#oc: anjou baskar

[exhausted-archivist]

WIP Wednesday

So I did Camp NaNoWriMo last month and worked on my "book" for the Foods of Thedas. I've collected all the recipes mentioned through out the series and am attempting to create a collection of blurbs describing the dishes as well as a couple functional recipes. This will all be done in the voice of my lovely Anjou Baskar, a dwarf who roams around Thedas collecting recipes and experiencing food.

I made my writing goal, and am polishing some of the recipes and blurbs I have. Honestly for July's Camp NaNoWriMo, I think I will focus on some original/headcanon recipes inspired by historical recipes I've collected between the 5th and 13th.

So little wip blurb from the start of the collection

If it wasn’t clear when you picked this up, you should know this isn’t your average collection of cookery. This isn’t some Orlesian compendium where I disdain about ingredients used by other nations or cultures. Nor is this a tome your mentor likely kept about because the Lady of the house or young lords and ladies had a particular sense of taste that either limited or omitted so many wonderful flavors. This is an exploration of flavor, from Ferelden to the Anderfels to Rivain. It spans across the ages and references the memory and spirit of flavors long since lost. So, to make sure anyone can use this tome, I wanted to explain some common ingredients used through out these recipes. Regional or ancient ingredients used across Thedas that are easily replicated or near impossible. I wish to tell you where you can get these, and if you cannot get them, what you could substitute them with. This won’t be exhaustive, and if an ingredient is specific to one recipe I will make note of such things there. I can’t promise that you will be able to craft the flavors, or even be able to honor the spirit and memory of the intended foods. Not at first anyways. One thing I can promise you, is that you and yours will have a full belly and a tale to tell your friends. -Anjou Baskar

[exhausted-archivist]

ANJOU HAS TWO HANDS. She gets two knights. They don't have names. I've been enabled and I'm running with them full speed. Have their bios:

Grey Warden Knight 13th of Kingsway 9:00 Dragon Childhood friend of Anjou Stoic, stern, and serious Sent after her when she left home without a guard, her parents worried about her safety with the post-Breach conflicts and perils. They would have preferred she returned home but he doesn't commit to doing so and does them a "favor" of escorting her.

His favorite food is any food. He has horrible taste and thinks oats for livestock is just as good as human oats. He will use water to stretch soup and thinks all you need is a bit of salt.

He does not like the Grey Wardens, he is pretty cynical and thinks the order isn't inherently a redeeming factor. He's of the opinion that monster hunting is part of the order and an occupational expectation and hazard. If one hypes it up he thinks they're a swindler and full of themselves and shouldn't be trusted as they aren't truly a Warden.

"We recruit the hopeful and the dreadful. Lining our ranks with the noble and dredges of society. An order is only as honorable as its worst members. There is no honor in our ranks." - Warden Knight

Avvar "Knight" Justinia 9:12 Dragon Chatty, curious, lively, truly golden retriever energy Rescued Anjou in some dire scenario she accidentally got herself in and inevitably he joins her on her journey down the Frostbacks to make sure she arrives safely and ends up traveling with her.

He is a very big foodie, having gotten the taste of lowland spices at a big feast at the age of 12 and has since been trying to find substitutes in the Frostbacks. His favorite food is a puff pastry flavoured with elderflower water and an orange cream filling that Anjou made him. When they leave the Frostbacks and get to Orlais he learns that he's actually lactose intolerant.

He is also introduced to sour candies (think the sour altoids) and he gets enthralled with them. Sour/tart is a favored flavour. He also sends spices back home every time they stop in a town.

He is a super big chatter box and will ask a ton of questions. But gets easily overwhelmed by the sounds, crowds, and smells of urban space but the moment he's out he launches into a volley of questions.

"Your spices are only how much? I had to trade several red lion furs for a small jar of antivan cordseed last summer, this is quite the windfall of a bargain." - Avvar "Knight"

Two talls and their nerdy, scholarly smol they escort across Thedas and keep her from being eaten by the mega fauna and keep her from getting into fights she can't win.

[exhausted-archivist]

Nice Long Info Dump of Anjou Baskar

I'm just gonna talk about Anjou cause I can't sleep and this has been all the things running through my head the past few days. I can't find a good ask meme for her to riff off of (if you have one do feel free to send it my way.) I'm also writing this with the end point being the start of her cookery journey in 9:44 Dragon.

Anjou Baskar

She/Her Born: 8th of Harvestmere 9:06 Dragon Favorite Colour: Greens and Creme colours Favorite Food: Spiced pears and pomegranates with goat cheese Favorite Drink: Elderflower tea

Family: Daughter to Ottilie and Markus Baskar Sister to Myrtille, Cassi, and Ambra Baskar Cousin to Lichen and Milena "Greenie" Gundaar, Lorena and Eliseo Gunnarr

Home: Anjou grew up on the border to Nevarra, the Anderfels, and Tevinter in a small city between Nessum and Perendale. Honestly, haven't nailed down exactly where, but leaning more towards the river. Her family does finance themselves through being merchants.

This city is where Anjou's family keep their main warehouses, a library, museum, and their estate. Most of the city's population are dwarves, humans, and elves. Grey Wardens are common visitors, partially because the city acts as a small way station and because the Baskar House has strong connections with the Wardens going back to the First Blight.

Anjou grew up on the house estate, being part of the main family line. She would often visit the house farms run by the Gundaar family, where she would take lessons with her cousins Lichen and Greenie as both of them specialized in natural areas of study. Lichen preferring geology and Greenie being focused on botanical studies.

Her cousins Lorena and Eliseo were a branch of the family that focused on the studies of combat and weapons. Eliseo is a skilled smith and Lorena a skilled warrior. Lorena left when Anjou was 16 to join the Wardens, and Eliseo joined her, aiming to be a smith for the Order.

Timeline

At the young age of 17, Anjou set off to study the culinary practices of Nevarran chefs, having taken interest in their attention for food pageantry as well being a hot spot for not only cultural food trades, but a hub for traditional practices of the Mourn Watch. (9:23 Dragon)

At the age of 21, she set off to apprentice with an Orlesian pastry chef; endeavoring to master their various desserts. It was around this time that she started hearing whispers about the Fifth Blight in Ferelden through her friend Silas' letters and other dwarven merchants who came from Orzammar. But she, and many others in western Orlais - as well as the surface in general - expressed a fair bit of doubt. (9:27 Dragon)

At the age of 25, she goes home at her parents request. Their refusal to allow her to continue her studies in Ferelden where the blight just ended the primary reason. Silas' confirmation on there actually having been a blight convinces her to listen.

When she is home, Silas stops by for a visit. This is the first time Silas meets Anjou's parents, who were expecting a nice dwarven man that was suitor trying to woo their daughter. Having heard about him and his good character from Anjou's cousin Lorena, they approved of him as a marriage prospect. They were surprised to be greeted by a very tall human Grey Warden. It was also this visit home, that Silas took Anjou on a date for the first time and Anjou realized that Silas not only had feelings for her but that she was open to the idea of a relationship with him. (9:31 Dragon)

At the age of 26, Silas was sent on a mission to Kirkwall after some curious events there. Anjou took the opportunity to travel with him and then make her way up to Antiva. (9:32 Dragon)

At the age of 28, news of the First Battle of Kirkwall reaches her parents and they urge Anjou to leave Markham and continue to Antiva where they got her a position in a well known kitchen. She relents, and makes the move. (9:34 Dragon)

At the age of 32, she was welcomed into the kitchen of a Fereldan noble, Mila Khans. There she studied fermentation, smoking, and other utilitarian food preparations while also the proper presentation. While in service of the Khans house, Anjou learned a surprising amount of eel and apple recipes - not that many overlapped between the two. (9:38 Dragon)

At the age of 34, the conflict brewing between mages, templars, and the Chantry and the brewing Orlesian civil war cut her Ferelden studies short. Her family worried she'd be trapped there should conflict break out, summoned her home in the summer of 9:40 Dragon. A month after she arrived home, news of the civil war washed through Orlais. (9:40 Dragon)

At the age of 35, the Breach. Anjou was more or less confined to the family estate for the entirety of 9:41, as was most of the children of House Baskar. During that time she spent most of her time working at the Merchant branch. They received word from Weisshaupt they needed supplies and support in the Anderfels and Anjou jumped at the chance to leave as well as go to visit Silas. For the next two years Anjou worked with the Wardens and during this time their romantic relationship deepened, though no formal courtship was started. She was called away by her parents and at Silas' urging as a civil war among the Wardens was brewing and tensions were rising.

At the age of 38, Anjou and a majority of the House Baskar and the offshoot houses met with concerns. Troubling information was pouring in through their contacts was reinforcing the 14 year old rumor of the incoming Blight in the Anderfels, Qun movement in the south, continued disruptions by the Venatori, the weakening grip of the Archon on Tevinter, and many more. The debate to begin the call for mass archive goes on long before the consensus is reached.

With the decision to start the process, Anjou informs her parents of her intention to document the foods across Thedas as well. They implore her to travel with a guard as she's never been without company. While she agrees initially, at dawn the next morning she leaves the family home on her little shetlend pony.

A few months into her journey, she finds herself traversing into the Frostbacks. Making her way up the slops with her pony, solo, she gets herself in a little situation that puts her in need of rescue. Luckily Audur and his sister happen to be traveling by when they see her and her pony get buried in snow from the trees above.

Audur pulls her out the siblings take Audur to their hold. It is from there that she begins her first point of archiving. She asks about and writes down a wealth of recipes over the course of the next two months till the weather clears enough for travel. Audur and Anjou become quite close and since Anjou made it to the hold with more or less sheer luck, Audur offers to escort her down.

But once they reach the base, Audur decides to continue traveling with her. They later meet up with Silas once back on the main road at the first tavern they reach. Silas had been tracking Anjou down since he received word from her parents, they had asked for him to do them the favor of escorting Anjou. More than willing, he started on his way to meet up at the estate, only to find she had a month head start on him. Winter weather and the like slowed him down despite his best efforts, and he was genuinely surprised she had made it to the Frostbacks.

Silas joins Audur in escorting Anjou and this is pretty much where I'm at.

[exhausted-archivist]

If Anjou and her Knights were food:

Anjou: Dish - nug shank and pomegranate with poached pears Dessert - Elderflower and orange blossom cake with pomegranate buttercream

Silas: Dish - grits with bacon fat, butter, and salt; with a simple cornbread if possible Dessert - pound cake with brown sugar whipped cream topped with raspberries

Audur: Dish - pepper crusted lurker steak with goat cheese, fiddleheads, and lemon. Dessert - spiced rum cake with apple cider

[exhausted-archivist]

@polygone-moi

Thank you for asking for more😭

All embroidery on her clothes was either done by herself or her mother.

She comes from a house that journeyed to the surface after the first blight. They trace their linage back to the Hormak thaig and were originally merchants. Once on the surface they continued being merchants but also broke into houses that specialized in various fields of knowledge because they endeavored to protect knowledge from future loss like they saw in the first blight.

Anjou's house, Baskar, focuses on natural studies to put it broadly. Flora, fauna, agriculture, animal husbandry, and the like. Anjou studies gastronomy and is more keen on "living" evolving history.

She also isn't a traditionalist dwarf on the surface, and dislikes the caste system from Orzammar. Anjou and her house have a special privilege as they are considered/treated as Grey Wardens more or less due to their contributions to the Warden as well as they regularly have volunteers from their house. Anjou was even considering being one but her cousin Lorena enlisted.

What else... if she could eat anything she would love to try some of the rare, more exotic or even extinct creatures of Thedas. She is the very definition of "opportunistic" eater lol

I've decided Anjou hates parsnips.

She loves pears and pomegranates.

She will fight someone for a bowl of whipped cream (but she loves dairy in general)

Leliana would hate her because Anjou raises nugs for prime cuts not prime pets.

I kinda wanna yell more about her but...I dunno lol

[exhausted-archivist]

Archi's Worldstate and OCs Masterlist

These are the personal worldstates I've built (or play with), going to link back to them when I do choice break-downs and such. Mostly wanted to get them in one place as well as my ocs I designed as companions or npcs.

First Playthrough

HoF: Thranduil Mahariel Champion: Marian Hawke Inquisitor: Everlinna Lavellan

Keep World State

HoF: Lyna Mahariel Champion: Garret Hawke Inquisitor: Evalyn Trevelyan

Main Canon

HoF: Brynne Varahel Tabris Champion: Elizabeth Hawke Inquisitor: Isala Revassan Lavellan

Tragic Lovers

HoF: Aenor Mahariel Champion: Verena Hawke Inquisitor: Pemma Lavellan

Salt and Burn

HoF: Katiana Cousland Champion: Garret Hawke Inquisitor: Trevelyan

Ambitchious

HoF: Atisha Surana Champion: Alessandra Hawke Inquisitor: Evelyn Trevelyan

Andrastian

HoF: Lancey Cousland Champion: Garret Hawke Inquisitor: Camillus Trevelyan

Recovery

HoF: Esha Amell Champion: Marian Hawke Inquisitor: Ramisa Trevelyan

Other OCs

Anea (Frostbacks Dalish)

Alsen De Fiedricis (Orlesian)

Anjou Baskar (Surface Dwarf)

Ashara Valmorte (Orlesian Elf)

Atisumis Anastasio (Nevarran)

Beatrice Butters (Nevarran Elf)

Caius Gaius (Anders)

Creme (Orlesian Elf)

Eshtarylin (Tevinter)

Inan Shalelan Lavellan (Fereldan Dalish)

Lichen Baskar (Surface Dwarf)

Marel (Frostback Dalish)

Milena "Greenie" Gundaar (Surface Dwarf)

Mooralya (Anders Elf)

Petunia Sataa (Markham Vashoth)

Rogelan Shalelan (Fereldan Dalish)

Tasi (Fereldan City Elf)