haven&#39;t used in way too long!"><br />]]></description>
  </item>
      <item>
       <title>Comic for Friday, September 12, 2025</title>
       <link>https://dementiaofmagic.net/d/20250912.html</link>
       <guid>https://dementiaofmagic.net/d/20250912.html</guid>
       <pubDate>Fri, 12 Sep 2025 00:00:01 -0700</pubDate>
   <description><![CDATA[<img src="https://dementiaofmagic.net/comics/DoM20250912.png" alt="Vince continues writing in his room.  &quot;The reason I was brought into this is quite surprising: This very journal.&quot;

In a scene somewhere in Terakol in front of a garage with large double doors and a typically-misshapen dwarven service door, Vince approaches a group of three dwarves.  One is working on what looks like a yellow cannon, having removed a panel and is fiddling with something or another on it.  Another supervises.  A third is loaded in the canon, wearing a pinkish crash helmet and purple shades.  Vince greets them cheerfully; the three of them respond in kind.  Vince&#39;s writings continue: &quot;In my time adapting to life in Terakol, I suppose I have made a bit of a name for myself as a chronicler of Terakol culture.  People recognize me, they generally appreciate me, and are quite open to me about their lives.  To cut to the chase, while Jacob&#39;s job is to cain information by secrecy, mine is to do so more openly.&quot;

A new scene: A dwarf stands in a room with a rack of blueprints, rolled up and stored vertically (as in, stood on end), next to a filing cabinet stuffed with papers.  The dwarf smiles in approval at the blueprint he has retrieved and is actively reviewing.  Vince continues: &quot;One thing I may not have made clear in my writings is that Terakol citizens don&#39;t really keep cultural notes the way humans or elves do.  They are quite meticulous with their technical blueprints and procedural recordkeeping, but less so with day-to-day goings on.&quot;

Yet another scene: Vince is standing nearby a group of dwarves who are testing a rocket-powered vehicle that is very rapidly blasting off to the side of the panel.  This test is apparently a success, as all present, including what we can see of the pilot, are throwing their hands up in celebration.  Vince is happily taking notes.  His present-day narration continues: &quot;Or, as Ogin put it, they tend to miss things an outsider like me might pick up on.  I guess I can see how this would help when Ogin can trust very few people, but it does make me more self-conscious about what I write here.&quot;

Then, back in his room, Vince looks at his writing, slightly concerned.  With his mutated finger, he begins flicking back a bit, reviewing what he&#39;s written.  He then concludes: &quot;Re-reading these past few pages, I now realize I&#39;ve had a lot of reasons to not be very confident about this plan in general.&quot;" title="People store blueprints like that, right?  People store SOMETHING rolled-up like that, right?"><br />]]></description>
  </item>
      <item>
       <title>Comic for Wednesday, September 10, 2025</title>
       <link>https://dementiaofmagic.net/d/20250910.html</link>
       <guid>https://dementiaofmagic.net/d/20250910.html</guid>
       <pubDate>Wed, 10 Sep 2025 00:00:01 -0700</pubDate>
   <description><![CDATA[<img src="https://dementiaofmagic.net/comics/DoM20250910.png" alt="Ogin turns and addresses Jacob.  Jacob remains cold, leaning against the wall of the mountain pass with his arms folded.  Vince continues: &quot;As I mentioned, there is one other human here with us, a Landis thief named Jacob.  His reason for being here is much simpler: He&#39;s a thief.&quot;

We shift to a scene that&#39;s sort of like a flashback but none of the characters present besides Jacob himself would know about it, so it&#39;s less of a flashback and more of an illustrative device?  Something like that.  This scene is in the shipping and storage district of a port town, late at night.  Jacob and Matt are slinking around against a wall, with Jacob taking the lead, making sure the coast is clear.  Around the corner is a bunch of goods, including a locked chest, a crate, a large sack with a label on it, and a gold pot.  Vince continues: &quot;I guess Jacob is well-known and quite connected within the Landis underground.  Exactly why a Terakol official like Ogin knows this is beyond me.&quot;

Now we shift to a scene which is far more speculative than a flashback, as this, by definition, couldn&#39;t have happened yet, which again makes it more for illustrative purposes.  This takes place in an alleyway in a dwarf city, seen from a high angle.  Debris and containers litter the ground.  Below, there are two dwarves discussing something.  In the foreground, high above them, is Jacob, crawling across a large wooden beam and listening intently.  Vince continues: &quot;Nevertheless, Ogin needs his talents in infiltration and remaining unseen.  As a human from Landis, he&#39;s clearly not part of the problem, and his short stature makes him far more ideal than most humans for sneaking around a dwarf kingdom.&quot;

Back at the mountain pass in something that more concretely happened from a narrative standpoint, Ogin continues talking to Jacob as Vince watches in the background.  Jacob&#39;s expression remains unmoved and irritated.  Vince&#39;s narration continues: &quot;The short version is, Ogin has people and places he wants watched, and he would rather these be watched discreetly.  Jacob doesn&#39;t seem particularly eager to help, but he has to feel something&#39;s up, at least enough to humor Ogin without running off.&quot;

One more scene shift lands us in a storage room.  This was the scene of Jacob&#39;s most recent job with Catherine back in Sornil in Landis, the scene where both of them got knocked out by Ogin and his lackey.  The focus is on the ground and Catherine&#39;s unconscious body.  Vince continues: &quot;That discussion did, however, bring up the topic of a friend of Jacob&#39;s, one who was with him when he was taken and who is notably not with us in this camp.  Ogin assured Jacob this friend was okay.  This did not do much to earn Jacob&#39;s trust.&quot;" title="Every time I do something like the high-angle shot in the third panel and work out how to draw my characters to fit, I grow more powerful.  Please ignore the fact that most artists learn how to do that much earlier in their artistic lives."><br />]]></description>
  </item>
      <item>
       <title>Comic for Monday, September 8, 2025</title>
       <link>https://dementiaofmagic.net/d/20250908.html</link>
       <guid>https://dementiaofmagic.net/d/20250908.html</guid>
       <pubDate>Mon, 8 Sep 2025 00:00:01 -0700</pubDate>
   <description><![CDATA[<img src="https://dementiaofmagic.net/comics/DoM20250908.png" alt="Vince brings up a point with Ogin as Jacob watches in the background.  Ogin looks away, as if he does not have an answer to what Vince is asking, but his lackey turns as if he has suddenly noticed something off to the right of the panel.  Vince&#39;s narration continues: &quot;Of course, all of this is hard to believe without proof, which Ogin doesn&#39;t have in this camp.&quot;

Now focused a bit more to the right, the view reveals Bnorm, who is shouting something back at the discussion.  Jacob, Ogin, and the lackey all notice.  Vince narrates: &quot;But, of all people, Bnorm was willing to vouch for him.  He did so quite angrily, too.  As he kept interjecting, it became clear why he was here: He&#39;s witnessed exactly what Ogin was talking about, and he isn&#39;t happy about it.&quot;

The next scene takes up the entirety of the page: Bnorm and his gang, the members of which were redrawn from like three or four comics way back in Chapter Two, are looking at a group of dwarves cheerfully moving a large drill mechanism down a road somewhere in the lowlands of Terakol.  Bnorm&#39;s gang are angry and incredulous at how these dwarves don&#39;t really care about a group of three more dwarves behind Bnorm&#39;s gang who, by their outfits at least, are Terakol officials.  These officials (for lack of a better term, given the context of this short story) are taking notes on clipboards, apparently about the drill mechanism, all with annoyingly overconfident smug grins on their faces.  They&#39;re clearly up to no good, is what I&#39;m saying.

Vince narrates throughout this scene: &quot;In fact, as he put it, this is why Bnorm and his gang left Terakol for Landis years ago.  He&#39;d seen the early stages of this in broad daylight and became frustrated at how the citizens were too preoccupied to notice.  Unfamiliar officials from the castle, always taking notes on civilian projects, never talking to anyone... it made them uncomfortable, in terms of the sanctity of both the crown and the people of the land.

&quot;It was strange to hear someone like Bnorm talking about how he didn&#39;t feel safe in his own homeland, but there it was.  Needless to say, he&#39;s not particularly thrilled to be back.&quot;

Back to the present-day scene, Bnorm has advanced to Ogin and is becoming more animated in his shouting.  Ogin, an experienced strategist, is no-selling this in his responses.  Vince and Jacob are both uneasy about this whole situation.  Vince concludes: &quot;At the very least, Ogin can trust Bnorm isn&#39;t part of the problem.  I admit, I&#39;m not comfortable with his level of optimism.&quot;" title="Some day I&#39;ll settle on a general climate and ecology for Terakol."><br />]]></description>
  </item>
      <item>
       <title>Comic for Friday, September 5, 2025</title>
       <link>https://dementiaofmagic.net/d/20250905.html</link>
       <guid>https://dementiaofmagic.net/d/20250905.html</guid>
       <pubDate>Fri, 5 Sep 2025 00:00:01 -0700</pubDate>
   <description><![CDATA[<img src="https://dementiaofmagic.net/comics/DoM20250905.png" alt="Over a scene of a humble, happy King Terakol standing among his fellow dwarf subjects cheerfully going about their daily business, Vince&#39;s narration continues: &quot;I have noted in past entries about how King Rogald Terakol is a quiet monarch of few words, one who rules his kingdom with calm subtlety.&quot;

A new scene, however, depicts King Terakol, while still happy, now celebrating with a small cheering crowd of dwarves in a pub, merrily wielding two mugs of ale.  Vince writes: &quot;I have now been informed this is not exactly true.&quot;

We now see King Terakol giving a rather animated speech before a large crowd of dwarves as Vince continues: &quot;According to Ogin, the king has historically been a very charismatic and celebratory ruler, to put it lightly.  I was never aware of this; I guess that&#39;s what I get for never having been on any diplomatic trips to Terakol in my days with Landis.  His relative silence is a recent development, one which Ogin started to notice around a year ago, shortly before my self-imposed exile here.&quot;

Within Castle Terakol, we now see Ogin walking past two other dwarves, each wearing outfits consistent with other castle officials, a detail I stumbled across when checking past comics for reference and which nobody else will probably remember.  The two unnamed dwarves seem suspiciously content about something; one is looking over a clipboard with approval.  Ogin is very suspicious.  Vince continues: &quot;It was also around this time he noticed new, unfamiliar faces in Castle Terakol.  Faces which spent a lot of time talking with each other and the king, and not with his existing council.&quot;

A simple shot of Vince writing this journal accompanies his next lines: &quot;Though I do not have the time or context to go into full detail here, much of Ogin&#39;s discussion was pointing out a very alarming amount of abnormalities like these.  If all of this is true, it is greatly disturbing; the compromised rule of King Terakol, the monarch of a nation so closely allied with Landis, could have dire consequences for both kingdoms.&quot;

We conclude with a shot of a hallway in Castle Terakol, one whose walls have portraits of past rulers of the nation, each of which are wearing the same outfit and crown.  As Vince is about to mention, the crown, while golden and set with numerous gems, is asymmetric; it is made of seven points, two of which are taller than the others, the remaining five being unbalanced around the circumference.  Otherwise, the outfit consists of a greyish collared shirt and a somewhat pea-soup-green cape with brownish-green trim.  Vince&#39;s narration: &quot;Unrelated, I have also learned some of the other eccentricities of the Terakol monarchy, such as the asymmetric crown and the seemingly plain regal attire, are normal.  You learn something new every day.&quot;" title="No, the different colors of the outfits between Ogin and the unnamed dwarf in red simply mean they ostensibly work in different divisions, not that the one in red is evil.  You&#39;re not getting out of this that easily."><br />]]></description>
  </item>
      <item>
       <title>Comic for Wednesday, September 3, 2025</title>
       <link>https://dementiaofmagic.net/d/20250903.html</link>
       <guid>https://dementiaofmagic.net/d/20250903.html</guid>
       <pubDate>Wed, 3 Sep 2025 00:00:01 -0700</pubDate>
   <description><![CDATA[<img src="https://dementiaofmagic.net/comics/DoM20250903.png" alt="In what is evidently a flashback to earlier in the day, we see Vince walking out of a small cave somewhere in the mountains.  The narration is provided by a continuation of his journal from the previous comic: &quot;I am writing this from somewhere near Castle Terakol.  I don&#39;t feel it wise to go into more detail for the time being.&quot;

Next, we see Ogin and his lackey.  Ogin is looking through a spyglass out over a cliff, brow furrowed.  His lackey is nearby, looking over an unrolled sheet of paper.  Narration continues: &quot;At the end of my last entry, I was taken by two dwarves.  One identifies himself as Ogin, chief strategist for King Terakol.  The other is a member of the Terakol royal guard whose name I did not catch.&quot;

In a line of narrative just sort of hovering in the gutter between panels, Vince states, &quot;In the time I have been here, I have been treated well, apart from not being allowed to leave.  In recent days, however, I have been joined by two other abductees.&quot;

We see Jacob, a friend of Matt who we haven&#39;t seen since Chapter Six, leaning against a rock wall.  &quot;First is a short human Ogin has informed me is named Jacob.  I do not recognize him; all I have been told is that he is a thief from Landis.  He is clearly not happy to be here.&quot;

Near Jacob, we see Bnorm the Ravenous, someone else we haven&#39;t seen since Chapter Six.  &quot;The second one I do recognize, and concerns me greatly: Bnorm the Ravenous, a dwarf gang leader with a well-known reputation.  I recall him coming in and out of lockup at Castle Landis with alarming frequency.  He is also not happy to be here.&quot;

Vince stands near the other two as Ogin and his lackey approach them.  Jacob and Bnorm turn to look at them.  &quot;Until today, we have been kept in the dark as to why we have been brought here.  However, with the arrival of Bnorm, Ogin has finally opened up.&quot;

A closeup as Ogin addresses the group; we don&#39;t see what he is saying, but Vince&#39;s narration continues: &quot;He has a job for us.  A curious one, yet a disturbing one.&quot;" title="The Dementia of Magic: Dedicated to making you remember characters you don&#39;t actually remember."><br />]]></description>
  </item>
      <item>
       <title>Comic for Monday, September 1, 2025</title>
       <link>https://dementiaofmagic.net/d/20250901.html</link>
       <guid>https://dementiaofmagic.net/d/20250901.html</guid>
       <pubDate>Mon, 1 Sep 2025 00:00:01 -0700</pubDate>
   <description><![CDATA[<img src="https://dementiaofmagic.net/comics/DoM20250901.png" alt="This comic begins at my desk where I deliver a warning: &quot;Okay, this time I&#39;m serious, you really should get caught up for this one.  Head back to Chapter Six for the last time we dealt with Vince and the dwarves of Terakol.&quot;  I then add, &quot;Yes, I&#39;m going a bit deep here.&quot;  The unfortunate shame is that, at time of writing, the comics of Chapter Six have no alt texts.
 
 The comic proper consists of a short montage of shots involving Vince, mimicing the opening actions he took in his story section back in Chapter Six.  He carries his journal, a dwarf tome bound in metal and a weird cylinder thing which I&#39;m not sure makes any sense, over to a table, where he opens it and clanks it down.  The journal lands open to his last entry, mentioning how his plan was to travel to a camp of dwarves at the Breznial-Terakol border to get their opinion on Breznial.  The entry is interrupted at the end, leaving an ink splat that has dribbled down the bottom edges of the journal&#39;s pages.
 
 Vince turns to a new, blank page.  He takes out the same overly-complicated, mechanically automated ink pen he used in Chapter Six, giving a small wheel on it a flick with his thumb to activate a small pump mechanism to get ink flowing to the nib.  Vince begins writing: &quot;My life has taken a strange turn since I was last able to update this journal.  I honestly do not yet believe I have fully processed it.&quot;" title="That screaming you hear is the sound of stylophiles discovering I have no idea what I&#39;m doing when inventing ridiculous dwarf pens."><br /><div class="comicfootnote">
    <div class="comicfootnoteimage siteimage"></div>

    <div class="comicfootnotetext">
        <p>If it helps, here's a link to <a href="https://dementiaofmagic.net//d/20130405.html">the part of Chapter Six in question</a>.</p>
    </div>
<br />
</div>
]]></description>
  </item>
      <item>
       <title>Comic for Wednesday, October 9, 2024</title>
       <link>https://dementiaofmagic.net/d/20241009.html</link>
       <guid>https://dementiaofmagic.net/d/20241009.html</guid>
       <pubDate>Wed, 9 Oct 2024 00:00:01 -0700</pubDate>
   <description><![CDATA[<img src="https://dementiaofmagic.net/comics/DoM20241009.png" alt="Janis turns and walks back across the room.  &quot;Of course,&quot; she says, &quot;it doesn&#39;t matter how silent I am, I can&#39;t exactly tunnel my way out of the upper floors of this tower.  Plus, the moment they noticed me missing, they&#39;d search the room, find the tunnel, and find me.&quot;  The rat, scampering across the floor to follow Janis, comes to a conclusion: &quot;Sooooo ya stay in the castle, and ya stay queen!&quot;

Janis, now back at the hole in the floor, gingerly places the flask inside, having implicitly already placed the pickaxe in as well, off-camera.  &quot;So, I have more work to do,&quot; she corrects the rat.  &quot;More plans to make.  More stuff to get.  More.&quot;  The rat responds, &quot;Like what?&quot;

As Janis moves the false floor back to cover up the hole, she says, &quot;I don&#39;t know yet.  Something.  Anything.  This is step one.  It has to be.&quot;  The rat, appropriately continuing to be a pest, asks a perhaps important question, &quot;And whadya do when ya get out of the castle?  Are ya still queen there?&quot;

Janis approaches her bed, little more than a sheetless mattress with a pillow on it.  &quot;I leave.  That&#39;s it.  I get out of this castle, out of this kingdom, and into my own life, and I can figure it out from there.&quot;  The rat follows, leaping up on a nearby stray pillow on the floor.  &quot;Uh huh... but what&#39;s it like outside of Breznial?  Ya don&#39;t exactly get out often.&quot;

Janis, now lying on her bed and trying to get to sleep, replies &quot;At this point I&#39;m mostly hoping it has fewer talking rodents.  Good night.&quot;" title="Please pretend there&#39;s some sort of structural element that holds the false floor up so it doesn&#39;t just fall and crush the flask."><br />]]></description>
  </item>
      <item>
       <title>Comic for Monday, October 7, 2024</title>
       <link>https://dementiaofmagic.net/d/20241007.html</link>
       <guid>https://dementiaofmagic.net/d/20241007.html</guid>
       <pubDate>Mon, 7 Oct 2024 00:00:01 -0700</pubDate>
   <description><![CDATA[<img src="https://dementiaofmagic.net/comics/DoM20241007.png" alt="As Janis rubs the potion-soaked cloth on the head of the pickaxe, the rat points at the bottle (off-panel) and asks, &quot;So what&#39;s in the bottle, queenie?  Doesn&#39;t smell good.&quot;  &quot;It&#39;s a potion,&quot; Janis replies.  &quot;The only useful one I could make without the help of our useless mages.&quot;

The rat responds, &quot;Uh huh, so what&#39;s it do?  Does it get us food?&quot;  Janis, for her part, is winding up to swing the pickaxe at the rat.  &quot;Hold still,&quot; she says, &quot;I&#39;ll show you.&quot;

Janis then grits her teeth as she swings at where the rat is.  The rat safely jumps out of the way in time and the full force of the pick impacts the wall just below the window, knocking small chunks of stone into the air.  Curiously, however, the only sound from the impact itself is a muted &quot;thup&quot;.

The rat, now behind Janis, is surprised.  He exclaims, &quot;Hey!  That didn&#39;t make any noise!&quot;  Janis replies, &quot;I already checked.  It won&#39;t work on you.&quot;" title="If your first thought on seeing this is &quot;Hush-A-Boom&quot;, then congratulations!  You&#39;re also old!"><br />]]></description>
  </item>
      <item>
       <title>Comic for Friday, October 4, 2024</title>
       <link>https://dementiaofmagic.net/d/20241004.html</link>
       <guid>https://dementiaofmagic.net/d/20241004.html</guid>
       <pubDate>Fri, 4 Oct 2024 00:00:01 -0700</pubDate>
   <description><![CDATA[<img src="https://dementiaofmagic.net/comics/DoM20241004.png" alt="As Janis proceeds elsewhere into her room, the talking rat that was in the room last time we were in Breznial pokes his head out from the decorative top of a nearby cabinet.  Having noticed that Janis has returned, he leaps down to the ground in her direction.

&quot;Hey hey!&quot;, he exclaims.  &quot;You&#39;re up late!  Did ya manage to get some food this time?&quot;  Janis, who is removing an unassuming pile of clothing and/or fabric to reveal a false floor, sighs and responds, &quot;Great.  You&#39;re nocturnal.&quot;

&quot;Oh, I&#39;m up at any time!&quot;, says the rat as he takes note of the flask Janis has uncorked and set on the ground nearby.  &quot;Gotta be ready to pounce when someone&#39;s cooking something!&quot;  Janis has pulled the false floor up, revealing a small hole, from which she extracts a concealed pickaxe as she grumbles back at the rat.

Having attracted his attention, the rat shoves his snout into the flask as he continues, &quot;and then I heard you walking off at night, so I figured you were bringing back...&quot;  He takes a quick sniff to try to identify the contents of the flask, immediately regretting it as the smell causes him to recoil in disgust.

&quot;Sometimes I&#39;m glad about a few things with you, rat,&quot; Janis says as she grabs the flask from him and applies some of it to a cloth.  &quot;Like how you&#39;re clearly too stupid to go blabbing about me to everyone else in the castle.&quot;

&quot;Aw, I could never do that!&quot;, the rat replies as he leaps in front of her and perches on a pile of fabric near the outer wall of the room.  &quot;Everyone else here is mean!  They try to kill me as soon as they see me!&quot;

Janis merely responds, &quot;You&#39;re making me think they might finally be right about something.  Stop it.&quot;" title="I realize now that I&#39;ve never really touched on how things like magic potions or whatnot in the DoM world smell, so here&#39;s a data point: This particular potion smells bad.  The rest is left as an exercise for the reader."><br />]]></description>
  </item>
      <item>
       <title>Comic for Wednesday, October 2, 2024</title>
       <link>https://dementiaofmagic.net/d/20241002.html</link>
       <guid>https://dementiaofmagic.net/d/20241002.html</guid>
       <pubDate>Wed, 2 Oct 2024 00:00:01 -0700</pubDate>
   <description><![CDATA[<img src="https://dementiaofmagic.net/comics/DoM20241002.png" alt="&quot;Nothing out of place, sir,&quot; one of the guards concludes after the search.  &quot;Yes, yes... very well,&quot; Roderick says.  &quot;I believe we can escort our queen back to her chambers.&quot;  Janis, her ruse still undetected, snarls at Roderick.

The guards take Janis by her arms and lead her back through the castle&#39;s halls, with Roderick following behind.  &quot;I&#39;m disappointed in you, Janis,&quot; he says.  &quot;You&#39;re getting sloppy.  And slow.  And at such a young age, too.  Such a shame.&quot;  Janis, as can be expected, shows disdain on her face.

Back at Janis&#39;s chambers, the guards shove her through the door.  &quot;Now, try and get some sleep, your highness,&quot; Roderick calls out from the hallway.  The door slams shut and is locked.  Janis, confident that they aren&#39;t watching her anymore, unfolds the wadded-up cloak still in her hands, pulling the potion out from it.  &quot;Idiots,&quot; she thinks to herself as she tosses the cloak to the side." title="Nuts to YOU, 180 Degree Rule!"><br />]]></description>
  </item>
      <item>
       <title>Comic for Monday, September 30, 2024</title>
       <link>https://dementiaofmagic.net/d/20240930.html</link>
       <guid>https://dementiaofmagic.net/d/20240930.html</guid>
       <pubDate>Mon, 30 Sep 2024 00:00:01 -0700</pubDate>
   <description><![CDATA[<img src="https://dementiaofmagic.net/comics/DoM20240930.png" alt="&quot;Nothing in her cloak, sir,&quot; says one of the guards as she holds up Janis&#39;s cloak for Roderick to see.  &quot;Mmm hmm,&quot; Roderick replies.  &quot;Check the room.  Make sure nothing&#39;s out of place.&quot; &quot;Yes sir,&quot; the guard replies as she wads up Janis&#39;s cloak and throws it back to her.

&quot;Now stand aside, Janis,&quot; Roderick continues as he motions towards the lab door, &quot;and let them do their job.  We both know you&#39;re not going anywhere.&quot; Janis simply huffs at this indignity.

Janis now stands behind Roderick with her cloak wadded up in her hands, close to the table near the door where she placed the potion earlier.  Roderick does not notice this, monitoring the guards with smug assuredness. &quot;Interesting to find you in a lab this time,&quot; he says.  &quot;Didn&#39;t think you to be the type.&quot;

Janis, certain that she is unseen by either Roderick or the preoccupied guards, reaches for the potion she placed on the table.  &quot;But, you&#39;re NOT the type,&quot; Roderick continues, &quot;so I&#39;m confident we won&#39;t find anything, will we?&quot;

In a quick, silent swipe of her hand, Janis yoinks the potion off the table and hides it in the mess of her cloak.  Roderick, unaware, reminds the guards, &quot;Don&#39;t forget behind the shelves, you two.  Could be anything in here.&quot; &quot;Yes sir&quot; is the reply." title="This has been a long way to go for free glassware."><br />]]></description>
  </item>
      <item>
       <title>Comic for Friday, September 27, 2024</title>
       <link>https://dementiaofmagic.net/d/20240927.html</link>
       <guid>https://dementiaofmagic.net/d/20240927.html</guid>
       <pubDate>Fri, 27 Sep 2024 00:00:01 -0700</pubDate>
   <description><![CDATA[<img src="https://dementiaofmagic.net/comics/DoM20240927.png" alt="There is a loud crash and the lab doors are kicked open by two guards holding lanterns.  With them is Roderick, an scrawny aged weasel of a man, with a narrow, sharp face sporting a long, pointy nose, his facial features seemingly ideal for being a smug jerk.  His decorative robes indicate him to be an important &quot;advisor&quot; of Castle Breznial under conditions which were discussed in the original Castle Breznial story snippet from years ago and which are a bit too long to get into now.

&quot;Well, well, well,&quot; he begins, &quot;what do we have here?&quot;

&quot;An intruder in the castle?  At this late hour?&quot;  His statement is directed at the hooded figure, who is retrieving something from the storage shelves.  A hiss is the only response.

As the guards drag the growling figure away from the shelves and towards Roderick, he continues, &quot;Seems like just the other day we had to deal with this.  Hmm...&quot;

The figure is thrust in front of Roderick&#39;s jerk face.  &quot;I suppose we&#39;ll have to increase the guard.  We clearly can&#39;t stand for this in Castle Breznial...&quot;

The guards then yoink the cloak off of the figure, revealing it to be Queen Janis Breznial herself, which was probably obvious due to this entire segment being about Castle Breznial.  Unsurprisingly, she is not pleased.

Roderick finishes his sentence with a smug &quot;...your highness.&quot;" title="This is becoming less and less like Castle Duckula as we go along."><br /><div class="comicfootnote">
    <div class="comicfootnoteimage siteimage"></div>

    <div class="comicfootnotetext">
        <p>See?  I said you might want to get caught up.</p>
    </div>
<br />
</div>
]]></description>
  </item>
      <item>
       <title>Comic for Wednesday, September 25, 2024</title>
       <link>https://dementiaofmagic.net/d/20240925.html</link>
       <guid>https://dementiaofmagic.net/d/20240925.html</guid>
       <pubDate>Wed, 25 Sep 2024 00:00:01 -0700</pubDate>
   <description><![CDATA[<img src="https://dementiaofmagic.net/comics/DoM20240925.png" alt="A guard walks the hallways outside the lab, arms behind his back, his footsteps breaking the silence of the night.  The hooded figure waits at the door to the lab, listening for said footsteps, holding two glass test tubes in anticipation of the right moment.

The moment is now.  The figure clinks the tubes together, making a very noticeable sound.  We cannot see the guard, but his footsteps stop suddenly at this noise.

The figure follows this up by moving a mortar and pestle across a table, producing a sliding noise.  The guard outside apparently remains silent at this, as no sound comes from the hallway.

Then the figure flips a few pages in a book, which further makes noise.  This is followed by a now hurried set of footsteps from the guard, running down the hallway.  The hooded figure regards this with a single thought: &quot;Good.&quot;" title="Yes, I COULD have followed this up with additional comics featuring comedically increasing amounts of noise-making things, culminating in a full band blasting Tchaikovsky&#39;s 1812 Overture to get the guard&#39;s attention, but, surprising as it may seem from someone who takes so long to make comics, I actually DO value your time."><br />]]></description>
  </item>
      <item>
       <title>Comic for Monday, September 23, 2024</title>
       <link>https://dementiaofmagic.net/d/20240923.html</link>
       <guid>https://dementiaofmagic.net/d/20240923.html</guid>
       <pubDate>Mon, 23 Sep 2024 00:00:01 -0700</pubDate>
   <description><![CDATA[<img src="https://dementiaofmagic.net/comics/DoM20240923.png" alt="A montage shows a flurry of activity by the hooded figure.  Many potion-creating actions take place, including mixing liquids, measuring powders, comparing bags, checking results, and reading notes.  The concoction, a greyish liquid in a flask, and yes it is intended to be greyish even though the artist&#39;s coloring style regarding glass objects places an unfortunate cyan color on everything, apparently meets to the figure&#39;s approval.  The flask is corked, finishing the job.  The figure then carefully feeds the notes into the glowing embers of the fire pit, destroying them in flames.

Looking around, the hooded figure finds the small table by the door mentioned in the previous comic.  Among other odds and ends, including a small red book, a candle, an opaque bottle, and a round container with a nozzle, this table also contains a folded length of cloth.  The figure places the flask on this cloth.

All of these operations are conducted in relative silence." title="That round sign on the cabinet means &quot;do not store glassware in this cabinet&quot;, which of course means that&#39;s where all the glassware is stored."><br />]]></description>
  </item>
      <item>
       <title>Comic for Friday, September 20, 2024</title>
       <link>https://dementiaofmagic.net/d/20240920.html</link>
       <guid>https://dementiaofmagic.net/d/20240920.html</guid>
       <pubDate>Fri, 20 Sep 2024 00:00:01 -0700</pubDate>
   <description><![CDATA[<img src="https://dementiaofmagic.net/comics/DoM20240920.png" alt="The hooded figure enters the darkened lab and glances around.  Strewn across long tables are various glass test tubes, some flasks, a large globe thingy, and other objects containing liquids and powders in various states of experiment, as well as a few pages of notes, piles of loose unidentified colorful powders, a lab notebook, and other magic things that add to a cluttered appearance, things the artist clearly spent too much time arranging in the scene and will likely avoid re-drawing again later if at all possible.  Along the wall are such things as a small table near the door in which the figure just entered, a cabinet with a few notes stuck to it, and a fire pit with still-glowing embers from the day&#39;s research.

The figure silently notes as much of this as is deemed relevant and pulls out a small set of notes.  Looking them over, the figure now stands before a set of shelves at the back of the lab containing many magic ingredients.  There is clearly work to do." title="Breznial&#39;s magic research labs clearly lack the refined security measures of Lineta Hall&#39;s back in Chapter Three."><br />]]></description>
  </item>
      <item>
       <title>Comic for Wednesday, September 18, 2024</title>
       <link>https://dementiaofmagic.net/d/20240918.html</link>
       <guid>https://dementiaofmagic.net/d/20240918.html</guid>
       <pubDate>Wed, 18 Sep 2024 00:00:01 -0700</pubDate>
   <description><![CDATA[<img src="https://dementiaofmagic.net/comics/DoM20240918.png" alt="We see the hooded figure quietly, yet confidently, walk through the halls of the castle.  However, it is clear this figure does not belong here; guards are patrolling the area, and we witness a montage of the figure using features in the hall to hide from their view.  A support pillar, curtains from around a theatre room door, a decorative banner, a display case, all used for concealment.  The guards do not notice anything.

The figure reaches a door, the intended destination.  After one last glance to make sure nobody is watching, the figure silently opens the door and enters.  A sign over the door shows icons of flasks and bottles; this room is a laboratory." title="Avoiding small talk on the way back to your convention hotel room, championship tier."><br />]]></description>
  </item>
      <item>
       <title>Comic for Monday, September 16, 2024</title>
       <link>https://dementiaofmagic.net/d/20240916.html</link>
       <guid>https://dementiaofmagic.net/d/20240916.html</guid>
       <pubDate>Mon, 16 Sep 2024 00:00:01 -0700</pubDate>
   <description><![CDATA[<img src="https://dementiaofmagic.net/comics/DoM20240916.png" alt="A short narrative line reintroduces us to Castle Breznial, late at night.  We see the castle&#39;s towers rising above its imposing featureless walls as the irregular vegetation of the swamp sits silently behind it.

A close-up shot of a tower.  A guard patrols atop the outer wall.  Through a window in the tower, we see a hooded figure walk by.  The guard does not notice." title="You do not understand how hard it is for me to say &quot;Castle Breznial&quot; and not immediately follow through with the opening narration to Count Duckula."><br /><div class="comicfootnote">
    <div class="comicfootnoteimage siteimage"></div>

    <div class="comicfootnotetext">
        <p>Castle Breznial, located on the edge of the great swamp that serves as the eastern border with Landis.  Last time we stopped by was <a href="https://dementiaofmagic.net/d/20090626.html">a very long time ago</a>.  Sorry about that.  You might want to get caught up.</p>
    </div>
<br />
</div>
]]></description>
  </item>
    </channel>
</rss>
