Distal Petrichor
The Distal Tesseract is an alien environment where the biology is based on the opposite enantiomers of amino acids found in more well-known, terrestrial live found elsewhere under the Manifold Sky. One result of these unusual biological processes is that seemingly normal events, like the smell of petrichor arising after a rainstorm, may have unexpected sensory elements to them. While most residents of the Manifold may never visit a Distal-adjacent cube, the circumvective cycles ensure that the reach of these phenomena extend well beyond the bounds of the tesseract itself.
Properties
Material Characteristics
In Distal petrichor, the enantiomer of geosmin more commonly found is the mirror image of the one more commonly found in Medial-associated regions, reducing it's relative potency and allowing other chemical constituents to make themselves manifest.
Physical & Chemical Properties
Humans are somewhat more prone to allergic reactions to Distal petrichor components because they lack the immune conditioning of verdials (who live in a cube adjacent to the Distal Tesseract) or specialized olfactory tracts of Rostrans. Though they would typically find the smell of petrichor appetizing, being descendant of vegetarian ruminants, ovinex often express disgust at the smell of Distal petrichor, calling it 'chemical' and 'artificial' in nature.
Origin & Source
In general, petrichor within the Manifold is somewhat different from that found beyond it because rain passes through the ubiquitous clouds of dustwisps before reaching the soil itself. Nevertheless, the primary source of the petrichor smell is the same: chemical compounds released when cyanobacteria and other microbes are wetted, often (but not always) as a result of rain.
Distribution
Trade & Market
Distal petrichor is not overly prized for its scent, as most sentients aren't acclimated to it and aren't capable of digesting products grown in the soil that produces it, but Distal petrichor distillates still find use as training materials for Navigator's Guild personnel. Along with tools like the Manifold Reckoner, environmental sensory cues like the unique scent of a region's petrichor can help a Navigator determine his or her own location within the Manifold. For this reason, Navigators in training are exposed to common scents from throughout the Manifold, including Distal petrichor, and tested on their ability to identify them.
Type
Organic
Odor
D-amino acid compounds, geosmin, others
Common State
Gas or vapor
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