Drug Lore

[Dimitri]

Like many of you, my first experience with drugs in Elite Dangerous was running Onion Head from Kappa Fornacis. I don't even remember what I was doing it for, but the money was fantastic, so I continued my drug running trade. I made millions. Moved up to moving slaves and eventually went legit and now I'm mostly running a tourist agency for the rich and famous, but regardless, I've still always wondered about these "legal" drugs that I peddled throughout the galaxy. What exactly is Onion Head? We know it is a seed from a flower from an Onion Head plant on Kappa Fornacis. We know it has been adapted to grow in HIP 112974 as the Beta strain and the same for the Alpha strain in Xelabara. There is even a semi-legal form called Lucan Onion Head, genetically altered to circumvent the laws forbidding it. (At last check, Federation officials are working hard to to legislate against it.) What we don't know is, well.....anything else. How does one "do" Onion Head? Is it ground up and snorted? Made into a tea? Smoked? Do you take it as a suppository? (Probably not that last one, but you never know....) So my question to everyone here is whether there is any drug lore in elite, and if not, perhaps we can make some....

Other than Onion Head, there is also Lyrae Weed, Fesh (Crom Silver and Wolf, although Wolf is no longer produced due to government changes), Motrona Experience Jelly (also no longer produced due to government changes), Geawen Dance Dust, Yaso Kondi Leaf, and Wuthielo Ku Froth. For role-playing, it might be handy to know what drugs are available, how they are consumed and what they do to you. For lore, it would be nice to have some references in one nice place.

Looking forward to some good discussion here and, hopefully, we can answer some questions. o7

 

[Marra Morgan]

I've often pondered on these too!

I think that Frontier have deliberately given us a lot of blank canvas in the details of their universe, which is great for us roleplayers to fill out the gaps. Other than the commodity descriptions themselves, we know very little of the various narcotics of the galaxy, but maybe we can make a few assumptions?

The "Narcotics" commodity, when sold at an agricultural economy, could be taken to be raw product, such as leaves, seeds or roots. These may be processed or refined into other products, or consumed as they are. The methods of consuming raw leaf, seeds and roots probably hasn't changed much - they'll be ingested, ground and snorted, or smoked. There may be fancy gadgetry for grinding the plant matter up and vapourising it, but traditional methods are cheap and effective.

Where narcotics are sold at industrial or high-tech economies, we could envision them to be refined or processed product, such as methamphetamine and other manufactured stimulants. In high-techs especially, we might expect designer hallucinogens that affect all senses in specific ways. I would think that the methods of consuming these vary greatly - they may come in pre-made dispensary vials or vapourisers, or in the case of the Motrona Jelly a gel. Users might choose to disassemble the packages to mix the narcotics with others.

That's all I can think of at the moment, happy to discuss any ideas further

 

[DNA-Decay]

The push had been running for a few days already and the forums were awash with the drug talk.

Who's got what and where to get it. Prices, dealers, dodgy cops. Easy money, easy scores, easy lies.

After they shut down New Silk Road and you could no longer order the good stuff to your door, the Trade went back to Car Boot sales. 8 ton of fresh fruit and Veg sitting on top of 8 ton of O' Heads in the back of a Cobra - nuthin suss about moving "16 ton of veggies officer"

I thought it would be easy.

I thought I could make it work this time.

I'm older now - smarter. So.

I met up with Sleazy Mick by the bins in the car park behind Hunger Macs. It's a burger franchise across a couple of systems, chief employer of the under 16s. Sleazy is manager there now "Lord of the tweens" and he's running 'head into town backloaded into the precooked produce. We split a foil and chat about funerals and mates in prison.
Bernie the drunk is working at an abbottoir in New Wagga Wagga and handles the backloading. Vacuum sealed bags stuffed down a dead pig's throat, like some Tory hazing party.

I stuff a sample half kilo in my pants. And make arrangements to pick up the bulk of the load from Pad 31. A trickier liftoff but closer to the mailslot.

Sleazy's gear is good and pretty soon I'm trying to look cool while I casually throw up in the gutter.
It's always affected me that way, and I've got the rotten back teeth to prove it. My eyes are watery and my sinuses full of the acrid taste of spew and Onion Head.
I'm wiping my eyes and drying the spit off my chin when I see the cops.

They see me seeing them, spin the lights once and pull over.

There's a bunch of back and forth about my form and where I'm going; and next thing they're pulling on the blue gloves.
"Empty out your pockets son and show us your arms".
I start going through the motions pulling each thing out one by one, Hauler taxi tickets, bills of lading, con notes, glasses cases, wallets, pockets everywhere, crud for days. I'm down to the mod and the kanger geni tank - if they see my vape gear I'll be strip searched and this gig is over.
RAVENVAPES https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5hHJ_DtLAM&list=PLEgvX11UdGR5VOR1cu6WDcpbeRIB5Trqp&index=6

But their radio crackles to life, Code 8 DV Residential Bloc C35 closest units to attend - White Ribbon protocol.
The cops aren't happy but they have priorities.

They tell me to **** off and my blood pressure fades with their lights and sirens.

I look up through the canopy and the whole of Harvestport is throbbing onionhead green and white in time with my pulse.

Entranced by the beauty I stare, fish mouthed, for too long and some suit on their way to lunch sniffs at me and I realise I'm bathed in rancid sweat and my pupils are opening and closing like nervous umbrellas.
Better get to the loading dock and the safety of the Yellow Punchbuggy, before the paranoia kicks in.


Sleazy is already loading the pigs carcasses as I arrive. I don't know how he has the access codes, but I'm grateful that I don't have to do the lifting. Smears of fat all over Sleazy's apron.
"None too fresh" I say and he grins. Teeth of a Collingwood supporter that bloke. We do the credit transfer by the rear landing gear, and I get inside.
The stench hits me, and I stop by the dunny to smear some Tiger Balm under my nose and take a hit off the inhaler.
I must have blacked out and lost some time - the geni tank is empty on the inhaler so I reload, noting like a hungry squirrel that the half kilo sample is more than half gone.
Out of the urinal the stink of dead pig is eyewatering and there's a nasy taint like formalyn mixed with it.

Sooner I get to Xelabara sooner I can get myself clean again.

Spoiler

Pulled over somewhere safe and dark for a quiet toke.
[video=youtube;5LLFLq2QZNo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LLFLq2QZNo[/video]