The Centre Cannot Hold » Pharmacopoeia Fantastica

Alphanella Seeds

Loki — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 21:30:53 +0000

A highly addictive hallucinogen, Alphanella seeds are used by many artists throughout the galaxy – notably the painter Poor Yorick – to help fuel their inspiration. Strangely, despite the popularity of the seeds, little is known of the Alphanella plant, although it is presumably either quick-growing, adaptable to wide range of climes, or both.

The seeds themselves are small and brown, but each of them is quite potent, although the effects tend to wear off quickly. The effects include enhanced senses and cognition, and an unchained imagination. But long term use tends to debilitate the user, leaving them unable to think or talk straight when they are not on the drug.

Higher doses can induce trance-like states that last for several hours, sometimes even days.

Related Drugs: Niathol

Amazo Pills

Loki — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 21:30:56 +0000

Little is known about Amazo Pills other than the name. Certain inferences can be be made based on it, however.

Amazo Pills are named after an android created by one Professor Ivo, which was able to duplicate all the superhuman abilities of the Justice League of America.

It is likely, therefore, that the pills duplicate this effect to some extent, and presumably allow the user to duplicate the powers of nearby superhumans. Amazo himself was able to duplicate even powers granted by artifacts such as Green Lantern’s ring or Wonder Woman’s lasso – it is unlikely that the drug is anywhere near this powerful.

Related drugs: Darkshots, Hyperdrene, Mongoose Blood and Xenite

Ascomycin

Loki — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 07:30:18 +0000

One of the most societally destablising drugs ever developed, Ascomycin is an anti-agathic, which is to say, it is a drug that prevents or retards aging.

Ascomycin is a drug that confers non-specific immunity. It’s less an anti-biotic than a true endotoxin, and works to prevent nearly any disease from affecting those dosed with it – and a single dose lasts about 70 years.

The mechanism of the drug involves stimulation of the reticulo-endothelial system (the white blood cells and such). It is apparently a biological drug with multiple sources, though generally not more than one or two to a plant.

The Okie ‘Cities in Flight’ use it as part of an their immortality drug suite.

Related drugs: Tricetyltriparanol

Beng Lie

Loki — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 21:30:48 +0000

Beng Lie is a powerful suppressant of the will.

It is of Oriental origin, and appears to be a preparation of a variety of drugs and herbs, very likely including opium. Under its effects, users become more submissive, and more receptive to hypnotic and other suggestions, although the very strong-willed can shake off these effects.

Related Drugs: Mei Kuan

Black Frost

Loki — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 21:30:37 +0000

An alchemical concoction masquerading as a beer, Black Frost was briefly on sale at one particular bar on the Sunnydale campus of the University of California.

Repeated doses of Black Frost will lead to the imbiber reverting to a caveman-like level of intelligence, closely followed by physical mutations to match. Understandably, the user rarely realises that they have been dosed before it’s too late for them to realise much of anything.

It’s mostly used to get even with smart-ass college kids.

Related Drugs: Calendula, Calynthia Powder, Gill Man DNA and Orpheus.

Blue Mold

Loki — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 07:30:51 +0000

The Blue Mold grows wild on the walls of the derelict parts of London’s underground railway network. It’s slightly luminous, but for the real fun to start, you have to smoke it.

Smoked in a pipe, joint or bong, the Blue Mold is a powerful hallucinogenic that unshackles one’s mind from this reality, and allows it to perceive normally invisible parallel dimensions.

It’s used in the initiatory ceremonies of the mysterious conspiracy known as The Invisibles, and possibly in others of their ceremonies as well. In the world of the Invisibles, not only are the words of the prophets writtten on the subway walls, but the source of all their visions grows there free for anyone to take.

Related drugs: Key 17 and Zombie Crack.

Blue Shock

Loki — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 21:30:43 +0000

Blue Shock looks like a shiny blue cough syrup and kicks like amyl nitrate’s bigger, stronger brother. Generally taken in doses of no more than a teaspoonful at a time, the immediate result of ingestion is agonising pain.

Fortunately, the pain wears off after a few seconds, leaving every nerve in the body more sensitive than usual. As such, it can be used to heighten sexual pleasure (and it is popular in Al Amarja’s S&M scene for both its effects).

Of course, having your sense of touch heightened also makes pain more intense, so it’s not all good. Not to mention the statistically improbable correlation between Blue Shock use and spontaneous combustion.

Related Drugs: Communion, MDA-Cubed, Nightmare, Relapse, Slo-Mo, Wings and Zorro.

Bug Powder

Loki — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 07:30:22 +0000

A basic insecticide of the fifties in common use throughout New York City, Bug Powder is a yellowish powder that apparently kills bugs.

I say ‘apparently’ because from what little we see of it, it’s none too effective on bugs. Indeed, it is sufficiently un-threatening that it can be eaten or injected by humans, which is hardly the quality of a deadly poison.

It apparently improves the sexual experience, at least for women, with one user stating that she no longer needed to reach orgasm thanks to the drug. Its other effects are not well-known, although one user who was using it mixed with Bug Powder described the experience as ‘a Kafka high’, in reference to his story, Metamorphosis.

Related drugs: The Black Meat, Mugwump Jism and The Drug That Does Not Exist.

Calendula

Loki — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 21:30:03 +0000

Calendula is actually a real substance: it’s a herb derived from the plant of that name. The plant is a small yellow flower that grows across Mediterranean Europe and the Middle East, from the Azores to Iran.

It actually has medicinal effects – it has traditionally been used to treat constipation, abdominal cramps, acne, and in modern eras, radiation dermatitis and tumours. It is also used in cooking.

What lands it on this list is its supposed magical power: it is used by some members of the staff at Wolfram and Hart as a means of cheating psychic scans, by allowing users to hide their true thoughts and feelings.

Related Drugs: Black Frost, Calynthia Powder, Gill Man DNA and Orpheus.

Calynthia Powder

Loki — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 23:30:48 +0000

Calynthia Powder is a bright purple colour. As a powder, it can be mixed into liquids and ingested, such as water or blood.

The drug is presumably magical in nature, and is used to affect the dreams of the person being fed it – usually without their knowledge. The drug makes the user more suggestible, especially when in a dream state, allowing anyone present while the user is dreaming to plant suggestions in their mind – while full control is not possible, it can be used to manipulate the person.

A person under the influence of Calynthia Powder will sleep more deeply, which makes the manipulation easier, as they will not wake when they otherwise would. Repeated doses will upset the sleep cycle of the user, making them sleep longer, dream less and awake less refreshed.

Related Drugs: Black Frost, Calendula, Gill Man DNA and Orpheus.