Kahawa ya Nyoka [The Day After Ragnarok]

Kahawa ya Nyoka – Google Docs

Kahawa ya Nyoka

[The Day After Ragnarok]

 

Kahawa ya Nyoka means ‘Coffee of the Snake’ in Swahili, and it’s exactly what you’d expect: coffee grown in areas heavily contaminated by the remains of the Serpent.  Most Kahawa ya Nyoka comes from Uganda and Kenya, although virtually identical strains are also cultivated in Abyssinia. It tastes like… coffee, with a distinctly more acidic flavor, and an aroma that is almost sharp.

As expected, the effects of Kahawa ya Nyoka are alarmingly spectacular: a single bean, when chewed, will boost Vigor by one die type for five minutes (people with Vigor at d12 get a +2 to all die rolls instead), at the cost of suffering from the Major Snakebit Hindrance at the same time.  Chewing the beans straight is also an excellent way to get the Major Habit (Nyoka Addiction) Hindrance, too. Most users of Kahawa ya Nyoka instead dilute the dosage considerably, which only gives a +1 to Vigor rolls for an hour, but also keeps the Habit at Minor and mostly eliminates the chances of becoming Snakebit.  Mostly. And even when it doesn’t, the Hindrance tops out at Minor anyway. Usually.

Kahawa ya Nyoka is mildly discouraged in the British Empire, and extremely illegal in Abyssinia.  Agents of the latter nation are inclined to assume that anybody caught with the beans in their possession are Ras al-Thuban cultists, and will react accordingly.  And, naturally, Kahawa ya Nyoka fetches a high price in Ras al-Thuban itself. If you can survive making the sale.