.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=1100&h=618&dpr=1.5)
From The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind to Oblivion and Skyrim, skooma is an item known throughout Tamriel as an illegal narcotic. It was first introduced in Morrowind back in 2002 and has been an interesting part of the Elder Scrolls lore ever since. While players can use skooma like an ordinary potion to boost strength, speed, and stamina, there is a lot to the item in terms of its history, ill effects, and trade.
Skooma has taken a life of its own among Elder Scrolls fans, reaching into the realm of memes. It is not quite as popular as the Khajit memes, but often goes hand-in-hand with those because of the relationship Khajit have with skooma. Fan-created content that involves skooma is not unusual and often involves trippy images with cats and/or Khajit. While the fictional drug is well-loved by the fandom, not all are aware of its lore.
The Origins Of Skooma
Despite its association with Khajit, skooma was actually invented by the Dark Elves, who discovered it by mixing nightshade and moon sugar. It is the involvement of moon sugar that drew the Khajit into skooma, as moon sugar is a big part of their culture in Elsweyr. In fact, moon sugar is viewed by the Khajit as a holy substance and is their main export. Khajit believe the sugar to be "crystallized moonlight." However, like skooma, moon sugar is a highly addictive drug and is illegal in many provinces under Empire law. Punishments for selling the sugar range from fines to outright execution depending on the amount sold.
With moon sugar already being its own drug, skooma is all that moon sugar is and more. Some nightshade plants can strengthen the potency of moon sugar, so skooma is basically just super moon sugar. Due to how profitable it was to sell the drug, Empire laws did not stop the skooma trade, and instead just drove the system to deal in the shadows.
Effects Of Skooma
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=1500&dpr=1.5)
Skooma, while dangerous on its own, can be all the more terrible on its users if it is improperly made. After all, nightshade is a poisonous plant and requires a special kind of manufacturing to become skooma. Makers can even get the moon sugar wrong if it has rotted. Skooma that was improperly made can make its users lose their voice, have fits, and possibly die. Not every race reacts to skooma the same way, either. Due to their history with moon sugar, Khajit have a natural resistance to the effects of the drug. Despite this, many skooma addicts are Khajit.
The most well-known effect of skooma is addiction. What makes the addiction to skooma so infamous is that most believe there is no known cure for those that get addicted. Those that are addicted are rumored among the Khajit to have become hopeless slaves. However, according to the book "Confessions of a Dunmer Skooma Eater," there is actually a cure for skooma addiction. In the book, the writer describes that they freed themselves through "knowledge, understanding, and acceptance" of their addiction. There is another instance of a character overcoming addiction in the lore, with a Skyrim NPC named Wjeeta being cured just by drinking a healing potion.
As to why people get addicted to skooma, it is described to put its users in an alternating state of delusional euphoria and lethargy. If used too much, skooma addicts cannot function in day-to-day activity because they are in a state of permanent confusion and undergo mental deterioration. No matter a skooma's quality, withdrawal during addiction to the drug can cause users to become violent and/or be mentally unsound.
Skooma Uses And Trade
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=1500&dpr=1.5)
Skooma can be consumed in a number of ways, either smoked via a water pipe or sipped as a liquid. The cheapest skooma available is made with poor quality ingredients, which are a greater risk to the health of the user. There are some special kinds of skooma out there, such as Redwater Skooma, which is even more potent than regular skooma. The Redwater version is a way for vampires to exploit addicts for their blood. According to bandits in Skyrim, skooma is more watered down in Skyrim than it is in the other provinces.
In terms of how skooma is smuggled across Tamriel, the drug often is spread through the same channels as moon sugar. There are some smuggling routes specific to skooma, but they are not as common. Smuggling dens that have been in games include the Bravil Skooma Den in Cyrodiil and the Redwater Den in Skyrim. The trade is mostly within channels that are run by criminals, and can sometimes be easy to obtain in certain Elder Scrolls cities. For example, Riften is the city where skooma is most sold in Skyrim.