Chapter 275: Chapter 248 – Eastern Shores of Alcidea

"The distribution of the therian people, their various tribes, and their customs throws many clues as to their history, even ones beyond written history. From the distribution of the tribes, the following points could be inferred:

 

• That all therians had first originated in western Ur-Teros, and spread out from there. Some had theorized that they might have originated from even further west, as there were geological evidences that suggested how Alcidea and Ur-Teros were once parts of a larger protocontinent that had since broken apart.

 

• The various tribes of therians we know of are just the survivors from the prehistoric times. Tribal tales had told of kinds we had never seen, presumed to be lost in the passage of time. Those that had survived to this day and age are just the most adaptable and successful ones.

 

• Given how certain tribes are mostly found in Ur-Teros, and others in Alcidea, there were speculations of a schism sometime in the past that had driven away part of the therian tribes to the northern continent. Old tales from the Alcidean tribes seemed to mostly corroborate this theory.

 

Other questions, like the much debated origins of how the therians came to be, and why they were capable if breeding with other races, yet rarely able to produce fertile hybrid offspring amongst different tribes, remained mostly the territory of wild speculations to this day. Clearly, we still have much to learn about them." - Leigh Wainwrought, Sociology student on her thesis presentation in the Levain Institute of Higher Learning, circa 690 FP.

The journey by sea this time was an uneventful trip. For the weeklong journey, Cal and her group spent it mostly on the deck, relaxing. The ship had not possessed as many amenities as the river boat they took to Zwostadt, but it still provided for their passengers decently.

 

Rather than recliners, a string of hammocks were stretched out between the railings to the sides of the ship and a wooden stand made for that purpose, which allowed the passengers a reasonably comfortable perch when they were on deck.

 

No sea beasts attacked the ship, nor had pirates accosted them. The ship they took kept relatively close to shore, in shallower waters, and reached their destination, the port city of Hærûnskjøld to the east of the Kingdom Down Under right on schedule.

 

The port city was a thriving one, as it was the main destination for Jötunbergian merchants. It was situated right by the mouth of the large bay that dominated the southeastern corner of Alcidea.

 

Cal noticed that for a port city in a dwarven kingdom, there weren't actually that many dwarves in Hærûnskjøld. She saw a few, the rare dwarves that enjoyed life aboveground, as they mingled and worked with the rest of the city's populace, but the majority of the city's inhabitants were therians.

 

Therians of a sort she had almost never seen elsewhere in fact. They had predatory teeth and forward-set eyes, but their grey skins were smooth and shiny, and their forms tended to be long and streamlined. Aquatic predators were the first that came to mind when she saw them, a thought quickly confirmed when some of those therians leapt into the sea and swam almost like a fish.

 

After the ship docked and lowered the planks, Cal and the rest walked down to the docks, and took in the sights. The unusual breed of therians dominated the populace, though they also saw other races mixed in with the town's inhabitants.

 

As it was noon, and they had not had lunch yet, the first thing the group sought out was an eatery. They had not walked far from the docks before a pleasant spicy smell caught their attention, and lured them to a nearby open-air eatery set just outside the docks.

 

To call it an eatery was perhaps a tad generous. The place simply had tables and chairs set out in the open, while the owner themselves cooked in the open kitchen nearby.

 

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Said owner looked similar to the unusual therians Cal saw around the place, but was larger and rather rotund in build. He also had a very prominent whisker-like mustache and a thick beard, as well as two massive tusks jutting out from his upper lip.

 

The man smoked his pipe as he quickly set some large pans on the open fire once Cal's group placed their order. It had not taken long before the same pleasant spiciness filled the air around them and whetted their appetites.

 

Bottles of pale, slightly murky liquor were brought to their tables by the waiters while they waited, as well as a melange of small dishes and snacks to serve as appetizers. The liquor was strong, which had not surprised Cal, given that they were in dwarven lands. It still had a grainy sweetness to it though, which made it quite pleasant to drink.

 

As for the small dishes, they came in small quantities, but with a large variety. Some tasted like pickled vegetables, with a tangy flavor from their pickling liquid. Another was like a savory pancake, loaded with onions and seafood. Cabbage was fermented in a spicy, beany paste and had a strong, pungent, spicy flavor. Thin, translucent chewy noodles made of potato starch were stir-fried with some vegetables and seafood.

 

After fifteen minutes or so, the waiters brought large pots - easily enough for four to five people each - to each of their tables. The pots were full of piping hot soup, which had vivid red oil floating on it, and almost made them sneeze just by its spicy aromas alone.

 

The soup contained a multitude of ingredients, Cal found out. The same translucent noodles were present, as were chunks of bean curd that had turned orange-red as they had soaked in the stew for a while.

 

Shrimps and clams were present in quantity, as were cabbage and seaweed. The cabbage in particular tasted a lot like the fermented ones she had as a side dish earlier, and the stew had a bit of that same spicy, fermented flavor.

 

Chunks of deboned fish meat and cubes of tender poultry were also mixed in with the rest, and as if it was not decadent enough, cheese was molten and drizzled over the top of the stew as well.

 

The waiters returned in short order with large bowls for each of them, as well as large containers of steamed rice which they placed next to the soup pots. Cal took several large scoops of the rice in her bowl and ladled a generous portion of the soup over it, before she dug in.

 

Stinging spiciness assaulted and partially numbed her tongue, but it faded quickly, and underneath she could taste the sweet, savory, spicy, and sour flavors of the many ingredients in the soup. The combination of flavors stoked her appetite, and before she knew it, she had scooped herself more of the rice and stew.

 

At first she had thought that the owner had brought too much food for each table of four, but she was quickly proven wrong, as they ate all the soup and rice without leaving any behind.

 

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