DO YOU LIKE TEA?

. . . the compeers of Hasbal certainly do.

As promised in my last email I will be sharing information in regards to the culture surrounding the consumption of tea in the City of Lights.

First, however, I wanted to let you know that I am incredibly thankful for your support, and I believe the launch of Ascendant will be a massive success with all of your help. With the Kickstarter ready for release this July 5th, I wanted to let you in on a few logistics.

1. There will be six email releases in the build-up to launch. This email marks number two out of six.

2. You can sign up to be notified of the Kickstarter release HERE, if you so desire, but no worries I will announce it the day it releases as well.

WHEW…. Ok, Now The Fun Stuff!

Hasbal, and indeed much of the High North, has an unquenchable desire for tea. It is the centerpiece that families gather around at the end of each long day. It is the white flag under which truces are negotiated. It is an expression of art and a traditional reminder of the honored divine feminine soul.

SOME FUN FACTS:

• Black tea is a symbol of the masculine divine and is thus generally consumed only by the men of Hasbal, with its green counterpart being that of women.

• The expression and preparation of the tea is a tradition in which only the women of the family can complete. Why? Because it is from the feminine divine that beauty, life, and sustenance emerge. This ritual provides a cultural touchstone and serves to remind everyone from which they came. It is also believed that this is why the use of tea in building truces is so pivotal. According to popular belief, men are built with the fire of war and women the waters with which to quell it.

• Traditional tea plants are not native to the Kaltlands (High North), and are such a highly sought-after commodity that in ancient times it nearly rivaled the value of salt.

• Now, due to the Lord Primes' centralized economics, the traditional tea trade has nearly ceased. In Hasbal green and black tea is now made from knotted kelp, with the latter undergoing a four-week fermentation process.

• The tea restriction however has given the Shields of Valor an avenue by which to fund themselves in the fight against the Lord Prime. Running a black market tea trade the Shields of Valor are rumored to make most of their profits off the Lord Primes Trusted, an elite and privileged noble class.

How to Recreate an Authentic Hasbish Tea. . . Green

• Icelandic Moss Tea 1 TBSP

• Purified Water

Icelandic Moss tea is made by pouring 1 cup of boiling water over 1–2 tsp of Iceland Moss. The mixture is covered and steeped for 10–15 minutes. Natural sweeteners may be added to the tea. Black: Icelandic Moss 1 TBSP

• Pu-erh Tea ½ TBSP

• Purified Water

1. Icelandic Moss tea is made by pouring 1 cup of boiling water over 1–2 tsp of Iceland Moss. The mixture is covered and steeped for 10–15 minutes.

2. Add Puerh for no more than 1 minute

3. To consume in accordance with tradition, sweeteners must never be added. NOTE: I have no affiliation with the amazon products linked above.

NEXT TIME. . . .

We will spotlight our first character!