Tinnitus
Imagine a constant ringing in your ears. It makes most casting impossible. Stay away from the tas plant, whatever those young hoodlums tell you.
Tas Plant
The tas plant is a common weed that grows wild throughout the Empire. When dried and smoked, it gives the user a pleasant high as well as enhancing their sense of hearing. Subtle sounds become easily perceived. It's easier to distinguish pitch, timber, and tone when under the influence of the das plant. This occurs through subtle action on the auditory nerve. The tas plant is well known to young Idrans. Many Academy students take it out of desperation around the time of their final exams. Although rumored to give the user perfect pitch, it only increases the user's baseline ability to match pitches.Unintended Effects
Most Idrans also know of the side effects of smoking the tas plant - a ringing in the ears is known as Tinnitus that becomes irreversible with increasing usage of the das plant. After more than a handful times smoking tas, a subtle ringing will develop in the ears. At first it lasts for only the night, but with each additional time that the plant is smoked, the ringing will last for longer. In a few individuals that have become dependent on the plant, the ringing has become constant and only gets louder with each use. Tinnitus is a side effect of overstimulating the auditory nerve. This condition is directly related to how the plant affects the brain positively. Scientists have been unable to create safer tas because the condition is related to the original function of the plant.
by Annie Spratt
