I loved Simon Bray's recent offering, particularly the stuff about "the worst breath ever". Errgh.
OK, here's another one:
Rainbow Grass - Pent
By MOB & Mark Holsworth
Rainbow Grass grows wild over much of middle Pent, and most prolifically north of the Ute River. Whether it is called "Rainbow" Grass for the psychedelic visions it causes or because of the secretion of glimmering oil it exudes along its stem is moot. A short, tubular plant growing in clumps, it is harvested by the Pentian nomads in Earth season and consumed in large quantities through the winter and particularly during Sacred Time. Rainbow grass is used in many shamanistic rituals and is a particular favourite of Pentian ancestor worshippers, who burn it in honour of favoured ancestors (spirits of the dead enjoy rainbow grass smoke); for this reason it is frequently planted at nomad burial sites.
A euphoric effect can be obtained simply by licking the oil from the sharp blades of Rainbow Grass. Fortunately horses shun it, but over-enthusiastic Pentans - usually unitiated boys not yet permitted to smoke - are caught out by their bloodied and raw tongues.
The nomads obtain a more potent oil using a crude distillation process. Cut and dried rainbow grass is then soaked in the oil, rolled into tight wads and stored away for the winter season.
Rainbow grass is a psychedelic which when licked or smoked in small quantities causes a relaxed euphoria and a slight tendency for the user to see faint POW auras. The stronger the concentration of the rainbow grass oil, the more this effect approximates the Second Sight spell. Heavy smokers gain other visions, hallucinations some would say, but actually perceptions of the spirit plane itself; only shamans would normally smoke this much rainbow grass.
If 2 Magic Points are cast into Rainbow grass smoke all the spirits caught in there become visible, as per the RuneQuest spirit magic spell Visibility. Many Pentian spirits know this and can make use of Rainbow grass smoke to appear before their kin.
Aside from licking the oily blades, Rainbow grass is taken in a variety of ways. Traditionally, a wad is just thrown on a fire and the smoke is allowed to collect in the tent. Some Pentians also use wooden pipes, and recent years Lunar influence has spread the practise of rolling wads up into large cigars. Some shamans have also been known to chew it - what effects this has on the user are not documented. It is moderately psychologically habit-forming but is not physically addictive and no tolerance is built up.
Rainbow grass does not thrive in temperate climes and its properties are not widely known outside of Pent. Wads of oil-soaked rainbow grass remain potent for several seasons, so it could conceivably be exported long distances without a significant loss of quality.
Cheers
MOB
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