Tea Ceremony (Eristur)

The eristurel are a people burdened by a colorful and bloody history, though one would not think it, seeing the way that they pour tea for a visitor. To the eristur, tea is more than a drink to be had with finger-foods, rather it is a sign of the discipline, level-headedness, and control that they strive to attain in their day-to-day lives. The eristilan tea ceremony is a custom that, according to tradition, traces back to the days of IkNulthanar, the first of the thanarel who act as spiritual leaders for eristilan communities. In more traditional eristilan households, one cannot claim guest rights until one has participated in the tea ceremony.

IkSenalaima, the tea ceremony in the eristilan tongue of IktOrryk, is one of the cornerstones of eristilan culture. All eristilan ethnicities practice some variant of the tea ceremony, though even within ethnicities, the particulars of tea ceremonies differ from one community to the next. Thought to have been established thousands of years ago by IkNulthanar as part of her apprentices' training, the tea ceremony has become a vital part of hospitality in most eristilan homes, where guest rights are not, and cannot be conferred without performing the tea ceremony.

Execution

The tea ceremony occurs strictly between two parties: the host and the guest. If there is more than one guest and there is no association between them, the tea ceremony must be performed with each guest. If there are multiple guests and some of them are associated (i.e. they are present as a group), those guests must select one person to perform the tea ceremony on their behalf.
As tea ceremonies can vary significantly from one community to the next, what follows is the standard tea ceremony for the eristilan kingdom of KilAgantar. Before the ceremony begins, a number of things are prepared: two pots, one filled with hot water and one that is empty, a small jar of powdered tea leaves, a tea whisk, one small bowl, two cups, a small wooden scoop, a small bottle of milk, a clean cloth, and a small wooden pail. All these are arranged in a square wooden tray that is placed in the middle of a short-legged table that is commonplace in eristilan homes.
The tea ceremony begins with the host pouring a small amount of hot water into the bowl and the two cups.The host swirls each cup three times before pouring the water into the bowl and drying them. The host then dips the tea whisk into the bowl three times, turning it slightly each time so that each bristle is cleaned, before it is set aside. The bowl is swirled three times before the water is poured into the bucket, and the bowl is cleaned.
Using the wooden scoop, the host places two portions of powdered tea leaf in the bowl. A small amount of water is added afterward, along with a dash of milk. The whisk is used to mix the concoction until a gentle foam forms. This concentrated mixture forms the base of the tea used for the ceremony and at this point it is considered customary for both parties to take a sip of the mixture. Once both parties have tasted the base for the tea, the host pours it into the empty teapot. Then, using hot water, the bowl and the whisk are "washed" of any residue, and the hot water is poured into the same pot as the base.
After the whisk and the bowl are dried, the host pours enough hot water into the pot with the base to fill it. The pot is lidded and carefully turned three times before the resulting tea is poured into the two cups. The guest takes one of the cups and proffers it to the host, while the host takes one of the cups and proffers it to the guest in turn. They exchange their cups and drink their tea. Once both cups are returned to the tray, the ceremony is considered completed, and the guest has claimed guest rights.