Boris Varg's Cursed Bargain

Boris Varg's Cursed Bargain
Reconstruction of the scene at Strelice's town well during the reported transaction, December 2043
Subject	Boris Varg's Cursed Bargain
Date	12 December 2043
Location	Strelice, Renmaros region
Context	2043 █lmarkan Famine during the Protectorate Wars
Key Figure	Boris Varg ("the man of the broken ring")
Counterparty	Shadow merchant at the town well
Item Exchanged	Wedding band for a sack of white flour
Immediate Effect	Loaves turned to stone; consumers froze and calcified
Outcome	Bakery rendered useless; Varg died three days later
Status	Classified as biological anomaly; local legend

Boris Varg's Cursed Bargain is a local legend from the town of Strelice in the Renmaros region, recounting a transaction in December 2043 during the height of the 2043 █lmarkan Famine. The story describes a baker identified only as Boris Varg, or by the epithet "the man of the broken ring," who traded his wedding band to a shadow merchant appearing at the town well. In exchange, he received a sack of white flour that remained perpetually full despite continuous use. While folklore attributes the event to supernatural intervention or demonic pacts, official records classify it as a biological anomaly linked to the geopolitical turmoil of the Protectorate Wars and the subsequent humanitarian crisis in █lmarka. The immediate consequences of the bargain were catastrophic. Every loaf baked from the flour turned to stone before reaching the oven's heat, rendering the bakery useless for its intended purpose. More terrifyingly, anyone who managed to consume even a crumb froze solid within minutes, suffering rapid calcification while retaining full consciousness until their limbs hardened. Boris Varg himself died three days after his last transaction, reportedly turning to stone while kneading dough, though no skeletal remains have ever been found in the Strelice archives. The legend serves as a cautionary tale taught alongside lessons on famine relief ethics, warning against the desperation that drives desperate choices during times of scarcity.

The famine occurred between January 2043 and June 2044; the legend describes a transaction during this period.

• 2043 █lmarkan Famine
• Protectorate Wars
• Strelice parish registers
• Famine relief ethics