Yellow Jacket

Lore drop: The Twelve Known Tastes

Source: Compiled by The EYNIOBB CorporationHumans are capable of detecting twelve confirmed taste modalities.

Eleven of these are universal across humanity and have been documented for centuries.

One (Daloric) is exclusive to Hemera.

The Original Eleven

SweetDetects simple sugars and energy-rich carbohydrates.Associated with pleasure and reward systems in the brain.SourDetects acidic compounds like citric acid.Often signals unripe or spoiled food.SaltyDetects sodium and mineral salts.Regulates electrolyte balance in the body.BitterDetects alkaloids and many toxins.Triggers natural aversion reflexes.Umami (Savory)Detects glutamates and nucleotides (meat, broth, aged cheese).Associated with protein intake.Fat (Oleogustus)Detects free fatty acids.Waxy, rich taste, crucial for signaling calorie-dense food.StarchDetects long-chain carbohydrates directly, separate from sweet.Believed to be an ancient adaptation to calorie hunting.CalciumChalky, mineral-like flavor.Weak but distinct, linked to skeletal regulation.MetallicIron/copper-associated tang, often perceived during bleeding.Likely evolved as an injury alert response.WaterDetected by specialized receptors, especially after salty or sour stimuli.Not a flavor in the traditional sense, but a recognized taste trigger.KokumiNot a taste on its own, but an enhancer.Provides “mouthfulness” and depth; found in garlic, onions, fermented foods.

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The Twelfth — Daloric

Daloric (pronounced ) is the only known taste exclusive to Hemera.

It is not related to any of the previous eleven. It is not sweet, sour, salty, bitter, umami, fatty, starchy, metallic, kokumi, calcium-like, or watery.

Those who experience Daloric describe it as:

“like tasting shape”

“like the memory of something that never happened”

“as if the air around me snapped into place”

It is not pleasant, but it is compelling.

It lingers for hours, returning as phantom flashes at the back of the tongue.

Origins and Exclusivity

Daloric comes from a mineralized bio-crystal called mirephage, found only in deep volcanic strata on Hemera.It cannot be synthesized.Native flora seems to be the only producers of Daloric with the yellow tobo fruit of the Gusabo region being the highest concentrate of the substance yet discovered.

This has led researchers to conclude that Daloric is a purely Hemeran phenomenon.

Interaction with Bug Bars

EYNIOBB scientists attempted to infuse Daloric into Bug Bars, hoping to enhance soldier performance or prestige.

It was a disaster.

Daloric warped the Bug Bar’s psycho-flavor lattice and triggered hyperreal waking nightmares in test subjects.Subjects experienced vivid, horrifying hallucinations they could not distinguish from reality.Many attempted to injure themselves to escape the perceived visions, screaming they were “trapped inside the taste.”Even after sedation, subjects remained dissociative and emotionally flattened for days.

The combination was briefly considered for use as a psychological warfare agent, but rejected due to its unpredictability and lasting neurological trauma.

Daloric is now formally listed as chemically incompatible with Bug Bar production.

Sadness remains the only flavor Bug Bars will accept without catastrophic mental collapse.