The plot has been closed.
| Plot Details for Saccharine Powder |
| Summary: | A new material is being sold by a few mildly disreputable denizens of Knockturn Alley who venture out into the wizarding world. It may even be purchased in a few of the stores, too, as a potion ingredient. Known as 'saccharine powder' it is often advertised as either a sweetener, hallucinogenic, a snack unto itself, or all three! Prostitutes use it to sweeten their, er, tongues; potion masters to hide nasty bitter tastes in their potions; bartenders as a substitute for sugar and an additional buzz, and others as a means to experience a mild high. At this time, its addictive qualities are similar to caffeine. |
| Run by: | Astoria |
| Characters |
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Getting Involved
Pretty much anyone can get involved in the plot. Saccharine powder is, on the surface, a relatively harmless (albeit potentially amusing) means of spicing up your day. Underworld PCs are welcome to sell it to anyone they please, having probably acquired it from a dealer; they may also tamper with it and try to discover who manufactures the stuff. Other PCs may acquire it, too*. It IS a drug, however - so there will be consequences.
(*Student characters should not be participating in this plot. It's a bit on the touchy side for involving children.)
Magical law enforcement folks are welcome to investigate the powder's source. It is not yet an illegal substance. Reporters may do the same!
Healers and medical types don't have any cases involving the powder at this point in time, but it will be a solid way to get involved in the near future.
Page or +mail Astoria if you have questions about getting involved. If your PC begins to consume a lot of saccharine powder, please also contact Astoria.
Things You Should Know
You do not need Astoria or Staff around to RP with the powder, but Astoria or Staff would be glad to answer any questions or join the scene. Make sure you follow the rules below if you're on your own:
- You can't make Saccharine Powder for yourself, but you can attempt to do so.
- About half a teaspoon generates a pleasurable buzz similar to several glasses of wine. Not very much powder is required to sweeten drinks.
- A teaspoon to half a tablespoon results in the player becoming lucidly high for about two hours. They will experience hallucinations (be creative!) that will manifest themselves for others to see. These hallucinations have a level of tangibility and may interact with other players and the environment around them. Hallucinations cannot deal out death and destruction like their real-counterparts, and they lack the nuances and intelligence of sentient beings. They can be easily banished. If you plan on using a particularly nasty hallucination in a scene (like a dementor or dragon) don't hesitate to contact Astoria (or Staff, if Astoria is unavailable) and ask questions!
- If a player has a hallucination, it is visible and tangible to everyone within seventy meters, assuming there are no obstructions in the way. This includes people who have taken saccharine powder and people who haven't - everyone sees it.
- As mentioned above, hallucinations are tangible. They can be walked on, struck, cast shadows, sat upon, thrown, eaten, seen, heard, pet, kissed, and many other things. When it comes to how tangible, that is entirely dependent on the person who created them, though they can never be indestructible or particularly difficult to remove if needed.
- Hallucinations can seem to replace objects (never people) in an environment. A table can become a rock, for instance. Where it becomes more complicated is when a player wants to retrieve an object from the area's original state that has been transformed into something else - usually, this is possible, but how or why it works is a mystery. Do not hesitate to turn the task of retrieving objects into something that is difficult or comical, however.
- Be respectful of other people's OOC wishes when it comes to adult-themed hallucinations.
- A tablespoon or more of the powder results in the player becoming quite plastered. They will most likely fall asleep and dream strange dreams.
- Hallucinations can include different environments (up to around seventy meters or the size of a large room), environmental changes, changes in appearance, creatures, random objects, and more. If you're planning a particularly complex hallucination and have question about the limits, don't hesitate to ask!
Roleplaying with Saccharine Powder at the Three Broomsticks
The Three Broomsticks is the only establishment in the British Isles, indeed in the world, with Saccharine Powder on its menu.
It is possible for adult customers only to order a dessert sprinkled with Saccharine Powder (five sickles), which will provide a mild buzz; or a cocktail (a galleon) the consumption of which will result in a very very nice high but not suffice to cause hallucinations.
Each patron's consumption of the powder is strictly regulated. No one will be served more than one cocktail or three desserts (mind you, who can imagine eating three desserts?); and if you want a Saccharine Powder dessert after you've already had a cocktail, you're very sadly out of luck.
The powder is kept not under the counter, but in a back room behind the bar; not everyone has the key of it. If neither Fabia nor Frid is available for a scene, you can use the NPC Tessa, the cleverest and most reliable of the bar wenches, whose special duty it is to dispense the stuff and make the cocktails.
Nobody under the age of sixteen, and no Hogwarts pupils of any age, will be served Saccharine Powder under any circumstances. Feel free to try asking for it, or thinking up ingenious strategems to try to get it — just know that, in accordance with this plot's rules, you'll be doomed to entertaining failure…
NOTE: As of the evening of the 6th of December, the Broomsticks ceased to serve Saccharine Powder. The reason given was that they had run out. They don't appear to have restocked.