More Drugs

From: MOBTOTRM_at_vaxc.cc.monash.edu.au
Date: Tue, 10 Dec 1996 23:47:39 +1100


G'day all,

More Drugs

Here's another famous narcotic from the lozenge. Anyone else care to blow our minds with one?

Cataplasis - Sog City, Fronela*
By MOB

Cataplasis is euphoric substance administered by means of a poultice - a patch worn next to the skin. Cataplasis is amalgam of several ingredients, soaked into the patch and affixed to the skin by a bandage. The active component is known in Sog City as "mildstone", but it is not a mineral at all, rather the droppings of a rare species of waterbird called the gull-raptor that lives on the shores of the Sweet Sea and the banks of the Janube River as far as Galastar.

Unlike many drugs, Cataplasis keeps its user "high" continuously, or at least as long as the poultice is worn and the drug is being absorbed by the skin. It promotes in the user a slightly euphoric feeling of well-being, self-confidence and calm equanimity. Some say it is a taste of the Solace one can expect in the Malkioni afterworld, but many sects forbid their members taking it, and no Cataplasis addict can ever be a successful sorcerer.

Mind affecting spells (Befuddle, Demoralize, Fear, etc.) are less effective against Cataplasis addicts - halve the chances of such spells working on them. However, to perform any complex function (such as casting a spell, tying a knot, or writing) requires a successful concentration roll (INT x3). Many people in Sog manage to carry out virtually normal lifestyles under the influence of Cataplasis, wearing a patch as they go about their daily affairs. The drug has two unpleasant side-effects, constipation and excessive perspiration, but addicts will tell you that these discomforts are worth the pleasures Cataplasis brings. The drug is extremely addictive, both psychologically and physically, and few are strong enough to break the habit (try rolling under POW x3 six days in a row). When in 1499 the Syndics ban closed all trade between Galastar and Sog, supplies of Cataplasis in the metropolis dried up rapidly, with desperate addicts fighting over what remained. Once the supply was gone, many addicts committed suicide rather than face the pain of withdrawal; of those that didn't, few survived (including one who lived long enough to resume his habit when the Ban was lifted a hundred years later!).

Now that trade has resumed between Galastar and Sog, Cataplasis is again available. With the build-up of a century's worth of gull-raptor guano, the price was initially remarkably cheap. In lawless Sog there are no prohibitions against taking this or any other drug (unlike almost every other city along the Janube) and many people became addicted to Cataplasis when it again flooded the market. However, the appearance of the Kingdom of War in 1612 severely curtailed Janubian river trade, limiting the availability of Cataplasis and causing the price to sky-rocket. The streets of Sog are now full of desperate addicts, and while Cataplasis patches were once worn ostentatiously as part of the prevailing fashion, they are now hidden on the person secretly.

The price of a Cataplasis patch varies, from 100 - 300L. Some are weaker than others, reducing the effects described above. A good patch should last up to a season.

[*this article originally appeared in Reaching Moon's SOG UNIVERSITY GUIDE, available from your local Megacorp distributor!]

Cheers

MOB


Powered by hypermail