Open Digging In The Crystalline Sand

[Nya Winters]

Nya refused the stone of course. In her mind it was Aladons. And she would tell him more about it, but later, when they were eating. As they continued to follow Juli’s orders, she only offered Aladon a smile as he reminded her she was not alone and he was always there to listen. Nya believed him, but she didn’t trust him… not yet… not really.

Juli answered Aladon’s questions easier than Nya had. “I grow some of them. Some of them Indigo brings.. and some of them Uta grows. She has a massive garden. So too does the guy who maintains the Isuas fields… Tony Swiftwater. We can hook you up with starts if you are interested in growing your own.” Juli said, laughing slightly. She’d love to have another garden to pull from if Aladon was willing to get one started. She’d long given up on Nya and her ability to grow anything green. Big predators tended to not have that knack.

Overhearing Aladon’s question to Nya, Juli jumped back in. She took the whole geoduck from Aladon’s hand and showed him the secret. “Okay… see this big round part you cut out of the shell? Leave that whole… its fine after the stomach is removed. What we need filleted out is the neck. It’s actually a huge meaty muscular tube. There’s two routes through it… “ Juli explained, drawing a knife and pointing out the long meaty neck that was actually more meat than the part of the Geoduck that was in the shell. “It draws in water from one tube inside this neck, filters out the food in the water it wants to eat… tiny things… and the squirts the remaining water out the other tube.” Juli sliced off the neck from the hunk of meat on the shell and held it up showing them. It looked like a figure 8 on its side.. with the 8 surrounded by meat. Juli then cut each loop in between the 8 and made one more cut on the outside laying the figure 8 shape open into a flat patty. “See? Don’t cut the necks off though like I did … I did it just to show you. Just open the neck up and you’ll have a huge clam steak we can grill.” She added, demonstrating with a second geoduck and tossing it on the grill portion that Aladon and her had just set up. Then she fetched a basket of seasonings from under her bungalow and tossed salt and pepper on the grilling clam.

It was a neat setup. They had the chowder hanging from a tripod a little above the grill that was holding the clam fillets. They could feed a lot of people this way with one fire and one neat concise setup. It was the type of thing that Aladon realized he’d be asked to make probably over and over again for the other settlers just as soon as they got word of it. And he could modify it so the grill was held up by the tripod or even stretch the grill out so the pot could be sat on the grill and just staked into the ground with iron rods. Syka definitely had an art to it when it came to cooking.

Nya appreciated how Aladon arranged the thicker meat at the hotter part and grabbed some tongs Juli laid out so they could move the meat around as it cooked so they could prevent things burning. Eventually Juli added the cream to the clam chowder, gave it a good stir, and declared it almost done, putting a ladle in the bowl and passing everyone out a plate, bowl, and spoon. Together they helped themselves to a big bowl of clam chowder and several ‘steaks’ of clam.

Nya ate heartily, not speaking, hungry beyond belief. Even if the others ate human or humanoid portions, she was still eating for a giant kelvic and her stomach didn’t let her forget it. Three bowls and four geoducks later, the woman was almost full and offered to help clean up.

“I really appreciate your help today, Aladon. I’m glad you joined us both for the hunt and the cooking. I hope you find out more about your stone too. It looks like the stones in the watchtowers in the cities I’ve been in… the ones that keep time and change color according to the season. They are old magic, from before the Valterrian. I know some people that have shards of watchstones like I think that one is. They use them as jewelry. You’ll know for sure what it is when the seasons change and if it turns green. I… I think there were people here before. Maybe out in the water. I’m not sure. So much washes up on the shores here. It would be right if there was a watchtower somewhere… even a broken one.” Nya said hesitantly, then she offered him a smile. Dipping her head, she licked her bowl clean without a care to manners in the world. The chowder was good… very good… and it was a recipe Nya would make again.

[Nya Winters]

Nya refused the stone of course. In her mind it was Aladons. And she would tell him more about it, but later, when they were eating. As they continued to follow Juli’s orders, she only offered Aladon a smile as he reminded her she was not alone and he was always there to listen. Nya believed him, but she didn’t trust him… not yet… not really.

Juli answered Aladon’s questions easier than Nya had. “I grow some of them. Some of them Indigo brings.. and some of them Uta grows. She has a massive garden. So too does the guy who maintains the Isuas fields… Tony Swiftwater. We can hook you up with starts if you are interested in growing your own.” Juli said, laughing slightly. She’d love to have another garden to pull from if Aladon was willing to get one started. She’d long given up on Nya and her ability to grow anything green. Big predators tended to not have that knack.

Overhearing Aladon’s question to Nya, Juli jumped back in. She took the whole geoduck from Aladon’s hand and showed him the secret. “Okay… see this big round part you cut out of the shell? Leave that whole… its fine after the stomach is removed. What we need filleted out is the neck. It’s actually a huge meaty muscular tube. There’s two routes through it… “ Juli explained, drawing a knife and pointing out the long meaty neck that was actually more meat than the part of the Geoduck that was in the shell. “It draws in water from one tube inside this neck, filters out the food in the water it wants to eat… tiny things… and the squirts the remaining water out the other tube.” Juli sliced off the neck from the hunk of meat on the shell and held it up showing them. It looked like a figure 8 on its side.. with the 8 surrounded by meat. Juli then cut each loop in between the 8 and made one more cut on the outside laying the figure 8 shape open into a flat patty. “See? Don’t cut the necks off though like I did … I did it just to show you. Just open the neck up and you’ll have a huge clam steak we can grill.” She added, demonstrating with a second geoduck and tossing it on the grill portion that Aladon and her had just set up. Then she fetched a basket of seasonings from under her bungalow and tossed salt and pepper on the grilling clam.

It was a neat setup. They had the chowder hanging from a tripod a little above the grill that was holding the clam fillets. They could feed a lot of people this way with one fire and one neat concise setup. It was the type of thing that Aladon realized he’d be asked to make probably over and over again for the other settlers just as soon as they got word of it. And he could modify it so the grill was held up by the tripod or even stretch the grill out so the pot could be sat on the grill and just staked into the ground with iron rods. Syka definitely had an art to it when it came to cooking.

Nya appreciated how Aladon arranged the thicker meat at the hotter part and grabbed some tongs Juli laid out so they could move the meat around as it cooked so they could prevent things burning. Eventually Juli added the cream to the clam chowder, gave it a good stir, and declared it almost done, putting a ladle in the bowl and passing everyone out a plate, bowl, and spoon. Together they helped themselves to a big bowl of clam chowder and several ‘steaks’ of clam.

Nya ate heartily, not speaking, hungry beyond belief. Even if the others ate human or humanoid portions, she was still eating for a giant kelvic and her stomach didn’t let her forget it. Three bowls and four geoducks later, the woman was almost full and offered to help clean up.

“I really appreciate your help today, Aladon. I’m glad you joined us both for the hunt and the cooking. I hope you find out more about your stone too. It looks like the stones in the watchtowers in the cities I’ve been in… the ones that keep time and change color according to the season. They are old magic, from before the Valterrian. I know some people that have shards of watchstones like I think that one is. They use them as jewelry. You’ll know for sure what it is when the seasons change and if it turns green. I… I think there were people here before. Maybe out in the water. I’m not sure. So much washes up on the shores here. It would be right if there was a watchtower somewhere… even a broken one.” Nya said hesitantly, then she offered him a smile. Dipping her head, she licked her bowl clean without a care to manners in the world. The chowder was good… very good… and it was a recipe Nya would make again.

[Aladon]

Aladon listened to Juli tell him about who grow their own gardens in the settlement: Tony Swiftwater, Uta, and Juli, The way Juli talked about Indigo. She tended to forage for edible plants in the jungle. He definitely needed to talk to her. Maybe she could give him pointers on how to survive in the jungle. The Isur smiled at Juli and said with a nod, “Yes. You and Nya will be more than welcomed to plunder my garden when I set it up on my land. I just need to find the time. It is my main issue at the moment. I will talk to them too. Especially, Indigo maybe she can give me pointers on the jungle, and how to survive out there and not get eaten...”

After Aladon completely screwed up on the first geoduck. Juli swooped him and rescued him from completely butchering the next clam. She explained the anatomy of the clam, and how the neck of the clam consisted of two separate tubs. One of the tubes sucked in the water with the food into the belly of the clam while the other tube blows out the water and waste. It could be another way for him to spot them in the sand. Aladon decided to mention it to the pair of humans, “You know when you explain the anatomy of the neck how one tube sucked in the water, and the other one blows the water out. It might be another way for us to spot them on the beach. When they are blowing out the water...” He allowed her to continue showing him the proper way to cut the clam. She cut off the neck of the clam to show them the figure eight than she cut between the figure eight than cut along the side till she could lay it open on the table. She told them not to cut off the neck and just leave it on the body since it was the majority of the meat.

Aladon grabbed another geoduck and started his cut down the neck of the clam till he got to the base of the clam body. The neck wasn't evenly cut like Juli's clam. One side of the neck was larger than the other clam. When he got the body of the geoduck, he did what she told him to do, but once again, the cuts were rough and not smooth at all. The cut looked like a wave on a pond as he cut along the places that she told him to cut. When he was finished with his cutting, it looked Juli's clam with the neck still on, but the clam meat was clearly mangled by the inexperienced cook. Aladon started to place the clams on the searing how grill. He bent down and placed another log into the fire.

Looking at the grill set up with large cast iron grill and the tripod, the Isur was sure that he could make the metal grill, but he might be able to improve the set up if he welded a cast iron post with inverted hook. He could make a chain large enough to adjust, so the cook can adjust the heat by lowering or raising the chain that could be connected to a cast iron kettle. It something that he would need to think about when he had time. Standing up from looking at the grill set up, Aladon smiled at the women and said with a nod, “While the food is cooking, I going to head back to my tent and get my money to pay you Juli for the clamming kit. How much is it, Juli?”

Juli said with a nod, “The clam digger kit is 15gm.”

Aladon nodded and said with a smile, “Alright, I will buy it. I will be right back.”

Aladon put on his hat and strapped his bastard sword scabbard to his belt and walked out the door. The Isur made his way to his tent once he went to the place where he stored his money. He counted out fifteen gold mizas coins and put them into his pocket. When, he was finished counting them, he walked back to Juli's home. The Isur could see the women finishing up with the food, so he reached into his pocket, pulled out the mizas, and placed them on her table. Aladon smiled at Juli and said, “Ok here is your money, Juli.”

Juli took the money and said with smile, “OK, the kit you used is yours. Good luck clamming, Al.”

When they sat down to eat, Aladon picked up his utensils, and Nya was already digging into the food with a sort of savage hunger. The woman polished off three bowls of soup and four geoducks by herself! Aladon could only eat just a bowl of chowder and two of the geoduck clams, and he was full. Nya Winters was literally eating like she hasn't eaten in weeks! The Isur was impressed that she could eat, so much and still maintain a impressive athletic figure. The blacksmith just smiled to himself and inwardly laughed as he started to scoop up the last of his chowder. When Nya started to tell him about the watchstone. He was amazed that it was ancient magic before the Valterran. She said that other people that she knew used the shards of the watchstone as jewelery. The Isur pulled out the blue stone, and he wondered if he could make something that wouldn't ruin the stone as he found it. Nya speculated that the watchstone came from the original inhabitants of the region. Aladon said, “I came from a poor family in Sultros, so we were more focused on learning knowledge to help our trades and improve our economic status in the Kingdom. We are simple folk, so history and the arcane were subjects best kept to the story books in our family. I will have to talk to the Founders and other residents in the settlement about the watchstone. It is amazing that we found a little piece of history...”

When Aladon finished his food, he stood up and smiled at the ladies and said with a bow of his head, “Thank you for allowing me to join both of you clamming, but I need to head back to the forge. I have to check on the heat on the blast furnace and the forge before heading to the baths. I am sure. I will talk to both of you soon.” Isur put on his hat, gave them a nod of his head, and he walked out Juli's home to continue his day.
subtracted-15gm for clamming kit

[Nya Winters]

Grading

Aladon

Experience: Foraging +5, Observation +5, Interrogation +4, Cooking +4, Wilderness Survival +1

Lores: Nya Winters: Resident Of Syka, Juli Chaliva: Resident of Syka, Foraging: How to find/harvest Razor Clams. Foraging: How to find/harvest Butter Clams, Foraging/Cooking: Identification of various types and what they are used for and how they are eaten, Foraging: How to find/harvest Geoduck, Foraging: How to find/harvest Oysters, Nya: Uncomfortable with confessionals, Cooking: How to clean all types of clams and oysters, Cooking: How to fillet out Geoduck, Cooking: How to set up a professional kitchen campfire, WS: Lighting a Fire, Cooking: peeling/chopping vegetables, Cooking: How to make clam chowder, Watchstone: What one is, Nya: Doesn’t want to be friends, Vegetables: Where to locate them in Syka

Note: Clam diggers Kit 15 GM, One thumb sized piece of Watchstone

Nya

Experience: Foraging +5, Observation +5, Cooking +4, Interrogation +4,

Lores: Foraging: How to find/harvest Razor Clams, Aladon: Resident of Syka, Aladon: Blacksmith, Foraging: How to find/harvest Butter Clams, Foraging/Cooking: Identification of various types and what they are used for and how they are eaten, Foraging: How to find/harvest Geoduck, Aladon: Hails from Sultros, Aladon: Unusual Arm – Great For Digging clams, Foraging: How to find/harvest Oysters, Aladon: Very open, honest, and forthright speaker, Aladon: Good humor and funny, Cooking: How to clean all types of clams and oysters, Cooking: How to fillet out Geoduck, Cooking: How to set up a professional kitchen campfire, WS: Lighting a Fire, Cooking: peeling/chopping vegetables, Cooking: How to make clam chowder, Vegetables: Where to locate them in Syka

Note: Clam diggers Kit 15 GM (traded for bracers)

Thank you for the thread. It was all kinds of fun!