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The Wonder of Java Root Table of contents-
I. The Discovery of Java Root Well this dates a while back. Me and a few wizardly friends had decided we badly needed a tan. Old Lamont, that snake of a higgler in Abel, Glioca bless his soul, has always had the most amazing tan. One would swear that if he leaned against a tree you would never know where he went. So me and my friends asked him where he got such fine coloring. After much vocal fencing and the diplomatic offering of a good apple pie, made from Keegan’s apples those being the best in the land naturally, he fessed up and told us his secret. The beaches of Abel; who would have ever guessed? So naturally a friends and I decided to set up a date and go sun bathing. In the end it was Zephier Beos, Andrus, Javaire, my love Kibibe, my old friend Appie, the sage of Piet, and myself. We set out early in the tenth Deoch durring that first moon when the weather was so nice. After setting up and the beach and watching my love jump around in the water in her bathing clothes ((what man can deny pleasure in such an act?)). Appie and I decided to take a walk. I grew up with him so we talked of recent times….what I had missed in Peit and he is Rucesion. The old fellow has this endearing habit of chewing on a bit of grass while he talks, and in the heat I decided that it might not be a bad idea to try chewing something myself to help out with a dry mouth from talking. So I grabbed something up from a nearby bush and stuck it’s end in my mouth. It had a bitter acidic taste but then not chewing on grass often I didn’t know what to expect and I grew accustomed to it quickly. I took only a mild glance at the bush taking in it’s dark colors with a thick brown foliage. The leaves were small and spade shaped to catch the rain and carry it down the long stalks, one of which I currently had in my mouth. Within about fifteen minutes I was skipping, humming and doing all I could not to break out into song as the old fellow talked about the turnip farming and lack of good pure water to make his concoctions out of. Far from the most captivating topic, but as of yet I suspected nothing. It was when I broke out into "O’ Rucesion, City By the Sea"(*1) in my full singling voice that Appie decided something was up. I was personally too busy trying to remember the dance steps that went with the song and improvising there on to notice. About an hour later (and a mad dash over the sand when Appie tried to take the stem away) we came back to the formerly described bush. I had calmed down a bit by now, and Appie had only to keep me from climbing a tree by stern threats to me involving his oak staff and my sorry behind. After careful examination and a taste test or two (which got even his old bones a dancing) we dug up the plant and put the whole thing in the Jar. Appie had never seen such a thing before nor had I. In fact nor had the whole of Temulair. Now that we were looking for it on the way back both Appie and I noticed more of these mysterious plants. The remaider of our day was spent cooking under the glorious sun and questioning Appie about the tree aloe he had gotten from Narve in Piet. He said she had sworn it would help get a tan. To my misfortune I tried some only to end up white as a dove’s feather. I suppose if it doesn’t work one way it must have worked the other. Appie and I took our sample back to his shop and spent the next few suns working at finding out exactly what it had done to me. We both made a habit of chewing on the stems as we worked which might explain why for four suns neither He, nor I, got a second of sleep. After these sleepless nights we finally what had been nagging us…and making our eyes hurt. This plant had the amazing property to ward off sleep. We dubbed it Java Root after Javaire who was the one who told us we had been awake for 5 days….we really hadn’t noticed. Now all we needed was a way to make it palatable. And this search for a tasty version of our sleep killer is what lead to Kavara the drink of the nocturnal. II. How you Prepare Kavara and Brew it Java Root is the base for my new drink, Kavara. But there are a few steps involved in-between which Appie and I worked out. First thing is that you only want the roots of the Java plant. They have the highest amount of what Appie calls "heaven’s snow", I call it "the good stuff". You can’t normally see if but if your grind up the roots and boil them in a small amount of water till all the water is gone you will find a fine white powder in the bottom of the pot. Do not under any circumstances eat or inhale this powder. I’ve been stuck with energy as much as those blasted kobalds can muster in the form of Mor Athar but this is a million times worse. It’s something akin to having your entire body filled with movement and then having that movement pump your blood out of your ears. After jumping into a stream it usually leads to passing our cold. If your curious it was me and not Appie who found this out. In a diluted form this tasteless white powder is what gives Kavara its sleep warding properties. The roots and not this Heaven Snow is what gives Kavara its rich earthy flavor. So getting back to my point you first bake the roots until they are a dark hearty black and they will break with a sharp snap in your hands. It’s vital that all the moisture be removed from the roots at this stage or they won’t grind probably and will make weak bitter cups of Kavara. After this you take the dry baked roots and grind them into a fairly fine mixture. You want the constancy to be a bit rougher than sand. Keep this and do nothing to it for about a week. Wherever you put it has to be completely dry so I suggest a used Fior Srad bottle or anything that is used to hold grain. We were in Appie’s shop when we figured this out so we used the Fior Srad bottle naturally. Having it in a warm place during this time is a good thing for the flavor of the Kavara, and will make it sweeter. Chill it for a powerful bitter flavor. After this all you need to do is to set the grinds in a filter of some sort. I suggest one lined with good Abel steel since it changes the flavor the least I actually found that when ground into a pulp and dried the stalks of the Java Root work perfectly as a filter. Under the suspended filter place a large glass, or steel pitcher of bowl. I would suggest the pitcher since it will keep the Kavara hotter longer. Pour one of two things though the grinds. Water will do but I highly suggest Fior Sal. The difference is the level of purity in what you’re using as your base. The Fior Sal will have a smooth even potent steaming flavor too it. Along with this it gently warms your entire body because it infuses its self into your body when you drink it. Water will give the Kavara more tone, but you lose a lot of flavor when you do this and it hurts the smell of Kavara. Make sure to serve the Kavara in warmed mugs within a hour of when you brew it or it will lose it’s delicateness. Now let me go over a quick review of the 4 things that make a good cut of Kavara: One- the constancy of your grind determines the strength and bitterness of your Kavara. The finer the grind the longer the base liquid will sit steep in it and the strong the flavor will be. Two- the roast of the roots determines the smokiness of the Kavara. The longer you bake the roots the thicker and huskier the Kavara will taste. Three – The liquid base determines the flavor of the Kavara more than anything else and needs to be as pure as you can find. Four – The location the Kavara is grown and where it is stored after roasting both change the flavor as I will discuss more in depth in the next section. Using these for elements it should be no trick to brew the perfect cup of Kavara.
III The Storage and Growing of Java Root As you might have guessed the dry sandy soil of the islands off of Abel is optimal for the Java Root as it was originally found there an no where else but it is far from the only place where it an be successfully grown. I’ve also found out that different growing environments make for different flavors of Kavara. I’ve been growing my own Java Root in my home in Rucesion while Appie has been growing his in the muddy damp soil of Piet. My findings have been thus. Dry grainy soils tend to make a more acidic flavor with lighter more energetic tones to it. You get this if you try growing anywhere near the coast of Abel or if you go far enough north on the Rucesion Isles. If you keep farther south but near the water where the soil has more sand and gravel you start getting a nice smooth medium body. This is excellent for that morning cup of Kavara because it lacks conflicting flavors and give the sensation of a huge deep cup you could just dive into. Now to my surprise Appie’s crops of Java Root thrived in the silty Pieten soil. The flavor from the higher amount of water the roots are constantly exposed to give the Kavara from these plants a smooth earthy flavor. My friends all prefer the Abel grown Kavara and tell me the stuff from Piet tastes like mud. Maybe it is just my Pieten mud loving blood talking but I love this earthy tone. All the Creag wizards I’ve spoken with agree with my tastes in that respect. I have yet to try Java Root grown in the northern reaches of Mileth, Undine, and Soumi but I will have to try them some day. Now as far as storing the Java Root it doesn’t really matter as long as it is a dry as you can get it. Anything, so long as there is no moisture whatsoever. Now once it’s been ground as I told you a warm place gives a sweet flavor to your Kavara and a cold one a bitter flavor. This is due to the oils in the grind that will evaporate of stick around accordingly. We originally stored the grinds in old used Fior bottles and found out by accident that they give distinctly different flavors to the Kavara held within. Srad bottles give it that warm sweet flavor I’ve talked about. Interestedly enough it’s not the Sal bottles but the Athar bottles that give it the cool bitter flavor. It must have something to do with how Athar stored Javara seems to dance on your tongue. The Sal storage give it more of the full bodied flavor that tingle in you and makes for a smooth even cup. This a great if your using Fior Sal to make your Kavara since you’ll always have empty Sal bottles laying around. If you want a good night time or desert Kavara try a Creag bottle. The exciting earthy tones have a terrific vibrant flavor that makes for something exciting and stimulating.
IV. Ten Great Ways to Enjoy Kavara as Part of Your Life Alright, now for the fun part. There are a number of great ways to enjoy Kavara in your life. First off is the obvious. Kavara keeps you away for on those long nights with a good book or when working on a new proposal late into the night a comforting cup of Kavara can make your night easier. I suggest something interesting and dark to keep your attention though the long night. In the morning before that early hunt in the woods it can be a great pick me up to keep your eyes sharp for goblins in the bush. On those long nights of guard duty it can help you wearers of the tabard and helpers of our city. A sharp eye for that next heretic. My favorite use for Kavara is on those cool evenings with a circle of close friends. It picks up a happy fast conversation without the risk offered by the whisky at the bar. No, Kavara won’t make it so your friends have to carry you home…though they may have to run to keep up with you. On a hot day Chilled Kavara over ice is wonderful but make sure to add enough sugar cane. As a stimulant, for personal reflection. Sometimes it is just a terrific thing to be able to sit in a cozy chair with a cup of Kavara, and think about what makes the spark of an Aisling so pure, or perhaps about that last theology paper you read in the Library of Loures. Kavara over sweet warmed milk makes something great to go with that dry pasty you got at the inn. Try dipping those hunting rations in Kavara after your fourth day deep in the Crypts to get a nice change of pace from hard tack and bat meat. Make a peace offering of Java root to a potential loved one. It goes great with Flowers. Bake with Kavara. Pour a little into that batch of Cocoa from Piet and watch your friends devour it. Kavara can be enjoyed any number of ways but I hope you try some and take if from me that a little relaxation is a good thing. Even if that relaxation just happens to lead to a song and dance number preformed by six over energized Wizards. I raise my Kavara cup to you good sirs and take care. Larsius Vespers Demagogue of Rucesion The Emerald Mage (*1) Just for fun I want to re-print that song which I hold close to me…or at least in my recent memory. Tis only a silly song so I hope ye enjoy it. "O’ Rucesion, City by the Sea" O’ Rucesion, city by the sea Gulls call over city, come to me My home by the water shall ever be O’ Rucesion city by the sea -peace and liberty free of heresy town of the sea stand for an eternity O’ Rucesion, city by the sea Gulls call over city, come to me My home by the water shall ever be O’ Rucesion city by the sea
Justice’s decree Only Rucesion see’s Shaded by green Trees Land without monotony O’ Rucesion, city by the sea Gulls call over city, come to me My home by the water shall ever be O’ Rucesion city by the sea |