Something’s Cooking at the Dragon Oven

By OH correspondent Dent Drake.

Myths and legends abound which proclaim with authority the age-old presumption that there is no more perfectly regulated furnace or oven in all of the many worlds than that which burns in the belly of a Dragon! And what Great Fortune to all the denizens and visitors to these Sylvan Fae Lands of Evenmarch, that one such Oven exists here, right on the grounds of the Faerie Festival and neighboring the old stone walking Labyrinth.

Many consider the stone Dragon Oven to be part of the Land itself, and indeed, the impressive thing seems to be so.

Quite massive, yet still quite small for an actual Dragon, this structure is made from native stone and cob in the form of a crouching, open-mouthed Dragon, and in the function of a mighty cooking oven. Cob, which serves as the Dragon’s flesh and its sculpted form, is a mixture of clay and sand and straw. Mixed correctly and applied with skill, cob is a wonderful and reliable natural building material. Nearby the Dragon Oven is a little cob cottage which provides shelter for the ‘cobbits’ that bake treats in the great Dragon’s belly.

   It is said that the worthy Lord who holds Human title to the Ouaquaga Lands that also cross at times into Evenmarch is the very one who engineered this wizardly feat. This legend seems unlikely, as the grand oven appears quite old. It says a thing, however, about peoples’ perception of this Great Man, that they would attribute such a thing to his legacy. Whomsoever the designer was, this timeless Dragon Oven is a thing of beauty and efficiency.  Rocket Mass Heating technology and bread oven sensibilities inform the entire way this oven bakes. And, OH, this oven bakes!

Cobbit Bread and Trollhouse Cookies have been festival favorites for years now, delighting visiting friends-of-Faerie and denizens as well, be they of Faerie or Human origin, or some other altogether. They are surprisingly wholesome for food associated with Humans. They bear no strange nor exotic ingredients that are common in Human foodstuffs, but which have recently been reported as being quite unhealthy for consumption by Magical beings.  Simple ingredients, properly balanced, and cooked in the belly of a Dragon; no wonder they remain popular! And the Cobbits that bake them are So nice! Really.

  The Dragon consumes wood, and when it does so it begins at first with smoke that pours forth from its mouth and nostrils. Once a fire is going in the Dragon’s belly, however, all who have ears can hear the roar within.  A mighty draft is built up and maintained by the shape of the inner form of the Dragon’s belly. Clever labyrinthine channels direct the heat while the stone and cob collect and store it. It burns so efficiently, that beyond  the first few minutes after a cook fire is kindled within it, very little smoke is seen thereafter.  Truly a timeless and brilliant thing, a wonder to see, and a delight to receive treats from.