by TJ Reynolds
Rondus: rumored to once have been a dungeon amalgamation, these odd creatures took to the tunnels near the Sunken Keep. For a time, their numbers grew so great that a partial culling was ordered by the Elder Dragon Atros two years after the reclamation of the keep he dwelled in.
Mercurial Warg: known mostly for their metallic coat, these beasts are highly prized trophies of any ambitions hunter. Their stomachs convert the iron in their prey’s blood and deposit it in their fur which creates the silvery metallic sheen that makes them so beautiful. The wargs are more intelligent than mere wolves, however, and after too many young adventurers died in the Golden Valley trying to kill them, the Fundamental Dragon Kai outlawed them as legitimate prey. Once a year, the wargs are hunted under the supervision of a contingent of dragons to this day.
Hrothmen: a noble race of humanoid creatures, the Hrothmen are notable primarily for their incomparable strength and their blue skin and furry bodies. After being subjugated to act as shock troops for the Hintari army, they withdrew into their mountain homes. Five years after Gael Surtir reclaimed his ancestral home in Arba, he sought out the Hrothmen. Nearly losing his life in the process, the young lord gifted the Hrothmen with a dragon egg of their own, thus restoring peace.
Brief Description of the Three Kingdoms of Anvar:
Brintosh (The Tiger): The military powerhouse of Anvar. Once worshippers of peaceful Andag, the pale-skinned savages left their primal roots behind when they adopted the fire and steel of Yugos. They maintain control of the largest harbors, and therefore have a large navy and incomparable cavalry and heavy infantry.
Brintosh’s capital is Creshon.
Kaltan (The Phoenix): Holding an economic advantage, Kaltan maintains independence from Brintosh through a thriving spice, horse, and gem trade. Rumors have surfaced claiming the Kaltanese nobles have an alliance with the Pinteans. Their elite forces consist of mounted archers, light infantry, and a network of peerless assassins.
Kaltan’s capital is Shosh.
Hintar (The Dragon): Fallen from power, this realm still maintains its territory by taking advantage of the Zargan Mountains that divide the continent. A tall and golden-skinned people, the Hintari boast the most powerful mages, rangers, and light cavalry.
Hintar’s capital is Arba.
Concise History of the Formation of the Three Kingdoms of Anvar:
The world of Lianin is composed of an endless, tumbling sea and three continents, which account for the majority of all viable landmass. The two most populous continents are Pintea and Anvar. The third continent remains a land of legend, and though few are remembered, has been called by many names. The Land of the Gods is one of them.
Pintea lies across the Wyvern Sea, so despite hostile relations, Anvar and her rival continent refuse to contend in outright war due to the difficulties of navigation. Dominated by the Elven Council, Pintea is home to many of the magically affiliated races: the gnomes, the beastkin, the elves, and their stocky cousins, the dwarves.
Anvar was once called Hintar and was ruled by the Hintari lords of old. Having made the mistake of allowing the Brintoshi and Kaltanese refugees to flee the islands off the coast of Pintea, the Hintari soon found their shores overrun by savages. The Brintoshi and Kaltanese grew in population, and formed an alliance. The warlike civilizations forced Hintar to split its kingdom in three parts, and bound one another in an unlikely alliance called the Cantor Treaty.
A century later, the kingdoms of Brintosh and Kaltan found themselves bored and hungry for more territory. Reforging their alliance, they plotted and played out The Dragon War. Hintar struck a deal to maintain control of a portion of their old territory. By committing an act of unforgiveable betrayal, the Hintari royalty sided with the Tiger and Phoenix, and ambushed their dragon allies. All of the dragons were killed in a single massacre.
Brief Introduction of the Three Major Hintair Families:
Surtir Family: once the most powerful of the three, the Surtir were responsible for many of the great achievements of old Hintar. Many of the treaties and laws governing dragons, Earth Cores, and their sworn allies the monks were signed by the Surtir. Not all of the Surtir patriarchs were honorable or just, but a great many were. The Sunken Keep was their final enterprise.
Madriga Family: the youngest of the three lines, the Madriga were once little more than farmers. By consolidating their lands and controlling distribution, the family slowly grew until it was nearly as powerful as the Surtir. Gaining a taste of the privilege that comes with power, the Madriga quickly developed a reputation for being hard masters and greedy tradesmen. Their inevitable position on the high council was, according to some scholars, the first step taken towards the War of the Dragons.
Kargani Family: by far the oldest of the great families, the Kargani boasted the bravest warriors in Hintar for centuries. At last, the simple but effective javelin skirmishers proved insufficient when the Hintari long bow and spearmen were implemented by the Surtir family. This only served to inflame relations between the two families. The feud between them lasted until the Surtir were at last unseated from power. It was recorded that the Kargani took the lion’s share of the Surtir holdings, and are currently the strength of Hintar’s nobility.
Further Bancroftian Idioms and Their Qualitative Translations:
Easy come easy go - Quick to hand but hard to throw
Blessing in disguise - A wyvern with blunted teeth
Dime a dozen - A dollar for a basket of chicks
Letting the cat out of the bag - relinquish the hippogriff
Stealing my thunder - Steal my chain lightning
Wild goose chase - a centaur hunt
Two birds with one stone - three heroes in one trap
Elephant in the room - the dragon in the cellar
Breaking the bank - splitting gemstones
A tall glass of water - a wineskin full to bursting
Speak of the Devil - naming tomorrow’s storm
Straw that broke the camel’s back - pebble that smote the mountain
Sorcha’s Heavenly Leavened Loaf:
Baker’s Receipt~
◆1 1/2 cups of Buttermilk (If you’ve no Buttermilk at hand, substitute with equal parts of Clabbered Milk.
◆6 dessert spoons of rendered Swine, Duck, or Beef fat
◆1 dessert spoon of Molasses
◆1 dessert spoon of Sugar
◆1 kitchen spoon of Salt
◆3 1/2 cups of Flowre (wheat, rye, or barley)
◆3 kitchen spoons of Yeast (substitute with equal parts of Saleratus if no yeast is at hand)
◆1 salt spoon each of Thyme, Rosemary, and Angelica
◆A skosh of Sorrel and Black Pepper
A Note on Preparation and Execution~
Remember the adage: a lazy farmer loses his crop, but a lazy cook (or in this case a baker) can send his neighbor to an early grave with a plague of ill humours. WASH YOUR SHIVVING HANDS!
Preferably with a bar of sandsoap.
Always prepare your work area by rubbing it down with lemon rinds or else give it a good scrubbing with vinegar or a nip of your father’s whiskey.
After, strew some extra flowre about your kneading board.
Finally, make sure to knead for at least ten minutes. It’s a pain when you’ve a dozen more to follow, but the movements invigorate the body and spirit!
Steps for Producing the Dough~
Churn your buttermilk, lard or tallow, sugar and molasses in a bowl. In a separate, more commodious bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients, including the yeast.
Finally, stir the dry into the wet, just a little at a time now.
Make sure your stirring arm is good and loose, especially if you make double.
The dough shouldn’t be too dry. If it is, add a splash of buttermilk and you’ll be in the clear.
Next, knead the bread.
Take advantage of this activity by envisioning all of the disappointing figures in your life. It’s better than iced
brandy and lemon tea… well, almost so.
Finally, cover your dough and let it rise for an hour. When it has plumped up to twice its size, give the lump some good punches before kneading it over a few times more.
Many bakers fashion their dough in the likeness of loved ones or prominent figures in society. Animals, most especially birds, are popular as well.
I use a shivving bread pan, but do as Andag inspires you.
While the dough sets to rise for another half hour, quicken your stove and latch it tighter than a chicken’s vent. You’ll want a moderate oven.
As any goodwife will tell you, leave the loaf in the oven till she’s good and done. Golden brown is what you want to see. (For a bit more flavour, pull the loaf out a few minutes early and brush on some black butter. Then put the loaf back in till it darkens to the color of molasses.)
Methods and Mannerisms to Enhance Enjoyment of the Loaf
It isn’t unwise to enjoy freshly baked bread without adornment.
When still warm, few things in this harrowing land can compare.
For the pioneering pallete, however, utilize a salamander to toast a slice or two. It lends the bread a fine crunch that brings to mind the textures of crisp bacon or glazed scones. I am partial to Canapés, modest portions of sliced bread that are either buttered or sautéd and slathered over in minced meats or fish.
If you find a need for a more spectacular crunch, mind the same slice of bread with the salamander twice over. A few in the town over call this zwieback bread, and though I consider it abhorrent, my father has taken to it.
Most often, a fine loaf of bread is best served alongside a proper meal. Aside from a proper portion of greens, a well seasoned house lamb can be a fine treat.
Consider placing a rasher of gammon on the bread, or do as the Brintoshi soldiers do (half-starved savages as they are) and fold the gammon between two slices of bread. I can’t be certain, but I believe this invention is referred to as a sandwich.
Croquettes remain my favorite companion to the Heavenly Leavened Loaf. They can be made with minced meat or fish, folded in with a few handfuls of raspings, dried herbs, and chopped giblets. Mold these into flat cakes and fry them in oil.
Regardless of how you take your bread, I feel certain you won’t be finding a more thorough accounting of its procedures than here.
Three pennies a loaf, Winford’s Bakery in Mindonne Town has and always will have the finest bread in all of Anvar!
Anecdotes and Archival Particulars
Appendix: Anecdotes and Archival Particulars from the Dungeon Wars Period
-As Curated by Arch Maester Reihnhold III
Relevant Historical Figures:
Kaius Unterinan (Kai)
A man-dragon halfling who walked the liminal spaces between worlds. Son of Triel Unterinan and Athol Bremenburr. Brought up by an aunt and uncle who resented the fertile womb of his mother, Kai was nurtured by his caretakers yet was never truly accepted. Before he took up the glaive and imbued his core with Spell Scales, Kai knew more about how to fight aphids than men or monsters.
The boy grew up with modest Intelligence, but had the rare benefit of an informal education. He and his uncle read dozens of books on various topics, some dramas written in courtly fashion, others on the variegated manifestations of fungus in the Pinua Forest. Nothing he read prepared him for the adventure he found after meeting Bancroft.
Rhona Bloodspar
The woman, the myth, the lion-hearted warrior who upset so many expectations by refusing her father’s legacy. Though lacking her progenitor’s stature, she excelled at the primal art of killing. Once, when faced by a challenge from a rival, she accepted with a single condition: the man had to choose two others to stand at his side. In a two-minute bout, she thrashed her challenges, and afterwards, made friends of each.
Though the adventurer grew to become much more than a simple soldier, and served the most elusive of the gods directly, she remained humble in many aspects. One such aspect of her personality that most historians neglect to highlight was her simple and profound love of canning.
Bancroft Dungeon (Ban)
A stuffy and cordial Earth Core whose mannerisms and unwavering social etiquette were forged by his couth dragon. Though Ban learned to enjoy the thrill and glory of battle, he much preferred a lengthy conversation with an enlightened peer. Crafting too, of course, sustained the dungeon’s soul like almost nothing else.
Yorick Shreefire
The dragon companion of Bancroft Dungeon before and during The War of Dragons.
Imogen Dungeon
Earth Core companion of the dragon Inal, Imogen was the second dungeon healed by the Core Mender and hero Kaius Unterinan.
Colonel Hastings
Born into an old and prominent military family, the officer served as head of The Vermillion Guard for two years before the Dungeon Wars began. Though some refuse to acknowledge the technology, other scholars claim this man gained much of his power by absorbing Earth Cores through a device crafted by a dungeon enslaved by the king of Brintosh.
Vital Terminology:
AE: Available Ether, a term used to describe the pool of ether that humans, dragons, and dungeons rely on to utilize skills, spells, and create/craft, respectively.
Progression: The units of ether accumulated through combat that allow all creatures of Anvar to gain levels and ascend.
Etheric Interface: The visual system that allows creatures to observe their progress, allocate Attribute Points, and otherwise access their core.
Ascension: Unlike leveling, ascension requires a transformation of a creature’s core, creating a more dense and powerful core signature. It is both time-consuming, dangerous, and painful.
BM: Basic Material, the most common material type available to dungeons that form the basis of their many creations.
IM: Intermediate Material, a more dense and diverse material type available to dungeons.
AM: Advanced Material, the most advanced material type dungeons use to form their many creations.
Cren: A slang word with many uses that refers to excrement.
Shivving: A vile slang word used by thugs and uncultured youths to describe the act of copulation. Also used to describe breaking, killing, and destroying in any fashion as well as a general curse.
Shivvered: Refers to the manner in which Earth Cores are most commonly destroyed. A shivvered dungeon is not dead, but broken, like a man who’s lost his mind yet manages to draw breath.
Spell Scales: Spell-infused scales shed by a dragon for the purpose of passing on knowledge and power to offspring or allies. They are a sacred form of inheritance that dragons value above gold or even gemstones.
Dungeon Core Rules and Procedural Restrictions:
1- An Earth Core is forbidden to manipulate or modify their dungeon while a being other than a minion or their dragon is present.
2- An Earth Core cannot seal off its dungeon from the outside world unless their dragon is present within.
3- Once an Earth Core’s Champion is defeated, it must wait 12 hours before summoning a replacement.
4- All loot produced by an Earth Core’s minions is randomly assigned.
5- An Earth Core may be moved from its dungeon and relocate to form a new dungeon. However, it may only retain its current ascension. All levels gained above ascension rank as well as acquired ether and resources, shall be lost upon departure.
The Nine Gods and Their Relevant Elements:
1st - Andag: Once a favored god of Brintosh. The father, the caretaker, the god of the hearth, of mead, and fertility. Those who serve Andag receive the blessing of the Earth Element.
2nd - Briga: Once a favored god of Brintosh. The mother, the sage, the god of wisdom, healing, and regrowth. Those who serve Briga receive the blessing of the Water Element.
3rd - Yugos: The favored god of Brintosh. The warrior, the face of death, the god of war, courage, and destruction. Those who serve Yugos receive the blessing of the Fire Ele
ment.
4th - Shu: A god favored by the Rangers of Hintar. The seasons, the storm, the unbridled gale herself. Those who serve Shu receive the blessing of the Air Element.
5th - Anlil: The god worshipped by Hintari royalty. The sun, the stars, the purifying flame of holy light. Those who serve Anlil receive the blessing of the Holy Element.
6th - Angut: The god worshipped by the kingdom of Kaltan. The moon, the night, the bottomless black of death itself. Those who serve Angut receive the blessing of the Abyss Element.
7th - Niama: A god favored by the priests of the Sunken Keep. The heart, the passion and endless ambition of man, the soul within. Those who serve Niama receive the blessing of the Soul Element.
8th - Sheerda: A god unknown to most peoples of the world. The past, the future, the cycle of the ages. Sheerda claims only a single servant at a time who receives the blessing of the Temporal Element.
9th - The Fundament: The godhead supreme, the amalgam of all other gods. The Fundamental Dragon serves the Fundament, and is blessed with Lumen, the Element that combines all Elements.