 |
|
#1: Gallduroi
A sample from Horde Book 1: A Swarm of Stirges by Tavis Allison, in which we predict a thriving black market for pre-owned stirge parts
A stirge's gallbladder, or gallduroi, is a prized item to gourmets. Its piquant flavor makes an excellent pate, although some prefer to use the gallbladders as a stuffing for other roast meats. In civilized regions, most gallduroi comes from stirge ranches. Most such ranches are located in sealed chambers deep underground, to contain the threat of infestation from escaped stirges. "Bat" ranchers typically also maintain a herd of dwarven cattle to feed their stirges.
Some gourmands insist that the flavor of gallduroi from a wild stirge is superior to that of a stirge that has been raised indoors and fed a monotonous diet. To the right bidder, fresh gallbladder from a wild stirge may sell for as much as two gold per ounce. However, finding a buyer may be difficult. There are certainly some who interested in wild gallduroi not so much for its taste as for the ghoulish pleasure of eating a creature that was fattened on the blood of men. And it is rumored that there are ranches that cater to this trade, feeding their herds with humanoid captives. The sale of gallduroi is illegal in many areas because it may be associated with such evil.
The gallbladder of a stirge weighs a little more than one ounce. A defeated swarm of stirges typically yields 1d10 x 100 ounces of gallbladder. Unless special methods were used to kill them, however, the gallbladders of many stirge corpses will not be in usable condition—50% is the usual percentage for those who were felled by melee weapons.
|