The Drugs of Azeroth
By Bricu | November 8, 2011
Azeroth has a variety of alcohols, tobacco products, and it has coffee, but what about other, more illicit narcotics? In Dalaran we can see the washed up mage, a victim of Kungaloosh:
Shattrath had it’s own down-on-their-luck NPCs, and let’s not forget the Blood Elves. I’d be remiss if I didn’t include herbalism and alchemy as well. Addiction is a real thing in Azeroth, my question is what are people using?
I know there are people who will be up in arms about drugs (either for or against legalization) but that is neither here nor there. What we want to talk about is the seedier side of RP. Have you run a story where people were using narcotics? Do specific races–like the Belfs–have specific narcotics? What if the Tauren have a hallucinogen that is extremely addictive (and damaging) to gnomes? What are the policies of the factions regarding drug use?
Can Forsaken really get wasted?
Stories involving illicit substances can be personal–one character’s struggle to over come addiction–to a large scale story pitting guilds against guilds–I’m thinking of Traffic. The Riders have examples of both of these stories: Bricu’s work to overcome alcoholism and dealing with a lotus peddler. Fallout out from both stories will be examined in our regular RP event.
This kind of story is worth looking into. But there are also pitfalls. Addiction is exceedingly common, and a number of people have their own attitudes towards the personal, legal and societal implications of drug use. Be understanding when plotting these kinds of stories, otherwise, your story may never get off the ground.
Does anyone have examples of drugs in Azeroth? Anyone care to share their stories involving the illicit substance of WoW? Let us know!
2 Comments
Corise on November 9, 2011 at 2:49 am.
The Boomstick Gang has a resident dealer of potions, powders and pills. His herbal concoctions range from the benign to the illicit, and have been put to recreational use as well as to more… creative (one might say nefarious) purposes, with varying effects. At least one character has suffered severe side effects from becoming overly dependent on those potions to keep her going during an exhausting and traumatic time.
Corise, for her part, has walked the fine line between use and abuse for quite some time. On good days, she’s a heavy social drinker who occasionally smokes a blend of goldclover and deadnettle, with a bit of silversage thrown in for flavor; it produces a mild, relaxing high, and she laughs off suggestions that it’s bad for her health by pointing out that, well, so is adventuring. On bad days… well, that’s another story entirely. I originally intended to have her lose control of her drug use following the birth of her second child (she went cold turkey during the pregnancies), but she actually managed to keep her act more-or-less together, due in large part to her friends giving her some much-needed support (and scrutiny).
Still, I’m interested in someday exploring more of the consequences of Corise’s substance use/abuse, especially in the context of a world that seems to routinely rely on mind- and body-altering substances. Many potions produced by alchemy have (or used to have) negative side effects to go with the positive effects (Fel Mana Potions, for example), and then there’s the “potion sickness” debuff/potion cooldown. At what point does “normal” use of potions and elixirs cross over into dangerous territory? Are some herbs and combinations thereof more addictive or harmful than others?
Some potions seem perfect for addiction stories. Dreamless Sleep and its various permutations are up there, especially the Nightmare ones. The previously mentioned Fel Mana and its Fel Strength counterpart offer performance… at a cost. Thistle Tea’s energy boost could be caffeine-like in regular doses, but in concentrated form, swiftthistle essence might be more like speed. And Purification Potions might be abused by those with other addictions, to negate the “poisonous” effects of other drugs or alcohol (Corise has done this before).
Bricu on November 9, 2011 at 3:29 pm.
Of all the guilds we have contact with,I figured the Boomsticks would have the biggest connection to addiction. I really need to find a way to make it to a pub crawl.
As for when does “normal” or “recreational” use cross-over into abuse, I would go by the question of functionality. In short, can a person go to work, school, or raise their family AND do it well, or are they using just to maintain substandard care. I know Genise crossed from use-to-abuse in TBC, and since then she’s gone cold turkey.
Interestingly, Genise was using enchanter’s dust and getting high off of arcane energy itself. It made for a fantastic story line.