Magic as a Part of Life

Magic is pretty common in Martapa.  You have light stones, magical communication, and magic to be able to speak different languages.  The common person of Martapa does not fear magic users, except if the magic user is attacking them or their city.  Depending on the area of the world, really changes how much magic is used outright.

Tridon has many magical amenities in every day life.  People of Tridon use it to heat their baths, light their homes and sometimes communicate with people far away.  Mages can affect the weather and navigate ships.  The same can be said for the Empire, though they also use it to move water, rid of sewage and garbage and upon the battle field to communicate and decimate their enemies. 

Dwarves use a bare minimum of magic. They use it for simple things like light stones and for sailing, but not much in battling or to make life very easy.  Elves use it in almost everything they do, even saddling a horse.

The hidden city of Tayke uses it in conjunction with engineering and have mechanical messengers, cleaners of sewers, even creation to rid of rodents.

Every location uses magic to heal in one form or another, but depending on the person, the healing can be amazing to just adequate.

Eating Habits of Humans

Humans, like most people, like to eat.  They have breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as a break in the afternoon.  Depending on the location, the afternoon meal changes.

Breakfast is usually light, whether in the north or south, though farmers break that rule.  Those in the city usually have bread and cheese, some of the richer people having eggs, as well.  Farmers have fried meat, bread, eggs and maybe a little milk.

Lunch, for most, is usually a soup, with bread and cheese, or fruit if it is available.  Farmers, for lunch, usually have some bread and maybe fruit or cheese, depending on what they have that time of year.  During the winter they may have soup, since they have less field work to do.

The mid-afternoon break is usually small, consisting of fruit, cheese or bread, and tea if one lives in the city, or wine if you live in the empire.  This is mostly to pass the hottest part of the day in the company of friends.

Dinner is the biggest meal of the day, usually consisting of soup with meat in it or a meat platter of some sort, bread, fruit or vegetables, and possible some cheese.  This is about the only time poorer people have meat, and maybe not even then.  Ale is a common drink with dinner, wine if the people are richer.  Richer people of sweet treats as desert, though even poorer people manage sweet treats on some holidays and special occasions.

Eating Habits of Wood Elves

Elves do eat three meals a day along with a small meal between lunch and dinner.  Breakfast is usually light, a bread and or fruit, with a light wine or water if on the trail.  Lunch adds a little meat or some sort of cheese.  If on the trail, elves will usually eat their version of hard tack with berries and nuts mixed in for a high protein meal.  Dinner is a large affair with three courses of salads, berries, fruits and nuts.  Usually a course of meat is served, as well, though it is a small portion.  The small meal between lunch and dinner is often called "Relaxation".  If in a city the "meal" consists of crackers, cheese and a little fruit.  Richer homes have wine with the "meal" that most use as a social and rest time before the last chores of the day must be finished.

Communications on Martapa

There are several ways communications are sent and received on Martapa. Here are the major ways.

1) Letters brought by runners.  There is a whole network of runners not only in Tridon, but Ariella as well.  Stations are spread out for rest areas and supplies for the runners so they don't have to carry a lot of supplies and thus can run faster.

2) By falcon.  Nobles keep falcons to fly from known location to known location.  They can carry small, short messages which can be the beginnings of communications.

3) Magical means.  The use of mirrors to speak through, mages can talk to each other.  Though there are lots of mages, only a few are capable of doing this.  And it is straining, so only the rich can afford to have such means of communications.

4) And what we would refer to as "snail mail".  Letters can be written and brought by stage or boat to the next location until it reaches its destination sometimes months later.