DnD: The Land of Ly'Dall

 Over the years I have slowly been working on my own custom world and setting for a DnD homebrew game. I have a really great group together right now which is allowing me to explore the stories in such, and it's really helped me have the creative juices flowing! Here is the overview for the world setting I have shared with all my players.

Feast Testing Form

    In an effort to put more of my work here into the blog for sharing, I'll be posting on here regularly for the next short while to get my blog as up to date as my Google Drive!

    Here is a copy of my Feast Testing Form, a small form I drafted several years ago to have people fill out while testing my dishes and feasts. I really like the feedback from folks this gets me, and it helps me to fine tune taste and texture issues I may not be aware of. Feel free to use this yourself if you wish, or use your own format! And if you do SCA meal planning and do some similar testing, I would love to see what you use.

What dish did you like best? Why? _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



What dish did you like least? Why? _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Please give a comment (positive or negative) on each of the following courses -



Course 1 - ______________________________________________________________




Course 2 - ______________________________________________________________




Course 3 - ______________________________________________________________




Course 4 - ______________________________________________________________




Course 5 - ______________________________________________________________



Any advice/suggestions for plating/presentation of any particular dish?


_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Would you be willing to eat this at a Feast, now having tried it? _____________________

SCA Recipe of the Day: Perys en Composte

    In order to start getting into the SCA kick of things, now that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel finally, I’ve decided to start posting some creative works and knowledge. Today I wanted to make something dessert themed with one of my favorite fruits, so today I made Perys en Composte. This recipe can be found in “Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books: Harleian Ms. 279 (Ab. 1430), And Harl. Ms. 4016 (Ab. 1450), With Extracts From Ashmole Ms. 1429, Laud Ms. 553, and Douce Ms. 55”.

The original recipe reads as follows:

“Perys en Composte. Take Wyne an Canel, & a gret dele of Whyte Sugre, an set it on þe fyre & hete it hote, but let it nowt boyle, an draw it þorwe a straynoure; þan take fayre Datys, an pyke owt þe stonys, an leche hem alle þinne, an caste þer-to; þanne take Wardonys, an pare hem and sethe hem, an leche hem alle þinne, & caste þer-to in-to þe Syryppe; þanne take a lytil Sawnderys, and caste þer-to, an sette it on þe fyre; an yif þow hast charde quynce, caste þer-to in þe boyling, an loke þat it stonde wyl with Sugre, an wyl lyid wyth Canel, an caste Salt þer-to, an let it boyle; an þan caste yt on a treen vessel, & lat it kele, and serue forth.”

Cross-referencing several other translations, as well as using my own notes on translation from Forme of Cury, I have the following translation of the recipe into modern English:

“Pears in Compote. Take wine and cinnamon, and a great deal of white sugar, and set it on the fire and heat it hot, but don't let boil, and strain; then take fair dates, and pick out the stones, and cut thin, and add; then take pears, and peel them and boil them, and cut them in thin slices, and place in the syrup; then take a little sandalwood, and add, and set it on the fire; and if you have quinces, add them, and look that it stand well with sugar, and well laid with cinnamon, and add salt, and let it boil; and put it in a wooden container, and let it cool, and serve.”

    This is a fun little dish to make, and a super tasty one in the end. I used the following ingredients:

. 3 cups white sugar

. 750ml “dark” rosé wine

. 4 sticks of cinnamon

. 1 cup dates, pitted and thinly sliced

. 6 Bosc Pears (extra firm, just under ripened if possible)

. 1 TBSP Sandalwood

. Saffron for color

I did some substitutions from what would have been used in period to make this dish due to a lack of ingredients (and not wanting to spend a stupid amount of money on a bottle of wine). In period the type of pear they would use is known as a Black Worcester, a hard and coarse pear that is mostly used for stewing and long-keeping so great for preservation, but those are not regularly grown in Florida and I couldn’t find any sellers nearby. The documentation refers to the pear used as a Warden Pear which was the general term used for a hard cooking pear, so I went with Bosc pears that were still hardened and not quite ripe to help simulate the flesh of a Black Worcester. 

For the wine I went with the darkest rosé I could find at Publix, honestly because I didn’t want to go to Total Wine and Spirits and drop a huge amount of cash on a French Bordeaux wine just for this fun dish today. In period the English would have had access to the Bordeaux wines from France, they were very fashionable to drink in the English courts and they only became scarce for a time due to the 100 Year War and the trade issues it caused. At this time in their history the Bordeaux region was known in England for their “clairet” wine, a dark pink and full-bodied rosé by our modern standards. I think I spent 15 minutes in the wine aisle at Publix holding up various rosé wines against the light to find the darkest, which was a super fun process. 

Spice wise, I did add an ingredient to the dish that wasn’t present in the original, using saffron to assist with color. I did so because I had no quinces on hand, which when cooked into the dish would have helped giving a more yellow/goldish tone to the finished dish as well as continue to help cut against the sweetness. Thankful the dish says to add quinces only if you have them on hand, so loopholes helped me out! A couple trusty strands of saffron later, and I feel I got very close to the color as created in Period. Lastly I chose to go with cinnamon sticks instead of the ground up cinnamon powder, in other pottage dishes I’ve made in the past I have had cinnamon sticks used or directly referenced and this seemed like the only reason to strain the wine mixture later on.  

Changes in place, here are the steps I took to make this dish, so you can follow along later at home if you so wish! The finished product should be a thicken pottage of wine syrup and fruit, it will be quite sweet with small bitter undertones to help cut the sweetness and give it a more well-rounded flavor. To take it in a more modern take, once finished 

1. Turn your stovetop onto medium-high heat and place your pot on the stove. Pour bottle of wine into your pot on the stove and slowly stir in the sugar. You want to make sure the sugar is fully dissolved into the wine before adding in your cinnamon sticks. Stir slowly every so often, letting your wine heat till it just begins to boil.

2. While the wine is heating up, wash your pears and then peel them. Set the pears into a pot and cover with water. Turn that heater onto High and boil those pears for 30-45 minutes under super tender. Drain and set aside to cool to room temperature.

3. While your wine and pears are heating up, take your dates and remove any pits if they haven’t already been cleaned out. Slice them into small bite size bits, I went with long slivers so I could better identify their pieces amongst the rest of the dish. Once sliced, set aside. 

4. Once the wine has reached a near boiling point, remove from heat. Take the cinnamon sticks out of the wine syrup mixture, stir and add in the dates and saffron. Put back onto heat to simmer and stay hot, but do not allow to boil!

5. Once the pears have finished boiling, drain and remove them from heat. Cut down the pears into bite sized chunks, remember at this time in period they would not have had access to forks just yet so all of your pear bites should be small enough to rest comfortably on a spoon. Cut the pears up and add them to the wine mixture. 

6. Once the pears have all been added, put in your Sandalwood and turn the heat up while stirring rapidly to mix everything together. Allow to reach a soft boil and allow to cook down to reduce the wine mixture into a syrup, reduce your liquid down to about half the amount to let it properly thicken into a syrup and be absorbed by the dates and pears.

7. Once the syrup has been cooked halfway down and thickened so it sticks to your whisk, remove from heat and transfer into a bowl to allow it to cool and come to room temperature. Serve forth and enjoy!

The Six Kingdoms of The Conjured Isles

In the modern day there exist 6 kingdoms which can trace their lineage back to one of the ruling nobility from the empire. All have a tentative claim to the fallen empire, yet none have been able to prove their worth as heir. It is tradition that the heirs of each Kingdom make pilgrimages out before their 18th year, solving problems and living the life of adventurers to prove their worth as heirs and make an effort to claim the Empires former throne.

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Kingdom of Novia - Their lineage traces back to the Emperors younger brother, they have ruled through good times and bad for centuries. Theirs is a kingdom known for its prowess in the field of battle (blades and in court), and their great works of art. Princess Vivianne is the only noble child left of this once thriving kingdom, and she has been kept bedridden by illness for years.

 Ergacan Empire - A militaristic kingdom, theirs is might through strength of arms and conquest. Descended from the Emperor's older brother, they are highly competitive and prone to great struggles with their pride. They host a great contest of games every year, inviting athletes from other kingdom a chance at “true honor and glory”. The current Emperor has 5 children, of note is the youngest Prince Philip who is eager to prove his place to his father.

 Kingdom of Vil’Cia - a kingdom founded by the court wizard to the Emperor, Vil’Cia is a kingdom where magic rules the day and your ability in the Arcane arts dictate your place. Each city holds vast storehouses of knowledge and schools to educate. Considered a peaceful nation, owing to their magical powers can overwhelm most armies.

 Confederacy of Dörr - A gathering of nation states under the banner of an elected council, their founding was from the noble council whom advised the Emperor on the actions of the common folk. While under the banner of freely elected officers to manage them, all those elected to various city and nation councils come from a small collection of noble houses that snip and snipe at each other. Known for their vast trading fleets (on land and by sea), their members are more often found traveling the trade caravans between kingdoms.

 Kingdom of Grak - Descended from the nephew to the Emperor, this kingdom makes up for its lack in military and magical might with its technological prowess. Investing in burning the engines of creation, they have harnesses fire and flame to such an extent to be the technological leaders of the Isles. Always planning ahead, they are often overlooked and under appreciated.

 Republic of New Yemozan - While originally founded by the Emperors Queen Consort and her lineage, this kingdom had a revolution which saw power taken from the nobles houses and placed in new hands. The original nobles went underground, becoming rulers of a vast criminal empire while the people above them restructured their lives. Known for their unwillingness to answer to a single sovereign, the Republic of New Yemozan practice a city-state ruling system where all the cities and villages in their “kingdom” rule independently; only coming together to decide joint issues once every few years. This area is known for inventive and sometimes dangerous practices as individual freedoms are prized above all else.

The Conjured Isles

As most stories go, in the long long time ago there was nothing but Darkness. Within this primordial Darkness was the nature of all things, the potential for things to be born and unborn all at once. From within this Chaos came the idea of existence, of Order and Life. This first blinding thought, this flash of light and inspiration created the Light and illuminated the great expanse. Once illuminated, Chaos could not stand to look upon its ugly form of disorder and mess and began to organize the parts shining in the new Light into spheres and stars and all forms of structure and order. From this became life, became the world of Yemozan. From this starting point, did the Gods come.

 Unique to this world, the people and cultures do not speak of creation myths that start with the Gods and Goddesses shaping life and starting the engine of creation. It seems that the deities of this world found it quite by accident and were happy to come into the land with its great people and cultures already taking their first steps forward. Various Gods and Goddesses patronize various races and groups in Yemozan, and their influence has changed them both physically and mentally, but even the Gods insist that they are not the creators of life here on the world. They simply found these conjured isles in their travels across the great universe and were happy to settle on in.

 While Yemozan is the official name of the world, named after the first Elven Emperor who united the three lands under his banner and ruled for 500 years, many have taken to calling it The Conjured Isles after the remarking from their deities as well as the peculiar magical nature of the land. Everyone is born with a hint of magic in their blood here, even the simplest child one day wordlessly and without training stumbles upon a cantrip or two they find themselves capable of performing. The land itself at times seems almost otherworldly in its beauty, many of the forests hide fairy rings that lead to the Fey Wyldes or dark catacombs hide secret entrances to the darker realms beyond. Then there is the peculiar incidents that occur all across the land, where people and objects (and sometimes whole towns) simply appear out of nowhere as if conjured by some great magic. These people found are referred to as the Conjured Ones, and though they just began to appear in the span of an instant they seem to come whole cloth with a life and memories of their own as if they had already lived a great deal before.

 1000 years ago, the lineage of Emperors faltered and the Age of Kings began. A great darkness swept over the land, a force of evil that the people of the Conjured isles had never seen before. What exactly occurred has fallen into legend and myth, but it is said a great evil force led by the Lord of Dragons rose up in the far north and laid siege to all of Yemozan. The last Emperor, Yemozan the 9th, fought on the field of battle against the Lord of Dragons. Seeing his forces pushed to the brink, and knowing that if they fell here the rest of the world would soon fall, he removed the Crown of Command from atop his head and broke it in half. The release of the magical energy from within overwhelmed and destroyed most of both armies and shattered the land into a series of small archipelagos. Both the Lord of Dragons and Emperor Yemozan had their souls gathered up by the forces of Light and Dark, to be reincarnated in the future to finish their epic battle.

 It is 1009 AE (After Emperors) and the Conjured Isles are ruled by Kings and magical nobility all whom claim a right to the Throne of Emperors but cannot prove their claim. The golden chair sits in the ruins of a once glorious castle, untouched by age and so far none have had the proper blood right to sit upon it and claim uncontested rule. Whispers of dark forces gathering to the north are on the lips of every Bard and people begin to wonder if this is the time spoken of in the past; when the Emperor Yemozan and the lord of Dragons are reincarnated and the great battle of Light and Dark are to finally reach their conclusion. It is said in this time heroes will rise from among the Conjured Ones and one of royal birth will finally stake their claim for the Throne of Emperors. Each of the Great Kings and many of the noble houses have sent their children into the world to rally the people and make a claim for their “birthright”, but will they succeed? And what is to become of the land and people in a time of growing darkness and war?

Chicken Recipe

I love to cook, for myself and for others. Tonight for dinner I decided to be a little adventurous and try some new things with the chicken.

I started out with a 5oz chicken breast, cleaned up with minimal fat. I let it soak in lemon juice, marinating it to give it a nice flavor. While that was marinating, I started up a nice pot of rice. I boiled it with chicken broth and saffron to give it a lovely flavor, and went back to the chicken.

Once the chicken was finished marinating, I tossed it into a skillet and medium-high heat. Seasoned with marjoram, garlic, ginger, pink salt and a fringe of rosemary and these cooked up nicely. The rice finished just in time, a little light fluffing and it was a delight. I topped it with a bit of fresh butter, because why not ya know?

It was a delightful meal, something I need to make again sometime soon.

Story time reflections

Once upon a time, there were six young children lost in the woods. They had grown up together in a small town at the edge of the woods, but that town was a place of filth and refuse that never truly came clean. Agreeing that they had to strike out on their own to start a new life away from that town, they packed their bags and meager belongings with a few sandwiches. Slipping away with the smallest of goodbyes, they hit the road out of town and walked deep into the woods to cross and find a better life.

As they traveled, the children shared their hopes and dreams for the future and what life they wanted now free of their old town.

"I want to find a place that will let me become a warrior of renown, someone that people will sing my tales for years to come." Thus spoke the first child, and the leaves shook and heard his call.

"I want to live life as one party, traveling from one camp to the next and meeting all the new friends I can." Thus spoke the second child, and the squirrels chit tweed and heard his call.

"I want to be an artist, to bring to life the images I see in my mind, and work for what I want without being beholden to others." Thus spoke the third child, and the bubbling spring flowed fast and heard her call.

"I want to fight the good fight, to work hard for my gain and end the day with a new meal every night. I want purpose." Thus spoke the fourth child, and the wind picked up and heard his call.

"I want a place to call home, to make my way free and have a family." Thus spoke the fifth child, and the birds took to the air and heard her call.

"I want to create something lasting, to help support a great work or some building to have that satisfaction." Thus spoke the sixth child, and the flowers slowly opened in the sunlight and heard his call.

After a time, the children crossed the wood and entered a new kingdom. There they met wonderful people, new friends who took them into their homes and let them sleep a spell in exchange for a few chores around town. There they met the new King and Queen, freshly crowned and ready to make new friends as well. The children decided that this was a place they could call home, and began to settle. They met new friends, new faces, and the influence these good folk had on them helped shaped their growth. As they started their lives, those dreams they shared in the wood began to come true in ways they never could have imagined.

The first child picked up the blade, and though skilled as he was it was his way with the pen that quickly won him renown. His tongue and quill became sharper than any blade he could wield, and there were stories told of his prowess in battle true...but these tales of valor and honor came from his wordsmith skill and the lightness of soul it takes to master speechcraft. Thus, when that first King and Queen came back round to rule the land again the child found his dream had come true. 

The second child did indeed spend his time traveling from camp to camp, traveling to meet new friends and celebrate life. As he traveled, he learned new tales and shared them as he went. He found a love for the bardic arts, studying multiple musical arts and sharing his joy of life to every tent and cabin he found himself. Thus, when that first King and Queen came back round to rule the land again the child found his dream had come true. 

The third child quickly became an artist of renown, earning the respect of the various guilds and rank within. She found joy in creating art for the sake of art, but her heart truly soared when she did art for the sake of another. She dedicated herself to art for the sake of others, raising others up. In the joy of others she found life, and bent to task. Thus, when that first King and Queen came back round to rule the land again the child found her dream had come true. 

The fourth child did find his fight, and his skills with the blade became well known. But his skill became known not for combat, but the kitchen. He worked hard, he ate well and he learned to value his work for others. Dedicating himself to art and work for others, he found purpose. Thus, when that first King and Queen came back round to rule the land again the child found his dream had come true. 

The fifth child found the family she sought, a good man to wed and a doting child to have at her knee. Her family would not simply be them, she would soon discover a whole family who flirting about as the butterfly to take her under their wings. She found a home working the sewing rooms and scribal halls, and was happy. Thus, when that first King and Queen came back round to rule the land again the child found her dream had come true. 

The sixth child found great success with his ability to see what needed to be built, and to create works that others needed. He rebuilt and redesigned a whole tavern and town postal service, he inovated a new method to share festivals held throughout the land and found happiness. All this was good, but still his soul did not know satisfaction. It wasn't until he had wed and held the son he helped bring into the world that he truly knew joy, and the greatest thing he would leave behind as a legacy. Thus, when that first King and Queen came back round to rule the land again the child found his dream had come true. 

In the end, all the children found that their dreams had come true in one fashion or another, and all rested well and in happiness. They toasted the King and Queen, the first ever they remembered having, vowed to continue to support the magical kingdom they had found which made dreams come true.

And they lived happily ever after.