The Alchemist's Cookbook

[Aethereal]

[SIZE="5"][COLOR="Red"][tface=fraktur]The Alchemist's Cookbook[/SIZE]



By Apocryphan Acharias, Lord of Mystery[/tface][/COLOR]

[FONT="Garamond"][SIZE="4"][COLOR="Red"][tface=Fell]I[/tface][/COLOR] dedicate this tome to my Mother, the Lady of Mysteries, and make it available to all practitioners to contribute their findings and procedures. It is a thorough guide to the Art of Alchemy such that anyone may learn and pursue it free from its shroud of esoteric literature.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[SIZE="3"][COLOR="Red"][tface=fraktur]What is Alchemy?[/tface][/COLOR][/SIZE]

[INDENT][SIZE="4"][COLOR="Red"][tface=fraktur]A[/tface][/COLOR][FONT="Garamond"]lchemy is an arcane Art which draws upon a practitioner's understanding and talent with magic combined with a sharp intellect and mind for problem solving to produce wonders of artifice from the basest of products.

[COLOR="Red"][tface=fraktur]S[/tface][/COLOR]pecific procedures include distillation and rarefaction through use of an alembic and retort; crushing, grinding and mixing with the mortar and pestle; scales for measurement; and boiling and churning within the cauldron. These methods are often enhanced with dweomercraft which tends to vary among practitioners who are free to choose their own unique style in the Art.

[COLOR="Red"][tface=fraktur]T[/tface][/COLOR]he fundamental building block of all alchemical procedures is the reagent. A reagent is defined as a base material which the above procedures must be applied to in order to produce the desired reactions in pursuit of a perceived outcome; they are basically ingredients just like apple is in the recipe for apple pie. Reagents are split up into two categories; Base reagents and key reagents.[/INDENT]

[SIZE="3"][COLOR="Red"][tface=fraktur]Base Reagents[/tface][/COLOR][/SIZE]

[INDENT][COLOR="Red"][tface=fraktur]B[/tface][/COLOR]ase reagents can be literally anything; herbs, foodstuffs, rags, shards of magic, potions, magically imbued objects, discarded bottles and other seemingly useless junk. It is very important to recognise however that base reagents vary in their quality, which will effect how easily any particular procedure will yield its desired outcome. Generally quality can be determined by the strength of magic imbued within a reagent and another general qualitative indicator is the perceived rarity of the object.

[COLOR="Red"][tface=fraktur]Q[/tface][/COLOR]uality of a base reagent is an important factor for all alchemist below the capabilities of a master alchemist the likes of Congenio Ioun, the Netherese arcanist who invented the Ioun stones (also known as Congenio's pebbles). The reason for this is the idea of reproducibility; that is, how readily an experiment can be repeated. The primary factor in this being how easily one might attain their choice reagents. While a very rare reagent might guarantee the success of an immensely potent work of artifice, it also compromises how easily one might recreate their work due to just how difficult it is to acquire said rare reagent.

[COLOR="Red"][tface=fraktur]T[/tface][/COLOR]he ultimate escape from this dilemma is the art of sundering magic. Capable practitioners and to a lesser degree arcanists in general can sunder a magically imbued object into its basic magical foundation; pure shards of magic of the prime elements. This procedure consumes a small amount of the object's magical power to yield a slew of magical shards of almost equal alchemical quality.

[COLOR="Red"][tface=fraktur]M[/tface][/COLOR]agical shards are the ideal base reagent as each shard of the same element is identical in terms of alchemical structure (they are literally the same reagent, as an apple is an apple and not a pear) yet their quality can be readily distinguished and they are ubiquitous as a reagent due to the fact they can be attained through sundering all manner of magical objects. It is almost always wiser to opt for sundering a rare magical reagent unless one feels confident more of the same reagent can be acquired with ease.[/INDENT]

[SIZE="3"][COLOR="Red"][tface=fraktur]Key Reagents[/tface][/COLOR][/SIZE]

[INDENT][COLOR="Red"][tface=fraktur]K[/tface][/COLOR]ey reagents differ from their base counterparts in that they are a catalyst used to access a specific aspect of the planes through alchemical study and their inherent quality is not subject to deviation. Most alchemists discover key reagents through theoretical exploration followed by practical testing, as it is almost impossible to overlook the impact a key reagent has when combined in an experiment.

[COLOR="Red"][tface=fraktur]C[/tface][/COLOR]ertain fundamental key reagents and their planes of influence are indicated below.

[INDENT]

• [COLOR="LemonChiffon"][FONT="Garamond"][SIZE="4"]Good: Fairy Dust OR Figurine of the Benefactor[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR]
  
  
  
• [COLOR="DimGray"][FONT="Garamond"][SIZE="4"]Evil: Bodak Tooth OR Figurine of the Malefactor[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR]
  
  
  
• [COLOR="DarkRed"][FONT="Garamond"][SIZE="4"]Negative Energy: Skeleton's Knuckle or Dusky Resin[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR]
  
  
  
• [FONT="Garamond"][SIZE="4"][COLOR="DarkOrange"]Fire: Fire Beetle's Belly OR Flammable Incense[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
  
  
  
• [FONT="Garamond"][SIZE="4"][COLOR="LightBlue"]Air & Lightning: Odourless Incense[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
  
  
  
• [FONT="Garamond"][SIZE="4"][COLOR="Blue"]Water & Ice: Frost Resin[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
  
  
  
• [FONT="Garamond"][SIZE="4"][COLOR="Green"]Earth & Acid: Gargoyle's Skull OR Earthy Resin[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
  

[/INDENT][/INDENT]

[SIZE="3"][COLOR="Red"][tface=fraktur]Safety Measures[/tface][/COLOR][/SIZE]

[INDENT][COLOR="Red"][tface=fraktur]A[/tface][/COLOR]lchemical study is an incredibly volatile Art, it is not for the faint of heart and it is very unpredictable. Explosions, miasmatic leakages, extra-planar visitations and all manner of catastrophic reactions are not only possible but something any practitioner must anticipate lest it lead to their demise.

[COLOR="Red"][tface=fraktur]A[/tface][/COLOR]s a very basic safeguard, the practitioner must choose a suitable laboratory with ventilation and plenty of room to allow an escape from a brewing catstrophe; this should be located somewhere responsibly distant from causing collateral damage to others. After this is guaranteed, before any experimentation one must prepare all the abjurations and magical protections they are capable of; elemental warding is a must. If one is capable, to have summoned allies nearby to aid with containment is a good idea along with an invisibility spell memorised if not active for a quick escape. Finally, always be prepared to run away from the table - quick reflexes will save your life.[/INDENT]

[SIZE="3"][COLOR="Red"][tface=fraktur]Conclusion[/tface][/COLOR][/SIZE]

[INDENT][COLOR="Red"][tface=fraktur]T[/tface][/COLOR]he Art of alchemy is as old as the first users of magic. Through its dedicated application wonders of magical artifice and the transmutation of the undesirable into the greatly desirable is possible. There is literally nothing quite like turning something useless into something marvelous, and this is the power that a master of the alchymic holds. Yet with such great power comes a great price and the alchemist lives every moment with the knowledge that the next experiment might just cost their life.[/FONT][/SIZE][/INDENT]

[Aethereal]

[SIZE="3"][COLOR="Red"][tface=fraktur]The Refined Alchemical Procedure[/tface][/COLOR][/SIZE]

[INDENT][SIZE="4"][FONT="Garamond"][COLOR="Red"][tface=fraktur]W[/tface][/COLOR]ith an understanding of the fundamentals one may pursue their studies of the alchymic by mixing reagents and experimenting. It is harmful to pursue this without an orderly procedure as  in addition to the consequences of catastrophe lay the repetition of failed experiments. Most alchemists eventuate upon the timeless technique that is held in the minds of all masters of the Art; of permutations and combinations of reagents.

[COLOR="Red"][tface=fraktur]T[/tface][/COLOR]he ideal number of base reagents to mix at any one time is three. To exceed this is superfluous and wasteful and to not meet this cosmically agreeable threshold is to fall short of any result at all. This rule of three is the golden rule of all alchemical success and should only be broken by a master in the rarest of circumstances; lay-practitioners should not even consider it.

[COLOR="Red"][tface=fraktur]T[/tface][/COLOR]he golden rule of three does not apply to key reagents. A key reagent must however be accompanied by three base reagents to yield any result beyond a fizzled experiment. It should also be noted that certain key reagents may be combined to access advanced alchemical studies. A basic theorem of combinative premutations follows:

[INDENT]Where:
a = Base Reagent 1
b = Base Reagent 2
c = Base Reagent 3

There exist twenty one permutations of three, thus twenty one possible procedures for mixing and preparing the reagents.

{a,a,a} {a,a,b} {a,a,c} {a,b,a} {a,b,b} {a,b,c} {a,c,a} {a,c,b} {a,c,c}
{b,a,a} {b,a,b} {b,a,c} {b,b,a} {b,b,b} {b,b,c} {b,c,a} {b,c,b} {b,c,c}
{c,a,a} {c,a,b} {c,a,c} {c,b,a} {c,b,b} {c,b,c} {c,c,a} {c,c,b} {c,c,c}

This can then be extrapolated to add a key reagent at any point within the procedure, for example:

[COLOR="DarkOrange"]Flammable Incense[/COLOR], a,a,a
OR
a, [COLOR="DarkOrange"]Flammable Incense[/COLOR], a, a
OR
a, a [COLOR="DarkOrange"]Flammable Incense[/COLOR], a
OR
a, a, a, [COLOR="DarkOrange"]Flammable Incense[/COLOR]

All four of the above experiments would yield a different result.

[/FONT][/SIZE][/INDENT][/INDENT]

[Aethereal]

A notice is placed within the first page of the tome.

[hide=An older note][COLOR="Red"][tface=fraktur]This is but the primer, if you desire further knowledge, beseech the Mother of All Magic and present yourself before Her Lord of Mystery to learn.[/hide]

I grant you yet another portion of my work, go forth and bring glory unto Her Weave!

Yet there is so much more to learn, and learn you may, if you prove to me your capability first. Time and Existence itself may be manipulated if you hold the will, for...

[tface=fell]MYSTRA'S BAN IS NO MORE.[/tface]

Apocryphan Acharias, Lord of Mystery[/tface]

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[Aethereal]

[SIZE="5"][COLOR="Red"][tface=fraktur]Advanced Alchymic Methodology[/tface][/COLOR][/SIZE]

[SIZE="3"][COLOR="Red"][tface=fraktur]Titration with Magical Shards[/tface][/COLOR][/SIZE]
[SIZE="4"][FONT="Garamond"][INDENT][COLOR="Red"][tface=fraktur]T[/tface][/COLOR]his technique functions on the premise of each magical shard of a unique element being alchemically identical to any other magical shard of the same element, regardless of the potency of magic (quality) within the shard.

[INDENT]I.e.:

Shard of Sundered Magic - [COLOR="LemonChiffon"]Positive[/COLOR] (Worst)

is equal to

Shard of Sundered Magic - [COLOR="LemonChiffon"]Positive[/COLOR] (Legendary)

[/INDENT]

[COLOR="Red"][tface=fraktur]D[/tface][/COLOR]espite this fact, the quality of the shard does have an impact on the result, in that a low quality shard can cause a valid formulation to fail without supreme mastery of the craft, whereas working with a high quality shard could allow even a monkey to accomplish the procedure.

[INDENT]The hierarchy of quality is illustrated below:

[An illustration depicts shards of magic with the telltale glow disparity from left to right in increasing magical luminosity.]

(Worst) --> (Very Poor) -->  (Poor) -->  (Common) -->  (Decent) -->  (Good) -->  (Very Good) -->  (Excellent) -->  (Superb) -->  (Supreme) -->  (Legendary) -->  (Godlike)

[/INDENT]

[COLOR="Red"][tface=fraktur]A[/tface][/COLOR]pplying this knowledge, the ideal method of experimentation is to expend low quality shards when attempting to discover valid formulations in batch analyses (predetermined permutations) then repeating valid formulations with higher quality shards to guarantee a successful procedure. The risks of this process are obvious, in that it invites failed results, though with proper preparation it is an entirely suitable price to pay for the economy of reagent use it yields.[/FONT][/SIZE][/INDENT]

[Aethereal]

By the grace of Mystryl!

A notice is placed above the latest chapter.

[COLOR="Red"][tface=fraktur]Let all people know magic, for magic is free.

Release yourself from the prison of mundanity and embrace the arcane.

All that is required is the power of will, by the grace of

[tface=fell]Mystryl, the Mother of All Magic![/tface]

He who is Her Lord of Mystery[/tface]

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