Cooking It Up [Sanc Staff]

[Serrif Von Chatlyn]

85th of Summer 512AV

The Lab was done; plenty of time was poured into getting everything just right for the staff use. Kavala and he had poured plenty of hours of work into this. They discussed layout of everything and he even had to pull the memories of his time at the Opal Temple labs to put to use here. But now…now that it was mostly done and only needed little things here and there he could set himself back to his studies again. He stretched some as he entered the Laboratory workroom from the long carved hallway. He remembered every shovel of sand Kavala had created making this place; he envied her skill in this matter.

He set his eyes to look around the workroom…it still amazed him what had been created in this Cliffside face. On a small table next to the entry door he had a log, he only asked that everyone who entered and left denoted that they had been here and generally when they entered and left. This let him keep a log of who was in and out and when. Next to this log was another smaller book that helped him keep track of things that were needed. For instance if someone needed a sedative or a medicine or noticed a specific medicine was in short supply they only needed to not it here. And when he or anyone else came in they could make these things if they had the time.

He thumbed through the small book and noted that ‘Sedatives’ was written. He couldn’t tell whose penmanship it was so he had no idea who had written it. But nevertheless he knew that if it was written here then it was needed for something. So he stretched his arms out and focused his mind. Knowing well what he was going to be doing now. Sedatives…he knew of a few now he only needed to check the storage room and see if they had what he needed to do such a thing.

He saw several mushroom varieties and well noticed one of them from his time in Mura. It was exactly what he needed…or so he believed. He would only know once he inspected it a little closer. The mushrooms were in a basket just lying around. So he took one out and examined it in the light closely to see if it matched what he knew of the specific genus he was looking for. Some of the mushroom rubbed off on his hand and ne noted it was a fine white dust, which was exactly what he was looking for. If it were yellow it wouldn’t be safe for consumption. This species had a very close cousin that was deadly poisonous. If he made a sedative from it by accident it would kill instead of numb.

On one of the round islands in the room were his three personal blank books. Here he wrote about everything of importance dealing with herbalism, medicine, philtering, and any interesting plants he felt needed to be documented. It was a tedious process but well worth it because he need everything documented for use here in the Sanctuary. They could use this information for all kinds of medicinal needs and if he ever needed to take this information to the Opal Order he could make copies.

One of his books contained information from Mura all of the notes he could manage to take from Lym while he was studying with her. He flipped through the pages one by one looking through the memories which brought a smile to his face. He remembered his early mornings with her mixing the very things listed on these pages. But today he was looking for something specific, a sedative. He had several listings for such a thing but he knew the one he wanted to make was made from mushrooms. He hadn’t made this mixture in awhile. Detailed notes filled this void quite nicely. Everything he needed was indeed present here in this ornate laboratory Kavala had made. The only glassware he needed was a retort and a rounded boiling flask. Which was easy to find it only took him a few steps around the lab to gather all the appropriate glassware that ne needed.

[Gianne Basete]

OOC : Just a small announcement, I won't be posting in this thread like I first intended, so ya'll go on ahead without me. Have fun!

[Elem Bree]

Everything about the Sanctuary was amazing to Elem. While the open air area above was still a long way from being rebuilt, the subterranean portions were almost too much for him to comprehend. Most of it had been carved or shaped from the rock itself, though it seemed so perfect. There were no chisel marks, the craftsmanship was just too amazing. He couldn't think of anything shoddy, other than his clothes. It was a short walk from his room, which was also the nicest place he had ever slept, to the laboratory.

He would work with Serrif Von Chatlyn, something he had been looking forward to for many reasons: Serrif was also marked by Mother, was an accomplished herbalist and medical practitioner, and was a man. While Kavala was amazing in her own right, it was very nice to work alongside the other man there at the Sanctuary. No weirdness, just work. As he entered the facility, he could see the older man already at work, gathering glassware and noting things in books. A genuine smile of anticipation crossed Elem's features.

Stopping to log himself in at the logbook, as he was instructed to by Kavala, he let his soles of his tired shoes drag on the floor enough to make a scuffing sound, should Serrif be involved in what he was doing. Hands full of glass did not always work well with a sharp 'Hey!'. Once he was noticed, he would be prepared to learn and assist. The prospects at the Sanctuary were so bright.

[Serrif Von Chatlyn]

Ah another man… Just like Elm it was good for Serrif to work with another human male. On Mura he was a man among many many many women. All of them as beauitufl as Kavla….some even more beautiful than her. And it was torturous because his was always distracted. But among another man he could finally just get work done without any awkwardness. “Good to see you there. Today we will need some sedatives for various reasons. They are simple to manufacture so I figured it would be a good starting point for today.”

He set down his glassware and then nodded to Elm, “We will need to cut up a decent amount of those mushrooms I laid out on the table in order to make it. If you want to start that would be a good place as any. I’ll start construction of the rest of the apparatus that we will be using and we’ll go from there. Nice and easy.” He knew he could trust the man to cut up mushrooms without cutting off a hand…or so he hoped he could.

He remembered being in Elm’s spot with Lym; but he had learned so much with his Mistress. So many mornings of nothing but teaching and learning; he nodded some. Yes, he and Elm were seemingly going to get along fine. If the man understood basic lab procedures and safeties everything would be fine. And by his first estimates of the man he did understand the logbook which was good because it kept things even and logged. When the lab became busier it would become more important but for now it was just building up a habit really.

[Elem Bree]

Yes, very logical and clear. It was almost as if Elem enjoyed the lack of smiles and gushing that came with women. Not that he wanted that to end during his off time, but this was clearly on time. "Of course." It was all he had to say initially, his focus on details. While he would be focused clearly on the handling of a knife and the careful handling of the mushrooms, in between he would watch his senior construct whatever apparatus he was doing. Always omething to learn, never an idle moment in the laboratory.

The mushrooms lay before him. Elem handled the knife taking the first mushroom and turning it on its side. he gingerly cut the stem free, sliding it to its own space. Next, he would place the mushroom flat, pressing down with four fingers close together. He made clean, even cuts before his fingers, then turning the slices and cutting them once more. He moved the cap pieces to a separate pile. He was unaware of the particular name of the mushroom he was handling, but he knew that some mushrooms were more potent in the stem rather than the cap.

This continued as he increased the sizes of the piles, the stems remaining whole. Stopping briefly, he asked, "Would you like the stems cut as well? I had left them intact." No assumptions were made in the laboratory. He could see a fine spore dust on his fingers, which begged another question. "Is there somewhere I can wash my hands? If these are for sedatives, I'd rather not accidentally ingest any." Until his questions were answered, he kept his eye on Serrif's endeavors between cuttings.

[Serrif Von Chatlyn]

While Elem worked on cutting the mushrooms he brought the glassware forward and began construction. The glassare would be somewhat simple, just a retort set on a rounded boiling stand dripping into a chilled flask. He would likely want to put the glass flask in a water bath as to chill the liquid that would boil into it. That would be the most effective way of doing this in his mind. He didn’t have any of the cutting edge equipment that Lym herself likely had to travel to Windreach to have made. But what he had here was more than enough and would suffice for what he had planned.

There was an area on the table setup for a flame setup to heat the retort so he gathered some materials so he could begin heating the mixture once it was in the glassware. He used some small twigs of wood and a few coal bricks. He needed some heat to get the coal properly lit and then the reaction would be self-sustaining. But getting to that heat without creating too much peripheral heat was indeed somewhat of an art. He would likely start the fire wait for the bricks to warm then put the glassware down on the metal pedestal. He didn’t want to break anything or risk having some sort of unforeseen reaction if his mixture met the fire head on. You never really knew what to expect when going into unknown territory with herbalism and medicine. He had never exposed this substances refining to a bare flame….so he was reluctant to do so without careful planning and self-supervision.

“Yes go ahead cut up the stems as well if you want, wash your hands with some of that there in the glass flask mixed with water.” He said pointing to a glass bottle of obliteration grade alcohol. One would not drink such a thing because the lining of the throat couldn’t easily stomach it. Which is why he had Elem dilute it with water as well. He didn’t want the man rubbing his skin raw.

While Elem cleaned up he set aside the retort and pulled forward a small glass beaker. He put it in a wooden tub not much bigger than the beaker and poured water into the tub to surround it. That would cool the liquid enough for his liking, being he couldn’t do much more without ice of some kind on hand. He then started the fire and let it slowly begin to heat up the few coal bricks that the wooden twigs and such surrounded. He watched the starting fire burn out as it was replaced with a somewhat hotter stagnant heat. But it would still take time for the heat to get where he needed it…so they needed to wait.

“So Elem what do you know of herbalism, medicine and healing?” He figured he would ask these things especially since he would be working with the man from now on it seemed. Not that he minded, he rather liked having a colleague of the same sex for once.

[Elem Bree]

Elem watched the older man set up the glassware as he waited for a response. He had seen such setups at the laboratories at the University, but the constant shifts at the Infirmary stole him away from much hands on work with them. He suspected that had he stayed, he may very well be using them now and even knowing what they were called. He thought better than to call himself out for being ignorant, choosing to maybe see if Serrif mentioned their names himself.

At the instruction, he proceeded to chop the stems, laboring to be speedy while not being careless. Once finished, he selected a bowl from a shelf and used the knife to slide the diced bits into it. He watched the careful use of heat with the glassware,fascinated with the process. It did make him have a small twinge of disappointment that he was not as sophisticated, but it was brief. He cleaned the knife carefully and set it aside, sniffing the jar of clear liquid. It was clearly alcohol, so he diluted it as ordered before cleaning his hands.

Once he was all finished with that, he brought the bowl of mushrooms over and placed it clear of the setup. He watched the careful labor of cooling and heating that was going on with interest, but soon it was just the two of them standing there. Serrif asked Elem a rather pointed question, one which instilled the young healer with both pride and anxiety. Sucking at his teeth for a moment, he responded.

"Well, let's see. I studied herbalism and medicine at the University of Zeltiva. I admit, my experience was not so sophisticated, with all of these tools and whatnot. I am sure they had them, but I spent most of my time working in the University's Infirmary. Had to work in order to pay for school and eat, of course. So, laboratory work like this is a bit new for me, but I will be a good student." He smiled, pausing slightly before continuing. " At the Winter Ball I saved a stabbing victim. That is when Mother Rak'keli appeared before me and marked me among Her own. To be honest, before that, I was a bit pompous, believing that science and medicine could heal anything. However, once the Spring Storm's catastrophic wave arrived in Zeltiva, I found that Her gifts were very useful."

He tried to think of something more impressive, but really came up with zilch. " I am mostly familiar with astringents, purgatives, healing herbs and the like. I have never worked with sedatives or mushrooms, so all of this is very new to me. I know that you and Kavala have much to teach me and I hope I turn out to be helpful to you two somehow as well." He smiled, waiting for the next step or piece of advice or question.

[Serrif Von Chatlyn]

The table islands were made of complete stone, which was why Serrif didn’t hesitate to starting s small heated fire on it. There was an area on the island that was recessed just a little to hold the burning coals inside it. He was glad to see that Elem knew the general procedures in the laboratory. He knew the basics but as per his statements later he realized that he was likely lacking some of the finer skills that he had acquired in Mura.

“That’s an interesting way to have been marked by Rak’keli, I’ve been to a ball once myself in Mura. Well it was a sort of ball held by the Timandre matron.” He said recalling the event. He still couldn’t shake the beauty of Shahal TImandre; he knew how she could be easily mistaken for a goddess by visitors.

“If you think Kavala or any other Konti is beautiful; you should lay eyes on Shahal Timandre.” He said with a slight laugh shaking his head some as he watched the coals heat up some more.

“In Mura I was taught by a healer; I can’t help but think at times that she groomed me for this. She took pride in having me follow healing from start to finish. She had me work the gardens gather ingredients, working in the lab making medicine as well as working the clinic helping patients with the medicines I made. But I know I also have much more to learn; I still look forward to occupying some of Kavala’s time when she gets a moment or two. She is always soo busy. Which is why you and I will likely be operating the laboratory ourselves. Kavala has better things to do”

[Elem Bree]

Elem was very impressed with Serrif as it was, but he had been to Mura. And trained there! He had to know more. "Mura? That's really impressive. I was going to travel there myself before I chose to come this way. I didn't feel I was up to speed to go there. I wanted to wait until I really knew what Iwas doing before I went to such a place. It's no wonder you are so skilled! I have read about it in the libraries of Zeltiva and spoke to Konti, but I know that is no comparison to being there. Could you tell me more about it?"

He liked the idea of assisting Serrif in his duties, learning second hand of how the real healers did it, the born healers. It had to be so magical. Magical. Oh yes, he had nearly forgotten about it. "Hey, also, I was wondering. Kavala had mentioned a practice called Philtering. I know sort of what it is, that it is a magical kind of alchemical procedure? Is that what this glassware is for? I don't mean to run on and on but I am very excited about learning from experts, as opposed to books. This is so much better than Zeltiva." It really was, no offense to his sort of alma mater.

Looking at the coals as they heated, he tried to guess as to what the process here was. Keeping water at a certain temperature. Was this part of the Philtering process? He always assumed you just boiled water. It was as clear as the water in the bucket that he had much to learn about so many things. At least he was in the right place to do so.

[Serrif Von Chatlyn]

“I wasn’t ready to learn either when I went to Mura. But I learned by way of immersion. I learned herbalism, philtering, and medicine from a Konti named Lym. She was an experimentalist in nature but taught me the basics. Now that I am here I will learn more of the advanced principals from the libraries here as well as Kavala.” He admitted not to knowing everything but at the same time he knew more than most.

“There is a magical component to philtering but only after you learn the essentials. It is about distilling, boiling and making new compounds by mixing what you know. It is about balance and equality and knowing what you want to end up with as your final product. There is various glassware like what you see that you can use to obtain these mixtures.” He believed this may need a little better explanation.

“The truth is the glassware contraptions can be easy like the one we made or much more complex. The mind is the limit as far as what is possible….well that and knowledge as well as an adequate pairing with skill.” He said with a smile as he watched the fire burn down to hot coals. That was exactly what he needed.

He put a measured small amount of water in the retort so that it would help dissolve the mushrooms. He also needed something to help obliterate the mushroom itself so he moved over to the table and poured in some of the high grade alcohol as well. That would help dissolve some of the mushroom and release some of it’s more interesting properties. The mushrooms were added into the mix a little at a time. He only added about a third of the mushrooms knowing well that he would have to make several doses in order to use up what Elem had cut.

“You should travel to Mura, you’d find it refreshing I am sure.”