Use
Smoking has been a fact of life in Anhara since as long as plants have been cultivated, and has been illegal almost since its inception. Seen as sacrilegious by the
College of Vestrial Priestesses, the
Book of Etiquette itself cites smoking as an uncouth practice, the highest level of disobedience. The civil, rather than religious, authorities however, enforce bans on the smoking of tobacco rarely, though politicians are never seen to indulge publicly. However, the combination of mistroot, a potent drug, with tobacco is both highly illegal and rigidly enforced.
Cultivation & Production
"Not a farmer for miles has given heed to the priestesses' calls for an end to smoking. Rather than sacrilege, they view this tradition as their way to be closer to the goddess, especially since the wealthy seem to hog the mountains." - Idyllic Living
Tobacco
While tobacco is easily grown in most environments, the cultivation of non-edible plants is a luxury, so only some farms within the Vestrial Downs are currently producing it. These few farms are entirely located within the territory of
House Meadowbrook, in the north of the region. The Meadowbrooks can afford the luxury of tobacco farms thanks, largely, to their increased trade out of
Brookfield, which exports the plant to the wealthy of
The Litoric Islands and residents of
The Mawan, in
al-Tahat.
Domestically, tobacco is generally packaged and exported from Brookfield to the capital region of the Coquet Heights, where smoking is very common among the lower classes. However, the urban poor combine it with mistroot to form a potent drug, compared to rural residents of the Vestrial Downs, who consume tobacco for social and relaxant purposes. In both of these regions, pipes are the most common form of tobacco consumption, with most farmers passing them down from father to son.
"The simple art of tobacco growing, passed down from father to son like any talent of worth, will always trump the pontificating traditions of the capital in its beauty and subtleties." - Idyllic Living
The sowing of tobacco begins during the first or second months of the year, Meda and Veru, with seedbeds (beds of fine soil) being cleared, burned, and hoed, approximately 40 square yards per acre of tobacco expected to be harvested. By the time of late Veru or early Churus the seedlings have been planted in their beds, generally mixed with sand for more even distribution, and then covered with branches to prevent frost damage. By late Mistra or early Mae, depending upon how many have survived the colder months, the germinated seeds are then transported to prepared fields.
From here, the slowest stage begins, with farmers needing to create knee-high hills of dirt around the base of the plants every few feet, so as to promote desired growth, prevent weeds, and facilitate more efficient water-flow. After two months of growth, the plant is "primed," with the two or four lowest leaves removed, as well as "topped," cutting off the clump of leaves at the top of the plant. Topping prevents flowering, a waste of energy for the crop, which could otherwise be devoted to further growth. From the area it was topped, small shoots begin to form, which must be removed as well, lest the leaves fail to reach their full potential.
A Crop in Progress
By late Eros or early Nemura, the tobacco crop stands an imposing six to nine feet high, and is ready for harvesting. This is the stage where experience comes into play, as a full-grown tobacco plant is a fickle thing. The timing of the harvest is crucial, as too early or late means a far less successful season. This is judged with four crucial criteria in mind, experience, color, texture, and the pliancy of the leaves. The entire crop will not be harvested at once, as the criteria are not met at a uniform time by all plants. Cutting will occur, with a sharp blade taken to the plant just below the bottom leaves, across a number of days or even weeks depending on the aforementioned criteria.
Tobacco Leaves Drying in a Barn
Following the harvest, weather permitting, the leaves are left on the ground to wilt, leading to a moister and heavier leaf. Regardless of whether or not the leaves have a chance to wilt, their ultimate destination is a tobacco barn, where they are hung to dry. After four to six weeks, the tobacco leaves are ready to be "struck," or removed, from their hanging position. The timing of the striking relies, again, primarily upon experience, and optimally takes place during damp weather.
"The weight of the balls of tobacco is what the lower-level denizens of the capital have to thank for their drugs, for without the difficulty in transport, the crops would never have a chance to be intercepted in the Mist District." - Idyllic Living
The leaves are then laid on the floor of the barn to "sweat," or become cured, until an amount of moisture judged correct by the farmers has been absorbed, at which point it is sorted, twisted, and rolled into a ball. These balls could be upwards of one hundred pounds, then placed within a barrel with an average eventual weight of one thousand pounds. Given this great weight, efficient transport by land was difficult. Thus, ships move along the river, perhaps as far upstream as Lake Etan, to pick up the barrels and transport them by sea to the Mira Docks in the capital,
Meridia.
Mistroot
Around the base of Lake Mira grows one of the world's most resilient plants. Surviving all attempts by the government to wipe them out, mistroots continue to spring up, every year, all along the waterfront. Picked by the poorest of the capital region's residents, mistroot is brought back to the Mist and Fog Districts of Meridia to be sold as a drug. With hallucinogenic properties when smoked, this plant is most often found packing the pipes of the area's addicts. Mixed with tobacco for the finest effects, it is primarily consumed in mistroot lounges, an often euphemistic name for the smoke-filled dens of addicts.
"The use of roots commonly mixed with tobacco, an already sacrilegious substance, is expressly prohibited as both offensive to the gods and a threat to the fabric of society." - The Book of Etiquette, "Legality"
This plant is blue-green in nature, with a wide but shallow root system, and often simply pulled up by the stem along Lake Mira. Authorities of the area's noble houses, as well the capital's guards, continually burn plants, salt the ground, or arrested mistroot harvesters to prevent addiction and uphold religious edicts. Banned by the
Book of Etiquette, the use of mistroot is sacrilegious in the extreme, so much so that the political upper-class avoids its use even in secret.
Users of this drug experience relaxation to begin, retaining their abilities of speech and consciousness. However, depending on the strength, after some time they slip into a realm of visions, seeing otherworldly things difficult to describe to a non-user. During this stage, they are both immobile and incoherent, utterly useless to those around them. However, death as a direct result of smoking this drug is rare, and most if not all fatalities occur from an inability to respond to events around them.
Impact
Upper Class
Among the high society of Anhara, smoking is an indulgence only experienced in private, if at all. Given the importance of image, violation of sacred laws around the smoking of tobacco would be ruinous to one's career and reputation, as well as sacrilegious. However, among the more rural noble families, smoking does occur on occasion, far from the watchful eye of the cosmopolitan socialites and rigid priestesses. Mistroot, on the other hand, is never indulged in by the wealthy, as the risk of being discovered so incapacitated is far too high to justify.
Among students of the
University of Alarca, smoking long pipes has become a form of differentiating themselves from other members of high society. This has earned them the ire of university officials. (See
University of Alarca Students)
Lower Class
Traditional Tobacco Pipe
Among the urban lower class, tobacco is most often seen in the Mist, Fog, and Arcus Districts, where authorities care less about enforcement. Craftsmen puff upon a pipe while working, dockworkers and ship pilots have a smoke while along the lakefront, or citizens indulge after work, in the privacy of their own homes. However, among the working class, tobacco is smoked on its own, with no added mistroot. Addiction would be detrimental to the family income, to moving up in society, or to any hope of just getting through the working day. In the dregs of the lowest levels, this is not the case.
Primarily in the Mist District, though on occasion in the Fog, mistroot is smoked in private. Mistroot lounges, though infrequently in any state that warrants the word lounge, are found in the darkest, seediest, corners of poor areas. Here, on rags or dirty pillows, lie the addicts of Meridia, wasting their day and any coin they manage to earn or steal, on hallucinogenic smoke. These dens are raided by authorities when their presence becomes too garish to ignore, so most have low capacities and require some familiarity with the owner to utilize.
"Honeyed words never profane the air of these inns and taverns, rather jovial songs and pipe-smoke waft to the rafters, finishing a day of hard work with merriment and the company of friends." - Idyllic Living
Where mistroot is never found, and tobacco freely consumed, are the rural areas of the nation, particularly the Vestrial Downs. Here farmers can be seen relaxing on porches with a pipe in their hand, residents of small towns filling inns with smoke, or even minor nobles joining in amongst the people. In towns, villages, and farming communities, pipes are generally handed down from generation to generation, hand-carved by some forefather long ago, and a source of pride for rural families.
Comments