Sugarsmith

There are many artisans who are known for crafts which are necessary, such as those building chairs or forging tools. There are those who are known for the luxury goods they create, crafting stunning jewelry or inspiring artwork. Among all of those is a craft which takes dedication and a careful hand to produce something which lasts only a short time and yet draws many in to admire the result. These are "sugarsmiths", trained in a very narrow set of cooking skills and existing primarily in large cities. In simplest terms, sugarsmiths create candy from melted sugar and fruit juices. Their materials sound simple at first, but there is more to it. In most places refined sugar is difficult to come by, and multiple refining processes make sugar easier to work with for sugarsmiths. Fruit juices also are difficult to keep without access to cold, or magic. Because of this there is a certain prestige to the profession, and there are few who feel it worth their time and money. Those who pursue learning the art, however, can usually command whatever prices they ask.

Most known sugarsmiths are humans who train for years to learn, and dwell inside the Rhyliss Empire. A few dwarven clans are known to produce sugarsmiths, though they don't use that title, preferring to work within a broader scope. A handful of elves are known to use magic to accomplish seemingly impossible feats of artistry with sugar, and for them it is less a whole profession than an artistic expression using a chosen medium. Their methods are studied by Myrisian arcanists, who have been able to produce similar results. However, neither of these two are considered "sugarsmiths" by those in the profession, as well as themselves.

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Perception

Social Status

Imperial Sugarsmiths

"Pulled or spun,
Wrapped up neat,
Berry or honey,
Sticky and sweet."

— Valorian Children's Rhyme

Inside the Empire, sugarsmiths are more common than in the frontier lands or breakaway nations. It can be said this is due to a need to prove their culture remains significant on Erisdaire, a drive to continue being relevant even with something as decadent as sweets. As such, sugarsmiths can often be found in most of the regional capitals or near where sugarcane is cultivated and processed. A few places can turn honey into sugar, as well, though these are mostly concentrated in the western provinces where the weather is friendly towards honeybees. Most sugarsmiths in the Empire command whatever price they can ask, even creating simple candies in large amounts for nobility or smaller batches for those who spend the coin. Those who take requests will make small hard candies which bear marks as demanded by a client, or soft candies flavored with mint extracts meant to be taken between courses of a meal to cleanse the palate. Others limit themselves to decorative touches added to baked goods, working alongside partners who bake cakes for special occasions. Some only ply the trade during festivals, making far less money for a very intense period of work, but are almost always sought out for their efforts. The popular "sugar nest" confection was created entirely by these sugarsmiths, taking a long time to create but being relatively stable for a long period of time. Just as well-known is something referred to as "sugar clay", which utilizes sugar pulled until it forms into something soft and sticky. This particular confection travels well when rolled inside waxed paper and sealed from air, making it favored by travelers for something sweet on the road.

As the Imperial capital city, Eva Valoria has a half-dozen known sugarsmiths; two serve at the Imperial Palace creating for important functions, three more are privately employed among the nobility, and one keeps a shop among the commoners. This sugarsmith is called "Mister Sapphire" by locals, based on his eyes, and is often at the market selling small pouches of treats to children for a silver coin each. The current "Imperial Sugarsmiths" use their talents to entertain the Imperial family and their guests, either at informal meals within the palace or major formal dinners held elsewhere. When not needed for special functions the sugarsmiths often make batches of small candies which are given as gifts to regional governors on the anniversary of their ascension. Furthermore, these sugarsmiths are the only ones permitted to make confections using the Imperial coat of arms, and breaking this carries a steep monetary fine.

Every region does have their own favorites or specialties, usually created by a single sugarsmith and some assistants. Sugarsmiths in Eva Oceana produce a different version of sugar clay which has a salty tang to it, and this is quite popular with those who live within the city. It's not as popular with sailors and harbor workers, however. "Once you work near the sea long enough, you really don't want to be reminded of the salty sea spray." Farrohol favors hard squares of sugar which can be tucked into the corner of the cheek while a person works, flavored with something strong enough to offset the smell of work. Orchards in the western reaches of the empire make candy which is a hard shell around a fruit-flavored gel, with sugarsmiths having molds in different fruit shapes to make it easier to distinguish what the flavors will be. Pendelholm has "golden scales", a regional invention made from sheets of a buttery hard candy broken from a sheet and shaped into scale-like shapes.

Myrisian Sugarsmiths

"Yes, they made a bird out of sugar. A whole bird. I have no idea how they did it, and frankly I prefer not knowing."

— Carmichael, Caravan Owner

Myrisian culture is not nearly as skittish about arcane magic as Imperial culture, and this extends to many aspects of their life. Sugarsmiths from Myrisia utilize many magical aids in their work, allowing them to keep things cold or hot as needed or even to remove water without needing to boil it off or leave standing for long periods of time. This has allowed them to be more precise with their melted sugar, or to incorporate dried berries into their work. More interestingly, it was discovered chilling milk with sugar incorporated in it resulted in its own product. This iced cream is popular to end a meal, though once outside the cold it swiftly becomes just a sweet cream. Similarly there have been arcane-wielding sugarsmiths who discovered using wind magic to spin sugar clouds results in a much more fine thread, called "sugar clouds" by those who have tried them. Myrisian sugarsmiths have used their craft to accent servings of iced cream with candy shells or decorative shapes, even sometimes laying out shapes along a sheet of the iced cream to resemble something like a stained glass window.

Arcane magic has opened a great deal of other wonders for sugarsmiths to explore, and the greater the talent of the individual opens even more options for what the arcane can do. There are credible reports of things such as illusions to help sugar flowers appear as the real thing, or animated animals made out of spun sugar, or floating arrangements of candy which rearrange as pieces are taken to enjoy. More ambitious uses of magic have given rise to stories which are not as widely believed, such as an exhibition of a swordsman fighting animated armor made from panes of sugar and slowly chipping pieces off for the audience. One confirmed spectacle from a sugarsmith is a candy egg hatching for a dragon made out of pastry to crawl across a banquet table until serving forks pinned it to the tablecloth, and it bled a thick sauce made of red wine and preserved berries.

With such wonders, and a variety of applications for arcane talent, being a sugarsmith in Myrisia is less difficult and limited only by a ready supply of sugar. Conjuration and other magic helps keep the demands met, and has also led to sweetness being more prominent in cooking recipes among the larger settlements.

Dwarven Sugarsmiths

"If you think dwarves were only good working with hammers and anvils, or have minds for only metal? Have I got a story to tell you about what I've seen."

— Fournan, Caravan Master

Cultural stereotypes would have it believed dwarves deal in stone and metal, with little interest in other crafts. Yet there are clans who have honed broader skills such as glassblowing and woodworking, and there are a significant number of those who work with sugar for the art of sugarsmithing. Most of their sugar is acquired from beets instead of other sources, giving candies from dwarven sugar a very distinct flavor. They also have made an art of adding sugar to milk and reducing it into a thick brown substance called "dwarven cream" to outsiders. This lasts much longer and is sometimes purchased by traders to sell elsewhere. This substance is either turned into round hard-candy drops, or left to become sticky and chewy like sugar clay with a rich and almost butter-like flavor. Using dwarven cream as a sweetener has caught on among trade routes, and some bakers will incorporate it into their goods.

Clan Ironplough is known for being farmers, having surface settlements herding goats and growing many vegetables which need sunlight to prosper. Similarly, Clan Roothorn has designed and help maintain underground farms with channels for air and light to reach so farms are secure inside underground clanhalls. Both clans are responsible for dwarven sugarsmiths having their own supply of sugar, and other agricultural supplies. They are also, unsurprisingly, the clans who produce the largest amount of sugarsmiths among dwarves. Much like among humans, larger settlements are where sugarsmiths are more likely to be found. Unlike with humans, there are no real centralized locations dwarves gather at.

Elven Sugarsmiths

"It is not a matter of what it is worth, or how much I am paid. The value is in the art of it. The way people admire- what do you mean, can you eat it?!"

— House Heilana Sugarweaver

Elves are notorious among the cultures on Erisdaire for pursuing artistic endeavors simply to make something pleasing to their senses, and sugarsmiths are not much different than other crafts. Among high elves, the title is actually "sugarweaver" among elves, as they tend to favor spinning melted sugar into threads instead of using solid pieces. The so-called "wild elves" by contrast prefer it in a chewy state, knowing a couple plants which can turn fruit juices into a thick gel which is not as sticky and holds its shape well.

Among the high houses of the elves, there is prestige in presenting woven sugar which is an artistic representation of something. Each sugarweaver has their own signature style, and favorite subjects to draw from. House Holimion prefers representations of people, while House Heilana presents landscapes made of sugar weaves which could be almost like gauze. On the other side, House Naïlo does work where the negative space of the piece is as important as what is described by the weave. This is best seen in a work called "Spring Storms", where sugar was woven into the impression of clouds with thin streamers connecting to the base. Arcane magic kept it stable, but the thin streamers caught just enough light to suggest a light rain - or a heavy one at certain angles.

Wild elves tend to view the craft as something to supplement survival in the wild, or a way to use any fruits leftover from a harvest. It is not entirely common for leftovers in elven culture, but preserving it by turning it into "chews" is a means of giving scouts a light and easy item to carry. They also have discovered a type of tree in the Sebilian Jungle where the resin can be turned into a non-toxic substance readily able to accept flavor and sugar for sweetness. This is also present in scouts' ration packs, useful to help clean teeth in its unsweetened form.

Alternative Names

Sugarweaver (Elves)