Moon Grass | E. Christopher Clark

Moon Grass

Moon grass is a plant species native to The Yellow One, one of the five moons of Eden. In fact, it’s the saturated amber coloring of this pervasive plant which gives The Yellow One its name.

 

Best known for its use as a recreational drug, the only place the species will grow is on the aforementioned moon. Only there, with The Yellow One’s heavier gravity, does moon grass ever take root. Everywhere else that Edenians have tried to plant it, the seeds have just floated away.

 

This has made quite a few birds happy, but quite a few drug dealers very sad.

 

Uses

Medicinal

Moon grass has been useful in the treatment of chronic pain, insomnia, and loss of appetite. Though there is a small risk of addiction, most patients have been blunt in their assessment that moon grass treatments are “dope.”

 

Recreational

The drug’s most significant use is in recreation, and Edenians of all stripes love this stuff—which is why, despite the difficulty inherent in harvesting it (see “Cultivation” below), the species is conservation dependent. If imports weren’t restricted as they are now, the Yellow One might be a barren moon at this point.

 

Spiritual

Due to its ability to induce relaxation and a state of euphoria in the user, moon grass has become a sacred substance in some Edenian religions. It is regularly used, for instance, in The Faith of the First Mother’s coming-of-age ceremony, “The First Touch,” to put nervous participants at ease.

 

Cultivation

The harvesting of moon grass is a laborious endeavor. Because of the high gravity necessary for the plant’s growth, cultivation can be a backbreaking affair—sometimes literally. And that is why the common wisdom—and the official approach of the state-sponsored harvesting companies—is to limit one’s exposure to the Yellow One’s gravity to no more than twenty minutes at a time. Yes, this necessitates large crews of crop-pickers who can swap back and forth from shuttlecraft orbiting the moon, but the alternative isn’t something even the most lawless or exploitative of Edenians can stomach.

 

Kíndallans, as shape-shifters, have a slightly easier time of it, but even their malleable bodies can’t stand the pressure for more than an hour—unless the kíndallan in question wants to eat half the grass they gather in the process in order to dull the pain.

 

Consumption

The drug is consumed in several different ways, including but not limited to: smoking, vaporizing, and ingestion as part of a food or drink. Smoking is by far the most popular method of consumption, either as a rolled cigarette or through a hookah—the preference of the Blue Caterpillar of Wonderland, among others.

 

History

The species was first discovered late in the First Age by Marie Joanna Hempel, an aging scientist who had been waiting nearly fifty years to ride the long-proposed and perpetually under-construction Tiry’s Tower. She was among the first to tour the Five Moons, and though she didn’t last long on the surface of The Yellow One—what with the backbending gravity and all—she did have just enough time to collect a sample of the grass she found there.

 

She promptly put that in her pipe and smoked it.

 

When Hempel returned to the surface of Eden and was asked for her opinion on the voyage, she spoke very highly of it. And though widespread cultivation of moon grass wouldn’t begin until the Wander Years, there are some who credit the very idea of singing a new reality into existence to a group of folks under the influence of this miraculous plant, this wondrous weed.

Scientific Name
Herba insanus
Conservation Status
Conservation Dependent
Geographic Distribution
Discovered by

Comments

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12 Jul, 2023 23:03

I highly recommend this article! I'll reefer this to all our friends!


Check out my entry for the Treasured Companions Challenge: the Ghost Boy of Kirinal! His article also spilled over into Adventuring With Ghost Boy full of plot hooks and his 5E stat block!

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E. Christopher Clark
13 Jul, 2023 00:38

Hahaha. To be blunt, you are a great bud.

13 Jul, 2023 13:06

Aaaa the puns, they hurt. XD   'This has made quite a few birds happy, but quite a few drug dealers very sad.' Take that, drug dealers!

Emy x   Etrea | Vazdimet
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E. Christopher Clark
13 Jul, 2023 17:10

Should I put a Pun Warning at the top of the article?

13 Jul, 2023 18:11

Nah, you're good!

Emy x   Etrea | Vazdimet
14 Aug, 2023 23:49

As always, I love the voice and the stories that you bring to your articles!

Deleyna - I survived Summer Camp 2023! Check out my 2023 Summer Camp Reading Challenge and read some of my favorite articles from around the community. Or check out what happened with my Dimi Mission!
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E. Christopher Clark
18 Aug, 2023 23:11

Thank you, thank you! I have so much fun writing for the World Anvil community and so appreciate all the love I've received in return.

Grandmaster Moonlight Bard
Haly the Moonlight Bard
17 Aug, 2023 21:07

I almost died, quite literally, several times as I read this. I kept choking while laughing. You commented on my Sandhopper article that you kept finding jewels as you read, and it was absolutely the same here! "...most patients have been blunt in their assessment that moon grass treatments are “dope.”" "She promptly put that in her pipe and smoked it." "there are some who credit the very idea of singing a new reality into existence to a group of folks under the influence of this miraculous plant, this wondrous weed."   My god, man.

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E. Christopher Clark
18 Aug, 2023 23:12

I'm lol'ing as I imagine your reaction to the puns you quoted. I'm so glad you enjoyed it.

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