The Melredet
In far north Derkomai, the people of Nodyund speak reverently of the "Melredet," a legendary package of food and other necessities that provided all they needed in the dark times after The Fall from the Stars.
The legend of the Melredet says that just after the Fall, the Melredet floated to shore in a magical box. Anyone could open the Melredet box once each day and take out whatever they needed at the time: food, drink, medicine, even fire. Even in the coldest, frozen north, the food from the Melredet was magically hot and nutritious. The people of Nodyund say that without the Melredet, all of the early people of the north would have have starved or frozen to death. For several months, the people depended on the Melredet, but eventually, the magic of the Melredet ran out, and it could no longer provide for the people of Nodyund. By then, however, the people had established the first village at Nodhabn with crude houses, initiated trade with the Dwarvirim in the area, and constructed their first fishing boats, so they were no longer in danger of starving or freezing to death.
Based on the legend of the Melredet, the Nodseimanne have created nutritious, long-lasting, packaged meals for hunters, fishermen, and sailors. Unlike the legendary Melredet meals, the packaged meals of Nodyund and Danyund are not magically hot, but they serve the same purpose: to provide nutritious food in difficult circumstances.
Historical Basis
The legend of the Melredet is based on real historical events. At the time of The Fall from the Stars, the people that survived from the landing ship that crashed near where the city of Nodhabn now stands were in extreme distress, many near death from hypothermia and starvation. However, when the landing ship sank beneath the waves, several large, intact, sealed cases of emergency rations (MRE's or "Meals, Ready to Eat") floated free from the wreckage and were washed to shore. The survivors of the crash subsisted on those emergency rations for several weeks until they were able to construct some semi-permanent housing and begin gathering other food.
Spread
The legend of the Melredet is known throughout Nodyund and Danyund, but is especially revered in Nodyund, whose people see it as a sign that they are especially blessed by Valamarashe, the deity most often revered there. Outside of Nodyund and Danyund, the legend of the Melredet is largely unknown.
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