Travel Food in Midrea

Midrea has some nutrition science and a wide range of foodstuffs and so while the tech is low eating is good.

Travel food items include a potato analog (brought from Earth actually) hard tack, pickled vegetables and eggs, honey, nuts , dried fruit and dried salted meat. Rice, tea and, coffee, and herbal "tea" are carried when they can be had

For deep delves there something like pemmican "waybread" or "Iron Rations" -- light, easy to carry, keeps years -- its fat, meat, druid fruit, certain high vitamin berries (a kind of rose hip), sometimes a bit of honey wrapped in leaves or hide. You can live in this a very long time.

Rich people also have alchemical items, akin to energy shots that are used to treat deficiency diseases. These are cheaper than healing potions and very handy on long trips.

There are also preservation charms used whenever possible and a larger version called a cargo spindle ."Create food" items exist but as the Gods disapprove of such things on various grounds those these can be hard to come by.

Many important people also have rings of sustenance. However since eating is enjoyable and a great way to show status, these are less used than you might think except in time of war.

Speaking of war, several nations have an elite "long march squad" with magic boots, magic cloak, sustenance rings and other items . These units can appear and operate anywhere in the world in relative comfort without resupply and make for great PC bands.

The only place they are common is out in the islands near the Five Lands and Dragon Empire there is a nation called colloquially "The Ring Folk" . Upon maturity everyone is given a ring of sustenance and as such they never need eat or sleep more than 2 hours again.

As a person dies his or her ring is returned to the city and reissued -- in a long life time this is cheaper than food (eating is about 5sp per day I'd guess, call it 200GP per year with wastes and feasts and such) -- 12 and a half years pay for it and as a nice thick ring can last several lifetimes -- its a very good deal.

In that culture food is only equated with childhood and reproduction , as while the ring gave "life-sustaining nourishment. and refreshes the body and mind," it is not enough for childhood growth or a pregnancy.

When a family wanted a child they start eating . They do have gardens and fisheries and pig farms for this purpose but mostly as they have no industry (they live in shaped stone houses, have continual flame lamps and inherited magic items for comfort and such ) they traded crafts, have priests conjure food and occasionally treasure dive.


And a last note to readers, a ring of sustenance won't work on a child and it renders the user sterile while worn. Handle with care.