[Location]Y'Uanu's Garden

[Shepherd]

Y'Uaunu's Garden Y'Uanu's Garden is a relatively recent addition to the Caldera of the Rainbow Shells. Y'Uanu noticed that as the underwater population grew, the local food began to dwindle. So he began to gather plants from all over the Suvan, and brought them back to the Caldera. There he began trying to farm and domesticate them. Three years, and an underwater plague later, the farm reached true fruition. The farm encompasses roughly four acres of land underwater, and reserves all the space from seabed to surface. Y'Uanu grows four types of crops here. He sells his crops to local vendors, who in turn sell it to others, or make it into various goods. Wine Kelp Wine Kelp is a common type of Kelp in the Suvan Sea, but the Charodae are the only ones who use it. It comes in various shades of purple. It grows fast and tall. Within a season, it will go from a root on the seabed to a thick,leafy stalk reaching the surface far above. Y'Uanu grows it in thick forests covering about an acre of the farmland. The plant starts off as a root clipping that gets buried in the seabed. Within several days, a large, pink flower-like plant is formed at the site. The kelp stalk then begins shooting up and out of the center of the flower. Large, wine colored leaves begin to branch out of the main stalk. After about a season of growth, the kelp will detach from the root base and float to the surface. This is when the plant is most ripe and ready to be harvested. The Wine Kelp has a few uses. The first is simple consumption of the leaves, which have a slippery, yet cushiony texture. They taste like wine, but without the tinge of alcohol. Many Charoda treat this as a dessert food. The leaves can also be ground up and fermented into a true wine, which has a very unique taste to it, courtesy of the salt water. The wine is fermented inside of empty gourds, and when it is ready to be consumed, one punches through the skin with a slim reed to use as a straw. Several factors can affect the taste of the wine, from the location of the Kelp, the season harvest, the gourd it is stored in, the reed straw used to drink it. Charodae will often have collections of the wine gourds claiming that they are the superior wine from a better season. Sweet Reeds Sweet reeds are another of the crops grown in the garden. Y'Uanu found these near a nameless island far east of Alvadas. At first, these didn't take to the environment in the Caldera, but a few years of persistence led to a magnificent crop. These reeds are slow growing, taking a full year for a single harvest. They look much like bamboo, coming in shades of yellow and tan. Their leaves, which are only available during the first two seasons of its growth, are a dull blue. The reeds start off quite thin, but will thicken as they grow, reaching about three inches in diameter after a year. A year's growth will result in about 30 feet of upwards growth. Sweet reeds are filled with a thick, white, syrupy substance. This substance is extremely sweet tasting, and it is not uncommon for Charodae to be seen sucking the Reed Syrup from these, especially children. This substance can be cooked over a fire or a deep sea heated vent. When the outer husk of the reed turns a reddish brown, the inside is done. The reed can then be cracked open, and one will find a powdery white substance inside. This is Reed Sugar. It can be used just like regular sugar. Reed Syrup can also be fermented into a sweet rum, often inside the same type of gourds as the Kelp Wine. This rum is often seasoned with surface herbs and spices. The Svefra are also quite fond of this rum and will usually barter a fair amount for it. Laviku Gourds Laviku gourds are quite common in the Suvan Seas, preferring to grow in shallow waters. The gourds themselves can come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. They grow on a vine, much like a normal gourd, but it doesn't grow along the sea floor. It floats upward, the gourds suspended in the water, looking like brightly colored bubbles. The vines can grow nearly indefinitely in intricate weaves. It doesn't grow straight upwards, but more like a fisherman's net. If it isn't kept in check, it can quickly grow out of control, overtaking other crops and choking harbors. The meat of the gourd isn't tasty to any of the sentient species, but is loved by seahorses and even some of the land bound herbivores. The rind of the gourd can be chopped into long strips and fried. This isn't popular among the Charodae, but the land species usually find it quite delightful. The gourds can also be hollowed out and used as containers for alcohol to be fermented within, usually Kelp Wine and Reed Rum. NPC : Y'Uanu Age: 23 Race: Charoda Position: Gardener Aquiculture: 62 Botany: 46 Food Preservation: 36 Singing: 20 Y'Uanu left Charbosi when he was younger, searching the world for inspiration on what he wanted to make of himself. He quickly found an island not far from home, by the name of Asli Island. He met the strange farmer on the island, and quickly became an unspoken assistant to the man. He stayed with the man for a full year, learning how to grow and treat plants. After a year, he left the man on good terms, wanting to build a garden of his own, something as beautiful as Asli Island, but beneath the waves. For two more years he searched the Suvan Sea for an ideal farming location. Then he happened upon the Caldera of the Rainbow Shells. Not only was there a community of Charodae here, as well as a surface community, but the conditions for farming were ideal. The Caldera provided protection from the open seas, and the soil was quite fertile. The water always stayed warm, which was ideal for growth. This was his location. So he acquired the rights to the land, and then set out on a journey to discover crops to grow. He discovered several, and brought some back. Some of his discoveries panned out, while others wilted and died. He's a very friendly and helpful man, and is often taking interested individuals under his wing. He will occasionally set a small bit of his allotted land for people to learn how to grow crops. He will also pay if you bring any new, farmable crops to him from other areas. It is often rumored that he knows the locations of several other rare and unique plants, but he does not give this information out easily. If he takes you under his wing, he will make you sing to the plants, as he does, for he swears that it helps them grow. He is well known among the Port and Caldera communities, and will not allow any of his trainees to tarnish his reputation. Photomanipulation courtesy of Elhaym