Good Eats: The Confections of Culinaromancer Daniel Obrove; Or, Heart of Sweetness; Or, The Pie’s the Limit
There exists a tradition of magic which involves the redirection of the universal flow of life as manifested in the form of the world-soul, or
anima mundi. All things, from children at play to the pebbles on the street, are in some manner tied to the flow of anima in nature. Among the magically-gifted are those who can redirect anima to bolster the life of seemingly inanimate matter, to awaken what was once dormant to the latent sentience lying just below the surface. These
animists use their magic to create stalwart elemental guardians, or to draw out elusive nymphs. Wherever they are found, they are revered as communicants of nature, defenders of their homes, and leaders to their people.
Although Daniel Obrove is a powerful animist, the praise he receives isn’t because he earned it through his role as spiritual bridge, warrior, or guide. None of those paths ever suited his fancy. Daniel Obrove has always been at most home in the kitchen.
Rather than awakening tree, stone, and river as other animists do, Daniel animates
food: pastries, candies, and other sweet things specifically. Daniel opened Wisteria Kitchen in order to share his marvelous creations with the world. His enchanted eclairs and charmed chocolates are not only delicious, but the infusion of excess anima makes them remarkably energizing to those who wish to indulge. In some cases, the baker-animist can imbue his snacks with additional magical effects for the more adventurous diner.
Every good in Daniel Obrove’s bakery is
alive to an extent, some roused with only a small addition of anima (for flavor), and others fully animated and moving about the shelves of the shop. Licorice ropes slither to and fro amidst hanging taffy vines, pie-ing saucers whizz to and fro through the air, and gingerbread villagers come to terms with the fact that their homes are made of the same material as their bodies while fending off swarms of hostile gummy bears. Many of the treats Daniel Obrove creates are wholly accepting of their eventual destiny as edibles, though any living thing is at least a little resistant to becoming food. Wisteria Kitchen is considered cruelty-free, since, other than life magic, none of the ingredients used are any different than what would traditionally be found in sugary confections. Any resemblance to living things is merely a result of the transformative effects of excess anima.
Current Offerings Include:
Stop by sometime and treat yourself to some self-aware treats!
Icing On the Cake; Or, Baker’s Dozen; Or, Additional Information
Danielle Obrove is a member of a race of beastfolk possessing traits of
Bison bison, or the...American bison. Obviously the world which he calls home has no equivalent place called America, so the species his people share traits with have a different name, but for recognition’s sake, be aware that the baker is a buffalo man. He is broad-shouldered, stands at eight feet tall (not including the chef’s hat he wears when working), and possesses curly brown hair and distinctly bison-like ears and horns. Most of Daniel Obrove’s trousers are tailored to accomodate his tail, but he tucks it in at work to keep it from flicking all over the place and knocking things off the counters.
Daniel Obrove comes from a family of skilled animist-farmers. His early life involved imbuing crops and livestock with anima infusions to increase yield across the farm. When it became clear to him that farming wasn’t the path he wished to lead, he left home to apprentice under a restaurateur in the kingdom’s capital city. His utilization of anima in baking is considered...unorthodox, by both fellow chefs and other animists, but there is no arguing with the results.
Daniel Obrove’s utilization of his dual specialties is
tolerated by their respective communities, even if the practice does border on being unethical. It’s clear that not
all the food that he animates wants to be eaten, and some question the practice. Still, anima as an ingredient in pastry is an entirely new technique in the culinary sphere, and as far as the animists are concerned, Daniel Obrove does not commit any of their many taboos in doing what he does.
Animist taboos are committed when anima manipulation is used to perform acts that are seen to tread on the toes of the gods. What people call the “soul” is in fact a condensed and knotted pocket of energy in the flow of the
anima mundi. Animists “bring things to life” by supercharging an object’s soul with additional anima. They aren’t creating new life, merely bolstering the life that’s already there. Other than redirecting the flow of life energy, they don’t directly interfere with a person or object’s soul. Those that
do attempt to go beyond the act of merely rerouting anima are guilty of committing a taboo. The soul is seen as sacred, and tampering with it is the sole province of God. Several severe offenses are detailed below.
- Using anima to change lifeforms is seen as abhorrent. Souls can be reshaped and molded to cause the body to reflect them, but it is a dangerous process, and incredibly painful for the subject. The magical school of biomancy was created to more easily transform the body without altering its soul.
- Using anima to attempt to bring the dead back to life is an abomination. A soul cannot easily be retrieved once it has passed, and even then true resurrection is not attainable with anima manipulation alone. Similarly, even “dead” matter still possesses anima, and awakening dormant flesh and bone which no longer has a concentrated soul occupying it is frowned upon. Necromancy, as with biomancy, is an entirely separate school of magic. Necromancers have their own means of creating shambling mockeries out of the once-living without getting their technique confused with anima manipulation, and they would much appreciate it if animists would keep their noses out of their space, thank you very much.
- Attempting to coalesce enough anima to create a new soul is incredibly ill-advised. It’s one thing to alter existing life, but it is believed that each soul within the universal whole was crafted by the gods themselves, and last anyone checked, the gods don’t appreciate competition. Creating a new soul is an act that someone very powerful and very petty is going to notice, and the perpetrator had better hope they have power enough to deal with the coming judgement they invite upon themselves.
The
anima mundi is different from the guiding, all-pervading universal mesh which is sometimes used by
a chosen few for super-accurate divination. The strands can be seen as the scripting language for reality, with life and its flow being one of the systems coded therein.
Animists should not be confused with elementalists, the distinction being that animists utilize their environment to create elemental constructs, while elementalists are able to summon elemental servants composed of any material at any time. An animist would require a lit campfire to create a sentient flaming cyclone, while an elementalist can do the same without the prerequisite. Because of these restrictions, animists’ guardians are usually more powerful, while elementalists have increased versatility.
The Hither and Thither Expanded; Or, Drawing Back the Curtain!
The baker-animist Daniel Obrove is the alternate universe analogue of the sorcerous energy mogul, Daniel Kebrove. He is not his former life, his blood relative, or a close acquaintance. He's the Obrove if Obrove were a baker inclined toward baking things to life, while
the billionaire is Obrove in the form of a tycoon seeking to shake the foundations of his world!
More of the Obrove selection can be found on their alt list,
here.
There are more "Danalogues" to come, eventually, so we kindly ask that you...
STAY TUNED!