#antivan cord-seed musings

[exhausted-archivist]

I'm just going to keep updating this because this is a journey and you guys came here so you're in for the whole ride.

Anyways, we got to talking some more, falling down the pepper rabbit hole and discussing how peppers got their name (specifically bell peppers, thanks Columbus for making english even more of a mess) and between two different friend groups we have come across (or in my case rediscovered cause these things were in my pantry for the longest time) the long pepper.

A much more interesting real world comparison given the flavor profile. They also fit the bill for "cord seed" that one might imagine. And are a spice, a completely arbitrary category I've deemed it must be given the context Antivan cord-seed is listed in.

In fact, my parting gift to the thane of Fennec-Tooth Hold was, at his request, ten jars each of black peppercorns, powdered mustard, and Antivan cord-seed.

However, if I go with cord-seed being crushed pepper flakes, I've decided (again by completely arbitrary means) that these would be the best peppers for them to come from. Piment thunder mountain longhorn. (Thank @chauncey-the-tiny-bear for finding these and sharing... and just going on this pepper journey with me).

I really do need to finish fleshing out the headcanon for this spice though. Because it's taken up too much of my brain space for the past few years and I have other more pressing botanicals to think about. Like the different cultivars of deathroot and spindleweed.

The most unimportant piece of information that has motivated me on my entire Thedosian Botany Project of Eternal Suffering at this moment is only mentioned in one codex. Mentioned, not even described.

It has no known real world counterpart, and because BioWare does not feed us with food and plant lore it is now my sole fixation at the moment to describe this plant. This spice. This piece of botanical material that is apparently so edible and so delicious that the Avvar value it for cooking.

Antivan Cord-seed.

BioWare, I hope it exists in da4 or some other media installment because this is just as bad as your origin era "three rare herbs from the Frostbacks are needed to make this" and you sell the item like they're elfroot potions. Which were the original motivators for me to expand on Thedosian botanicals.