Mordred
Character
Murakami Ink
Black Orchid Blood
- Intent: Sith alchemized tattoo ink to be used in various submissions, including NPCs and other technology threads
- Image Source: Hisae Watanabe
- Primary Source: Murakami orchid
- Name: Murakami Ink (Black Orchid Blood)
- Manufacturer: Darth Mordred
- Affiliation: Darth Mordred
- Production: Limited
- Modularity: Yes (Color only)
- Legal Status: Sith Alchemy product, Black-listed from Most Governments
- Ingredients: Murakami Orchid, Bota, A droplet of blood of Darth Mordred, Distilled Essence of Dart Flower, Blood of Sithspawn (Depending on Force ability inscribed)
- Classification: Sith Alchemy Ingredient, Sith Alchemy Drug
- Method of Consumption:
Must be tattooed on organic body - Can be orally consumed
- Can be injected intravenously into the blood and then, the ink can be manipulated with the Force with enough deftness and skill to be tattooed on internal organs and structures
[*]Average Life:
- Tattoos are indefinite as long as they contain Force power. After the tattoos lose their Force power, the tattoos become normal tattoos, fading over time.
- Orally consuming Murakami Ink invigorates the user with Force power corresponding to the materials used (if blood from a stronger, more powerful sithspawn is used, the content of Force power is greater). The lifetime of Murakami Ink within the organic body varies due to metabolic rate, Force power content, and usage of Force power, but it dissipates naturally after seven to thirty days or after the Force power within the Murakami Ink is used up.
- Intravenously injecting Murakami Ink has a shorter lifetime, and naturally dissipates after three to fifteen days.
[*]Nutritional Value/Allergies/Side Effects/ Purpose:
- Tattoos:
Inscribe the method of casting a force ability into the recipient's skin, allowing them to cast that force ability until the Force power within the ink is used up (varies due to the strength of the sithspawn blood used and the strength and power necessary for the ability). From Darth Mordred's experiments of testing every known Force ability, tattoos can be used from one to five times before the Force power within the tattoo needs to be replenished. In order to replenish the Force power within a tattoo, it essentially needs to be reapplied again (a brutally agonizing process) with a diluted amount of Murakami Ink (more sithspawn blood and only a small amount of Murakami Ink) or the recipient must use his own Force power and feed it to the tattoo (a less agonizing, yet very unpleasant process).
- Oral Consumption:
An interesting experiment for Darth Mordred indeed. Non-force sensitive individuals who consume Murakami Ink are mutated by the sithspawn blood--if they can endure the brutally painful process without dying--to increasing degrees based on the amount consumed and the sithspawn blood used in the Murakami Ink consumed. Most weak non-force sensitive individuals will just die. For dark-side force sensitive individuals, consuming Murakami Ink can range from a mild boost in Force power (Sith Lords), a small boost (Sith Knights), and a moderate boost (Sith Apprentices). The unbound savagery and rawness of dark-side Force energies within the Murakami Ink are difficult to control, and if one is too weak-willed, they will fall into growing madness. For light-side force sensitive individuals, consuming Murakami Ink is akin to consuming poison. The weak ones will just die or be corrupted into Sithspawn, while the stronger ones will have their Force abilities dampened and face the ravaging effects of dark-side Force energies within their bodies. An interesting torture tool for sure. Overall, the small boost in the amount of Force power is heavily outweighed by the potential deleterious mutations, insanity, or death depending on the individual. Sith Lords will find consuming Murakami Ink a very pleasurable activity that edges them a little bit closer to the Dark side than they usually would be, however, and it serves more as a recreational drink rather than an actual combat stimulant. Think tequila for Sith Lords (so...combat effectiveness, questionable?)
- Intravenous Injection:
The effects are a lot more drastic when Murakami Ink is injected as the effects are much faster as the ink will circulate rapidly through the body. And so, the mortality rate sky-rockets for non-force sensitive individuals and light-side force users, with increasing amounts of more radical and faster mutations. Even Sith Lords are wary of injecting Murakami Ink within their bodies, although some have found it to be an exhilarating drug of choice. Darth Mordred himself even questions the sanity of these individuals. They must be very masochistic, Darth Mordred mused on the sidelines of his journal.
- Source of Force Power
- Can be tattooed on an organic body in the form of a sith rune representing a force ability, allowing the organic recipient to cast the force ability almost instantly.
- Can be consumed orally or injected by Sith Lords recreationally due to their greater control of the dark side, allowing them to safely manipulate the chaotic energies within Murakami Ink. Those that are not Sith Lords or if consumed in great enough quantities by a Sith Lord will face potential deleterious mutations, bouts of temporary to permanent insanity, and instant death (via implosion, explosion, vaporization, or poisoning).
- Potential mutagen when orally consumed or injected. Experiments indicate low rates of positive mutations which could potentially be enhanced. However, it is not the sith alchemy product's intended purpose.
- Potential combat stimulant for dark-side force individuals. The potentially lethal side-effects make it a last-ditch resort, and its extremely restricted availability make it an expensive and limited ingredient and product that could be best use otherwise.
+ Bestowal of Power
It can grant force abilities to even non-force sensitive individuals (although the success rate will be abysmal). As the tattoo is independently powered, it does not require the recipient of the tattoo to be connected to the Force as well.
+ Quick Cast
The tattoos can be casted almost instantly with just a mere thought as they are independently powered: it does not require the recipient to meditate, concentrate or gather the force energy required for using the force ability.
- Pure Agony
The process of being tattooed with Murakami Ink is akin to pure agony, as it carves the rune for a force ability not only into the body of the recipient, but the manifestation of their Force presence and soul. Those with weak wills will sometimes just die from the process.
- Limited Use
Each tattoo is limited in the number of times the force ability can be casted. Powerful sith magics and abilities such as wide-spread Battle Meditation are near impossible to tattoo (although Darth Mordred has not personally tried, even he isn't insane enough to risk it). Each time a tattoo's power reserves are used up, it must be painfully reapplied or re-powered by the recipient.
- Risk of Insanity, Mutation, and Instant Death
Although the tattoos are mostly stable, consuming or having the Ink circulate within the body can cause insanity, deleterious mutations, and at worst, death. In addition, if the tattoo is physically damaged or removed, the force energies stored within the tattoo will violently explode outward, harming the recipient and any who were foolishly near. Depending on the force power left within the tattoo, if the tattoo is empty or near empty, the explosion will manifest itself as a wave of hatred or darkness. Otherwise, expect a violent explosion at best or complete and total destruction at worst.
- Mildly Unstable
Murakami Ink is mildly unstable, and excess exposure to air or the environment will cause the quality to degrade until it becomes inert. Not much is known why, although Darth Mordred suspects that forcibly binding force power to the Ink causes its force power to slowly escape.
- Necessary Containment
Murakami Ink, due to its inherent chaotic and dark-side nature, will contaminate anything it touches. If exposed to organic beings, the Murakami Ink will cause an eventual extinction-level threat of uncontrolled Sithspawn. Thus, proper containment is needed if the owner wants to prevent mutations or averse affects to the environment.
- Soul Tether
Murakami Ink forcibly binds the force energies within itself to its recipient: thus, Force Void and Force Dead beings are unable to use it. While they can be tattooed with the ink, facing the same agonizing process, the force energies will simply dissipate over time (an interesting torture technique, as Force Void and Force Dead individuals feel an extra sense of dread and pain by temporarily being granted a wisp, a sliver, and an iota of the Force's presence before it being painfully ripped from their beings over time).
Murakami Ink was created by Darth Mordred as a way of expediting the exertion of his force abilities in combat. Ultimately, his own experiments and those of Darth Ramage created a versatile sith alchemy ingredient that's main purpose was to inscribe force abilities onto the skin of its recipient. This sith alchemy ingredient was further named Black Orchid Blood, due to its inherent dark-sided nature. The process of tattooing was described as complete agony and varied in time length--from a few minutes to days--depending on the complexity and strength of the force ability being inscribed. This included non-force sensitive individuals, granting them the ability to wield a specific force ability, as Murakami Ink itself served as the reservoir of force power that was drawn upon. Thus, the size and complexity of the tattoo was determined by the complexity and strength of the force ability inscribed.
Murakami Ink has a dark, black appearance although its color can be easily modulated. Although it does not require a specific vessel, Darth Mordred stores them in alchemized silver vials that are vacuum-sealed and specially preserve and contain Murakami Ink into a stable form. Exposing Murakami Ink to the environment could lead to an eventual extinction-level threat of uncontrolled Sithspawn.
The tattoos themselves needed to be frequently reapplied as the Force energies and power within them were enough to sustain one to at most five uses. Alternatively, if the recipient was force sensitive, they could resupply the Force power to the tattoos. The tattoos, thus, had to be powered and prepared in advance of any usage, thus serving as a serious limitation to their uses. Plus, each tattoo--at least for the first time--needed to be personally inscribed by Darth Mordred, while the reapplications were simple processes that could be handed off to Sith Knights and even Sith Apprentices. A loop-hole of this, however, was if the force ability itself steals force power, and thus, could self-power itself if the force ability was force drain or more complexly and personally used by Darth Mordred, summoning shadow demons that force drain the force power from other individuals. Interestingly, drain knowledge will also replenish itself although even the creator could not decipher why.
One flaw of the tattoo was that if the tattoo was physically removed or damaged, then the tattoo would be rendered useless as the sith rune that forcibly binds and tethers the force power to the recipient's body would be broken, resulting in the stored force power immediately escaping outward. This would cause a huge dark-side-fueled explosion, damaging the recipient of the tattoo and anything in its surroundings, based on how much power was stored in the tattoo. If the tattoo was already empty or held a very minor power, than the explosion would be reduced to a burst of hatred or a wave of darkness. The effects vary, depending on the force ability inscribed in the tattoo. On the other hand, the tattoos could be inscribed in such a way to amplify the effects of damaging the tattoos, creating a living bomb of force power, although the high cost—in both time, effort and resources—make it extremely expensive yet also, extremely effective.
Ironically, light side powers can also be inscribed with a few modifications to the recipe, as the base components of Murakami Ink itself are neutrally-force aligned. This requires an entirely new composition of materials: the distilled essence of dart flower would need to be replaced, and mainly, there would be a need for the blood or organic matter of a neutral or light-sided Force sensitive being such as the Vornskr.
All in all, Murakami Ink is a unique Sith Alchemy ingredient and product produced by Darth Mordred. Although the craft could be taught to others, it is one of his most closely guarded secrets and they would, at best, be able to create their own derivations of it.
