[Stormhold Salves] Phabulous Philters Pt. II

[Aoren]

11th of Autumn, 513 AV
8th Bell
“Good morning, Aoren.” The young man nodded in greeting to his employer as he walked through the door to Stormhold Salves. It was another day in Syliras just like any other. The only difference was that today was yet another day that he would continue his training in Philtering. He had been working under Mistress Sahfri Blackleaf’s tutelage for a little over a year at this point. He was excited at the prospect of increasing his skills.

“Good morning, Mistress Blackleaf.” Sahfri nodded to him by way of greeting a small smile touching her lips. She was presently browsing through the ledger of the store taking note of supplies, new equipment that needed to be replaced, herbs that did not grow in her greenhouse that needed to be acquired from the market or in the wilderness, everything that went along with running a business. Aoren was glad that he wasn’t the owner of the shop. It was more mathematics and logical calculation than he could presently handle.

“Are you ready to continue your education in the art of Philtering?” He nodded eagerly as he grabbed his apron from the cleaning closet. He tossed the loop over his head then tied the loose sashes behind his back before straightening it. There were stains, charred bits of cloth, and a plethora of other things across the surface of the apron. At first he’d been embarrassed at the messy display on his work apron but Mistress Blackleaf had only smiled telling him that it was a mark of an accomplished Philterer. It had made his chest swell with pride even if he was nowhere near her level of competency in the craft.

“Go to the work room. I will be in there shortly. I just need to finish making a few notations.” Doing as he was bidden Aoren made his way into the back workroom of the shop. It was in this room that all the concoctions that lined the shelves of Stormhold Salves were created. This was the workshop. He always enjoyed being inside of it. He felt like he was actively doing something worthwhile whenever he worked alongside his employer learning how to create medicines, preserve foods, apply oils to different bits of armor or generally just increase his knowledge of herbs and their uses. Assembled before him were the workstations that Mistress Blackleaf had formed the day prior. He took a moment to calm his excitement. The prospect of learning something new always got Aoren riled up. He placed his hands on his hips then looked over all of the bits of equipment. He checked to make sure the glassware didn’t have any cracks.

[Aoren]

He picked up the iron utensils making sure there was minimal flakes or that they were free of rust. Once all of that was accomplished he set each piece of equipment down looking up to see Mistress Blackleaf walk into the room with barely a whisper.

“How long did it take you to assemble most of the equipment for Philtering?” Sahfri looked at him for a moment as she picked up a few manuscripts from a shelf across from the worktable.

“When I came to Syliras I offered the Knights my skills. At the time I was the only reputable Philterer in the whole of the city. The provided this shop, they commissioned the glassblowers to create the glassware, and petitioned the blacksmiths for the assorted tools. I merely pay them a portion of my profits as a fee.” Aoren nodded. He knew that most of the merchants in the city operated in such a manner. Gold was not something that was easy to come by. Vast amounts of it? He knew of only two merchants who could boast such wealth.

“Do you ever regret it?” She paused for a moment as she opened up one of the thick leather bound tomes atop the surface of the worktable. Her eyes scanned the planes of Aoren’s face for a few silent seconds before a soft smile touched her lips.

“No.” Aoren nodded. He was satisfied with that answer. If she truly felt otherwise he had no way of knowing it. Not at the moment anyways. There were certainly magical ways of telling whether someone was lying or not but such magic was beyond his grasp. At least at the present time anyways.

“So then, what are we going to be delving into today?” Sahfri chuckled sliding the manuscript over to Aoren with one of her hands whilst the others busied themselves with tinkering with the assembled equipment. She was undoubtedly doing precisely what he had done moments before, testing for their integrity. Aoren took the book immediately scanning the page.

“Assation. Semi-solid substances such as waxes and other similar compounds can be processed through assation to help purify and separate key components from the base substance. The end result is the reduction of the base substance into ash and dust thus revealing its root components. The base substance is placed in a glass vessel and dried over hot ashes or on placed the edge of a special brazier. If an oven is available, it is more preferred due to the more even, clean reduction.”

[Aoren]

He blinked as he let the information process in his mind. This was a new technique that he had yet to do while under her employment. He looked up to see that Sahfri had already grabbed a jar of what appeared to be a thick waxy substance. At his inquisitorial look she held up the jar.

“Bee’s wax.” He tilted his head to the side with a shrug. It made sense. Bee’s wax was a waxy substance and when collected in copious amounts it could be preserved via Philtering and used at a later time.

“I presume we are going to be using that in this exercise?” She nodded with a smile picking up a butter knife she dug it into the bee’s wax digging it out and placing it in a bowl.

“You presume correctly. Tell me, what are some tools around the workshop that might be useful in the process of assation?” Aoren smiled. He had been expecting questions. It was her way of teaching. Sahfri made you think over everything. She seldom just gave an answer. She made her pupils formulate the solution on their own using only the bits of information she gave them along the way. She slid the bowl of hardened wax over to Aoren which he grabbed thoughtfully.

“Show.” And tell. Another method of her teaching. She would guide him along the steps he needed to go but first he would have to set himself on the path to learning. He nodded immediately grabbing a glass beaker filled with water along with a much wider, deeper ceramic bowl.

“Firstly we need to soften the wax. It cannot be placed over an open flame because that would melt the wax too quickly and that is not what we want.” He set down the bowl of wax then emptied the water filled beaker into the wide ceramic bowl.

“But we can heat the wax indirectly by placing the container holding it into water that is warmed by a fire.” He glanced up. There was a pleased smile on Sahfri’s face. She gestured with one of her hands ushering him onward. Aoren took some of the wax out of the bowl and placed it in the very beaker that had previously held the water. He then placed it in the center of the ceramic bowl. He placed it on one of the iron wrought braziers then grabbed a candle from one of the nearby shelves. Without much effort he conjured a bit of Res in the palm of his hand then coated a finger with it. He ignited the outer most layer of the Res touching the magical flame to the candle wick. Shaking his hand his released his hold on the fire allowing his Res to dissipate and flow back into his body. Aoren affixed the candle to the holster just beneath the ceramic bowl.

[Aoren]

“What’s next?” She folded one pair of arms over her chest staring at him expectantly.

“We wait for the wax to soften to the point where it is pliable but not melted.” She nodded then gestured to an oven in the far corner of the room away from most of the shelves and utensils.

“What is the proper name for that oven?” Aoren thought for a moment.

“Kiln. It is used sometimes in pottery to help potters in quickly drying their creations but it is also used in Philtering to support working on a single philter at any one time while larger kilns are used for larger projects as well as turning substances into powder.” She nodded the smile on her face growing slightly wider.

“I see you’ve been paying attention.” Aoren nodded clasping his hands behind his back. He kept his eyes on the bee’s wax. It was nowhere near time to remove the beaker from the water. The fire had only just begun to warm the bowl. It would be several more minutes before it was time to remove it.

“Why do we want to soften the wax? Why not just place it into the kiln immediately?” That was a harder question. Aoren leaned against the counter immediately behind him. He folded his arms over his chest pondering the answer until it became evident to him.

“Well…if we place wax into the kiln when it is already hard and dry then it will crack and blacken into an impure ash. We are looking to get a more powdery grey ash and that can only be achieved when a substance is slightly damp and goes through an evaporation process. The rising steam will also help to remove impurities that might be present so that the base substance can be obtained in its most raw form.” Sahfri nodded. Aoren had come quite a long ways from the bumbling and confused young man who had first wandered into her shop. While he still had quite a ways to go before he reached the level of accomplishment that his employer had he was well on his way.

[Aoren]

“You understand the basic principle. I want you to keep an eye on the bee’s wax. When it has softened take it out of the beaker and place it into another ceramic bowl. Then place it in the kiln and light it. It is going to take several hours for the wax to become the powdery ash we need it to. I suggest you busy yourself with completing some of the present orders until then.” With that she gestured for Aoren to complete his work then went to the front of the shop where she would undoubtedly soon be busying herself with customers.

Aoren sighed slightly looking at the wax in the steadily warming water. It was going to be a long few hours but it was one step closer to successfully becoming an accomplished philterer and that was a step worth taking. Grabbing one of the order forms that Mistress Blackleaf had the various establishments fill out throughout the city he smirked as he read the order.

“The Rearing Stallion would greatly appreciate the assistance of Mistress Blackleaf and her apprentices in the acquisition of several doses of Hangover Tonic.” He chuckled to himself. The Rearing Stallion would place an order for such a relief. What better way to sell more alcohol than to offer its patrons a means of escaping the after effects of being inebriated? Setting the order form down he went to one of the shelves opposite of the worktable and retrieved a rack of empty glass vials setting it on the table. He grabbed the mortar and pestle, a bowl, he assembled the appropriate glassware then went to the greenhouse.

Stormhold Salves was one of the few shops with access to sunlight within the entire citadel. The Knights had no doubt recognized the need for Mistress Blackleaf to have immediate access to a means of growing her own herbs so that there was as little delay in the creation of her works as possible. She had taken the opportunity and used it wisely. Sahfri’s greenhouse was probably the most extensive herbal garden in the entire city. It was tended to daily by some of her other employees and sometimes by the apothecary herself though she often didn’t have time as she was usually busy with customers or working on the more advanced philters that demanded her undivided attention.

[Aoren]

Aoren knew what he was searching for. The Hangover Tonic was a regular item that was routinely purchased by a great number of citizens in the city. With so many taverns in the fortress city it was no surprise it was one of the shops highest selling items. Aoren remembered precisely what he’d read when he was first asked to make the tonic.

“Made from a number of minty flavored herbs found in temperate forests, this tonic will reduce the affects of a hangover by half for up to a few hours at a time.” He looked around the greenhouse. It was always uncomfortably warm inside of it but that was to keep all of the herbs, plants and other botanical things nice and healthy all year round. He ran a finger around his collar attempting to make himself more comfortable.

“Let’s see, there are three types of mint plant used in the creation of the tonic. The first is Peppermint. Peppermint can be identified by dark green leaves and…” He pondered for a minute as he walked over to the area where he knew the herbs in question were grown. What else identified the peppermint plant? He could remember the dark green leaves but there was something else. He scanned the plants until he came to one with dark green triangular leaves sprouting purple flowers.

“That’s it! Purple flowers. The leaves also sprout from a reddish stem. Ha! Can’t believe I forgot that.” He shook his head picking up a pair of garden shears situation on one of the many work tables in the green house. With the utmost care he grasped one of the bushels of leaves gently clipping each leaf off with diligent patience. He had to be careful not to snip the main stem. That would damage the plant and harm the new growth that would follow his pruning.

“Alright, two more mint plants.” The next plant was not hard to find. “Apple mint.” He recognized it not only because it was in the immediate vicinity of the peppermint but because of its light green pointy leaves. As with the peppermint he set about snipping the leaves from the plant gently.

“One more. What was it?” He set down the leaves he’d gathered into a nearby empty basket kneeling in front of the various mint plants. Rubbing his nose he scanned each one hoping that something familiar would jump out at him.

“Peppermint has purple or lavender flowers. Apple mint has light green pointy leaves. What else was there?” His eyes came to rest on a plant similar to both the apple mint and peppermint only this one possessed light pink flowers.

“Of course! Spearmint!” He laughed at his own lapse in memory taking the gardening shears to the leaves gently setting them in his basket. When all was finished he returned the shears to where he’d found them then went back to the work room. Setting the basket down he went over to the bee’s wax prodding it gently with a finger. It was nice and pliable without being runny. Grabbing a pair of thick gloves made for philtering activities he picked up the beaker setting it on the surface of the work table. It was likely only very warm but he didn’t want to take a chance and get himself burned. Taking the ceramic bowl he emptied the water into a glass alembic then set it on the brazier once again. There was no sense in wasting water that had not been contaminated. He would use it to aid in making the Hangover Tonic.

[Aoren]

Depositing the bee’s wax in another bowl he went over to the kiln in the corner of the work room setting it inside then locking the kiln shut. Removing his gloves he turned to the neatly stacked firewood assembled on the wall next to it.

“Who knew being an apothecary required so much labor?” He smirked gathering some of the thinner more easily ignitable pieces of wood placing them in the chamber of the oven. Without much effort he conjured his Res once again allowing a single drop of liquid Res to touch the dry wood. He ignited it immediately. The wood caught fire within a few moments. Aoren knelt there patiently tending to the flame. It required the same amount of diligence that apparently all aspects of Philtering required. Aoren briefly wondered if there was a god of patience. He would have to look into the matter at a later date.

When he was content that the kiln would burn steadily on its own without raging out of control or dying out he closed the chamber and returned to the world table. Without pause he picked up the basket of herbs he’d collected from the greenhouse placing several into the bowl of the pestle. He began the slow process of grinding the leaves together to make a thick pasty substance. When the time was right he added a bit of Lillian Root extract to add to the sense of clarity and calmness used in the tonic. Donning the gloves once more he grabbed the alembic filled with boiling water then poured his pasty mixture of peppermint, spearmint, apple mint and Lillian root into it. He took a glass stir rod mixing the concoction together.

The mint would soothe the inevitable headache that came with consuming copious amounts of alcohol while the Lillian root would help to relax the undoubtedly frayed nerves most heavy drinkers had. Hangovers were nasty business. Aoren himself had been the victim of several. He had purchased the very tonic he was making to cure it too. When he was content that the mixture had evened out enough he doused the candle fire setting the alembic back onto the brazier so absorb the rest of the heat from the iron and to aid in the balancing of the substances suspended in the water.

All in all the work of a Philterer was a slow one but it was a work he deeply enjoyed. Aoren went to a cupboard retrieving another candle. He set it beneath another brazier lighting it with his reimancy. The Rearing Stallion had requested a large amount of the Hangover Tonic. He would spend the rest of his time making as much of it as he could which was a slow process given he only had enough skill to make small quantities at a time. Regardless, he was content to do it as he waited for the bee’s wax to complete its cycle through the assation process.

It was going to be a long day at work but it was going to be a productive one.

[Taylani]

Aoren

Skill	Award	Notes
Philtering	+4	-
Planning	+1	-
Cleaning	+1	-
Deduction	+1	-

Lores

• Philtering: Assation: the act of processing semi-solid substances
• Kilns are sometimes used by Potters, and in Philtering to support working either in small amounts or large.
• Hangover Tonic: Made from Minty flavored herbs to reduce after effects of inebriation.

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