Looking back upon the last few weeks I am both surprised and delighted that this group of adventurers seems to be able to function at levels that are closer to my expectations than the last group I was with. They are adequate, bordering on proficient. They have ample resources that I can entrust my laboratory to remain unmolested while we conduct field research.  They were both glorious and confounding at the same time.  The raw power of the brute to dispatch enemies is only offset by the flurry of lethal projectiles of their boy archer. If I could only bond my alchemical admixtures to his arrows if would be a sight to behold. For all their intellectual shortcomings these warriors and a few others provide a sufficient buffer the mania and hubris of some so that the entire mission is not at risk. I don’t think they understand how valuable they are when they act as a grounding source for the chaos introduced but the others. It is a shame that such paths to power have such a heavy toll on their humors. In the case of the one who speaks for Groetus their path to madness is ordained  and surprisingly tolerated by the others, I do not know enough about the teachings but what little I know foreshadows of difficult times. Their imbalance will need to be watched; such temperaments coupled with power often lead to dark magic and darker dealings. 

The great Oni proved.. disappointing.  She planned poorly, perhaps reflecting her own hubris in the underworld she built. Her own fixation of gluttony and sadism perhaps left her less than focused on the war coming through her front door. How many waves of servants did she dispatch that did not return and yet she turned her back on us. Such a foolish mistake to underestimate this party of adventurers. I was delighted to see her great magical spear fail thanks to my magic dampening elixir. To date it is the best field test of that effect and did not result in any collateral damage to my lab or my pets. She was foolishly influenced by romantic emotions for one who left and never looked back; such a callous leader,  I fear the conflicts ahead will pose more challenging as we move deeper into the homeland of my grandparents.  Anamurumon… she mumbled that name in a manner that leads me to believe it will be a fierce adversary; given they abandoned her here I suspect her demise will be of no consequence to them. 

As a gnome I have grown accustomed to the spoils of war going to others. Built by the bulky races for their bloated space consuming bodies I have come to rely upon my own crafting of my needs and with this group it was no exception.  I did take note of the more… grabby members of this group and their immediate claims of possession without discussion or consideration of what others may want.  It is something to keep in mind in the future should a bauble catch my eye that I truly wish to possess. Old urges die hard and I thought I left that life behind me; I need to remind myself of that. The ability for the Crazy One to store vast amounts of wealth is astounding; I am almost jealous of such capability and will someday need to design a way to replicate it. But before then I have plans and designs I hope to now have the wealth to implement. Secret doors will not again escape my view. I have nearly completed the design for a corpse sculpting fettling knife.  Now I need the skill to use it and a solution to such is also within reach. It will be glorious when done. I am very glad that the spirit tree landed in the hands of she who I call the Quiet Death; she seems somehow disconnected from the rest and her sacrifice to keep it alive should demonstrate to all she is the right one to carry it forward.

As we move deeper Into the land of my ancestors I fear their status as outsiders will bloom as a greater liability to the mission they are on. I had put that all behind me until the ronin posed the paradox of honor for the party.  As expected these outsiders were quick to dismiss the importance of service to a liege lord and family honor in their response. I fear if we let them speak for us in the wrong setting this will be our undoing.  The bard, he must be influenced to step forward and be the voice of this party the further we move away from their world. I confess, only to myself, I fear Minkai and the culture my family fled. I remember the scars on my grandfather where the chains held his hands and feet. I am preparing for the worst and keeping a readily available escape prepared at all times.  My grandparents fled this land as dishonored slaves; I will not end up back in servitude to another. 

Enough scribblings… I have a magnificent Gorgon that needs to be reawaken in my service…

Welcome student to the next lesson in your journey to Alchemical Mastery.  In prior lessons you have been introduced to a variety of amazing experiments and formulae that I have generously shared with you. In this lesson we revisit the philosophical foundation for your pursuit of the mystical power that alchemy shall afford you.  Alchemy, at its core, is the power for transformation!  This is no easy feat, if it was then every wizard with a flask and fire would be able to do what we can… but they cannot.  We harness what is to make our surroundings better.  Sometimes that is delivered through augmentation, sometimes through subtraction. And yes yes, sometimes it is the turn everything to gold trick, which I will not share with you until you are far more advanced; perhaps more advanced than you can truly attain. That, remains to be seen.

An adequate alchemist will spend their life replicating what has been done for generations and take no risks. Their transformations merely mimic the work of others. If such mundane pursuits tickle your fancy then please throw this and any other volumes of my works you may have on the nearest fire because you are as oblivious to the potential of your studies as adventurers are to arrow slits in a kill box when distracted by lustful murals.  The difference being those adventurers have something more to live for, where you when you abandon your studies, hold no more value than a rock to a confused hill giant behind a wall of force. But I digress….

Augmentation is often sought because in some way it motivates others to do your bidding. Make them stronger, prettier, or some such and they will pay good coin.  Again you can chase such paltry sums and insult the work of alchemists before you; or instead you can pursue elixirs that can sustain the talents of those you come to rely on.  When they grow weary, you can revitalize them. When they cause unnecessary damage to their fleshy frames, you can mend their ills and restore a brute to brutish working order. Restoring to prior states of being merely undoes entropy and are the accomplishments of lesser persons; as an Alchemist you can instead look to extends those around you past their own endurance. You can empower them to heights they could not accomplish through their own training and natural limitations. By understanding the essential components of their being that serve as the fundament of their abilities, one can increase their efficacy by enhancing those primal reserves.

Consider for a moment that not all  transformations need be ephemeral. Matter can be reused regardless of its nature, organic or inorganic. That which was once animated by the soul can be re-mobilized by alchemy.  Large or small, such reanimation can server a variety of uses limited only by your imagination and, unfortunately, the moral code of those who do not grasp the complicated process you enacted to reuse the organic material that would otherwise be next destined for worm food. Be mindful that such transformation can easily be mistaken by the feeble minded for necromancy but stand fast in your knowledge that what you accomplish is no simply dark magic cantrip.  You introduce no negative energy nor dark divine providence into your constructs.  When their witless perception of the world screams Zombie in their lizard brain, you need to train them to think Golem.  It is a slow, tedious process, but worthy of reducing anxiety in those around you.

With this lesson delivered, I shall not impart to you the procedure for transforming intact organic materials into semi-organic golem constructs…

Welcome Student to the next installment of your learning.  Having demonstrated adequate proficiency with our past lessons, we shall first speak to a matter of utmost importance – resource management!

Do not roll your eyes at my text! This is a very important part of every experiment.  Assuming you have all your limbs and faculties still intact and you are reading this means you have survived the tests I have hidden in these texts so far and could distinguish poison from extract and not set yourself on fire.  It is time for you to use your time to advance your magical research and delegate the more mundane tasks to others, namely, assistants!

Assistants can come from a variety of sources both magical and mundane.  They will provide support before, during, and after you spend countless hours seeking to achieve the same level of mastery of this material as I.

The age of such assistants can be of critical import. Finding one young enough to recognize their place is important. Caution however must be applied as youth may subject you to degrees of impetuousness. There is a trade off to be considered as such chaos may disrupt your efforts or may springboard them to heights you did not consider.  Tread with caution but do not dismiss those who may seem too young for their wisdom may exceed their years.  Within them may lie great potential if they survive puberty and do not impulsively burn the valuable rewards of your efforts beyond recognition.

While I deliver this recitation on the the appropriate qualities of those who will serve you, a past event reminds me it is necessary to caution you about the proximity of madness to genius. Be wary of those with too much creativity or diversity in speech or mannerism as it may be madness in disguise.  While history has shown some of the greatest Alchemists were eventually afflicted with a deficiency of the mind, having such in support of your efforts will require you to monitor their behavior. If you are forced to work with such, it is important to quickly identify their calming triggers and keep them ready at a moment’s notice. This can often be achieved through senseless praise or if you simply feign agreement with their menial goals or acquiesce to their assumed importance in your work. Keep in mind when the research is complete, you can simply write them out of the written record of your accomplishments. 

Sometimes you will seek out assistants through traditional means and channels. I counsel you to not overlook those who may come from unconventional means. Only recently I discovered one such student when I came upon them harvesting essential materials from a fallen magical beast. They thought they were collecting such for their use before recognizing my alchemical acumen as superior to theirs, and thus immediately deferred to my control of the operations. Praise their initiative and recognize the value such an asset aligned in interest can serve in your efforts.

Others may simply come to due your bidding through the allocation of a simple bauble or two. This is where your prior instruction in the fabrication of basic alchemical potions and compounds will prove useful. A simple bagful of alchemical fire, for example, can delight the simple-minded and result in their application of such in accordance with your objectives. Anytime you can convince them to exert themselves for such simple things, you have made significant progress without expending great resources. 

It is equally important to recognize the value of those who can support your endeavors. If you are moved by such things as the performing arts, finding one who is skilled in the bardic arts to perform can be inspiring and help in moments where your skills may be challenged by the task before them.  The right application of music has been shown to hone focus when it is critical and can make the difference between success and having to find someone to regenerate a limb.

As one considers the tasks essential to the success of your research, you will eventually come to realize there are some very simple tasks requiring nothing more than strength. If an Ox could fit in your lab and had thumbs, it would suffice for most of these tasks; instead one must rely on the 2 legged version. This student, is a challenging task for one with limited abilities as you most likely have at this time; nevertheless you must continue to rely on such brutes to perform such tasks with as little interaction as possible least you find yourself spending too much time at their level of intellect.

Despair not student because as you are reading this tome, know that such engagements are coming to an end. There lies within your grasp the power to construct automatons to perform such tasks.  Through the right application of the formulas I am about to share with you, you can render such brutes obsolete…

Welcome back student!

Now that you have broken the seal on the 4th chapter of the 7th volume of the Magnum Opus Alchemicae, you may continue your journey in learning of the great arts.

If you are on track, this should be your 11th month of study; any longer and you should revisit your commitment to the study of Alchemy.  The arts are no place for those who do no strive to achieve greatness.  Those with such levels of motivations are better suited to be wizards or other such slow minded careers.

Today’s lesson will focus upon preparation of a suitable environment for your experiments and the consequences of poor planning and inferior materials.

First and foremost, all experiments should have clearly defined goals. NEVER seek to explore without purpose nor allow others to influence the course and actions taken. Be wary of who you qualify as your peers when you consider which research to invest in; their mental inadequacies will be reflected in the advice they provide or recommendations they make. It may result in aimless wandering and catastrophic results causing harm to you or your equipment. Or maybe to others, if you deem such important.

Never allow others to influence the course of your inquiries if they do not merit your attention, or have a clear procedure in place.  Some may seek to tempt you with promises of fortune and fame; promises are ephemeral. You would not be the first alchemist to fall prey to promises of compensation upon successful completion of a task left with empty coffers when all is said and done.

Next, it is important to understand that all components have their place. It is essential to identify the purpose for involvement in the experiment.  You will need to test their mettle. Know how they will interact; where they will break; and what can corrupt their contribution to the activity. Some may be identified as volatile and must be handled with caution. Some may be singular in purpose, like a hammer, a giant hammer, – ideal for releasing flesh from a walnut shell but otherwise useless when dealing with more refined processes.  Some may involve a great deal of complexity beyond your control and thus be too unstable to work closely with. Some may hide greater secrets to be unlocked. Some may be still evolving and thus hold great potential. Some may simply be a pleasant luxury to expedite the long periods of waiting; others may be essential to the foundations to the success of the endeavor. Differentiating between these will take you years to master, or in my case, weeks. But in all cases, a hammer, is still just a hammer.

Testing the mettle of your ingredients may require you to expose yourself to situations of discomfort. This may include horrible smells, irritating rashes, periods of intestinal discomfort, or even mental distress or instability.  The importance of identifying components beneath your standards and finding ways to divest them from the experiment cannot be overstated.  At times it is best to allow a counter agent to be added to the mix and allow that reagent to remove the faulty components for you.

In the next chapter, we will discuss the importance of identifying the appropriate assistants to facilitate your experiments.