Elven Foods - Elven Rations, Trania, and Elven Tack
by ErikElven Rations- First described in CM7 - Tree of Life, it is described as a Traditional Food given to Elves for a long journey and has enough food for 10 weeks instead of only 1 week as normal Iron ration. It is also suggested that is would be worth up to 300gp on a Human Market, but are not usually for sale. No other information is given, but I think it can be assumed that is based on the Lembas Bread or Elven Way Bread from “The Lord of the Rings” fame.
Description: Elven Rations are a traditional food given to Elves on long Journeys. It can feed an Active Elf for up to 10 weeks and weighs 70cn. Safely stored the food remains good for up to 20 Months, improperly stored it will not last much longer then 10 weeks. The food resembles a fruit cake with small chunks of preserved fruits, vegetables, and nuts mixed in with the bread. This Mix provides all the nutrition, minerals and vitamins needed, as such it will not cause any deficiency diseases like scurvy.
History: The Elven Rations origins lay in Ilsundal’s 700-year Migration from Vulcania to the Sylvan Realm. Supposedly created first by Ilsundal himself to feed his Elven followers as they traveled north. This gives the Elven Rations a respected place in most Elven cultures and explains why it is not regularly sold.
Acquiring as an Adventurer: Elven Rations are considered to be a quasi-sacred food by most Elven cultures, but most clans keep a large stock, just in case it is needed. So, it is possible for an Elven Adventurer or Forester to get Elven Rations that are close to expiring, usually with less than half its normal shelf life remaining. This usually requires a “Donation” to the clan of around 200gp for One Elven Ration, and they will only get one, for an Elf in good standing with his Clan. Getting Elven Ration from a Clan that is not their own is almost impossible, unless the elf in question has provided some assistance to the Clan or is spoken for by an influential member of the Clan, but the “Donation” required will be around 300gp.
Trania- Trania is the main food source of the Shadow Elves detailed in Gazetter #13 – The Shadow Elves. Described as an egg sized brown ball of compressed foodstuff it not only supplies all the nutrition, minerals and vitamins that the Shadow Elf regularly needs for the day but also all the water they normally require. Trania is made using a fungus of the same name, plus other ingredients.
Description: Trania is the main food source for the Shadow Elves. It is an egg sized brown ball of compressed foodstuff that will provide not only all the Sustenance that the Shadow Elf needs for a regular day of activity but also all the water they normally require. Once eaten the Elf will not feel hungry again till the following day. A Trania has a normal shelf life of 14 days and weighs 1cn per meal, if however, it is exposed to the environment of the surface it will spoil in 24 hours.
History: Trania was created by one of the first elves to have read the Refuge of Stone, who received a dream vison on how to make it. It has been a staple of the Shadow elves ever since, often eaten with a silent prayer to Rafiel.
Acquiring as an Adventurer: Trania is commercially available among the shadow elves. Usually sold in lots of 14 for 10gp and weigh 14cn.
-- Trania Rations: Trania Rations is an Iron Ration version of regular Trania and does not have the water supplying effect of normal Trania. Requiring the Elf to get their water from an external source Trania Rations provide food for 14 days and are good for up to 8 weeks, unless exposed to the environment of the surface which causes it to spoil in 1 week. Trania Rations are sild for 30gp and weigh 14cn.
Elven Tack- Elven Tack is the Minrothad Elves version of the normal Hardtack or Ships Biscuit that is the regular staple for sailors on board ship the world over. Elven Tack uses techniques learned from making Elven Rations to make a much more flavorful and nourishing biscuit to feed their Elven sailors
Description: Elven Tack is similar in size and appearance to a buttermilk biscuit but is pink on color rather then golden, as it is main ingredient is a ground dried seaweed instead of a normal flower. The insides remain soft and moist till broken open. Once open the Biscuits in a barrel of elven tack can remain good for up to 20 months. However Elven Tack is usually stored in specially made barrels and packed with Herbs and seaweed that drive away vermin and help keep the Biscuits fresh, so a sealed barrel could last up to a decade or more till opened. Like with Elven Rations the Elves of Minrothad learned to add ingredients to their Biscuits that prevent deficiency diseases like scurvy.
Note: Elven tack is meant to replace Hardtack in the sailor’s regular diet. A sailor will still require the preserved meats, fruits and vegetables that is part of their usual fare to have the sustenance they need to work.
History: Developed by the Elves of Alfisle for their own ships and crews during their early history. The Elves started to supply their human partners with Elven Tack when the Guilds where formed. This was one of the things that lead to the Guilds success as merchant sailors, palatable food does wonders for the morale of the crew. Today barrels of Elven tack are a big export from Seahome to the city of Minrothad for the use by the merchant fleet. Production is overseen by the Master Shellworker of Guild Elsan.
Acquiring as an Adventurer: Elven Tack is one of the open secrets of the Minrothad Guilds. Other nations know they have it, but the Guilds are keeping to themselves. They do this by only allowing it to be sold to Minrothad Ships with Minrothad Captains and Crews. A Minrothad Captain can get Elven Tack along with the other usual Iron ration fare in almost any Minrothad Port for 2sp per crewman per day in bulk, and Elven Tack takes up the same amount of room as normal Hardtack in a ship’s hold. A Crewman usually gets about 10 biscuits a day for all his meals.
Unscrupulous Merchant captains have occasionally sold opened barrels of Elven Tack in in distant ports, but it is rare. Most Minrothad ship crews are so used to getting Elven Tack that they will often refuse to ship out on any ship that doesn’t have a supply for the whole trip. A Standard Barrel of Elven Tack holds about 700 Biscuits cost 10gp and weighs 800cn.