(( credit to @Khaos for writing the strengths and weaknesses of this app! )) Name: "Dust of Awareness" Description: The "Dust of Awareness" is a greyish powder produced by the runny, transparent sap of the Isonorian Dwarf tree of Hyperspace when dried. Being an anomalous substance, it is capable of altering the cellular biology of organics for a short amount of time in a manner that makes them compatible with low levels of cuils. Abilities: >Reduces the likelihood of somebody getting cuil cancer when exposed to high levels of cuils, and eliminates the chances completely when exposed to low (below 8‽). >The mental effects of highish cuils (7-10‽) are dulled, the effectiveness of which is determined by the dosage taken. The more you take, the less cuil problems you encounter. >Reduces the permanency of cuil exposure. The personality disorders that stem from 9‽ are less severe or only last for a few weeks. >A single pinch lasts for 5 hours. >Florans and other plant-based species don't suffer from side effects nearly as much as their fleshy counterparts. Conditional Abilities (Optional): Some psions may experience a slight enhancing of their abilities while under the influence of the drug, but nothing significant enough to make it worth the side effects. Limitations: >Forces the body to produce copious amounts of adrenaline. This is good if you end up fighting something, but can also exhaust an individual and isn't useful if you're trying to focus on a difficult task. >Highly addictive. Even taking the drug twice can get those prone to addiction hooked. The addicted must take the drug constantly, even if they aren't in cuil-ridden areas. This can have devastating effects on the body and mind. >Side effects include heavy nosebleeds, mild hemophilia, aggression, sweating, anxiety, headaches, high blood pressure, rashes, discoloured skin and mild to severe hallucinations. Nobody experiences all these side effects at once, but everybody experiences a minimum of two at a time. >When under the influence of the drug, some people may feel uncomfortable, sick, weak or tired in low-cuil areas. >The immune system is weakened when introduced to this drug. One may catch a cold after using it once or twice, and addicts may end up hospitalized due to infections. >One side effect that a user is never free from is hypersensitivity. Individuals feel more awake and alert than usual, and become hyperaware of their surroundings. This can be useful in some cases, but mostly it's irritating and distracting. >Individuals that have Echo symbiosis will notice their alphas become more active when under the influence of the drug. Their "whispers" increase in frequency, and may become "loud", aggressive or overwhelming. In very rare cases, the Alpha may even undergo an echelon shift. >Addicts who consume the drug constantly over a long period of time suffer irreparable cellular and genetic damage. They may become incapable of producing certain hormones or proteins correctly, suffer nerve damage that can lead to paralysis, mild to severe brain damage or more. The genetic damage can also give them cancer, lead to undesirable mutations, or even completely destroy a cell's ability to undergo mitosis (this can cause infertility in some cases). >In some extreme cases, addicts can even completely lose their ability to produce ATP from glucose, as their mitochondria become nonfunctional due to the cell-altering property of the drug. If this happens, all is lost, and the person can only hope they can clone themselves before their ruined body inevitably starves to death. Conditional Limitations (Optional): Addicts must consume the drug daily or suffer from withdrawal. Symptoms of withdrawal include: Muscle spasms Hallucinations Paresthesia Headaches Seizures And in some extreme cases: Paralysis Coma And even shock, which can be fatal. How does it work: The sap of a Isonorian dwarf tree contains a specialized cocktail of chemicals, proteins and hormones that alter and then maintain a unique set of functions in the cells of the body. These functions are slightly more aligned with Hyperspace physics than with realspace physics, and thus are more compatible- dulling the effects that hyperspace physics has on the cells of your average organic. In the tree, it allows the cellular life to thrive in hyperspace- but in organics, the effects are dulled, which are why organics still can't go above 10 cuils and why there are so many nasty side effects- the organic body wasn't built for this, after all. Flavor text: The effects of the dwarf tree's sap on Organics was only discovered and confirmed recently, by a Visitant biologist named 487538-ZETA. The Visitant plan on marketing this drug to Outsider scientists and researchers. Hey, it's all natural! Referenced Technologies (Optional): Isonorian dwarf trees. Attainability: Semi-closed (obtain it from the Visitant IC, or get an isonorian dwarf tree.) Tags: [Industrial] [Racial] Category: Medical
Hey there, sorry for the wait. I have one question, how exactly does it enhance the abilities of some psions? If it does that, it's implied that it raises their cuils, instead of just increasing how much they can tolerate.
Perhaps the dust of awareness increases the awareness of psions, just like almost anyone else, so they are more active or energetic, and can do more with their powers at the same time. Also, for those of you who don't know, ATP stands for Adenosine TriPhosphate. The chemical is made by your liver to store energy, similarly to fat, but with carbohydrates and sugars. P.S. : How would you pronounce cuils? Like, for instance, "quills", or something else?
I'm not exactly sure if there's a way I can explain "how", since psionics isn't a real thing and there's no scientific basis behind it. I know substances like mana got away with enhancing psionic abilities without raising cuils.
Ah, I wasn't asking for a scientific explanation, sorry. I guess the better question would've been "why", since Dwarf Sap, to my understanding, only raises the amount one can tolerate. Mana was designed specifically to enhance psionic abilities.
I just thought it'd be a nice touch that made the dust seem more anomalous. I can remove it if you'd like.
Could you replace it with possibly increasing a psionic's potential? As in, since Dwarf Sap increases how many cuils you can take, a psion could raise their cap and grow more powerful.
Hi @"Pinkbat5" I'll be the one seconding your sticky cuil resin. I have a single question in regards to the application. Should someone become addicted, how many hours could they go without the drug without feeling the effects of withdrawl? After the 5 hour 'high', of course.
Alrighty. Looks good, with everything considered. I'll go ahead and give this an accepted once you edit that information in. And on a final note, out of curiosity, do Isonorian Dwarves die when the sap is harvested? Or can it be harvested without killing the plants? It would be good to know for future reference.