-365-377 CE-

A unique fruit grows freely from bushes in the lands of the Southern Cavale - one so sweet that the locals tend to shy away from its overpowering taste. The Cavale call this fruit the sweet gem berry, and it used to serve solely as food for birds, bats, and other sweet-loving animals.

One day, however, a shaman from a small Cavale village noticed that a bird that had pecked at a shriveled, discolored sweet gem berry flew unsteadily and appeared quite disoriented. Intrigued by this effect, the shaman tried a similar-looking sweet gem berry from the same bush. Later, after recovering from the intoxicated haze that resulted, the shaman informed his village's chief that he had made contact with the spirits of existence along the great chain of life.

At this discovery, the village chief was astonished and instructed the shaman to find a way to reproduce this trance-like state of intoxication. Eventually, after much trial and error, the shaman discovered a process by which sweet gem berries isolated in a fired ceramic vessel that was then sealed to the elements would turn into a liquid after many weeks had passed. Subsequently, drinking this liquid would result in contact with the spirits.

Trade in the drink that had been dubbed wine soon spread from village to village. By the 370s CE, this wine had a prominent place in the religious rituals throughout Southern Cavale. As a result, the formerly-worthless sweet gem berry became a greatly-valued crop, grown with care and attention for best results in the production of wine. The berry even became a valued trade good for exchange with the Northern Cavale.

Eventually, a group of Northern Cavale pastoralists discovered the way to render milk from their herds of water buffalo into a drink with similar effects, which they termed kefir. In time, this too became both a valued delicacy and an important trade good among the Northern Cavale.