Lekhesh

Lekhesh is a drug commonly smoked through a pipe. Made from refined and hardened tree sap, Lekhesh is known to be produced in northern Archelin and southern Ærellion, both in large plantations and through harvesting from naturally-growing trees. Commercial production of the drug first began after the Dark Elven Migrations, when dark elves discovered Varaiden produced the drug in small quantities for shamanistic or religious purposes. Seeing the commercial opportunity, the quickly began growing plantations of the trees and forcing varaiden to extract the sap. These plantations also spread to southern Ærellion, and though they are mostly in Dark Elven territories, Lekhesh is grown all across the southwestern coast of the continent. After the sap is harvested, it is refined in special furnaces, though it may also be refined through smaller fires or via magic, the latter of which gives the highest quality of drug. After refining, it is generally shipped through dark elven, gnomish, or human channels and sold throughout the western continents, including Telgren, Ifyrial, Ærellion, and Halyren. Lekhesh may even be found in northern An'seidna, and as far east as the Aspasaji region of Ærellion, but trade in the drug tends to drop off by the time one reaches central An'seidna or the Hymar region. Smoking Lekhesh is usually seen as a degenerate activity practiced by those already engaged in smoking pipes to get high, and it is visibly distinct. It is also commonly associated with goblins, who are particularly interested in the drug, and is rarely smoked in polite company. This has prompted the dark elves to keep a respectable face on the business and avoid promoting the drug, as they don't want to be associated with it. Correspondingly, most believe the drug is only produced by varaiden tribes and sold to unscrupulous merchants or pirates, who do indeed serve as the middleman for much of the trade sourcing from the tribes.