I just thought I'd add my take to a peripheral subject. Coffee is a vile chaos abomination! Everyone knows that tea is the drink of the oldest and most stable cultures in Glorantha. Coffee was introduced with the howling chaos hordes pouring in through the rift and as such is an insiduous ploy to subvert the people of Glorantha. The lunars, of course, belive that they can use and harness the brew, but look at them!
Let us have a look at what representatives of various cultures have to say on the subject.
From the "Meditations on a Tea Ceremony" by the venerable exarch Lap-Sang Su-Chong.
It is when one partakes in the divine drink (1) that one is closest to oneness with the void. The unfolding of the aroma and taste as the liquid draws out the essence of the humble plant mirrors the minds awakening and apprehension of the nature of the cosmos. Just as a humble plant has within it the potential for the sublime, so do we contain within us the essence of the divine. To lose oneself in the smell and taste of tea is the first step in the path to enlightenment.
[...]
You have heard of the drink that the benighted foriegners call Ka-fee and
I must tell you to beware this dangerous brew. Whereas tea will lead one
to the void, this ka-fee will lead one along mistaken paths. You can
easily tell one who is caught up with this invidiuous drink as he
exhibits none of the serenity of the truely enlightened. His eyes are
wide and bloodshot and his hand quivers as an outward show of his inward
turmoil, he can no longer seek the rest and recuperation of sleep and
dreams. Truely this ka-fee is a temptation that is best to be avoided
and yet more evidence for the wrongfullness of foriegn ways.
Exerpts from the address of Talar "Earl" Grey in Arrolanit on the occasion of sentencing a Manirian trader to terminal tapping. (2)
You dare to question the undoubtebly wise and correct sentence which has been passed down in accordance with all our traditions? The crime is self evident; you brought in a sample of a banned and evil substance and tried to tempt true humans with it in wilful disregard for our laws andage-old traditions. Through your actions a whole village of farmers and their junior grade talar have been sentenced to hideous death by Old-Age.
Still you profess ignorance. As is good and true to all real humans the traditions and customs of old must be kept and each true human must keep to the dictates of his class. The sanctioned drink for farmers is water before noon and ale after as obviously they are not cultured enough for anything greater. Knights are allowed to partake of wine or brandy if they have sustained damage in the course of talar sanctioned duties. Zzaburi are allowed sherry in the afternoons or a single glass of prot after evening meals. Talars, being the most refined, are given licence to dring the greatest and most ancient of all drinks, tea.
This coffee that you bring into our lands is well known as a vile Vadeli *spit* (3) plot against true humans everywhere and you have been used as their dupe, wittingly or unwittingly. For this the sentance is death.
(2) Talar Grey was observed to develope three wrinkles on his brow just
upon smelling the beans demonstrating the evil potency of the substance.
(3) A traditional are required responce whenever a talar mentions "that"
word. Farmers are, of course, prohibited from uttering it.
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I also believe that the current classification of the Aldryami ("elves")
is yet another mistake and/or rewrite of the origional by the
God-Learners. The origional classification was obviously into green,
yellow (oolong) and black/brown based on the type of tea that they
produced for the green age peoples.
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