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[Aria Jenneth]

From my limited understanding of plant structures, what chemicals resides in the midrib (that primary center vein) would also reside in the veins (the smaller branches). This would make removal of the toxin even more difficult, with varying levels of toxin remaining per leaf when finished. There may be mystical methods and communing with the Ancestors and Winds to determine whether each vein of each leaf should be removed or not, resulting in a sort of artistic removal of some but not all poison veins of the leaf. The more and larger veins remain, the more toxin.

Keep in mind that these veins eventually become microscopic in size, just like blood capillaries. It is impossible to remove all of them by hand without completely destroying the leaf itself. Thus, no matter what you do... some toxin will remain, as intended.

Ah-- good point. This would have the additional merit of explaining why the tea is drunk rarely-- it's a pain in the ass to make it right.

I suspect the Caldari have it down to something of a science by now, rather than an art; the possibility of inadvertently doing in your firstborn at a coming-of-age ceremony seems like a threat that would encourage great care.

Well, it could also be something like young vs old leaves - and part of what makes a Tea Maker is the ability to tell the difference.

Could be, but supposing your coming-of-age ceremony or funeral happens late in the season? Remember that the Caldari haven't always had space travel or even very good planetary transportation.

Yeah, the last seems more likely. Possibly with a touch of the second-to-last. That might give you 2 options - a universally fatal way, and a (perhaps traditional, but now virtually unused?) actual trial by poison that is in theory survivable for at least some Caldari.

Intriguing option. Perhaps the Tea Maker Ceremony hasn't always been this reliably fatal? You could see a random series of really awful people with high resistances repeatedly surviving their ordeals and going on to commit further atrocities until somebody finally says, "Fine. Let's see whether the Maker thinks you ought to survive THIS, bub."

Boom. New traditional (and much less survivable) recipe.

[Makkal]

Is it something you can force on a superior several times?

I'd think it would be a one-shot deal.

[Katrina Oniseki]

THE FORGE - Reports have surfaced that CPD Security Director, Tivalo Okkinen, has been found dead in his home with his mouth stuffed full of raw Kresh leaves. No hak'len cups or residue have been found on the scene, leading investigators to assume this was an act of murder, rather than a legitimate Tea Ceremony.

The Tea Maker's Commission has issued a statement condemning the use of Kresh in this manner, and has denied any knowledge or responsibility of the attack. Despite this, top members of the Commission have been seen speaking with investigators, and at least one has voluntarily submitted himself for detainment and further questioning. No charges have been announced, nor has a name of the detained been released.

A Scope employee traveling within the State on a press visa has also been arrested on charges of Gross Disrespect for commenting negatively on the Tea Maker Ceremony. His statement, which has been censored, drew parallels between the sacred Ceremony and illegal vigilantism. The Scope has declined to comment.

[Silver Night]

I like it. Do you have a link to the original? 

[Katrina Oniseki]

I like it. Do you have a link to the original? 

I wrote it. >.>

[Aria Jenneth]

Is it something you can force on a superior several times?

I'd think it would be a one-shot deal.

Since surviving it is (these days) a sign of divine favor, I'd agree. However, if it was used as an ordeal poison back in the day, it would be more like putting on a trial: you get one per criminal incident (however many crimes that incident may have entailed).

Say you've got a local guy of high rank (a psychopath, for ease of reference) whose family has a long and proud history of strong resistance to kresh toxin. He just murdered his uncle. He demands trial by hak'len tea.

People maybe grumble a bit that he has an unfair advantage, but tradition is tradition, so they put him to the test, and lo and behold he survives. He then goes on to rob the town trader. Trial by tea. And to stab his neighbor in the lung, who then expires after lingering for two agonizing weeks. Trial by tea. And to rape an eleven-year-old girl. Trial by tea.

By this time, you can see where somebody would start thinking they ought to increase the concentration. By the time he's fled town to escape the mob with pitchforks, become leader of a pack of marauding bandits, slaughtered entire clans apparently for the fun of it, carved a bloody swath across the countryside, kidnapped two members of the local royalty and returned them both in installments after the ransom was paid, and made a good attempt at uniting the region's bandit tribes under his rule and using them to establish himself as a de facto tyrant ...

... by that time, you can see how, when he's finally captured under circumstances so public that you can't very well just kill him (gotta make a good show of it), and he once again demands an ordeal trial by hak'len tea ...

... you can see how somebody decides, "All right, asshole, let's see you survive THIS."

[Silver Night]

You got me excited about the revenge murdering vigilante justice against the CPD starting. Damn you!

[BloodBird]

You got me excited about the revenge murdering vigilante justice against the CPD starting. Damn you!

This pretty much. I honestly though it was a news-post and was going to ask for a link 

[Lyn Farel]

* As another alternative, the poison might reside in only certain parts of the leaf, which would need to be carefully removed. I'd guess poison might be concentrated in the central vein, stem, whatever the hell a botanist would call that bit of the leaf that forms ye olde main road / structural support. This has to be carefully removed, like a blowfish liver. Kresh leaves in this event are probably used fresh, not dried (otherwise the leaf could be carefully cut and inspected prior to drying), and trimming out the central stem of each leaf is part of the preparation process; no fragment must remain. Intentionally toxic tea would be made with the whole leaf.

From my limited understanding of plant structures, what chemicals resides in the midrib (that primary center vein) would also reside in the veins (the smaller branches). This would make removal of the toxin even more difficult, with varying levels of toxin remaining per leaf when finished. There may be mystical methods and communing with the Ancestors and Winds to determine whether each vein of each leaf should be removed or not, resulting in a sort of artistic removal of some but not all poison veins of the leaf. The more and larger veins remain, the more toxin.

Keep in mind that these veins eventually become microscopic in size, just like blood capillaries. It is impossible to remove all of them by hand without completely destroying the leaf itself. Thus, no matter what you do... some toxin will remain, as intended.

I like. It also makes it a lot easier to make with modern tech (synthetic kresh tea or something in the same vein), with the same faint level of toxicity (which is still quite toxic to outsiders and can lead to more than mere stomach aches...). Although some traditionalists might scowl at such ways of making tea.

[Silver Night]

Might? I Hyasyoda customs finds you bringing that tea into their territory, you are probably summarily executed. 

[Hamish Grayson]

The tea in a Japanese Tea Ceremony is made by pooring hot water into a cup of finely ground powder.   No leafs or filters etc.   The powder just dissolves.

[Hamish Grayson]

THE FORGE - Reports have surfaced that CPD Security Director, Tivalo Okkinen, has been found dead in his home with his mouth stuffed full of raw Kresh leaves. No hak'len cups or residue have been found on the scene, leading investigators to assume this was an act of murder, rather than a legitimate Tea Ceremony.

The Tea Maker's Commission has issued a statement condemning the use of Kresh in this manner, and has denied any knowledge or responsibility of the attack. Despite this, top members of the Commission have been seen speaking with investigators, and at least one has voluntarily submitted himself for detainment and further questioning. No charges have been announced, nor has a name of the detained been released.

A Scope employee traveling within the State on a press visa has also been arrested on charges of Gross Disrespect for commenting negatively on the Tea Maker Ceremony. His statement, which has been censored, drew parallels between the sacred Ceremony and illegal vigilantism. The Scope has declined to comment.

I love this.  In my scribblings on Hamish's background I've imagined that his families company owns a Tea Maker academy and uses pupils for networking (providing a master Tea Maker for little Susies coming of age), strong arming business rivals and in the most recent years leaving a string of hundreds of mid-level provist bodies in the Karnola constellation.   I can Imagine the kind of message it sends when every week another one of your peers is found with a tea cup in one hand and a suicide note proclaiming his or her great shame at betraying the Caldari people in the other.

I'd decided some time ago that Hamish's ong absences from space is are because he spends most his time convincing the baseliner provists in his home constellation that they are being hunted by tengu, spirits, the winds and even the Maker himself.