Ikrif

Ikrif is a flowering plant grown in hilly or mountainous southlands in the Far East which, when refined through various means, produces an extract of the same name which is used recreationally throughout the known world.

In the days of the Osaliel Republic, the preferred method of use was to take the gray-greenish leafy extract, put it in a long pipe made of wood and sometimes metal, burn and inhale the rose-scented, pale smoke in deep, long breaths. The effects include hallucinations, bodily euphoria, feelings of paranoia, apathy and indifference. In Nighthelm and other regions where the plant is commonly found, quickly snorting the ground and powdered leaf and flower is the preferred method. This causes effects similar to with smoking, but much more quickly. It also has a tendency to cause stomach cramps, nausea, nosebleeds and ulcers after prolonged or heavy use; local peasants take it in minor doses when farming.

The third method is to extract a greenish-brown oil, called ikrif-sar or ikrif oil, which can be mixed into drinks or put into food. It can also be smoked in a pipe. The oil form is highly concentrated and too costly for anyone but the nobility to purchase. It's also highly addictive.

Ikrif abuse or overdose can cause stomach ulcers, dehydration, malnourishment, weight loss, dysphoria, delusion, schizoid symptoms, mood swings and even death.

Although it's use is not documented as being banned in any realm, it is clearly not approved in some circles and few, if any, nobles freely admit to being users of any form of Ikrif.