Consumables (Shard Ne'Vaal Supplement)

“	If the world is truly to end, then why not enjoy ourselves to the fullest in spite of no tomorrow?! Feast like pigs, mate like rabbits, live for the present!	”
—Baron Chalisee

There is a compiled page of items that are exchanged and consumed in the world, from hard coins to edibles. They make the place where they originate unique. Obviously there are changes through time and what food was available before and after the Gorge is very varied. But people cling to tradition, as well as the memory of the delicious recipes from before. But as ingredients grow scarce, not all foods are as available in Shard Ne'Vaal as in the Old World.

Currency

Money has not changed in the post apocalypse. Prior to the Gorge, there was eventually a global currency system established after overseas travel was more accessible. On their individual continents, this system superseded local monies. For global currency, every coin had two varieties. One had the faces etched with a bull and eagle, and the other one had faces of shield and laurels. Local money had a lot more variations, some with collector's editions, which usually had local heroes or important figures on them.

Global Currency System

Value	Coin	Exchange
Copper (cp)	Merrin	—
Silver (sp)	Sylphin	10 merrins = 1 sylphin
Electrum (ep)	Voltin	5 sylphins = 1 voltin
Gold (gp)	Dranum	2 voltins = 1 dranum
Steel (stp)	Lorum	5 dranum = 1 lorum
Platinum (pp)	Platim	10 dranum = 1 platim

Local Money Systems

Country	Currency	Exchange Rates
Hocheim	Thorin, Eawe (stone coins)	1 thorin = 1 sylphin, 1 eawe = 1 merrin
Preius	Kardal (different mint coins)	1 kardal = 1 dranum
Ba Xin	Shen, Banshen (square/hex coins)	1 shen = 1 voltin, 4 banshen = 1 dranum
Reza	Tual (shell coins)	1 tual = 5 merrin
Sithi	Jarg (pebble coins)	1 jarg = 1 lorum

After the Gorge, many areas tried to revert to their local money systems. However, due to the landmasses being totally restructured, many found themselves unable to communicate with new neighbors. A reduced form of the global money system was put in place and used over the World Tree as people tried to regrow their ties. This has not been easy, and many secluded areas rely solely on bartering rather than currency.

Post Gorge Currency System

Value	Coin	Exchange
Copper (cp)	Merrin	—
Silver (sp)	Sylphin	10 merrins = 1 sylphin
Gold (gp)	Dranum	10 sylphins = 1 dranum

In Shard Ne'Vaal, other currencies can exist, particularly since its so fractured. In addition to the currency listed above, there are optional currencies you can use to trade for items beyond that of the normal, mundane store variety. These currencies are used by powerful figures, including the arcane-hungry gods.

Cuisine

In a world of such diverse culture, the food spans borders. Life is nothing enjoyed without a nice meal now and then.

Protein

There are a variety of fauna with choice meat and poultry. Nature's bounty is all the more delicious served up in the local styles.

Icefynn Venison

The frigid plains of Icefynn breed strangely robust game animals. Despite the weather, ample wild plants resist the cold and so the animals are allowed to get nice and plump. Venison from this area refers not only to the meat of deer, but also bears and rabbits. The wild tribes have developed smoking and cooking techniques to keep their food unfrozen through the cold days when a fire may be hard to start. This often results in a chewy texture that some find too tough.

Slumber Fish

From the fresh waters up north, the fish are believed to be ethereal and rare. Catches are few but when they are found, they fetch a high price. Strange species of fish like scullgills and aurora salmon swim under ice floes and are considered delicacies. Their flesh is so pure that it can be eaten completely raw and untreated. However, they are even better eaten smoked on a crostini or baked in a pastry shell.

Ba Xin Crane

Considered a feast only for royalty, crane is a bird which is forbidden to plebians. They are also forbidden to hunt it, and only hunters licensed by the emperor can do so. These birds live in various estuaries about the rivers, but there is said to be a secret garden full of them just for royalty. The traditional preparation is to tie the legs up, facing the sky, and remove its innards to be replaced with spices and a sweet and salty sauce. It then is roasted until the legs are able to be snapped off cleanly, then presented with sides of flat cakes and vegetables. The skin of the bird is shatteringly crisp and layered with fat underneath, with faint flavors from the aromatics inside. Any leftovers are traditionally either used to made soup or dumplings, and distributed to the servants.

Rice

One of the most important sources of carbohydrates is rice. It is eaten across multiple continents and is especially valued plain in much of Dasoon. In other countries where these grains are popular, a variety of colorful dishes have been made to showcase their versatility rather than purity.

Aranan Paella

Arana sports a large bounty of sea life which is incorporated with rice into this dish. It is cooked in a shallow pot with a medley of herbs and stock so that the rice absorbs the moisture and becomes flavored to the grain. Common seafood choices include mollusks and crustaceans rather than fish, which is usually used in the stock instead. There is also usually the use of tomato and some savory vegetable.

Rezai Riani

Riani means "king's rice" in the local dialect, though it usually refers to the dish rather than the rice variety. It is a dish composed of the local long grained rice which is cooked with various herbs, spices and either beef or chicken. Exotic local specialties have meats like that from cockatrices, basilisks or even couatls.

Sithian Curry

Sithi boasts a formidable palate of thick curries that they pair with rice. These curries are varied from town to town, in color, flavor, and aroma. There are believed to be over 500 kinds of curries they eat with their rice. Some of these curries use only seafood or meat, others mix them, and some are purely vegetarian. Thanks to the climate of Sithi, they have cultivated over 2,000 types of spices which attribute to their rich curry culture.

Dumplings

The definition of dumpling roughly means filling within a carby wrapper of some kind. A large variety of interpretations exist in this area across the world.

Ba Xin Soup Dumplings

These dumplings hide a decent amount of liquid inside of them, thus being called soup dumplings. They are usually round in shape and close towards the top. Each one is individually, carefully wrapped so it has exactly 18 pleats usually, or 20 if it is for the emperor. Under the thin wrapping is usually meat, aromatics, and maybe mushrooms. The key is the use of miniature cubes of aspic from the meat, which melt into a savory broth when the dumplings are cooked. These are traditionally eaten with vinegar and ginger. In the Ba Xin capital, a specific method of eating is observed, where one must drink a little from the dumpling first before eating it. It is thought this is necessary so the dumpling does not burst in the mouth and scald the tongue.

Jjan Mandu

Mandu are similar works of art to Ba Xin soup dumplings. They are half-moon shapes and have a curved frill of pleats, no specific number needed. Usually, they are stuffed with fatty meats from the belly of animals like boars or even bears. They are traditionally served in soup and are considered food for good luck. Thus, they are typically eaten around the New Year.

Karashi Momos

Momos are a dumpling type that varies whether you get it in the plains of Dasoon or Sithi in Bevel, as they have traversed these two continents. In Dasoon, they typically have a bag-like appearance, looking like a small coin purse. In Sithi, they have a more bread-like dough with a spiral design on top. Both are typically stuffed with meats like lamb or pork, and spices. However, you eat Sithian momos by hand like you would bread, while "true" Karashi momos are eaten with utensils.

Uruzian Fufu

Unlike dumplings with stuffing, fufu is mostly a ball of starch. It is considered peasant food at its base, but royalty has often dressed it up with various other exotic ingredients to elevate it. Some would argue fufu is actually a bread more than a dumpling since it is usually served with a soup to dip it in. But sometimes it is served in the soup, like a dumpling. Its base is usually a local starch like yam, pounded into a paste that is sticky and allowed to dry-bake so it forms a skin. The center remains very chewy and soft.

Dalagan Zo

Zo is similar to fufu in that it is a homogenous dumpling without filling. Zo is made usually of a mix of flours, some herbs, and animal fat from a soup. It is then served in that soup in the form of a ball. Dalagans consider it a food of religious importance as well as culture, as it is in the shape of the moon. In Dalaga, this is why they usually prepare it to be eaten on nights of a full moon.

Pasta and Noodles

Pasta is defined as having the property of being dried, as opposed to noodles, which can be eaten fresh. Pasta tends to use a type of flour derived from corn, located on the eastern continents, and always have eggs mixed in the dough. Noodles are much more universal, as they can often just be flour and water mixed together.

Bevelian Pasta

The northern regions of Bevel boast a large variety of pasta that seems to share a common root, though every location will tell you their own differences. This is mainly seen in the variety of shapes, not all long and tube-like. Some are cleverly folded into packages for meat or cheese, while others are crafted by artisans to resemble a butterfly or tiger's face. Depending on the region, the preparation and pairings are vastly different. Closer inland, pastas are prepared with rugged meats and hearty sauce, paired with red wines. Towards the coasts, you see whiter, creamy sauces that use fungi or seafood, and commonly served alongside spritzers or white wines.

Hocheim Spaetzle

Spaetzle is considered the pasta of Hocheim, though Bevelians may scoff at its rudimentary preparation. Since Hocheim does not have a lot of agrarian options, their pasta is prepared with more egg than flour, as they do not have a lot of grains. The eggy mixture is dripped into boiling water quickly, meaning it cannot have an al dente texture ever. The result is tadpole-like gobs of egg noodles. These are sometimes sautéed to give them some crisp and served with thick sauces or even in a rich broth.

Dasoon Noodles

Noodles in Dasoon are incredibly diverse in substance and shape, unlike Bevelian pasta. Like Hocheim spaetzle, they also are typically cooked fresh, and therefore not al dente.

• In Ba Xin, the dough for noodles is made primarily in two forms, one with rice and one with egg, but reinforced with tapioca starch. They have over 1,000 kinds of noodles, ranging from dough blobs, to long strands, and to "cat ear" curls.
• Toryu noodles include more delicate preparations, using a variety of perishable nut-fruits, and they are commonly served either in boiling broth or cold sauce.
• Jjan has a variety of noodles called "crystal" due to their use of a type of bean starch that is not opaque like flour.

Desserts

What's happiness without some sweets?

Preius High Cake

High cake is a popular dish of nobles around north Preius. It was formerly popularized by a queen, who enjoyed it with her tea. It is thus commonly eaten during tea time. The cake is typically two thick layers of sponge, naked. There is rich butter-based frosting on the top and in between layers, with an assortment of fruits, berries, and a dusting of sugar. In the holidays, the cake is commonly doused in an alcoholic syrup and set afire for effect.

Toryu Mochi

In Toryu, there is a unique method of pounding rice until it becomes a glutinous blob with a chewy, stretchy texture. This is flavored throughout the manufacturing process with a variety of herbs and sweets, giving it flavor and fun colors. It is a common food consumed during holidays, tea-time, and a popular treat among children. The mochi-pounding method is sometimes even made into a contest to see who can pound the fastest in a minute. Participants come in teams of two or three with wooden mortars and hammers. One person must turn the rice repeatedly as the others with the hammer slam the dough. The fastest record is about 180 poundings a minute.

Drink

Alcohol

Preius and Hocheim Ales and Beers

Toryu Sake

Ba Xin Ju

Water

Slumber Ice

Drugs

Legal

Ferre Thern

This special plant is a specialty growth used in teas along south Bevel. It is also found in a slightly different specimen in Dasoon, mainly in Ba Xin. The plant is known for its silvery frond leaves, which can take weeks to create tea out of. When drunk as tea, it is simply a nice refreshment. The plant has thorns however, which can be cut and ground into a powder, then smoked from a pipe. When consumed in this fashion, the user gains a +2 to all Fortitude saves for 1 hour. Due to this bolstering effect, the plant appropriately translates into "iron thorn" in Arana of southern Bevel.

Isayl Weed

Illegal

Slaterin

Ja ja Bean

Materials

Stuff like ores and other stuff are consumed to build items. Materials listed here are not the typical kind of metal, stone, or wood, since you can make those up yourself. Because 4e lacks core crafting rules to best utilize these, they are mostly for world-building flavor.

Adamantine

Well-known as the hardest material known in existence, adamantine is a sleek, black, and dense metal.

Mithral

A sleek, silvery, lightweight metal, mithral is coveted by elves and declared an elven treasure since the Old World.

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