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Empedocles' Feast Framework

Link to Google Doc version to this draft:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dNOAFp1uXey31at2_Br0OKOQd3UmUA3jdXEEA6GM5z8/edit?usp=sharing

This was prompted as part of the March 2024 Blog Carnival, with a
topic of "Feasts, Foods, & Fancy Drink, oh my!"

Edit: Here's the month end round up of this prompt.

Tables to generate feasts in my Tressagros setting, which is vaguely reminiscent
of the Mediterranean coast in the late Roman Empire.  Gods honored are noted in
parentheses.

The tables are broken into four sections:  who and what the feast is for, what
happens, intentionally or not, what’s served (meager hosts might not have all courses,
wealthier hosts provide more options), and what does one’s behavior earn them.

The Event

Who Throws the Feast? 

1d6L (1d6L: roll two dice, usee the lower)

  1. A freehold farmer who has benefited from the PC’s actions.

  2. A merchant the PCs frequently supply or purchase from.

  3. A local priest or lay religious officer

  4. A local mayor or council

  5. A local military officer

  6. A local prominent criminal

  7. A local liege lord (warlord, knight, or baron)

  8. A prominent visitor (1d8): 1/5.a high priest/cardinal; 2/6. baron or duke; 3/7. general;
    or     4/8. rich merchant. 5+ indicates a visitor from another people.

What is the Feast Observing?

1d6L

  1. The holiday of a particular god.

  2. A successful endeavor (varies)

  3. A birth (Jovia, Demetria)

  4. A betrothal or engagement (Jovia)

  5. A wake or mourning (Mordus)

  6. A marriage, and possibly an alliance. (Jovia, Demetria)

The Activities

What Draws the Group Together

  1. Chanting religious verses

  2. Singing hymns

  3. Line dancing 

  4. Playing dice games

  5. Drawing designs on hands

  6. Making origami flowers & animals

  7. Playing folk songs on instruments

  8. Giving flattering speeches

What Happens at this Feast?

2-in-6 chance, 1d20L

  1. Food fight

  2. Notable insult

  3. Prominent guest chokes on food

  4. Brawl over something petty

  5. Surprise betrothal announcement

  6. Revelation of a tryst.

  7. An affair.

  8. An affair uncovered.

  9. Kidnapping attempt

  10. Declaration of duel

  11. Declaration of war

  12. A fire.

  13. Extortion

  14. Face off 

  15. Declaration of an alliance

  16. Breaking off of an allegiance

  17. Poisoning (food, assassination)

  18. Bizarre fatal accident

  19. Murderous assault

  20. Successful murder

What’s being served?

Salad Course

  1. Apple & raisin coleslaw

  2. Garden salad

  3. Olive & carrot salad

  4. Potato salad with Turmeric

  5. Basil & coriander egg salad

  6. Pear, fig & goat’s cheese salad (Jana)

Soup Course

  1. Garlicky barley & pork soup (Hekate)

  2. Lentil, pea & pasta soup

  3. Mushroom & chicken paprikash

  4. Sour pork bone & dumpling soup

  5. Beef stew with celeriac & anise (Jo

  6. Duck, pear & potato soup

Third Course

  1. Roast turkey w/chive potato mash.

  2. Garlic chicken spit-roast, on mushroom & pepper risotto.

  3. Duck roasted over paprika potatoes

  4. Orange-zested goose with peppery poutine.

  5. Quiche with onion, peppers, & ham.

  6. Poached fish, onion & spinach, rice.

Main Course

Landlocked Area

  1. Pork & olive stuffed peppers

  2. Braised trout in pear sauce (Oposidius)

  3. Roast bull veal in pepper sauce (Jovus)

  4. Spit-roasted lamb with mint (Apollonius)

  5. Chicken & rabbit paella (Mercutius)

  6. Bacon-wrapped roasted venison (Jana)

Coastal Area

All these options honor Oposidius, god of the sea.

  1. Grilled halibut with leeks (Asculepius)

  2. Breaded calamari with tzatziki

  3. Skewered lime jumbo shrimp

  4. Crab salad with goat cheese

  5. Lobster with butter sauce

  6. Swordfish steaks with wine sauce

With a Side of 

  1. Garlic roasted potatoes

  2. Grilled rosemary polenta

  3. Barley with brussel sprouts

  4. Noodles in a pesto sauce.

  5. Bulgar wheat & chickpea pilaf

  6. Emmer & olive flatbread

Desert

  1. Slush with orange, cherry, or grape juice

  2. Walnut & pitted date tarts.

  3. Apple & fig cakes

  4. Pear souffle

  5. Ricotta cheese cake

  6. Donuts dipped in fish sauce

Drinks

  1. Mulled wine with cinnamon & nutmeg.

  2. Chilled sangria with grapes, apple slices, and orange slices.

  3. Chilled apple cider, cloudy & bubbly.

  4. Sparkling chilled white wine.

  5. A light breezy red wine.

  6. A dark spicy wine

Boons & Banes

These are fairly generic.  Typically, I do two social boons, two related to the event, and two related to deities or forces honored.  This sample basically just has six social boons & banes, as a guideline.  Roll a d6 for whichever applies.  Enthusiastic participants get two rolls.

Boons

Characters that are kind and honor the host and other guests gain one of the following boons (this is a sample, feel free to mix it up):

  1. Confident: Gain the eye of someone in the area you are attracted to.

  2. Refreshed: Well rested with an hour less sleep for the next 1d3 nights.

  3. Focused: +2 to saves against fear for the next week.

  4. Socialized: For the next month gain +1 to reaction checks with attendees.

  5. Bargaining: Gain a proposal from another guest of mutual benefit.

  6. Informed: Gain a true rumor from the rumor table.

Banes

Characters who are rude or hostile to the host and guests, or otherwise negatively impact the gathering.

  1. Tedious: Bore someone in the area you are attracted to.

  2. Weary: Need to sleep an hour longer to be well rested.

  3. Clumsy: You accidentally stepped on one of the dogs, it will never forget, and will always bark at you.

  4. Obnoxious: For the next month gain -1 to reaction checks with attendees.

  5. Boasting: give away information about your current quest which spawns a competing group.

  6. Misinformed: Gain a false rumor from the rumor table.

Notable Feasts

Winter Solstice (Hekate)

Spring Equinox (Demetria)

Summer Solstice (Apollonius)

Fall Equinox (Mordus)



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