Smoking Traditions of Tamriel: Hammerfell & Yokuda

The smoking of tobacco has a long and storied tradition among the Redguard, something they brought with them into Tamriel from their lost native homeland. The dry, arid landscapes of Hammerfell produce a brightleaf tobacco that is most frequently sun-cured, giving it a light and colorful flavor that is quite popular at home and abroad.

The most Ubiquitous style of smoking among the descendants of the Ra Gada is that of the Medwakh pipe. These long, narrow pipes are carved of exotic hardwoods and feature a small, steel-lined bowl. The pipe has a disposable beechwood mouthpiece that acts as a filter, and a pointed end called a rass that sits forward of the bowl, allowing the smoker to keep his fingers away from the flame. Heavier Medwakh are sometimes used both as a pipe and a weapon, sometimes employed by Alik’r Daggerlads in self-defense or surprise attacks. The semi-sharp rass is used to strike at various pressure points about the face and neck of the assailant (or target, as it were).

Medwakh are used for smoking Dokha, a very strong tobacco that is dried without curing and then ground into a fine green powder and blended with bark, fruit, and aromatic spices and herbs. The end result is a very potent, heady tobacco that can cause a physilogical effect on the smoker comparable to the strongest strains of cannabis(A substance deemed holy and highly regulated). The Dokha is usually carried in a small, decorative wooden bottle called a Chanta. Dokha smoke is by nature very flavorful, but also extremely harsh and hot-burning, which has limited it’s expansion outside of its traditional homeland. “Xingwe* is the lad who smokes grandfather’s dokha” is a popular idiom throughout the Alik’r.

(*Editor’s note: This is a play on words. Xingwe is an old Yokudan word that can be translated as “Strong”, “Brave”, “headstrong”, or “Foolish”.)

Cannabis, as stated above, is considered holy, and consumed only by the priests of Ruptga. It is said that the substance was stolen of Ruptga’s garden by Sep, and gifted to humankind as a means for them to contemplate the divine. Priests of the Tall Papa will relegate themselves to a small tent hung from the mosque rafters with a small brass bowl of cannabis buds onto which burning charcoal is placed. The Priest will then spend several hours breathing the fumes in deep meditation, contemplating the mysteries of creation. Use of the sacred herb outside of this context is highly illegal, blasphemous even.

The Goza is a waterpipe, similar to the Khajiiti Huqqa but with a metal bottle and a rigid pipe in place of a leather hose. The pipe is used to smoke moassel, that is, a blend of bright and dark-leafed tobacco mixed with molasses. Unlike the Khajiit and Dunmer, the Redguards prefer not to blend fruit and spices with their moassel, and instead smoke pure treacled tobacco which has a mellow, slightly sweet yet full-bodied taste. The Goza is seen as a very important social tradition and is often smoked after meals, especially when entertaining guests. To “pass the Goza” is a Redguard Idiom that is comparable to “breaking bread”. It is held that sharing a pipe brings friends closer together through mutual enjoyment and shared conversation.

Pipes and cigars enjoy very limited popularity in Hammerfell. The dry, hot climate tends to dry the tobacco quickly and therefore it is impractical in all but the coastal and extreme northern regions of the province. Owning even a modest humidor to maintain the freshness of these expensive imports is seen as sign of great wealth.