A Chill Yet Open Door (23/8) - Jaezred
Aug 26, 2022 9:52:20 GMT
Velania Kalugina and stephena like this
Post by Jaezred Vandree on Aug 26, 2022 9:52:20 GMT
An Underdark Amuse-Bouche
By Lord Jaezred Vandree
INGREDIENTS:
• 5 Donigarten moss snails, drained
• 5 svirfneblin nose mushrooms, stems removed
• 5 slices of deep rothé bresaola
• 1 bunch of Donigarten lake moss
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 ½ tablespoons of butter
• 1 tablespoon of white wine
• 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS:
1. Melt the butter on a skillet with half of your minced garlic, then add the snails and mushrooms, stirring until the mushrooms are soft whilst adding white wine, salt, and pepper.
2. Sautée the moss in the olive oil and with the remaining half of the minced garlic.
3. Once you are done cooking, remove from the skillet and begin arranging the dish. Wrap each snail and a clump of moss of equal size in a slice of bresaola, then stuff the wrap into a mushroom cap. Arrange nicely on a single plate, drizzle some garlic butter from the skillet on top, and serve.
AUTHOR’S NOTES:
Rejoice, Dawnlanders, for the great drow city of Aeschira is open for business! The wise and generous House Menat had invited our illustrious Councillor Mavis Thovian into their home and gave us adventurers a chance to show our might to the city, and show it we did. That surface-dwelling adventurers easily destroyed the last remnant of a demon fungus cult that even the drow’s staunchest warriors could not finish off is sure to be the talk of town for weeks to come, and that means work opportunities from the Underdark are soon coming to the notice boards of our taverns.
To celebrate this momentous occasion, I bring to you an appetiser enjoyed by the nobility of my homeland, Menzoberranzan, with ingredients sourced mostly from the Faerûnian Underdark: a savoury amuse-bouche that composes a wonderful symphony of flavours and sensations on your tongue — first, the meatiness and spicy touch of the deep rothé bresaola, the earthiness of the mushroom, then the soft mildness of the lake moss, and finally, the the buttery creaminess of the juicy moss snail — all from a single bite. Eating this dish will make you feel like a drow lord or lady, savouring the wanton pleasures of life.
One very particular copy of this recipe found its way, curiously, into a stack of reports meant for Queen Nicnevin, attached to two other slips of parchment. Under the Witch-Queen’s gaze, the true message written underneath the innocuous recipe with illusory script is revealed to her:
Recipe inspired by an appetiser I had in a restaurant.
By Lord Jaezred Vandree
INGREDIENTS:
• 5 Donigarten moss snails, drained
• 5 svirfneblin nose mushrooms, stems removed
• 5 slices of deep rothé bresaola
• 1 bunch of Donigarten lake moss
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 ½ tablespoons of butter
• 1 tablespoon of white wine
• 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS:
1. Melt the butter on a skillet with half of your minced garlic, then add the snails and mushrooms, stirring until the mushrooms are soft whilst adding white wine, salt, and pepper.
2. Sautée the moss in the olive oil and with the remaining half of the minced garlic.
3. Once you are done cooking, remove from the skillet and begin arranging the dish. Wrap each snail and a clump of moss of equal size in a slice of bresaola, then stuff the wrap into a mushroom cap. Arrange nicely on a single plate, drizzle some garlic butter from the skillet on top, and serve.
AUTHOR’S NOTES:
Rejoice, Dawnlanders, for the great drow city of Aeschira is open for business! The wise and generous House Menat had invited our illustrious Councillor Mavis Thovian into their home and gave us adventurers a chance to show our might to the city, and show it we did. That surface-dwelling adventurers easily destroyed the last remnant of a demon fungus cult that even the drow’s staunchest warriors could not finish off is sure to be the talk of town for weeks to come, and that means work opportunities from the Underdark are soon coming to the notice boards of our taverns.
To celebrate this momentous occasion, I bring to you an appetiser enjoyed by the nobility of my homeland, Menzoberranzan, with ingredients sourced mostly from the Faerûnian Underdark: a savoury amuse-bouche that composes a wonderful symphony of flavours and sensations on your tongue — first, the meatiness and spicy touch of the deep rothé bresaola, the earthiness of the mushroom, then the soft mildness of the lake moss, and finally, the the buttery creaminess of the juicy moss snail — all from a single bite. Eating this dish will make you feel like a drow lord or lady, savouring the wanton pleasures of life.
One very particular copy of this recipe found its way, curiously, into a stack of reports meant for Queen Nicnevin, attached to two other slips of parchment. Under the Witch-Queen’s gaze, the true message written underneath the innocuous recipe with illusory script is revealed to her:
23rd Eleasis 1499
The Daring Heights City Council’s first foray into diplomacy with Aeschira was 2 years ago, when they sent an ambassador to join an OMTC business trip to meet with House Ithyr, one of the then-eight major noble houses that rule the city (see Appendix A for an overview of the individual houses). This ambassador has since been recalled during a brief period of turmoil — one of the major houses, House Shanmet, turned to the worship of Zuggtmoy to get ahead in politics, causing a demon fungal infestation throughout the city. The infestation has since been dealt with and the other houses banded together to destroy House Shanmet — this is what typically happens to noble houses who overstep their mark in drow society.
Councillor Mavis Thovian has stepped up to fill that vacant diplomatic spot when the Council received an invitation to Aeschira by House Menat, the family that specialises in — amongst other things — security. We were met by Bennathra Menat, third daughter of Matron Mother Serkith and an aasimar, and Lira Menat, one of their high-ranking bodyguards, in the “Cold Side” of the city, a.k.a Xar’zith-suul. (See Appendix B for a brief overview and general layout of Aeschira and the Schira Sprawl.)
House Ithyr was blindsided by this invitation and they learned of it rather too late, when Heret Velnnarul, OMTC partner and one of the sellswords who volunteered to accompany Cllr. Thovian, informed them of it just before the day of the trip. Idosen Ithyr, favoured consort of the matron mother, “ran into” the party in the streets and warned Mr. Velnnarul not to trust the Menats — a painfully transparent attempt to drive a wedge between the Dawnlanders and House Menat. Mr. Velnnarul requested a meeting with House Ithyr once the diplomatic business was concluded but the response he got was a lukewarm “perhaps”.
Lady Bennathra decided to test the mettle of Dawnlanders adventurers, offering us a paid opportunity to destroy one the last remnants of the Zuggtmoy cult — one that their own security forces had trouble eliminating. We accepted, and Lady Bennathra sent Lady Lira along to observe us. (Lady Bennathra has neither martial nor arcane abilities, which would be highly unusual were she from Menzoberranzan. She also appears to be a devotee of the Red Knight. The religious liberty on display in Aeschira is further discussed in Appendix B.) When we decimated the cult enclave along with its demon fungus spawn easily, the Menats were rightly impressed and pleased as well, since the triumph of the surfacer adventurers is sure to be heard by the entire city within the next few days. I’d expect job offers from the Schira Sprawl to start showing up in notice boards across the Dawnlands in the following months.
Whilst Cllr. Thovian and the rest of the adventuring party was teleported back to Fort Ettin, Mr. Velnnarul and I stayed behind for one extra day. I made use of the time to negotiate a very favourable deal with the Menats: in exchange for introducing them to high-end food merchants in the Dawnlands interested in breaking into new markets and bargaining for low prices on the their behalf (thus cornering a market that has been left vacant by the destruction of House House Shanment), Lady Lira will be my informant, telling me of the goings-on in Aeschira before anyone else in the Dawnlands can hear about it. It was a hard-won deal as House Menat had no merchants and was more interested in making me their informant.
At the same time, I eavesdropped on Velnnarul’s conversations with the Menat. They spoke about the darkwood forest that the OMTC had logged in before the demon fungus turmoil; all the major houses have a stake in that forest, but House Ithyr own the largest portion of it. Afterwards, Velnnarul wandered into the city centre, where he serendipitously ran into Idosen Ithyr once again. They had a discreet conversation in Draconic where Velnnarul told Ithyr of his company’s developments at Stoneleaft and the Stone Road and that he has gathered a selection of goods that might interest the matron mother, which are ready for delivery whenever convenient. He spoke also of the OMTC’s newly-established trading post in K’ul Goran (they have recently set up a base near Jarvenol, their second after their Swampside “factory”) and the Schiran outpost he discovered under the nation (see report from 6th Tarsahk) — meaning that, if House Ithyr is so inclined, that could be a route on which K’ul Gorani goods could be delivered to Aeschira. Idosen replied that he will discuss it with his lady wife.
As Your Majesty can see, the OMTC is making some ambitious moves for expansion, setting themselves up to dominate the trade routes of Kantas, Joran, and the Underdark within the next decade. However, given the frequently volatile nature of drow politics, it will be interesting to see how the Amnians navigate their relationship with the Aeschirans.
All that said, Your Majesty should know that every time I visit Aeschira, I would be putting my life and soul at significant risk. Idosen Ithyr seemed to know who I am and what I have done; the rage in his face when he recognised me was unmistakable. It is a small hint of what would happen should I ever return to Menzoberranzan.
The Daring Heights City Council’s first foray into diplomacy with Aeschira was 2 years ago, when they sent an ambassador to join an OMTC business trip to meet with House Ithyr, one of the then-eight major noble houses that rule the city (see Appendix A for an overview of the individual houses). This ambassador has since been recalled during a brief period of turmoil — one of the major houses, House Shanmet, turned to the worship of Zuggtmoy to get ahead in politics, causing a demon fungal infestation throughout the city. The infestation has since been dealt with and the other houses banded together to destroy House Shanmet — this is what typically happens to noble houses who overstep their mark in drow society.
Councillor Mavis Thovian has stepped up to fill that vacant diplomatic spot when the Council received an invitation to Aeschira by House Menat, the family that specialises in — amongst other things — security. We were met by Bennathra Menat, third daughter of Matron Mother Serkith and an aasimar, and Lira Menat, one of their high-ranking bodyguards, in the “Cold Side” of the city, a.k.a Xar’zith-suul. (See Appendix B for a brief overview and general layout of Aeschira and the Schira Sprawl.)
House Ithyr was blindsided by this invitation and they learned of it rather too late, when Heret Velnnarul, OMTC partner and one of the sellswords who volunteered to accompany Cllr. Thovian, informed them of it just before the day of the trip. Idosen Ithyr, favoured consort of the matron mother, “ran into” the party in the streets and warned Mr. Velnnarul not to trust the Menats — a painfully transparent attempt to drive a wedge between the Dawnlanders and House Menat. Mr. Velnnarul requested a meeting with House Ithyr once the diplomatic business was concluded but the response he got was a lukewarm “perhaps”.
Lady Bennathra decided to test the mettle of Dawnlanders adventurers, offering us a paid opportunity to destroy one the last remnants of the Zuggtmoy cult — one that their own security forces had trouble eliminating. We accepted, and Lady Bennathra sent Lady Lira along to observe us. (Lady Bennathra has neither martial nor arcane abilities, which would be highly unusual were she from Menzoberranzan. She also appears to be a devotee of the Red Knight. The religious liberty on display in Aeschira is further discussed in Appendix B.) When we decimated the cult enclave along with its demon fungus spawn easily, the Menats were rightly impressed and pleased as well, since the triumph of the surfacer adventurers is sure to be heard by the entire city within the next few days. I’d expect job offers from the Schira Sprawl to start showing up in notice boards across the Dawnlands in the following months.
Whilst Cllr. Thovian and the rest of the adventuring party was teleported back to Fort Ettin, Mr. Velnnarul and I stayed behind for one extra day. I made use of the time to negotiate a very favourable deal with the Menats: in exchange for introducing them to high-end food merchants in the Dawnlands interested in breaking into new markets and bargaining for low prices on the their behalf (thus cornering a market that has been left vacant by the destruction of House House Shanment), Lady Lira will be my informant, telling me of the goings-on in Aeschira before anyone else in the Dawnlands can hear about it. It was a hard-won deal as House Menat had no merchants and was more interested in making me their informant.
At the same time, I eavesdropped on Velnnarul’s conversations with the Menat. They spoke about the darkwood forest that the OMTC had logged in before the demon fungus turmoil; all the major houses have a stake in that forest, but House Ithyr own the largest portion of it. Afterwards, Velnnarul wandered into the city centre, where he serendipitously ran into Idosen Ithyr once again. They had a discreet conversation in Draconic where Velnnarul told Ithyr of his company’s developments at Stoneleaft and the Stone Road and that he has gathered a selection of goods that might interest the matron mother, which are ready for delivery whenever convenient. He spoke also of the OMTC’s newly-established trading post in K’ul Goran (they have recently set up a base near Jarvenol, their second after their Swampside “factory”) and the Schiran outpost he discovered under the nation (see report from 6th Tarsahk) — meaning that, if House Ithyr is so inclined, that could be a route on which K’ul Gorani goods could be delivered to Aeschira. Idosen replied that he will discuss it with his lady wife.
As Your Majesty can see, the OMTC is making some ambitious moves for expansion, setting themselves up to dominate the trade routes of Kantas, Joran, and the Underdark within the next decade. However, given the frequently volatile nature of drow politics, it will be interesting to see how the Amnians navigate their relationship with the Aeschirans.
All that said, Your Majesty should know that every time I visit Aeschira, I would be putting my life and soul at significant risk. Idosen Ithyr seemed to know who I am and what I have done; the rage in his face when he recognised me was unmistakable. It is a small hint of what would happen should I ever return to Menzoberranzan.
Recipe inspired by an appetiser I had in a restaurant.