Even Evil Has Standards: The Madrigal might run a protection racket, but she appreciates Viv's attitude, she negotiates payment in pastries, and she hates assholes like Kellin and Fennus.

When the shop burns down, Viv initially thinks it's her good luck reversing thanks to the Scalvert's Stone, but this turns out to be untrue. Much of magical study is figuring out how to redirect or minimize the blowback. Equivalent Exchange: Tandri mentions a principle called Thaumic Reciprocity, wherein any energy expended in creating a magical effect eventually rebounds.The Madrigal winds up negotiating with her to give payment in pastries instead. Don't Make Me Destroy You: The problem with the Madrigal's protection racket isn't that Viv can't handle it-between herself and her friends she could easily destroy the whole mob-but that she doesn't want to go back to that life or to get her coffee shop caught up in it.Fortunately, Tandri has the business savvy and artistic talent to get things running. Didn't Think This Through: Viv makes and carries out careful plans to get the shop itself up and running, but has no idea how to promote and advertise, assuming that people will just come.Viv is bankrupt due to having spent her life savings building it up, and turns on her friends in anger. Darkest Hour: When Viv's coffee shop is burned down by Fennus and the Scalvert's Stone stolen.Cool Old Lady: The Madrigal is an elderly lady and a lot more Affably Evil than Viv expected.

City of Adventure: Thune is a city populated with orcs, succubi, dwarves, elves, and other races in a D&D-like fantasy setting.

Barbarian Hero: Viv was one of these as an adventurer, and was the brutal tank of the group.

This applies to the Madrigal herself, who wants to find an arrangement other than breaking legs and burning down shops.

He actually gets annoyed with Kellin over his aversion of this.

Lack of the Madrigal's Thieves' Guild is quite friendly and prefers words to violence.

Legends & Lattes contains examples of the following tropes: It follows the trials of Viv, an orc Barbarian Hero, who retires from the life of an adventurer and moves to Thune, opening the city's first coffee shop.ĭespite Viv's best efforts, adventure follows her anyway, as she gets tangled up with the city's Thieves' Guild, and is threatened by one of her old adventuring companions, who wants to steal a magical object Viv is using to ensure her shop's success. Legends & Lattes: A Novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes is a Slice of Life Fantasy novel by Travis Baldree.

Legends & lattes