Originally posted by Grummore
What have you done so far? So we have an idea of what you are looking for
I've gone over all of the Accessorys and adventures and compiled a list of foodstuffs and animals as well as drinks common throughout Athas. Trying to get some Ideas from You, Jon, Nyt, Brax, Brom, Scott, anyone who would like to add "Flavor" to their Athasian world. I have made up the various meats and pictures and tastes to go along with pictures and descriptions of most athasian "edible" creatures. putting the finishing touches onto it now. I'm in the Air Force so my time is limited right now.
I am sure fried spiders, scorpions, any insect, lizards and snakes are on the menu as well as birds and small mammals.
Treated and boiled Cacti should be on the menu too (Cactus causes an upset stomach if eaten untreated).
Tube-root plants such as carrots and turnips probably can be found there too.
There are probably orchards of fruit trees near the city-states.
Wheat is grown near the city states too. It is useful for making bread and beer. Athasian beer is probably not brewed for very long and not too strong. Also, beer would be healthier to drink, since it as been boiled than water. My guess is that beer and wine is drunk with every meal. Wine is for the nobles.
When a herd animal like a mekillot, dies, it goes on the menu. They all probably taste like chicken. I would be surprised if you found someone in a city-state selling herd animal meat. Mekillot is probably cheap because there is so much of it and it has to go fast before it spoils.
Also, herd animals like erdlus, mekillots and inixs lay eggs. These eggs are probably larger than a chicken's egg and provide more food. A mekillot egg could feed a family.
In the Forest Ridge, you're on the menu, unless you are the Dragon of Tyr, in which case anything you want is on the menu.
Mekillot is probably cheap because there is so much of it and it has to go fast before it spoils.
In the absence of refrigeration, meats would be seasoned and dried in a process similar to jerkey. Commoners in the cities (those who couldn't hunt their own food) would likely only eat fresh meats once a week or so, and even then it would be the worst cuts full of fat and grisle, hence the popularity of stewing meats to boil off the fat.
For the record, the Egyptians were able to create ice. Ice boxes would be possible, but not very common.
A true rarity though, and likely reserved for the wealthy. Cold storage underground is also possible, but not in the amounts required to store perishible meats and other foodstuff for an entire city.
Could you detail the process that the Egyptians used to create ice? I'm very curious about this one since I've never read about it before (not doubting you here, just curious).
Keeping the ice in ice form would be a bit more difficult and would probably require an underground chamber where ice is added over time. Would an actual ice box work? No idea, but you can make ice in the desert.
Foods- Boiling Cacti juice can made a noble's tasty syrup
Distusting as it sounds- cooked beetles which you would eat like today's lobster or sea food.
Spices...many spices.
If you're a halfling...anything walking by...even co-adventurer's toes (that game night won't soon be forgotten ):D
Originally posted by megamania
Also, keep in mind envirnmentally, Eqypt was a bit cooler then with marshes dootting the landscape.
I believe it was dotted with small lakes and marsh lands during the Last Glacier Maximum. Then, as time, went on, desertification took place. About 4000BC, most of the marshes were going and Egypted looked like it did today.
Butching a Mekellot would produce such a stench as to attract predators. Big predators.
Also, Mekillot hides should make great leather hides and armor.
There is also probably lung fish around the mountains and near the salt flats. When a rare storm hits, it causes a flash flood which settles in a stream bed. Shortly lung fish, that have been dormant for many years come out to hunt insects and can be caught to eat. You could also try to dig up a dry stream bed in hopes of finding one, but you have to be rather lucky.
Desert soils are rather fertile. If a village can irrigate a section of land, it would be most abundant.
The constant and above normal sunlight would make plants grow bigger. I expect Dark Sun vegitables to be about a half larger than ones on Earth.
Originally posted by Cyrian
I remember there was some kind of net project on the ML back in the late 90's called Herbs of Athas, or something like that, that had a lot of herbs that could be used for food and such. I thought I had it saved but I can't find it anywhere. Are all those old netprojects archived somewhere?
Net Librum of Athasian Ecology. A quick google for "Athasian Ecology" turns it up.
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Vault/2549/ecocolor.pdf
Originally posted by Ral of Tyr
[b]Well, first off, think what grows in a desert?
I am sure fried spiders, scorpions, any insect, lizards and snakes are on the menu as well as birds and small mammals.
I went through Survival school, ate a raw fish, cleaned out an apple tree, ate some bugs for entertainment value, eat MRE's when deployed to different countries so if we can eat this Elagantly, so can a tuff guy from Athas
You, do have some Gr8 ideas. Thanks for the input
MRE are designed to provide the maximum amount of nutrition. Most foods on Athas don't. In fact, I don't think the people of Athas get enough to eat and a lot slowly starve (down to the size of normal D&D characters!). Methinks the meals would be unbalanced. While traveling, hard bread is probably all there is. In the City-States, portage mixed with grains and other vegetables is the main course. The nobles feast and the wealthy merchants feast like the nobles like a Roman Banquet.
I remember a Spanish account (I think it was Spanish) of a group of Indians that lived in the Texas Desert. "What did they eat? Anything they could catch".
I also live about an hour's or two drive from a desert, well, a scrub plain. There is nothing like camping out in the desert with heat, dust and wind. I am sure you know what that is like.
Then the crabs came out.
It was a small bird, so the crab was almost as big as the bird. So you have this bird trying to hop away from the crabs as they tried to chase it down.
I was thinking that Athas, which once had such an abundant supply of water, would probably have some kind of land crab that has learned to survive away from water. They probably would not be dangerous to people (but who knows?), but they would very likely be good eatuns.
Just a thought.
:D of Athasian Ecology. A quick google for "Athasian Ecology" turns it up.Net Librum
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Vault/2549/ecocolor.pdf
I really did not know the existence of this document
I thought that in the old Monstrous manual of Athas (yes, the folder with the loose pages form 2nd ed.) was described how each monster tastes like. If I remember correctly the meat of a Fire Drake was quite spicey
I really did not know the existence of this document
Shim... shim... shim... Havent you roam through all my links? On the hugiest web page of all time? HUM ??? :D
Shim... shim... shim... Havent you roam through all my links? On the hugiest web page of all time? HUM ??? :D
Err... I probably overlooked this one I guess :embarrass
Basically egyptian and arabian peoples would take two clay pots, one smaller than the other so it could fit neatly inside with only a few inches of space inbetween, and pack the gap with wet sand. The evaporation of the water would cool the inside pot and allow food that would normally spoil in a few days to actually last a couple of weeks. The beauty is that salt water could be used for the wet sand in areas where there is a limited supply of fresh water. Hope you find that interesting.
Net Librum of Athasian Ecology. A quick google for "Athasian Ecology" turns it up.
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Vault/2549/ecocolor.pdf
Note btw, that this document does not list Athasian-specific plants (apart from a few) - it's more about ecology in general and how ecology has evolved on Athas due to the rather peculiar circumstances (extreme desert environment and psionics). I found the document as part of my research for my DS campaign (and yes Grummore, I found it through your links ;) ), and found it really fascinating. Highly recommended for the more scientific-oriented, adding a touch of realism to the Athasian ecology
Btw, at the very bottom of the document, there's a list of resource links - unsurprisingly, none of these are active anymore. One of the documents do look very interesting however:
The Unofficial Dark Sun Pages: http://www.bright.net/~bicycles/athas.html
has a list of every plant ever mentioned in a Dark Sun novel. Each listing includes a
description of the plant, including size, coloring, and practical uses. Excellent for
adding a little realism to your Dark Sun campaign. Site maintained by Tom Slattery
Anyone know if the document in question exists? I'm such a sucker for details...
I've gone over all of the Accessorys and adventures and compiled a list of foodstuffs and animals as well as drinks common throughout Athas. Trying to get some Ideas from You, Jon, Nyt, Brax, Brom, Scott, anyone who would like to add "Flavor" to their Athasian world. I have made up the various meats and pictures and tastes to go along with pictures and descriptions of most athasian "edible" creatures. putting the finishing touches onto it now. I'm in the Air Force so my time is limited right now.
I do hope you plan on publishing (as in putting it on a web site) this information - it looks really useful! Would you be so kind as to post a link on these boards if you plan on publishing? Or send me a message? I'd sure appreciate it
Mmm, kank honey glazed erdlu!
Salt would most likely be readily available all over the Tyr region, but more so in Nibenay, Gulg, Raam, and Balic than the other city states.
Various potion fruits listed in the adventures lead my to believe that a wide variety of real world fruits are gorwn in the Tyr region. Though that might not be the best source.
Don't forget that kank honey is a readily avialable sweetener, and if its anything like real honey it wouldn't spoil, only harden over time if not sealed. I believe that it was mentioned as being a common ingredient in Athasian wines and meads. And would also be a likely marinade for meats.
Mmm, kank honey glazed erdlu!
can I get that over rice with an Oliphera steamed vegetable and maybe some candied nuts from Gulg?, I'm buying
ATHASIAN FLORA
Agafari Tree – A tree of the Crescent Forest, agafari wood is extremely hard and is the next best thing to metal. The wood is used to make weapons and shields and is a major trade good of Nibenay. The tree’s bark has a bluish tint. At the top of the tree, which can be over 100 feet tall, the boughs spread out in great, sweeping fans. The enormous heart-shaped leaves are the colour of turquoise. These large trees can be hollowed out without killing the tree. The tree produces nuts, which are edible and tasty.
Arrow Weed – This plant grows in quiver-like clusters of canes. The yellow stalks of the plant are lined with razor-sharp edges which, if broken, emit a tangy, foul-smelling odour.
Berril – A blue-green moss that often covers the floor of forests. When dried it is edible and tastes like dried tea leaves.
Bramble Tree – A cultivated form of brambleweed in which the grower constantly cuts the top off of a vertically planted section of brambleweed, forcing it to grown a new outer layer to survive. When it reaches the desired thickness, it is allowed to grow. Constant attention keeps it growing as desired.
Brambleweed – A vine that grows as a thick, twisted, tangled mass of thorny brown-grey vines. There are no leaves, the stem is actually the photosynthetic part of the plant. As it grows, the older part of the vine hardens from lack of moisture. In this way, it creates its own trellis as it grows. Although hardened, the older part remains tough, providing defence for the newer shoots.
Bulis – The bulis berry has a hairy, thick brown skin that makes it difficult to peel. The small sweet purple centre can be consumed or made into wine. The plentiful wine has a sickeningly sweet flavour and is often mixed with water.
Cabra Melon – The fruit of this melon plant is thick-husked and full of succulent meat.
Cachava Plant – Singing Sticks are often carved from the straight, springy wood of this plant. Though light and extremely flexible, the wood is nearly impossible to break.
Chiffon Tree – This tree of the Tyr region has a puffy crown of golden leaves. Its blossoms are green and give off a scent of honey.
Cotton – Much of the fabric produced in Tyr uses cotton raised on the plantations outside of the city. Athasian cotton does not require much water and is a very hardy crop. Its main drawback is the backbreaking labour required to harvest it.
Dew Fronds – A jungle plant, dew fronds easily blend in with the surrounding foliage. When newly grown, the frond is three to five feet long and is a yellowish-tan colour. The plant lives off of the blood of its victims and grows the more it feeds.
Esperweed – A rare plant found only in the few tropical areas of Athas and on the mudflats near the Sea of Silt. It is a flowering plant that grows up to 3’ tall. The stalk is brownish-green and the oval-shaped leaves are 3” to 4” long. The flowers have 6 petals, each nearly 6” long. In the centre of the flower is a small circular red stamen. The petals are red at the base. The roots are highly sought after for their psionic-boosting abilities.
Fanna Tree – A tall thin tree with a dense network of branches and leaves only at the very top to catch the sunlight The leaves are narrow even when open, and fold to thin slivers in the heat of midday. This tree is very common in the Crescent Forest though it is present in other places as well.
Faro – A twisted cactus grown as a cash crop by many nobles, faro grows as tall as a man, with a handful of stems that rise into a tangled crown of needle-covered boughs. Faro trees blossom once a decade. Each piece of the sweet delicious fruit is worth as much as the tree itself. The faro needles can be harvested several times every year, and command a high price per bushel. The needles can be ground into a fine, nutritious flour that is often used in baking.
Geja – This plant produces a soft-skinned fruit which, although sweet and delicate, is ripe for only a few days a year.
Grall – A squat thorny cactus that does best in rocky areas, grall is harvested for its fruit. It produces 2-3 bulbous fruit per plant every three months. These fruit can be eaten raw (they have a strong bitter taste), but more often they are fermented for use in a strong local brew, “cactus blue” ale.
Kuzza Pepper Plant – Kuzza peppers, harvested from this plant, are extremely hot. They are often dried and ground into powder that can be blown into a gladiator’s opponent during an arena battle.
Neep – A thick-rooted underground vegetable, the orange coloured neep has a bland flavour and is often prepared mixed with other food rather than eaten alone. The sparse, hairy leaves that sprout above ground can be used as fodder.
N’ku’ru’ma – A waist tall mallow plant that produces mucilaginous green pods. The finger sized pods are protected by short, fine needles that must be removed before preparation. When roasted over an open fire, the pods take on a slightly sweet flavour.
Oleracea – A succulent leaf plant that is a staple vegetable in the region. The dull yellow, finely incised leaves grow in a small fan near the ground. Oleracea leaf can be eaten raw or cooked with meals. The leaf is nutritious but flavourless.
Pagafa Tree – A reasonably tall tree with large fronds, found in various areas of the Tyr region.
Prentel Plant – A plant of the Mekillot Mountains, the prentel plant bears bright red berries. These berries taste sweet, but induce illness and often even death.
Prickly Pear, Athasian – A form of prickly pear cactus growing in the Mekillot Mts.
Red Cactus – Red cactus is a round succulent plant known for its spiny red thorns. A type of grub makes its home inside the cactus. When a red cactus is cut open, anywhere from about one dozen to three dozen grubs will generally be found inside. The white, scaly, brown-headed grubs are quite tasty.
Rice, Athasian – Athasian rice requires much less water to grow than does normal rice. It is one of the major trade goods of Nibenay as well as the staple of the Nibenese diet.
Rock Cactus – A small spherical plant, found anywhere water is not plentiful. Generally brown, they darken to black as their amount of water stored increases. During spring and summer, rock cacti produce a bright yellow flower, but it only lasts a few hours. The rest of the year, the rock cacti appear to be roughly spherical rocks, about 1 foot in diameter. When attempting to capture prey, they wait until prey is within a few feet, then quickly extend 2-5 spines.
Rock-Holly – This plant grows in boulder sized clumps. It is found outside of Nibenay, often scattered throughout the acres of endless sandgrass.
Scuppernong Berries - Rough skinned berries that can be eaten on their own or used in the production of a thick, bitter, alcoholic beverage.
Stinkweed – As the name implies, stinkweed produces a nauseating odour. It can be dried and is often used like kuzza pepper to gain the upper hand in an arena battle.
Variegated Desert Agave – A large tree, 6’ tall and twice as wide, with curved, spiked leaves striped in blue and yellow.
Wanderer’s Staff – Thorny, yellow-yellow bushes found in the foothills of the Windbreak mountains as well as similar terrains.
Welela – The plants produce a long, thin, prickly gourd whose meat is flavourful and contains quite a bit of water. Found in the Crescent Forest, they are also cultivated outside of Gulg.
Weeping Desert Acacia – A desert plant with yellow puffball blooms which attract hummingbirds.
Yypr Tree – Tall conifers with hard, flat needles that can be boiled to make a refreshing tea.
Zaal Tree – These trees have barren trunks and fanlike crowns made up of large fronds.
FOOD AND DRINK IN THE TABLELANDS
Meat and Protein
Agafari nuts
Edible nuts from the agafari trees of the Crescent Forest.
Cost: 1 cp (one lb)
Erdlu Eggs
Eggs of the large, flightless erdlus are a common food.
Cost: 1 cp (one egg)
Meat Skewers
A skewer of baazrag, erdlu, jankx, kip, or z'tal meat served with a small hunk of unleavened bread is daily fare.
Cost: 2 bits (one skewer and a hunk of bread)
Steaks
For the more wealthy, a juicy mekillot or inix steak can make an excellent meal.
Cost: 3-5 cp (one steak)
Meat Delicacies
Mouth-watering, rarely offered meats include cloud ray and cha'thrang. These meats are very expensive, a treat reserved for the nobility.
Cost: 3-10 sp (one steak)
Fruits and Vegetables
Grall Fruit
A bulbous cactus fruit with a strong, bitter taste.
Cost: 2 bits (one fruit)
Faro Fruit
The faro tree produces fruit once decade and each piece of the delicious, sweet fruit is worth almost as much as the tree itself.
Cost: 10-20 sp (one fruit)
Geja Fruit
A soft-skinned fruit, only ripe for a few days per year, it is very sweet and delicate, retaining its sweetness when dried.
Cost: 5 cp ripe or 1 bit dried (one fruit)
Welela Gourd
Long and thin, welela gourds are prickly on the outside, but the inside is very sweet and contains a great deal of moisture.
Cost: 3 bits (one gourd)
Scuppernong Berries
Rough skinned berries.
Cost: 1 bit (handful)
Bulis Berries
These berries have a thick, hairy, brown skin that makes them very difficult to peel. They have a small, sweet, purple centre.
Cost: 1 bit (handful)
N'ku'ru'ma
The finger-sized n'ku'ru'ma pods take on a slightly sweet flavour when roasted over an open fire.
Cost: 3 bits (4-5 pods)
Oleracea
The dull yellow leaves of the oleracea plant can be eaten raw or cooked and served with meals. They are flavourless, but quite nutritious.
Cost: 3 bits (2-3 leaves)
Neep
An orange root vegetable. It has a very bland flavour and is often served mixed with other foods rather than by itself.
Cost: 2 bits (each)
Breads and Grains
Faro Bread
The most basic bread of the Tablelands, faro bread is made from grains, faro flour and water. It is rather bland to the taste.
Cost: 1 bit (bundle).
Honeybread
A common bread, made with grains, faro flour, water, and kank honey. The small, sweet, unleavened loaves are sold in a bundle.
Cost: 2 bits (bundle)
Beverages (Alcoholic)
Broy
A mead made from fermented kank nectar. It is sometimes spiced and other times left unspiced.
Cost: 2 bits (one mug)
Water-Broy
A watered down broy, which helps to slake one's thirst a bit more than thicker, sweeter broy.
Cost: 1 bit (one mug)
Blue Cactus Ale
This cheap, heavy ale is made from the fruit of the grall cactus.
Cost: 1 bit (one mug)
Beer
Common beer made from fermented grains.
Cost: 1 cp (one gallon)
Scuppernong
Thick, bitter, and silvery-coloured, scuppernong is the favoured drink among elves.
Cost: 1 cp (one jug)
Bulis Wine
Made from fermented bulis berries, bulis wine has a bluish-purple colour.
Cost: 1 cp (one jug)
Asticles Wine
This tart, dry wine is favoured among the nobility. It is a very fine drink and as such is very expensive.
Cost: 8 sp (one bottle)
Beverages (Non-Alcoholic)
Water
While water is definitely a commodity on Athas, it is quite common in the cities and is available for little or no cost.
Cost: free or 1 bit (one cupful)
Kank Honey
This sweet liquid is produced in globules on the abdomen of the large insects.
Cost: 1 cp (cupful)
Filtered Jalath'gak-blood Nectar
Another sweet nectar.
Cost: 3 cp (cupful)
Kola Tea
Made from kola nuts, which are ground into a fine powder and then steeped in water. Kola tea is a tasty beverage, which stimulates the mind and wards off sleep.
Cost: 3 bits (one mug)
Snacks, Arena Concessions
Red Cactus Grubs
These are usually consumed by slaves or indentured servants. Some pop the heads off first, others eat them whole.
Cost: 1-2 bits (4-5 grubs)
Sun Dried Kip
Sold in dried strips, kip-meat jerky is rather tasty.
Cost: 2-3 bits (3 strips)
Renks
Harmless, tasteless slugs that store water inside their bodies. Each holds approx. 1/2 cup of water.
Cost: 1 bit (5 renks)
Sun Dried Jankx
Similar to kip, although a bit tastier and usually slightly more expensive.
Cost: 3-5 bits (3 strips)
Don't forget that kank honey is a readily avialable sweetener, and if its anything like real honey it wouldn't spoil, only harden over time if not sealed. I believe that it was mentioned as being a common ingredient in Athasian wines and meads. And would also be a likely marinade for meats.
Don not forget broy- my party's favorite drink when they roll into a town.
I should be able to post it here by next week.
Thanks a bunch Kamelion, useful stuff!
Kuzza Pepper Plant – Kuzza peppers, harvested from this plant, are extremely hot. They are often dried and ground into powder that can be blown into a gladiator’s opponent during an arena battle.
Sounds kinky ;)Band2, looking forward to seeing your list. I love adding this level of detail to DS games.
Ruhl-Than Sage, all is fair in love and war ;)...
Way back athas.org received a list of the cost of goods on Athas, supposed to be a compilation of all costs as found in accessories, adventures, novels.
The list is far from perfect or complete, and to me looking up all those prices in the origianl source material and comparing them to 3E standards is a task treathening to overwhelm my sanity!
As the self proclaimed list monkey that you are, maybe you'd want to take a look at that list? The goal would be to take - like I said - all accessories and adventures that mention general prices for things and make a list for them.
Now now Kamelion, when I asked if you had anything to provide for the Guide you might have thrown those lists my way! :D
Way back athas.org received a list of the cost of goods on Athas, supposed to be a compilation of all costs as found in accessories, adventures, novels.
The list is far from perfect or complete, and to me looking up all those prices in the origianl source material and comparing them to 3E standards is a task treathening to overwhelm my sanity!
As the self proclaimed list monkey that you are, maybe you'd want to take a look at that list? The goal would be to take - like I said - all accessories and adventures that mention general prices for things and make a list for them.
That sounds an awful lot like hard work to me, Penn... ;)
I suppose I could give it a look, but I wouldn't be able to do anything with it anytime soon, what with the usual slew of other projects needing attention. Why not post it to the boards and get some input from the whole community? There are already a couple of other posters who have mentioned that they are making lists - maybe you can save on the overlap and take advantage of each other's work...
GR8Scott
/shoots myself in the head
From the posts above, I gather that 2nd edition prices aren't the same as 3.5 prices...that's rather, hrm, annoying to say the least (but not surprising)....
Also, I was wondering: are there any types of food that some Athasians eat that others would find disgusting?
Of course halflings have a penchant for -ahem... "fresh" food, but what else?
Are there any kank eaters out there? (I think that would make a great insult! "What? Did you have kank for breakfast or something?")
What about the smell and taste of different foods? I think that these details would really help make the Athas stand out as a unique place.
itf
Are there any kank eaters out there? (I think that would make a great insult! "What? Did you have kank for breakfast or something?")
The problem with eating kanks is that, upon death, their bodies flood with toxins that render their flesh unpalatable in the extreme. So you could eat one, but it's best done while the beast is still alive...
Anyone wanting a few additions to Kam's nearly exhaustive list of Athasian plants can follow my link to the one I started before I new of the existance of any others
itf
Still waiting on your list, Band2!
Also, I was wondering: are there any types of food that some Athasians eat that others would find disgusting?
itf
Sorry, it is not done yet. I want to be as inclusive as possible, and I still have to get through Dregoth Ascending. Maybe early next week.
One I can think of, off the top of my head, is that elves eat scrabs.
And of course thri-kreen eat elves.
Bon appitite!