Alchemy
Alchemy has existed in many forms stretching all the way back to the Age of Dreams, the First Era of the world. It was not until the Age of Wonders however, where it became a true contender in the face of other forms of magic. This is due largely in part to the efforts of Lyren, the Mistlord of Knowledge and Undeath. The Lord of Mysteries shared his knowledge with a few mortal followers who honed their craft and proceeded to spread their teachings across various cultures and places. As a result of its ease of access compared to other forms of world magic, this led to a boom in the field of alchemical study.
Alchemy has remained a prominent form of World Magic since the Age of Wonders following the intervention and involvement of Lyren. Indeed, its most crucial component takes its name from him. Its applications are many, from the fashioning of magically infused potions and elixirs to the creation of tinctures or oils infused with unique properties. It is one of the few forms of magic that has remained reliable across the ages since its founding, finding its usefulness increase exponentially in the aftermath of the Sundering. Alchemists were among the only practitioners of magic who could still practice their crafts efficiently, and indeed saw more room for growth, in the fallout of the Sundering.
Alchemical Tools
Lyrethillium- A type of glass formed from the decayed remnants of pesticyte dragonshards. Under ordinary circumstances, pesticyte is a dangerous crystal that sparks intense controversy. However, a little known fact among the broader populace is that pesticyte in its natural state, decays until it reaches a point where it is generally safe to handle by the average person. The properties of the dragonshard are, by that point, so weak that it is seldom discernible from common quartz crystals. This property is what leads poison gems to be rare, as they are seldom encountered in their fully realized state prior to this decay taking place. Despite this, some remnant of the pesticyte’s properties yet remains and this can be drawn out when the remnant crystals are properly worked. Lyrethillium can be created by an ordinary glassworker who is familiar with how to properly handle dragonshard crystals. The glass is central to the work of an alchemist and is what separates them from a simple chemist or herbalist. Lyrethillium has the effect of making substances placed within it more pliable and easily workable in an aetheric state. In order to properly create an alchemic infusion, the use of lyrethillium is required in combination with pictograph techniques that make alchemy function. The drawback to using this glassware is that it retains the deteriorative attribute associated with pesticyte. This contributes to the alchemic half-life and not even a master alchemist can eliminate its presence entirely.
Aura Glass- Common in the fields of World Magic, aura glass is fashioned by a runeforger and is utilized to perceive the aura and properties of a particular substance on the aetheric level. It can be fashioned into mirrors, various lenses and even glasses depending on the needs and desires of the individual.
Alchemic Acid- A substance created specifically by alchemists. It is composed of a base acidic compound of the alchemist’s choice that is left to sit in a bottle fashioned from lyrethillium. The alchemist then adds the distilled essence of an aetherite dragonshard to the compound thus enabling the acid to interact with aether. The compound is typically placed through an absorption process wherein impurities are filtered out. It is then condensed back into liquid form and placed in an appropriate container. Alchemic Acid is the closest thing alchemists have to a universal solvent. Its potency ranges from very mild to exceedingly dangerous depending on the skill of its creator and the user’s need. As with all alchemic substances, it has a half-life.
Alchemist’s Clay- Taking some preparation and time to create, Alchemist’s Clay is nevertheless a staple for those interested in fashioning alchemic powders, dusts, and even ores. Ordinary clay that is gathered from the earth, it is then exposed to lyrethillium glass that has been crushed into powder and infused into the clay. The clay is then placed into a lyrethillium container and allowed to sit for several days wherein it is then touched upon with an agitation rod. Following this, the clay is primed to be receptive to whatever prepared infusion the alchemist has in mind for it. Once this infusion has been added to the clay, it must then be placed in an ordinary stone container wherein it will solidify into a hard, rocky material. The final step involves adding water, alchemic acid and the distilled essence of an aetherite dragonshard to the mixture. This will return the clay to its moldable state whereupon it can then be employed in the processes desired by the alchemist.
Agitation Rod- Fashioned from lytirisyte dragonshards (stormgem), the agitation rod is typically employed by alchemists to serve as a catalyst in appropriate circumstances. The rod is capable of exciting the aetheric essence within a compound, priming it to be receptive to blending with other reagents in an alchemic process if necessary.
Glassware- These can be mundane glassware or things fashioned from lyrethillium glass. This includes beakers, alembics, vials, stirring rods etc.
Distilling Coil- A tool used to allow vapors to condensate. Vapors rise into the coils and then condense back into liquid.
Kiln- A common fixture in any alchemy laboratory, a kiln is typically used to heat substances to more extreme temperatures than would be achieved through a simple burner. Kilns can be outfitted with special lyrethillium plates to expose materials to the environment necessary for the alchemical process to transpire.
Metal Stand- Used to hold various pieces of glassware or other objects as required.
Mortar and Pestle- These can be simple mundane mortar and pestle or they can be fashioned from lyrethillium glass depending on the needs of the alchemist.
Principles of Alchemy
The principle concept of alchemy is that it borrows traits from various reagents in order to blend together properties that bring about a desired outcome. This is achieved through the guided absorption of properties into the lyrethillium infusions that are then distilled into the various substances that the alchemist desires. These techniques have brought about the formation of two schools of thought within the realm of Alchemy. There are “traditional” alchemists who work toward bringing about a balance with the reagents prior to synthesizing the desired infusion. They work with the raw materials prior to incorporating the use of the arcane techniques involved in alchemy in order to maximize the efficiency of the materials involved. This has the benefit of prolonging the alchemic half-life because the components of the infusion have been balanced to work as seamlessly together as possible. They are more stable but they take much longer to create due to the amount of work required to balance materials to form a stable infusion.
The second school of thought within alchemy is that of “occult” alchemy. Occult alchemists forgo balancing reagents prior to synthesizing their infusions. They utilize the lyrethilium glass and pictography to work directly with the aetheric composition of their reagents. Occult alchemy is much faster than traditional alchemy and the infusions created using strictly this method have the added benefit of being exceptionally potent. However, the alchemic half-life of occult infusions is accelerated and has the drawback of being more volatile than traditional alchemy. As a result, while occult alchemists are capable of creating much quicker infusions that are often wildly more powerful, these infusions typically do not have more than a few properties due to their volatility.
The Alchemic Half-Life
Due to the nature of the materials involved that makes the practice of alchemy possible, this has brought about the existence of the alchemic half-life. The half-life is the time measured before the materials involved in the creation of the alchemic compound begin to deteriorate. The compound is considered stable or mostly stable until this length of time has elapsed. Once this time elapses, the compound will become progressively more unstable which can have a variety of results. In most cases, the compound will simply break down into a non-viable state whereupon it must be disposed of as the materials involved have grown to be harmful or are simply rendered inert. In the case of compounds created with far more volatile materials, this can be exceedingly dangerous as the substances involved in the creation of the end-product begin to conflict with one another.
Infusion
An infusion is a product of alchemy. Alchemists borrow properties, a key distinction from the work of a runeforger. Whereas a runesmith recreates something entirely, an alchemist allows something to temporarily borrow a desired effect until such time as the alchemic half-life renders their infusion inert. This effect can be the summation of the reagents used to produce the desired effect or it can be a singular property pulled from a singular reagent. The complexity of infusions ranges from highly simplistic to remarkably complex depending on all that went into creating it.
Alchemic Pictography
Pictography, as with all World Magic, is central to the functionality of alchemy in general. It is implemented in a few core ways that assist an alchemist in producing their desired infusions. These alchemic pictograph concepts are drawn specifically upon the lyrethillium glassware used to make substances more pliable and workable. Together, they enable the alchemist to guide the aether of the substances involved in order to produce their infusions.
Sigil of Catalyzation- Centered around ideas of accelerating the breakdown of materials, this pictograph is implemented to enhance the effects of the lyrethil glass. This enables the containers to more quickly enact the effects of the glass as opposed to taking exorbitant amounts of time to break down.
Sigil of Isolation- This pictograph is used to isolate the desired property that the alchemist intends to draw out of the reagent being worked on. This is what can enable an alchemist to isolate the water resistant properties in a fish scale so that it can be withdrawn and infused into another substance. The sigil is typically drawn around the alchemist’s workspace and joined together with the Sigil of Catalyzation to work congruently. The more properties attempting to be isolated and withdrawn, the more elaborate the sigil typically is.
Sigil of Stabilization- Perhaps the most important pictograph used in alchemy, this sigil is used to lock the properties of the infusion in place so that the infusion can then be used. The Sigil of Stabilization is used to keep the energies at play from raging out of control. It creates aetheric pathways for the properties to follow that are then woven together so that the aether of the reagents blends and produces a viable infusion.
Sigil of Dormancy- Typically drawn upon the intended container that is to hold the completed infusion, the Sigil of Dormancy renders the infusion dormant until a container is opened. This has the benefit of prolonging the half-life of the substance as it makes the properties of the infusion inactive until such time as they are released from the container.
Traditional Alchemy
The work of a traditional alchemist is perhaps one of the aspects of alchemy that has the most mundane methods and applications involved. Much of their methods involve the gathering of materials and preparing those materials to be in a state appropriate for the use that the alchemist has in mind.
Absorption
Gasses and other vapors can be purified through filtration. By applying charcoal treated cloth or tight netting to the openings of applicable tubes, impurities are drawn out as they pass through the filters. These gasses or vapors then pass through a distilling coil whereupon they condense into a liquid form. This liquid can then be collected in the appropriate receptacle.
Assation
Semi-solid substances such as waxes and other similar compounds can be processed through assation to help purify and separate key components from the base substance. The substance is heated to the point where it is reduced to ash or powder.
Calcination
Hard solids are reduced to powered material through this process. It allows the alchemist to purify solids and reduce them down to more workable forms without a loss of usefulness and beneficial properties. Some substances are crystallized through this process. The actual process involves heating the base substance without it contacting the heat’s fuel source. The temperature is not enough to melt the base substance but hot enough to cause various thermal-based changes in the base substance that brings out a purer end result. Calcination may also be performed by crushing or smashing minerals beforehand and then heating them to crystallization.
Chromatography
This is a supplementary process used for identification. The appearance of some substances can be tested thus identifying what they are. A sample of an unknown substance is dissolved in water or alchemists acid and poured through a tube lined with papyrus or paper. Elements and compounds within the unknown sample move through the tube and paper at varying speeds and the colors line up in bands on the paper. Alchemists can then identify components within the sample based on the colored bands and in turn have a better chance at identifying the unknown sample.
Distillation
Distillation is made up of a number of reactions. The first is evaporation; heating up a liquid in an alembic or retort causes it to boil into vapors. Second is condensation or descension. The vapors rise through coiled glass tubes where they cool and eventually become liquid once more. Finally comes distillation where the newly reformed liquid is collected in a container. This new liquid is a much purer form of the original and can sometimes be different altogether depending on what components were left behind in the process.
Insuration
This process involves a substance being saturated in a dissolving liquid in order to purify it. Another method of insuration involves the use of a desiccant such as salt. The salt will help dry out the substance thoroughly for use in other processes.
Sublimation
A substance is vaporized through exposure to extreme but controlled heat. In many instances, this is where the kiln is preferred. The kiln is outfitted with plates fashioned from pyrolyth dragonshards in conjunction with lyrethillium plates to assist in the breakdown process. As soon as the substance is vaporized, the vapors then pass through specially crafted distillation coils that are packed either with ice or are fashioned from frostrylyth crystal. The vapors, rather than liquifying, solidify into a new solid form due to the rapid cooling process.
Occult Processes
Occult alchemy relies heavily upon the utilization of pictography to accelerate the properties of the lyrethillium glass as well as artificially balancing the infusion without having to go through traditional processes.
Sigil of Dissolution- A far more potent and aggressive form of the Sigil of Isolation. Dissolution involves completely dissolving and eradicating every substance and property that the alchemist has no use for among their collective reagents. The benefit of this is that the properties withdrawn from the affected materials are in their most isolated and concentrated form. The downside is that the aggressive destruction of all other aspects of the material render the affected substances more volatile than they would be normally. Dissolution will always result in an aetheric, shimmering liquid that must then either be refined through a traditional process or put through another Occult process.
Sigil of Evolution- Rather than the slow balancing of materials typically undergone through Stabilization, the Sigil of Evolution forces an immediate binding of the properties involved. It forces the properties to blend together rapidly as opposed to reaching a natural state of balance produced over time through the use of multiple examination and filtration processes.
Sigil of Preemption- Used to prevent a deviation from the desired outcome, the Sigil of Preemption creates artificial restrictions on how and when the properties of the infusion are supposed to function. It forces cooperation upon the energies at play as opposed to requiring careful consideration of amounts, types, and states of matter the reagents are or were previously in so that the alchemist can achieve their desired effect.
Sigil of Reconstitution- Reconstitution constructs artificial pathways within the substances created through Dissolution. It forces the aetheric pathways of the substance into alignment to produce either a solid, plasma, stable liquid, or a gas. The sigil can be drawn as a circle, at the center of which the Dissolved substance is placed and then forced into the desired state of matter by using the Agitation Rod. It can also be drawn upon the intended container for the infusion, which will then adopt the mandated form once it is inside.
Alchemy and Other Skills
Alchemists are almost never practitioners of just alchemy. The magic is, by its very nature, best utilized in conjunction with other professions. A perfumer utilizing alchemy can create such incredible perfumes as to draw out scents that completely boggle the minds of others. An herbalist or healer using alchemy can create medicines that achieve effects of a far more miraculous nature than anything created with those two skillsets alone. A poisoncrafter can create lethal poisons from what would normally be toxins that are harmless to the average person and with properties not ordinarily possible. Even a blacksmith or metallurgist can craft ores infused with properties that defy normal expectations.
Tiers of Play
Novice (1-24)
The work of the novice alchemist is fairly straightforward in comparison to more learned practitioners of the field. They spend the vast majority of their time learning the different alchemical processes, refining their familiarity with lyrethillium, and become learned in the creation of alchemic acid and alchemist’s clay. Even after forming a solid foundation with these fundamentals, the novice alchemist typically spends the majority of their time studying the properties of various reagents and materials to be catalogued for use in their works. Creating anything with alchemy is a tedious process for the novice, taking a fastidious attention to detail requiring hours upon hours of meticulous crafting. It is difficult for a novice alchemist to infuse anything more than the equivalent of novice level magic into their creations. Even then, the creation of such things tend to be unstable. The creations of a novice alchemist have a very rapid half-life with most of their materials deteriorating between 5-7 days after completion, this time is reduced to 3 days if they use purely Occult alchemic techniques.
Apprentice (25-49)
The apprentice alchemist has formed a solid foundation and can comfortably focus less on familiarizing themselves with alchemical processes and actually creating with alchemy. They have grown more comfortable with the fundamentals to the point where creating with alchemy is less tedious. The speed at which they work is not enhanced due to any supernatural means so much as their confidence in their ability to navigate each process is more solid. Apprentice alchemists can comfortably incorporate Novice level magic into their creations but still struggle with creating anything stable beyond that. The creations of an apprentice alchemist are more refined and typically have a half-life of 14-20 days, this half-life is reduced to 10 days if they use purely Occult alchemic processes.
Journeyman (50-74)
Coming into their own as an alchemist, it is at this stage where most alchemists begin to experiment more heavily with blending more volatile materials together. At this stage, an alchemist can comfortably incorporate Novice and Apprentice equivalent magic into their creations. They can begin experimenting with Journeyman level magic infusions but such creations still remain largely unstable. The works of a Journeyman alchemist will reliably last up to 180 days before deterioration takes place. This time is reduced to 60 days if they use purely Occult practices.
Expert (75-99)
There is little that is beyond the reach of an expert alchemist in terms of infusions. They have progressed in their understanding of alchemical processes to the degree that they can comfortably incorporate other Expert level magic without difficulty. Their confidence and familiarity with the steps and reactions involved in the process are such that they can often predict the outcomes of certain compounds even before the final result is produced. The works of an expert alchemist are stable enough that they can last up to 36 months before deterioration begins this is reduced to 18 months if they use purely Occult practices.
Master (100)
A master alchemist is limitless in their potential when it comes to creating alchemical infusions and compounds. It takes them very little time to create most basic concoctions as they are able to adequately prepare and account for variables that lesser alchemists cannot or would not know how to. Creations akin to Novice and Apprentice level work will never take them more than a hour or so, at most. More elaborate projects can be completed in a handful of hours to just a few days depending on the difficulty and the processes involved. Master Alchemists can comfortably incorporate Master level magic and even Divine magic into their creations. They can refine their creations to such a degree that even their most basic works have half-lives spanning several years. Exceptionally skilled masters are reputed to even be able to create works with half-lives measured in centuries.
