The Effects of Synthichor on Mortal Beings

Twisted experiments produce terrible results.

I felt invincible, but then the cramps... oh gods, the cramps!

— Ex-user of Synthichor

When humanity discovered the powerful effects of Ichor, it brought about the age of powerful magic -- Catalurgy. It wasn't long before a problem made itself known, however -- Catalurgy was dependent on Ichor, which is found only within the veins of dead gods. Harvesting the Ichor was difficult, driving prices insanely high, and limiting the amount of Catalurgists.
In a shady government run facility, researchers aimed to fix the supply problem by creating an artificial version of Ichor. While they hoped to create a material with the same magical properties as the one harvested from the God-husks, it was soon discovered to be an impossible task. Instead, all that the lab had managed to create was Synthichor: a drug that when injected, did indeed enhance the users abilities, but came with very dangerous side effects. Researchers called the experiment a failure, and destroyed all evidence of the expirement -- save for the formula. In a twist of fate, the formula for Synthichor was leaked, and very quickly became a street drug popular with criminals and anti-government militia.

Discovery and Manufacturing

Scientists, while creating Synthichor, tried as best they could to emulate the true Ichor found within the God-husks. To achieve that, they had to start on some common ground -- blood. If Ichor was the blood of dead gods, Synthichor too would have to have blood as its base.
They started small, experimenting with animal blood -- particularly the blood of Scaetthen, as the birds were overwhelmingly common in all parts of the globe. Blood was harvested in mass quantities, and then mixed with a special made slurry of chemicals and metal, and shocked with electricity. Initial tests went very, very poorly -- every human test subject died moments after injection, even with small doses.

It only took a few dead test subjects before the researchers started changing the formula. Briefly they thought to try Rendling blood, due to the similarities to the God-husks -- but this was quickly abandoned, for fear of creating even worse monsters.
They kept the chemical slurry as-is, but tried blood more similar to human -- starting with mammal, then working up to blood of primates. Each test brought them better results, and brought them closer to the final recipe: human blood, mixed with the same slurry of chemicals and metal from the beginning of the test.

Symptoms and Impact

With small doses, results were very promising. Subjects already fitted with a Thymalladus, were injected with the drug -- they reported heightened awareness, greater strength, and faster mental processes. It might not have produced magic like the researchers wanted, but it appeared to have created an accidental super-serum. Spirits were further raised when Synthichor was found to produce the same physically and mentally enhancing effects on subjects lacking a Thymalladus.

Tell those arrogant ass-hats over in the Catalurgic department that they can pack up and head home -- we don't need their magic freaks anymore. With this, we'll have an army of super-soldiers with numbers that far outstrip what they were able to create!

— Evelyn Solswick, head of Synthichor Development

All hopes of creating a Synthichor-enhanced army were dashed after repeating the experiments, however. Each usage of the drug caused the subjects tolerance towards it to decrease, defying conventional wisdom. The effects Synthichor produced were also fairly addictive -- which did not mix well with the decreasing tolerance after each use. It wasn't long before subjects began to experience the negative side-effects, and overdosing.

Synthichor works to enhance a users strength, but when used too much, it pushes the body too far, resulting in the horrific cramps reported. It starts in the legs and arms, but is very easily pushed to affect every single muscle in the body. If too much Snythichor is taken, every muscle will often cramp so hard that they rip themselves from the very bones they're attached to. The result is most often total loss of motor function, or death, and in particularly bad overdose cases, a subjects heart has been known to actually explode, killing them instantly.

This article contains topics that some may like to avoid: including drug use, overdose, references to blood, and references to death.

Variants

Not every street-side chemist can procure enough human blood to create the highest quality Synthichor -- some cut it with mammalian blood, or other, more exotic materials, resulting in different grades or types of the drug.

Type-A

The "cleanest" version of Synthichor, made with pure human blood. This version of the drug provides the cleanest results, and lasts longest, with a lower chance of overdosing.

Type-B

This type of Synthichor is not made from pure human blood, instead mixed quite often with primate, or other mammalian blood. It causes overdoses at much smaller amounts, and users are far more prone to cramping.

Type-X

All other Synthichor falls under the label of Type-X. This type is extremely dangerous, and unpredictable -- causing anything from instant death, to horrible mutation, depending on the source blood. Every user has a story of the time they saw someone use Synthichor made with Rendling blood.

Vial of Synthichor

Vial of Synthichor

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Firsthand accounts

The very first time I used, I punched through a wall. Solid stone wall -- and I barely even felt it.

— Jace Lancella, Ex-Synthichor user

It only took three uses before I experienced a near overdose. It hit me so hard... the cramps hit my legs. Tore every muscle in them. I haven't walked since.

— Kellith Everman, Ex-Synthichor user

It makes a surprisingly loud sound... when someone overdoses, and their heart explodes. I've only ever heard it once, and never used since.

— Han Rae Mun, Ex-Synthichor user

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