#titan fighting fantasy

[aquadestinyswriting]

9 Sentences, 9 People

I got tagged for this by the lovely @asher-writes a little while ago. Now have some spoons I am finally getting around to the games I as tagged in.

tagging: @druidx, @warriorbookworm, @mariahwritesstuff, @lexiklecksi, @philosophika

@the-down-upside-finch, @acertainmoshke, @pluttskutt, @duckingwriting

The 9 lines are under the cut to save peoples' dashes

The sight of the shining white, if somewhat cracked and charred, marble of Toreguarde seemed like a far distant memory to the majority of the adventuring party who had just landed in front of the city gates.The owl archons that had transported the motley group of humanoids, single dragon and large awakened wolf bowed deeply and flew back up into the swiftly closing portal above.  Elowyn breathed in deeply, closing her eyes for a moment. Home. At last. She was shaken from her reverie by the sound of a young man’s voice exclaiming, “Eh? Is that –?” and Quentin’s shouted reply of, “How are you doing boys!” 

[druidx]

Hello. I'm suddenly having emotions about the fact that when Elo says 'I'm fine' she really believes it -- even when she's extremely, obviously not -- and what this either says about her upbringing, or about what she endured as party captain.

"I know my limits." Girl, your limits stopped half a mile back. You absolutely do not.

[druidx]

@aquadestinyswriting Call out! 😉️

(DW it's a call out for me too 😆️)

everything reminds me of her (d&d character from now-defunct campaign)

[aquadestinyswriting]

Seeking Insight

Summary: Selene is trying to work out why those contracts were taken out on both her and Elowyn while she's under house arrest from earlier that day.

Words: 999

Tags: @druidx, @asher-writes , @warriorbookworm, @ashirisu @philosophika , @the-down-upside-finch @flashfictionfridayofficial

Warnings: None

Notes: A nice, quiet moment in the eye of the storm that's happening at this point. Written for the Flash Fiction Friday Prompt 'Seek for Insight'.

The last rays of sunshine filtered into the office of the Grand Magus, lighting the room in a warm orange-red glow. The room was silent but for the rustle of Chrackle’s feathers, the scratching of a quill on parchment and the occasional creak of the floorboards outside the door.

Selene’s brow pinched as she stopped writing and stared at the parchment she had been writing on. Iridescent blue-black ink sparkled up at her, reflecting the stars that would soon be visible from the window behind the most powerful wizard left on Allansia. Tired green eyes scanned the text that had been scrawled with it, the pinched brow furrowing into a frown.

Chrackle ruffled his feathers again as Selene pushed her chair back with a loud scraping sound and stood, hands planted either side of the parchment she’d been writing on. 

~I know what you’re thinking about doing, and I don’t think it’s a good idea.~ 

~I don’t recall asking for your opinion!~

~And I seem to recall Edwin telling you not to overdo it. Leave the speculation ‘til tomorrow. It’s not like the world’s going to end overnight.~

Selene looked up at her familiar, a scowl crossing the pale, freckled face. She pushed the hair that had fallen out of its habitual bun out of her face. The ugly expression didn’t last long, however, and it soon fell into tired acceptance. Selene straightened, stretching out her back with a wince,

“It could, and if it does, I know who I’m blaming for the calamity.” she teased aloud. Chrackle chuckled,

~I might bring the occasional bout of chaos, but I’m not that terribly powerful. You’re going to have to find someone else to blame.~

Selene snorted, a small smile lighting up her face momentarily before she turned to look out of the window overlooking the city she’d helped to build. The smile fell from her lips, her expression turning sorrowfully wistful as she watched the shadows lengthen and the sky turn from rosy pink to dusky purple.

“I just wish I knew why those contracts were taken out. I am fully aware that both Elowyn and myself have too many enemies to count, but I can’t help but feel that this is just the start of something much bigger.” she muttered. Crackle clacked his beak and stretched out a wing,

~Well, of course it is. We both know the signs of impending trouble all too well. The thing is, what are you going to do about it?~ he asked, mentally prodding a claw into his mistress’ temple. He watched as Selene hung her head and shook it, auburn curls glowing at the edges where the last of the sunlight caught the loosest strands,

“That’s the problem. I don’t know.” she replied, her voice soft. Chrackle leapt from his perch, soared across the room and landed on her shoulder, gently gripped the fabric of her robes between his talons and nuzzled his face against hers. 

“Could try asking new Chancellor if he as big an idiot as predecessor.” he offered vocally. Selene leaned into the nuzzle and tickled the magpie just under the base of his beak, earning her a contented croak,

“I suppose I could.” she agreed, “However, as you pointed out, that will need to wait until the morning. I doubt I’ll be winning him over if I interrupt his evening meal.” Chrackle leaned away from his mistress’ face and quickly shook his head, eyeing the woman suspiciously,

~Alright! Who are you and what have you done with my mistress?!~ he demanded. Selene noted the lack of puffing up of feathers and chuckled, tapping the magpie playfully on the nose,

“I am capable of following the advice given to me, Chrackle.” she chided, “One thing I can do, however, is have a look in my personal library for anything that can help.” She glanced at the door leading to the rest of the tower before mentally adding, ~Failing that, I’ll need a distraction so I can nip down to the library.~

Chrackle eyed his wizard for a moment. He blinked and tossed his head,

~I don’t think the ones outside are that stupid.~ he pointed out, ~The big one is Elowyn’s watch partner and I’m sure he’s heard more than enough stories about me to make that work.~

Right on cue, the door creaked open and a rugged male face appeared around it,

“Everything alright in here?” Farren asked. Selene nodded and allowed a very smug Chrackle to fly over to the desk,

“Yes, Breakwood, everything is well in here. Do you need something?” she asked. The watchman shrugged,

“Just making sure.” he replied easily, “Just letting you know there’s gonna be a shift change in a minute. Cobbleskater’s getting antsy about the paperwork he left behind.” Selene smiled and nodded,

“Completely understandable given the… circumstances that led to you both being posted up here earlier.” Selene glanced to Chrackle, sensing his irritation, which was quickly smothered by feigned apathy. She turned back to Farren, “I’ll be doing some minor research in my library and would appreciate it if the fresh officers knew that I would prefer not to be disturbed.” she told him. Farren smiled at her and gave her a miniature salute, glancing briefly at Chrackle,

“That won’t be a problem, Grand Magus, I’ll let them know. If you do need anything just holler.” With that Farren closed the door and Selene and Chrackle were left alone once more. Selene’s face lit up into a smile as she walked back to her desk,

~Like I said, a distraction would be appreciated.~ she told her familiar as she picked the parchment she’d been writing on back up and scrutinised it as she wandered over to another door on the far side of her office. While these notes didn’t hold any insight into what, exactly, was going on within her beloved city, it was only a matter of time before she could leave to find the answers she sought.

[druidx]

what do you mean, there isn't a comprehensive dictionary I can google for a conlang I made up?

[oldschoolfrp]

The Bonerat Caves, an orc settlement (Titan: The Fighting Fantasy World, by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone, Puffin Books, 1986)

[druidx]

It's not much of a paper, so please be kind with your grading.

In the Fighting Fantasy World of Titan, coffee is grown by the dwarves of Fangthane in specially constructed greenhouses on the mountain's upper slopes.

Now, coffee traditionally needs a warm climate, which is not ideal at the latitudes we find Fanthane at. However, the elevation and inclination of the mountain's slopes are such that early settlers to the mount were able to discover thin scrubby versions of the coffee plant.

Over the years, the coffee plant (named after Dunagur Kavee, clan Hemlig) has been cultivated in giant greenhouses, warmed by steam from the forges, which artificially reproduce the correct temperatures for growing the plants.

After it's grown and roasted, the beans are compressed into "blocs" and stored in air-tight containers. In this form, it not only keeps for a long time but is also very stable for travel. When serving, one takes a knife and trims a sliver off the bloc, allowing it to dissolve in slowly boiling water. The water is then strained for particulate matter and served. Sometimes specialized apparatus is used for this, sometimes all one has is a pot and a cheesecloth.

Culturally, the dwarves treat coffee as an extension of their famed beer; namely, they take it strong. As such, it's advised that non-dwarven visitors to Fangthane ask for it at beardling strength, else not partake at all.

Dwarven Bloc is rare outside Fangthane and fetches a high price if one can find a distributor. As such, it's usually the preserve of the rich, being served only in private homes. The sole exception to this is the Wizard's tower in Toreguard, on the Pagan Planes, where the Archmagus has a deal with Fangthane's dwarven delegation to supply the staff and students with the "black gold".

Fuck that post going around saying "you can have coffee in your story without justifying it :) you don't need to explain everything :)" I want, no, I DEMAND a fully researched ethnobotanical paper on every single food item in your work, if you don't explain to me where did potatoes come from in your fantasy setting or don't explain how the industry of coffee works over interstellar distances with full detail you are doing things wrong and I personally hate you and I hate your stupid story, fuck you

[aquadestinyswriting]

New Year, New Traditions

Summary: Selene and Edwin get a chance to share their favourite traditional recipes for the Year's End feast. Written as a Secret Santa gift for the writeblrcafe

Words: 910

Tags: @writeblrcafe, @druidx, @lexiklecksi, @philosophika

Warnings: None. Fluffy fluff is fluffy.

Notes: The bunny buns are a traditional Toreguarde treat made for Winter's Feast and @druidx has written up more about them here

An icy wind blew through the mixture of bare deciduous and evergreen trees that lived within the walls of the Gardens of Galana. Winter had well and truly hit the beleaguered city of Toreguarde, but the citizens went about their days with cheer regardless. The city had survived the worst that could be thrown at it and survived. The Winter’s Feast holiday was now in full swing and a new year was just around the corner.

Selene hummed happily as she chopped up the beets that she’d been saving for the last three months. It had been quite a long time since she’d had the opportunity to cook anything for the New Year’s holiday, and she was looking forward to sharing one of her most treasured traditional treats with Edwin for the first time. She glanced over to the old and worn carved stamp that now sat atop the flour container, smiling at the memory of Yastromo handing it to her on the first Winter’s Feast day they’d shared together. She looked up as the door to the kitchen creaked open,

“I was wondering when you’d be ba – what in the hells is that?” she asked upon seeing the large, awkwardly shaped package Edwin was attempting to manhandle through the door. Edwin beamed at her, the exposed parts of his face red from the sting of the wind outside. He kicked the door closed and placed the package on the table,

“It took quite a lot of negotiation, but I managed to wrangle an actual goat’s leg from a trader passing through on their way from Fangthane.” he replied happily. Selene eyed the wrapped piece of meat dubiously,

“Why do you need a goat’s leg, exactly?” she asked, not entirely sure if she’d appreciate the answer her partner was going to give her. Edwin looked over at her, pausing in his attempts to pry his sodden gloves off his hands,

“Well, since this is going to be the first New Year’s holiday I’m spending with you, I wanted to share one of the few traditions I picked up from my time living in Fangthane.” he replied, turning his attention back to his outerwear, “I thought it might be nice to have the opportunity to create some traditions of our own, and where better to start than by trying to blend some aspects of the cultures we’ve both come to appreciate so much.”

Selene nodded, carefully putting the knife down before turning and leaning back on the counter,

“That seems fair.” she agreed, “I’m sure Oakrose and the others will appreciate the opportunity to try something new. So what are you going to be doing with the meat, exactly?”

Selene wasn’t sure what kind of answer she was expecting, but she almost certainly never would have predicted the next words to leave the Abouna’s mouth,

“I’m going to pickle it.”  Edwin replied cheerily, finally turning to face the wizard he now shared his life with, his expression falling on seeing the quickly stifled horror on the wizard’s face.

“No, Edwin, I’m sorry, I'm sure it’s wonderful –” Selene stammered before taking a deep breath and trying again, “I’m sorry, I just wasn’t expecting that as an answer.” 

“Can you at least give it a chance?” Edwin asked, his fingers trailing over the greased parchment that the goat’s leg was wrapped in. “I know it doesn’t sound like it should work, but the recipe that I finally managed to wrangle out of Auld Derek is the best one in the whole mountain. At least as far as everyone I talked to tells it.”

Selene couldn’t help but quirk an eyebrow at the last part of Edwin’s statement,

“You managed to get Auld Derek to share an actual family recipe?” she asked, “How in the Pit did you manage that? From what I kept hearing from Egrim, Derek’s family recipes are some of the best kept secrets in the entirety of the Frostholme region.” 

Edwin smiled and tapped at his nose,

“That would be telling.” He looked over at the counter behind Selene, “So what are you making?” he asked.

Selene looked at the half-chopped sugar beets behind her, then turned back to Edwin with a big smile,

“Bunny buns! It’s been years since I’ve made my own, and while the ones that are made in the Council Tower kitchens are nice, I very much prefer the recipe I grew up with.” 

“Bunny… buns?” Edwin asked, confused. Selene nodded, reached over and picked up the stamp she’d set aside, showing it to Edwin,

“It’s a somewhat silly sounding name, but this is why they’re called such. The rabbit comes from an old folk tale that’s been passed around the people living in the Pagan Plains for generations.” she explained. Edwin cocked his head to one side, looking over the old, but well cared for carving,

“Huh, I would have expected them to be more of a springtime thing.” he mused. He gestured to the goat’s leg still sitting on the table “Let me get this leg in the larder and you can tell me that old story, because I don’t think it’s one I’ve heard before.” 

Selene nodded, returning to the half-abandoned beets she’d been chopping. She smiled as she looked out at the blizzard that was now starting to rage outside. This was going to be one of the best Winter’s Feasts for a long, long time, of that she had no doubt.

[druidx]

WIP Snippet

I got tagged by @bretongirlwrites for a WIP snip. Although maybe this doesn't count because I've subsequently decided to abandon the WIP...

This is from Fun at the Faire, which I started 4yrs ago and have no recollection of what it was supposed to be about (aside from the SRU senior team being at a spring fetê), but this line made me laugh:

"And why is Millicent here?" asked Elo. "Because," Farren said, "Millie deserves a treat for dealing with you." "It's true," Millicent said, eating an iced dessert, "I do."

If you see this then you've been tagged. I want that snippet on my desk by next Tuesday.

[evilhorse]

Conan is not intimidated by their sharpened swords or gleaming helmets.

(Conan the Barbarian FCBD 2023)

[druidx]

If you felt like reading my most recent longfic, Her Countenance was Light, or even just rbing, I would deeply appreciate it.

This is the Intro, so you know what you're getting into.

And this is all the chapters, in reverse chronological order.

This is the general tag for the work: #WIP 'Her Countenance was Light'

Yo, to all the writers out there, rebolog this if you want me to read your stuff

I’ll try to leave a comment or ask, and I’ll get to as many as I can. Or if no one who writes sees this, then just have a good day

[posthumanwanderings]

Golden Axe: The Duel (AM1 - Sega Saturn - 1995)

[oldschoolfrp]

Yaztromo's Tower, in Darkwood Forest (Russ Nicholson, Titan: The Fighting Fantasy World, by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone, Puffin Books, 1986)

[aquadestinyswriting]

Old writing snippet-ish

I was looking though my notes folder for something to inspire me and came across this scene I had originally written for Nano 2017. Naturally, I want to re-write this at some stage, but I thought the taglist might appreciate some of my early attempts at Edwin/Selene angst

Taglist: @druidx, @sparrow-orion-writes, @mariahwritesstuff, @ashirisu, @thesorcerersapprentice, @philosophika, @the-down-upside-finch, @lexiklecksi

Edwin frowned as he knocked on the door to Selene’s office, unsure of what to expect after Chrackle’s sudden and unexpected appearance in his bedchambers. While the cleric was no arcanist, he knew the magpie well enough to know that something was wrong for him to wake the Galanite up at this ungodly hour. The frown deepened when he received no response from the other side. He rapped more firmly on the door,

“Selene, is everything ok in there?” he called, “Chrackle was pretty insistent that I follow him all the way up here.” The cleric waited with bated breath as he heard a groan, a shuffle then, finally,  a soft click as the door he stood in front of was unlocked. Edwin gingerly took the handle and pushed the door open, peeking nervously into his old friend’s office. The room was dimly lit, but Edwin could make out the piles of books and scrolls scattered on top of the various tables around the room, but he paid them no mind as his gaze settled on the Grand Wizard. Selene was sitting at her desk, her head buried in her arms, glasses perched on top of her unruly mane of hair. She looked up with an unreadable expression as Edwin closed the door behind him, cast her gaze to her familiar, who was still sitting on the man’s shoulder, and glared at him. Edwin winced as Chrackle squawked indignantly in his ear, ruffled his feathers and took off to land on a hat stand that had been placed behind the door, keeping his back to his mistress. Edwin tentatively looked between Wizard and Familiar for a moment, noting with a great deal of worry how exhausted Selene looked at that moment. Selene sighed irritably, finally pushing herself into a more upright position,

“I’m sorry for the disturbance Edwin, Chrackle should know better than to go disturbing other peoples’ rest over nothing.” Edwin shrugged and walked over to the desk, freeing his arms from his cloak,

“It’s no trouble Selene. He seemed fairly worried and I believed it best to come by and make sure nothing was amiss.” Selene shook her head and rubbed at her eyes,

“Everything is fine, Edwin.” she retorted, “The feather-brained git is clearly going through a ‘mothering’ stage.” she muttered. Edwin crossed his arms and leaned against a nearby table, narrowing his eyes a little,

“I think I can see why. When was the last time you slept?” Selene glanced at the cleric, her own eyes narrowing a little as she perched her glasses back on her nose again,

“I really don’t think…” Edwin merely raised an accusatory eyebrow, causing the woman to trail off and look at the floor. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Edwin sighed and gestured to the chairs by the fireplace,

“I’ll get us some tea, and then we can talk about what’s on your mind.” he said firmly. Selene grumbled slightly, but nodded and pointed to a door off to one side of the massive room,

“There’s a small kitchenette through there, I should have some tea knocking about in there somewhere… at least I think it’s tea, it’s been a while since I last checked.” Edwin bit back the urge to ask what else might be in the larder, it was probably best he didn’t know. He cast another, somewhat worried look around the room, noting how… higgledy-piggeldy everything looked. He had visited the Library since arriving and it was completely immaculate; this was anything but. 

While Edwin busied himself with making the tea, Selene grudgingly collapsed into the wingback chair closest to the fire and ran a hand through her hair,

~If you were better at accepting help in the first place -~

~Oh do shut up you insufferable creature! I already told you I don’t need help.~

~Sure you don’t. It’s totally normal to not sleep for three nights straight and blow up at the junior wizards having a bit of fun before the New Year holiday.~

~I really should have picked a familiar that didn’t know what sarcasm was. At least then I wouldn’t need to put up with snarky attitudes.~

~My attitude is fun, carefree and loves to take long flights around the Garden of Galana thank you very much!~

~I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. It’s just… Of all the people to go and wake up in the middle of the night, why Edwin?~

~He’s the only one you’ll listen to.~

~*~

“I can’t help you if you keep pushing me away Selene!” Edwin snapped, his patience finally wearing thin, “What in all the hells are you so afraid of?” That seemed to finally get the woman’s attention as the wizard spun around to glare at him,

“I am not afraid, Edwin.” she hissed, “I just fail to see how any of this is any of your damned business!” Selene hugged her arm and turned back to the window and sighed, “Look just... go back to the Garden… please.” Edwin’s glare lifted as he watched his old friend continue to close him out, “Jij heimsk kvinde…” he sighed, “This whole situation is my business, Selene. It’s kind of in the job description to listen and advise, even when the people in question don’t want to hear it.” he said. He watched Selene’s expression from the reflection in the window. The wizard’s jaw twitched slightly, it seemed Edwin had struck a nerve. Seizing the opportunity, he pressed on, “Besides which, you are afraid, you just don’t want to admit it.”

[aquadestinyswriting]

OK, so I'm going to tell you a bit about two, just because they're so heavily interconnected with each other and they're both the main stories of my blog.

First up is The Wizard's Tale:

This one follows the story of Selene Frigidwake, Grand Magus of the city-state of Toreguarde. Selene is an ex-adventurer that has now landed herself in a position of power and authority in the city that she helped to build. Unfortunately the Divine Seal over the Hellmouth beneath her tower is beginning to falter, and she needs to find a solution before a second Demon War is kicked off when it fails entirely. Not only that, but the darker forces that exist in the world are rising up once more in an attempt to seize control of the Hellmouth for themselves. And to top it all off, her adopted niece and her friends have been Called to defend the world they all call home, despite the Edict against Adventuring within Toreguarde. Basically, think of this as the background story of a D&D adventure focusing on one of the major NPCs of the campaign, because that's basically what this is. Given that Selene is a major political figure in Toreguarde, there is a lot to do with the internal politics of Toreguarde as a city-state and all the drama that can unfold in such an environment. I also explore Selene's more personal issues, such as the completely untreated PTSD from her adventuring days and the severe trust issues that have come from being forced to work with the slimiest politician in Allansia. Not to mention having to dodge a bunch of assassination attempts and trying her best to keep her public and privates lives as separate as possible.

Next up is Destiny's New Servants: Fangthane's Folly Edition

You might as well have the WIP synopsis for this one:

Fangthane has stood as the shining beacon of dwarven-kind upon Titan for millennia, but the aftermath of the Demon War ten years ago has left the city-state with wounds that have only barely begun to heal. Unfortunately, there are those both within and without that would see the mountain crumble. Relations with the city-state of Toreguarde have been fraught since the Drakemari Empire became involved in its construction, but things have been more or less amicable until recently. With the rise of the dread Necromancer, Darkhide, problems both old and new are threatening to ignite a war that Fangthane can barely cope with. In the midst of all of this, a young cleric of Moradin must attempt to navigate the lies and treachery of her own people to uncover the truth at the centre of all this madness. Whether anyone wishes to listen to said truth… well that’s another matter entirely.

This story follows Meredith Gruksdottir, cleric of Moradin, through the trials that she faces as part of the Destiny's New Servants D&D 3rd edition campaign. Expect your standard fantasy adventure shenanigans, including a bunch of angst and drama, character deaths and some comedy here and there.

Since Meredith is a cleric first and foremost, expect to see a lot of references to her religion and an exploration of her connection to her gods. There's also quite a lot of politics in this story as well since the relationship between the kingdom of Fangthane and the city-state of Toreguarde plays a major role in the plot.

Let’s get to know your main story! Tell us a little bit about it!

[druidx]

The Shield vignette

CW: None Setting: Vanilla Fighting Fantasy Notes: I found this one while trawling through my folders, looking for WIPs to finish. I think it was supposed to be set in the latter half of the campaign, while the party were out of Toreguard. Alas, I didn't leave myself any notes and I no longer remember what it was about. However, the opening scene is cute, and although it's now going to be marked as Abandoned, I thought I'd post it as a little slice of life.

Weak autumnal sunlight poured through the windows of the hut, picking out clay pots, bunches of drying herbs and jars of preserved fruit, as an elven woman knocked on the door. "Waldemar, do you have a moment?" she asked. By the bench, on a tall stool, sat a older man, long greying hair pulled back and held by a wood and leather clasp. He glanced up sharply from where he was mashing something in a mortar bowl. "Ah, Amis! Of course, of course," the human said, his face crinkling in a wide smile. "Come in, come in. I'll be done in a bit - I was just showing Næchtan here how I make healing potions." At this, an elven lad, no more than forty-five years of age, leant back on his own stool, appearing around the wizened man, and gave Amis a wave. "Hallo Mistress Irithyl," he said. "Mister Hexenmister is teaching me to be a healer." "Is he now?" Amis crossed her arms and gave Waldemar a frown. "You're a bit young still for an apprenticeship. Have either of you discussed this with Næchtan's father?" "Well now," Waldemar said, gazing blankly at the wall, "let's see. Ah…" He trailed off, as Næchtan ducked his head, light brown hair flopping over his eyes as his gaze shifted to the floor. "I think," Waldemar continued, "that, ah, perhaps it may have slipped from mind. Yes, yes. There may have been an oversight." The herbalist shifted his attention back to the elven woman, and gave her a lopsided smile. Amis gave the pair of miscreants a long look, then sighed, relaxing her arms. "I suggest then," she said, "that you go and discuss it with Mister Cedardance after you've finished the lesson then." "Of course, Amis." "Yes, Mistress Irithyl." Amis nodded, and then gave a little cough. "I do still need to steal you away for a moment, Waldemar," she said, pointedly. The herbalist gave her a momentary blank look, before brightening. "Ah yes! My apologies, my dear. Yes, yes, of course." Waldemar slipped off his stool and paused. "Ah… Næchtan, why don't you finish mashing those goodberries? Once they're to a good, paste-like consistency you need to add a dash of water - not too much mind, just enough to release them from the bowl - then pour the mix into the bowl of prepared Calendula, Goldenrod and Mint, and allow them to steep. They should be ready by the time I'm done with Mistress Irithyl. Did you get all that, my boy?" "Yes sir," Næchtan said. "What should I do while it's steeping?" "Oh, you could clean the mortar and pestle, then the cutting board and sweep the floor if there's time." "Yes sir." Næchtan gave an enthusiastic smile. Waldemar patted him on the head. "Good lad," he said, then turned to Amis, gesturing her to a camp table and stove at the back of the hut. "Shall we then, my dear?"

I also found this adorable little sidebar to myself about Goodberries:

So Goodberries are created by taking fresh berries (any, one assumes) and casting over them to make them helpful. It's 2d4 berries, 1d/lvl. Meaning Waldemar can at max do 8 berries over a 2 day period? This leads to wondering how exactly one does this out of season. It might be possible to do it on preserved berries? Classical preservation methods include whole fruit in sugar (honey) syrup or as jams. Does this mean then that one could make Goodberry jam at the start of the season (though that would take a lot of Druids, as this spell doesn't increase target with level, and you need more than 8 fruits for jam)? Or could you use preserved whole berries to make them, as to me 'Fresh' only implies 'not rotten'. I really, /really/ want to make Goodberry Jam a thing. imagine how much benefit you'd give to poor folks - 1 slice of bread and Goodberry jam could feed a person for a whole day!

"Here, have a potion of fullness." "This is just a jar of jam?" "No, it's a potion." "Do... Do I chug it?" "What? No. You put it on bread. Duh."