Interlude: Drugs of Collswell City

The Legal Side

Manufactured by Chlora Pharmaceuticals, a drug company owned by a powerful tinker who specializes in drugs.

Neuraplast

Neuraplast is a drug which increases the plasticity of the brain tenfold, able to repair almost any brain damage. Though it can’t restore lost memories or skills, it decreases recovery and rehabilitation times dramatically. For example, a dose of Neuraplast can heal a severe concussion in little more than one day. It has also been shown to completely halt the progress of a number of degenerative neurological conditions, such as Alzheimer’s, and has been shown to actually cause the disease to go into regression, however this requires regular dosage, as it does not cure the disease, only stops it from getting worse. Neuraplast is delivered, frighteningly enough, by injection directly into the temples or the neck, though with the widespread adaptation of jet injectors thanks to Dr. Mind, it is much easier to deliver. Neuraplast is, however, very expensive, making it difficult to acquire.

Afoxis or “Fox”

A variant of Neuraplast designed to combat ADD and ADHD. it grants extreme focus and longer attention span. Side effects include forgetting to eat or sleep. Is also used illegally to boost academic performance, as it is lower-risk than overdosing on Neuraplast. There is also a cheaper street version of the drug called “Quick Brown Fox,” or “QBF” for short.

Denudine

Denudine is a drug which disables metahuman abilities, and thus far has never failed to do so except when tested on Interdiction and when used on Joker powers- though it does force their power to change. The duration varies depending on the subject’s metabolism and body mass, but the effect is always the same. Denudine can be delivered by injection or as a swallowed liquid, although the injection has more reliable results. Of note is that Neuraplast cancels the effects of Denudine, and as such a blood sample must often be taken before injection. Denudine is nearly impossible to find on the black market, as the Peddler refuses to make deals involving Denudine.

Veritas

Veritas has not been released yet, but rumors and promos are surfacing, with hints at becoming available very soon. Leaked notes from a clinical trial reveal that it does not force people to tell the truth as originally expected, but greatly exaggerates the physical effects of lying, making it quite obvious when all but the most inveterate liars are lying. Even with them, they fail polygraphs 100% of the time. Images in promos show a sparkling golden pill, however rumors hint that this may not be it’s final form.

The Illegal Side

Created by Opiate, a tinker who specializes in drugs. These exist alongside traditional non-tinker made drugs, however in Colswell and the surrounding area, they are much more prevalent even than commonplace recreational drugs due to the influence of Blackwell, the “metahuman mafia.”

Rumor says that Opiate and Chlora are the same person.

Super Juice

Permanently grants superpowers. This stuff is really, really hard to make and even harder to find on the market. Opiate is the only person known to be able to create it, and she doesn’t do so lightly. There are no records for the appearance of Super Juice, as no sample has ever been recovered intact.

Pils

A very casual drug. Pils come in three types, Pil1, Pil5, and Pil15, granting exactly one, five, and fifteen minutes respectively of high with no crash. They’re supposedly completely non-addictive, but there’s no actual proof, and no tests have produced results. Pils can be used in sequence with no harmful effects, however, using more than one pil at once has been shown to be extremely, extremely harmful and is the only way to overdose on pils. Pils appear different depending on the duration. Pil1 appear as small, hard, white spheres. Pil5 appear as an elongated lozenge, a red pill suspended within a blue pill. Pil15 are larger, red and white spheres, designed to look like tiny “15” pool balls. Another variant has been reported, a black and gold colored sphere with an unidentified symbol stamped on it, however this is unconfirmed.

Lotus

Lotus is an interesting one. It comes in “flowers,” the petals of which can be plucked off and dissolved on (or under, if you don’t like the taste) the tongue. Lotus has no physical stimulative or depressive effects; it alters the perception of time. Depending on the type, blue or red, it can be used to speed up or slow down perceptions of time respectively, passing a day in a heartbeat, or, if used in conjunction, extend the duration of pils tenfold. Unlike Pils, it can be quite addictive if used frequently. Of note is that Lotus does not change the metabolism, and as such users of the Blue Lotus are at risk of malnourishment. A “white lotus” has also been reported, however no sample has been recovered, and reports are unconfirmed. Rumor says there is also a “Black Lotus,” but rumors are unsubstantiated and likely untrue.

Chems

“Chems,” is the slang for “booster chemicals.” These are used by boosters to increase strength, intelligence, and grant temporary metahuman abilities. Booster chems come in many varieties. For example, Neurachem is considered to be a booster chem in the black market, as, if used in amounts that exceed the safe dosage, it confers incredible learning and memorization speed, allowing one to master skills that would normally take months to learn in hours, skills that would take years, in days. This comes at the cost of permanently degraded short-term memory. There are a plethora of other chems, including Jack, Slam, and Adrenile, chems granting strength, Flash, Twitch, and, again Adrenile, giving speed, and a number of less common ones with more exotic effects, such as T-Ray and Drifter which grant enhanced vision and very limited flight. The latter category seems to be loosely based on Super Juice, and as such are very expensive and difficult to find. Chems are not inherently addictive, however the power rush that comes with the increased abilities may create a reliance on the drugs and cause feelings of weakness when not under their influence.

Deja and Vu

Deja and Vu are a pair of drugs always used in conjunction. Deja improves memory retention temporarily, allowing users to recall events which occur while they are under its influence very vividly. Vu allows users to relive a memory through induced hallucinations, and when used in conjunction with Deja, creates an extremely vivid effect. Vu can also cause extremely vivid and dangerous flashbacks if used frequently. Deja is also sometimes used in conjunction with Afoxis or QBF to boost academic performance.

‘Bliv, or Oblivion

Allows the user to erase selected memories. No sample has ever been recovered, however reports of its existence are confirmed and substantiated. Interestingly, users of Oblivion have been observed to actually have improved memory for a varying period of time after using the drug, however there appears to be a risk of inadvertently erasing the wrong memories. Reports indicate that Oblivion is extremely expensive.