Yoyo

History & Usage

History

Yoyo was an invention created in the first millennia of the Second Halcyon by the elves. During the great Orcish invasions upon the continents, Elvish communities found they were hanging on by a razor's margin as Orcish armies constantly assailed them. The vast numbers of Orcish warriors compared to Elvish warriors was staggering, forcing many communities to be completely abandoned or lost in assaults and sieges when the Orcs were finally able to break through Elvish defenses.
In communities on the interior of empires, much research was done to see how defenses could be bolstered and Elvish soldiers could be supported against the flood of Orcish invasion. A common refrain from both Elves and non-Elvish mercenaries was procuring rest during long battles and sieges. During constant raids and attacks, taking breaks from the frontlines was impossible. Even for Elves, who did not need to rest as long as their non-Elvish counterparts, constant attacks on structures via catapults and constant war-drumming from Orcish lines made trancing difficult or impossible. This left troops feeling exhausted and beleaguered, with no method of solving their lack of rest.
Elven alchemists did their best to find an efficient method of restoring their soldiers' and mercenaries' sleep in a cheap and efficient manner to make sure further cities and military lines did not fall. Eventually, the chemical compound "bandalore" was created: a white powder reduced from various psychoid plants. It was found that snorting the material prevented the onset of exhaustion, and gave an extreme morale boost to the individual. The downside to the consumption of the drug was that bandalore proved to be highly addictive, and if regular usage of the drug wasn't maintained, users would experience incredible bouts of withdrawal.
Regardless of the risks, bandalore was distributed widely throughout Elvish border communities, to great effect. Although the addictions were dangerous for soldiers, the soldiers could work harder, and also found that pain relief was a frequent side effect, allowing them to work even in painful and difficult battles. The proliferation of the material also made its way into Orcish communities, where they attempted to reverse engineer the drug to help them in their own battles.
After the majority of the Orcish wars, a new problem occurred. Many of the veterans of these wars - Elvish and non-Elvish alike - were returning from war with extreme, seemingly unending bandalore addictions. Some of these soldiers were supported by the Empires, attempting to learn how to alleviate addictions, but this process required the government to continue providing bandalore to ex-soldiers. Consumption of the drug would bring them out of their negative mental states, but would also encourage further durg use and perpetuate the addiction. The same was seen in Orcish communities, who gave it the new moniker "yoyo," for how individuals would go from a state of resounding euphoria, happiness, and productivity, to complete exhaustion, degradation, and psychosis when the drug's effects faded.

Cultural Significance and Usage

Modern yoyo is used mostly as a form of recreation. The extreme morale boost from the chemical has many positive benefits. A reduction in need for sleep and an increase in happiness allows individuals to experience significant mood boosts and boosts in personal performance without the usually harmful side effects that come with other drugs. The drug is especially popular with warriors, knights, and nobles. The drug is also popular among dockworkers, ship-builders, and others who engage in strenuous activities for long periods of time.

Hazards

Given very light use of Yoyo, there are very few risks or hazards accompanying the drug. Very casual usage of the drug often never results in an addiction. However, this is not to downplay the very addictive nature of the drug. 
Addiction can form randomly in a user of Yoyo. If the addiction is not maintained, they will enter withdrawal symptoms. The results of withdrawal are catastrophic to the user in comparison to the positive effects that they were granted as a result of the drug. Individuals experience a massive decrease in morale and happiness, and are affected by brain fog, reducing concentration. Individuals also often contract insomnia; Elvish individuals tend to find it impossible to trance and connect with their Reverie until the end of withdrawal symptoms, while non-Elvish individuals find it almost impossible to sleep. Health outcomes are also deteriorated, making people more prone to diseases, curses, and harmful charms or illusions. 
Additionally, the high mood boost while on the drug and the harsh mood detriment during withdrawals makes Yoyo a very potent gateway drug. Individuals who became addicted and are passing through withdrawals might seek out other drugs such as Hype, Skip , or Flake .

Type

Biomaterial

Odor

Dusty and chemical

Taste

Acrid and Foul

Color

White