• Closed • A Lesson in Alchemy

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Re: A Lesson in Alchemy

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“I’m not too fond of explosions myself”, the Mortalborn remarked in a relatively dry tone of voice as Ari’sora informed him that she would rather avoid causing explosions herself. He didn’t mind that she didn’t seem to have any interest in explosives; on the contrary, it was something that he approved of wholeheartedly as he was not particularly keen on teaching what constituted one of the most dangerous aspects of alchemy, apart from Blood Magic, to an absolute beginner again.

Having said that, he turned to answer her next question. “Backlash is”, he began only to furrow his brow fractionally as this was another matter that you could spend an entire class – or a series of classes – talking about, time that Ari’sora and he didn’t have, at least not at the moment. “Backlash essentially encompasses the negative, unwanted effects of alchemy. When working with mage blood – and especially the more aggressive aspects of domain magic – there is a risk of the spell affecting you instead of your target as well as side effects that are similar to overstepping in nature.”

“This is why knowledge of chemistry and medicine is paramount, as I told you. I have treated victims of Blood Magic gone wrong in the Infirmary in Viden, and it was not a pretty sight”,
he finished, making use of a slight euphemism rather than sharing all of the gruesome details with her. Such things needed to be mentioned though. Ari’sora needed to know what exactly she would be getting herself into if she decided to become an alchemist.

“As for chemistry books”, he replied a moment later, pleased by the fact that she inquired about literature rather than being content with what he had told her so far, that she wanted to learn more and research things in depth. “I’ll add the titles of a book or two that you might find helpful to my notes for you. Being familiar with making dyes is actually not a bad foundation for alchemy as some of the processes are quite similar. There are actually alchemical dyes”, he informed her as that seemed to be something that she might find interesting.

“Of course, you are allowed to study two subjects at once”, he remarked, smiling lightly, as it seemed as if the idea of earning her Letter in Alchemy appealed to her, hoping that she would find that statement encouraging. He approved of such ambitions. “Some of my own students in Viden study two subjects at the same time. I wish you good luck with your diploma, by the way”, he added, even though he was not sure if she would need such. She seemed to be quite a bright young woman. It seemed polite to him to wish someone good luck with their studies though. She had one more question though, a question that made him pause for a moment and furrow his brow once more.

They were currently in his office where he only had a select few reagents as well as some basic equipment for demonstrations. He did not think that any of the laboratories were currently available. He did not want to deny her though. It would be good if she made her first item with his guidance; besides, he wanted to see how she would handle herself. The lesson had gone so well so far that he was quite curious about her doing some practical work. Maybe …

“We could make an item that is similar to the paperweight that I just imbued, if you are interested”, he suggested before he took another paperweight from another stack of papers (he had quite a few papers on his desk at the moment) and handed it to her, assuming that she agreed. This one had a flower engraved on it. Letting Ari’sora make something that was similar to the item that she had watched him make before would constitute a good introduction to practical alchemy. “There is a variety of Scalvoris sand that is green and cool to the touch”, he said as he handed her a vial that was filled with bright emerald green sand.

“I need a bit or two to make some room for our new experiment though”, he apologized a moment later. “Reusing equipment without cleaning it thoroughly first is a bad idea. In the case of these paperweights, we’d likely just end up with a lukewarm paperweight as I used very simple and harmless reagents and essentially created paint, but it is definitely something that you need to be careful about when handling more potent reagents”, he explained as he removed what was left of the previous setup and placed a clean bowl, and a clean metal rack in front of her – as well as measuring instruments and the rest of the reagents that she would need (other than the sand, which she already had), and gave her some time to take a good look at them.

“As I told you before”, he spoke once she had given him a sign that she was ready, watching her closely (and patiently) in order to make sure that she was doing it correctly and intervene, in case it turned out to be necessary. “The first step is the base. So, I would like you to pour oil into the bowl – there is a dark line on the inside of the bowl that will tell you once there is enough oil in the bowl. The next step is the primer – the blue powder that is derived from resin. I want you to add ten grams of that powder to the oil in the bowl. Finally, I’d like you to add twenty grams of green sand – and stir the mixture thoroughly before you submerge the paperweight in it, let it rest for a few bits and put it on the rack to dry.”

“Do you have any questions?”
he wanted to know. If she didn’t, he would give her the go-ahead and allow her to try and imbue her first item. “You may keep the paperweight if you imbue it successfully”, he added as such might constitute an additional incentive for her to give her best. Not that he expected her to not make an effort. She gave him the impression of being a very diligent and hard-working young woman, and teaching her had been a pleasure so far (not all of his students were like her).

Still, a little something to remember her first lesson in alchemy seemed appropriate to him.
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Re: A Lesson in Alchemy

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102nd Ashan, 720

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When Professor Thetys explained what backlash was, Ari'sora paid close attention. She wanted to know what to look out for, after all. He mentioned mage blood and domain magic again. He also spoke of spells affecting you instead of the target that you wanted them to. And that was more than a little confusing to Ari'sora since she had so little knowledge of how magic worked in real life as opposed to the stories she had read as a child. But as she tried to figure it out, she thought she might have an idea what he was trying to explain.

"So...if you were trying to use alchemy to make something that could do the same thing that a type of magic can...a spell, like you said...if it goes wrong, the spell can affect you instead of the item you are trying to make?" she asked, wanting to make certain that she understood.

She didn't plan on doing anything that would require mage blood any time soon; not until she had a firm grasp of the basics, and could fully understand what she was getting into...and perhaps not even then. But she wanted to be aware of the dangers that were involved in alchemy so that she would know what to look for, and how to minimize the danger as much as possible. Taking risks to get something that you wanted, or needed was one thing; you knew the risks and were willing to pay them if need be. Taking foolish risks because you didn't know what you were getting yourself into was another thing entirely, and that was what she was trying to avoid.

Professor Thetys also mentioned overstepping, and Ari'sora couldn't even begin to guess what that was. It sounded as if it might be connected to magic in some way. Or possibly to alchemy. Either way, she was curious about it, and if it did have something to do with alchemy, she was even more interested in learning about it.

"What is overstepping? If using some types of alchemy can produce side effects that are like overstepping, what should I be looking out for?"

The professor spoke of treating the victims of blood magic gone wrong. Even the little he said was enough to confirm Ari'sora's belief that it wasn't anything she wanted to even think of trying herself until she had fully mastered the basics, and the intermediate forms of alchemy. Novices like herself had no business attempting advanced techniques that they couldn't possibly understand. But knowing what you were doing meant that the dangers of a situation could often be lessened. Or at least prepared for. And it seemed likely that the same would be true for alchemy. So perhaps when she knew enough to avoid making stupid mistakes, she would try to learn about what blood magic could do, and if the results were worth the risks involved.

The thought of alchemic dyes was very appealing to her, and she said as much. It seemed to her that all kinds of useful things could be made with them. Clothes that could keep you comfortably cool in Saun or warm in Cylus...kind of like a better version of the paperweight Doran had made while she had watched. And that was only the beginning. Better yet, the more she learned, the more ideas she was likely to have. Maybe it was possible to use alchemic dyes to make clothes that would muffle sound so that hunters could sneak up on their prey more readily. Or shoes that could help you run faster if you had to. Or...the possibilities seemed endless.

Professor Thetys promised that it was possible to study two subjects at once, and that filled Ari'sora with joy. She couldn't wait to get started. He also wished her luck in her studies, and she thanked him sincerely.

When the professor offered to let her make something similar to the paperweight he had just imbued, Ari'sora smiled, and nodded.

"I would be very interested in doing that." she told him sincerely.

It would be her first practical lesson in alchemy. Something simple, but it would let her put some of the things she was learning about into use...while under the eyes of someone who was skilled in alchemy, and who could stop her from doing something wrong if need be, or help her if she needed it. Someone who could tell her what she did wrong if she failed, so she could learn from the experience, and someone who could tell her how and why it worked if she succeeded.

He handed her a paperweight that had a flower on it, and a vial of bright emerald green sand that he explained was cool to the touch. She studied both for a few trills. Then he explained that it was a bad idea to reuse equipment without cleaning it first. He also explained why before she could ask. It gave Ari'sora a lot to think about.

"It sounds like that part is a little like cooking. You need to clean any dishes you use before using them to cook something else or bits of the last thing you cooked might get added to the new thing you are trying to make." she said thoughtfully.

And cleaning the dishes after you used them also prevented the ingredients or food left in the dishes from going bad and making you sick if you ate food that was sitting on dirty dishes.

Once everything had been set up, Ari'sora looked at all of the equipment carefully. She also looked at the reagents so she would have a feel for what she would be working with. When she was ready to begin, she looked up at him and waited for instructions.

She didn't have long to wait. Professor Thetys's step by step instructions were clear, and easy to understand. Ari'sora didn't have any questions about the instructions, so she got started when the professor indicated she should do so. As she carefully poured the oil into the bowl, making sure that she filled it to the line, but not above, she wondered what kind of oil it was, and if different kinds of oil would produce different effects. She didn't ask, though. That seemed like the kind of thing that she could learn once she had the basics down. She didn't want to confuse herself with too much information, and risk making a mistake.

So the oil was the base, and the blue powder made out of resin was the primer. Ari'sora reminded herself that the primer was necessary for the alchemical agent to work. As before with the oil, she wondered what type of resin the powder was made out of, and if different types would have different effects. But as with the oil, that was something she could learn about later. So instead of asking, she carefully measured out the ten grams of powder that the professor had told her was needed, and added it to the bowl. The oil around the powder turned blue as the powder sank into the oil.

The final step was to add twenty grams of the green sand to the oil, and to mix everything together thoroughly before submerging the paperweight into the mixture. So she carefully measured the sand out and added it to the bowl with the oil and the blue powder before she began mixing it together. The blue of the powder mixed with the green of the sand turning everything into a pretty blue green color. Then she hesitated.

"How do I know if I've mixed everything together well enough? Is there something I should be looking for besides the change in color?" she asked.

She didn't know what would happen if she put the paperweight in too soon, and she really wanted this to work.


word count: 1343
Rei'sari was formerly Ari'sora, but after getting a fresh start in life and a new appearance from Vega, she changed her name to Rei'sari.
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Re: A Lesson in Alchemy

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“That is correct. If something goes wrong, the spell can affect you”, Doran replied, smiling very lightly as Ari’sora asked him about backlash. He was quite pleased with his newest student, and he appreciated the fact that she made sure that she had understood everything correctly rather than accepting his statements without question. He had only known Ari’sora for a very short time, but he was positive that she could go far if she continued like that. Curiosity was an important trait for an alchemist to have in his opinion.

“Overstepping is”, he continued and furrowed his brow fractionally for a moment as he wondered how he should explain that very unpleasant and slightly frightening aspect of magic to someone who likely did not harbor a spark. Ari’sora had never felt the lure of power, her soul had never been affected, her body had never been changed due to an Awakening, and she was unlikely to know what ether was (even he struggled when it came to defining that). Finally, he told her, having decided to not mention ether and drawing too much ether at all,

“Overstepping is something that occurs when you cast too much in too short a time – or if you use spells that are too powerful – if a mage essentially pushes beyond their limit. Some of the consequences of Overstepping include pain, nausea, vertigo or bleeding. These tend to be temporary, although there are more serious and permanent consequences”, he explained. Again, he did not go into too much detail. She needed to understand what could happen, but it was not necessary to mention all of the gruesome aspects in his opinion.

When Ari’sora admitted that she would be interested in making an item, he smiled very lightly once more. A moment later, when she compared alchemy to cooking, he raised an eyebrow fractionally before he nodded in agreement. “Alchemy and cooking do indeed have that in common. Furthermore, both require you to mix the ingredients carefully and thoroughly”, he added. Of course, being a good alchemist didn’t necessarily make you good at cooking as well. Not that he was particularly interested in standing in the kitchen and handling pots and pans himself. He very much preferred the meals that his servant Elias made for him, but still, it was something that he found somewhat curious.

He stopped pondering the similarities between alchemy and other activities when the young woman started to work though in order to watch her closely. This time, she did not seem to have any questions which made him conclude that everything was clear to her. She worked carefully, she seemed to be quite meticulous, and she treated the alchemical reagents with respect which increased the good opinion that he had of her further.

“If there aren’t any clumps in the mixture, it tends to be ready”, he spoke when she asked him how she knew if she had mixed everything together well enough and if there were any other signs besides the change in color. A moment later he remarked, “Your mixture looks very good. Go on, Ari’sora, and submerge the paperweight now”, he encouraged her, in case she was still a little unsure and hesitant.
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Re: A Lesson in Alchemy

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102nd Ashan, 720

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Ari'sora listened to the professor as he explained what overstepping was, and it did indeed sound like something that she would want to avoid if at all possible. It was good to know about, though. It was entirely possible that in the future, she would find herself wanting...or needing to make something that would involve such risks. And it was a good idea to what what she would be risking ahead of time so she could decide if making the item was worth it.

Professor Thetys told her that if there were no clumps in the mixture, then it was mixed well enough. She stirred the mixture carefully, and didn't see any clumps, so she was satisfied that she had mixed it well enough. The professor's encouraging words confirmed her belief that her efforts were satisfactory. So she carefully submerged the paperweight into the mixture.

The professor hadn't kept the paperweight he had imbued with the ability to feel warm in the mixture he had made for very long, so after a few bits, she pulled the paperweight out of the mixture and set on the rack that he had provided to dry. Like the first paperweight, this one now sparkled slightly as well. It was beautiful. She wouldn't know for certain if it had worked or not until the paperweight was dry and she could test it for herself, but she was hopeful that she had succeeded.

While she was waiting for it to dry, she turned to the professor.

"You've mentioned blood magic, and I understand that that is a very advanced aspect of alchemy. And making a paperweight that feels warm or cool to the touch seems like a basic technique. Are there other simple things that I could try on my own? And what about things that are slightly more complex once I get the hang of the basics. Would making...say...a cloak that could keep people cool in Saun or warm in Cylus be a good thing to try? I think it would require something stronger than the mixtures that were used to make the paperweights, but it seems like a more complex version of this rather than something completely new. Am I right in that?"



Last edited by Rei'sari on Thu Aug 27, 2020 8:51 pm, edited 1 time in total. word count: 383
Rei'sari was formerly Ari'sora, but after getting a fresh start in life and a new appearance from Vega, she changed her name to Rei'sari.
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Re: A Lesson in Alchemy

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When Ari’sora placed the paperweight that sparkled slightly now onto the rack in order to leave it to dry, Doran looked at it for a few moments (there were no flaws that he could see, it looked as good as his own paperweight), before he turned to face her again. When she called Blood Magic a very advanced aspect of alchemy, he inclined his head in agreement before he told her, in a calm and friendly tone of voice,

“There are definitely a few things that you could try on your own. When I first started to work as an alchemist, I made litmus paper, for example, by submerging paper in a solution made from red cabbage. You can use litmus paper in order to figure out if liquids are acidic or basic”, he explained as she might not know much about chemistry (which was something that he would not judge her for, of course).

“My former apprentice and I also experimented with phosphorescence and created a paste that you can paint an object with in order to turn it into a little rechargeable light source. Once you have gained a little more experience, you could try to imbue a piece of cloth with the protective properties of iron or maybe steel”, he continued and furrowed his brow fractionally as he thought about which other experiments a relative beginner could possibly safely conduct on their own.

“You could probably also try to make an object or a piece of clothing fireproof by working with Golden Salamander hide, although that particular reagent is not inexpensive”, he conceded – from what she had told him so far, he had the impression that she was not exactly rich. “Whatever you decide on, I would advise you to only work with reagents that occur naturally, plants, metals or reagents that are derived from animals, and focus on mediums such as stone, wood or cloth though.”

“I would stay away from potions in particular and from liquids in general entirely for the time being”,
he added before he paused for a moment in order to think about the next question that she had posed.

“As for a cloak that keeps people cool in Saun or warn in Cylus – you are right. It wouldn’t be something completely new. You could use one of the mixtures that we prepared and add a metabolizer such as Swiftweb to it in order to increase the potency of the alchemical compound and strengthen the effect”, he replied before he paused once more in order to cast a glance at the paperweight and see if it was ready.

“I think it’s dry”, he decided. “You can touch it now.”
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Re: A Lesson in Alchemy

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Litmus paper sound like it would be an interesting thing to create. But even with the professor's explanation, she wasn't quite certain what it was used for. Or rather, she wasn't sure what an an acidic liquid or a base liquid was. Unless he meant acid, maybe? But that didn't seem quite right. She also wasn't sure what the difference between the two was.

"Acidic and base liquids? Does that have something to do with alchemy, too? I've never heard of either before...unless you are talking about acid being an acidic liquid?"

Ari'sora knew what acid was. It dissolved things. Ren'zar had used it sometimes when he wanted something...or sometimes someone to disappear without a trace.

Phosphorescence was a new word to her, but judging by the context that the word was used in, it had something to do with light, or making things glow. She wanted to be certain though, so she asked.

"Phosphorescence...is that something that makes light? Or it makes things glow? How would a light source made from it recharge?" she asked curiously, wanting to understand.

Ari'sora was interested in the idea of making cloth that could protect someone the same way that iron or steel armor would. Someone who had an outfit like that could move a lot more freely than someone wearing heavy armor. Someone like her would be able to fly wearing something like that; flying while wearing real armor was impossible for her. She wasn't anywhere near strong enough for that. And if someone were to attack someone wearing cloth armor, it would catch them off guard when the cloth deflected their weapon. Even she knew that catching an enemy by surprise could save your life. Ari'sora was definitely interested in learning how to make cloth armor, so she made a mental note of that, and promised herself that she would try it when she had a firm grasp on the basics of alchemy.

The thought of making fireproof clothing was even more fascinating than that of making cloth armor. She was always very aware of how flammable her wings were, and anything that would help to protect them was something she very much wanted to have. The cost of the golden salamander hide might be an issue, though. Maybe she could save up for it? She wasn't poor, but she had just bought a house earlier this season. Her very first house that was completely hers. And she wanted to start studying alchemy at the university as soon as she could; probably next season. That would cost money too. The mention of money brought up another question as well.

"Where do you go to buy the reagents and other things that you use in alchemy? And if some of them can't be bought...where would you go to get them?"

When Professor Thetys advised her to only use reagents that occurred naturally such as plants and metals, she agreed quickly. But that brought up yet another question.

"That makes it sound like there are reagents that don't occur naturally. What are they made out of? Is it possible to create reagents somehow?"

Ari'sora nodded in agreement when the professor suggested that she stay away from potions and liquids for now. His suggestion made it sound that they, like blood magic were an advanced aspect of alchemy, and Ari'sora had no intention of even thinking about trying the more advanced types before she knew exactly what she was getting into, and had a very firm grasp of the basics.

She was happy to learn that making a cloak that could keep people cool in Saun or warm in Cylus was an extension of the process she had used in making her paperweight. Ari'sora made a mental note of the fact that Swiftweb was a metabolizer and that it could be used to strengthen the effects of the reagent she had used to make her paperweight.

When the professor told her that she could touch the paprweight now, she did so, picking it up to see if her first attempt at alchemy had worked. It felt pleasantly cool to the touch, and her eyes lit up with joy as she smiled happily.

"It worked!" she said excitedly, her emotions clearly showing in her voice.



word count: 735
Rei'sari was formerly Ari'sora, but after getting a fresh start in life and a new appearance from Vega, she changed her name to Rei'sari.
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Re: A Lesson in Alchemy

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“Acids and bases can be used in alchemy”, the Mortalborn confirmed and inclined his head fractionally. His tone of voice remained calm and measured. He didn’t mind the fact that the questions kept on coming, and that every question that he answered seemed to lead to more questions. On the contrary, he appreciated Ari’sora’s thirst for knowledge and her curiosity. It reminded him of what he had been like when he had been younger – of what he was slowly becoming like again due to the things that his lover had shown to him, all those mysteries that were still waiting to be uncovered and researched.

“Their identification and categorization are aspects of chemistry though”, he continued. “And acids are often, but not always liquid. As for phosphorescence …” he spoke and paused briefly as he thought about the experiments that Sintih and he had conducted, the phosphorescent paint and his former apprentice’s concept of glowing knights which was something that amused him, but that was not entirely without merit. “A phosphorescent material is essentially charged by exposing it to light. It absorbs light and releases it again – which can be used to make things glow in the dark.”

He had more or less expected Ari’sora to want to know what Golden Salamanders were and which part of them was used to make things fireproof. When she didn’t ask him about those creatures, he wondered why she had not done so, but only for a moment before he turned to address her next question. “At an alchemist’s shop or a pharmacy”, he told her when she asked him where you bought the reagents. “There are a few well-stocked ones in Scalvoris, and it’s of course also possible to order reagents.”

“I do so on a regular basis”,
he told her. “If reagents can’t be bought or ordered, you might be able to harvest them yourself” though”, he spoke. That was something that was pretty much self-explanatory in his opinion, but he decided to mention it anyway. He didn’t tell her that some reagents were more dangerous to harvest than others – Ari’sora was an intelligent young woman. She could without a doubt guess that.

He did decide to answer her next question in detail though.

“There are in fact a number of reagents that don’t occur naturally, depending on how exactly you define the term natural. There are reagents that are of magical or divine origin, apart from Blood Magic, for example, and reagents that came about due to certain events and are thus limited in number. Alloys such as bronze or steel don’t occur in nature either, but they can be created relatively easily, and there are countless other reagents that are a combination of two or more materials, apart from alloys”, he explained, his blue eyes shimmering slightly as this was another topic besides Blood Magic that he particularly enjoyed talking about.

He had gotten his hands on a couple of rare reagents over the course of the centuries, a powder that negated energy and essentially uncast spells among them. He had made a most powerful artifact, a gauntlet, for a Halfriel by the name of Noth with it once, when he had still been working for Lord Vuda in Etzos. According to his customer, it was one of a kind, and he’d gotten half of it as payment. It was one of his most prized possessions.

When Ari’sora picked up the finished paperweight, and her eyes lit up, so did his. “It did!” he confirmed in a tone of voice that was perhaps a hint more light-hearted than before – he liked that alchemy made her so happy and excited – and returned the smile, although his smile was a little bit lighter than hers. “As I told you before”, he reminded her, his tone of voice growing more serious again, although that light shimmer in his eyes remained. “You may keep the paperweight. It is yours to do with as you please now, Ari’sora.”
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Re: A Lesson in Alchemy

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102nd Ashan, 720

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Ari'sora made a mental note of the fact that acids and bases were an aspect of chemistry that was used in alchemy. It was a reminder that a good knowledge of chemistry would help her in her understanding of alchemy, and Ari'sora promised herself that she would try to learn more about the subject. Since her interest in chemistry lay in how a knowledge of it could help her with alchemy more than an interest in the subject itself, she didn't think that she would want to study it officially in the university, but she could study it unofficially by using the library, and Scholar's Nook.

It was fascinating to learn about what phosphorescence was, and about phosphorescent materials. And it was giving her ideas for possible things to try. Would it be possible to make light sources that gave off different colored lights? Kind of like the fire flowers that Professor Thetys had created in the fact that they came in different colors, but as sources of light rather than like stars?

"Is phosphorescence an aspect of chemistry too?" she asked curiously.

The professor spoke of alchemist's shops and pharmacies as places where reagents could be bought, and Ari'sora hoped to be able to go to one soon. It would be fascinating to see what was available, and to possibly learn more about the different reagents that were for sale.

"You mentioned that the hide of a golden salamander could be used to make something fireproof. Can other parts be used as well? Or could they be used for something else related to alchemy? What are golden salamanders? Do they live here in Scalvoris? You said that the hide was expensive...would it be better to catch one and sell it to an alchemist's shop asking for the hide as part of the payment? Or is it something that would be dangerous to harvest?"

If it was dangerous to catch, that would explain why the hide was expensive. If golden salamanders were rare and hard to find, or if they couldn't be found here in Scalvoris, that would explain the cost as well.

When Professor Thetys spoke of reagents that were of magical or divine nature, Ari'sora's eyes widened. She probably could have guessed that there were magical reagents since magic itself was real. But reagents that were of divine origin? Would the Immortals get mad at alchemists who dared use things that belonged to them? How would one even get something that belonged to an Immortal? Unless it was a gift for some reason?

Reagents that were made from combining two or more different reagents were far easier for Ari'sora to wrap her mind around, and she said as much. At the same time, she promised that she wouldn't try to use them until she had mastered the basics and had learned everything she could about the natural reagents first. In her mind, it would be foolish to try and combine reagents to make new ones without knowing everything there was to know about the reagents that would be used to make the new reagents first.

"I've heard of bronze and steel, but I didn't realize that they were alloys that people had to make." she said.

She really didn't know much about metal itself aside from the fact that it was used to make things. She had never really given much thought to how it was created or where it was found.

When Professor Thetys reminded her that she could keep the paperweight she had made, she smiled brightly again.

"Thank you." she said sincerely.

She couldn't wait to show it to Ryl'ryn. Her friend would be as fascinated by it as she was. And she hoped that Ryl'ryn would want to learn about alchemy with her. It would be fun to have something else they could share together.


word count: 664
Rei'sari was formerly Ari'sora, but after getting a fresh start in life and a new appearance from Vega, she changed her name to Rei'sari.
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Re: A Lesson in Alchemy

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“Phosphorescence is an aspect of chemistry”, the Mortalborn confirmed and inclined his head. He was pleased that Ari’sora had come to that conclusion on her own. When she proceeded to ask about Golden Salamanders after all – and had a couple of questions about them - a smile was visible on his face for a moment. He had found it strange that the inquisitive young woman who seemed to soak up his explanations like some sort of sponge had not wanted to know more about a creature that she was, very likely, unfamiliar with, so he appreciated that she asked him about it now.

He did not answer her questions in the order that she had posed them though, but decided on a slightly different structure, a short introduction to that creature, that would hopefully make it easier for her to commit the information to memory. “The Golden Salamander is a lizard, and it is not native to Scalvoris. It can be found in Northern Idalos and is most common around the city of Sirothelle. The hide – or rather, the coating – can be used in two different ways. If you keep it from exposure to air, it constitutes a slow-acting acid. If dried it can be used to make things fireproof.”

He paused for a moment so that Ari’sora would be able to digest what she had heard so far before he continued, “As for catching a Golden Salamander, I would advise against it. From what I know, these creatures are fairly dangerous – I have never attempted to hunt one myself. There is a reason for why that particular reagent is so expensive, especially if you want the acid, by the way”, he added. “It’s hard to keep in liquid form during transport, especially over long distances, so if you ever find yourself in Northern Idalos, you might be able to get it at a lower price.”

The conversation eventually moved on to divine reagents and alloys. When Ari’sora thanked him for the paperweight, he remarked, his eyes still twinkling slightly as her curiosity and her enthusiasm didn’t leave him unaffected, “You’re welcome. Do you have any other questions for me before we part ways for the time being though, Ari’sora?”
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Re: A Lesson in Alchemy

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102nd Ashan, 720

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Ari'sora was happy to learn that her guess about phosphorescence being an aspect of chemistry was right. The idea of a light source that could be charged by leaving it out in the sun to absorb the light was fascinating. You would only ever need one because you could just recharge it whenever you needed to. Well...except in Cylus, of course. Even so, it was a fascinating idea. If you used a light source like that, then you wouldn't need to use candles for light at night. Candles, being a source of open flame, were something that you had to be extremely careful with. If you were startled, and dropped a candle, you could set your own house on fire by mistake. If she could figure out how to make a light source using phosphorescence, then she wouldn't need to worry about that.

She listened to the professor with avid interest as he talked about golden salamanders. For some reason, she had thought the creature would live somewhere hot instead of somewhere cold like northern Idalos. Partly because the lizards she had heard about liked the heat, and partly because its hide could make something fireproof, and fire was heat. But the opposite of heat was cold, and to make something fireproof was to nullify heat...so that seemed right too somehow.

Ari'sora made a mental note that the coating of a golden salamander could be used to make a slow acting acid if it was kept from being exposed to air. It was good to know, and she knew that she might need to know that some trial. But acid would be dangerous to work with unless she knew exactly what she was doing, so it wasn't something that she wanted to work with any time soon. The fireproof qualities were of far more interest to her for the time being, and she said as much. When he suggested that she not try to hunt one, she nodded.

"I would be more likely to try to harvest a plant for reagents than I would be to try and hunt anything. I wouldn't know where to start when it comes to hunting." she admitted.

Hiring someone else to hunt one for her might have been a possibility though, if the golden salamander lived here in Scalvoris. She knew that some hunters were willing to hunt for others in exchange for money, or a portion of the kill.

"Are there any plants that grow here in Scalvoris that make good reagents?" she asked curiously.

The thought of traveling to different places to get reagents at more reasonable prices was interesting as well. It would be interesting to see different parts of the world in and of itself. To do so, and to have the chance of getting rare ingredients at a decent price made the prospect even more attractive.

When Professor Thetys asked her if she had anymore questions, she had to think for a few trills before she answered. To her surprise, she really didn't. The professor had been wonderful about satisfying her curiosity. He had patiently answered all of her questions, and he had done so in a way that was easy for her to understand.

"Not right now. And I want to thank you for being so patient with me. Not everyone would have been willing to answer as many questions as I usually have." she said softly.

"Do you think that we could meet again some time? I would love to have another lesson with you once I've had a chance to learn some more on my own."



word count: 614
Rei'sari was formerly Ari'sora, but after getting a fresh start in life and a new appearance from Vega, she changed her name to Rei'sari.
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