- "A white powder, very sweet, used as spice for food. Some of us believe it gives true insight into ja-Kha'jay, where all fates are bound. Others use it to brew Skooma."
- ―Juranda-ra[src]
A sample of Moon Sugar.
Moonsugar (also Moon Sugar, or Moon-sugar) is a substance native to the Tenmar Forest in southern Elsweyr. The holiest of substances to the Khajiit, moonsugar is a daily part of their lives and Elsweyr's chief export, although it is also a potentially dangerous and addictive drug.[1]
Moonsugar is illegal under the laws of the Empire, and many merchants will refuse to do business with anyone in possession of it.[2] Conversely, moonsugar was legal under the Aldmeri Dominion, as most of its uses are benign, and just satisfy the Catfolk’s insatiable craving for sweets.[3]
By game
History
Origins
The Khajiit believe moonsugar to be "crystallized moonlight," which is caught in the Topal Sea and brought to the sugarcane groves of the Tenmar by its twin tides. This is said to be a blessing that the Khajiiti gods regularly bestow upon their chosen people.[1] According to the Words of Clan Mother Ahnissi, the light from the moons shone down on Elsweyr's marshes and became sugar when Azurah spoke the Third Secret to the first Khajiit on Nirn.[4] Riddle'Thar, the cosmic order deity of the Khajiiti, is also known as the Sugar God.[5]
Third Era
The moonsugar trade in Elsweyr increased multifold between 3E 412 - 3E 432. Ya'Tirrje, the Gold Cat, runs a drug-smuggling business in Torval, Corinth, and Rimmen, all the while operating out of Senchal, which has turned from a principle port of the drug trade, to a coastal resort for wealthy, powerful Khajiit.[6] Moonsugar is scarce in northern Elsweyr, but plentiful in Rimmen. The price of moonsugar in Rimmen is fixed by the office of the Imperial potentate. Under the laws of the Empire, selling or attempting to sell moonsugar in Rimmen is subject to a fine of triple the worth of the moonsugar. Attempting to sell more than two pounds of moonsugar is subject to execution.[7]
Usage
Although moonsugar is a drug, the Khajiit are more naturally tolerant to it because they consume moonsugar in some form every day.[7] Humans are more susceptible to the effects of moonsugar, and as such are cautioned against partaking of any native food in Elsweyr.[1]
Moonsugar is used in a number of invariably sweet foods that make up the staple of the Khajiit diet, including candies, sweet cakes, puddings, and sugarmeats.[1][8] It is also used as seasoning, and a magical ingredient for communion with the holy moons. By partaking of the sugar, the Khajiit believe they are consuming small portions of their gods' eternal souls.[1]
A particularly hazardous derivative of moonsugar, known as skooma, is often smoked in raw form through a water-pipe by the more pathetic Khajiit. Its victims are addicted for life, and in constant, alternating states of euphoria and lethargy.[1] It is widely known to all Khajiit that there is no cure for skooma addiction.[9]
Appearances
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Pocket Guide to the Empire, First Edition: Elsweyr Confederacy
- ↑ Events of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
- ↑ December 20, 2012. The Elder Scrolls Online Ask Us Anything: Aldmeri Dominion (Part 2)
- ↑ Words of Clan Mother Ahnissi
- ↑ Varieties of Faith in the Empire
- ↑ Pocket Guide to the Empire, Third Edition: Elsweyr
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 An Elder Scrolls Novel: The Infernal City
- ↑ The Tale of Dro'Zira
- ↑ Confessions of a Dunmer Skooma Eater