Alchemy

Alchemy is a subsection of the Artificers practice. It involves the deconstruction and combination of substances in a scientific processes to create products that are greater than the sum of their parts.

These creations may be medicine, dyes, inks, metals, cures, waxes, adhesives, solvents, acids, bases, beverages, cements, psychoactives, Pneumoactives, potions, and poisons.

Alchemy operates using what are called Principals. Principals are, in essence, the abstract pieces of a substance which emits the substance’s Informational Energy. That is to say, they are the smallest, distinct arrangements of Nodes within a substance other than Nodes themselves. To break a principal down further, would just result in individual Nodes.

Principals are extremely unique in the fact that they exhibit a single magical trait based on what principal they are. Principals are extracted by exposing a substance to specific chemicals and magical processes. This breaks the substance down into what are called Unbound Principals. Unbound Principals seek to bind themselves to anything they can. Upon binding to another substance, the resulting product will be a new substance. However, not all reactions are favorable, and the vast majority are not useful or dangerous.

This is because the likely create something volatile, or the inert substance Phlogiston. Phlogiston (sometimes called Anti-Material), is the product of any reaction which causes loss. For example, when a log burns the material products are charcoal, ash, and a handful of various gases. However, there is also a great unaccounted for loss of material. This is because a great deal of the material is converted to Phlogiston. Phlogiston is wholly unreactive. As a solid, it appears as a very dark glass-like stone. As a liquid, it appears as very clear water. As a gas it is entirely invisible, but has a distinct sharp, fresh smell. The empty space within The Cosmos is actually very saturated with Phlogiston.

To avoid this, alchemists will add their refined principals to substances which won’t react with the given principal. An alchemist’s goal is to combine principals with other principals and substances to create something new and useful.

Unbound principals within one’s body are extremely dangerous. They can cause a Curiosity known as Alchemist’s Blood. Alchemist’s Blood is a wide range of symptoms, all originating from a singular cause: the random binding of unbound principals to one’s body. It can cause things as minor as a change of eye color, or the temporary curling of one’s hair. More often, they are major symptoms like the fusing of teeth, losing the ability to lie, or delirium. Death is considered one of the better outcomes where Alchemist’s Blood is concerned.

There are said to be an infinite amount of potential principals, any many are constantly being discovered. Every object is made up of a finite, but large number of principals. What follows is a list of various famed principals:

• Fire
• Water
• Mass
• Reflectiveness
• Toxicity
• Flexibility
• Remembrance
• Wine
• Wake
• Sleep
• Protection
• Vegetation
• Age
• Salt
• Structure
• Death
• Purity
• Cess
• Healing
• Memory
• Strength
• Concentration
• Love
• Digestion
• Psychic Potential
• Courage
• Banishment
• Flesh
• Blood
• Positivity
• Negativity
• Passion
• Chaos
• Attraction
• Perpetuity
• Spirituality
• Renewal
• Exorcism
• Focus
• Weather
• Abundance
• Soothing
• Explosivity
• Remedy

Academics and Philosophers have sought a connection between Iron Light’s Ferric Alphabet and Principals since the discovery of the Ferric Alphabet. However a clear connection has not been found. The Majority believe that there is no direct correlation between the two, but rather the two sciences lead the the same end location; a set of low-level magical concepts used to control Space, Matter, and Energy.

Grand Alchemy is a term used within alchemy to describe the creation of substances so potent that their effects are permanent. The ingredients used are exceedingly rare and extremely dangerous.