SC2020 - Divine juice

Stigmas of what to eat are for people with full bellies. Settlers are often not among that category, especially not the first settlers. Therefore, when octopus-like creatures were caught they were devoured in their entirety. That included the large brain. As fat is the main component of the brain and as fat is rich in energy it became a sought after part of the creature - so much so that instead of taking it home, cook and share it, some began eating it raw right after catching and killing the octopus like creature. For the fishermen, this resulted in being overcome with fear and dread to a point that they would only recover long after they were back on the shore. This stopped the process of eating it raw, right up until it became a rite of passage for some tribes to go out, hunt and octupus-creature, its it brain and find your way back on your own - one was not allowed a vote until one has succeeded.
Later people unlocked more of the properties. The modern way of consuming the brain is in the form of Divine juice. The juice loses its potency quickly, therefor it must be made from fresh brain. To that end religious orders have build tanks in which they hold live specimens of the octopus-like species (breeding has never proven successful). When Divine juice is needed, they will get one of the specimens up, and cut it open while it is still alive. They then take the brain out, blend it and mix in the dried power used to make Ocean Blood paint. The elixir is drunk on a fasting stomach right after mixing it together and the effect sets in within 15 minutes.
The Divine Juice induces a heightened sensory state, where the consumer feels disassociated from their own body. At the same time they seem able to not only sense the emotions of others around them, but also to influence it to become similar to their own. Since the user is themselves dissociated from their own body and prone to influence of others, using this to manipulate the feelings of others are extremely difficult. One is far more likely to adopt the emotions of those one is surrounded by, than impose ones own emotions on them.
However, in the hands of skilled users it can be used for astonishing results. High priests will ingest the elixir and then immediately join a group of 8 priests that have all been meditating honing in on the desired emotional state. They will then follow the high priest around keeping him centered on the desired emotion whilst he greets the worshipers, whose own emotional state will then be altered to match that of the priests using the high priest as conduit.
This way Divine juice is used to produce a meeting with the divine in followers as they feel the presence of their god when in the proximity of the high preist.

Type

Organic