Quiz Legends & Lattes Travis Baldree

Legends & Lattes Quiz

Test your knowledge of Travis Baldree's cozy fantasy novel Legends & Lattes with this 20-question quiz. The questions span the entire story, from Viv's arrival in Thune to the rebuilt café. After you answer, check the key below for the correct responses and brief explanations based on the book.

For more about the book, visit the book page, for discussion see questions and answers, and for analysis of the ending see ending explained.

Quiz Questions

  1. Plot/Sequence (Multiple Choice): What item does Viv take from the Scalvert Queen's cavern? a) A golden crown
    b) The Scalvert's Stone
    c) A magical sword
    d) A bag of gold

  2. Plot/Sequence (Multiple Choice): What is the first thing Viv does after buying the livery on Redstone Street? a) Hires the carpenter Cal
    b) Buries the Scalvert's Stone under a loose flagstone
    c) Opens the coffee shop for business
    d) Writes letters to her old adventuring party

  3. Plot/Sequence (Multiple Choice): Who is the first employee Viv hires for Legends & Lattes? a) Thimble the rattkin baker
    b) Tandri the succubus
    c) Pendry the bard
    d) Cal the hob carpenter

  4. Plot/Sequence (Multiple Choice): What does Roon deliver to Viv in chapter 6? a) A new sword to replace Blackblood
    b) A Blink Stone for emergencies
    c) A gnomish coffee brewing machine
    d) A shipment of cinnamon rolls

  5. Plot/Sequence (Multiple Choice): How does the Madrigal initially demand payment from Viv? a) Weekly protection money in coin
    b) A share of the coffee shop's profits
    c) The Scalvert's Stone itself
    d) Free cinnamon rolls for life

  6. Plot/Sequence (Multiple Choice): Who sets the supernatural green fire that destroys the coffee shop? a) The Madrigal
    b) Lack, the Madrigal's agent
    c) Fennus, Viv's former companion
    d) Kellin, Tandri's stalker

  7. Plot/Sequence (Multiple Choice): What happens to the Scalvert's Stone after the fire? a) It is consumed by the spectral flames
    b) Fennus steals it from the ruins
    c) It is found intact beneath the flagstone
    d) It disappears, and Viv finds nothing

  8. Plot/Sequence (Multiple Choice): What does Viv offer to Thimble, Tandri, and Cal at the end of the novel? a) A significant raise in wages
    b) Equal partnership shares in the café
    c) A paid vacation
    d) A new, larger oven

  9. Character Motivation (Short Answer): Why does Viv leave her adventuring party without saying goodbye after killing the Scalvert Queen?

  10. Character Motivation (Multiple Choice): Why does Tandri apply for the job at Legends & Lattes? a) She needs money to pay off debts
    b) She senses the magical pull of the Scalvert's Stone
    c) She has always loved coffee
    d) She is fleeing prejudice and harassment at Ackers University

  11. Character Motivation (Multiple Choice): Why does Fennus return to threaten Viv later in the story? a) He wants a share of the successful business
    b) He believes she cheated him out of the Scalvert's Stone
    c) He has been hired by the Madrigal to retrieve the stone
    d) He wants to reconcile with his old party

  12. Character Motivation (Multiple Choice): Why does the Madrigal agree to accept weekly cinnamon rolls as payment instead of taking the Scalvert's Stone? a) She has a personal fondness for baked goods
    b) The evidence about the stone's power is ambiguous, and she chooses a diplomatic solution
    c) She is forced to by the arrival of Viv's old crew
    d) She plans to poison the rolls later

  13. Character Motivation (Short Answer): Why does Viv throw the Blink Stone into the stove fire after the Madrigal's visit?

  14. Theme/Symbol (Multiple Choice): According to the gnome Durias, what does the Scalvert's Stone truly represent? a) Random luck and fortune
    b) A force that draws together a destined community of like-minded people
    c) A curse that brings destruction
    d) A tool for controlling ley lines

  15. Theme/Symbol (Multiple Choice): What does Viv's old sword, Blackblood, symbolize throughout the novel? a) Her orcish heritage and pride
    b) Her past life of violence as an adventurer
    c) Her fear of failure
    d) Her connection to the Madrigal

  16. Theme/Symbol (Multiple Choice): The transformation of the dilapidated livery into a thriving coffee shop primarily symbolizes: a) The power of entrepreneurial grit
    b) The creation of a peaceful found family and a new beginning
    c) The dangers of ambition and greed
    d) The conflict between magic and mundane life

  17. Theme/Symbol (Short Answer): What does the repeated fortune rhyme "The poisoned cup foretells the poisoned blade" suggest about the story's themes?

  18. Synthesis (Short Answer): Describe how Viv's relationship with Tandri changes from their first meeting to the novel's end.

  19. Synthesis (Short Answer): How does Viv's motivation for opening the café compare to her motivation for rebuilding it after the fire?

  20. Synthesis (Short Answer): In what ways does Legends & Lattes challenge typical fantasy tropes about orcs, succubi, and retired adventurers?

Answer Key

1. b) The Scalvert's Stone. Viv retrieves the stone from a pocket above the Scalvert Queen's nasal cavity and takes only that from the cavern's wealth.

2. b) Buries the Scalvert's Stone under a loose flagstone. After purchasing the livery, Viv hides the stone beneath a flagstone before securing her deed and funds in a strongbox.

3. b) Tandri the succubus. Tandri answers Viv's help-wanted ad in chapter 5; Thimble and Pendry are hired later.

4. c) A gnomish coffee brewing machine. Roon delivers the machine in chapter 6; he also gives Viv a Blink Stone, but the primary delivery is the coffee maker.

5. a) Weekly protection money in coin. Lack, the Madrigal's agent, demands payment in chapter 4. Only later does the Madrigal agree to accept cinnamon rolls instead.

6. c) Fennus, Viv's former companion. Fennus uses a thaumic construction to set the supernatural green fire in chapter 24.

7. d) It disappears, and Viv finds nothing. Viv searches the ruins but finds no trace of the stone. Fennus later reveals he has it in the epilogue.

8. b) Equal partnership shares in the café. Viv offers Thimble, Tandri, and Cal equal partnership after the grand reopening in chapter 29.

9. Viv is weary of violence after twenty-two years of adventuring and wants to start a peaceful new life as a coffee shop owner. She feels a prick of shame for not saying goodbye but is resolute.

10. d) She is fleeing prejudice and harassment at Ackers University. Tandri reveals in chapter 20 that she left the university because of discrimination against succubi. She sees the job as a fresh start.

11. b) He believes she cheated him out of the Scalvert's Stone. Fennus accuses Viv of taking the stone without sharing with the party and later attempts to steal it.

12. b) The evidence about the stone's power is ambiguous, and she chooses a diplomatic solution. The Madrigal questions Viv about the stone in chapter 18 but decides not to take it due to ambiguous evidence, instead proposing weekly cinnamon rolls.

13. Viv throws the Blink Stone into the fire to commit fully to her new peaceful life. She refuses to keep an escape tool from her adventuring past, showing she is all in on the café.

14. b) A force that draws together a destined community of like-minded people. Durias explains in chapter 27 that Scalvert's Stones act as community magnets rather than sources of luck.

15. b) Her past life of violence as an adventurer. Blackblood hangs behind the counter, later adorned with a holly garland, and is eventually repurposed as an emblem on the sign, acknowledging Viv's past without defining her present.

16. b) The creation of a peaceful found family and a new beginning. The café becomes a gathering place for Viv, Tandri, Thimble, Cal, and others, representing the community Viv builds by choosing peace over violence.

17. The rhyme foreshadows that hidden dangers (like the Madrigal or Fennus) threaten the peaceful life Viv is building. It connects the coffee shop (the cup) to potential violence (the blade), reinforcing the tension between her old and new lives.

18. Viv and Tandri start as employer and employee, with an awkward interview and initial assumptions. They grow into friends, business partners, and finally romantic partners, sharing a kiss in chapter 29 and moving into a home together. Their relationship is built on trust, vulnerability, and mutual support.

19. Initially, Viv opens the café to escape violence and find a quiet life. After the fire, she rebuilds not just for herself but for the community and found family she has created. Her motivation shifts from personal retreat to protecting and nurturing the relationships she values.

20. Orcs like Viv are portrayed as gentle and retiring, rejecting the stereotype of violent brutes. Succubi like Tandri are hardworking, perceptive, and loyal, not seductive temptresses. Retired adventurers find fulfillment in peaceful pursuits like running a coffee shop, challenging the idea that a hero's life must end in a dramatic battle.