Algerian-Green is a form of cannabis resin, now shipped in from Algeria. Blocks of cannabis resin are often sealed with colored seal, which identifies their quality. Usual colors are red and gold. These blocks of resin are sealed with a green seal.
The substance itself appears much like ordinary cannabis resin, brown, slightly gooey, and with the same odor and taste. It is only noticeably different under scientific examination, or when used.
Chemical & Physical Construction
Any competent chemist or pharmacist examining a sample of the drug in a laboratory will immediately notice its high THC content, and conclude that it is a form of the drug cannabis.
A particularly astute chemist, or biologist may notice that the DNA appears slightly damaged, and does not match that of any known cannabis plant. There are also more complex THC-like molecules in the drug.
A physicist or radiologist might be drawn to the mild radioactivity that is prevalent in the sample. Not enough to worry a health and safety department, but more than one would expect.
Usage
Taken like cannabis, the substance is burned, or 'cooked', mixed with tobacco and rolled in to a cigarette or "joint" and smoked, or mixed in with food and cooked and eaten.
The drug is not physically addictive, although psychologically it is mildly addictive.
If one were looking for a stronger dosage, an ingenious chemist might be able to distil the essence into an oily liquid that could be injected intravenously, but the chemist would have to know to look for the more complex THC like molecules. This form of the drug might remove some of the period required before interacting with the entities from between the worlds. It would take between thirty seconds and a minute to become active in the system, once injected. There would be no chance to resist the effects of this drug.
Effects
The first effects a user of this drug will notice is that it appears to be a fairly strong form of cannabis. The first ingredient to act on the user is the THC that is the active ingredient of any form of cannabis used as a drug.
Initially the user will feel mildly intoxicated, but this will progress to quite a strong intoxication. An exaggerated sense of humor, an unnatural hunger, and mild auditory and visual hallucinations are not uncommon.
On the first use the user will experience no effects other than those already described. But over time and usage, the further effects of the drug are felt.
The real difference between this drug and strong cannabis are that this drug loosens the barriers between the worlds, so that those things that live between the worlds can be seen, and they can see the user.
The more the drug is taken the more the hallucinations are made out. Initially these are things seen through the corners of the users eyes. Shadows that are barely noticed, briefly catching the users attention. After a couple of uses, these become clearer and more prominent. Strange, quite scary looking, shadow-shapes flowing through the air, and through other solid objects. Of course the first few times these are made out, they make the user a little nervous, but don't detract from their sanity. At the same time the world gets less real to the user when they are under the influence of the drug.
At some point, after maybe half a dozen uses the shadow shapes notice the user, and react towards him or her. Perhaps they avoid going through the user, and swim around them, while ignoring the others in the room. Perhaps they start to gather around the user, as though they are looking at him.
This should cause a small sanity roll (1/1D3). This mild interaction should be frightening to the users, but should only happen once or twice.
The next time a user takes the drug, the hallucinations will attack the user. See the description of the Entities from Between the Worlds for a description of their attack.
Origin
In the past, producers of grass, or herbal cannabis, often left seeds in their product, which users could take and grow into their own personal supply of the drug.
With the easy access of microwave ovens, producers and distributors greedy and worried about this drain on their market started to microwave the product before shipping it, to make kill the seeds, and thus eliminate the problem.
Sometimes this exposure to microwave radiation did not kill all the seeds, and simply mutated the DNA of the plants grown with them into something slightly different. Something that in this case became very dangerous.
Distribution
The initial producers and distributors may not yet be aware of the full danger of the drug, but it is imported from Africa in much the same way as other forms of cannabis.
On the streets in the UK, it is now being distributed to unwary users.
Those who have taken enough of this drug to realize it causes unpleasant hallucinations may have stopped taking it, but if their social circles include other users, they may well take it again without realizing, thus accidentally unleashing the danger.
The Things Between The Worlds
They exist everywhere and no-where. Things between the world, floating through the ether, and through what we would think of as the real world.
Normally we are unaware of them, and they of us. That is how it should be.
Once a user becomes apparent to the entities that live between the worlds, it is only a matter of time before they are attacked with a rage that is inexplicable. An initial curiosity from these beings is rapidly replaced by an anger born of repulsion; we are clearly repugnant to them, in the same way that perhaps maggots are repulsive to a child.
A single wisp of the things, while appearing intangible shadow, can slice through skin like a razor.
There is nothing that can be done to fight these fiends when we are between the worlds, on the drug. To touch them is to be caught by one of their wisps.
Statistics are as follows:
SIZ: D20 INT: 3D6 POW: 3D6 DEX: 2D6 Mov: 8 HP: N/A APP: 1D6
Wisp attack: 2xper round, 40% each, 1D6 cut damage
Armour: Can not be attacked by physical means.
San: 1D3/1D6
It costs the same sanity cost to witness an attack.
Plot Hooks
'Inexplicable Murders' is based on this drug being distributed in the UK with no expectation of deliberate foul play. "Bloody Assassinations" assumes direct conspiratorial government sponsorship.
These can easily be relocated, and modified to suit your own on going plot needs.
Inexplicable Murders
A spate of unconnected inexplicable murders have recently been discovered in the South East of England. No motive has been uncovered.
As far as the authorities are aware the only common factors are the use of cannabis, and the fact that others present at the events swear all kinds of nonsense about slashes just appearing in the victims body like something out of 'Nightmare on Elm Street'.
Chemical analysis of residue of the drug will identify the unusual nature, and a comparison of the toxicology reports from the victims might identify the commonality of the drug in the bloodstreams of the victims.
Word on the street is that the new Skunk is a resin called Algerian Green. Rumors suggest it might be over-hyped, or at least some people may have had a bad time on it.
The supply route for Algerian Green is just opening up, coming in off of Harwich and Felixstowe on small boats at night, and being distributed through the normal channels.
It is up to the investigators to determine what is happening, track down the distribution network and hopefully track the drug down to its producers. Its producers may or may not be aware of the full effects of the drug; there may be an Algerian local murder investigation occurring at the same time as the one in the UK.
Ideally the climax should have the fields of plants destroyed, before havoc spreads throughout the UK, and the world.
This might be a good introduction into the weirdness of the mythos, while including a lot of heavies.
Bloody Assassins
A contact informs the investigators that a Delta green friendly died in unusual circumstances, while under guard in hospital. The guard could only say that the victim appeared to be being attacked by an invisible assailant. The bloody murder has not been solved, and has the authorities baffled.
There is another friendly that has been compromised, and is hospitalized and that delta green suspect may be known to one of their enemies. Staking out a suspected victim to be, the investigators will see that a doctor visits them, gives them their injection, and goes. Within a minute, cuts and slashes are appearing on the victim, blood everywhere, as the poor soul screams and dies.
Investigations indicate that the doctor was not due to visit yet.
An autopsy shows the presence of the unusual drug. Going back to the previous crime, the guard will admit that the patient was visited by a doctor and given an injection just a minute before all hell broke loose.
An autopsy of that victim shows the connection with the residue of the drug.
Within a few days another potential victim is identified. This time the team can try to intervene and learn something from the fake doctor.
In this plot line, the Algerian drug is sponsored by the corrupt US government agency of the keepers choice, probably indirectly through the CIA. The drug is exclusively imported to the US in small quantities to be processed into the concentrated intravenous version, by a team of chemists and is then used for assassination purposes.
Basically, whichever agency is considered to be the evil one that Delta Green is fighting, can be used as the enemy.
Eventually the lab can be traced, the equipment to distil this version of the drug destroyed, and records can be read that indicates where the original drug is grown, and delta green can try to destroy the crop.
It's all up to the investigators.
Contributed by Brian Boyington to the DGML.