Tokol's Travelling Pie Cart

Preceded by the delicious smell of baking pastry, Tokol's travelling pie cart is a well-known feature among the residents of Atrea's farmlands. Tokol, the owner of the cart, makes his way around the fields selling handmade pies, whose ingredients are sourced from the same farmlands.

Tokol

Tokol is a testudine, or turtlefolk, who is around fifty years old, or so he tells his customers. He does not disclose very much about his personal life, but one can guess that it is similar to most other turtlefolk. Turtlefolk lead solitary lives and prefer not to settle down in one location, instead living their lives as though each day were an adventure and exploration of its own. Like most turtlefolk, Tokol probably left his parent's side just as he was beginning to reach adulthood, striking out to find his own way in life. As Tokol tells it, he wandered a great distance, all the way from Balihr Heath, on foot. He has seen many things on Qopith, from the towering peaks of the Talons of the Sky and Mount Iuz itself, to the great city of Rosewick, and even as far as the forests of Mistfall and the mangroves of Crestan. Once Tokol discovered the farmlands of Atrea, however, he fell in love with the gently sloping fields and the sunny orchards. He decided that, although he would never truly settle into one place, he would like to stay in Atrea for a while.

Tokol soon came upon the idea of creating a travelling pie cart after tasting a pie for the first time. He could see how the delicious pastries made those who bought them smile, and wished to bring the same happiness to others. Tokol borrowed a cart from the farmer that he had been staying with, and began to bake and sell his pies.

The Cart

The cart is certainly a wondrous sight. It is about the size of a caravan wagon, and is pulled by a sturdy brown mare. Tokol walks beside the horse, as he says if he has good enough legs for walking, why shouldn't he use them? The cart moves at a leisurely pace from farm to farm, stopping at each one to offer Tokol's creations to the laborers in the fields.

The cart is simply decorated, with bright blue and white trim around the windows, door, and roof. Inside, there is a kitchen area with a small furnace, where the pies are baked. There is also an insulated room stocked with ice cubes where the ingredients are kept, and a counter where the fillings and dough are made. Tokol prefers to sleep outside under the stars, so the only accommodation for the testudine is a small stool on which to sit while selling pies, and enough room for him to work comfortably.

The array of pies offered by Tokol is astounding. He has access to an unimaginable assortment of fruit because of his reputation among farmers and orchardists. For any fruit one could think of, there is likely a pie in the cart that contains it. Tokol enjoys experimenting with flavor combinations, so one never knows what kinds of pies may be on the menu the next time the cart comes by. Tokol also occasionally uses ingredients like chocolate or nuts, although chocolate is considered exotic and very rarely turns up. Savory pies are also popular, such as vegetables, cheeses, and herbs, but Tokol is vegetarian and does not serve any meat or seafood products in his pies.

Reputation

Tokol's travelling pie cart has been a staple of life in the Atrean farmlands for several generations. No one is sure exactly when Tokol began his business - it is as though he simply appeared one day and no one really noticed he had ever not been there. Laborers, farm owners, and children alike love to smell and see the cart trundling its way down the road towards them - many a stop is immediately swarmed by young folk with their pocket money hoping for a delicious treat. Tokol has seen many children grow up, inherit farms, and have children of their own. Many of these farmers will sell their products to Tokol at wholesale price as well, even offering him steep discounts in some places, and there has not been a single complaint about the old testudine - except, of course, that he doesn't come by nearly as often as he ought to.