Life Trance

The source of the Life Trance is a rare plant called welwisch (pronounced like ‘well wish’), which is only found in the most arid and dry zones of the midnight expanse. This desert plant has iridescent ebony black leaves that blend into the black sands, absorbing as much of the sun’s light as possible, while its roots can spread for up to a quarter mile in all directions, catching any moisture that flows downhill toward the grasslands below.
  The roots are the cause of the trance; indeed the inhabitants of the expanse have been known to dig up and take portions of the roots for such a purpose, though it is important that they leave at least half of the plant’s roots intact so that it does not die. It will regrow severed roots over the course of weeks. These roots are made into a tea for mild results, but some individuals have grown so dependent upon the trance to fill a void within themselves, that they turn to chewing the full root for more potent effects.

Those who ingest the root have been seen to stumble around, their eyes unfocused and frequently colliding into people and structures. It has been compared to sleepwalking, though this is more extreme, as the body moves without any concept of the world around it, rather than going through familiar motions like a sleepwalker.
  When taken as a tea, the visions are of the subject’s own life, reliving memories with absolute clarity. They have a small amount of control of what memory the trance will show them, but it is largely dependent upon the willpower of the person to keep it on track.
  Eating the root raw causes chaotic visions, unfocused and from times that the subject did not live. Their own lives can be seen in flashes, but primarily the visions are without direction and not bound by time. Particularly strong visions have been recorded of the time of the Azlaryn Empire; before the midnight expanse became a desert savannah, before the rise of the Vi’Rok mountains.
  Even before the demon plague. A word of caution to those who seek these stronger visions, as they are dangerous. Wounds received by the figments within these memories can manifest upon the physical body as heavy trauma.

Typically, if it was given in tea form, the trancing person will be kept indoors for their own safety, until the effects pass. A low-potency trance typically lasts for a number of hours, while trancing from chewing the root can go on for days. This can be very dangerous if the affected is allowed to wander from safety, as they will make easy targets for predators and demons.

Controlled trancing is both seen as ceremonial and as a means of healing. Priests can drink it to remember past training, while civilians can drink to help recall faded memories. It is particularly useful for the elderly, who are beginning to forget their wisdom of the passing decades. Addicts, who are consumed with the desire to relive their more simple years as a child, or wish to burn a particular memory into their minds for the purpose of vengeance, are looked upon with pity. They can be held within the city walls to keep them from going to harvest their own supply of roots, and black market trade is seen as a criminal act, more so than most other drugs.