Scras - I have had the hydrogen v/s helium discussion once before, when I did a write-up at orionsarm.com many moons ago. The helium thingie is actually taken from real life - there´s some little floating kelp or something that can scavenge helium from the atmosphere. Even so, hydrogen might be better from a narrative point of view - it can explode, and that might be a fun thing to do.... Oh, and the real origins of the Broan will be revealed in time - whenever I get off my arse to write that book.... :-)
Captain - Mieville is one of my greatest inspirations, and I love the feel of weirdness in his books. I´ve tried to incorporate as much of that flavour as possible without plagiarizing or becoming too bizarre. Mieville´s setting (while absolutely brilliant) is just a bit too much out there to provide a good foundation for things like believable politics and human motivations. I wanted the Broan to look monstrous, nightmarish, but function under the same basic rules as any intelligent being - looking for safety, forming a base of food and production and so on... Go to Comment
Okay, this is splendid! It really is, and highly usable as well! Even though it's a Locastus submission a GM will only have to do some minor adjustments to make this work. Torodak was a highly enjoyable write-up, as was the vivid descriptions of the tavern and the area.
I'll give you this compliment: I can read your work all day and never grow bored. And yes, as val said, everyone loves a well-detailed dive. You evoke just the right "feel" with every sub. I can smell and taste this place.
The Vulgar Unicorn meets Steven Erikson. Kudos. Go to Comment
I think you got the feel you were looking for, the only thing missing being a vast amount of distance between production and consumption, so that the drug users have no real concept of what it takes for them to get their hit of honey.
I linked this to Tobbacos, Ingridients and mind altering herbs. Fantasy often does a poor job in making "new" drugs. There is nothing special- "So, the powder is red instead of white, big deal!"
But this has it; background, a thourough write-up, an eye for details and so on. Nothing stands out as being GREAT, but all in all I see this as a very solid drug submission.
Lethal doses of the refined product is less than a teaspoon? Is it not possible then, that enough stings from the ochre honey bees can be lethal as well? Just asking;) Go to Comment
This is one of the best fantasy drugs, or heroin stand-ins, as I've seen in a while. You get the Victorian opium den as you mention, sure, but you definitely get the "something different" too! I echo val in mentioning the awesomeness of the many possible grotesque origins angle.
(and LOL! to Honey Smack and Red Honey-nut Cheerios) Go to Comment
I like how it can have a reather grotesque origin - the bees having been fed humans, and then humans consuming the 'honey' so created. Perhaps if a hive used this food source exclusively you create the Black Honey, tainted with dark magics. Go to Comment
Lifeforms (Intelligent Species) (Swamp)