Covenant Peach Preserves¶
The Covenant Peach Preserves are the fermented peach jam and the hallucinogenic, fungus-laced peach drink produced by the Covenant, the religious community living in the ghost town of Auraria, Georgia.
| Type | Item (food, drug) |
| Aliases | Auraria peach preserves; peach liquid; Covenant peach drink; hallucinogenic peach |
| Maker | The Covenant |
| Sold at | The Smith Hotel (continental breakfast and gift shop); a stand in Auraria |
| First appearance | Appalachia 01 |
Description¶
The Covenant makes two peach products. The first is an ordinary jam: ripe, slightly fermented peaches with a rich, malty flavor, good on toast. The second is a different, hallucinogenic variety, a dark liquid with whole peaches floating in it, which the team hears about as "the peach drink" and "their peach wine". (Appalachia 01, Appalachia 04) Peaches are a signature of the Covenant, and the sign at Auraria reads "Welcome to the Covenant. Try our peaches." (Appalachia 02)
Properties¶
- The peach drink is a ritual beverage that gives visions. Primenthol Greengrass, a former Covenant member, warns the team that "if they offer you a vision quest, don't take it," and says the peaches are not the only ingredient: they are hallucinogenic "if you grow the right funguses." (Appalachia 02)
- The drink is made with natural yeast, which carries a risk of methanol contamination. Frotter Comstock, met near Auraria, explains that he had been helping the community with a "methanol problem with their ritual beverage". (Appalachia 02)
History¶
The hotel breakfast¶
The clerk at the Smith Hotel lists peach jam among the breakfast offerings. He says the "religious folks" of Auraria make excellent peach preserves, served with the continental breakfast and sold by the jar in the gift shop. The team finds the preserves very good, with a rich, fermented flavor. (Appalachia 01)
Willow's peaches¶
The only physical evidence in the disappearance of Willow Greengrass is a sack of peaches found in the woods, which Sheriff Carter Burke keeps in the evidence locker; see Bag of Peaches. The cold open shows a young woman hauling a sack of peaches through the forest before something drags her off. (Appalachia 01) In Appalachia 02 the team learns of the hallucinogenic drink from Prim. Whether it has anything to do with Willow's disappearance is never pursued.
The baptism and the preserve stand¶
The cold open of Appalachia 04 shows a vacuum-cleaner salesman, later identified as Jeremy, being handed a jar of dark liquid with peaches floating in it by an older man with high cheekbones at a red-clay river baptism. After he drinks it, the sound muffles and the camera grows unsteady. The Covenant later offers to get the team into a baptism "this evening". The team does not attend. (Appalachia 04)
In Auraria the team sees many stills, people frantically canning in hot tents, and a stand selling preserves and quilts. The elders explain that the orchard deal and the preserve sales are meant to fund a lawyer against the land dispute. Willow had been sent by Elijah Ray to scout peach orchards. The baptism rite combines the peach liquid, Latin chanting and immersion in red clay; see Covenant Beliefs. (Appalachia 04)
Back at the sheriff's office, the players note that the hallucinogenic product has only been mentioned in passing, by Willow's sister. Andre confirms there are two preserves: the ordinary jam the team has eaten, and "another thing". (Appalachia 04)
Trivia¶
- During the visit to Auraria, a player muses that the huge attacker might be "the clay god". (Appalachia 04)
- Dante jokes that the cold open of Appalachia 04 plays like a scary Smucker's ad. (Appalachia 04)