From: MOBTOTRM@vaxc.cc.monash.edu.au
Date: Tue 10 Dec 1996 - 14:47:39 EET
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
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