Spice

Par'tha Fringe
Notable Fringers
Dorlan	Oni Tarn
Organizations
The Assembly	Shadizaar
Shadowports and Bases
Port Liiria	Tansad Beach
Contraband
Ore	Spice
Edit this nav

Spice is a nebulous term for an assortment of recreational substances, medicines, food seasoning, additives and preservatives, illegal intoxicants, and other ingested non-nutritive semi-foodstuffs.

Historically and colloquially, spice can also refer to any luxury good, such as exotic entertainment, precious metals, or rich foods; or any valuable smuggled goods, or any small goods that adds variety to life ("spice is the variety of life" and "variety is the spice of life" are common catch-phrases).

In the most specific sense, spice is a very valuable substance, produced organically by a biosystem, that enhances biological processes or experiences. The most famous spices are mined mineral-based substances, but many spices come from other bioproductive processes.

Lian

Lian is, in its refined form, a white powder that is added to foods to enhance flavor and slow spoilage. Lian enhances sensory experience by priming neural cells and increasing their efficiency and fire rate, making sensation more intense. Some lian users claim that high-quality lian sharpens the senses to a high degree, and there is some evidence that the spice is mildly addictive. The preservative effect is a secondary side benefit. Lian is one of two spices mined on Regoria, the dry spice world. It's legal, but expensive; about 1 credit per dose (about 10 grams), cut to market standards. High-quality lian is illegal due to the danger involved, and goes for up to 50 credits per dose on the black market.

Standard-quality lian is just a spice with a slightly stimulating effect. High-quality lian (which cost up to 500 credits a dose) increases perception for an hour. Due to the increased sensitivity, and damage or injury done taken while under the influence is enhanced in the pain centers of the brain. High-quality lian can be ingested directly, dissolved under the tongue, or taken with food.

Diblen

Diblen, the black Regori spice, is much more rare, vastly more valuable, and highly illegal. Diblen has several benefits, most notably the increase in all abilities: users become more intelligent, faster, stronger, and generally more able. Users also experience a mild euphoria and increased confidence. This benefit has a dark side: after the effect wears off, users become listless, sometimes poisoned, and occasionally overdose fatally. For these reasons, use, distribution, and possession of diblen is highly illegal. Diblen goes for about 1000 credits per dose on the black market.

The now vanished Healer's Guild once used diblen as a cure-all. It was also sometimes mixed with vensen spice as a treatment for hive virus infections. This formula is now lost. Diblen is also credited with aiding in meditative insight, lengthening life, and increasing health, but these are spurious claims at best.

Diblen's positive effects can last for up to six hours, but the negative effects last just as long.

Flash

Flash, the spice of Tarbelek, is by far the most valuable spice known in the Par'tha Expanse. Flash is ordinarily black, until exposed to direct light, when it "ripens," turning a glittering gold, sparkling with its chemical conversion. A side effect of this radiation-induced process, if consumed while the spice is discharging, is the effect of a very transient form of telepathy, allowing the user to probe another mind in a cursory manner. Flash has no particularly euphoric effect, although the user can concentrate on absorbing sensations or emotions of the mind being scanned. Tarbelek, the only known source of Flash, is owned by the Valcarian Imperial Republic and mined by condemned criminals, slaves of the Empire.

Nearly all mined Flash is Imperial property, and the vast majority of it is routed to Imperial security agencies and select high-level Imperial officials. A small portion of the rest is auctioned off to select Imperial client states and corporations, who use the spice for the same reasons as the Empire ���?? internal security and espionage, and quiet high-level thrills. At each level, a very small percentage is skimmed from shipments and sold on the black market for incredibly high prices. Even on Tarbelek, a shadow industry of illegal mining skims spice for the black market. A dose of Flash goes for a minimum of 6000 credits.

Draklor

Draklor is a spice mined on the Derlin homeworld, Vensen. Draklor production is perfectly legal on Vensen, and the substance is a highly-useful pharmaceutical ingredient, especially in pain relief. Draklor is also used illegally to produce several intoxicants, including hallucinogens of various kinds and intensities. Draklor spice has little effect on beings other than euphoria and interesting, sometimes disturbing, hallucinations.

Bolabush

The spice called bolabush has the property of causing sleepiness. It also acts as truth serum to some species, and is used as such by interrogators who know of it. Imperials frequently serve the spice in liquid refreshments or baked into sweets.

Imperial Code Violations

There are a number of Imperial code restrictions on transport, sale, and possession of spice:

• Possession, trafficking, and/or transport of illegal spice (diblen or Flash, for example) is a class two violation, punishable by 5-30 years imprisonment, impounding of vessel and other involved properties, fine of up to 10,000 credits, and/or loss of pilot's and business certification.
• Possession, trafficking, and/or transport of restricted spice (for example, high-grade lian or narcotic draklor) is a class three violation, with punishment of impounding of involved property, fine between 250-5000 credits, imprisonment up to 2 years, and possible loss of certification.
• Purchase or transportation of spice without a permit, or without proper receipt of fees, is a class four violation, with punishment of a fine up to 5000 credits (usually on the low end), and imprisonment up to one month.
• Violation of local import and export regulations (spice is regulated in almost every system) is a class five infraction, punishment usually being a fine between 100 and 5000 credits.
• Local system laws may also apply, and these punishments may also include local system imprisonment and fines, perhaps more severe than Imperial punishment â�?��?? some spice smugglers have paid minor fines to Imperial courts, then been arrested, tried, and executed by a more severe local magistrate.