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Mysterious Dark Lord v3.2 · 10-26-2019, 01:27 PM

Hofmann-1 is named for Dr Albert Hofmann, Swiss Chemist who in 1938 discovered the substance now known as LSD. The year is 2010, and is considered a recovering post-apocalypse world.

On Homeline, LSD's psychedelic properties weren't discovered until 1943. In Hofmann-1 they were discovered almost immediately and a Nazi sympathizer in Dr Hofmann's employ stole the data and moved to Germany in 1939.

The Nazis were anxious to use this new substance, some for enhancing their own soldiers, some for dumping on the enemy. Both were done in small scale and the results were mixed. The major successes were against Russian civilians, and at the end of WWII the Soviets managed to confiscate the LSD research.

The Stalinists employed LSD as a suppression chemical, spraying it on rioters and dumping it in water supplies. The rebellions in Hungary and the Ukraine were the most massive chemical warfare operations in history, affecting millions.

A natural tipping point was reached, and LSD entered the water cycle. By the late 1950's the first "acid rains" were falling, driving all animal life in the vicinity into hallucinogenic fits. Water supplies all over the world were showing more and more contamination, and soon outbreaks of what was named Spontaneous Hallucinatory Onset Syndrome were occuring worldwide.

Mass insanity, both temporary and permanent, spread, and the ecosystem was damanged by the majority of animal life undergoing dangerous fits of psychosis. Human civilization crumbled. By 1965, there was not a functional nation of more than a few thousand persons anywhere in the world.

Slowly, the LSD broke down and the water cycle was purified. The human population is a fraction of what it was, and less than a hundred million of those are rational enough to form societies. The animal life is slowly recovering.

Civilization consists of small nations of hundreds or thousands or a few millions of people, with independent cities and tracts of wilderness seperating them. The tech levels are around TL 6 to early 7, and the economies are largely self-contained. Cultures are wildly different, ranging from totalitarianism to Athenian democracy, theocracy to state atheism, and everything in-between. Fortunately, this makes civilized war rare but suppression of barbarians not uncommon.

Water-filtering technology is very advanced and most adults have their own personal water filters. Just about everyone is afraid of rainstorms, to the point where "rainfall" is a vulgar swear word. Dry-bathing and oil-scraping are common methods of bathing. Swimming is almost a lost art.

There are also "Mad Tribes" and "Mad Nations" where the effects of terminal LSD poisoning has been established in the culture, with "divine revelations" and "spiritual insights" warping small easily-manipulated populations. These can range from eccentrics to cannibals. Be warned.

Journeying between civilized areas is still an advanture, with decayed roadways, deserted cities, mutated and insanne animals and humans, and general lawlessness. The larger nation-states have begun returning to the air, but the bulk of nations still have limited knowledge of what exists more than a few day's travel from their borders.

An interesting development in the remnants of western civilization is the evolution of superhero tropes. Most major cities have a small subculture of Masked Men commiting acts of justice and villainy. Super-powers are rumored by not confirmed. The Mad Peoples of the wilderness are also rumored to be evolving super-powers, but again there is no confirmation, mery urban legends and folk tales. Ghosts and monsters are wildly reported, but still nothing concrete.

The one biological oddity that has been confirmed is that just about eveyone born after 1980 has a genetic immunity to LSD which creates an enzyme that can be transfused into other people, acting as a very effective treatment for schizophrenia and Alzheimer's Disease. While special operatives extract the enzyme from blood-bank donations, Homeline geneticists work on creating bacteria to produce the enzyme.

Outtime sociologists, psychologists, and biochemists anxiously study this wretched world. Shelldrake Section also has investigators to see if this is really a super-hero world in it's dawn or simply a planetary case of drug-enhanced PTSD.

10-26-2019, 01:27 PM	#4409
Mysterious Dark Lord v3.2 Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: The deep dark haunted woods	Re: New Reality Seeds *Hofmann-1* is named for Dr Albert Hofmann, Swiss Chemist who in 1938 discovered the substance now known as LSD. The year is 2010, and is considered a recovering post-apocalypse world. On Homeline, LSD's psychedelic properties weren't discovered until 1943. In Hofmann-1 they were discovered almost immediately and a Nazi sympathizer in Dr Hofmann's employ stole the data and moved to Germany in 1939. The Nazis were anxious to use this new substance, some for enhancing their own soldiers, some for dumping on the enemy. Both were done in small scale and the results were mixed. The major successes were against Russian civilians, and at the end of WWII the Soviets managed to confiscate the LSD research. The Stalinists employed LSD as a suppression chemical, spraying it on rioters and dumping it in water supplies. The rebellions in Hungary and the Ukraine were the most massive chemical warfare operations in history, affecting millions. A natural tipping point was reached, and LSD entered the water cycle. By the late 1950's the first "acid rains" were falling, driving all animal life in the vicinity into hallucinogenic fits. Water supplies all over the world were showing more and more contamination, and soon outbreaks of what was named Spontaneous Hallucinatory Onset Syndrome were occuring worldwide. Mass insanity, both temporary and permanent, spread, and the ecosystem was damanged by the majority of animal life undergoing dangerous fits of psychosis. Human civilization crumbled. By 1965, there was not a functional nation of more than a few thousand persons anywhere in the world. Slowly, the LSD broke down and the water cycle was purified. The human population is a fraction of what it was, and less than a hundred million of those are rational enough to form societies. The animal life is slowly recovering. Civilization consists of small nations of hundreds or thousands or a few millions of people, with independent cities and tracts of wilderness seperating them. The tech levels are around TL 6 to early 7, and the economies are largely self-contained. Cultures are wildly different, ranging from totalitarianism to Athenian democracy, theocracy to state atheism, and everything in-between. Fortunately, this makes civilized war rare but suppression of barbarians not uncommon. Water-filtering technology is very advanced and most adults have their own personal water filters. Just about everyone is afraid of rainstorms, to the point where "rainfall" is a vulgar swear word. Dry-bathing and oil-scraping are common methods of bathing. Swimming is almost a lost art. There are also "Mad Tribes" and "Mad Nations" where the effects of terminal LSD poisoning has been established in the culture, with "divine revelations" and "spiritual insights" warping small easily-manipulated populations. These can range from eccentrics to cannibals. Be warned. Journeying between civilized areas is still an advanture, with decayed roadways, deserted cities, mutated and insanne animals and humans, and general lawlessness. The larger nation-states have begun returning to the air, but the bulk of nations still have limited knowledge of what exists more than a few day's travel from their borders. An interesting development in the remnants of western civilization is the evolution of superhero tropes. Most major cities have a small subculture of Masked Men commiting acts of justice and villainy. Super-powers are rumored by not confirmed. The Mad Peoples of the wilderness are also rumored to be evolving super-powers, but again there is no confirmation, mery urban legends and folk tales. Ghosts and monsters are wildly reported, but still nothing concrete. The one biological oddity that has been confirmed is that just about eveyone born after 1980 has a genetic immunity to LSD which creates an enzyme that can be transfused into other people, acting as a very effective treatment for schizophrenia and Alzheimer's Disease. While special operatives extract the enzyme from blood-bank donations, Homeline geneticists work on creating bacteria to produce the enzyme. Outtime sociologists, psychologists, and biochemists anxiously study this wretched world. Shelldrake Section also has investigators to see if this is really a super-hero world in it's dawn or simply a planetary case of drug-enhanced PTSD. __________________ "When you talk about damage radius, even atomic weapons pale before that of an unfettered idiot in a position of power." - Sam Starfall from the webcomic Freefall Last edited by Mysterious Dark Lord v3.2; 10-26-2019 at 01:33 PM.