Vireldra

As a powerful sedative and hypnosis drug, this mineral is used by priests and doctors alike. When cracked open it emits a potent cinnamon smell that will cause even the strongest person to collapse on the floor, knocked out for hours on end. Due to this property, it is highly sought after in the medical industry as an anaesthetic, while also being one of the most popular drugs on the market, commonly referred to as Vire.

History of the Mineral

Vireldra was first found by a group of miners searching for a vein of quartz. They stumbled across what looked to be lots of little crystals of quartz sticking out of the rock, however, while inspecting it closer, the miners found parts of the quartz flaking off in their hand. Puzzled by this discovery, they brushed away more of the cloudy white material, exposing a blueish purple crystal. However, they didn't have much time to discuss what this new discovery was, as a strong odour overcame them and they collapsed unconscious on the ground. The miners were found a few hours later by a search team before being rushed to a medic due to their barely noticeable heartbeat. Out of the original group of eight, only three survived, with some being pronounced dead on arrival and the others dying a short while afterwards.

After the initial discovery, vireldra veins were left untouched for years, with warnings being given out to miners about the dangers of the mineral. However, 10 years later, a group of pilgrims stumbled across an exposed vein of the stuff, accidentally disturbing it, before falling into a drug induced trance. Due to not taking in as much as the miners, they survived, waking up in the morning with memories of their hallucinations. They took it as a sign that they were chosen and revered the ore as a way of communicating with the gods. Having gathered all of it that they could find, they safely stored it in a bag full of feathers they collected before continuing to the next town. Soon, news spread of this mythical new drug that could let you speak with the gods and the priests and clergymen were eager to show their worth and commitment to the gods, creating a new legend about its origin and introducing it into their rituals and sermons. It was only many years later that the full potential of vireldra in medicine was discovered by Liora Thalwyn. A medic had been providing a free service to the poorer people in the city of Caelthas when she discovered the anaesthetic effects of the drug and realised its prospective use in the medical industry.

Characteristics

The thin outside layer is a cloudy white brittle shell around the mineral itself. This oxidation layer cracks and flakes off easily by touch, exposing the blueish purple crystal inside and releasing a potent odour of cinnamon. For this reason, the scent of cinnamon is widely regarded as indicating suspicious activity, with shops that sell cinnamon products being forced to either change their range or close down due to rumours.

Due to the fragile state of the mineral, a soft, padded container is needed to store and transport it with the minimum amount of friction possible. For this reason, most vireldra is distributed already crushed, meaning the customers have to inhale it to get the full effects. Whole crystals of vireldra are saved for special or important religious occasions, or purchased at a high price from suppliers.

Potential Symptoms

Usage

RELIGION

Vireldra's use in religious practices is highly controversial, with many people complaining about the risk of misleading young people into believing that the drug is acceptable to use recreationally. However, religion plays a large role in the politics of Ethra and despite laws being proposed that would ban the drug for non-medical use, they were always over-ruled. It is so common to see vireldra being used in rituals and ceremonies that its use has become a part of the training to become a priest or similar. New affiliates are gradually given higher doses of the drug over their years of training until most of the unpleasant side effects such as headaches and lightheartedness disappear. However, this increases their risk of experiencing more serious problems including permanent memory loss and death. For this reason, most members of the clergy have a lower life expectancy, often in par with addicts. Many also become so addicted to the substance that they are either bound stay in the church or resigned to live on the streets.

MEDICAL

The medical sector commandeers most of the supply of the drug, with larger quantities being needed to fully sedate people for operations. For smaller procedures, a mask may be placed on the patient's mouth and nose that is attached to a bag full of small crystals of vireldra, this is then crushed to release the odour without affecting any of the medics. To sedate the patients for an extended length of time, the drug is inhaled as small crystals, however, this also increases the risk of death during the operation. Throughout the time span when the patient is affected by the drug, a specialised medic must be present to observe and monitor the patient for any sign of their heart rate dropping below what is safe.

ILLEGAL USE

While there are ways to purchase this drug legally, it is a very profitable business on the black market. Like many other drugs, it's highly addictive and produces sought after effects, the main one being hallucinations. However, unlike the rest, this mineral carries a religious backing, those that are in desire of a god's attention may use it to try to communicate their need, giving the business owners even more advertising potential. Advertisement campaigns focused on it's use for religious rituals are fully legal, and while the selling of it to unlicensed individuals is not, these companies don't seem to be ardent about verifying the documentation of purchasers.

LAW ENFORCEMENT

Although there is no way to detect vireldra once it is inside the body, several indicators can be used by the police to check if it's been present in a crime; the main telltale sign being the smell of cinnamon. The mineral gives out this scent when crushed and it can linger in an area for many hours (provided there is not much air circulation). Another marker to look out for is some blueish purple dust, remnants of the central crystalline structure, and a clear indication of its use. Due to the wide distribution of the drug, law enforcement have found it difficult to monitor and control its use, clearing the path for criminals to use it for all kinds of criminal acts such as kidnappings (sedation) and even murder, as enough of a dose can slow the heart down to a complete stop.