**Description:
A short, hardy plant that grows in warm, humid environments, known by its thick, rounded, smooth leaves and bright green color with yellow-tinted edges. The leaves are similar to an aloe or cactus and are firm until "ripe", wherein they become soft and supple; overripe suella leaves will puncture at the slightest pressure but are the sweetest, the nectar almost honey-like in its texture and taste.
**Biology:
Suella, while hardy and relatively well-paced when growing, is best known for its ability to change flavor and nectar content based on what it grows in and around. A relative of the cactus, they absorb moisture through a tap root and their leaves until full and hold that moisture indefinitely, taking in water-soluble minerals and chemical traces from the roots of nearby plants.
They grow best in a mixture of clay and sand, with regular waterings to prevent accidentally using up its moisture stores and thus losing any cultivated benefits. A good gardener will make note that if they use a natural garden (one that isn't blocked off by growing troughs and allows root access between nearby plants), they must keep the moisture levels reasonable as suella act as natural water storage and will release their moisture into the soil to keep surrounding plants healthy, which can undo months of cultivation if not monitored.
For these reasons, suella enthusiasts have taken to growing suella under specific conditions and testing different influences to make their own distinct nectar and sugar flavors. In the Islands, there is an annual suella contest that brings together companies, merchants and makers alike to try the various styles and foodstuffs made from the plant in its many forms.
Suella alcohol is served only after sundown.
**Uses:
Primarily, suella exists to retain water in event of a drought so that nearby plants can survive the dry season. This attribute, and their ability to survive long distances and reroot with little issue has made them a treasure in repairing both flood and drought damaged areas and have become and introduced species in river deltas in the desert.
Suella leaves have various uses based on when in the lifecycle of the plant they're harvested.
•Early on, when the leaves are still stiff, the plant has yet to turn the water into nectar, thus the fleshy insides of the leaves can be eaten for their moisture, acting like edible water bubbles. They can last for weeks if the open end is sealed shut and they're kept cool and out of the sun.
•Once the leaves become plump and soft, but don't break when pressed, the suella has moved from water retention to creating the nectar it's known for. Over the next few weeks, the nectar will grow denser in flavor and vitamin/mineral content but at this stage, the nectar is crystallized into a sugar substitute, which is one of the main exports of the Islands alongside coconut products.
•When the leaves reach the point of bursting when pressed, the suella has reached its "nectar" stage, where the sap is gathered and can be used raw as a honey-type condiment, but is more popular as a base for tonics and medicines, as children are more keen to take something sweet than herbal or bitter. Some parents will also add it to meals as a type of supplement, particularly if their diets lack a healthy variety.
•Secondarily, the nectar stage is heavily used to create alcohol using a special method that retains the flavor and sweetness of the suella and limits the burn of the alcohol. "Mercy" is something of a love-child between Tequila and Mead, easy to drink straight in shots but also likely to find its way into mixed beverages or become diluted into a lighter ale-like drink known as "stavis". The name "mercy" comes from the fact the raw alcohol is sweet, smooth and fragrant enough on its own that it can be downed like juice, resulting in many cases of drinking too much too fast and patrons begging for mercy in the morning from the ensuing hangover.
Incidentally, Mercy that's served warm or in hot beverages is used as a cure for flues, fevers and the common cold as the alcohol and mineral content is used to burn out the sickness and introduce micronutrients to those having difficulty keeping down solid food, giving it the name of "showing mercy" to the ill.
So popular and useful is this plant that many of the smaller, uninhabited islets around the Island territory are converted into acreages meant to support the cultivation of suella.
**Give Me Mercy:
Suella nectar undergoes a rigorous process to become a drinkable beverage, spending the warm months growing to ripeness and being harvested just before Chillstorm strikes, as this 7 day period is used to prepare the leaves before a season of distilling to drinkability. The leaves are pressed through rollers to squeeze out every last drop of nectar before the husks are cleaned and dried into leaf skins that get turned into baskets, wraps or fibers for being made into cloth; the nectar is then heated and mixed with purified water in a 3:1 ratio of nectar to water and placed under tarp tents.
The mixture is brought to a low boil to allow the water to steam out; this process pulls out a majority of the medicinal elements present in the nectar and the water is collected and boiled again to create a kind of "mineral sugar", though some distilleries that make Mercy for medicinal purposes will omit this step so the drink retains its healthy attributes. The first taste-test happens now, and this phase is where nectar that doesn't reach quality checks is canned and sold like honey.
With the nectar now reduced, it enters a secondary thinning process where extra flavors can be introduced and yeast is added, the nectar being mixed into a thin, slightly viscous version of itself that has a very perfume-like aroma. This mixture is sealed and left to ferment in warm vats and churned slowly over the 7-day Eikatz period. After the weather calms, the vats are unsealed and filtered, leaving golden-colored liquid that is allowed to breathe up to 48 hours before being taste-tested again. At this phase, the best of the best is weeded out from the second best, with the lesser quality drink being turned into pre-made stavis by being labelled thus prior to the first distillation.
Another series of taste tests determines the length of time the vats are left in this first process, which can last up to two weeks in some cases. After this, the lowest quality stavis is sent off to be bottled while the better ones are put through a second distillation before bottling, and the pure Mercy is also divided into higher and lower strength and quality with the high end being given a third distillation.
Lower quality Mercy will be placed in aging vats for the remainder of the cold season and distributed for the following new year while the higher quality will remain in their aging vats for another year to deepen the flavor and color. Mercy can have anywhere from 30-80% alcohol content, with lighter varieties having paler, almost water-like coloration and stronger ones being much richer in flavor and hue; traditional Mercy is golden or yellowish but different varieties can have almost any color depending on inclusions during the growth cycle or additions during the processing phase.
The phrase "show me mercy" or "have mercy on me" is a universal code that puts barkeeps on alert for any danger that may be imposing on the asker. The system starts with pouring a shot's worth of high strength Mercy and leaving it on the countertop; if the patron drinks it, they were merely asking for something strong but if they do not touch it, the barkeep will then ask "need me to mix it?" as an offer for assistance. If they reply "no" the barkeep can return to business as usual, but if they say "yes" it infers the patron is in a situation where they feel unsafe and require assistance, which can result in either someone being removed form the establishment or the guard being alerted subtly.
In cases of a barkeep being asked to "end my suffering", however, they're being asked to mix a drink using the same high potency Mercy as the call for rescue, only with a tiny tincture mixed in that's taken from a relative of winterberry. This drink is not readily available in most places, as some consider it borderline illegal, or simply dangerous if done incorrectly. Known as a Mercy Kill, the drink is not necessarily lethal, but one shot can knock a grown taur into a state of lucid, feel-good delirium to the point where they fall asleep within minutes or enter a trance-like state of mild euphoria. Typically a Mercy Kill is only served after adequate chat with the barkeep is made to determine if their day has been bad enough that it deserves to just "end". Hangovers from a Mercy Kill are legendarily horrible, thus why it's considered a last resort option to finish off a bad day.
A short, hardy plant that grows in warm, humid environments, known by its thick, rounded, smooth leaves and bright green color with yellow-tinted edges. The leaves are similar to an aloe or cactus and are firm until "ripe", wherein they become soft and supple; overripe suella leaves will puncture at the slightest pressure but are the sweetest, the nectar almost honey-like in its texture and taste.
**Biology:
Suella, while hardy and relatively well-paced when growing, is best known for its ability to change flavor and nectar content based on what it grows in and around. A relative of the cactus, they absorb moisture through a tap root and their leaves until full and hold that moisture indefinitely, taking in water-soluble minerals and chemical traces from the roots of nearby plants.
They grow best in a mixture of clay and sand, with regular waterings to prevent accidentally using up its moisture stores and thus losing any cultivated benefits. A good gardener will make note that if they use a natural garden (one that isn't blocked off by growing troughs and allows root access between nearby plants), they must keep the moisture levels reasonable as suella act as natural water storage and will release their moisture into the soil to keep surrounding plants healthy, which can undo months of cultivation if not monitored.
For these reasons, suella enthusiasts have taken to growing suella under specific conditions and testing different influences to make their own distinct nectar and sugar flavors. In the Islands, there is an annual suella contest that brings together companies, merchants and makers alike to try the various styles and foodstuffs made from the plant in its many forms.
Suella alcohol is served only after sundown.
**Uses:
Primarily, suella exists to retain water in event of a drought so that nearby plants can survive the dry season. This attribute, and their ability to survive long distances and reroot with little issue has made them a treasure in repairing both flood and drought damaged areas and have become and introduced species in river deltas in the desert.
Suella leaves have various uses based on when in the lifecycle of the plant they're harvested.
•Early on, when the leaves are still stiff, the plant has yet to turn the water into nectar, thus the fleshy insides of the leaves can be eaten for their moisture, acting like edible water bubbles. They can last for weeks if the open end is sealed shut and they're kept cool and out of the sun.
•Once the leaves become plump and soft, but don't break when pressed, the suella has moved from water retention to creating the nectar it's known for. Over the next few weeks, the nectar will grow denser in flavor and vitamin/mineral content but at this stage, the nectar is crystallized into a sugar substitute, which is one of the main exports of the Islands alongside coconut products.
•When the leaves reach the point of bursting when pressed, the suella has reached its "nectar" stage, where the sap is gathered and can be used raw as a honey-type condiment, but is more popular as a base for tonics and medicines, as children are more keen to take something sweet than herbal or bitter. Some parents will also add it to meals as a type of supplement, particularly if their diets lack a healthy variety.
•Secondarily, the nectar stage is heavily used to create alcohol using a special method that retains the flavor and sweetness of the suella and limits the burn of the alcohol. "Mercy" is something of a love-child between Tequila and Mead, easy to drink straight in shots but also likely to find its way into mixed beverages or become diluted into a lighter ale-like drink known as "stavis". The name "mercy" comes from the fact the raw alcohol is sweet, smooth and fragrant enough on its own that it can be downed like juice, resulting in many cases of drinking too much too fast and patrons begging for mercy in the morning from the ensuing hangover.
Incidentally, Mercy that's served warm or in hot beverages is used as a cure for flues, fevers and the common cold as the alcohol and mineral content is used to burn out the sickness and introduce micronutrients to those having difficulty keeping down solid food, giving it the name of "showing mercy" to the ill.
So popular and useful is this plant that many of the smaller, uninhabited islets around the Island territory are converted into acreages meant to support the cultivation of suella.
**Give Me Mercy:
Suella nectar undergoes a rigorous process to become a drinkable beverage, spending the warm months growing to ripeness and being harvested just before Chillstorm strikes, as this 7 day period is used to prepare the leaves before a season of distilling to drinkability. The leaves are pressed through rollers to squeeze out every last drop of nectar before the husks are cleaned and dried into leaf skins that get turned into baskets, wraps or fibers for being made into cloth; the nectar is then heated and mixed with purified water in a 3:1 ratio of nectar to water and placed under tarp tents.
The mixture is brought to a low boil to allow the water to steam out; this process pulls out a majority of the medicinal elements present in the nectar and the water is collected and boiled again to create a kind of "mineral sugar", though some distilleries that make Mercy for medicinal purposes will omit this step so the drink retains its healthy attributes. The first taste-test happens now, and this phase is where nectar that doesn't reach quality checks is canned and sold like honey.
With the nectar now reduced, it enters a secondary thinning process where extra flavors can be introduced and yeast is added, the nectar being mixed into a thin, slightly viscous version of itself that has a very perfume-like aroma. This mixture is sealed and left to ferment in warm vats and churned slowly over the 7-day Eikatz period. After the weather calms, the vats are unsealed and filtered, leaving golden-colored liquid that is allowed to breathe up to 48 hours before being taste-tested again. At this phase, the best of the best is weeded out from the second best, with the lesser quality drink being turned into pre-made stavis by being labelled thus prior to the first distillation.
Another series of taste tests determines the length of time the vats are left in this first process, which can last up to two weeks in some cases. After this, the lowest quality stavis is sent off to be bottled while the better ones are put through a second distillation before bottling, and the pure Mercy is also divided into higher and lower strength and quality with the high end being given a third distillation.
Lower quality Mercy will be placed in aging vats for the remainder of the cold season and distributed for the following new year while the higher quality will remain in their aging vats for another year to deepen the flavor and color. Mercy can have anywhere from 30-80% alcohol content, with lighter varieties having paler, almost water-like coloration and stronger ones being much richer in flavor and hue; traditional Mercy is golden or yellowish but different varieties can have almost any color depending on inclusions during the growth cycle or additions during the processing phase.
The phrase "show me mercy" or "have mercy on me" is a universal code that puts barkeeps on alert for any danger that may be imposing on the asker. The system starts with pouring a shot's worth of high strength Mercy and leaving it on the countertop; if the patron drinks it, they were merely asking for something strong but if they do not touch it, the barkeep will then ask "need me to mix it?" as an offer for assistance. If they reply "no" the barkeep can return to business as usual, but if they say "yes" it infers the patron is in a situation where they feel unsafe and require assistance, which can result in either someone being removed form the establishment or the guard being alerted subtly.
In cases of a barkeep being asked to "end my suffering", however, they're being asked to mix a drink using the same high potency Mercy as the call for rescue, only with a tiny tincture mixed in that's taken from a relative of winterberry. This drink is not readily available in most places, as some consider it borderline illegal, or simply dangerous if done incorrectly. Known as a Mercy Kill, the drink is not necessarily lethal, but one shot can knock a grown taur into a state of lucid, feel-good delirium to the point where they fall asleep within minutes or enter a trance-like state of mild euphoria. Typically a Mercy Kill is only served after adequate chat with the barkeep is made to determine if their day has been bad enough that it deserves to just "end". Hangovers from a Mercy Kill are legendarily horrible, thus why it's considered a last resort option to finish off a bad day.
Category Artwork (Digital) / Miscellaneous
Species Unspecified / Any
Gender Any
Size 1280 x 1280px
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