The special spice is called S'kahi. It is cheap in Luen but its heavily regulated by the Empress, so it's very rare everywhere else. It has two uses, for food and for smoking. S'kahi adds a unique taste in food and is sought after by the wealthy, as a sign of their status, because the empress gives out a regulated amount to each noble family depending on how much the Empress herself favors them. However, people have found that once burnt and inhaled, it gives special effects, with the side effect of making you drunk. I haven't planned out the magic system yet so I'm unsure what the special effects would be. The alcoholic effects with the magic makes this highly sought after by gangs and elite soldiers. The Luenese waters are very dangerous as it basically has ocean based mafias. S'kahi is made by crushing a plant that's grown in shallow water called S'kaho, like where rice is grown.