A-Z Blogging challenge

N is for the Narcothetium

The Narcothetium is a small building complex in the city of Forge, devoted to the trade in and various forms of consumption of narcotics and hallucinogens. It houses a collection of merchant shops along a roofed gallery, a storehouse and a warren of many private chambers, functioning as public houses, houses of pleasure, temples and shrines.

On the street level, the commercial center, the majority of the city's trading in these substances takes place. Master craftsmen have their workshops and stores here, selling both the local public and shipping to wealthy customers in other cities. The fierce competition between the artisans allows only the very best to flourish, and the quality of their products is without equal, though more expensive than the merchandise one can get from other markets.

The establishments on the lower level, on the other hand, are mainly concerned with consuming the wares produced above. Luxurious little salons cater to customers of means, while rougher drug dens entertain the lower castes. Some aim to enhance their clients' pleasure by offering an additional array of products and services, spanning the range from fine foods and spirits to decadent orgies that last several days and nights. Not only hedonists seek out the Narcothetium however, as many religious beliefs involve the ritual consumption of narcotics in some fashion. Some worships encourage the use of psychedelics to draw closer to the divine, while in others the faithful attempt to induce hypnotic trances to commune with the spirits or the afterlife. The resident oracles are known to consume various sorts of mushrooms, causing them to speak in tongues, from which the listeners hope to glean knowledge of their futures.