Tales of the Dispute

Passion Fields

An unusual type of vegetation common to the Dispute. It appears as a field of low, vibrant bushes festooned with large green flower buds.

When something passes through a Passion Field, the buds can randomly bloom into a large flower. The blooms are of various colors, each releasing a scent or pollen that can have various effects:

Violet – Causing paralysis Red – A rage-inducing toxin Orange – A disfiguring spray of acid Yellow – Causes violent nausea Black – A deadly neurotoxin

It is assumed by scholars of the Dispute that the passion fields were designed as a defense against infantry.

The Passionate Fools

The blooms of the deadly Passion Fields are valuable resources for the alchemists of the Empire. They're willing to pay for samples of the blooms, or the toxins they produce.

The desperate few who attempt to meet this need are referred as Passionate Fools, for their exceptionally high mortality rate. Most Fools make no more than three trips to collect the blooms before they die or retire.

The very highest price offered is for a complete living Passion Field plant. No one has ever returned from the Dispute with this prize.

Oneirogenic Dust

A coarse violet powder, with silver flecks. When brewed into tea and consumed, it provides vivid dreams. If snorted, it provokes violent, terrifying nightmares that have prophetic value.

An alchemist can create a tincture of Oneirogenic Dust, that if injected directly into the brain, can allow the subject's mind to enter an artificial dream-plane. There, supposedly, a dreamer can explore and discover various arcane secrets and philosophical truths. There are considerable dangers for dream voyagers, and some never wake from their explorations.

Believed to be a product of the Supremacy of Sleep, the use or possession of the dust is a crime within the Empire Immemorial.

The dust is only available in ancient caches found within the Dispute. The process for creating the Oneirogenic Dust has been lost for centuries.