This bamboo-like grass, pale green and always gently swaying, is found in temperate parts of the Hedge’s grasslands. The story, still told in Vietnam today, goes that a happy drunken man (called Chu Chu) wandered out of his world and into this one, and eventually died blissful and ignorant amidst the bamboo. It’s further said that the bamboo that grows in that region contains part of this drunken man. Breaking open the bamboo stems (or “culms”) and drinking the blood-red liquid inside (which tastes curiously like sour lime) is like consuming a highly potent alcohol. A single thimbleful inebriates one utterly. The drunkard feels happy, gaining a +2 to Social rolls, but a –2 to any dice pools based on Dexterity, Wits or Intelligence. These effects fade entirely after one hour as one’s head clears.
Habitat
The areas in which the Chu Chu Culm grow vary in size. Some areas are only a few feet in diameter and only 3-4 feet tall. Others, in the more wild and untouched areas of the world, are towering forests; the tall grass weaving in the breezes and murmuring a gentle susurrus of its own making. It is said that the larger the forest of Chu Chu Culms, the more you may hear whispered words encouraging you to rest yourself within it's boundaries. This effect is said to be enhanced dependent on how much of the culm's juices one consumes and how deep into the weaving canes you go. This effect is said to be even stronger within the boundaries of the larger forests.
Growth & Cultivation
Cultivating Chu Chu Culm is difficult in most communities due to its need for a pleasant and comfortable death to permeate into the ground in which it grows. Most often, it is simply stumbled upon in the wild grasslands.
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