Yoult tree

Weightless as air, I floated off into a great polychromatic sky. Shapes and sounds became one, and I blissfully wondered in amazement at it all until I eventually, finally, found myself once again on the red-dyed carpet of the dwelling.

— A Rektouzk trader

The yoult tree is popular throughout Qet for its recreational properties, discovered long ago in the midst of a forest fire. Rektouzk cultivates vast fields of the crop to sell to various nations, as the soil around lake Chluetichlon seems to give their crops a unique flavor that is well sought after.

Appearance

Yoult trees can grow up to fifteen feet in height— the Rektouzk variety reaching up to twenty— their bark is a pale-green-brown speckled with small dark-green spots. The branches of the tree grow in irregularly sized rings starting about two-thirds of the way up the trunk, with at least three feet between each.

The leaves themselves are shaped like teardrops, split into two points like the tongue of a snake at their tips, and colored a deep violet.

Stages of growth

A standard yoult is planted from a small orange-brown seed, which typically grows on the underside of branches close to the trunk. After a few months a sprout will appear, with a striking green trunk, and pink leaves.

Little maintenance is needed as the tree grows and its colors develop, typically reaching a suitable stage for harvesting after eight to ten years— or just six to seven within Rektouzk.

Were one to try smoking the bark or leaves too early— they would find themselves inhaling a bitter, irritating smoke. Some will find themselves afflicted by permanent health complications from being overeager.


Finally, yoult trees are harvested about twice a year— and merely a fraction of a field will be harvested at any given time— except for those saved merely for picking leaves.

Use

Once matured, the bark of the yoult tree will be peeled from the trunk using a specialized tool. Most trees will be cut down, and the entirety of their bark peeled. Some will only have a small portion cut, and will survive for years, so that their leaves may be continuously harvested. The bark is then cut along its length into quarters, and finally along the width into small curved strips.

These strips are placed over clay trays, and lit alight from underneath so as to burn any remnants of the inner wood sticking to the bark. This is done indoors, often smaller rooms— some even going as far as to construct rooms specifically for the purpose of smoking— as the smoke is then left to fill the room and breathed in by its occupants. The bark produces a stronger high than the leaves, and is more sought after as a result.


Leaves are hand-picked, and smaller ones are crushed with a mortar and pestle. These crushed leaves are then packed and rolled within larger leaves, which unlike the yoult bark, can be smoked just about anywhere.

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Average Height

15-20ft

Preferred Climates
Warm, fertile climates. Not too hot nor too cold, however.

Dangerous Cultivation

On the uncommon occasion that a field of yoult trees is set alight, few working the fields will survive.

It was during a forest fire that the tree's recreational properties were first discovered, but whoever stumbled upon it barely survived— too delirious to make it out alive without falling into a nearby river.

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