In magic terms, an amplifier is an object or living creature that can increase the magical output of a dragon. Creature amplifiers are rare and tend to have very short lives when used, this is due to the fact that the magic channels are eroded with each amplification. The end result of the erosion may vary by element of the creature, but it is almost always fatal and can lead to some rather explosive situations.
Sooo living creature amplifiers are a no go, but any adept mage worth their salt has an object amplifier. The mage must obtain the object by their own abilities, to purchase or steal an amplifier will just lead to a worthless object. The act of obtaining the object is the ritual of creating the amplifier. Stronger amplifiers are obtained from powerful creatures, rarer materials, strenuous rituals, and great magical and financial cost. The ranking of amplifiers is Legendary, Epic, Rare, Uncommon, and Common.
A mage can only have one amplifier at a time, and it must be broken before another can be obtained. Amplifiers allow mages to perform spectacular feats of magic and can decrease the drain of magical resources and exhaustion. Their value is not to be understated, and most mages keep them on person at all times.
So, some example amplifiers by Flight!
Earth- Canopic Jar filled with the remains of a bound Malevolent Spirit, layers of blessed gold script must be applied monthly (Epic)
Wind- Scarf woven from a skein of Gale Wolf yarn and beading made of Spined Cobra scales (Common)
Fire- Platinum lantern bejeweled with diamonds and rubies, and lite by a single feather of the Firebird (Legendary)
Water- Traveler’s Runestone, soaked in the waters of the Leviathan Trench for three full moons (Common)
Lightning- Core of a Steelhound with a Charged Tungsten power source (Common)
Ice- Coarsefur Yeti pelt, monster caught in a blizzard during Crystalline Gala (Uncommon)
Light- Tears of Lightweaver, an orb of brilliant light bestowed upon dragons by a Light Sprite (Legendary)
Shadow-Blackened mirror soaked in the pool of the Forum of the Obscured Crescent during a solar eclipse (Epic)
Nature- Heart of an Aspen Gall Dryad killed during the fall and preserved in amber (Rare)
Plague- Tusk of a slain Undying Featherback boar, forbidden runes etched in with Wyrmwound acid (Epic)
Arcane- Lost Crown of a Foolish Prince with an inlay of Pink Chalcedony and Kunzite runes (Rare)
While Earth Flight is renowned for their hospitality and numerous feasts during Rockbreaker’s Ceremony, one feast during this time is a celebration of every Flight. Inspired first by Earthshaker’s desire to see his family once again and a call for unity amongst dragon kind, this celebration has slowly grown in popularity throughout all of Sornieth.
Oddly what really made this celebration prevalent was an incident in which Ice Flight faced an overabundance of Woodland Turkeys. While the Gaolers (hidden at the time) did eat meat, their numbers where much fewer than the plant eating Tundra cousins. Ice traders thus shipped numerous frozen turkeys to Earth’s markets for later resale to Nature and Plague Flight’s meat-loving dragons (mainly because Earth had more established markets that both used). Four Flights coming to together to feast and celebrate eventually lead to invitations to the other seven Flights in a celebration that would eventually be called “The Feast of the Eleven.”
One of the main customs of the feast is a potluck in which dragons of each Flight make a specialty from their home. Below is a list of the most common of dishes for the feast:
Roast Woodland Turkey- a staple and main event of the feast is the Turkey Dinner. The cooking and slicing of the fowl are often commandeered by the nearest Fire dragon, though the bird mayyyyy become charcoal. The main seasoning is Siltivine, Cindervine, and Potash Peach, a mix of sweet and herbal with a tinge heat. Alongside the Turkey it is common to have roasted pods of Smolderpetal and Speckled Firelilies.
Charcuterie Pickle Board- food in the Scarred Wasteland is often preserved in many ways- from pickling to smoking to fermenting to curing to drying, every speck of food is not wasted. This dish has many varieties, but the popular are: Butcher’s Fig balsamic, Dubious Cucumber pickles, roasted Greenpod blooms, salt dried Shellbugs, honeyed Wasteland Pear slices, Mossy Cerdae cheese with live Maggots, Bonebark Mold sourdough rolls, and more cured meats than an Imperial could eat.
Spiral Milk Buns- a soft, fluffy, and almost elastic roll, these steamed or baked buns have a variety of filling spiraled within. Some are savory like Sour Spinach, Dried Anchovies, and Green Shoots and others filled with sweets like Sugarbees, Blackberries, and Jumbo Shrimp. Unfortunately, Wind dragons have a habit of mixing the buns up, so it is a surprise what kind you will get!
Sautéed Winter Brussel Sprouts- much like Plague, Ice Flight is rather scarce on food resources- especially during winter. However, Winter’s Delight and Winter Brussel Sprouts are only picked during the fall and winter months. The Brussel Sprouts are browned in Spotted Seal oil and then glazed with a Winter’s Delight sauce and a sprinkle of sea salt.
Mountain Mash- an Earth dish of mountainous size, it is made mainly of a Turnip and Potato Onion mash which is dotted with slices of roasted Ancient Mushrooms and topped with Bell Goat butter and deep-fried Wild Onions.
Surprise Stuffing- this Quinoa stuffing has Leechroot mushrooms, Golden Peppers, and Sour Green Apples- which is delightful but not the surprise. The surprise is where the Shadow dragons have managed to stuff it. Turkey? Nah, too traditional. In the mounted Anglerfish on the wall? Hmmm…maybe. In my piggybank hidden underneath my bed? Yep!
Noon Noodles- a baked dish of handmade Amaranth macaroni, loaded with Featherback boar ham, slices of spicy Tendrilback Caterpillar, and hunks of Sparkling Crayfish. The dish is topped with a rich, golden Longneck cheese (made by the beastclans and not… from them) sauce and garnished with fried sprigs of Senecio Haworthii. Dragons question if the name is because of the golden color or the fact it takes till noon to make.
Red Sea Stew- a simple stew with a base of Crimson Jadevine, Sugarmelon Wine, and roasted Blacktongue Peppers. To this base any seasonal seafood is tossed in, like Clown Shrimp, Swimmer Crab legs, Chewy Tentacles, and Eel Larvae. Often served with a side of flatbread stuffed with laverbread (a purée of salty Rotala).
Parda Eggs- not actually Parda eggs (and they do lay eggs), but rather a dish made of fried Green Plantains, Game Fowl broth, and Apples that is pounded in a mortar and pestle and then stuffed with Barkback Boar cracklings. The whole mash is then shaped into an egg and then braised game meat is poured over top. A sweet variation is made with Plantains and Red Bananas stuffed with a sweetened Paradise Seed tahini and covered in a coconut broth.
Bug Nut Pie- after an infamous episode involving Satin Mice and exploding gelatins, Arcane offerings have become more traditional and less experimental. The most traditional is a puff pastry pie filled with Cicada, Pharoah Ant larvae, Glittering Lacewing carapace, and oats in a Blood Acorn and Raspberry syrup. Frequently paired with a Hippalectryon egg nog, which leads to many questions and fugitive answers.
Boss Banned Punch- even more infamous than the previous dish, this punch is banned from all office parties in Lightning…but one can make an acceptance for the Feast of the Eleven, right? The punch starts off with Stonewatch Scrub Tequila, then Charged Duneberry sparkling soda, Prickly Pear liquor, and Java Sparrow cola. Please drink responsibly.
