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Undermere Herald - July Edition | The Pitt Rivers museum and The Thaumaturge!

[h3]Dear reader,[/h3]

Welcome to the inaugural edition of the Undermere Herald - the most trustworthy news source for Undermere and its surroundings. In today’s edition, we will delve into the archaeological offerings of the University of Oxford’s Pitt Rivers Museum and introduce one of the town’s most sought-after tradespeople: the Thaumaturge, Eli White.

Visiting the Pitt Rivers Museum:

As John and I live in different parts of the UK, it's sometimes a challenge to get together for anything work-related. The item designs have been one of the biggest challenges for us on Strange Antiquities, so we felt there was a good opportunity for us to get out of the office and go for a field trip!

We’re lucky enough to live within a couple of hours of some excellent museums, including everything that London has to offer, so we were spoiled for choice, but the one that excited us the most was Oxford’s unique Pitt Rivers museum. It has an amazing collection of trinkets, curiosities, and artefacts from all over the world, all piled high in glass cabinets with handwritten labels, and mostly all in one big room. It’s very Strange Antiquities.

Going to Oxford also meant that we got two museums for the price of one – the Ashmolean is just down the road from the Pitt Rivers and is equally stuffed full of treasures. We had a great trip and came back buzzing with inspiration.

Image 1. A silvered, stoppered bottle said to contain a witch.


Image 2. The stacked cabinets of the Pitt Rivers⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Meet the Shopkeeper:

Unlike in Strange Horticulture, you are not the owner of the shop in Strange Antiquities. That role belongs to Eli White, local Thaumaturge and collector of Objects. Objects that to the untrained eye may appear dull and lifeless, but that in the right hands, and armed with the right knowledge, can be a gateway to so much more. For Eli, the quest to unearth and understand each new Object has been the driving force of his adult life.

As his apprentice you still have a lot to learn, but when Eli is called away to help with an important matter, he reluctantly leaves you in charge. He is a stern master who knows first-hand what can happen if the right precautions are not taken. He doesn’t tend to show much emotion, but he does have a more tender side – a side that is mostly reserved for the store’s cat, Jupiter.

Image 3. Eli White – the Thaumaturge


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Bad Viking Iceberg Interactive



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About my Name... meet Jupiter!

[h3]Dear Thaumaturges,
[/h3]

Over the past few days, we gave you a little mystery to solve. From celestial conundrums, over authorial anagrams, to planetary puzzles, we’ve had you guessing and theorising over something that we know is very dear to your hearts: the name of Strange Antiquities’ store cat.

Reading everybody’s guesses was a delight! Some of you got very close; others less so. (Unfortunately, the cat’s name will not be Jon Bon Jovi).

But without further ado, let’s get to the most important part of this blog…

[h2]Meet Jupiter![/h2]



Thanks to all who played along, and congratulations to everyone who guessed correctly – especially those of you who managed it after only one clue (we were stunned)!

Here’s a quick explanation of all the clues in case there are some you missed:
  1. The holes are a representation of the planets (yes, including Pluto!)

  2. Sir Jon Vibar is an anagram of Robin Jarvis, author of a book called The Alchymist’s Cat. The titular cat is called Jupiter which is partly where the inspiration for our cat’s name came from!

  3. This is the symbol for the planetary metal, tin, which is associated with Jupiter.

[h5]Rob & John[/h5]

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Bad Viking Iceberg Interactive

About my name... clue 3 of 3!

[h3]Many of you have been asking for my name… So to help you out, here’s a little game… Who am I?[/h3]

Good luck with this clue, which is 3 of 3. All will be revealed tomorrow!



[h5]Rob & John[/h5]

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Bad Viking Iceberg Interactive

About my name... clue 2 of 3!

[h3]Many of you have been asking for my name… So to help you out, here’s a little game…[/h3]

Good luck with this clue, which is 2 of 3. Let us know your guess in the comments!



[h5]Rob & John[/h5]

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Bad Viking Iceberg Interactive

About my name... clue 1 of 3!

[h3]Many of you have been asking for my name…[/h3]

Good luck with this clue, which is 1 of 3. Let us know your guess in the comments!



[h5]Rob & John[/h5]

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Bad Viking Iceberg Interactive