The Khajiit from The Elder Scrolls Online have had a not-so-good reputation since The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. But what is behind the rumor that the cat people are all hopeless junkies and would sell their own mom to a Telvanni slave trader for a hit of moon sugar? Quite a lot, says our author Dave.
Who are the Khajiit? The Khajiit are a race of humanoid cats from the province of Elsweyr. No wonder, since it is nice and warm there, and kitties always seek out the warmest spots to cuddle.
Khajiit are one of the possible races during character creation in all “The Elder Scrolls” games and are incredibly popular with players, not least because of their special stealth skills.
Even in the mobile offshoot of the series, The Elder Scrolls Blades, you can choose a cat person as your alter ego.
Give the cat moon sugar
What kind of drugs do these creatures take? Crystal, H, coke? No, Skooma! Skooma is a strictly forbidden narcotic in Tamriel that can be smoked in a pipe or drunk. It is made from moon sugar and a poisonous herb called deadly nightshade.
And guess where? In Elsweyr!
Elsweyr is practically the land of Tamriel where all the narcotics for the rest of the world are produced. And the Khajiit are practically little drug lords because they do not want to share the secret of successful moon sugar cultivation with outsiders. They grow their stuff themselves. Primarily of course for trade, since moon sugar is also used by the “normal” citizens of Tamriel as a cooking spice. It is only when it is processed into Skooma that it unleashes its full effect.
Imagine the poor Khajiit farmer in his moon sugar field. It’s clear that after hard work he needs a bit of relaxation and wants to unwind.
Can you blame him for operating a little drug lab in his free time and getting high as a cat?
What effects does Skooma have? When you take a few puffs from the Skooma pipe, you feel very euphoric and energetic for a while.
However, it also leads to consciousness disturbances, drowsiness, and an increase in aggression.
Crystal Moon – The Trend Drug
Are they not ashamed at all? No, they are proud of it! Just like beer in Bavaria, moon sugar is considered a kind of staple food among the Khajiit.
The kitties see it as a crystallized form of moonlight. And the moon is more than sacred to them.
By consuming the powder, they believe they are taking in small portions of the souls of their gods. However, a Khajiit would never call themselves addicted, and the kitties are of course quick to take offense when labeled as junkies.
What else should you know about Khajiit? It would be quite discriminatory to reduce the proud people of the Khajiit only to their drug addiction. Like many other races, they also have a rich culture.
For example, they like to steal. But they see it completely differently. They consider themselves innocent.
Read here why the new addon “Elsweyr” is worth it if you are into Khajiit…
