Seated on the shores of Lake Lovalus, Rharne serves as the home of the Lighting Knights, the Thunder Priestesses, and the Merchant's guild. This beautiful trade city is filled with a happy and contented people who rarely need an excuse to party.
Leander had met with Tristan a couple of times now, and Tristan had taught him specifics as well as more general skills when it came to alchemy. He had known nothing about the pseudo-arcane art before meeting Tristan, except that it was a hybrid of chemistry and magic. Now, with a bit more knowledge and experience under his belt, the budding alchemist felt confident enough to try some things on his own.
He also had the added benefit of having completely his own laboratory to work out of. The Shadow Quarter had given him the state of the art facility to work out of, and it was a damned sight better than the shitty ‘workshop’ he had been scraping a living out of before. Now, he had everything at his disposal - so much equipment he didn’t even know the names of half the things in there, as well as most any ingredient he could ever want to use.
The only scary this about what he was about to undertake was that last time he had experimented, he had inadvertently killed someone. Leander didn’t have the same fear now - his equipment wasn’t stolen and used illicitly from the Viden Infirmary, it would not be used to treat patients in a hospital. It was his to do with as he would. Which was nice. A little buffer. But the memory of what he did still haunted him, lived with him, scared him. It made him want to stick with what he knew.
But nothing impressive ever came from making the same shit time and time again. It was time to soldier up and do what he loved doing.
So here he found himself, with his latest commission. He was tasked with creating a concoction to help alleviate the symptoms of burns. Leander knew a little about the treatment of burns, having seen Gennadiya treat a patient some time ago in the Order of the Adunih. They had discussed the benefits of aloe vera among other things. So he had a vague idea of what he was doing. And anything else he needed to know could be found in one of the many books that lined the shelved around this room.
And that’s what Leander did first. He delved into books about medicine. And there he reaffirmed his knowledge about aloe vera - probably the best known treatment for superficial burns. Honey was another option, and then there was a list of chemically created ointments. Leander could have been boring and made one of them, but he had already decided that he wanted to use what little of his alchemy learning he had to try to make an alchemical paste for burns. He wouldn’t be too adventurous - this was only for superficial burns: the type that scalded the skin but didn’t travel further to the muscle or even deeper. It should be simple, and well within his ability to make.
Well, he said that, but he had already tried twice this trial and failed. Something just wasn’t slotting into place. He had considered seeking out Tristan and asking him, but he wanted to try to succeed on his own and present his creation proudly to his instructor, with the suggestion that his invention could be added to their Recipe Book. No such luck. Inventing something was probably too advanced for him at this stage. Apart from a couple of lessons, he was largely unskilled in the craft.
Instead, the chemist put back the book on medicine and sought a book on simple alchemical creations. Luckily he had one. It was almost like the Shadow Quarter knew what he was up to. Which they were; he’d already heard a disembodied voice in broad daylight, terrifying him. But he brushed that thought away and turned to his book on alchemy, skimming the pages until he found what he was looking for. A burn paste. Perfect. He read through the instructions before starting to make it, and in his head, he was already thinking of ways to improve it. But, again, he shouldn’t run before he could walk, so he decided to stick to the recipe and not divert at all.
Once he had checked over the recipe (twice), Leander searched his ingredients cupboard for what he needed. Aloe vera, of course, cider vinegar and raw honey were the key ingredients. He was going to use beeswax as a base, which sounded very sensible, as he had just read that it accelerates skin regeneration. It was also quite a neutral option. He prepared this in a flask first, heating it up over a small burner on the worktop. Rosewater would be an agent, much like it would be used in chemistry, which he also prepared separately, adding in some aloe vera first to the mixture and shaking it well to ensure it mixed together without issue.
Leander looked at it and took a cursory sniff of the product - both the rosewater and the aloe vera had distinctive smells. It reminded him of some soap his mother had had in Viden, and being reminded of home was never a good thing. Pushing that thought from his mind, Leander cast another glance over the instructions as he put down the flask containing the reagent. Honey was to be added next, and heated to a good temperature, just like the beeswax.
What he actually did, rather than having his creation burn straight over the fire, which would have caused it to bubble and potentially congeal, he placed it in a glass bowl, which he then put in a pot of boiling water. It could that more evenly and naturally that way, and didn’t require his attention on it at all times stirring it constantly.
Coconut oil next, once the beeswax had melted entirely. In it went, with a stir and a mix around. He checked on his rosewater and aloe vera next - the rose water was evaporating off on top of the heat, which was what he wanted, to be left with the thicker substance that would make up his burn paste. Good. What he wanted, though, was something to create more of a cooling effect, which was where the alchemy came in over just a more simple chemistry salve or paste. That was the point of the rose water, he surmised from the recipe. This was a good book, it really explained the purpose of the ingredients and what they added to the final product. Whoever wrote it must be related to Tristan.
Back to the base mixture, which was cooking nicely. He was careful as he took it off the heat and placed it on the worktop. It looked and smelt amazing, honey was a delightful little ingredient to work with - perhaps his favourite. It was just so versatile. He added the remaining rose water and aloe vera mixture to the beeswax mixture and stirred it briskly until the mixture was completely homogenous. It was very liquid-like at this stage, but he knew that the aloe and beeswax would harden as they cooled down, so he was optimistic that it would turn out just fine after it had been sitting for a few breaks.
Once he was satisfied that the mixture was thoroughly mixed, he added a few final drops of cider vinegar to the mixture with a pipette. It was an optional addition, according to the recipe - giving it just that little kick. But Leander was always one for a little flair, and he had the ingredient lying around, so why not use it? With that done, he turned the bowl on its side and, using a spoon, divvied out the completed (and still liquidy) burn paste into three small metal tins. He moved them towards the window, where the crisp Vhalar air would help to cool the paste down faster. He needed it ready for the next trial (all his failed attempts had delayed the creation of the final product, and he had been procrastinating over the past few trials).
He placed his hands on his hips and stared at the product. The whole thing had taken just over a break to create from start to finish. He had always had it in his head that an alchemical creation would take a whole trial. But he supposed he’d chosen a simple one to start with. It was really rather painless! Smiling to himself, Leander turned away from the three tins sitting on the windowsill and turned to clean up his mess and prepare for making something else. Maybe he would be more adventurous with chemistry next.
Research: Research What You're Doing Before You Do It
Research: Use Books
Consequence: The Shadow Quarter has a job available in Leander's Innbox after he makes the burn cream. They present him with a recipe for a toxin, Pain Button. They want him to see if he can alter the irritant that causes pain in it (apitoxin), to cause a more specific kind of pain, that of burn wounds.
Skill Review: All Skills used appropriately to PC's level
Notes: First off, since you noted some trepidation about using alchemy in thread, let me assure you that what alchemy is mostly about is transferring properties from one substance or material to another, broadly. How you do this can vary from instance to instance. You could have an alchemist that focuses purely on witchcraft and does weird rituals that somehow cause reagents to transfer properties to a substance/portion/artifact. Then you have more conventional chemists like Leander, who can use the power of science to use realistic-sounding methods in order to produce a desired result. In either event, I think you've achieved a good thing here. I don't know anything about chemistry myself, but what I heard here sounded convincing enough within its own internal logic that I could accept that it was working.
It was a good thread, and good to see Leander making proper use of his laboratory. Thanks for the read.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding this review, feel free to PM. Enjoy your rewards!
