Drache Cooking Tournament

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The Drache Cooking Tournament

An edited log of a cooking tournament held in #blkdragon*arena in 2009.

Detailed Information
Author: Various players; edited by Hatshepsut
Date Submitted: Sunday, September 20th, 2009; edited in 2014
Genre: Cooking, Log
Rating: PG-13 for Risqué presentation


The following is the original post on the Mailing List:

A flyer is posted around Drache, printed on rice paper in vividly colorful ink.

DRACHE COOKING TOURNAMENT

Are you a chef without comparison?  Do you have secret cooking techniques?
Prove your skill in the arts of the kitchen at the Drache Cooking Tournament on
the 20th of Hearthfire.

Contestants will gather in the Drache Arena, which will be converted into a
place of culinary battle.  Bring a dish that showcases your unique skill and
style.  Those the judges select as best will face off in a timed competition to
create a several-course dinner, competing for best taste, appearance, and
creativity.  Each course will have a surprise theme, that may require
contestants to use a certain ingredient or approach.  The courses will be an
appetizer platter, a soup or side dish, a main course, and a dessert.

The sponsors of the event will provide an array of ingredients, a set of cooking
tools, and a full hearth for cooking.  Magic is permitted, but will not be
provided with the exception of an ice mage for chilling cold dishes.
Contestants should keep in mind that magically summoned food is clearly inferior
to a discerning palate.  If special tools or ingredients are required, please
make a request with your application.

No blood or flesh of sentient beings will be permitted.

The Drache Cooking Tournament is organized by Kweitai Taste, the restaurant of
lead announcer Paiti Schulai.

Admission is free for spectators.

((Hey, folks.  Here's the deal: the tournament will be held on Sunday, September
20th, 2009, at 4:00 PM Drache (Mountain) Time / 10:00 PM GMT.  It will happen
in #blkdragon*arena.

I'm accepting applications for cooks, judges, and sponsors.  The application
deadline is Wednesday the 16th.

Cooks: Include a 1-2 paragraph description of your dish.  If only two or three
people apply, everyone will compete; if more do, I'll give the descriptions to
the judges (anonymously) ahead of time and they'll pick the best two as
contestants.  You'll be notified ahead of time if you're selected or not, and
all applicants will at least get their dishes showcased and get to RP their
reaction to the decision.

Judges: I'm looking for a handful of judges: say, six.  I'm not sure what
interest there'll be, so if I'm deluged with applicants, I'll figure out some
fair way of deciding.  Judges will be secret IC and OOC until they're announced
at the event.

Sponsors: Do you have a blacksmith character?  A grocer?  A fisherman?  A spice
importer?  Let me know, and your character/character's business will get a plug
for providing some item for the contest ("And those pots they're using are made
by Grimm's Kitchenware on Market Street!").  I'll accomodate all sponsorship
requests, within reason.

Please e-mail applications and questions to [email protected] or contact
me on IRC.

-Hatshepsut))

The Drache Arena had a bit of a makeover in the past 48 hours. A new layer of sand was laid down and two cooking stations were been set up, each with a massive brick-and-iron stove, wooden counters, and an array of tools. A table in the center of the arena was piled high with food and several event staff stood by in the wings. Up in one of the special spectator's boxes, a table was set up with fine silverware for the judges and above that was the announcer's box, where a small man and a half-snake woman stood.

Paiti Schulai was a very short man, barely more than five feet tall. He had dusky yellow skin and purplish-black hair that was shaved quite close to the scalp. His ears were slightly pointed and his bottom canines were quite prominent. He was dressed in vividly-colored robes of red and gold silk, heavily embroidered with emerald-green thread.

Fully decked out for today's festivities, Deis Nika the Lamia was in her natural form, her ophidian tail generously coiled beneath her. The woman's sense of fashion was quite radiant -- the glimmering sari she wore seemed to shift color whenever she moved, or simply when looked upon from another angle. Her hair matched, of course, spilling around her shoulders. The usual compliment of jewelry just seemed to shine and sparkle now as she settled into the announcer's box.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Paiti said, his voice amplified by some hidden magic. "Welcome, everyone, to the Drache Cooking Tournament. Here, we will put two cooks in battle, to see who has the most skill, creativity, and passion. I am Paiti Schulai, chef at Kweitai Taste, the main sponsor of the competition." He looked at Deis, gesturing for her to introduce herself.

Hidden magic? Why, whoever would say that? The lovely Lamia spoke, of course. "And I am Deis Nika, owner of the House of Magic in Market Square, here to welcome you all to the Cooking Touornament! Today's contest is brought to you by Kweitai Taste, voice amplification by House of Magic, utensils by Baske's Trading Post, and further sponsorship by P. Rumini's Apothecary. Welcome to this contest of cooking prowess!"

Paiti Schulai smiled and turns to gesture at the judges' table. "Judging today, we have several different kinds of people, from different parts of Drache. We have Trug, a construction worker with a very discerning palate and a very big appetite!" He gestured toward Trug.

At his place at the table, the mighty Trug, Troll extraordinaire, peered through his monocle at the assembled peoples. Trug was a hefty troll, some nine feet tall, and heavily built. His outfit consisted of dark woven trousers, a wine red tunic with gold trim, and a tooled leather vest from the pocket of which his monocle chain poked.

Half standing, Trug lifted a very broad hand in salute to the contestants, "Good day!" The troll needed no amplification magic to be heard, "Trug wish all contestants best of luck!"

Deis introduced the next judge. "Maker and importer of cures and sundry goods, Parin Rumini sells quality medicines, ointments, scents, candles, decorations, and just about anything one would need from an apothecary! Her shop is open seven days a week, and is located in the Market Square - feel free to sample her fine quality products after the show!"

Despite the young merchantlady's conservative black and green dresses and high starched white collars (not to mention a simple, clean, loosely-gathered ponytail of hair), Parin was a little ball of vanity. And it showed with the nice brooch of a large and nicely cut emerald and gold rope at her collar, and a pair of earrings to match. Parin Rumini, Apothecary had won this wealth with her inventive mind and keen business sense. And the fresh-faced borgeoisette was something of an epicure -- always fond of a fine dinner before a trip to the Theatre. So she eagerly hopped to the opportunity to sit and judge this special event of culinary prowess. She knew eyes would be on her in those suspenseful moments -- especially on her mouth. So Tespin Rumini had teeth nicely whitened by one of her products (a tooth powder) and her naturally bright-coral pink lips dusted dusky caramel at their edges.

In short, the jet-haired merchant looked good today. She flashed up a dramatically-accented smile when introduced. "I am very glad to be here, thank you," she said after a curious glance to the hallmarks on the silverware. It was nice-looking work.

Paiti nodded to Parin and looked over the crowd. "And finally, we have a former knight and now guard-corporal of the Drache Royal Guard, Hunter Grafsburg!"

Seeing as this was a ceremonial thing, Graf had gone full-bore and had worn ceremonial armor. He stood up and bowed politely to the crowd, though he didn't actually say much of anything. Graf was... not the best public speaker in the whole wide world, after all!

Paiti gave Graf a half-bow, then turned to the arena at large. "And now our guests for the night, the cooks who will be competing. First, we have a visitor from underground, the cook at a small bistro that serves the unique Vuulari cuisine to natives and visitors from the surface. Please, be welcome for Cook... Vraezcjellia." He pronounced the name very, very carefully.

The elder Vuulari war priestess walked confidently into the arena and were the venue to be hosting its usual fare of bloody, violent conflict Vraezcjellia wouldn't have seemed too much out of place, but this day she was prepared to show off a different set of skills, ones of a much more friendly nature, and ones that she spent most of her time practicing these days.

She was dressed conservatively, elegant but not too flashy, sporting the dark yet vivid colors of her house, and her manner was as refined and poised as her garb. Despite the malevolent reputation of her race, the old Vuulari seemed approachable, even friendly, in a relative sense of course, and somewhat comfortable around those of fairer skin.

Vraezcjellia was carrying a dish that appeared to be, shall we say, completely not surprising considering who she was? Upon a dark green plate clung a large, jet black spider, cut open, prepared, and slow roasted for the occasion. Appearances aside, anyone who would catch a whiff of the somewhat repulsive dish would find their taste buds yearning for a bite or two.

Escorting the chef into the arena was a small Vuulari who was no stranger to Drache's arena, having fought in the annual martial tournament the previous year and wowing the crowd with her acrobatic style. The silver-clad Jaz'zjaminae had been assigned to make sure that all went well lest there be some violently anti-Vuulari elements in the crowd. Jasmine gave the crowd a little wave as she entered.

The elder Vuulari modestly presented her entry "Vlos-orbb Repalninkiz" on a ornate dark green plate which was speckled with myriad flecks of silver and gold. Holding fast to the plate, as it had while in its death throes, was a large, black, hairless spider.

A rare breed it was, and quite a delicacy, especially when caught in the wild just before she laid her eggs and killed in exactly the right way to preserve the rich flavor and smooth texture of her flesh.

The spider's cephalothorax and abdomen had been split open and the digestive system removed to allow the diner easy access the three most delicious of the spider's organs: the brain, the book lung, and an ovary bulging with ripe eggs. The brain and book lung had both been cooked to perfection and were tender yet firm with the lung having been drained of its fluid and filled with a spicy yogurt cream.

Both were bathed in a warm layer of the spider's own haemolymph, a nutrient rich, salty fluid which, when a little vinegar was added, made everything taste sharper and smell surprisingly appetizing, even to human senses. The ovary had received special attention with the eggs having been carefully removed before the spider was slow roasted.

After being cleaned, chilled, and marinated in a light mixture of lime and minced onion, the eggs had been placed back into the spider, but only moments before it was to be served so that they would still be cold and delicious. So how does it taste?

Well, the dish had been compared to a meal of caviar, lobster, and stuffed salmon all on the same plate, but only in terms of those dishes' superb quality as Vlos-orbb Repalninkiz had distinct flavors all its own.

"And for your next contestant," the luscious Lamia announced, "All the way from Millakamrath, this kindhearted halfling chef with nearly eighty years' experience as Ravynettius's personal chef! I don't even want to have to think of the workload necessary for that, now! Please give a warm Drachean welcome to Orla Farrowelch!"

Orla Farrowelch peeked out, big brown eyes searching the crowd a moment, before she made her way in properly. All of three foot six, she was clad in a grey and purple gown that may have, at one point, been properly fitted. With wizened features and her grey hair bound in a bun from which a few stray wisps escaped in a frazzled manner, she nonetheless seemed remarkably fit for her age, despite her... matronly figure. She wheeled a single tray before her, of silvery make but bearing a single dish upon it.

Presented here upon a crystal dish was a simple desert, at least for Orla. A double scoop of chocolate ice cream, laden with chocolate chunks and strawberry was fried and lightly dusted with cookie crumb and glazed with a honey coating. A single strawberry, split down the middle, rested folded open atop the concoction, which itself rested upon a bed of fudge and vanilla swirl layered like snow upon golden brown pastries marbled with veins of ground cinnamon. Candied sprinkles were laid in a slowly expanding concentric spiral from the opened strawberry, about the soft swell of the ice cream proper, and then along the pastry leaves. Little dollops of stewed and pureed apple were arranged in stawrberry quarters around the pastry leaves, opening like flowers around the central dish.

Parin narrowed her expressive brown eyes and met white incisors in curious reaction to the roasted spider -- what flavors it could have between its hairy skin and its soft flesh. And then those eyes went wide, upon the arrival of a halfling bearing... Ice Cream. With... Strawberries. And Apple, and Honey, and Vanilla! Oh, the vanilla-scented, pastry and sweets-craving young woman would have to fight hard to not make her judgement in advance! She took a breath and set a hand on her black-blouse rumpled chest to settle down.

The small announcer waited for applause to die down. "The dishes you see are what qualified the cooks for this competition," he announced. "But now they will have a harder test. The rules tonight are simple. There will be four courses: appetizer, soup or side dish, main dish, and dessert. Each will have a theme. There will be a time limit for each course, and after each course the judges will taste and comment. At the end, they will decide a winner." He pauses. "The theme for tonight is the city of Drache itself. Each course will reflect some aspect of the city. Lady Nika, would you introduce the appetizer theme?"

"Well, we clearly have some variety here now, don't we, Paiti?" Deis declared. "There are entire worlds of cuisine between roast spider and ice cream on pastries! Speaking of spiders, I would like to point out that they do have somewhat of a poor reputation - certain breeds are quite intelligent, and can be domesticated and trained very easily." The Lamia Lady cleared her throat and continued. "Anyway, as the theme of today's tournament is the City Itself, so it's only fitting that the appetizers are based on its districts! Chefs, you can choose to model your appetizers after the Church District - a place of purity, compassion, and truth, your dish should represent thoughtfulness and focus, and perhaps just a little bit of everybody's favorite evil-zapper, the Royal Seal. Do be careful not to commit sacrilege, of course," she chuckled.

Trug steepled his fingers, waiting ominously for the chefs to start.

Paiti nodded to Deis. "The second appetizer will represent the Mingit District, home to a group of former refugees who made the city their home. The Mingits are known for love of strong drink and zesty food; the dish should be hearty and flavorful. The cooks will need to make two appetizers, one for the Church District and one for the Mingit District." He pauses dramatically and picks up an hourglass. "The contestants may begin!" he cries, then turns the glass over.

Graf found himself hoping he wouldn't have to eat that spider. He gave Trug a look that seemed to be saying 'What have you dragged me into?' Trug polished his monocle, missing Graf's look. Parin kept good, prim posture in her seat, and took nicely embroidered cuffs back from light-peanut tan wrists.

Orla Farrowelch fell into thought for but a moment. Finally she rubbed her small hands together. "Well now, y'all are certainly set to challenge. Purity calls up simplicity, austerity, so I think we'll start with..." She drew forth from her pocket a bag and set it down upon the provided cooktop. From this she took a pot of glyphed silver. "Eggs." She began to count out a half-dozen eggs into some water, setting it to boil for now. She worked in an unhurried manner; the little halfling woman was practiced at such things, or so it seemed. A few locks of her hair escaped the tight bun, but they were quickly tucked up behind one ear. "Now while that's boiling, let's see..." And so was produced a knife, some crisp celery, and some carrots.

"Lady Farrowelch is boiling eggs," Paiti observed. "This reminds me of the traditional Feast of Eggs, which was just this week in Drache. It was a delicious celebration. Perhaps she is planning some sort of deviled egg? It is a popular appetizer."

Vraezcjellia paused to think about what she needed to do for the appetizers. The second one seemed easier, but the first, well, she didn't know much about how to cater to the holier-than-thou crowd. After all, she'd spent a lot of her long lifetime making war on them, not serving them food. Then inspiration struck and she got to work.

"Am seem like," Trug commented sidelong to Deis, "Orla am much have advantage here. Am off to solid start, seem for have clear goal in mind. Am agree?"

"Indeed!" she replied. "Eggs have quite a few uses in appetizers, whether devilled, as part of a salad, or an ingredient in pastries, cremes, custarts, or even shredded on a crustini! Note the vegetables, too, possibly suggesting one of the former ideas. Even something as simple as shredded hard-boiled egg can go very well with something as fancy as caviar, for example - of course, both are eggs, after all."

"As Sir Trug mentions," Paiti contributed, "Lady Vraezcjellia did seem to pause. It may have been the theme; Vuulari religious beliefs are different from the Menxruk- and Pallodain-worship that happens most often in the Church District."

Deis nodded. "That is a point. Will Vraezcjellie choose to follow traditional Vuulari cuisine, or instead to reflect another aspect of Drache's churches and many myriad religions?"

"Am possible, lady." Trug nodded, one ear flicking. "Who am know? Suspense am killing Trug, am on edge of seat!"

Parin poked lightly at her lower lip with a trimmed but feminine fingernail as she observed the chef-ery. The apothecary was a cook of sorts, mixing ingredients by precise scale measure and recipe and sometimes setting them to heat... so she surely appreciated the science of the art.

"I was always quite fond of eggs as a young man. I'm interested to see what Farrowelch can do with them," Graf said, rubbing his chin.

Orla washed the vegetables quickly before peeling the carrots and cutting them with a few expert movements of the knife. Her movements were exacting, that agility inherent in her small race evident. She cut them into sticks a bit longer than what might be used for a pure dipping dish. The celery was cut similarly before she set the vegetable slices aside. While the eggs continued to cook, she retrieved sugar, some cream, some vinegar, and two types of pepper. The latter she began to dice, just a pinch off of each. She began to hum to herself as she worked, keeping half an eye on the eggs.

"I think I see peppers on Miss Farrowelch's board," Paiti said, looking through polished brass opera glasses. "Those would be for the Mingit dish, yes."

"Strong, and accented with spice, of course," Deis agreed. "But remember, both dishes are going to have to fit together -- meshing the Mingit love of hearty drink and celebration with the sublime beauty of the Church is a challenge for even the greatest master chef! Now, let's take a look at what Miss Vraezcjellia is preparing."

The Royal Seal of the Church was to be her starting point, and she thought to use colors to represent good and evil. Carefully she diced some fresh shrimp and then coated them with a scrumptious layer of ground coconut. These she fried lightly, making sure than their light color was preserved before placing them on the plate in the shape of the royal seal.

"Ah, Trug am see what lady do there." The troll nodded. "Seem to Trug that lady am go for visual theme. Unga, smart move, but am flavor much good too?"

"Oh... It seems the... er... Vuulari is bringing out shrimp," Graf said. "Very nice choice. I love shrimp!" This wasn't such an easy choice now!

Parin's bright brown eyes shifted left and right in interest, fascinated by the effort. "Those.. those are coconuts." A rich and imported flavor.

"Coconuts are one of the greatest of tropical fruits. Er... Well, yes, are they fruit, Trug?" Graf asked, looking over at the troll.

"Ah, coconut fried shrimp is a classic preparation where I come from," said Paiti. "Often, it is done with whole shrimp, but this is for the visual theme, as Sir Trug said. Very interesting. The coconuts, as with many of the more rare ingredients, are courtesy of a collection by the vendors of Market Square."

"Ooh, the Royal Seal... If anybody in the audience gets zapped, I won't tell if you won't, okay Mr. Chulai?" Deis joked. "For those new to this city, the Royal Seal is in the Royal Church, and no evil can pass by it. Creating a smaller version out of coconut shrimp just sounds positively scrumptious, doesn't it?"

Orla took a very few small sausages out next, setting them to boil alongside the eggs. Only then did she take the eggs out. She laid the eggs out and let them cool for the moment, then took out one of the dishes. Taking up a head of lettuce, she began to peel some of the crispest leaves off and laid them in a circular array upon the first dish to use as a bed.

"But what am this?" Trug turned his attention on the halfling's dish. "Lettuce, eggs, sausage... Orla am maybe go for subtle theme? Ah, Trug belly am rumble at thought!" Either that was his stomach growling or there was an angry bear under the table.

"Indeed, Trug," Graf said. "We'll have our work cut out for us, won't we?"

"I do enjoy bananas. Also, pineapples," Parin informed the crowd with a glance to the armored Guard. But the savory scent of sausage brought her smooth nose back to the culinary theatre before her. So much suspense... and the climax had yet to be served.

"Ah, and Lady Farrowelch is combining sausage with the eggs," Paiti observed. "This is a breakfast combination, no?"

"That's part of what I usually order in the Black Dragon, actually," Deis chuckled again. "But I highly doubt that she is going to pile meat on top of meat, now, is she?" The Lamia grinned, showing off those carnivore's teeth of hers. "Both dishes are looking quite fantastic, and the chefs will have their work cut out for them in impressing the judges, won't they?"

Vraezcjellia was no stranger to the cuisine of the surface world although some of the ingredients commonly used by topsider chefs were difficult to come by in the caverns beneath the earth. But when Vuulari queen mothers develop a taste for foods that come from afar, the resources to gather tropical fruits, rare meats, and far flung spices become much more available.

She finished the appetizer and set it out on the table. Arrayed about the outside of the shrimp seal, as if prevented from getting in by some pure and holy power, she had placed dollops of a rich dark cream, a little sweet and a little spicy, for the judges to dip their fried coconut shrimp in. The combination of flavors was sure to appeal to any palate, good or evil.

Orla hardly went for the detail of the seal; instead she concentrated on the ingredients. Scooping the interior out of each bisected egg, she began to make a topping of the hard boiled yolks, a bit of cream, a dash of vinegar. She ground up just a hint of the peppers she had prepared for the other dish, then with a hand whisk she began to whip the topping. She hummed a soft song as she worked it, intending to make the topping as fluffy as halflingly possible.

"I think the cream there with the shrimp had some spice added?" Paiti said. "That would give a flavor contrast with the clean shrimp. I wonder, is this a combination of the themes, or is Lady Vrazcjellia pointing out a bit of darkness in the Church District?" He turned to Orla. "Ah! And this is a deviled egg, it seems. A classic and very fresh dish."

"Ah! Trug see now," the troll said. "Devilled egg for church, much funny. Shrimp dish also look much good, Trug am sure be delicious, but am have ask. Maybe taste am bit much exotic for church district?"

"Oh, that seems to be the theme here, most definitely," Deis said. "A little bit of light to offset the darkness, if I may be so bold as to assume so. And I see... you called the devilled egg, didn't you?" She gave Paiti's shoulder a friendly squeeze with one beringed hand.

Paiti gave a humble bow. "Simply, ah, how you say... a cook's intuition?"

"Here's a question for you," Deis began. "Would a devilled egg explode if you brought it into the church?" She looked around as if expecting a cymbal cue and a drum roll.

"Oh... Bad joke, bad bad joke," Graf mumbled, facepalming.

Vraezcjellia got to work on the Mingit district appetizer, selecting a very flavorful brand of rum from a rack of tiny bottles. This she used to sauté an arrangement of fresh fruits, some from the cooler climates such as apples and blueberries, and some from the tropical regions such as oranges, bananas, and pineapples. All were fresh and delicious, courtesy of a well-stocked Market Square.

Parin sampled the fruits there at the Square very often. But right now, all she could do was sit there and keep a tense grip on her fork. She ting!-ed it against a crystal glass of water.

Orla added a dash of sugar, then just a little more, into the yolk mix as she spun it into a light, fluffy topping. Once she was done, she began to fill the eggs and arrange them by memory. Once they were set forth on the green of the lettuce, she begans to place the celery and carrots, in an alternating pattern, to mimic the exterior of the Church. Every so often she snipped a bit off here, or nicked a bit off there, to provide some degree of detail to the whole image.

"Ah, and a sort of compote of mixed fruit being cooked by Lady Vraezcjellia," Paiti observed. "With the strong rum flavor, this must be her Mingit dish. And Lady Farrowelch is also putting together a very pretty appearance for her dish."

"Well, Vraezcjellis is certainly using a lot of fruit so far, isn't she?" Deis declared. "And likewise, we can see just how she's choosing to represent the boisterous, partying Mingit district we know and love! In a surprising move from Orla Farrowelch, we see that she was intending to represent the Church district after all, by building a model of it! I love this city. Really, I do."

"It's an excellent choice," Graf said. "Fruit is, as we say back home... um... good." They had some real nice proverbs there!

"Trug am not get it," the troll responded.

"I don't know," Graf said. "Fruit is good for you. You eat it and you live a long time or... something. I haven't been home in years."

Vraezcjellia was enjoying herself immensely. Deep below in the Republic she had no competition, at least at her level, and she was enjoying the opportunity to match her skills up against a truly talented topsider chef. And, as always, she was looking for new ideas and flavors, hoping that this trip to the surface would inspire one if not many more new dishes to serve to her dark-skinned clientele. She took a few moments to glance over at what Orla was creating and was astonished to see the halfling building a replica of the Church out of her appetizer. The Vuulari nodded politely to her rival, acknowledging her wonderful idea before deciding that she would need to work even harder to keep pace.

Orla offered a sweet smile in return to the nod. "Oh dearie, this is making me hungry," she said and continued onward. This time she began to mix a sweet dip for the cut vegetables, just a light mix of cream with a hint of spice and sugar. It was quicker this time, meant to be just viscous enough to cling to the carrots and celery. It didn't take long before there was a light dusting over the whole structure. Only then did she turn to take the sausages off with her free hand. Setting them aside, then the bowl she'd been using to mix, she replaced it with a frying pan. The heat went up, up, up: enough to sear. "Now let's see dearies," she said. "I can only imagine how this is going to go."

"It seems that the sausages and eggs do not go together!" Paiti observed. "The eggs are in the Church dish, and these sausages don't seem to match there."

"Ah, but the sausages' natural zest may be an allusion to the Mingit District," Deis replied. "It's certainly hearty enough, don't you think?"

Paiti nodded to Deis. "I do think you are right. I wonder if the sausages will stand alone, or if there will be more to the dish?"

"Well, it depends," Deis joked. "It's not the sausage itself, after all, but how you use it that counts."

"Oh, yes, in f... oh." Paiti suddenly understood. "Yes, I see. The sausage. Very smart." He smiled at Deis, showing a tusk.

"I have never thought to have dinner on the Mingit side before," Parin said... but perhaps she would in the future.

"Trug am liking this." The troll leaned forward to get a better view. "Little lady am full of big ideas, am seem. Trug think am have much in store for us."

"I agree with Trug," Graf said. "Both of our contestants are doing a wonderful job at coming up with tasty-looking appetizers. I can't wait to try them out."

Orla concentrated on the next dish. She took a covered bowl from her bag. She uncovered it and peered within and her smile only brightened. It contained a corn dough which she began to pour in equal measures into the frying pan with a stark whiskey. The quick sizzling of the searing pan sent up a sudden hiss as they were added.

Shiny-haired Parin bit her lip.. this seemed to be some sort of eternal epic of ...appetizer! She glanced to Trug... and began to wonder if she should have left this job to those with troll-sized innards.

Deis looked down at the contestants. "Now, it looks like Miss Farrowelch is continuing the theme of heavy, hearty food for the Mingit District -- I could take some fried corn dough, I know that much. The question is, will our judges have any room for the other courses?"

"Not am worry about that." Trug patted his prodigious gut. "Trug am sure to have room."

Graf being a werewolf, this was like asking if a Bag of Holding could fit a change of clothes.

"We will see..." Paiti said. "The corn... biscuits, or cakes, depending on what is in that dough, with what looks like a whiskey... and sausages... very rich. Lady Vraezcjellia's food does seem lighter, no?"

"Lighter, but clearly just as zesty!" Deis chirped. "She seems to be going the celabratory route with her fruit dishes, and I see no reason why that can't also be a valid way to cook the district, do you?"

The fruits Vraezcellia sautéed until they were lightly brown, giving the natural flavors of the fruit time to mingle with the rum and producing a sharp and zesty braised flavor. Then the Vuulari took the fruit slices off the heat and immediately iced them, trapping their flavor inside by preventing their juices from leaking out and ruining the dish.

Orla watched her own frying, quickly moving to dice the small sausages from earlier, just a quick mix of them with the already diced chiles. She paused only to flip the thin coagulation within the frying pan. She kept it hot, hot indeed, going back to mix the peppers and the sausages together more. After but a minute more, she began to sprinkle the sausage and peppers onto the fried dish. It was just a light sprinkling followed by drawing the contents of the pan out onto the second dish. "Almost ready... allllmost..." She reached for her last addition. A mix of grated cheese.

Now the Vuulari set so work on the presentation of the appetizer, piercing each piece of fruit with slender sticks of various size and reconstructing them back into their original forms. The apple, banana, and orange slices were made whole again, as well as the pineapple, which was going to serve as the heart of the dish.

"Well, both are certainly something that make me hungry, I'll say that right now," Deis declared. "Meanwhile, Miss Vraezcjellia seems to be decorating her fruit right now, making it almost too beautiful to eat!"

Paiti nodded. "Ah, yes, we are seeing the Lady Vraezcellia making a cold dish with her fruit, and the Lady Farrowelch with a pepper and sausage and corn and cheese... what do you call that, Lady Farrowelch?" he asked her directly.

Orla sprinkled the cheese onto the crisped fried mix, corn crisps with diced peppers and ground sausage still simmering in the whiskey that hasn't boiled off yet. The sprinkled cheeses melted together, forming a bubbling yellow and white topping over it all. The scent was sharp, and it all settled down to a very, very thin dish. "Mmm?" she asked distractedly. "Oh, dearie, I don't call it much but delicious." She set this next to the reconstructed facade of the church, all done in carrots and celery, with a footing of deviled eggs.

Paiti laughed. "Then we can call it a savory corn pie? It does look as if Lady Farrowelch is done, and Lady Vraezcjellia is doing her final assembly. That does look very pretty, as you say, Lady Nika."

"Savory corn pie sounds quite good, if I do say so myself," she replied. "Currently, the contestants seem neck-in-neck on completion time, and considering the vast difference between their dishes, I must say that I am quite impressed."

Working quickly, as time was about to expire, Vraezcellia arranged the fruits to look as serene as an artist's still life, but with each slice oozing with flavor and ready to be plucked from the bowl. Then, to complete the flavorful ensemble, she drizzled a light amount of sweet, creamy yogurt over the arrangement, making sure to cover each piece with a thin stream of luscious goodness.

Deis looked very pretty, also, Parin thought. She couldn't help but feel a bit envious of the lamia's ability to pull off bangled, gaudy flash. The pretty snakescale body helped, though. ...oh! It was almost time! Parin set her fork down to table-level, and tucked a napkin into her blouse-collar with an ascot-like flair.

"Ah, and the yogurt completes Lady Vraezcjellia's dish, it seems," Paiti declared. "Adding a bit of zest. And it looks as if..." He peered at the glass, waited a moment... "Time is up. Chefs, would you please bring your dishes to the judges' table and introduce your creations?"

"Fantastic, just fantastic," Deis said. "Our judges have their work cut out for them now - who could judge between such appetizing appetizers, I ask?"

Unfolding his napkin, Trug placed the thing in his lap and smoothed it primly over his legs. "Am ready for this."

"Ja. Let's start." Graf had no napkin. Graf needed no napkin. Of course, armor was easier to clean than Parin's crinkly silk blouses... maybe. Ever tried getting bread and cheese out of chainmail?

Her work complete for now, Vraezcjellia took a moment to catch her breath before bringing the pair of dishes to the discerning noses of the judges. "Coconut shrimp with cocoa-jelly cream." The Vuulari spoke with a heavily accented voice, trying to make sure to get the human words right for the ingredients that she had used. "With a royal seal presentation," she added with a respectful nod.

As she looked down at her first appetizer Vraezcjellia realized, for the first time, that in order to eat the dish one would have to break the royal seal and stain the pure white shrimp with the darkness that lay all about it. This amused her, but she kept her mirth to herself, allowing the judges to inspect the first before presenting the second. "And this would be frozen tropics with rum." The elder Vuulari introduced her second dish, its sweet, rich, and juicy odor escaping as the fruit began to thaw.

Orla let a blush touch to her cheeks as she waited for Vraez's presentation before she came forth, one dish in each hand. "Well now, it's good to be able to make something that's not all sugary once in a while. This here is your basic cut celery and carrots, dusted with a creamy whipped topping, with deviled eggs that have just a hint of spice. And this, this here can be cut into chips for just a taste, or eaten whole as is. Do have a care though dears, it is just a lil' fattening. And more than a lil' spicy." Whiskey fried nachos indeed. She balances the dishes on each hand, before setting them forth for trial.

Vraezcjellia looked admiringly at the halfling's dishes, wondering how they would taste and resolving to have a few bites for herself before the next round began.

Hunter looked at the coconut shrimp meal first and smiled. He removed his right gauntlet and then, without much hesitation, picked up a piece and dipped it into the cream. After he'd chewed and swallowed the little shrimp-bit, the guard-corporal smiled. "Very nice. The shrimp and coconut is excellent, as is the sauce." He didn't give it a score just yet, though, turning his attention to Trug to catch the troll's opinion.

So much alcohol involved in the processes... and Parin, by some quirk, was never seen drinking. This prejudice wasn't on her mind, though- before her was a scrumptious quartet of tablescapes for her taking. Ever gracious for this opportunity: "Oh, thank you." And so luster-tressed Parin set to eating. Did she chow down? No, the apothecary sampled each offer in precise measurements. Teeth daintily severed celery, sheared shrimp, crunched fried corn and bit into fruit. Her mouth pouted in savoring, and her eyes spoke with bright delight. After some palate-cleansing water: "I have never had shrimp so enjoyable." But she really liked coconut. "And cocoa... so rich!" Was Parin leaning toward the dark elf this round? Perhaps... but she did eat seconds and thirds and fourths of the celery.

"Trug am think try shrimp, first." The troll nodded, then sampled the seal. Chewing, the troll rolled his tongue about his mouth, then nodded. Grunting, the troll then moved to sample the church o' egg. Once both the church district appetizers were sampled, Trug sat back, head tilted as he considered the flavors.

"I would make a comment about the egg and vegetable church being divine, but then I would have to ask Trug to backhand me," Graf said cheerfully after sampling Farrowelch's appetizer.

Paiti looked over the judges. "Do the judges have any more comments?"

"Unga." Trug shook his head, "Trug am have vote for first appetizer, no more comment needed."

"Indeed. While I enjoyed both of them greatly, I am siding with the coconut shrimp."

"Unga, Trug am have disagree, Graf. Shrimp am much good, but am very sweet, almost am overpower tongue and hide subtlety of meat. Trug think this round, am say egg dish am Trug pick."

"It seems that there are certain opinions of the judges," Paiti said, "But remember, people in the stands, the final decision will be at the end of the evening."

"Indeed, they do seem to have definite opinions on the matter," Deis added. "We'll certainly see how this plays out, won't we? Currently, Miss Vraezcjellia seems to be pulling slightly ahead in terms of appetizers, but the evening is young!"

"And so all I will say is that I cannot wait for more!" Tespin Rumini said with a clasp of her hands, the signet ring of her Apothecary Guil... er, Apothecary School gleaming in silver and onyx.

"And have you had enough of the Mingit dishes?" Paiti asked.

"Am have enough." Trug waved off the plates. "Am congratulate both contestant so far, am look forward for more."

"Likewise," Graf said with a nod of his head.

Orla smiled and dropped into a dip of a curtsey, then headed back toward her kitchen area, sweeping things off to clean up for the next round.

"Thank you all for your considerations," Vraezcjellia said graciously to the judges with a curtsey. "And your acceptance," she added before returning to her station. "Very well done," she whispered to Orla as they awaited the instructions for the next course.

Orla smiled back to Vraez at her whisper. "Isn't this fun dearie? I'm just glad to see what you have to offer. Hard to keep up with the whimsey of a demilich."

Paiti`Schulai nods. "Very well, then, the second dish. A soup or side dish, to prepare the diners for the main course. This is a bit of an open course; the theme is the BlkDragon District, home of the wealthy and of high-class restaurants, as well as the notorious and exotic BlkDragon Inn. Dishes may be whatever the cooks wish, as long as they are fine food, with culture, fit to be served at the best tables in the district."

Parin soon realized -- "Nnh..." -- that she had a bit of yogurt white on her light-tan chin, so she dabbed it up with a napkin and sat upright and ready for the oncoming side.

Orla winked at Vraezcjellia before diving into her next cooking. This time she set a great cauldron with a heavy stone in the bottom, turning the heat up high. She filled it with pre-boiled broth for now before fishing out a hefty slab of meat wrapped in brown paper.

"It seems that Lady Farrowelch is making a soup or stew..." Paiti said. "I can't tell what sort of meat that is from here quite yet."

Graf himself was leaning forward, trying to smell the meat from here. He would've been drooling if he weren't in public!

Ah, free reign, and Vraezcjellia was off in a flash. Most of her side dishes began with a bed of fresh cut spinach, the nutrient-rich vegetable being a particular favorite of hers. She fired up a pot, began to mix up the ideal dressing, and then got to work on the topping. Opening up a small pouch she poured a small pile of live worms on to the cutting board and began to slice off their heads.

Orla put on a pair of gloves before she unwrapped the brown paper. Within, the meat was wrapped in a fine gold foil, hammered so thin as to be almost translucent. Wearing those gloves she took the gold foil away, revealing the Strange Meat within, just a thin cut, but three layers. She took one out and put it direct on the coals to braise for now before going about selecting a mix of vegetables. This time she selected a mix of exotic gourds, some turnips, and some onions and garlic. Taking a knife up, she began to cut them all into diced cubes. She added them bit by bit, adjusting the cauldron so that the heat was very, very high along the bottom.

Deis nodded appreciatively. "Now, since we've given them free reign, of course we can expect just about anything. Stew from one, and worms from the other! Don't knock foreign cuisine, though... when you consider what goes into a dish like sausage, well, nothing should surprise you anymore!"

Worms? It was human instinct... Parin couldn't help but set a hand to her midsection in some discomfort. Did she have faith in the dark-elf to keep this sanitary? The aroma of the litte halfling's big cauldron stew did moisten Parin's mouth, though.

"And Lady Vraezcjellia..." Paiti said. "I see spinach, and... yes, a sort of worm..." He peered through the opera glass, seeming quite unconcerned with the unusual ingredient. "I can't see what sort. And that meat on Lady Farrowelch's fire is still a mystery, although it is surely either expensive or dangerous with the precautions. Not sentient meat, of course, which is against the rules." He nodded to Deis. �1"Yes, worms can be quite tasty. I have had a very nice fried mealworm snack."

Orla set the cutting dish aside after the vegetables have been added and slipped the gloves back on. She picked the meat up and literally wrung it out like a damp sponge into a small glass jar. A strange, green-red fluid ran off of it and she set it back onto the coals direct. Only then did she fish out some sea salt, adding a few spoonfulls, followed by ground peppers, and just a dash of cinnamon.

For the first round Vraezcjellia had stuck mostly to topsider-style cuisine, using ingredients familiar to those who lived on the surface, and the positive reactions of the judges told her that she had made the right choice. She figured that she could delve into her Vuulari repertoire in later rounds.

The truth be told, Vraezcjellia had served a number of humans in her quaint little eatery on the shore of a large underground lake... served them as guests, that is, not as her culinary creations, although she did still remember a few centuries-old recipes that she'd once used for that purpose long ago.

When those adventurous topsiders who had decided to order something exotic and uniquely Vuulari at her bistro, they were always rewarded with a truly memorable dining experience. Memorable in a good way that is, for like the Vlos-orbb Repalninkiz dish, the species of the Underdark could be made to taste as delicious as they appeared abhorrent.

"Hmm... Trug am remember worm am eat once... Ah, much am fight trug, but good with beer."

"Yeah... I've never eaten a worm," Graf said. "Or anything still living, for that matter!"

"Well, I should certainly hope sentient meat is against the rules," Deis said. "I for one refuse to eat anything that starts shouting 'Help me' when I take a fork to it." she joked again. "Now, did you notice that? A little hint of cinnamon to Miss Farrowelch's dish. It isn't well-known, but cinnamon is actually an acceptable substitute for a large number of otherwise-rare spell components."

"Hmm... I am still unsure of Lady Farrowelch's dish," Paiti said, "but I believe it is a meat with some sort of toxin she has just removed. It looks a bit dark to be cockatrice." He looks at Deis with interest. "Ah! That is interesting. It is usually a sweet spice in cooking, but it goes well with peppers."

Curious, Trug sniffed at the air, porcine nostrils flaring in an attempt to see if he could place the meat.

Orla took up that meat, and wrung it out again. At this point it was beginning to look seared, but so tender that it still nearly came apart in her hands. The fluid was a little greener this time, though as it left the meat looked a rich, rich red. She set it back on the coals before fishing in her bag. She emerged with a glyphed jar and a pair of tweezers. Opening the jar, the halfling was bathed in a strange blue-white light, and she withdrew a small crystal from within the jar. Leaning over the cauldron, she let the glowing crystal fall into the mix. When it touched the boiling water, it released an aroma reminiscent of freshly baked bread.

Now, cutting off the heads did not kill Vraezcjellia's worms, and they still squirmed as the Vuulari tossed them into a hot frying pan. That was where they met their demise, soaking up olive oil as the finger-sized creatures spent their last. Once the worms were frying, Vraezcjellia added several strips of bacon to the pan and set about cutting up a variety of peppers, some spicy and some mild.

So many things to keep track of, but Vraezcjellia had made this dish many times before and nothing escaped her attention. Vinegar and fresh cherry juice were added to the sauce as the Vuulari crushed the fried bacon strips into crumbs. When the worms were ready she emptied them out and began stuffing the bacon crumbles into their bodies, swelling them to almost twice their original size.

Orla finally took the meat off the coals and eased it into the now vigorously-boiling cauldron. It practically fell apart as it sank within. She clapped an iron lid onto the pot and turned the screws along the edge to keep it shut.

"Quite interesting," Deis mused. "Miss Farrowelch is certainly employing some unorthodox techniques there, and I for one am mystified at what she intends to cook. Meanwhile, Vraezcjellia appears to be creating quite a delicacy -- it reminds me of a few of the things my dear Zynn has cooked for me once or twice."

Parin's heart and stomach settled as the worms were transformed from squirming vermin to crisp strips.

"I wonder if it's necessary to toss them in alive," Graf said. "Like lobsters, maybe? Have you ever had lobster, Trug?"

"Trug am have lobster, not am much like. Too crunchy." Apparently no one had ever explained to Trug you take the meat out of the shell.

"Hmm... Lady Farrowelch's dish was seasoned with some sort of magic ingredient," Paiti said. "It smelled a bit yeasty when it went in. And that meat, with its ichor removed, is placed in and is cooking under pressure. That speeds up the cooking." He nodded to Deis. "Yes, it does look interesting; a sort of spinach salad with bacon-stuffed fried worms."

Orla smiled. "Now, just eight hours and it should be done," she said. She removed a strange glyphed device and began to wind it up, much like some manner of timer except with diabolic seals etched around the outside instead of time marks. She set it atop the cauldron, where it began to rapidly tick away, almost whirring after a moment, winding 'round and round.

"Lobster? Crunchy?" Graf asked Trug. "I think you ate it wrong." Parin sat pretty. And sat hungry.

"Oh, yes," Deis said, still off on her tangent. "My husband and I often cook for each other. You should see the things we experiment with -- the town would never stop talking, I guarantee that!" She nodded. "Meanwhile, that's an interesting timer Miss Farrowelch is using. I think it looks rather marketable, although we might need some variety in the symbols."

"Yes, Lady Farrowelch is using magic to speed up cooking further," Paiti said. "This stew should be very well-developed, and that mysterious meat quite tender."

Orla watched as the timer went 'round and 'round. One didn't cook for her employer without getting a few neat toys after all. The coals went out after a while but remained warm, warm enough that the stew soon simply simmered within the superheated cauldron. It would be cool enough to eat once the timer dinged.

Paiti said, "I would guess that that stew is done at this point, from the cook's perspective. That salad looks like it just needs to be assembled."

Indeed, the dish was almost complete. A dash of salt and a hint of rosemary went into the dressing and it now met the Vuulari's high standards for flavor. It too needed to be chilled and when it was heated and mixed to the right consistency she placed it on ice to cool it down. Then Vraezcjellia arranged the stuffed worms on to the bed of spinach, making an interesting spiral design.

Orla's timer dinged with a distinct little bell sound. She set it aside, then carefully took up some fabric to shield her hands from the heat. With both hands the halfling removed the cauldron, setting it with some effort and strain upon a cart. She collected bowls and spoons to go with it. "And this... is ready." With care she began to unscrew the lid.

To the salad Vraezcjellia added the peppers, fresh and raw, sprinkled over the worms, and sliced into long, wormlike strips to match the theme of the dish. To top it all off she finished the salad by drizzling her cherry-flavored dressing over the fresh veggies and fried meats. Simple and elegant it was, and oh so very tasty.

"Both contestants are working at a lightning pace," Deis declared, "Deftly assembling their culinary masterpieces for our entertainment! Who will win this battle of wills? Whose cuisine reigns supreme?"

Paiti watched Vraezcjellia. "The Vuulari lady is making much use of ice for her dishes. This is interesting." He didn't seem to notice Deis's odd, rhyming turn of phrase. "And it looks as if both dishes are ready, and just in time! Cooks, you may bring your dishes up when you are ready." He turned to Deis. "A bit of a surprise with the final adjustment of Vraezcjellia's dish; those peppers will add some heat. I hope that our judges are willing to expand their boundaries with the fried worms, and I hope that Lady Farrowelch will tell us what is in her dish!"

"Ice versus fire, I see..." Deis said. "One contestant serves hot soup, the other serves iced salad. I love the contrast here, and I think it really shows off the great variety that is Drache!"

Vraezcjellia took a few moments to see what Orla had crafted; it smelled so delicious that she couldn't help herself. Then she lifted her plate and brought it before the judges. "Cherry-pepper salad, with..." and Vraezcjellia paused as she searched for the right word. "Swi... no, bacon-stuffed cavern worms," she finished with a polite nod to the trio. "Some like it with black pepper," she added.

Orla wheeled that hefty cauldron forward. It smelled vaguely like very, very good chicken soup, albeit somewhat different. She carefully filled the bowls at the table with a crystal ladle. "Well, since the BlkDragon District is also the home of so many exotic and strange things, and yet at the same time so utilitarian, y'all are going to try something that might be exotic to you, but is so home cooking to me. Wyvern stew with essence of bread." And indeed, the ingredients look as if they were breaded before being put in, despite the fact that they weren't. "Specifically, round of Gregory's Yellow Frilled Wyvern, free range."

"So the worms were cavern worms specifically. And in Lady Farrowelch's dish, it was a wyvern," Paiti says for the sake of the audience. "They are poisonous reptiles related to dragons: a clever connection to the name of the district, perhaps. That ichor would have been the toxins being leached out. And this essence of bread, I am not familiar with, but it has given the ingredients a sort of breaded coating. Interesting."

"Ah, eating poisonous meat has a long and rich history," Deis said. "After all, they say that pufferfish is the height of gourmet cuisine, and it's nearly impossible to prepare that one without killing the consumer. All this talk makes me wonder what hemlock tea tastes like."

Orla smiled sweetly. "The Eastern Yellow Frilled Wyvern was long bred by the Ni`ahlru trolls back home as a riding and food creature. I'm not sure that they'd flourish well in this area, it might be a little too cold."

Graf looked at the Vuulari cave-worm salad first, seemingly a little cautious of the dish just because it had worms in it. But after he'd taken a forkfull and tried it, he smilled and nodded to the Vuulari woman (he still couldn't pronounce her name).

"Hmm. Well, it is cold in the caverns," Parin said. She felt like she was salivating double for these meals! Only two different dishes this round- so she alternated samplings at a quick rate. Spinach curled around pieces of worm as she bit and chewed- and then she spooned cheekfuls of the halfling's stew. "Not so bad, not so bad indeed..." she murmured at the swine worms... but then the stew summoned a a grin across her napkin-wiped lips. "Oh... wow." Was it the wyvern meat? Not really: "...I had forgotten how much I love turnips." Such a mundane element of the meal was hitting Parin's spot just right. She proceeded to spoon out each and every turnip bit in her portion.

Hunter looked over at the wyvern soup next, very much interested in this one as well. He took a bit of it, and especially enjoyed the actual wyvern meat. "Exotic meat is a common staple of my homeland's diet," he said, after sampling a large bit of it.

From Trug's end of the table came a loud slurping, the tail end of a worm dissappearing into Trug's mouth. "'Scuse," the troll smiled apologetically, then chewed his food like a good troll.

Paiti`Schulai nodded at the tastings by the judges. "Final comments from the judges for this course?"

Nomfing a bit of the stew as well, Trug considered, then once more shook his head, "Trug reserve statement for end."

"I believe I will follow my troll friend's example as well," Graf said.

"I feel as if I can fight an entire war on this hearty food," Parin commented after a sip of water. "If I were inclined to such, of course. I'm having a great and peaceful time."

Vraezcjellia was relieved. The cavern worms had gone over wonderfully with the judges and now she was eager to roll out something distinctly Vuulari for the main course. "Your compliments are welcome words," the Vuulari said politely to the judges. She maintained her formal manner, which wasn't too different from how she normally behaved.

Parin's comment about war caught her ear and for a moment she wondered if the woman was just being complimentary or if he was intimating something. She decided not to make any apparent note of it, hoping that all was well and that no racial undercurrents were coming to the surface. Another war with topsiders was not what she desired in the least.

Paiti nodded to the judges again. "Thank you. Then the next course. The main dish. The theme for this dish is the Wharf District, the place where ships take harbor and bring ingredients and people from across the seas to Drache. It is also where the fishing boats land, and this is the theme for the course: seafood. Your dish should speak of the Wharf District through fish, shellfish, and other products of the sea and the river."

Orla clapped her hands. "Ohh!" And so the little curvy halfling woman dashes off toward her cooking area, almost immediately she dives into the idea.

"Ah, seafood..." Deis commented. "That's a specialty in this city, you know. Considering the great variety our contestants have shown so far, I am definitely looking forward to what they are going to make. What do you think, Paiti?""

Paiti nodded. "I think that we will see some interesting dishes. I am a bit concerned for Lady Vraezcjellia, as she may not be as familiar with surface fish, but I am confident that she can adapt her experience. After all, her restaurant is lakeside, and I believe that the Vuulari often cook with snails and shelled creatures which are similar to our surface shellfish."

"Yes, indeed," Deis agreed. "At the same time, she already has experience in cooking arachnids. Some principles of this might apply to crustaceans - and besides that, who doesn't love a good old-fashioned fish fry?"

Orla produced... another large pot, followed by a sea turtle. She set the turtle down, where it blinked and looked across at the Vuulari with sleepy eyes. Meanwhile the halfling dove into her supplies again, producing double handfuls of large table shrimp, pre-cleaned. These she set in a bowl along with a number of shark fins and fish. She went about filleting the fish first.

"And we have many kinds of seafood on Lady Farrowelch's side," Paiti said. "A turtle, as well, another favorite in my home of Taopai. This is one of the small southern varieties, not a Taopei turtle, which is large enough to ride. I am guessing a turtle stew."

Seafood. That gave Vraezcjellia pause as she searched through her memory for the ideal recipe. Topsiders are prone to believe that the earth below their feet is mostly miles of lifeless rock, and that the only things which live down below are confined to the caverns near the surface, but as the Vuulari knew quite well, the underdark was brimming with life, although strange and often deadly.

And the deeper one went. the more life there seemed to be, but seafood? Well, there were no oceans as topsiders knew them down below, but there were numerous underground lakes which hosted a variety of species both common to the surface and uniquely subterranean. It was one of these species which Vraezcjellia decided would serve as the ideal main course.

"I see, I see - a stew would be a good guess," Deis said. "Note the shark fins, as well - and this brings up an interesting thing. Have you ever noticed how most delicacies really exist because of the poorer classes? Take gumbo, for example - it's essentially leftovers prepared to taste good. Tell me, would you eat a shark's fin if you had access to the rest of the shark?"

"Well, I must disagree;" Paiti replied to Deis. "The shark fin is a very interesting part. It is not very flavorful, but has a pleasant texture and adds a weight to a soup. It is also a bit hard to harvest, as large sharks are not easily caught."

"Oh, it's interesting now that we've tried it," Deis said, "but you must put yourself in the mindset of it as a new, untried dish."

Orla divided the fish into two dishes. One she begins to sweep into the pot of water, which is set to boil; the rest she puts with the shrimp. She sets out a second large pot, this one with a locking lid similar to the cauldron she used earlier. Instead of water, this time she begins to fill it with fat, bringing it up in temperature quickly. Only when those are prepared does she begin to bread the fish and shrimp, rolling them about in a flour and crumb mixture, occasionally adding just a hint of lemon.

Parin's coralpink lips pouted something of a sympathetic frown to the turtle. Such a cute animal! But so could be chickens, or cows, or fish... she shook it off with a shake of her shiny black locks and ate a last piece of turnip as she awaited the results.

Orla set the fish and shrimp next to the fryer before looking at the turtle. The turtle looked back, and then with a flick of her knife the head was gone, a startled stare fixed on those glassy eyes. She quickly went about draining the blood before she opened the soft shell.

Paiti peered at Orla's board. "Lady Farrowelch seems very fond of breading things. Both cooks like frying, as we saw with Lady Vraezcjellia's appetizer and worms."

Deis nodded. "Yes, she does. But then frying something is often a good bet in almost any kind of company. It's also quite variable, allowing you to think on your feat a little more. I do wonder what surprises Lady Vraezcjellia has in store for us, though!"

"Yes," Paiti agreed. "It seems she had to think for a moment, but she seems quite decided now."

First things first, Vraezcjellia needed the ideal marinade... well, two, really, as she would have two distinct flavors which she needed to conjure. Her spice rack got a workout as she mixed in flavors gathered from all over the world, some into one bowl and some into another, making sure that the two concoctions would compliment each other perfectly.

She quickly heated the marinades and then set another pot out for her quinoa, the ideal grain to go with the dish. Now she was ready to get to work on the meat and she signaled to Jasmine to bring her an elliptical stone which rested on the ground nearby. The silvery Vuulari warrior did so, showing her strength as she hefted the rock on to the table beside the chef.

Orla added quite a bit of the turtle meat into the soup, as well as the shark fins, all at once. Onions and lentils went in, as well as some sweet greens and basil and a few tomatoes. After she set the soup to boil she turned to dump the breaded fish and shrimp into a frying pot. Once she locked the lid in, she took up some potatoes. She hummed to herself, keeping an eye on the rest as she peeled and sliced them. The sliced potatoes were set aside as she produced three plates and a single bowl for each. The trio was carefully arranged upon a tray. Only when the fish and shrimp were done with their fat frying did she take a netted steel spoon up, drawing them out piece by piece. She laid the fried fish upon a bed of sliced bread on each of the plates, only to then turn and add a dash of salt and sugar into the still-boiling oil.

"Hmm... I see... is that quinoa?" Paiti asked. "A rare ingredient. It is... a bit like brown rice? Or couscous? I am not sure what that stone is for. And on the other side, the fried seafood is perhaps an accompaniment to the soup, which is turtle and shark fin... and that oil may be for those potato slices. Fried potato crisps are very tasty."

"Well, clearly they aren't going to expect the judges to eat stone, so we can get that out of our head," Deis joked. "And yes, I agree; I must admit that thinly-sliced fried potato is a personal weakness of mine!"

"The stone could be for pressing or crushing something..." he mused as he watched.

Vraezcjellia then did something very curious. She set her hand down upon the rock and whispered a few harsh-sounding Vuulari words, invoking a minor magic. Then she drew up her hand and below it there was a shimmering... well, a shimmering something. It was hard to tell what it was beyond the fact that its fins indicated that it was some sort of fish, but it also had tentacles and a mouth like a squid.

And what was more was that it didn't always seem to be there at any given time. Part of it disappeared as other parts of it reappeared and its color and texture changed from moment to moment. It was extremely rare, almost unknown on the surface and seldom seen even in the Underdark, but Vraezcjellia had been saving one for a special purpose, and this was it.

"Oh!" Deis declared. "Well, there's our answer - it appears that Vraezcjellia is cooking Aboleth! Is that sentient, though? I know the question is debated among some circles."

Paiti peered closely. "It may just be a related species... it is very small, and I do not remember that shifting being natural to aboleth. Certainly some sort of... what do you call it? Aberration?"

Orla indeed dumped the sliced potatoes into the fryer before looming over the soup. She drew in the scent before taking up a little salt. She dashed this into the soup followed by just a bit of butter. Thyme and parsley soon joined the mix.

Parin again ground the edges of her white teeth as she tried to imagine what sort of texture an underworld creature could have.

"True, it might be," Deis said. "Aberrations are definitely an unmined source of cuisine, though -- once you've tried Chuul, you'll never go back to lobster, trust me. Meanwhile, Miss Farrowelch seems to be relying on providing more of an old-fashioned home-cooked feel to her dish, possibly to counter her exotic theme during the soup."

"Yes, her soup this time is certainly very classic, although cooked well," Paiti replied. "I am still concerned with the aberration, though; like wyvern, many require careful preparation to make them safe."

"Am smell much good too," Trug interjected. "Trug am not sure what am try chuul though. Lobster not am impress Trug."

"Lobster's excellent, Trug," Graf said. "You just ate it wrong. You have to get the meat out of the shell first."

Now came the hard part: the dissection of the creature into its component parts and the removal of the inedible ones. For this Vraezcjellia required a special knife and a lot of patience, for even though it was dead, the creature would not stop shifting from one state of existence to another. The Vuulari took a deep breath and slowly began to carve away at the creature, removing its scales strip by strip.

The delicate operation couldn't be done on the cutting board as the creature would slowly phase into the wood, so Vraezcjellia had to hold it aloft in one hand while wielding the knife in the other. Eventually she was able to remove a dual sac-shaped organ from the body of the creature and squeezed half of it into one marinade and half of it into the other.

Orla stirred her soup as she let it boil before finally taking the potatoes from the fryer. She set them up so that each dish had its share of fried shrimp, fish, and chips. The soup? That's left to stew away for now, while Orla arranges sprigs of green about the plates as decoration.

"Ah, watch how Lady Vraezcjellia dissects the creature," Paiti admired. "See how it continues shifting even after death?" He looked over at Orla. "Lady Farrowelch has the advantage of speed, however. She has time to arrange garnish, as her dish is effectively done. Can her opponent complete her dish in time?"

"We'll definitely see about that!" Deis announced. "It looks like Lady Vraezcjellia knows what she's doing, although her earlier delay might cost her. I don't know about you, but I am quite curious how the aberration will turn out." The Vuulari's name became easier to pronounce through repetition.

Orla smiled as she fished out a small container of brown and red spice mix. "Should be just... about... ready," she said. "Just need to give it a lil' spark of flavor." She sprinkled just a pinch into the soup. "Hazzam... there we go." And so she stirred the soup and began to serve it up into the bowls.

Now it would be easier for Vraezcjellia, although not easy. She took the marinades off the heat and poured them into two bowls. Then she began to remove the flesh of the "rock-swimmer", letting each piece fall into the bowls underneath. The squid parts went into one bowl while the fish parts went into another, and the clear fluid which she'd squeezed into the marinades kept the meat from falling through.

Vraezcjellia worked quickly now, knowing that time was of the essence, but she wanted to make sure that this dish, this rare dish, came out perfect. She made she that all the tastiest parts of the rock swimmer would be included, even those hard to get at, since they were the most tender and succulent.

"Ah, I see now," Paiti said. "The creature is both squid and fish. She is preparing the parts separately. The creature can pass through things; I wonder how it is kept from falling through the diner's stomach?"

"Well, it seems quite capable of remaining in those bowls, so I think their stomachs are safe," Deis said. "If not, that would provide an easy solution to anybody worried about their weight, wouldn't it?"

With the meat prepared and marinating, Vraezcjellia fired up the grill to high heat. A little magic was used to help the marinade penetrate into the meat since she didn't have the time to let it soak in naturally, and after she did that the Vuulari spiced up the quinoa with diced tomato, sliced pickles, and a light basil cream. Then she emptied the rich grain on to the ornate serving platter.

Now it was time to cook the flesh of the rock-swimmer, which actually needed very little heat to bring out its flavor. Vraezcjellia poured the two meaty marinades into two separate pans and passed each one over the roaring flame. The crackle of flesh could be heard and buffets of steam erupted out of both pans as she worked quickly, trying to make sure neither plate became too hot.

"It seems that the meat is being quickly braised or seared..." Paiti said. "No, it looks more like a stir fry. It is a very quick cooking method, which is good, as there is little time left..." He keeps an eye on the time glass.

"Good, indeed!" Deis said. "I also see that she used a little bit of magic to speed up her cooking, but that's completely all right in light of Miss Farrowelch's techniques on her soup, would you agree?"

"Oh, of course," Paiti responded. "Magic is fully allowed."

And just like that, it was done. Vraezcjellia moved the crackling pans over the serving plate and emptied their contents on to the bed of quinoa. The fishy parts ended up on one side while the squid parts on the other, and still the flesh faded in and out of the prime material plane.

But the marinade held the meat of the rock-swimmer in place, as it would as the flesh was digested, although the meat would occasionally avoid the diner's fork if they did not eat with a keen sense of timing.

"...and just in time, Lady Vraezcjellia is done," Paiti announces. "Cooks, please present your dishes."

Orla smiled as she wheeled her cart out, everything still sizzling, but not quite hot enough to burn. "Here we have fried shrimp, fish and chips, and turtle and shark fin soup. Classic but hopefully pleasing to the palate." She then offered the dishes to each judge in turn.

The Vuulari wiped a few beads of sweat from her brow and admired her own dish for a moment, hoping that she would get a bite of the rare treat before the contest was over. Then she brought her entrée up to the judges table, setting the curiously phasing dish down before them. "Rock-swimmer on a bed of quinoa," she announced. "I assure you, it is safe to eat."

"Excellent!" Deis declared. "Well, I have to say that the competition has been neck-and-neck so far. What do you think of the dishes, Paiti?"

"Very interesting, Lady Nika," Paiti said. "Lady Vraezcjellia has been conservative, but I believe she has let herself put more of her Vuulari culture into her dishes. Lady Farrowelch's dish is more simple this time."

"Exotic Drow dishes mixed with exquisite home-cooked meals!" Deis said. "These chefs clearly know their stuff, I must admit!"

Sniffing the dishes, Trug sampled his, then smacked his lips. "Ah! Turtle am very good, soft, succulent, Trug am much like!"

Soup and fish and chips. Parin naturally salivated in anticipation of the salty flavor, and so the well-enunciated young woman's tongue tasted the halfling's dish before the darkelf's. The textures were mostly expected... but this could be a good thing, as evidenced by her enjoyment of the turnips. And then... the rock-swimmer. Parin suckled at a chunk under a chipmunked cheek. "So many layers of flavor..." They seemed to phase in and out.

"I will let you know that I love seafood a great deal," Graf said to both contestants, looking over their respective dishes. He tried Farrowelch's first, and seemed to enjoy it a great deal. He also tried the Vuulari's next and picked up a bit of it, to see if it would even stay in his hand... But after eating it he grinned. "You two have outdone yourselves."

Sampling the rockswimmer, Trug took one bite, then another, "Unga! Much good!" The troll nodded.

Vraezcjellia also took a moment to relish having a taste of Orla's seafood soup. Turtle, shark, shrimp, and sliced potatoes, too. It sounded, and smelled, delicious. "A wonderful combination," the elder Vuulari complimented her opponent.

Orla smiled sweetly to Vraez, offering a curtsey. "Thank you. I'm interested in what you prepared, but unfortunately I think my boss would kill me outright if I ever served him anything like that." She offered an impish little grin. "He's... set in his ways."

Vraezcjellia smiled just a touch at the Halfling's remark. "Indeed, and the rock-swimmer can sometimes play havoc with certain magicks. So be careful who you serve it to," she replied.

Paiti looked over the judges. "Any further comments before we move on to the final course?"

"No comment," rumbled the troll, filching another last bit of the turtle stew.

"No comments either, I think," Graf agreed.

"I can already say that this is the best dinner I ever had." Parin said with her hand-clasped and gently bowing manner.

"You've been very gracious," Vraezcjellia said to the judges, pleased to see that her prized entrée had gone over so well. Now she knew that the experience had been worth the trip.

Paiti`Schulai nodded. "Very well. The final dish is dessert, and if you know Drache's culture and geography, you already know the theme. The Red Lantern District. The cooks must each prepare a dessert that is rich, decadent, and indulgent, just like the district where money and beauty can pay for most things that can be thought of. After this course, there will be a final tasting, and then a decision by the judges." He turns over the timer. �1"You may begin."

"Now, hopefully they won't imitate the Red Lantern district too much, of course." The snakelike commentator gives another little laugh! "After all, there are children present in the stands!"

"Well, if so, their parents will simply need to cover their eyes." That's Paiti's free-love-and-anarchy cultural background talking, surely.

"In my experience, parents rarely like to do their parenting themselves," Deis observed, "But ah, that's another topic entirely! Now, Zynn has surprised me from time to time with some rather delectable Drow-ish treats. I do wonder what the Lady Vraeczjellia is going to surprise us with! Similarly, I must admit curiosity on Farrowelch. Considering her penchant for comforting, home-style meals, she certainly has the ability to surprise us all!"

Paiti nodded. "Home-style meals using very... ah... fancy ingredients, no?"

"Fancy enough, more than definitely," Deis replied. "You know, there's a meal from my homeland -- Rashnad, for those of you who need the reminder -- which is essentially made from a yogurt-based batter, fried quickly into pastry and soaked in boiling syrup. One taste and you can feel your teeth rotting, but it's absolutely divinely devillishly addictive." The dish that Deis described is called Jalebi or Zoolbia. It is like eating a cavity.

"Perhaps we will see a similar preparation tonight," Paiti speculated.

Hunter snerked. "I really hope they don't serve us a cake that looks like a... well, you know," he mumbled to Trug.

"Not am know?" Trug clapped Graf on the shoulder. "Lady Orla am use Trug as model!"

"Nevermind..." Hunter mumbled with a roll of his eyes.

Parin blinked lashy eyes. "I have never really been there." She wasn't naive enough to be clueless, though. Actually, not naive at all. Parin had been quick on the uptake her entire life.

Ah, dessert. Vraezcjellia sighed and moved back to her station. Desserts weren't much of a part of the average Vuulari's dining experience. Most Vuulari lost their taste for sweet things once they grew out of adolescence and seldom wanted a dessert course, but Vraezcjellia was not at a loss for this portion of the competition.

Orla wandered back over toward her place. "Mmmm... something rich and decadent for dessert. I wonder if I can handle that, what with Lord Tivaurd's strict dietary regimen." Mumbled mostly to herself, of course. She set bowls out and retrieved flour, sugar, eggs, sugar, honey, sugar, fruit, sugar... vanilla, cream...

She took some vanilla and pineapple and began to mix it up into a cake with eggs, cream, butter, and yeast. She just whipped it all up, using some manner of enchanted whisk from the looks of things. There's the regular scrape and tap of the whisk against the interior and the sloshing froth of the air mixed within. She set it aside after a moment, then diced up a mix of strawberries and pineapples.

Vraezcjellia got to work preparing a treat that she often made for Vuulari children as a reward for when they were exceptional. She laid out a number of pots and began to stir up a different tasty substance in each one. Sugar was used in abundance, as was cocoa, butter, and milk. And cinnamon found its way into the mixture here and there.

Before long Vraezcjellia had several sweet flavors brewing. But making them was not the difficult part, the trick was constructing them into the proper shape, and for that Vraezcjellia prided herself on not needing to using any magic whatsoever. Carefully she prepared her workspace, laying down a bed of powdered sugar, and arranging her sources of heat and ice where she needed them to be.

"This time I see that Miss Farrowelch is using fruit in her dish," Deis observed, "whereas Vraezcjellia is immediately beginning with the sugar."

"Ah, Lady Farrowelch is preparing a cake," Paiti said. "It looks to be very light. As for Lady Vraezcjellia... something chocolate? The many pots make me think of truffles."

"You know that I love cake..." Parin practically sang as she pinched the edge of her table.

Orla took a jar of elderberry jam and carefully poured it into a metal injector with a rubber stop. She turned back to the mix and stirred in the diced fruit, getting a nice, even distribution before pouring it into two roughly dome-shaped molds. Once this was done she put them in the oven. It's set low for the moment, while she turns to begin to gather up the cream again. Adding a bit of sugar and cream into a mixing bowl, she adds some vanilla extract, and begins to whip it up once more.

"Truffles..." Deis said. "By that do you mean the mushroom or the confection? There is quite a bit of difference, and you certainly don't want to mix them."

"Oh, the confection, of course," Paiti replied. "It is done with different kinds of chocolate preparation. As for Lady Farrowelch, she has her cakes in the oven, with much fruit, and has jam ready for injection... and seems to be making whipped cream."

Orla set the whipped vanilla cream next to the jam and filled another injector with it. She rolled out some pastry dough, added honey, rerolled it, and added more honey.

One pot the Vuulari poured out on to a hotplate, quickly making a flat waffle no thicker than a lurinthoon. This she cut into two pieces and rolled them into hollow tubes, one twice as thick as the other. Then she began dipping the rolls into several of the other pots in turn, letting them get coated with a layer of sweet-tasting goo and allowing them to harden in the cool night air.

Another pot Vraezcjellia kept hot while another was placed on the ice to cool. She made sure to stir that once from time to time, flavoring it with a touch of minced blueberries. Layer by layer she dipped the rolls into the pots, and each time they changed color... black, brown, white, and then black again. She did this a full six times each.

Orla left the rolled pastry dough out then took up another pot. She set it on a fairly low heat for the moment and added a mix of sugar, butter, and vanilla, letting it simmer into an even caramel. While it cooked she went back to the pastry dough. She set a frying pan on the stove top, filled it with a mix of butter and lard, and set it on a high heat.

"Lady Vraezcjellia is dipping some rolled flat waffles in... hm." Paiti peered closer. "Chocolate, and some sort of candy, in layers. It is very complex. And Lady Farrowelch has a flaky layered pastry that she's preparing; I don't know how that will combine with the cake."

"Layered rolls. Like the strata of the earth deep into the ground," the scientifically-inclined Parin observed.

"Now, see, it's at this moment that I should suggest leaving the announcer's box and eating everything in sight," Deis said. "I promise to maintain my cool, though." The snakey lady nodded. "Puffed pastry can be difficult to use properly - it does not have a long shelf-life, and you have to prepare it carefully so that it does not go soggy with the rest of the dessert."

Orla quickly moved to take the cakes out of the oven, still somewhat soft, just shy of done, then picked up the injectors. She added the whipped cream first, filling the cakes near to the base with quite a bit, before flipping each cake over onto a single larger pan. In the upper portion of each cake she added the elderberry jam, just under the surface, leaving a little divot to escape the top of each dome.

Now the elder Vuulari chilled the large tube and heated up the small tube, but no so much that it melted the layers of chocolate surrounding it. Carefully she wrapped the small tube around the large one, in a spiral pattern, then she chilled them both and set them aside.

Next came the caramel, which Vraezcjellia took off the heat and allowed to cool into a workable consistency. She used that time to fill the large tube with the blueberry cream, stuffing it full of the frozen mass before sealing then end by dipping it into the dark chocolate pot. The thin tube she also filled, with a warm chocolate syrup, and sealed it shut as well.

"Do your people use puffed pastry often, Lady Nika?" Paiti asked.

"No, we're almost strictly carnivores," she replied. "It's something that I picked up on the road. Have you had much experience with it, Paiti?"

"I have prepared it once, but it is not familiar to me. We do not use wheat flour very often where I am from." He looked over the cooks. "Lady Farrowelch is filling the cakes with whipped cream and jam, in different places. She also still has caramel, the puffed pastry, and a pan for frying. Lady Vraezcjellia has combined her tubes of waffle into a sort of... ah, the Common is... what is that shape called, Lady Nika? A spiral with depth?"

"A cone?" she suggested to Paiti.

"Ah... hm. Maybe." He sounded unsure.

Orla quickly took the pastry sheet up and off of the pan, draping it very quickly over the cakes while it was still somewhat flexible. The high heat and the thinness of it caused it to drift slowly downward, losing its form until both cakes are covered with a fluffy layer of the fried honey pastry. While this settles, she very carefully dribbled the caramel over the pastry-coated cakes, coating each with a thin layer to keep the pastry bits together.

Caramel... chocolate.. blueberry...elderberry... cake! It was a good thing that Parin hadn't engorged herself on the previous courses- there was room for this one.

Coating her hands with powdered sugar, Vraezcjellia set to work transforming the chocolate covered tubes into a familiar creature using the hardening caramel as an artist would use clay. Carefully she formed the head, the legs, the antennae, and the wings, attaching them to the tube by wrapping caramel strips around the body. Quickly she worked, knowing that time was short.

It was taking shape now. A cock it was... excuse me. A cockroach it was, the perfect symbol of the decay and filth that was the Red Lantern district. Vraezcjellia put the finishing touches on it and then set it next to the ice to harder the caramel so that it would stand on its own. She took a step back and relaxed, tired but pleased, and happy to have had this opportunity.

"Ah!" Paiti exclaimed. "Lady Farrowelch is... coating the cakes with pastry. This is a complicated dish! Twin cakes, perhaps a suggestive shape? And her opponent's tubes have been filled with frozen blueberry cream and chocolate, then... ah! It has been shaped into a beetle of some kind. A critique of the district, maybe?"

Orla let her dish settle for now. The structure indeed seemed to require a fine touch to prevent collapse. The elderberry stained the cake and the pastry in turn lightly near the top of each dome. She added a single cherry atop each caramel coated cake.

"Well, clearly Lady Vraezcjellia has a message she wants to impart about the nature of the Red Lantern district, would you agree?" Deis asked. "Whereas Lady Farrowelch has clearly decided to illustrate general rich opulence and consumption -- a subject that I know nothing about," said the lady with more jewelry than most dealers ever see in their lifetimes.

"Ah, I do think the cherries top off the cakes nicely," Paiti said. "Is now when the children should have their eyes covered?"

"Pfeh," Trug snorted. "Child am see worse every day."

"No, not quite yet, I wouldn't think," Deis said.

Parin, the merchant, (a woman of reasonably womanly build) made sure her hand didn't settle on top of her chest, as it often did when she admired something. And the cockroach was quite an... "Elegant." ...sculpture, for such a vulgar creature.

Orla let the cakes cool for a moment before hoisting them up with a bit of a wobbling jiggle. She set them on the wheeled cart she'd been using for her deliveries with care. "And there we go."

Paiti looked over the dishes. "The desserts seem complete, with time to spare! You may present them to the judges."

"Do the judges still have room, I must wonder?" Deis asked.

Trug was reaching for his knife and fork, which answered Deis's question. Hunter just grinned and cracked his neck. Loudly.

"I think that they will be able to do so," said Paiti.

Vraezcjellia took a few moments to pour over Orla's amazing pastry, taking a few mental notes on her style and technique. Now she was hungry, and was glad that the contest was over so that she could indulge herself too. Carefully she removed her sweet cockroach from the ice and set it on a dessert plate, taking it over to the judges and setting it before the trio.

"Vuulari children all have their own way of eating this treat. Some bite off the wings and legs first and some go straight for the blueberry iced cream," Vraezcjellia explained, fondly remembering their happy faces. "But you need to pay heed to the spiral tube, for it is full of warm syrup, which will pour out all over you if you bite into it carelessly."

"The body is made up of layers upon layers of chocolates. Creamy white chocolate, rich dark chocolate, and smooth milk chocolate. A delicious combination," the Vuulari added. "Sometimes they crumble, but that simply adds to the fun of eating it."

"And the cockroach is an honored creature for the Vuulari. We respect its hardiness and tenacity," Vraezcjellia explained, not wanting to get into the details of Vuulari religion for fear that it would repulse the judges. "Although they can be pests in our caverns just the same as they are pests in your homes."

Orla flicked the tip of her tongue over her lips at the description of all the chocolates. "Oh dearie, there you go getting me all wanting." She wheeled her own cart over, the cakes giving a sway with each step. She hoisted the tray up once more to set it forth for the judges consumption. "Plump, cream filled cakes of mixed origin, ready to taste. Just... be gentle."

Mixed-origin Parin Rumini did have room. Although she was hesitant about the halfling's pair; the idea of being seen with that dessert was more embarassing to the genuinely busty (although modestly clad) Apothecary than the concept of eating a large cock...roach. It was that cool/hot roach that she went for first, letting bits melt on her tongue after taking them off with a fork.

Graf took a bite of the cockroach. It was... pretty good actually! The fact that it looked like a dessert and not a real cockroach (to Graf, at least) made it pretty easy to eat. He gave a nod of approval at it. Trug went for a wing, curious about the taste. He then sampled the boobcakes, careful as directed. While he chewed his bite, the troll scratched his chin. Once he'd eaten up his bit of the cockroach, Graf turned to Orla's cake, which made him grin. He tried it as well, though by this point the poor guy knew he wouldn't be eating dinner at home.

"Nnh... mm. Nmmm..." Parin's vocalizations were barely audible as she swiftly ate piece after piece with precise hands that wrote well. When she took on Orla's breasts, she first removed the cherries then cut off segments for sweetness-sponging cheekfuls.

"I would very much like to dine on your dishes as well," Vraezcjellia answered Orla, being polite, but not needing to force any pleasant emotions for the halfling had proven herself to be an amazing and talented chef and deserving of her congratulation.

Orla offered a warm smile to Vraezcjellia. "Feel free, dearie. It's the experience that makes it all worthwhile, after all." She heaved a heavy sigh. "Oh it's so good to get out. I spend so much time cooped up underground, it was just thrilling to see more faces."

"One cannot grow if one is not allowed to explore," the Vuulari said to Orla sagely.

Orla`Farrowelch fanned herself as she watched the judges and the crowd with a pleasant smile. "Oh, dearie," she said to Vraez, "I'm well beyond the age where I can explore too much. But there's truth in that matter."

"And I am so young?" Vraezcjellia asked Orla. The Vuulari looked in her sixties in human years, which would make her around a thousand years old. "There are always new horizons, and often hidden in places that you would never expect."

Orla smiled and bounced on her toes. She looked at Vraezcjellia and spoke in a soft, warm tone. "If I weren't so useful to my employer, I'd have long been dust dearie. It's all relative you know. You're probably tens of times my age, but I know that my grandchildren's grandchildren may be long gone before you slow down."

"Ah, well, we must all make the best of what we have. And you certainly have done admirably in that regard, Missus Farrowelch." Vraezcjellia spoke to Orla in that sagely tone as if she often gave advice about things she'd learned in her many years.

"Are there further comments by the judges," Paiti asked, "or shall we move on to the final decision?"

"I'm ready to pass my sentence," Graf said, grinning all fangy-like.

"Trug am ready for final decision."

The Apothecary swiftly brought her napkin across her mouth, leaving her coral-pink lips and white teeth clean. "I... Oh, this was so delicious," Parin said in liquid joy as she let her fork rest upon her plate with a musical tingle. "Allow me... a moment to deliberate." And she did, with a long and pensive sip of water from her glass.

"Both chefs have demonstrated Iron stamina today in this cooking extravaganza!" Deis announced. "To tell the truth, I can't guess at a winner; I can only express my gratitude and amazement to both of our great competitors here. Do either of our chefs wish to give final comments before the judging?"

"I would like to compliment my gracious hosts, my worthy competitor, and all who took their time to attend," Vraezcjellia offered in response to Deis' offer. "I hope that our peoples will realize that we have a lot to offer one another and that this is but one step of many to come."

Orla curtsied to Vraez, then turned to listen to the judges. Her entire stance seemed at ease. She folded her hands before her and watched with a pleasant smile as the verdict approached, listening to every word.

"Excellent," Paiti said. "We will allow Lady Rumini time to deliberate. In the meantime, the other judges can announce their opinions. Sir Trug?"

Standing, Trug held up his hands, "First, Trug am want say both am excellent cook. Choice Trug make am hard, am require much think. Trug not good at much think." he chuckled, "But did anyway. Lady Vuulari. Food am excellent, am want eat worm dish again... but feel meal as whole focus too much on certain tastes. That am why. Trug give vote to Lady Orla." with that he bowed politely to the halfling, then sat.

Parin's eyes were a bit moist as her tapered, blanched-peanut-tan fingers knit. It really was that good. But the gal sucked down a warm breath after the cool water, and took the edge of the table as she sat straight again. As a lock of hair escaped to frame her right ear: "I am ready now, thank you."

Paiti`Schulai nodded to Trug and Parin in turn. "Thank you. Sir Grafsburg?"

Hunter cleared his throat and stood up. "Firstly, I want to say that Miss Vraezcjellia's appetizers were excellent, as were Miss Farrowelch's. However, I have to give the first round to the coconut shrimp holy seal. Farrowelch's Wyvern Soup carried the second round, as did her seafood in the third. However, the desserts were both excellent, easily some of the best I've ever had. With that, I must give my vote to Miss Vraezcjellia. Her food was not something I would normally eat, and yet she made it taste great to someone who had never tried it before, which to me is evidence of great culinary skill."

Paiti`Schulai bowed his head to Grafsburg, then turned to Parin. "Lady Rumini. You have the deciding vote." A hush fell over the crowd.

"This is it!" Deis cried. "The final decision! Whose cuisine reigns supreme?"

Paiti looked at Deis and leaned close to her, away from the amplification spell. "You keep saying that phrase. Does it have cultural significance?" he murmured.

She grinned at him. "It rhymes."

"Hm," he replied.


Parin's bright brown eyes met Vrae's with as much gratitude as she could manage... and then Orla's with the same. Her small thumb rubbed at her emerald brooch, but she managed to pipe up: airy and well-spoken. "Vraezcjellia, Orla... both of you come from worlds very different than my own. It was natural that both of you offered flavors and textures I've never experienced before."

"I am an Apothecary, schooled in observable science and with my thoughts and ideas rooted in practical applications. This said, I love art and whimsy... be it in paint or on the stage... or in your food." She swept a smooth-handed, frilly-cuffed gesture over the table and the chaos left by the three judges and all of the offerings they had consumed.

"In all sincerity, this is one of the finest experiences of my life, and I commend you both and also the hosts and sponsors for this opportunity." Parin cleared her bright-spoken throat with a cough, and looked up to Paiti and Deis. Her speech needed to conclude. "Taking every delicious turn of this culinary journey into consideration... I'd have to say that Orla's food was the most satisfying."

The turnips had won the day.

The audience burst into applause. So did Graf, and Trug, and Deis in turn. Parin sniffled a bit... then fought her soft hands together in a clap. Through the din, with a smile to the Vuulari, she said, "Thank you, Vraezcjellia. Thank you."

"Congratulations, Orla," Vraezcjellia said with no disappointment in her voice; nor did she harbor any resentment about the decision. "You earned every bit of it," she added, but did not offer a hand or a hug. She was still a proud Vuulari after all, even though she was on her best behavior.

"And there you have it!" Deis cried. "At the end of this long, grueling parade of culinary delights, one winner stands clear, one chef still remains! Orla Farrowelch, chef to Ravynettius! Age and experience have won the day today! But what of Lady Vraezcjellia? Clearly, this loss is not an insult to her masterful skills, but instead an encouragement that she is able to stand here in this fine, fine competition! I'll ask the audience to give a hand to both of our competitors!"

Paiti bowed to Vraezcjellia and Orla as the audience continued to cheer. "Cooks, thank you very much for your beautiful work. Lady Farrowelch, I hereby declare you the winner of this tournament. In my home, it is traditional to award titles to those who win, so I declare you High Lady of Drachaean Cuisine. We also have this medallion, donated by a collection of all our sponsors." He held the medal out, waiting for Orla to come up to the announcers' booth to be awarded the prize.

Orla blinked those big brown eyes and blushed furiously. "Oh! Oh my... this was.... this was unexpected. Thank you, thank you all, but not.. not just for this. Thank you for allowing me to share these meals... with you. And honestly no single entree exists in a vacuum, a meal is the mingling of all of its components, and as such I can't help but say that Miss Vraezcjellia is at least as deserving, for no one dish served here tonight could help but benefit from the mingled scents and flavors of any of the others." She offered a warm smile to the Vuulari first before moving toward Paiti. She bowed her head as she came toward the booth.

Paiti placed the medal on Orla's neck then clapped along with the crowd, looking a bit awkward with the unfamiliar gesture. "Thank you, cook," he said quietly to Orla, then stepped down to move toward Vrae.

Trug's booming applause joined that of the audience, the troll clapping heartily for the little halfling woman.

Orla rested one hand just over the medallion before she turned her gaze back out over the applauding crowd. By now she was beet red, but she offered a curtsey in the direction of the observers.

Vraezcjellia could not resist the temptation any longer and picked up a plate for herself, carefully scooping out a little bit of every presented dish on to it. She was very much looking forward to tasting the food which had defeated her entries so that she could divine their secrets, but she also wanted a taste of her own dishes since some of them were quite rare, even for her.

Parin stood up and covered her glowing smile with her hand... so that a sweet-flavored burp wasn't heard. "Alas, I must make my leave." As Parin made her way out, she left crisp linen bags printed in green 'P. RUMINI APOTHECARY, MARKET of DRACHE'- each containing small bottled samples of items such as shampoo, ink, throat lozenges and scented candles, on a few tables and chairs.

Paiti stoppeds in front of Vrae and looked up at her as she foraged. His amplification is off. "Thank you, Lady Vraezcjellia. You are every bit as deserving of the award. I must say that I was more interested in sampling your foods than your opponent's, but you both performed very well."

"Personally, I would love it if they both cooked for me!" Deis declared, still milking the crowd. "But such is life, after all!"

"You have run an excellent contest, made better by the fact that everyone has won," Vraezcjellia replied to Paiti, careful not to talk with her mouth full. Wow, Orla's cooking was very rich and indulgent, which didn't sit well with her tastes, but she figured that it sat better with the judges' palates.

Still, the decision was not unanimous, and that made her think that war was not inevitable between topsiders and the Vuulari whenever they came into contact. The men and women of the surface really could appreciate her and her people, and that was something that she had never truly believed was possible.

Speaking of appreciation, Trug snagged a few more pieces of coconut shrimp before they disappeared. "Truely am much good." The troll nodded.

"I thoroughly agree, and I want to give my best wishes to both contestants." the Lamia says in response to Trug's comment. "Once more, this tournament has been brought to you by the Kweitai Taste Restaurant, The House of Magic, Baske's Trading Post, and P. Rumini's Apothecary. Please visit the sponsors to show your gratitude!"

Orla, for her part, moved to fetch a drink for now. She needed to relax. One hand rested over her belly as she looked over the dishes Vraez had made.


"I think you were both quite excellent," Deis said, "And a credit to the city as a whole." She grazed too, hiding bits of food away to take home.

Vraezcjellia indulged herself in the fine foods arrayed before her on the judges' table, complimenting Orla once more as she tasted each of the halfling's dishes. She made a plate for the equally hungry Jasmine as her assistant began packing up their things to leave.

Paiti moved to sample some of the leftover food and nodded to Orla. "Your cooking technique was excellent," he said.

Orla`Farrowelch curtsied deeply to Paiti. "Thank you sir, I can but try."

He then bowed to Vraezcjellia. "I hope that you are right that this is a beginning step. My people believe that we are all one family. I hope that the parents of the Vuulari and the parents of the people of Drache can become friends as they were when all people left Taopai."

"Indeed, I would like to see that happen," the elder former war priestess replied to Paiti. "But the wounds of the past run deep, and there is much that needs to be done before we can come together in a formal way. Maybe I will live to see that day."

Paiti bowed again to Vrae. "Maybe. Good night, Lady Vraezcjellia. You are always welcome at my restaurant."