true science over hocus pocus.

by **Eridanus** on October 31st, 2012, 2:51 pm

Day 30, Spring of 470 AV
Early Noon
Lym's Workshop underneath the Opal Temple

A young vantha brooded in the confines of the cluttered laboratory, where glassware of all sorts, retorts and all sorts of interesting equipment lay around the various tables in the room. He felt like a bull in a china shop, and so remain seated where he was, refusing to move until the person who told him to stay there returned.

-=|/*\|=-

"Why do you seek our isle?"

"To meditate, to understand."

"Why here when that can be fulfilled elsewhere?"

"Because of the serenity of this place, and the wisdom of its founders."

"What do you then, seek to do here?"

"To meditate, and reflect."

"To seek peace you say?"

"Affirmative."

"And not to run away?"

"..."

-=|/*\|=-

The man's eyes were sunken and hollow, that was the impression one got from them. Of course, his features were in their prime, of peak youth. There was something unnatural in his perfect beauty within his mortal features, as if he were removed from time and untouched by age. Yet, from the very expression he gave one got the impression that he had haunted eyes burdened by weariness and exhaustion.

Moral exhaustion.

-=|/*\|=-

"I am told that you wish to see a philterer."

"The worker of mundane alchemy, creator of miracles, yes."

"You are too kind in your expectations."

"I am but expressing my opinion in this art."

"Why do you seek me?"

"To learn, to understand."

"If lessons are what you seek, they can be bought from the greater minds present. I will fetch-"

"Then why do you present yourself when I requested for one?"

"..."

"Relieve the burden in your mind. Let us share in your apprehension."

"You are more astute than I thought, man-of-the-colored-eyes. And yet, questions of my own appear just as yours do."

"Speak your intentions, for mine is clear as day."

"I have a lack of an assistant to help not just with my life's work, but with the various menial tasks surrounding it."

"I am used to hard labor. It does not bother me."

"And yet you say this with bitterness. Tell me, Eridanus, what clouds the darkness of your heart so?"

"..."

"You came to Mura in the context of learning. Yet, you sought to dispel your discomfort and delve into study. Is that not escapism?"

"So I am told."

"That very same bitterness again. Well then, I shall not pry any further, for everyone have their own time before they could come to terms with their decisions. I only pray that you do so while on Mura, for we have as much time as you require, and you can take as much time as you need."

"Time holds no meaning for me, Lady Lym."

-=|/*\|=-

The child of Morwen glanced around, seeing the idly colored liquids in containers of various shapes and sizes that stood on shelves against the walls. Footsteps from outside began to increase in sound, and he turned his head in anticipation, his monotonous yet disturbingly expressive gaze swiveling in the direction of the door. Like a lost child, hoping for his mother to return home.

-=|/*\|=-

"And so I see that I am in the right direction for this. But we digress, are you amenable to our arrangements then?"

"Regarding-"

"The only 'hard labour' I wish to see from you is an intense desire to learn and understand. I have no doubts as to your capacity for that, judging from the reason that you came here for. For the rest of the work, I'd be happy if you focus more on the part of diligence, prudence and meticulousness rather than mere brawn."

"I understand."

"I will pay you-"

"I only require my meager needs to be fulfilled within the day, and that the tools for the furthering of knowledge be provided."

"Not to be impatient, but of course these will be provided. It is taken for granted. On top of that, I shall recompense-"

"Keep the rest for yourself, if not for the Opal Temple and the Order, m'lady. I know my purpose here, and have no further need for the rest."

"An ascetic?"

"Just determined."

"As you wish. I appreciate that and am grateful."

-=|/*\|=-

The door opened, revealing one of the beautiful citizenry of the isle, but whose eyes were touched by compassion. While she could not hope to compare against the best in her art, she differentiated herself with an inquisitive mind and of course, her unique adaptability in securing resources she could not normally procure.

Such as Eridanus.

by **Eridanus** on October 31st, 2012, 3:12 pm

Lym would not know it, but this was merely the start of a harmonious working relationship in which Eridanus gradually proved his worth to her, becoming indispensable to her work. That she would find herself in a similar situation after he grappled with the demons in his heart and left the isle in peace, and a similarly haunted man would appear before her again decades later, seeking her help.

Perhaps Eridanus started the seed of future apprenticeships, perhaps he did not. Who would know except for Lhex, the weaver of Fate? But let us return to the present for now, or the past if we were to refer to the current time frame, and see what our two characters are up to.

"You seem like a lost child, Eridanus."

"I do not wish to cause unnecessary damage."

Lym paused as she considered his words more gravely that a normal person would. Yet, she was a Konti, and they were a race of empathetic seers. Body language was not lost on them.

"Be at ease, child," Lym replied gently, considering the vantha with compassion. "Leave your past behind for now, and work with me. In your own words, we shall create create miracles, okay?"

"As you wish, m'lady."

Heading towards the table in front of the fidgeting man, Lym cleared away the glassware before him, placing them to further tables. Reaching below the desk, she pat her hands about until she found what she was looking for, placing an empty book before him along with the standard writing set of quill and ink-vial.

"The ink's a little cruddy, you'd have to mix it around with water a bit. Just take a little from the cup on your left."

As Eridanus proceeded to follow her instructions, Lym took a chair and placed it opposite of the now-cleared table to sit opposite of her new apprentice.

"Before we have you fiddling with potentially dangerous substances, let's have you acquainted properly. Don't fret if you don't understand it all at once. Write down what I tell you, and reflect upon them in your own time. Are you ready?"

"Ready as ever, ma'am."

by **Eridanus** on October 31st, 2012, 3:53 pm

"I will be bringing you up to date on some of the basic materials that we will be using in our subsequent sessions. In the next one, it will be more practical and will involve handling of apparatus. For now, it will mostly be theoretical, but you must know it like the back of your hand if we hope to get somewhere in future, practical sessions. Do you understand, Eridanus?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"There is no need to stand on ceremony, child. Be at ease."

Eridanus remained silent instead, for there was just something about her that commanded respect. Her display of compassion did not go unnoticed, and a broken man like him was in dire need of one. He was appreciative, but it did not show easily through his damaged shell. Trust was difficult to earn, difficult to show, difficult to prove.

"In terms of substances that we work with, there are specific materials peculiar to Philtering. Though they may be found in everyday life, they are important to our operations. Understand that philtering works by combining natural substances to create an effect you desire - this is directed by knowledge alone, not magic or unnatural warping of nature."

"Does not magic play some part?"

"Only at higher levels when you truly understand the concept of Philtering. Do not be impatient, child, and master the basics first. Without a strong base, you cannot hope to form the ladder you desire."

"Understood."

"The substances that form the basis of philtering knowledge, and to our understanding of the world, is categorized into two. On one hand we have the Corrosionem, while on the other we have the Kaustos. These two are extremes, polar opposites. Reactions in philtering involve splitting and joining a variety of these two to create the effects we want, got me so far?"

The quill scratched noisily as the student quietly took down the konti's words.

"Corrosionem and Kaustos. Got it."

"There are too many substances of those types that belong out there, and if you are interested I suggest leafing through the many books in the Medical Library. There are many more out there that remain undiscovered. However, we shall cover the basic ones that we do know, and form the majority of our basic operations. Heed them well."

Eridanus nodded.

by **Eridanus** on October 31st, 2012, 3:59 pm

"For the Kaustos, we have Lye. Surely you must have heard of it in your travels?" Lym raised a questioning eye to her student.

"I have heard of it yes, amongst merchants, but I have no knowledge as to its origin."

"Take it down first; we will explore its properties in detail in the future. Lye is an important Kaustos for basic reactions. The other one just as common is the Ash of Qali. Oh, be sure to leave several pages for each substance I name for you to fill in as we go."

The student's quill stopped just before he touched the space after the word "lye", and he dutifully turned several pages and printed the words "Ash of Qali" nicely at the top.

"Often heard in construction, if you have ventured there before, is Slaked Lime. If you are into medicine, you may have heard of the Milk of Magnesia. And finally, a more common metal-based Kaustos would be the Spirits of Copper. There are, of course, other various metal-based Kaustos such as the Spirits of Iron and so forth, but the list is never-ending. Next up is that of the Corrosionem; are you still with me?"

"I remain resolute, m'lady."

"Ah, I think I may like you after all, Eridanus. I like your attitude," Lym smiled fondly as if she were looking endearingly at her own child.

by **Eridanus** on October 31st, 2012, 4:10 pm

"Turn several more pages, you might want to document more things you know about Kaustos in the future. Do not fear, it is a simple matter of separating and rebinding the pages should you find yourself trapped, there is no need to recopy the book if such events occur."

Lym cleared her throat, and took a gulp from the beaker that Eridanus drew water from to mix with the crusty ink.

"Oh, and never use lab equipment for such personal things like drinking water. This beaker is special; I figured that a normal cup would be too small and I decided to use this copper beaker for my hydration needs. Notice the blue paint at the side here? This is the only safe beaker to drink from, the rest are contaminated by substances. Do not, I repeat, do NOT imbibe from those other containers."

Placing her personal drinking apparatus back on the table, the philterer continued her lecture.

"Corrosionem are structured according to their strength. If we vaguely represent them as two scales, we would have the strong, and obviously-"

"The weak."

"Well, that much is obvious. For the strong, we have the foundational trinity that forms the basis of most philtering operations. That would be - note it down carefully - the Spirits of Niter, Spirits of Salt, and the Oil of Vitriol. The last is a very power substance made of a combination of the foundational three, known as Royal Water."

"If you will soon notice about the weak Corrosionem, they can be found in food as well. We will cover them more speedily in our sessions because of their relative lack of importance, but let me continue. We have Wood Liquor, and no that is not drinkable alcohol. Or at least, not until we treat it accordingly. We have the Essence of Fruit, found primarily in oranges and lemons, though other fruits contain some of it too. Surprised? We shall learn to isolate them as well, for they have their own uses. There is the Acid of the Air, sounds intriguing no? You'll understand why, with a shock actually, later on. If you cook, Eridanus, you might be familiar with Cream of Tartar. If not, one with a trained arm as yours might go across the term "Rustbane" sometime."

Eridanus scribbled furiously, though printing as neatly as he could, flipping through several pages to leave space for the details.

Corrosionem
Strong
Spirits of Niter
Spirits of Salt
Oil of Vitriol
Royal Water
Weak
Wood Liquor
Essence of Fruit
Acid of the Air
Rustbane
Cream of Tartar

Lym peered over at the journal, nodding to herself with a satisfied grin.

"And that is all for today, Eridanus. Reflect upon this, and perhaps seek to reunite with yourself. Being at odds in disharmony with your soul is damaging-"

"I will study diligently, Lady Lym. I bid my leave."

With that, the vantha abruptly left, evidently uncomfortable with the konti's not-so-subtle prying.

Lym shook her head, smiling as she watched him leave.