Gankweed (Lore)

Main article: Gankweed

Gankweed (colloquially referred to as gank) is a plant that grows throughout the entirety of the Nine Realms. It is often used as a recreational drug by the citizens of the Realms, despite its legal status being a controversial status. While several of the Realms ban the smoking of gank, there are a few (such as Fengellegur) in which it is allowed and even encouraged by the government. The effects of gank vary from person to person, but commonly they include rainbow vision, increased skill, mysterious hitmarkers appearing and loud cheers and screams emanating from within the mind. The origins of gank are hotly debated but in legend it has often been linked with the dureto, the fruit of the duretos tree.

History
Gankweed has been in the Realms' culture for at least three thousand years: cave paintings suggest that the smoking of gank was a common practice even before the establishment of the Acrylian Order and the introduction of the Lords. However, there is some uncertainty as to how it came into common use. The most commonly accepted theory is that when Jarrett ascended the Mountain of Dew, he was gifted with the seeds of gankweed and the duretos fruit. Jarrett cultivated these plants and subsequently became the first smoker of gank. He then decided to spread the two gifts throughout the world so that everyone could experience their power.

However the plant was first discovered, by the founding of the Nine Realms gank smoking was deeply ingrained in popular culture, and occurred frequently throughout the land. Many of the Lords had their own special brew of gank, and the citizens of each realm began to use these formulations rather than the original 'pure' gank. This is how the many popular variations of gank came into popular use.

Effects
There are many effects of smoking gank, and no one person will experience the same thing. The reason for this large variety is thought to be due to the user's skill level: the more skill someone has, the more prominently the effects appear.

Common effects
Consuming a dureto will almost instantly cure the effects of gank, but the user will remain on a skill 'high' for several days.
 * Rainbow and/or blurred vision
 * Increased amounts of skill
 * Voices screaming or cheering heard in the mind
 * Seeing hitmarkers everywhere
 * Feeling the urge to use memes more often
 * Increased paranoia, especially on the topic of the Illuminati

Extreme effects
Consistent smoking large quantities of gank can increase the chances of developing the disease emelgey in later life, although this is very rare and there are only a few cases of this recorded.

Fengellegur
Smoking gank has always been legal in Fengellegur. When George became the new Lord it was feared that he might outlaw the plant, but Jarrett's tutelage had taught him that gank was a delighful creation, so it remained legal. Pelinor's Underground also has a large gank smuggling network operating throughout the other eight Realms, bringing gank to people who may find it hard to obtain.