HELLO HELLO to all Splinterlands readers dropping by my humble Hive hideout! 👋🏻👋🏻👋🏻
We're back once again with another round of the Splinterlands Community Engagement Challenge, this time dressed in full Thanksgiving flair and sprinkled generously with festive fire-roasted vibes. 🦃🔥
As Dragon’s Feast rolls on and everyone’s busy counting their blessings (and maybe their burned battle logs), I thought it’d be fun to shift gears from the arena and dive into some lore-themed storytelling. And who better to feature this week than Alfredo, our beloved kitchen-dwelling fire elemental himself? So grab a plate, pull up a chair, and let’s dig into a warm, fiery tale perfect for the holiday season! 😜
No matter! I present to you — Harvest of Heroes — A Thanksgiving Tribute.
So without further ado, let's dive into this week's themed topic for the Splinterlands Community Engagement Challenge! 🎉
⚔️🛡️ Alfredo and the Feast of the Forgotten Flame 🛡️⚔️
The pirates of ΛZMΛRÉ are known throughout the Splinterlands as tough opponents, rugged adventurers and ruthless risk-takers. But sometimes even they lack the skills necessary to find the treasures they seek. It is in instances like these that they will sometimes call upon a rogue islander that goes by the name of Alfredo.
Alfredo is a master of more skills and trades than can be named around a fire on the longest night of the ΛZMΛRÉ year. For a man so young, his experiences and adventures are truly a wonder that can capture the attention of any pirate who has sailed into the wide Outer Ocean. He lives alone in a cozy hut on Isdar Cumulos, one of the largest islands of the ΛZMΛRÉ Archipelago. He has eyes and ears throughout the Water Splinter, including merchants at the massive port city of Anenon and underwater spies in the Mertropolis of Poseidar. He has befriended hunters of the wild naga of the deep and has shared meals with the Axemasters who live on the edge of the jungle. Alfredo has even made a good impression upon the Magi Sphinges that guard the jungle pyramid (which he could easily infiltrate if he had such reckless desire).
The story that entangled Alfredo into Moxian Gladiator combat unfolded so suddenly that he never could have seen it coming. It was not his intention to fight as anyone's champion, nor was it ever his way to stand where he could be seen by thousands of eyes at once. He was in the midst of a job for the crew of the Polly Squidly, a well known pirate ship led by a most ambitious captain called Rondal “Four-Toes” Merriman. Captain Four-Toes earned his nickname when he lost a brutal game of dice to a band of naga on which he had bet six of his toes. Needless to say, Four-Toes was a gambler, and not a very good one.
The job for which the Polly Squidly recruited Alfredo was supposed to be a simple one, retrieving a valuable treasure from an ancient shipwreck off the coast of Praetoria. They had hired a mariner of the kulu, operator of a fancy underwater ship, and they needed Alfredo to assist in picking the locks of the irons that held the treasure chest to the wreckage. Alfredo had run jobs with this crew before, so it seemed that nothing was out of the ordinary.
After several days at sail, the Polly Squidly neared the western shores of Praetoria where the sunken shipwreck was supposed to be. But the night before the retrieval, Alfredo was double-crossed by the pirates who he thought were his friends. Four-Toes drugged his night brandy with a powerful sedative used by Merfolk in amputations, then brought the sleeping Alfredo ashore.
When Alfredo awoke the next morning, he found himself alone on a Praetorian beach with his own handmade hunting blades, a crudely-packed sack of supplies and an explanation note from Four-Toes himself.
Dearest mate:
Many apologies for the trickeries, but my crew is as good as dead unless ye play along. I lost a bet with the Dragonfolk and they demanded that I produce the likes of ye for to play in their Gladiator games. Ye're in for a year's term, but there's great riches in it if ye can win… and I know ye Yours in treachery,
Four-Toes Merriman
Alfredo, not wanting the death of an entire crew of friendly pirates on his conscience (and frankly not having anything better to do), decided to go for it. He would be the best Gladiator he could be, and if his island hut was no longer there when he returned to the Archipelago, he would simply build another one.From Splinterlands Lore on Alfredo
🦃 “Alfredo and the Feast of the Forgotten Flame”
A Splinterlands Thanksgiving Lore Tale
Deep beneath the mountains of the Burning Lands, where molten rivers flow like angry serpents and the stone walls glow with ancient heat, there lived a creature who was never meant for glory, never meant for battle, never meant for anything beyond kitchen duty.
His name was Alfredo. A squat, soot-covered, ever-smouldering fire elemental whose entire existence revolved around chopping roots, stirring cauldrons, and taste-testing soups (which, for a being made of fire, was always slightly ironic).
He wasn’t a warrior.
He wasn’t a gladiator.
He wasn’t a hero.
But this Thanksgiving, that was all about to change.
🍁 The Kitchens of Ashfall Keep
Thanksgiving was not traditionally celebrated in the Burning Lands. The people there honoured fire, strength, rebirth, not harvests or feasts or warm gatherings. But ever since the Dragon’s Feast festival began spreading across Praetoria, even the stern warriors of Ashfall Keep softened enough to enjoy a shared meal.
The great warlords, the lava-born shamans, even the grumpiest obsidian-skinned guards, all were invited to the annual Feast of Embergiving.
And the one responsible for preparing that feast?
Alfredo.
He worked with relentless dedication.
Chopping magma onions.
Fire-roasting rock tubers.
Boiling iron-bone broth so thick it bent ladles.
And this year, the warlords demanded something new, something festive:
“A centrepiece dish worthy of the Fire Splinter.”
A challenge, a decree, a culinary nightmare.
Alfredo scratched his molten chin.
“What even counts as a Thanksgiving dish here?” he muttered, stirring a pot with a sizzling wooden paddle that burst into flame every few seconds.
But he wasn’t one to back down.
He would create a dish so magnificent that even the fire gods themselves would drool molten admiration.
🍂 The Forgotten Flame
While searching the deepest cold-storage caverns (which, in the Burning Lands, means “slightly less lava”), Alfredo stumbled upon a sealed stone chest. Inside, wrapped in volcanic glass, was a tiny flicker of reddish-orange fire.
It pulsed weakly, as though asleep.
Alfredo gasped.
A Forgotten Flame.
An ancient ember once used by fire shamans to bless harvests in ages long past before war consumed their traditions.
Legend said the Forgotten Flame could infuse any meal with warmth so comforting, so spiritually nourishing, that even the angriest warrior would weep with gratitude.
“This is perfect,” Alfredo whispered.
He cradled the ember gently, even though it could not burn him.
Nothing could.
🦃 Chaos in the Kitchen
Alfredo spent hours preparing the main dish, a massive stone-baked Emberfowl stuffed with lava herbs and seared root clusters. The aroma filled the halls with smoky sweetness.
But word spread.
The Emberfowl smelled too good.
A pack of Ash Wolves broke into the kitchen.
An overgrown Hellhound sniffed dangerously close to the stove.
Two armoured minotaurs “accidentally” wandered by, claiming to be checking for safety hazards.
And worst of all.
A massive, hulking warrior named Gorrik the Melter leaned in and said:
“That bird looks done. Maybe we should taste-test it… before the others arrive.”
Alfredo shook with fury, sparks crackling from his fingertips.
“NO. TOUCHING. THE. EMBERFOWL.”
His voice echoed like a furnace explosion.
For once, everyone backed off.
🔥 The Feast That Changed Everything
When the feast began, and the Emberfowl was carried to the central table, the entire hall went silent.
The skin glowed with shimmering orange.
The scent was a perfect balance of spice, smoke, and warmth.
And at the heart of it all… the Forgotten Flame pulsed gently, infusing the meal with the spirit of gratitude.
Alfredo stepped forward, tiny and smouldering beside massive warriors.
He cleared his throat.
“This feast is not about strength, or battles, or who burnt who last week. It is about remembering warmth. Remembering community. Remembering that even fire can give life, not just destroy it.”
The hall was silent.
Then, one by one, the warriors nodded.
Some bowed their heads.
Some clenched fists to their chests.
One Hellhound whimpered softly, emotionally overwhelmed.
And when the first bite was taken, the entire hall erupted in tears, laughter, and exclamations of joy so loud they shook dust from the ceilings.
“BY THE FIRE GODS! THIS IS INCREDIBLE!”
“I FEEL LIKE HUGGING SOMEONE!”
“WHO IS THIS CHEF? GIVE HIM A TITLE!”
Alfredo glowed a little brighter.
Literally.
🍁 A Thanksgiving Hero
By the end of the night, the warlords bestowed upon Alfredo a new mantle:
Keeper of the Flame of Gratitude.
Every future Embergiving feast would be prepared under his guidance.
Every warrior would remember that warmth, compassion, and community had a place even in the harshest lands.
And Alfredo?
He finally realized he wasn’t “just a kitchen worker.”
He was a guardian of tradition.
A bringer of comfort.
A Thanksgiving legend.
All because he believed that even fire could be gentle.
💭🧐💭Ending Thoughts💭🧐💭
I definitely can appreciate this week's Splinterlands Community Engagement theme of Harvest of Heroes — A Thanksgiving Tribute and how it adds to the lore and reading material of HIVE's biggest Dapp, Splinterlands. This only gives the entire blockchain, and the game itself, more exposure to the wider community out there. Growth here means growth for everyone!
I hope this article has given you some insight into its potential. 😉
To any new players who wish to explore the world of Splinterlands, do feel free to sign up with my REFERRAL LINK 😊.
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