[Stormhold Salves] Infusion Confusion

by **Aoren** on April 26th, 2014, 6:56 pm

1st of Spring, 514 AV
8th Bell

Aoren stood in the work room of the Stormhold Salves shop. He had in front of him one of the manuals dedicated to the craft of Philtering. The Drykas man was carefully reading through the pages in front of him discerning the characteristics of the remedy he had been tasked with creating then. He flipped the page of the manuscript browsing over the description of the flower he would need.

Filan Essence is a fragrant oil that receives its properties from the common flower found throughout most regions of the world. When applied in a small dose under the tongue it has the ability to calm seizures and convulsions within an hour.

As he read the brief outline of what the remedy would be able to do Aoren turned the page in the text to get a good idea for how he was going to make it. Once he had a firm grasp on the mechanics of how to process the Essence he closed the text placing it back on the shelf where it belonged. For a moment he stood back looking around the neatly organized work room. It would not be long before he left the employment of Mistress Sahfri Blackleaf, the Eypharian woman who had taught him practically everything he knew about how to make Philters. Deciding not to linger on his inevitable departure from Syliras he set to work.

With patient diligence he walked over to the stove in the far corner of the lab. The cast iron stove was simple. The wood he would need to heat the stove was already in place he simply needed to light it. Opening the door to the fire pit Aoren brought up a hand summoning a sphere of Res that fit comfortably in the palm of his hand. He flicked his wrist casting the Res into the pit dousing the wood then ignited it with a single thought. Blue fire burst into life covering the wood in a few short moments. When he was satisfied that the wood was burning steadily Aoren closed the door to the stove chamber. He grabbed a cooking pot measured at being able to hold two quarts of ingredients then set it aside on some empty counter space.

Stepping away from the stove for a moment he went to one of the store rooms where were kept some of the less perishable items in the shop. Going to one of the shelves he scanned the items until he found what he was looking for.

“Ah, here we are.” Aoren promptly grabbed two jars of grape seed oil. It was a light green oil relatively devoid of any smell. He did not yet possess the skill to make complete oils by himself so the majority of those used in other lesser concoctions were premade by Mistress Blackleaf. Going back to the stove Aoren emptied the containers of oil into the waiting pot then set the jars aside to be cleaned and reused for later. The grape seed oil needed to be infused with the properties of the Filan flower through low heat over several hours of work. He would have to wait until the wood in the stove was mostly embers then tend to it to make sure things remained at the proper heat. Briefly he stepped back over to the worktable where rested the book containing the instructions. He glanced over the description of the Filan flower along with the rudimentary drawing on the page.

by **Aoren** on April 26th, 2014, 6:57 pm

With the stove and the cook pot ready he stepped into the greenhouse maintained by the proprietor of the establishment. Inside the temperature was much higher than what was normal for the interior of the castle but he had become used to it. Aoren wasn’t exactly sure how Mistress Blackleaf maintained the greenhouse all year round but he had a lingering suspicion that magic was involved. Whether or not she was a wizard herself he had no idea. The woman was friendly enough but rather secretive when it came to anything outside of her work. He couldn’t blame her.

Aoren went to the temperate section of the greenhouse perusing the various plants to be found. He saw some that were familiar to him but there were still so many that he didn’t know. He marveled a little at just how many different plants could be combined to create various medicinal effects. Making his way through the garden he eventually found the plant he was looking for. The Filan flower. It was a fairly common flower that could be found growing in moderately temperate regions of Mizahar. As he stared at it Aoren realized he’d seen it before. Marking the area in his memory he went back to one of the tables where rested gardening tools. Grabbing a pair of gloves he slipped them on and grabbed a pair of shears. He picked up a wicker basket then walked back to the flowerbed kneeling on the edge.

Quietly, he began clipping the flowers minding the petals and keeping an eye as to how close he was trimming the stem near the roots. He picked roughly a dozen flowers though he could have picked a dozen more and barely made a dent on the amount that were growing in that particular flowerbed. Part of Aoren wondered if the reason the flower was so common was because it was aggressive in its seeding. He rose to his feet pulling off the gardener’s gloves, setting his utensils back on the work table. He was no gardener, nor was he a true botanist. He had not the answer to such questions.

Aoren set the basket of freshly picked flowers on the surface of the worktable in the philtering room. He walked over to the stove opening the chamber to check on the wood. It was still burning strong. He would have to wait for quite a while before the ashes and embers died down enough to maintain the proper temperature that would allow the flowers to be infused into the oil. Even after that he would have to pass the oil through a purification process to filter out any last impurities. Closing the chamber to the stove he stepped back up to the worktable looking around for a moment. He had some free time on his hands before he was ready to proceed with the final parts of making the philter. As he stood with his hands on his hips looking between the various tools of his craft, the flowers, and the manuscripts on Philtering in general an idea came into his head.

Reaching up he touched the right side of his face lightly tracing his fingers over the gnosis mark that was to be found there. Walking over to the shelf where rested the text concerning Philtering he ran his fingers over the bindings of each one until he found the book he was searching for.

On Magic and Medicine

It wasn’t a very thick tome compared to the others sitting upon the shelf. When he opened the book he realized why. There were pages that were missing. Some of the writing was illegible and the overall state of what was legible was hardly something that would be easy to decipher.

by **Aoren** on April 26th, 2014, 7:00 pm

“Never easy.” Aoren sighed inwardly but he leaned against a counter propping the book up in front of him. He read carefully the single passage that stood out to him at that particular moment.

“…through the weaving of Glyphs and pertinent magic…” The rest of the passage was obscured. The knowledge lost to time save for those who already knew it. He scanned the rest of the page finding nothing more insightful than that. Furrowing his brow he flipped the page carefully reading through what was in front of him.

“…by incorporating Personal talents augmented by the Sigil….” Yet again the rest of the passage was utterly useless as the information was either blotted out or so faded he couldn’t read it. He closed the book sighing rubbing the bridge of his nose.

“Glyphs. Sigils. Obviously the book is referring to the magic of Glyphing. Personal talents? It must be referring to Personal Magic. It just doesn’t say how to weave those two gifts into Philters.” He set the book back on the shelf in its proper place then quiet pondered exactly how to go about what he was thinking. He wanted to try amplifying his own philters with his Healing gnosis. He didn’t quite know how to go about doing that, however. He knew that Glyphing would be involved. He was learned in the art but he was hardly any good at it.

“I guess I’ll just have to do a little experimenting.” The thought made Aoren wince. Magical experiments rarely went well without the supervision of someone experienced in the ways one was trying to practice. Mistress Blackleaf was out making rounds for the day and he couldn’t think of anyone else who would know how to perform this act of magic. No, he would have to figure this one out on his own.

“Why haven’t I practiced my Shielding more?” Running his hands through his hair, Aoren sighed then rubbed his face. He checked on the stove again. It would still be some time before he could use it. With that he went to a storage room grabbing a stack of parchment paper and a few vials of ink. He set them on the worktable then grabbed a stool sitting down. He picked up a pen, readied a sheet of parchment and then…stared blankly at the empty page.

“How the heck am I going to do this?” He brushed his chin with the tip of the feather noting the stubble that was beginning to grow there. Not letting himself get distracted by personal grooming needs, he focused on the blank sheet of parchment in front of him. Scratching his head Aoren decided that the best course of action was to simply get to work and hash out the kinks later. He knew that was hardly the wisest decision when it came to tampering with a magical experiment but he had no alternative at the moment. Dipping the quill pen into the inkwell he set out drawing the outer ring of the Glyph that was most prevalent in his mind.

by **Aoren** on April 26th, 2014, 7:14 pm

It was simple in design but as he drew the outer pattern of lines he focused on a more spiderweb like pattern. Aoren envisioned the magic jumping from the runes forming the Barrier of the Sigil and flowing into the Focus only for it to be transferred into the object placed at the center. He furrowed his brow concentrating on structuring the runes in a uniform pattern to the best of his ability. As he finished the Barrier and the Focus he moved on to the Trigger. Diligently he worked on shaping the Trigger to convey the circumstance that he wanted to control. He couldn’t make the Trigger very specific that was just asking for failure. If he wanted any hope of success in this experiment he would have to keep it broad.

Aoren didn’t yet know how to construct proper Paths in a Sigil so he would have to rely solely on the power of the Focus to make things work. It was a long shot but he was willing to give it a try. When he’d finished drawing the entire pattern of Glyphs forming the whole Sigil he sat back. Aoren rotated his wrist to get the cramp out from drawing for what must have been a good thirty chimes. He set down his quill pen rising from the stool to check on the stove.

The ashes were still cracking and popping. He nodded closing the chamber and grabbing the pot of grape seed oil setting it on the stove top. As the oil began the slow process of heating Aoren returned to the work table and started plucking the petals from the Filan flowers. He pulled the manuscript he’d been referencing over reading through the instructions carefully as he dropped the petals into the basket and disposed of the stems. Once each petal was plucked from the flowers he grasped the basket bringing it to the pot dropping the petals into the oil. As it heated the aroma and properties from the Filan petals would be infused into the oil. That would take anywhere between four to six bells.

“Well, that leaves me with some time on my hands.” He would just have to keep an eye on the mixture as it progressed. With that in mind he assembled the purification apparatus he needed to perform the absorption process. He poured some water into the alembic then affixed some cheesecloth to the nozzle before setting the alembic atop a ceramic holster.

Grabbing a candle he set it beneath the holster in its proper holder then emitted gel like Res over his right index finger. He separated it into two distinct layers before igniting it. He touched the wick of the candle lighting it then drew his hand back. With a flick of his thoughts he transmuted the inner layer of Res into water. The fire engulfing his finger was snuffed out producing steam that drifted into the air wistfully.

by **Aoren** on April 26th, 2014, 7:15 pm

Drumming his fingers along the surface of the table he went back to the storage room in search of some paint and a brush. He found a bucket of brown paint and a detail brush they normally used to maintain the appearance of some of the nooks and crannies in the shop. With paint and brush in hand he returned to the stool setting them nearby on the table.

He glanced at the alembic noting it hadn’t progressed very far. Grasping the brush he opened the lid of the paint bucket and dipped the tip into it then set about painting a Glyph on the palm of his hand. He centered the focus around the spot where his reimancy scar once sat. It was strange to look at the palms of his hands and see nothing there but he shouldn’t have been surprised. The gods did wondrous things. Removing a simple scar was certainly not out of the question for beings such as them.

As the Glyph was finished he observed it for a moment. It was simple. He had painted only a Focus on the center of his palm abstaining any barrier or extra runes. Setting down the brush Aoren then reached for his Djed. His efforts were made easier by the Glyph on his palm as ethereal Djed began forming in his hand. With his right hand he began spreading the Djed over his left forming a Shield.

He’d barely begun to spread the Djed when he saw holes form in the weave of the Shield he was creating. Aoren had come to expect this. He was far from experienced in Shielding but that was why he was practicing now. He had plenty of time on his hands as he waited on his Philter. The Focus on the palm of his hand was helping him keep his concentration but it would only last so long.

Aoren tried forming different levels of thickness with his Shield to little avail. The Djed was utterly resistant to his efforts as he pried and pulled at it trying to spread it over the holes that were forming. He furrowed his brow but the holes were only getting larger until finally he saw the Glyph on his palm fade completely and the Shield deteriorated entirely.

Aoren sighed running that same hand over his face. He stood up from the stool going over to the stove to check on the oil. He grabbed a pipette stirring the mixture of oil and Filan petals. There was a small amount of steam rising from the oil but it was hardly ready. He set down the pipette then opened the stove chamber. Aoren grabbed a smaller log from the stack nearby placing it in the chamber so that the low fire would keep going.

Returning to the work table he picked up the brush dipping it into the paint then set about painting another focus on the center of his palm. Slowly the Focus came into shape on the palm of his left hand. He was careful with the detail in the sweeping shape that would capture the essence of his magic so that he could more easily use it. When he was finished painting the Focus on his left palm he glanced up noting that the water in the alembic had come to a low boil.

He watched the steam rise into the coil forming condensation on the glass inside. Content that everything was progressing as it should he switched hands and began painting a Focus on the palm of his right hand. It was a little more difficult as Aoren wasn’t naturally ambidextrous but it was a work in progress. He kept to the sweeping arches and imperial shape of the Focus so that it could effectively capture the essence of his magic.

by **Aoren** on April 26th, 2014, 7:17 pm

“Maybe with two Focus glyphs I can get a little more accomplished.” When the second Focus was complete he set down the brush comparing each one side by side. They weren’t exactly identical. The Focus glyph on his right palm was less elegant and detailed than the one on his left but given practice he was certain he could get the hang of using his left hand as effectively as his right. He was confident that both of them would work on at least a rudimentary level.

Taking a deep breath he reached for his Djed again. This time it was a little easier than before. He attributed that to the fact that he had two Focus glyphs this time instead of one. As his Djed manifested in the palms of his hands Aoren reached for a glass beaker this time. He slowly began to spread the Djed over the surface of the beaker noting that the Shield was a little more stable than before.

As he worked on weaving the threads of his Shield together he concentrated on tasking the Shield to block out light. He kept spread the Djed over the surface of the beaker touching up those spaces where holes began to form until the Shield was spread out over the entire outside of the beaker. It was uneven in some places being thicker and thinner along the surface.

Aoren made a mental note to work on uniformity throughout his Shields. The inside of the beaker was dark. The Shield around its exterior worked effectively at blocking out the light that might filter through on the sides. Little by little however the Shield deteriorated until finally it collapsed again. Aoren didn’t mind. He had accomplished some of what he’d set out to do with his free time.

Setting down the beaker he looked up at the alembic. The water was at an even boil now. The steam passing through the charcoal treated cheesecloth was flowing steadily up into the distillation coil. He rose from the table noting that once again the Focus glyphs had faded from his palms. He felt a stiffness throughout his whole body and there was sweat beading on his back. No doubt he was feeling fatigued because he was using a magic that he wasn’t very well practiced in. He wasn’t quite finished however. Stepping over to the stove he picked up the pipette and stirred the oil and Filan petals.

The oil wouldn’t reach a boil if he watched it carefully but it would heat up enough to cause the petals to release their chemicals. The grape seed oil was a relatively neutral substance. It would just take a bit of tending to was all. Certain that the oil was at a steady temperature he set down the pipette and stretched his limbs rolling his shoulders and rotating his waist to get the stiffness out of his muscles. Going back to the work table he checked on the parchment upon which he’d drawn the Glyph he intended to use to help him with his work on the Filan concoction. As he stared at it he chewed on his bottom lip. He looked from the parchment to one of the vials that would contain the Filan Essence. Grabbing one of the vials he rolled it between his fingers gently.

by **Aoren** on April 26th, 2014, 7:18 pm

“If a Glyph can focus the magic being poured into it and it focuses magic being directed at an object maybe I should paint the Glyph on the container for the Essence?” He pondered for a moment longer before nodding. Grabbing the detail brush he dipped it into the paint resting the bristles lightly on the surface of the vial. With painstaking slowness he began to trace the outline of a Focus rune on the base of the vial. He furrowed his brow trying to maintain a steady hand. The brush was almost too big to work and he’d left his artistry tools in his apartment. He managed though. The Glyph wouldn’t be as detailed as he would have liked but it would suffice for what he was trying to do. He would only know if he was successful once he tried.

Dipping the brush back into the paint he slowly began painting runes along the outside of the Focus creating a Barrier. It took time but little by little he closed the Barrier around the Focus so that it would effectively seal in the magic he had in mind. The trick would be getting the magic to activate properly. Aoren tapped the end of the brush against the surface of the table looking from the vial, to the oil on the stove, to the glyph and back to the brush. It hit him then. Picking up the cork stopper used to seal the vial he smirked nodding.

“Perfect.”

Carefully, Aoren placed the vial on its open end so that the Glyph could dry on the base. Dipping the paint brush into the paint he began tracing a Trigger on the top of the stopper. He shaped the Trigger to activate the magic contained in the Focus, breaking the Barrier the stopped being removed. He had no idea whether or not this would work but he would get nowhere if he didn’t try. Once he was finished painting the Trigger he set the cork stopper down right next to the vial.

Aoren stretched. His back ached from being hunched over painting the glyphs for so long. Not to mention his use of Shielding. He still wasn’t quite done with his attempts with Shielding but he needed to tend to the oil.

He had no idea how long he’d been tinkering away with his little projects but he was safely assumed that it had been a few bells. Given the amount of time that it took him to concentrate and draw his Glyphs combined with how long he’d been watching the oil and collecting the ingredients, it was easy to lose track of time. Checking on the oil he stirred it with the pipette noting how the petals had darkened as had the oil. He picked up the book detailing what one should expect as far as preparation was concerned. From what he read he gathered he still had a bell before the oil was ready to be strained, set to cool and bottled.

by **Aoren** on April 26th, 2014, 7:20 pm

With both the parchment and the vial in place he had two avenues to practice trying to add a bit of magic to his philter. So, for the moment he grabbed one of the beakers filling with purified water and rinsed the brush he’d been using. He rubbed the bristles between his fingers then dried them off using a spare cloth. Dipping the brush back into the paint he once again painted Focus Glyphs on the palms of his hands.

It was still difficult to manage with his left hand as opposed to his right but with a little determination he managed. Picking up an empty beaker, Aoren again began extruding Djed into the palms of his hands. He had to take a deep breath and concentrate. The Glyphs on his hands made it easier but he was growing tired so conjuring a Shield would of course still be a little more difficult even with the assistance added by his Glyphs.

As he manipulated the Shield this time Aoren focused on uniformity throughout the thickness of the Shield. It was a futile effort at his level of expertise with Shielding. Still, he tried. As the Djed rippled and wove around the beaker he began smoothing it out with his thumbs. It was like molding clay. He pushed, pulled and smoothed as much as he could managing to get one side of the beaker to be completely even before the Shield flared and collapsed.

Aoren sighed setting the beaker down. He ran his hands through his hair then looked at his palms. The Focus glyphs lingered for a few moments before fading away once again. He folded his arms on the surface of the work table laying his head upon his forearms with a groan.

Magic. It was a useful and inspiring tool but it required a great deal of concentration.

Sitting up he retrieved another cooking pot then set a strainer over the opening. Slipping on some thick gloves to avoid getting burned he grabbed the pot of oil then poured it through the strainer into the new pot. Once that was done Aoren retrieved one of the buckets of water they kept on hand and poured its contents into the warm pot so that it could also cool and it would be easier to clean after soaking. With the oil cooling he decided it was time to perform a preliminary test of what he wanted to achieve.

Picking up the empty beaker he’d been using to practice his Shielding on Aoren poured some of the purified water being filtered through the distillation coil into it. He set it at the center of the of the parchment upon which he’d drawn his initial Glyph.

by **Aoren** on April 26th, 2014, 7:35 pm

“Now or never, Aoren.” Taking a deep breath he placed his hands with the tips of his fingers barely touching the edges of the Barrier he felt for the tranquil peace that radiated forth from the mark on the right side of his face. He felt the faith that he had in the power of the Goddess of Healing blossom spreading throughout his whole body as the peace of her blessing washed over him. Aoren focused on transferring that faith, that certainty in the power of his goddess into the water contained in the beaker in front of him.

To his amazement the Glyph lit up turning an otherworldly blue, filling the workroom with an azure light that so reminded him of his encounter with the goddess. As he focused on willing that light into the water of the beaker he watched the light slowly dim as one by one the runes along the Glyph began blinking out. As each rune blinked out the water began glowing brightly until only the Focus was illuminated.

“Yes, yes, that’s it!”

But just as Aoren thought he might succeed the Focus blinked out. The parchment crumbled to dust. The light swirling in the water contained in the beaker was snuffed out and all that was left was a muddy looking liquid that Aoren immediately knew wasn’t what he was looking for. He sighed hanging his head for a moment. He looked to the vial that had its Glyph drawn upon it. He might have better luck with that.

-----------------

13th Bell

The oil had finally cooled to the point where it could be used. Aoren dipped a ladle into the pot pouring some into the vial he had marked with his Glyphing. He watched the oil settle into the vial studying its appearance for a few moments before taking in a deep breath. Reaching for the power of his Healing gnosis he focused on enhancing the properties of the oil within the vial.

As before the Glyph painted upon the surface of the vial illuminated with an ethereal blue light. He watched as slowly the oil began to glow like the water before it had. Brighter and brighter the oil shined almost to the point where Aoren believed he would be successful in transferring the magic of Healing into the philter. Just as before however the Glyph blinked out causing the oil inside the vial to evaporate turning to black powder. The force of the sudden failure of the magic caused the glass to shatter in Aoren’s hand cutting his palm. He hissed dropping what remained jerking backward as he was cut.

“Damn.” Sighing he resisted the urge to flex his injured hand. Gingerly he pulled a piece of glass from his skin then took a calming breath. He touched the tips of his fingers on his left hand to his right allowing the power of Rak’keli to flow over his hand. The shallow cuts began to close the tissue knitting itself back together. It was a strange feeling but not an unpleasant one. His hand shook slightly and it was still sore but the wounds were gone. He sighed looking at the remains of his brief experiment.

“Looks like I’ve got a little more work to do.” Aoren was determined to start weaving magic into his philters. He now possessed the means to do it. He just needed to figure out how. With more practice and a little experimentation he was certain that he would be able to succeed. Grabbing a broom and a dust pan he began sweeping up the broken glass and cleaning up the mess he’d made. He had grown considerably in his skill where Philtering was concerned as had his understanding of magic.

He had work to do and he wasn’t about to give up on it.

by **Nightmare** on April 26th, 2014, 9:11 pm

Aoren :

Additional Comments: Always a pleasure to read your work. I thoroughly enjoyed the work and experimentation that went into this thread and the fact that he ultimately failed. Failure isn't what interests me, just that he did not make a super awesome magic philter right away. Enjoy your grades and good job!

Credit Lenz

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Skills	Amount
Philtering	+4
Glyphing	+4
Shielding	+3
Botany	+2
Gardening	+1