Down in the basement.
Past the crates and the old barrels sits Gimbly’s old desk, with his journal still on it. Keep your voice down. Somebody small comes here to read in peace.
I. The legend
Who is Gimbly the Great?
Ask anyone in the valley and you will hear a different story. This is the one Gimbly tells, when the fire burns low.
Nobody agrees on where Gimbly came from. The baker says he rode in on a thunderstorm. The miller swears he climbed out of a barrel of apples. Gimbly only smiles, and finds a coin behind your ear.
What everyone agrees on is this. One autumn night, the old tower on the hill lit up, one candle at a time. By morning there was a name painted over the door: Magicians Keep.
Since then he has spent many winters on the road, carrying his magic to feast halls, faire grounds and birthday parties far and wide. He travels in full medieval costume, and he has never once arrived late.
Ask him for his favorite trick and he will tell you he hasn’t done it yet. Then he will pull a playing card out of your sleeve, just to watch your face.
These days he keeps the tower open to anyone who stops by. Magicians come to learn. Families come to book a show. And some folks just come to catch a few fireflies, and to see if the hedgehog is in a good mood.
Magic is not about fooling people. It is about giving them a moment they will tell their friends about.
Gimbly the Great
II. Who comes down here
Who is reading in the corner?
That is Pippin. He was the wizard of the fourth story for many years. He brewed fine potions, kept a tidy desk, and had a very nice beard.
One night Gimbly was practicing a new spell in the room below. He sneezed halfway through it. Pippin has been a hedgehog ever since. He kept the hat, and he still needs his glasses.
The tower is a noisy place for someone so small, so Pippin comes down to the basement for some peace and quiet. He sits on his cushion by the desk and reads. Gimbly’s old journal, mostly, when he thinks nobody is looking.
Gimbly is working on a cure. So far he has turned Pippin into a slightly bigger hedgehog, a hedgehog with hiccups, and, for one long afternoon, a teapot. Nobody knows how to turn him back. Not yet.
III. Find your way
A guide to the tower.
Every page of this site is a floor of the Keep. Here is where everything is, from the bell at the top to the basement under the shop.
-
Top of the tower
Gimbly’s Chamber
Where Gimbly will be next, and a bell rope to ring when you want magic at your own party, feast, or stage.
Climb to the top -
Third story
The Library
Video lessons, shelved like books. Pull one down and learn a trick from the first move to the last.
Visit the Library -
Second story
Your Chamber
Join the Keep for free and your own room keeps your fireflies, your orders, and your lessons safe.
Join or sign in -
First story
The Shop
Step through the front doors and you are in it. Tricks, props and pranks, under the floating candles.
Browse the Shop -
Outside
The Path
Where every visit begins, under the moon. Catch the fireflies drifting by. They are worth keeping.
Step outside -
Below the shop You are here
The Basement
Crates, barrels, Gimbly’s old journal on his old desk, and a hedgehog who would like some peace and quiet.
Some rooms are not on any map. Keep your eyes open, and catch a few fireflies along the way.
IV. House rules
Rules of the Keep.
Gimbly keeps only a few. They are posted by the door, in his own hand.
Rules of the Keep
- Wipe your boots. The rug is older than the tower.
- Be kind to Pippin. He was a wizard once, and he remembers everything.
- Keep your voice down in the basement. Pippin is reading.
- Never call Pippin a pincushion.
- Ring the bell only if you mean it. Well, maybe once for fun.
- Never ask a magician how it is done. Ask how to learn it instead.
G. the Great
Ready to look around?
The stairs are right behind you. Head up to the shop, or climb all the way to the top and see where Gimbly will be next.