Ursa Major Blood

We live in a world where we have to warn people to be careful about drinking Ursa Major blood. We cannot just tell them not to drink it, because they would do it out of spite. Instead, all we can do is warn them to be careful, as to not risk drinking blood infected with Black Lung. And on that subject, we also have to recommend to drink responsibly, no matter how fed up you are with people after reading the past few sentences.   So why do they drink it? Well, that actually has been researched. And while some claim they do it in the hope they gain powers from the so-called 'murder bears', analysis of their body language suggests little truth to said claims. Instead, the more truthful reasons appear a rite of passage for some groups, or purely a symbolic way of rebelling against the threat they faced. With some Defenders and Homesteader groups, participants in taking down a sleuth of Ursa Majors will drink blood to celebrate their victory.   Now, as said, this is a bad idea in case of an Ursa Major stampede. After all, a stampede is normally triggered due to a berserk rage caused by a Black Lung infection. Fortunately for us and them, people already are not as interested in such an act after a stampede. Facing a group in a hunt differs greatly from being at the receiving end of a stampede, the latter of which is a sobering and traumatising event. That said, there have actually been infections and deaths due to consuming infected blood, though it is hard to prove such a fact.  

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  Many explorations are tasked with taking down Ursa Major sleuths on their way out or in. This isn't purely done for the benefit of Homesteaders, nor for the analysis of said creatures. Truth is, the blood has proven to enhance the Superserum. While drinking it raw does not appear to have effects, with the right treatments, its inclusion as ingredient adds a significant boost to physical strength and endurance as well as bone density, exactly the attributes the creatures are known for. So yes, in some way there is truth to the idea of drinking the blood of your enemies.