Overview

Yeahrti lives in the snowy mountain region where Grimblewaith searches for a tribute worthy of the Great Joaquin. His deep blue eyes and well-appointed cave reveal more intelligence, knowledge, and comfort than Grimblewaith initially expects from an enormous white-furred stranger.

He recognizes immediately that Grimblewaith is unprepared for the mountains. The officer lacks proper clothing, raises his voice in an avalanche zone, and gawks at everything around him. Yeahrti offers practical guidance, though he temporarily forgets that guidance when the topic turns to chocolate.

The Avalanche

Grimblewaith asks whether chocolate is good. Yeahrti reacts so loudly that the mountain answers. Snow breaks loose and buries the visitor, placing him at the edge of death while Grimma’s voice urges him to surrender.

Yeahrti rescues Grimblewaith, carries him to safety, and revives him beside a fire. The rescue transforms a disastrous first meeting into genuine hospitality and gives Yeahrti the opportunity to introduce the officer to the drink that caused the argument.

Hot Chocolate

Yeahrti’s cave resembles a noble study, with a fireplace, globe, bookshelves, and a fragrant cauldron. From it he serves hot chocolate. Grimblewaith approaches the dark drink as though it might erase his memories, then accepts the apology after a cautious taste becomes several enthusiastic swallows.

For a Beandom resident who has never encountered cocoa, the experience feels almost magical. The drink warms him, restores his energy, and expands his understanding of what beans can become when combined with the correct ingredients.

Two Bags of Beans

Yeahrti gives Grimblewaith a white bag containing the sweet snow beans he originally sought. These may please a phoenix, though their sweetness alone does not win Joaquin’s contest.

The second bag is more historically significant. It contains cocoa beans and instructions for cultivating them in a hot, humid region. Yeahrti asks Grimblewaith to carry them into the Beandom so its people can discover chocolate for themselves.

A Culinary Revolution

Raw cocoa beans are not sweet and would make a terrible phoenix tribute. Their value lies in what they can become. Yeahrti predicts that whoever successfully plants, harvests, and prepares them could gain wealth, fame, and a place in history.

Grimblewaith later gives the cocoa beans to Sir Roderick, asking him to carry them to Bellissimo and her father. The gift connects the phoenix contest to the damaged farming communities left behind by the Dearth and offers a path toward rebuilding through an entirely new crop.

Key Relationships

• Grimblewaith: Visitor, avalanche victim, chocolate student, and chosen bearer of the cocoa beans.
• The Great Joaquin: The sweet-toothed phoenix whose contest motivates the mountain journey.
• Sir Roderick: The rival petitioner who receives the cocoa beans for Bellissimo’s community.
• Bellissimo: The future beneficiary of Yeahrti’s agricultural gift.

Yeahrti nearly kills Grimblewaith with enthusiasm, then changes the Beandom with hospitality. Both events begin with chocolate.

—The Chronicler

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