Waak nuts

Waak nuts, native to the cold mountaintops of Hiik are a staple of Votaw cuisine.

Anatomy

Waak nuts grow on small red-leafed bushes in clusters of five. Each of these clusters is held to the branch by a stringy, fibrous orange cup. The inner shells resting within this cup are shaped like arrowheads, tapered towards their tips and fat towards the top. These hazel-brown shells are tough to crack, and often require the use of a hammer or knife to open. Once inside, one will find the edible pale-yellow fruit, which is almost conical in shape. These have a slight citrusy taste when eaten raw, a taste further brought out when baked.

Growth

Waak bushes, once planted, take one to three years to begin producing fruit. The orange cups— red, at this early stage— will first sprout and slowly expand over the course of nine months. In the tenth month this pod will burst open suddenly, pulling back to reveal the nuts within— ready to be harvested. When grown within Maayot as the Votaw do, waak bushes take only four months to produce fruit.

Weapon and food

A Votawan tale tells of a cornered spellslinger, their gun uselessly kicked to the side, with another pointed right at their skull by a bandit. All they had to fight back was a pouch of waak nuts— which they flung with all of their spirit at the bandit, who fell dead, a single waak nut lodged in their skull. From time to time, rumors spread of a spellslinger like them still wandering from place to place to this day— doling out justice with waak nuts in place of bullets.

Wahk

Staple of the mountains

Waak bushes prefer cooler climates, with ample sunlight— such as that provided by mountaintops.

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