Shendart

Shendart is a psychotropic drug made from the sap of the Shendart reed. It is cultivated and extracted by the Yuan-Ti for recreational purposes and has a strong anxiolytic effect on Yuan-Ti. It is therefore used in combination with other drugs at Yuan-Ti orgies, parties, and in the bedroom to combat the usual hypervigilance and antisocial tendencies of Yuan-Ti which can prevent them from being able to enjoy a party. Shendart is not usually hallucinogenic, but some individuals experience hallucinations of shadowy individuals with higher does being more likely to trigger this effect. Its effects on other species varies. In humans it typically causes drowsiness, avolition, and limited suggestibility. In elves it can trigger them to begin trancing or stumble around in a hypnagogic state similar to a sleepwalking human. In tabaxi it causes ataxia and in high enough doses can cause paralysis and death by asphyxiation. In Cleyrans, shendart usually causes short-term abulia and depressive and dissociative episodes. The difference in the observed reactions by Yuan-Ti poisoners have lead to the mnemonic "Steal from the rats, kill the cats, control the men, and fear nothing."

More rarely, Shendart causes the person dosed with it to repeat a certain idiosyncratic action in a fugue state lasting for several hours with diminished memory of it. An example is a mute boy who sharpens knives repeatedly while under the influence of Shendart and is exploited by his father for the labour. Other known examples include sorting coins into stacks and strumming the same note on an instrument. In every case the repetitive task includes use of the hands and this effect is mostly observed in humans, but has occurred in Yuan-Ti. While in this fugue state, the person under the influence will not respond to speech but will respond in a limited capacity to other stimuli, especially if it affects their given fixation. For example, if a string breaks on the instrument the person under the influence will begin strumming another string and if a better whetstone is within arm's reach, the person sharpening knives will use it instead.