D&D park casts a spell (photos)

CARBONDALE, Ill.--A caged sorcerer seeks freedom at the Jeremy "Boo" Rochman Memorial Park here. Dungeons & Dragons comes to life in this magical little place, where wizards battle on green grass, Pegasus rears up from the brush, and gargoyles guard the ramparts.

Caged sorcerer seeks knight-errant for freedom quest. Must be well-armed and headstrong. No thieves, please.

Even the trees have personality in the park, which was built by local investment mogul Barrett Rochman as a memorial to his teenage son, Jeremy (or "Boo"), an avid Dungeons & Dragons fan who died in a car accident nearby.

Sometimes wizards don't get along, but the volunteers who tend the park don't seem to mind.

I cast a spell upon thee. Some of the statues in the park are based on painted figures found among Boo's possessions.

This looks like the rugged knight type. He's wearing the Helm of Brilliance; watch out for the powerful reflective rays.

Three heads, one dragon. Southern Illinois University art students contributed some of the art in the park, which is free to visit.

I'm sure that's a nice ogre. That grimace is just the ogre way of saying, "Nice to meet you."

Look out above! An ambush party waits in a tree above the D&D-style Boo Rochman Memorial Park.

Nobody is going to mess with this roof. This handsome fellow guards the Boo Rochman castle from high above.

Storm the castle. The Boo Rochman Memorial Park offers plenty of opportunities for sieges and epic battles between mages, paladins, and clerics.