Task 1:
Task 2: 1d100
Task 3: He must have fallen asleep in the rain, it was wet when Mist-Adrift opened his eyes, very wet, and yet the water did not sting. He could see farther than usual, and as he began to stretch his legs, he found fins, wiggling and driving him forward, surging through water and past small schools. Always to his immediate left was a wall of surging and vibrant corals, they sloped down off into forever, like a mountain in the sea, going on as the light from the sun dwindled into nothing. He found an opening, large and inviting, octopi, turtles and fish played in the alien forest around the opening. It seemed inviting, and could accommodate even a fish of double Mist-Adrift's size.
The cool waters would warm as Mist-Adrift found himself surging along a current, formed by tight coiling waters of the tunnel system he was exploring. Becoming a fish was jarring for a moment, but it was not unpleasant, taking living and dreaming as they came was a task easy to hand for the Totoma-turned-fish. The coral walls of the cay began to narrow, scraping along his hardened scales until it became painful. With the tightness, one would imagine a diminishing of speed, however it was the exact opposite, the current pulled with ever increasing swiftness until the plates around Mist-Adrift's face smashed through a wall of coral. The velocity sent him out of the water, spinning into the sun before crashing back down in a large hot spring, centered entirely on the sandy formation above the reef. A luminous and ethereal being swam contentedly in consummate circles, tracing the exact pattern of the shoreline. There were no words to be spoken Mist-Adrift knew this, observation was always the game, he watched, waited and began mentally cataloging features. Amphibious with a long serpentine body, horns and legs ending in a four clawed paw. All of this took him so long that he had begun, with a swish of his large tail, swimming in circles, counter to the considerably smaller creature. A final note he would have to remember, although there was a distinct lack of vegetation in the water, it tasted like green mountain leaves that sometimes fell into the hot springs of his waking home.
The circles had become much more similar in size and orbit, the fish and the dragon drawing ever closer before coming face to face, the creatures blinking at one another. Mist-Adrift had gotten this close with creatures in the waking world, but his dreams rarely put him this physically close to another being. The tea dragon stepped out of the water and directly on to the primary skull plate of the fish, allowing it's tail to remain in the water. They stayed there, a slow moving creature in a perfectly circular hot spring in the midst of a vast coral sea, basking in the steam and warmth of the sun. That peace and calm would bring Mist-Adrift back from the dream, bringing him to the opaque sheets he knew and loved, although a small yearning was born in his mind to turn to the hot springs near the den of his family, and the leaves that would gently fall to the bubbling water.
Task 4: I love Clam Chowder, prepare for soup!
Ingredients:
1 cup Shrimp Stock (see
here for how to get quality shrimp stock)
1lbs Clam Meat
1/2 Diced Yellow Onion(I prefer a whole onion, but I love onion)
2 Peeled Cubed Potatoes(Use a waxy red or golden potato, not a russet or baking potato)
1 Diced Stalk Celery
1 Diced Carrot (I prefer my carrot cut into coins and semicircles, but if you like a less heterogeneous soup, go with a dice)
1/4 cup Flour
3 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
1 cup Heavy Cream or Heavy Whipping Cream(Can substitute Half&Half or milk on a tight budget)
Salt & Pepper to taste
Topping
These are all options, and I prefer Old Bay and a Drop of Olive Oil
Crispy Crumbled Bacon, or Vegan Bacon Bits
Toasted pumpkin seeds
Frenched Fried Onions
Grated Cheese(Cheddar is popular in some regions)
Frozen Pearl Onions
Chopped Shrimp
1. Heat a pot on medium heat and add the Butter, tossing in all the Vegetables once Butter begins to melt. Cook until the Veggies are soft and the Onions are see through.
2. Toss in your Flour and mix with the Veggies and Butter, you are aiming at a blonde roux for this, so quickly follow with the Shrimp Stock, mixing the liquid until there are no more lumps.
3. Add Potatoes and turn heat up to get the soup to a boil.
4. Once at a boil, immediately turn to low heat, simmer setting is best if you have it. Add Clam Meat and stir.
5. As soon as the temperature has come down a bit, add the Heavy Cream while pulling the pot off the heat, stir then serve, topping with your choice of goodies.
This recipe should make about two servings of a fairly chunky New England Clam Chowder, make sure to season and taste your soup along the way, you can always add a bit of water if you have accidentally over-salted.
Task 5: