Seraphim

Seraphim is a drug that has been known in the lands of the eastern Adelantean basin for some time, but which has become more widespread in cities along the entire coast in the last several decades, even so far as Ensor and Koumbasi. Seraphim comes in the form of a light sandy powder, greyish like ash but with the faintest hint of iridescence. Nobody seems to be certain of its precise origins. In Idiri and Ruvera it is generally said to come from "the East", while those in Ruleska say it comes from "the mountains" -- neither very helpful in pinpointing a definite source of the drug.

Usage & Effects

Seraphim can be inhaled straight, for the most potent effect, or burned to release an astringent smoke that is then inhaled. Direct inhalation produces an extremely painful burning in the nostrils and throat, but this sensation is shortly followed and replaced by a growing feeling of buoyancy and ecstatic transcendence. Breathing in the smoke produces lesser pain and a more muted pleasurable effect. A reduced awareness of pain overall is also characteristic of the drug. Burning seraphim powder creates an aura of low multicolored flame that, particularly while under the effects of the drug itself, is considered by some to be quite mesmerizing.

Regardless of the manner in which it is consumed, use of seraphim is notably addictive. Its use has also been known to result in injury and death. Somewhat unusually, this tends to come not so much from overdosing as from the unfortunate impulse it seems to produce to jump from high places, evidently because those under the influence feel so light they believe they can fly.