276 words of stuff about rather unusual wine:

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Originally found, and still mostly located, within the northern hills of the Byling region, Gemberries are intense blue ovoids ranging in size from that of a man's thumb in small specimens to something more similar to the heel of the hand in large ones, with bright green ribbing running the length of them.

Gemberries are common in that region's cooking, especially glazes and marinades for meat and fish, and are often formed into sweet wines, both by freezing them in the harsh winters of the region in which they are found to make an ice wine and holding some of their juice back for a süssreserve; occasionally, the two methods are used in combination, though this is rare.

Both blue and green wines are produced in this manner; for the former, the skins are fermented with the juice, while the ribbing is discarded, and the opposite is done for the latter. White wine can be produced by discarding both the skin and the ribbing and fermenting only the juice, but the resultant beverage is usually less flavorful than white wines produced with grapes, rendering it uncommon, especially in isolation; when it is made, it is usually combined with another vintage, often a Tirian red.

Gemberries and comestibles derived from them are also believed to be proof against most poisons, which has led to them being popular amongst the nobility and others who have cause to worry about such things.

Recently, certain areas outside Byling have attempted to cultivate them, but it has generally led to an inferior product; whether this is due to climate, soil conditions, some other factor, or all of the above is unknown.


591 words of RPing:

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Quote Originally Posted by C'nor
[In Transit From and To Ports Unknown]

Soon after Hakuhale headed off into the docks, looking for a ship bearing a friendlier flag, a thin young man, with surprising quantity of brown hair, and a circular scar around his neck, stepped forward next to her, smiling broadly.

"Would you be looking for passage? We can't offer much besides room and board, and there is a better chance of the ship getting into a fight than on most vessels, but we can drop you off anywhere from here to Wayfarer's Point. And of course, the captain keeps all that in mind when she sets the prices - or, if you like, you can work for your keep. Might even earn a bit extra on the way, if you're good at the job and willing to actually do it."

[15th of Amber's Fall
Early Morning
At Sea, the Firebrand
Kessia Harket]

In a small cabin on the Firebrand, an obviously winded minor noble glared at the captain from the chair he was currently seated in, though he made no move against her, plainly wary of the several crew surrounding him, and the brightly-dressed woman examining his palsm.

"This is ridiculous. I am a paying passenger. I demand that -"

"Being a paying passenger," Kessia interrupted, returning the man's glare, though rather more impressively than he'd managed, "does not give you the right to tell one of my crew you've got a charm you don't so you can sleep with her, then bloody near break her jaw when she finds out you got her pregnant and tells you she's going to tell me what happened."

Stepping back, she motioned a pretty girl, with a silvery-blue cast to her skin (save on her left cheek, where a black-gold bruise was forming), golden eyes, and kelp-green hair - though the bony ridges one familiar with Sireni might expect to see were far fewer in number than on most, making it fairly plain that she was at least half-human - forward.
"Hakuhale? Leshi? Your recommendations? Though I'm afraid that, much as I'd like to, we can't cut off his balls or stick him in the the figurehead and open the hatch... Word gets around we did something like that to a passenger, people'll stop riding with us, no matter that he deserved it."

For now, the half-Sireni holds her tongue, examining the lordling coldy, and waiting to see what the Driftfolk woman thinks they should do with him.

[19th of Amber's Fall
Sunset
Wayfarer's Point Docks, the Firebrand]

Just as the sun was starting to set, a ship appeared against the horizon. A rather unusual ship, in fact; a galleon which had been made in the form of a dragon.

As usual, by Kessia's orders, the crew kept any noise to a minimum, so that, just after full dark, when it pulled into port, taking one of the many empty berths (though staying well away from those made of stone), it appeared to be a ghost ship, especially with the flames that fell gently from the mouth of the figurehead, drifting slowly back as the faint breeze from the vessel's movement caught them, and floating a short way in its wake once they touched the water...

Of course, a few minutes later, that impression was quickly dispelled, as the crew set to work getting the cargo unloaded, the prohibition on noise having been lifted as soon as they came into port, but by that point those who were going to be impressed by it had been anyway.