Fairy Food / Flora: Fairy Sugar Cane and it’s Produce [Approved]

[Winston]

Fairy Sugarcane

Source: During the Blackberrey Thread Winston was given a basket containing various Fairy food ingredients and I was invited by Peg to Dev some new ones

Fairy Sugar Cane

Developed by Winston

Short Description: The secrets of growing this plant are broadly speaking held by the Fairies of Sweetwine. Trying to gain access to the plant, or its secrets is an endeavour that often leads to more hijinks than success.

In its unprocessed form, it can have an unpredictable effect on those that try to eat it. Usually, this manifests merely as a tummy ache, uncontrollable hiccups, coughing or seeing spots. This is not an uncommon effect of some of the unprocessed/raw Fairy Food plant sources.

This plant can be processed into a range of other cooking ingredients. The secrets surrounding these processing methods are hidden within the riddles and games played by the Fairies of Sweetwine, but when performed correctly, the following known products can be created:

• Icing Suger
• Caster Sugar

Forums Found: Sweetwine
Toxicity/Hazard: See Side Effects.
Appearance: It is in appearance, no different than it’s mundane equivalent.
RPG Properties: See Side Effects

Rarity: Rare
How To Use: Requires a skilled chef to process Sugar Cane into any of its produce with any success: Cooking (Expert)
Side Effects: Fairy Sugar Cane, in its unprocessed form, can have an unpredictable effect on those that try to eat it. Usually, this manifests merely as a tummy ache, uncontrollable hiccups, coughing or seeing spots. This is not an uncommon effect of some of the unprocessed/raw Fairy Food plant sources. Player note: Random dice rolling to decide the affect for the WIN!
Duration: As per all Fairy Foods, the effects usually last only a short while.
Status: Legal but considered potentially dangerous.
Price: Typically, Fairy Food is not available on the open market at all, as such it can fetch a high price as a Tier 8 commodity.

Using It

Fairy Sugarcane can be processed into various things that have independent magical properties. Some of these that are known to exist include:

• Icing Suger ~ This sugar is made from the Fairy's own magical supply of sugar cane. If processed correctly to preserve its magical properties, the resulting Icing Sugar will be cold to the touch and cause anyone that consumes it to feel cold.
  
  This chilling affect is not likely to turn someone into a block of ice, or make them immune to heat, however, there is a correlation between how much you eat and how cold you feel.
  
  Typical Uses: Making Icing
  Affect: The sugar, and the icing it makes when mixed appropriately with water, is cold to the touch and causes the one that consumes it to feel cold.
  Duration: As per all Fairy Foods, the affects usually last only a short while.
  Limitations:
  • Outside Sweetwine, the sugar is just normal Icing Sugar. It is only magical inside the boundaries of Sweetwine.
  • The magical properties of Fairy Food only take effect when the food is actually eaten by a person. This quirky nature of the Fairy's spirit magic is little understood and yet unexplored and so there is currently no known way to transfer the effects to another form, such as spells or items.
• Caster Sugar ~ This sugar is made from the Fairy's own magical supply of sugar cane. If processed correctly to preserve its magical properties, the resulting Caster Sugar will, in the correct quantities, acts as a catalyst to other Fairy Food effects allowing them to be preserved during the cooking process. Without the right amount of sugar, a wine made of Fairy Elderberries would have its magical properties stripped during the brewing process.
  
  If consumed by itself, it will add casters/rollers to the bottom of a person's feet. These cannot be removed and will roll in any direction, allowing the victim to roll/glide around freely, almost like they were standing on marbles or ice.
  
  Affect: This sugar, in the correct quantities, acts as a catalyst to other Fairy Food effects allowing them to be preserved during the cooking process. Without the right amount of sugar, a wine made of Fairy Elderberries would have its magical properties stripped during the brewing process.
  
  If consumed by itself, it will add casters/rollers to the bottom of a person's feet. These cannot be removed and will roll in any direction, allowing the victim to roll/glide around freely, almost like they were standing on marbles or ice.
  Duration: As per all Fairy Foods, the effects usually last only a short while.
  Limitations:
  • Outside Sweetwine, the sugar is just normal Caster Sugar. It is only magical inside the boundaries of Sweetwine.
  • The magical properties of Fairy Food only take effect when the food is actually eaten by a person. This quirky nature of the Fairy's spirit magic is little understood and yet unexplored and so there is currently no known way to transfer the effects to another form, such as spells or items.

Fast Facts

Knowing It

• Scalvoris: Those that are friends with the Fairies of Sweetwine are not unlikely to have experienced the effects of Faity Food, but they hold the secrets of the food and it’s effect on non-fairies close to their chest unless you are seen as a friend.
• Idalos: N/A

Wealth Tier:

• Scalvoris: 8+
• Idalos: N/A

Sell/Buy It:

• Scalvoris: Can be sold for a premium (Tier 8+).
• Idalos: As Fairy food looses all its magical properties outside Sweetwine, it has no more value over its mundane equivalent.

Rarity

• Scalvoris: Uncommon
• Idalos: Not know to exist

Limitations:

• Outside Sweetwine, the sugar is just normal Caster Sugar. It is only magical inside the boundaries of Sweetwine.
• The magical properties of Fairy Food only take effect when the food is actually eaten by a person. This quirky nature of the Fairy's spirit magic is little understood and yet unexplored and so there is currently no known way to transfer the effects to another form, such as spells or items.

Finding It:

• Scalvoris: Difficault
• Idalos: Not available

Collecting It:

• Scalvoris: No special considerations, if you can find some.
• Idalos: As Fairy food looses all its magical properties outside Sweetwine, it is considered no different from its mundane equivalent.

Using It:

• Icing Suger
• Caster Sugar

Killing It

• No special considerations, if you can find some.

Capturing It

• No special considerations, if you can find some.

Danger

• If consumed unprocessed, it can cause random negative effects, see Side Effects.

Tending It:

• The secrets of growing this plant are broadly speaking held by the Fairies of Sweetwine.

[Pig Boy]

Hi Winston, I like that you're developing fairy foods, and sugar surely is an important ingredient in any kind of food.

I like this, however there might be a slight wrinkle with regards to lore. Particularly this bit that makes me scratch my chin:

Caster Sugar ~ This sugar is made from the Fairy's own magical supply of sugar cane. If processed correctly to preserve its magical properties, the resulting Caster Sugar will, in the correct quantities, acts as a catalyst to other Fairy Food effects. It allows the effects of the food into which it is placed to become more pronounced. In the wrong or unmeasured quantities, it can cause miscasting of spells and abilities used by those that consume it. The negative miscasting effect does not make the non-magical suddenly do magic, however, its effects on other Fairy Food effects can be unpredictable.

Miscasting of spells and abilities, including Domain magic? The reason I draw attention to this part is that the details for this need to be 100% clear and nailed down so there can be no confusion. For instance, would taking fairy sugar and turning it into an alchemical item or reagent produce an anti-magic toxin or weapon? Even if it's only effective in the Sweetwine, that's still significant.

I think if this caused randomly quirky yet mostly harmless things to occur around the person, like thinking that the silverware and dinnerware began talking to them, seeing spots, and other small anomalies, that'd be one thing. Changing the efficacy of abilities is a few levels above that.

I do like that this sugar enhances the effects of other fairy ingredients, but not totally sure what that'd look like. Such as, what would happen if you made an elderberry pie with caster sugar? That sort of thing, would you die of old age?!

What do you think?

[Winston]

First off, thanks so much for the amazing feedback

Next, a little insight into why I took this direction. I was trying to stick to the established pattern of wordplay that fairy food adopted. So was looking for something related to casting or casters that would play into that theme, you know. Happy to see if there's another direction this could go in to play on that in a less serious way, because I totally take your point about effecting game rules.


On to some of your specific points:

Miscasting of spells and abilities, including Domain magic? The reason I draw attention to this part is that the details for this need to be 100% clear and nailed down so there can be no confusion. For instance, would taking fairy sugar and turning it into an alchemical item or reagent produce an anti-magic toxin or weapon? Even if it's only effective in the Sweetwine, that's still significant.

My aim had been to introduce a little chaos, cos Faries be crazy and cos it's called Caster I figured it might affect Casters, right? I do agree about being clear though.

"would taking fairy sugar and turning it into an alchemical item or reagent produce an anti-magic toxin"

This point I might turn around and pose to you with the following in mind: There is already a berry that turns you into a fluffy bear and another that turns you into an elderly person or a child, etc, etc. I mean, if you hiccuped and leaped into the air every few seconds, that would also be really bad and these are all already approved lore and and so subject to the same "Could we not now make these a regent or poison"?

I;m not being difficult, just wondering if that's a question to answer on Fairy Lore more generally and not for THIS specific thing? Like maby there is genuinely something about the nature of the magic that means that it REQUIRES the ingestion process to o=ccure to trigger the affect? Or perhaps even, consent? I.e. being force-fed fairy food does nothing?

Of these two options, I think I prefer the first one. The Fairies are all about fun and hijinks thought, so concent could be an important part of the 'contract'?

This aside, I totally accept that the affect of making people's magic less affective is harsh perhaps, but I had only really considered it from the angle that you decided to eat it, which if we set that lore in place above, then perhaps it's OK? Because bouncing around, being a bull and/or being deaf or blind could all impact your effectiveness at all sorts of things?

I think if this caused randomly quirky yet mostly harmless things to occur around the person, like thinking that the silverware and dinnerware began talking to them, seeing spots, and other small anomalies, that'd be one thing. Changing the efficacy of abilities is a few levels above that.

This is a really good point/idea. I'm really not invested in the miscasting, it was really just where I ended up during wordplay.

I just did a google of Caster and another meaning is wheeled, like a chair that is on casters that allow it to roll around? Perhaps Caster Sugar can give you Casters on your feet? Leading to people falling over and generally speaking gliding around like they have roller skates on?

Doing this could dodge the whole miscasting seriousness?

I do like that this sugar enhances the effects of other fairy ingredients, but not totally sure what that'd look like. Such as, what would happen if you made an elderberry pie with caster sugar? That sort of thing, would you die of old age?!

I was mostly thinking it might change the duration? I mean actually, I nearly didn't include this at all, because it comes too dangerously close to making fairy food a 'mechanic' that needs documentation etc. I really just felt like it was nice flavour.

I might suggest that if that's a danger we cannot avoid, we just remove it completely and leave Fairy Food mysterious and 'experience and recipe' lead. Or it could be reworded to be more 'the mysteries of fairy food and how, etc, etc.'?


Current Conclusions

So I'm thinking that:

1) We should establish some higher level of law, akin to 'Fairy food outside Sweetwine is simple food' that deals with how fairy food effects can or cannot be triggered/transferred? Suggestion:

Fairy food must be ingested for its magical properties to take affect.

[ Add some blurb about working Fairy Food affects into anything that is not food/drink ]

I might add a minimum cooking skill level just to process the food at all without destroying its magical properties. I.e. eating a raw berry does X, but cooking said berry will destroy this affect 'unless you do it right'.

2) Perhas we drop miscasting in place of something more silly and less 'systemie' like having rollers/casters on your feet.

3) Perhaps we make this more vague and simply state that Caster Sugar is often required to avoid the properties of the food being cooked from being lost, rather then making it stronger. E.g. if you make elderberry wine without caster sugar to sweeten it, the magical properties are lost. So adding the sugar in the right quantities is what makes it work at all, not that it makes you more old then as old as you can be

This could be a general fairy food thing for many different 'catalysts' that enable cooking into other things.

I would air on being really vague, but knowing this is the intention.



4) I have updated the original post to reflect a few of these suggestions where I thought they were worth just trying out.

[Vega]

Very brief drop in with some thoughts....

1. I love the idea, personally, of caster sugar giving you temporary roller-skates.

2. Would these even be usable with alchemy? It's all spirit-stuff - and I didn't think that was compatible with alchemy? Personally, I think they shouldn't be able to be mixed alchemically or - if they are - they should be incredibly volatile / chaotic.

[Pig Boy]

First off, thanks so much for the amazing feedback

No problems!

Next, a little insight into why I took this direction. I was trying to stick to the established pattern of wordplay that fairy food adopted. So was looking for something related to casting or casters that would play into that theme, you know. Happy to see if there's another direction this could go in to play on that in a less serious way, because I totally take your point about effecting game rules.


On to some of your specific points:

Miscasting of spells and abilities, including Domain magic? The reason I draw attention to this part is that the details for this need to be 100% clear and nailed down so there can be no confusion. For instance, would taking fairy sugar and turning it into an alchemical item or reagent produce an anti-magic toxin or weapon? Even if it's only effective in the Sweetwine, that's still significant.

My aim had been to introduce a little chaos, cos Faries be crazy and cos it's called Caster I figured it might affect Casters, right? I do agree about being clear though.

"would taking fairy sugar and turning it into an alchemical item or reagent produce an anti-magic toxin"

This point I might turn around and pose to you with the following in mind: There is already a berry that turns you into a fluffy bear and another that turns you into an elderly person or a child, etc, etc. I mean, if you hiccuped and leaped into the air every few seconds, that would also be really bad and these are all already approved lore and and so subject to the same "Could we not now make these a regent or poison"?

I;m not being difficult, just wondering if that's a question to answer on Fairy Lore more generally and not for THIS specific thing? Like maby there is genuinely something about the nature of the magic that means that it REQUIRES the ingestion process to o=ccure to trigger the affect? Or perhaps even, consent? I.e. being force-fed fairy food does nothing?

Of these two options, I think I prefer the first one. The Fairies are all about fun and hijinks thought, so concent could be an important part of the 'contract'?

This aside, I totally accept that the affect of making people's magic less affective is harsh perhaps, but I had only really considered it from the angle that you decided to eat it, which if we set that lore in place above, then perhaps it's OK? Because bouncing around, being a bull and/or being deaf or blind could all impact your effectiveness at all sorts of things?

I'll be clearer here, and sorry if I came off from a position of shutting this down entirely.... I think something that deeply affects a mage's or other wielder of supernatural powers' concentration is 100% appropriate. I was more concerned about directly affecting the efficacy of magic, as such a property could have (and in the past has caused problems when such substances/materials were introduced) big impacts on the balance of power. But like, random effects like feet rollers, or disrupting balance, hiccuping, or seeing fairies everywhere in every object, would be fine and appropriate in that they don't directly impact the flow of magic energy. I'm 100% okay with those kinds of fun effects. And as a matter of course, it need not be mentioned that a caster's concentration will be disrupted by the effects

So what do you think? Rollers on the feet sounds cool, but I want this entry to be as fun and cool as possible, with a variety of effects that while disruptive or chaotic, are largely harmless and left to the interpretation and creativity of the players involved. I think the idea, as long as it doesn't interfere with that deep lore of magic and ether and that sort of nonsense, has a lot of potential.

As to Vega's question about alchemy, not at master level no, but possibly grandmasters and capstones may provide capapbility to use spiritual energies and such.

[Winston]

Nice! Thanks for the feedback Vega and Pigs.

I'll be clearer here, and sorry if I came off from a position of shutting this down entirely....

No worries, I did't feel shut down in any way, you raised a pretty fair point

So, holistically speaking, I think having rollers on your feet is suitable fairy lore, simpler to enforce/manage and fun. This being so, I'm going to leave my proposal as thus in the main post for approval

That being so, the only remaining concern raised, I think, was the ability to distil fairy food affects into other forms...

I humbly submit that this is a bigger question that my new Sugar Cane lore post can answer? :-p Though on the off-chance that it is deemed acceptable, I have proposed the following limitation which you/we/ST could adopt as a global limitation?

The magical properties of Fairy Food only take effect when the food is actually eaten by a person. This quirky nature of the Fairy's spirit magic is little understood and yet unexplored and so there is currently no known way to transfer the effects to another form, such as spells or items.

[Pig Boy]

I've given it another look over and am happy with it. Congrats!
Approved!