Smoking Traditions of Tamriel: Elsweyr

The use of tobacco and other smokable substances has a long and storied history among the catfolk of Elsweyr, although very much lacking the same pomp and circumstance seen in Cyrodiil. The Khajiiti have a wide variety of smoking implements from all over Tamriel, and likewise have shared their own far and wide, the progression of the smoking arts all over Tamriel owes much to intrepid Khajiiti traders.

Any treatise of worth on Khajiiti smoking traditions would be remiss in failing to mention the Chillum. This simple pipe often takes the form of little more than a hollow bamboo shaft, loaded on one end with fragrant leaf. Although it is simple in design, the Chillum pipe has an almost legendary status among the Khajiit. Originating in the south, this type of pipe has spread far and wide, and crosses all strata of Khajiit society, smoked by the very poorest and the elite alike. Chillum can take the form of simple bamboo shafts, but are also frequently made of wood, clay, or even metal, usually dependent on whatever is readily available. Bamboo and wood pipes reign supreme in the tropical south, with clay and metal pipes more popular in the arid heart of that nation. Similar to the Imperial Kiseru, length and decoration can be taken as signs of the owner’s wealth with some of the largest reaching over six feet in length. Even the cheapest chillum are richly decorated, by either the craftsman or the owner.

Smokables consumed in the chillum are typically Tobacco or Cannabis (or some combination thereof), often blended with fragrant flower petals and aromatic herbs. Simple pipe tobaccos like those favored by the Colovians and Nords are seen as flat and boring among the Khajiit, among whom sweet, multifaceted flavors are the only type worth partaking in.

One breed of tobacco reigns supreme in Elsweyr, a brightleaf variety called Yidjeme. As one would expect, this leaf possess a sweet, bright, spicy yet mild flavor. The tobacco is harvested in the late summer, a painstaking process by which individual leaves are hand-plucked as they ripen. After harvesting, the leaves are hung from strings inside special mud-brick curing huts, which themselves are surrounded with fireboxes, exposing the leaves to high levels of heat but not smoke, this method gives the leaf its mild, sugary flavor. The leaves are further sweetened by casing them with water saturated in moon-sugar. Because of this process, Yidjeme is rarely seen outside of its home province, and has become a much sought-after item among more adventurous (and wealthy) aficionados.

Yidjeme may be rolled into cigars, smoked with a chillum or pipe, or treacled for a unique waterpipe smoke, yet among the Khajiit, is typically smoked in a local style pipe called a Xhosa. The Xhosa is identified by its tall, narrow bowl and long stem, which is always covered in elaborate beadwork. These pipes are most commonly seen in the central region of the province, and is less popular toward the outlying regions.

Waterpipes, called Huqqa, are claimed to be a Khajiiti invention (though the Altmer and Dumer both claim the same, leading to some confusion). The Khajiiti huqqa range in styles, from cheap, disposable pipes with sugarcane shafts and coconut-shell bottles, to elaborate brass apparati that rival those of the finest Aldmeri craftsmership. For the Khajiit, the huqqa is seen as a social item, smoked at home and in lavish cafes that seem to be present on every streetcorner in the major cities. Toward Senchal, all-wood huqqa, called Ghalyoon, are popular. These pipes are known for their hardwood shafts which are richly carved. Elsweyr huqqa are often fitted with multiple hoses, allowing friends and family to gather around the pipe and engage in pleasant discussion (or heated debate). The hose’s mouthpiece, called a Sipsi, is a tremendously personal item, usually crafted of turned wood or bone, with an amber bit. The sipsi are often embellished with metal decorations and semiprecious stones, and are usually carried around the neck as a piece of jewelery. It is uncommon to see a city-dwelling Khajiit without his sipsi, as being asked to share a smoke and being unprepared is considered something of a social faux pas.

The Khajiiti waterpipe is loaded with a treacled tobacco called moassel, and they tend to shy away from the spicier, more full bodied Dunmeri jurak. Moassel is produced by slow-cooking tobacco together with honey and molasses (often laced with moon-sugar). Frequently, choice aromatics such as spices (Cinnamon, nutmeg, orangepeel, and clove are popular) are blended in, as are fragrant attars of distilled flowers. The moassel is loosely packed into the clay bowl (Hagar) and then covered with a brass screen, upon which red-hot charcoal is placed. This allows the tobacco to bake slowly without burning, releasing its sweet, cool, aromatic vapors.

Cigars are generally unheard of and in most of the country are held in some disdain. The exception to this rule being along the Cyrodiilic border, where they enjoy limited popularity. The notorious cheapees smoked around Bravil are the most common type, and, as in the Cyrod are the sole domain of the poor.

Skooma smoking is ever-pervasive throughout Elsweyr, usually imbibed through a primitive waterpipe that is little more than a calabash gourd or oxhorn affixed with a metal bowl. A small candle is placed beneath the bowl, boiling the skooma. This method is typically only seen among the most desperate of addicts, as the distilled vapor of skooma provides a much more intense and concentrated dosage than simply drinking it. Consumption of skooma by this means is very ill-advised. That being said, the more elaborate bugshell skooma pipes of Morrowind are sometimes collected and displayed as curios, however, anyone who can afford such expensive imports is probably not the type to be battling a debilitating addiction.