Stimulodiscus pericensis

Overview

Lore & Field Report: Stimulodiscus pericensis

ORGANISATION FOR EXTRA-SOLAR BOTANY & RESOURCE EXPLOITATION
SURVEY LOG: EXOBOT-PERIC-409
SUBJECT: Stimulodiscus pericensis (Local Designation: "Rage-Root", "Red-Brake", "Black Ice")
LOCATION: Sub-surface Craters, Moon 3-B, Peric IV System

1. Taxonomy & Morphological Profile

Domain:  Exobiota
Kingdom: Chlorostroma (Infrared Synthesizers)
Phylum:  Litho-phytocladia
Class:   Siphonocladales
Order:   Stimulales
Family:  Pericanaceae
Genus:   Stimulodiscus
Species: S. pericensis

• Physical Structure: Lacking conventional roots, S. pericensis uses a subterranean anchor-plate that fuses directly into basaltic regolith, extracting trace heavy metals and nitrogen salts. Its primary canopy consists of tight, low-profile radial discs (15–30 cm in diameter) lined with hollow silica micro-spines.
• Pigmentation: Deep magenta-black. The tissue is densely packed with specialized rhodopsin-type pigments engineered to absorb the extremely faint infrared and near-visible spectrum emitted by the failed brown dwarf star, Peric IV.
• Chemosynthesis: The plant synthesizes Pericamine-A ($C_{11}H_{17}NO_2$), a heavily methylated alkaloid structurally reminiscent of d-amphetamine, bound inside protective micro-vesicles along the leaf margins.

2. Harvesting & Processing Methods

Harvesting S. pericensis is notoriously hazardous due to both the harsh lunar environment and the physical defenses of the plant itself.

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                            HARVEST & REFINEMENT PIPELINE                          |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 1. FIELD HARVEST       | Manual extraction via diamond-tipped shears.             |
|                        | Silica micro-spines require pressurized heavy gloves.    |
+------------------------+----------------------------------------------------------+
| 2. RAW MASTICATION     | Leaves chewed raw. Oral mucosa absorbs Pericamine-A.     |
| (Local "Moon-Chew")    | Onset: 2-5 min. Duration: 6-8 hrs.                       |
+------------------------+----------------------------------------------------------+
| 3. DISTILLATION        | Leaves crushed in high-proof ethanol/methanol solution.   |
| (Concentrate-9 / Fire) | Distilled under low pressure at 68°C to yield crystalline |
|                        | Pericamine-B (5x potency).                                |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

1. Sub-Surface Foraging: Harvesters (“Moon-scrappers”) navigate shadowed impact craters where geothermal venting keeps temperatures above freezing (-40°C).
2. Handling Defenses: When disturbed, the leaves contract sharply, spraying brittle silica spines that fragment upon contact with suit seals or bare skin. Harvesters use heated, magnetic clamps to detach the anchor-plate without rupturing the alkaloid glands.
3. Refining “Perican Fire”: Raw foliage is coarsely chopped and macerated in volatile industrial solvents extracted from refinery waste. Once boiled down, the remaining resin crystallizes into amber-hued flakes that can be vaped, dissolved into rations, or injected directly into suit life-support manifolds.

3. Societal Impact on Peric IV

The “Red-Brake” Outbreaks

Within months, the cumulative neurotoxic effects caught up with the workforce. Chronic buildup of the neurotoxic secondary metabolite iso-pericamine caused widespread psychosis across entire mining barracks:

• Sub-Level Riots: Hallucinating workers, believing the shadow-patterns from Peric IV’s dim light were hostile organisms, damaged environmental seals and breached airlocks.
• Rage-Lock Epidemics: In close-quarters mining rigs, sudden violent sprees carried out by hyper-focused, analgesia-proof workers (“Red-Brakers”) led to the total loss of three orbital platform habitats.

Current Legal & Black Market Status

S. pericensis is strictly classified as a Class-I Controlled Biohazard by the System Security Directorate. Off world possession of raw foliage carries immediate contract termination and exile to orbital penal barges. However, black-market syndicates continue to process distillate resin (“Concentrate-9”) for export to long-haul freighter pilots, mercenary units, and planetary pit-fighters who prioritize raw combat performance over long-term sanity.

What the PCs Know

Low, blackish-gray leaves with tiny spines, growing in scattered patches along the ground across the plains of Peric IV D. On the street it is black ice. Held close and sniffed, a raw leaf gives a brief burst of euphoria and energy. It is the raw form of a potent neurotoxic stimulant, and long-term use ends in a complete break with reality. It is a class one controlled biohazard. Aliya Pontecorvo rates the raw leaves as barely worth the trouble locally.

The crew found small pouches of the leaves on the dead raiders of The Rocky Pass Ambush, along with nearly empty vials and injectors. Rock Lavey kept the consolidated pouch. They later saw crates of the leaves among the supplies on Santo Jin’s Station.

Related

• People: Rock Lavey — carries a pouch of the leaves
• Places: Peric IV D — where it grows · Santo Jin’s Station — crates of it seen there
• Groups: The Black Ice Syndicate — moves and processes it

Encounters

• Session 11 - The Cost of a Clone’s Life — Found on the dead raiders. Ronin Sanchez named it and Rock Lavey identified the plant and pocketed the pouch. Seen growing wild on the plains, and in crates on Santo Jin’s Station. Aliya Pontecorvo declined to buy the leaves.
• Session 12 - That Would Be a Mistake — The cargo the crew ran into the Katha System and delivered at Chae-gul 147, unfound by the search at Furosuto Supaia Spaceport.