Under A Spell [Solo]

by **Serrif Von Chatlyn** on November 16th, 2011, 7:57 pm

54th Fall 511AV

The door to Lym’s laboratory was gently pushed upen by Serrif’s arm. The feeling has become almost second nature to him because he was so used to it by now. And like always there Lym was at her desk researching something that she likely wanted to teach him before he headed off into the unknown away from Mura. He had much to learn and he knew that he was on a time crunch to learn it all. He had acquired several empty books and had gotten into the habit of writing things down when he finished up with Lym every day. This way if his memory failed him he would in the least have the precise notes he had taken on the subjects and replicate his results here. And maybe if he made any adjustments to the recipe or if he needed to add any additional notes he wouldn’t be relying on memory alone. Because Serrif knew what memory could be tampered with, forgotten and hazy at times, however; written word would hold up its integrity longer if it was taken care of correctly.

Ildin as usual smiled and greeted her pupil. “Morning Serrif, today we have an off day. And I am going to teach you different ways of preparing some medicines.” She closed her book and then set it aside on a bookshelf. The amount of private knowledge Lym kept was indeed extensive; he could only begin to speculate on all of it.

He set aside his backpack full of training equipment that he brought with him to Val’Mera and then set aside his cloak in a corner of the room where he normally put his stuff. That way it was out of their foot space if they moved around the room in a hurry. He approached the table and Lym then spoke again.

“We are also going to work on your measurement techniques as well.” She retrieved a small basket from a cupboard as well as several measuring glassware pieces.

He had seen these pieces of glassware before but he had never taken the luxury of using them. They were measuring beakers. They had to take a good amount of skill to make because they were perfectly symmetrical, which was important if you were going to use it to measure anything at all. You couldn’t have the glassware be all warped and uneven or you weren’t sure if you were actually measuring anything accurately.

“It is important Serrif to look over the glassware beakers to make sure that they are perfect without abnormalities. Otherwise you can’t be sure if you are measuring correctly.” Sometimes Serrif swore Lym could read his mind…because she seemed to be able to read him like an open book.

“I agree.” Serrif said simply letting her know he was indeed listening.

He turned the glassware over in his hand inspecting it. To him there weren’t any imperfections in the glass. It seemed to be perfectly shaped and there weren’t any cracks or the like in the glass. Meaning it was more than safe to start using. There weren’t any bulges in the glass either. Any imperfection should in the least be noted in the glassware. And if it was bad enough he knew that the glassware would have to be replaced entirely because of safety reasons. But for now the glassware he selected didn’t seem to be compromised at all so it was safe to use. He set the two measuring beakers down on the table and Lym moved over to another cabinet selecting a few things.

She grabbed a few storage glassware items holding what he recognized as poppy chutes and seed pods. It looked like they were indeed going to be making some more opiates today he knew like every day he would learn something new. But as to what he had no idea yet. The pods and all though had a purple tint to them, different than the white ones that he had her using to make the opiates a few days ago. He knew that there had to be a reason for this so he accepted that and knew that she would likely explain this to him. “This is also a poppy plant; however its flower petals are purple instead of white. This plant can be used to make exceptionally strong opiates. For some reason this purple family of plant is far stronger than others in its family.”

She laid the seed pods and chutes on the table and Serrif looked it all over. There were eight seed pods and chutes in the glassware designating that they would likely be making a good amount of opiate today. It was interesting how something so beautiful could have such a good strong medical use. The plant itself when in bloom was a real spectacle, making it easy to spot. He also knew that the seed pods spawned plenty of seeds making poppy easy to plant; and by the number of poppy plants in the courtyard they had to be extremely hardy or the women here knew a secret to growing them that he did not. He would want to know this information when he went to grow a garden of his own; forging for all of the supplies he needed would be not only difficult but it would be time consuming. But above all it would also be dangerous especially when you could just grow your own.

by **Serrif Von Chatlyn** on November 16th, 2011, 7:59 pm

He didn’t need to be told the first step of this procedure. Without saying anything he grabbed the mortar and pestle and then the poppy plant pieces that she had pulled from the cabinet. “I have become quite accustomed to working with you in your lab Lym. I will miss it.”

Lym smiled and then nodded. “You have been a pleasure to train Serrif, you will be an asset to whomever you work under. Well that is if you decide to work under anyone. You could open your own clinic or storefront with the knowledge you have ascertained here with me.”

“I suppose so, but I would like to work with someone thought Lym.”

“Yes but you could always hire promising help and teach them the art.”

Did he really have that much to offer? He didn’t seem to think that he had learned enough to open his own clinic and start practicing medicine and healing on the masses just yet. Could he really take in an accomplice and then teach this person everything they would need to further the profession. He in a way would also be responsible for this person as well; he would have to watch this person and make sure they didn’t mess anything up. Because if they did it would soil his reputation as well as their own. He didn’t know if he would be able to have an apprentice like Lym, she was so composed and level; two skills he believed he lacked in the same amount as her. But eventually he knew there wouldn’t be anyone for him to serve under anymore, and he would have to start a clinic of his own. As honorable as this would be he still hadn’t thought about it until Lym said something about it. He knew he wasn’t ready for this responsibility right now though.

“Maybe Lym, but for now I am content with learning as much as I can under your careful guidance.”

Lym shrugged. “Never stop learning Serrif, and one day you will also have to teach as well. For our art is an evolving one. Full of changes that we have to adapt to. There are always challenges to be met; and it is best to meet these challenges with an able partner.” She had watched Serrif grow in this art and as much as he seemed to deny it he was indeed able and skilled enough to open a clinic of his own. He just needed a little more medicinal knowledge and he could be on his way to being a very accomplished healer and herbalist.

“I agree Lym.” He said as he gently started pulverizing the poppy seed pods and chutes. He ground them up until they formed a slightly coarse powder. He made sure to grind up every bit that he could and left nothing to chance. He knew again that uniformity was key in this procedure. If he kept everything the same then he wouldn’t have to worry about inconsistency in his mixtures.

“Now usually one would measure only by the markings on the measuring beakers, however there are other methods of ensuring proper measurement.” Lym walked over to one of her armoires and withdrew from it a set of scales and weights.

“Sometimes one is required to measure by weight rather than volume, this Serrif is one of those times.” She set the scales on the table then set the weights next to it. “The procedure here is rather simple but implementing it correctly is somewhat of a challenge. You need to measure out the proper amount of opiate to water. Then heat the water but not to a boiling temperature. The opiate dust is then to be added to the water and left to heat until the water becomes dark. After this you strain the water mixture through a fine cheesecloth and what remains is your opiate.” Lym let Serrif digest this bit of information.

“What is the correct weight ratio?” Serrif asked as Lym then smiled and answered him.

“For optimum results a mixture of one hundred to one is preferred. One hundred times in weight water to opiate dust. So do to this correctly and easily you will need these.” She pushed forward the weights and then explained. “The easiest way will be using these two weights, the larger one is one hundred times heavier than the small one. “

Serrif’s mind was slowly understanding this but he wanted to make sure. “So if I put the small weights amount of opiate dust into the mixture then I need to use the larger weight in water.” Lym nodded and then spoke again.

“However you also need to account for the weight of the glassware you are using to hold the dust and water.” Lym left Serrif hanging and wanted to watch him think this one over before she just simply gave him the answer. There was no fun in just giving Serrif all the answers. She wanted him to be able to think on his feet and get the answers when he needed to.

Serrif thought, was there a way to offset the scales for the weight of the containers that he would be using to hold the water and opiate dust in? He could weigh the empty glassware and then offset all his measurements by the amount each glassware weighed. But he doubted that he could obtain the exact weight of the glassware using the weights before him. He would have to have a very unique and tailored set of glassware for that task. So…he needed to offset for the zero weight of the glassware only then add the appropriate ratio weight to that. Was that what he needed to do? No…he just needed to somehow find a way of balancing out the weight of the glassware, nulling it from the equation because it didn’t matter. He wasn’t going to be adding the glassware to the product so all he needed to do was account for it. “If I find another piece of glassware the same weight and put it on the other side of the scale with the measuring weight I can null out the weight of the measuring glassware.” He seemed unsure of himself but it was a very long and somewhat mind numbing train of thought for him.

by **Serrif Von Chatlyn** on November 16th, 2011, 8:13 pm

“Yes that would suffice and would also be easy to do.” Lym was happy to see that her student could indeed think on his feet when he needed to. It showed her that he could indeed make something of himself when he left Mura. He was going to be a hell of an asset to someone.

Serrif checked his powder again making sure he had pulverized the seed pod and chutes to the smallest size he could manage. The powder lacked the perfect uniformity that Serrif wanted; but at the same time it was still ground up to the smallest pieces he could manage. It would have to do for now because he didn’t know of a way to get the pieces any smaller. And being that the opiate would distill out of the small pieces he figured that the uniformity of the crushed up plant really didn’t matter right now. He picked a piece of measuring glassware and set it on the scales then got another of the same size and set it on the other side. The scales bobbed back and forth but eventually settled out even. Telling him that the glassware was very close to exactly the same weight. He really didn’t know how accurate these scales were, but they were good enough.

He took the glassware off the right side and poured his opiate powder into it. He located the one unit weight and put it on the left side with the glassware that he had just weighted against. Now the left side represented the weight of the glassware and the one unit weight; this was the weight that he was aiming to obtain with his opiate mixture. He didn’t empty the entire bit of crushed up opiate into the glassware, because he was sure that he could likely make three batches from the amount of substance he had just ground up. It was going to be harder to take weight away than it was to add it. So if he was underweight he could just add some more material until it all evened out correctly. Which was not a difficult task considering what could be. He set the glassware with the opiate on it on the right hand of the scales and then watched carefully. After waiting a minute for the scales to become steady he noticed he was slightly under what he needed. So with a spoon he carefully measured out very small amounts of the powder and added it to the right scale side. He watched as the scale gently grew heavier on the right side and then evened out.

Ok, so he had one unit measurement of the opiate. But how much more of this opiate could he make without waste? He took the glassware off the right side and then poured its contents out into another piece of glassware. Now that he knew this was one unit he just needed to keep material from being taken away or added to the mixture. As long as he kept it separate he would be fine. Using the same piece of glassware he put some more of the opiate into it. This was then set onto the scales and measured. Again the scales bobbed and waned but soon a measurement was reached. He was light on the right side, he needed a little more opiate. So he would have to grind up some more, but he was only slightly off.

“How delicate is this mixture Lym?” He questioned as he looked over the scales one last time to make sure everything was accurate with the second measurement.

“That little bit won’t cause any issues. But that is only for this mixture. Other medicines can be far more delicate.” Lym stated.

“I wanted to keep from having to fetch more material if it wasn’t needed” Serrif then set aside this measured amount that was slightly under one unit in another separate piece of glassware and set it beside the other measured unit of opiate.

He now needed to measure out the water for the mixtures. He knew whatever he did he would have to do it twice. That didn’t bother him any. He felt the hundred unit weight in his hand. It wasn’t too bad he knew he could pack that much water into a larger beaker of some kind. So he went to the cupboard and rummaged through it. Eventually he found a rather large glass measuring piece of glassware. He assumed it could hold the appropriate amount of water. He looked through some more and eventually found another one in the cupboard as well. All they were really was rather large measuring beakers. But they were going to be used to measure by weight instead of volume so the markings on the side of them meant nothing to him right now. He set the glassware on the scale and let it settle in. After a minute or so he noted that the two pieces of glassware weighted nearly the same amount. But like Lym told him this mixture wasn’t exactly finicky. So he wasn’t going to fret over a small difference in weight. He had other things to worry about; like heating the water.

The two glasswares had been weighed now to measure out the appropriate amount of water. He put the hundred unit weight on the left side again with the empty glassware and was going to use the right side to weigh out the appropriate amount of water; just like he had done for the opiate only a few moments ago. A beaker was submerged in a bucket of clean water and used to transfer water over to the glassware he was using to hold water. He did this a few times in order to get a decent amount of water in it; and when he felt it was time he set it gently on the right side of the scale. Eventually it leveled off and he obviously needed to add more water. So he dipped the beaker in the bucket again and poured in water sip by sip so he could get an accurate reading for how far off he was. He added a little and saw that the scales shifted just a little as well. He then added a little more and noted that he wasn’t that far off from where he needed to be. He got the scales to balance evenly and he picked a piece of glassware to store the hundred unit of water in.

by **Serrif Von Chatlyn** on November 22nd, 2011, 12:30 am

He stored the water in another large piece of glassware and then measured out another hundred unit of water. When he thought he had it about right he set it on the scales right side and let it balance out. He was a little light and he then poured in a little more water and watched some more to make sure it all evened out. The scales balanced and he set the water aside and then cleared the scale of the weight and the other piece of glassware setting them on the table next to the scale.

He now had everything measured out like he needed. Now to mix it all together and warm the water. He started a small fire carefully making sure not to make it too violent as he only needed to warm the water and mix the opiate and water together and let it seep. The water was supposed to then darken as it gathered the medicine from the ground up opiate. He slowly watched the fire consume the material and he set a piece of glassware on the fire. The fire slowly lapped at the bottom of the glassware and begin to heat the water. He poured in the ground up poppy plant and mixed it together with a glass stirrer slowly.

He made sure to keep the glassware a good distance from the heart of the fire so that it wouldn’t boil the water. As Lym had outlines boiling the water would destroy the medicine and maybe make something else entirely. It was almost like seeping tea in a way. The ingredients didn’t blend together but he could tell that there was indeed something moving from the poppy plant to the water from the dark cloud that seemed to move like smoke. It was almost peaceful to watch as the dark wisps drifted through the water almost as if they were tendrils reaching out through the water to touch something. He half expected one of them to reach up through the thin film of the water and grip him…but none of them ever did. And that was a relief.

He continued mixing and figured he would do one of them at a time. That way he could focus on each of them and give them the attention they needed. Medicine was a fickle thing, almost an art of kinds. He knew that much like art a rogue stroke of the brush could ruin an entire painting. So he was careful to keep his ‘strokes’ in check as he painted his masterpieces. The water grew darker and darker as the water kept heating the poppy plant grindings evenly. This was spurred on even faster by him mixing the grindings up and keeping them moving by stirring them with the glass stirrer.

The water continued to darken almost to the point where it was difficult for Serrif to see through it. So, he knew it was time to remove it from the heat and strain it through the cheesecloth. He took a large glass vial and put a funnel in it. He stretched the cheesecloth over the top of the funnel so that he could pour the liquid through it straining it. He put on a leather glove and then gripped the mixture and gently started pouring it through the cheesecloth. The cloth separated the opium plant pieces from the water that was distilled with the medicine. The water that was left was dark and colored slightly amber. He figured this was what it was supposed to look like since Lym didn’t say anything to him.

“That is good, so you now need to do the other mixture.”

by **Serrif Von Chatlyn** on November 25th, 2011, 7:04 pm

“What is to be done with the filtrate?”

“Discard it into the garden; it can be mixed to enrich the soil later. But for now set it aside in that bucket.” Serrif did as he was instructed and shook the filtrate from the cheesecloth so that he could use it again.

He pulled the flask from the funnel and set it aside. He then attached another flask to the funnel to set it up for later so he could use it when the time came for it. Again he set up the large flask with the hundred unit of water in it. He started to heat it and positioned it a fair distance from the heat to avoid boiling it. The opiate powder was added to the water and stirred in with a glass stirrer. The water became smoky at first the source emanating at the powder. The water grew darker and darker as the glass stirrer was used to irritate the mixture and make it seep faster.

When the liquid had finally gotten so dark he could hardly see through it he knew it was time to filter it through the cheesecloth. To his right the funnel and large flask were already ready with the cheesecloth. He put on a leather glove and gripped the flask with the opiate water mixture in it. It was poured slowly through the filter and left a deep dark slightly amber colored liquid as a final product. The filtrate was set aside and the flask with the final product was set beside the other one.

“Good Serrif, you have successfully made a somewhat potent opiate. If you wish to concentrate it you can let some of the water evaporate out of the mixture. However I don’t advise it. The more concentrated opiates tend to cause stomach cramps. But as it is there are several simple ways you can deliver the opiate. One of the more favored ways is with a sweet opium tea.” Lym pulled several items from her cupboard and then nodded.

“Usually one mixes the opiate with black tea leaves and peppermint leaves. The opiate is added last and only in small amounts as it can be a potent painkiller.” She set down two teacups and then two small containers with leaves in them. He recognized the black tea leaves but had never seen peppermint leaves before. “The peppermint is more for taste then anything else.”

“Are there exact measurements for everything or is it all done by taste?” This was important information for him to know.

“It is all by taste except for the opiate which is measured out by dosage given the subjects weight.” A small set of measuring spoons was laid out on the counter as she then spoke again.

“It depends on what the result wanted is. Sometimes for a nervous patent or someone who can’t sleep well a small amount of opiate tea will help them calm down. But if you dose excessively the person will become completely euphoric. This euphoria will and can render them completely unconscious possibly even kill them.” Lym cautioned as she measured out a small amount into a teacup and then poured in warm water. The tea leaves and mint leaves were added and the taste was seeped into the water.

Lym stirred the mixture with a glass stirrer and continued to caution Serrif. “If you let the mixture evaporate eventually you are left with a black tar like substance. This opiate is extremely strong and has no medicinal uses. It is so concentrated that any use of it on a living person has killed them. It produces extreme euphoria along with some minor hallucinations right before death. I do not recommend storing it in the tar manner since it is extremely easy to overdose someone when measuring out and trying to weaken the opiate. The tar like substance doesn’t dilute easily.”

Lym handed Serrif a cup of the tea after she strained the black tea and mint leaves from the tea. He handled the cup delicately and gently the scents of it wafted into his nostrils. It smelled sweet, but there was the definite strong pang of the black tea leaves. The color of the water was very dark but it had a hint of dark red and amber. “Go ahead Serrif, it is a weak measurement even for someone of your size and immunity.”

With Lym’s permission he gently sipped on the tea and noticed it’s complex taste. Like most teas it was warm but the immediate taste was a definitely sweet; he couldn’t put a finger on where the sweet taste was coming from. He didn’t see Lym add any sugar to it so the taste had to be coming from the peppermint leaves or the black tea leaves. The cool taste of the mint was next in line along with a very earthy flavor; likely coming from the peppermint and opiate. The final and lasting flavor was just cool and soothing. Leaving him with a very good and lasting aftertaste when he finished sipping. The warm liquid was readily accepted by his body and he actually enjoyed sipping this medicinal tea Lym had prepared for him.

“Curious Lym, this is far different than any other tea I have had yet.”

Lym smiled “Not really, your body will start to really enjoy the tea the more you sip. It is an effect of the opiate.”

And she was right. As Serrif sipped more and more of the tea his body started to enjoy it more and more. Gently he started to relax and grow easy. His muscles relaxed and he felt at peace. Nothing at this point really bothered him much. His body was gently introduced to a light euphoric feeling that hung with him as he sat in that chair. His breathing slowed down and this state was almost meditative. The world didn’t bother him right now as he closed his eyes and enjoyed every sip of the tea. He could feel his pulse lighten and he almost felt a little detached from his body. It was an enjoyable experience.

“I can see how this would help people sleep and calm down.”

“Yes but as with anything Serrif you must be careful how you use it. Medicine can be helpful, but over use or misuse can lead to very serious consequences like addiction and death.”

“I can see why Lym, I know plenty of people would give anything to feel this way all the time.”

“Yes but long term usage can lead to immunity. Meaning more of the opiate would have to be used to obtain the same results. This would leave to an overdose eventually. So careful use of this opiate is key in its success.”

“How do you measure out dosage Lym?”

“You have to guess. But I caution against using it on children or anyone who is pregnant.”

“You guess? That doesn’t seem very exact to me Lym.” For someone who was very precise in everything she did it seemed strange that her method of measuring for something as volatile as an opiate was as easy as a simple guess.

“Well I can guess, I would have you measure out the same way you do for any other medicine.” She held up a small spoon. “I would use one spoon for every fifty pounds or so. That is why I guessed four and a half spoons for you. I would only use two and a half for myself.”

Serrif nodded and sipped on his tea some more. “I guess I will be useless the rest of the day to you after this tea right?”

Lym shrugged and spoke. “Not necessarily Serrif, I could have you do menial things with me around here. The effect will wear off in a few hours or so. After that you will be fine.”

“That is good to know. What will we do?”

“When you finish that tea we will go out into the garden and tend to it. That should take an hour or so. Then we will come back and mix some more medicine for the clinics supplies.”

Requests :

by **Archelon** on December 21st, 2011, 9:40 pm

Thread Award

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And the Results!!!!:

Serrif :

Would you like some extra turtle sauce ? :