Lore of Yore
Histories of the known universe... and beyond
It has been claimed that the British Empire runs on tea, and without it the cosmic kingdoms united under the Union Flag would be so much unconstituted dust. The claim is not without merit.
The early days of empirical expansion were dominated by the tea trade. Many of the boundary buoys seeded along the star-ways of the nascent Empire were used to guide char ships and tea trawlers along safe routes to the next viable port of custom. Over time char trails such as the Braganza Trade Route and the Shennong Ribbon have become the primary thorough-fares for spacecraft of all forms and means. Piracy looms as a constant danger along the char routes—but brigands such as the Vulture Hawks and Blooming Lotus of Twelve Suns are reportedly the least of a Tea Ambassador's troubles; stories of cosmic dragons swallowing a tea trawler whole make some think twice about attempting to deliver their Royal Flush along the uncertain Roji Route. Nonetheless, those who delve into the tea business invariably prosper. The Yellers Wholesale Tea Dealers were famed for bringing the tea trade to the American cosmic colonies, and the Painswick Association fought to open routes into the colossal Vemodalen Obscurity. The Mother's Brown Tea Conglomerate enjoys great success during the Victorian era, sweeping many of its competitors under the rug with an aggressively-plied trade in many signature blends such as Beggar's Pillow, Rambunctious Hen and Mother's Blessing. Rumours of back-alley dealings and the dubious usage of slave labour have quickly been deemed improper by the Prefects, and Mother Brown is now one of the wealthiest businesswomen in the British Empire. For those citizens of the cosmos who enjoy the taste of coffee over tea, there is very little help or sympathy. The rumours that bands of rogue Tea Ambassadors go around knocking the kneecaps off anyone who asks for a pot of caffeine are also dismissed as scurrilous talk. After all, the tea trade is a serious business; empires have been built on less.
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