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Peace-of-Daxelh
Peace-of-Daxelh (Daxelh-inurrun) is the Ixhwambexti name of a liquid preparation made by the xtauh peoples of the central Brightness, intended to induce painless death.
Properties
Fully prepared Peace-of-Daxelh is a slightly viscous liquid, a dark, brownish red in color. It has a bittersweet taste.
It is composed of a morphine-rich gel from the pulpy leaves of the lheshen plant, powdered quinine-rich bark from one of a number of related species of shrub (collectively called utenej), and crystallized honey, dissolved in alcohol, sometimes with the addition of other herbs or spices to improve its flavor.
Usage
Peace-of-Daxelh is used in situations where one is otherwise likely to suffer with no foreseeable prospect of release besides death: the terminally ill, the starving, the warrior who is mortally wounded or in danger of imminent capture. In short, it is a method of relatively painless euthanasia or suicide. It is known to have been used as a humane way of ending the lives of war captives.
The potion is usually carried in a small container - a ceramic vial or small gourd - capable of holding a large mouthful (or two mouthfuls) for an adult xtauh. The container is administered orally and as quickly as it can all be swallowed. Generally within half an hour, the subject is no longer in pain and in a minimally conscious state, and afterwards undergoes respiratory depression followed by hypoxia and death.
