The frost had finally ended and the air had begun to warm. Over the past few weeks the temperatures had become comfortable and new life was beginning to spring forth from its seasonal dormancy. This was one of the best times of the year, for many reasons. The tender shoots meant foraging for wild greens and early-ripening berries while hunting season for small game was open. Some places commemorated the beginning of this renewal of growth through cleaning or cooking special dishes. Others chose to celebrate with a weekly round of visiting their local taverns. Delanac was here for the second and the latter. 

When news of the mysterious treasure eggs surfaced, that gave the aspiring chef an idea. What better way to celebrate the festivities than making dishes using real eggs? So here he was, stopping by one of the most famous drinking establishments in Canelux on a quest to find the very best way to cook an egg. Sitting in the Winking Mermaid, he had a pint of ale as he was scribbling down all the ways he knew to make eggs. Boiled eggs, fried eggs, scrambled eggs and cheese, eggs and bacon, egg custard, egg and onion pie, egg omelet…and that was about it. Most of the times he had tried making anything with eggs usually ended with it becoming dried and chewy, with boiled eggs being the exception. Sure there must be another way. Scratching his head, he took another swig from his tankard and mulled it over. 

Vinsue had come to the tavern to get a drink of good ale and knew this was one of the better places to find it. she had ordered her drink and took a seat at a corner table. She was in human form wearing the hood of her brown robe up as she always did in town. Her skin was a milky gray color do to it being time for her to shed her old skin for a new one. 

she listened as she slowly drank her glass. She had been asleep for a good part of winter and only recently woke up. She was hungry but was wanting to wait to wait until she had a chance to hunt. she had not noticed the ork at first when she walked in but now that she could hear mumbling she looked to see who it was. She had met an ork when she was little and was saved by her but she was also quite grossed out as well. She noticed he keep saying different type of ways eggs were served.

she said the three he keep missing that she knew. "Scrambled eggs, poached eggs, and deviled eggs." than took a sip of her drink. she was only a table away so she knew he would be able to hear but she tried to look like she was minding her own business.

"Scrambled eggs, poached eggs, deviled eggs…wait a minute. Deviled eggs? What in the nine circles of Infernos are deviled eggs?" Delanac mumbled to himself having repeated what Vinsue had suggested unconsciously. Before he could begin to guess, a stout-looking red-haired halfling with a neckbeard hopped up onto the bar stool next to the orc. "Ye never heard of devil'd eggs, mate? Why they're half-blood cousins to boiled eggs, but with a bit more kick to 'em! Two tankards for me, missus! One of 'em ale, and the other spiced rum." 

Delanac looked to his side at the sound of that familiar accent. "Captain Rufus Blackwater? What're you doing all the way out here? Last time I saw you was in a tavern at Vilpamolan!" The barmaid set down the halfling's tankards of alcohol and the captain grabbed one, nearly downing half its contents in one go. "Ahh, that's the stuff. Aye, that be true. Did ye give that stew I told ye a spin? Ha ha! Wouldn't put it past ye to start thinkin' about eggs, seein' all those little treasures poppin' out left and right. So what're ye up to this time?"

"You've hit the mark right there. Ever since those jewel eggs started appearing I've been having them on my mind. And I did try out that stew you suggested, it was good! Might need to add less carrots next time, but I used a bit of red wine and some pheasant. Planning to stay in Adeluna for a while or just stopping to get more supplies?" Delanac put his journal away now that the halfling was here. Captain Blackwater finished the rest of his first tankard with a gulp, and wiped his mouth on the end of his sleeve. "Just takin' the time to get me ship fixed. Had a nasty stint around the continent and ran her into some rocks below the water. Once she's good as new, it's back on the sea for me."

She almost choked on her drink one she realised that he didn't know what a deviled egg was. She toot a second to regain her breathing and stop coughing. She thought that was common knowledge. guss she was wrong. she was glad some redheaded halfling explained what it was and down his drink. Once she regained her composure she began listening again. It sounded like he was more into cooking than anything that might spark her interest tell his friend mentioned the eggs, perhaps one of them knew a bit about them. She had been curious ever since she found some in her din. 

she grabbed her mug and got up. she than sat on the other side of the halfling. "Than again there is eggnog." she said and took a swallow of her ale. she was not a fan of the stuff but knew it was used in celebrations at times. She had heard that the halfling was a Captain which worried her a bit and the fact they mentioned Vilpamolan worried her more but she doubted that either of them was there during any of her many fights. "So about the Jewel eggs, what is so special about them if you don't mind me butting in?" 

The halfling captain scooted over in his seat. "What's so special 'bout them? Are ye pulling me leg, lass?! They're made of solid precious stones! And good quality ones too–can ye believe what a fortune a simple man would get by collecting 'em? Not to mention there's plenty to go around! But ye know what else I heard?" He leaned over, whispering loudly to the woman: "I've heard that there's an ever rarer egg–one  made of pure gold!"

Delanac grunted shaking his head in disbelief. "Rumors will be rumors, Rufus. A few of the other eggs is enough for me. Unlike real eggs they can't fill your belly." Captain Blackwater took a swig of his second tankard and smacked his lips loudly. "Right ye are, lad. What's the use of hoardin' gems if ye don't got anything to spend it on? Bah, I'll never understand those misers. As fer eggnog, the taste's alright. Not nearly as satisfyin' as a good mug of ale. Or, if ye want to make it fancy–a glass of red." Finishing off the rest of his tankard, the halfling turned to the orc.

"Now before ye go, here's a little somethin' for ye. If ye want to make devil'd eggs the recipe's simple; even I can make it! First, ye have to boil 'em like regular boiled eggs. Then, when ye peel off the shells–cut 'em in half. Scoop out the yolks and mix 'em with your favorite spices, then spoon 'em back in the whites. And bam! Devil'd eggs!" A slip of paper was stuffed into Delanac's hand as the halfling slid down from his stool, set a small pile of silvers on the bar counter for his drinks, and walked off. That was certainly a way to have his questions answered. Unfolding the paper, he saw a recipe scrawled on it in surprisingly readable handwriting. Apparently cursive was legible even after a few hard drinks. Tucking it away safely between the pages of his journal, Delanac paid for his own drink and was preparing to leave the tavern.

an egg of pure gold. now that was something that sparked her interests and she would not be surprise if one of the rearer eggs called her. put she had a feeling there was more to the eggs than just the thing being made of precious stones. with the orks statement it was clear to her that he cared more about food than giems. 

"Amen to that. Nothing beats a good mug of ale." she said to the halflings statement of ale or red being far better than eggnog. the guy was obviously drunk but she was use to hanging near drunks but was surprised at how much he could talk about without a sler or miss information. She took the last sip of her drink and put it and some coins on the table. 

once the halfling left she pulled out one of the darker eggs she had found and looked at it. "there must be more than a coin value in ya I can feel it." She then put it back in her pocket and got up ready to leave. "Hope the recipe turns out right it's hard to mess up." she than walked out of the tavern.

"Have a good day, miss. I'll keep that in mind." With a new recipe in hand, Delanac made his next stop at the local market. If he was going to try this out, he'd need at least a dozen of eggs. The rest of the day was spent preparing the dish, and once it was chilled, he tasted them. While he had been waiting he had made some cabbage and potatoes on the side and spooned the melted butter onto them. It was definitely a new way to make eggs, and without more work than boiling no less. Once he returned to Yovaesh, he planned to serve this as his first dish for his family. It was simple, but delicious. It couldn't get more impressive than that.

Now that deviled eggs had been tackled, the orc turned his attention to the next hurdle…the perfect poached egg. Soon he was back making his rounds in the taverns handing out free samples of his less than perfect attempts, but the drinkers didn't mind as they were likely too sloshed to tell the difference anyway. He recorded the experience in his journal for future reference.