Silent Spice

Silent Spice, often shortened to just Spice, is a yellow coloured powdery substance that comes from the The Silent Sea. It is an addictive substance taken recreationally by many people around Hyperion, and an entire black market has arisen around the manufacture, distribution, and selling of it. While not universally considered illegal, depending on where you go in the system, it has been banned by The Saikar Coalition - S.A.C, and law enforcement in The Occupied Territories will destroy it on sight and immediately bring in any found with it for questioning.

Effects

Silent Spice is consumed nasally for the most immediate and strong effects, although only lasting for 4 hours. If eaten, the impact is slower to hit, and lingers for up to a week, although the major effects wear off within the first day.

While most assume that the drug gets its name from the location that it originates from, that is only partially true. One of the side effects of taking Spice that is, as an in joke, not shared with newbies, is that when you take it, it causes significant tongue swelling, and partial lose of motor functions in the user's mouth, making it near impossible to speak.

While there are a wide range of effects on those who consume the drug, there are a few consistant ones across the board. The user experiences a prominent sense of ego death, and overall sense of connection to and deeper understanding of the underlying forces of the universe, as well as vivid hallucinations, regularly described to include interconnecting webs or nets, or streams of energy underneath regular, zany hallucinations. Physically, the user's heart rate increases, and their ability to focus on the real world around them is reduced.

However, the exposure comes with risk. Because the processing involves raw Ley energy, those taking the drug regularly can experience toned down effects that could be mistaken for Ley Sickness, including red skin, and a blue tint to the whites of the eyes.

Upon ingestion, once per day, the user sometimes (on a roll of 15 or higher on a D20) find their magical potential reinvigorated, and they may regain a first or second level spell slot.

Manufacturing

Spice is made by collecting a specific enzyme developed in the bodies of burrowing monsters of the Silent Sea, which they use to help digest and remove the sand from their system. The enzyme is harvest from various glands and organs depending on the monster. It is then processed and refined from a semi-solid paste into a fine, filtered powder. The details of this process are known to few, and involve a multi-step refinement that involves heating it up in an enclosed container with raw Ley energy.

The Spice Trade

Dominated primarily by The Myriad, the manfucaturing, distribution, and sale of Spice is a highly dangerous occupation, whether you find yourself threatened by the authorities, the beasts hunted for their enzyme, or risk of ley sickness. While some small time or independent criminals have tried, and succeeded, at selling their own make, the Myriad is heavily protective of their process, and don't take kindly to competition.

Type

Organic