The Alchemical Arts

*Alchemy is the fusion of both mystical and scientific knowledge and a sub-division of the Science of Magic. Practitioners of this magic-based science are known as Alchemist. **Alchemy** is a blend of what we would call magic and chemistry, although its practitioners view it as one integrated field of study. Though alchemy's greatest scholars spend much of their time searching for great hidden secrets of transmutation and eternal life, in everyday use alchemy is mostly used for creating potions, chemical reagents, and explosives. Most of the spells used by alchemists are of a practical nature and have little Dark magic in them, being concerned with the cooling, heating, and manipulating of alchemical compounds.*

*Alchemists tend to take a practical, scientific approach to their subject. Much of their work is not magical at all, being more concerned with chemistry - though the difference between magical ingredients and purely mundane substances is hazy. Some claim to be looking for the Elixir of Life or for a way of perfecting humanity, but most are too busy earning a living to study such subjects in depth. Those who do pursue such higher goals tend to be the ones who leave pure alchemy and gravitate towards further study at the Arcanum Obscura.*

## *Overview*

*Alchemists specializing in creating chemical solutions to most of humanity's apparent flaws and bridging the gap between themselves and superhumans. They also research the purification and production of rare materials, particularly dragonist stones and their nature. The field is a very narrow one, in which any hint of progress is eagerly grasped, and envious rumors of success are always circulating. Should an alchemist in this field make a useful discovery not related to the Transmutation, most would leave it to more general alchemists to exploit, preferring to continue to search for the great secret itself. As well as pure alchemy using chemicals, many alchemists produce and sell potions that make use of magical ingredients. Alchemists researching ways to improve upon humanity are usually the ones who create new types of potions, but those with less skill or dedication can still make a good living manufacturing and selling these potions - or, for those with very few skills, making vile-tasting liquids and claiming that they are potions.*

*All alchemists dream of finding the secret of True Immortality through the study of the rarest if the arcanic dragonist stones, but the more realistic ones know that their chances are slim. These pragmatists prefer to use their skills to improve the refining of metals and the creation of lighter, stronger alloys for everything from better thermal sword-blades to automata robots and siege engines. Alchemists at the top of this profession are usually in service to one of the various military organizations or a corporate entity of some sort, their skills being highly valued. The alchemic arts have a role to play throughout all of human society, not just for the military. Some are employed in the textile industry, producing colors for the cloth and fixing the dye. The different dyes for cloth making are often kept secret by the alchemists, who research new colors from chemical and "natural" sources. Competition between textile manufacturers is intense, and the discovery of a particularly bright or unusual dye may lead to other merchants trying to steal the formula, or even kidnap the alchemist who invented it.*

*Other alchemists look down on this specialty, but it is still a widespread area for research, as a new dye-color can be a money-making proposition. There are many horrible monsters that make human lives unhappy, and alchemists can make a good living concentrating on ways of killing such creatures. This area covers the production of gunpowder, naphtha and other explosives, and is the one with which everyone first associates alchemists. Alchemists with knowledge in this area are always in demand and find employment easily. However, they may also find themselves on government lists of people who need to be kept under scrutiny - such skills are all too sought-after by dissidents. This scrutiny is well justified as Alchemist are responsible for the creation of many of the most potent formulas used for human enhancement, including the Lassarus Serum and Enhancer Serum, though both have obvious imperfections.*

## *Notable Achievements*

*The practitioners of the Alchemical Arts are responsible for many of the alchemical concoctions which have allowed certain individuals to transcend the ranks of humanity and become a transhuman being of mythical power. Their creations have allowed humanity to produce warriors capable of staving off many terrible threats and even confronting the supernaturally powerful Star Spawn as equals. Were it not for the tireless toil of the alchemists, the realms of Mankind would have fallen to their unenumerable enemies and faded from existence long ago. Aside from the breakthroughs in human augmentation, the Alchemists have also aided in the creation of many powerful weapons as well. Everything from dragonist infused gunpowder to the alchemically treated blades of thermal weapons, the Alchemic arts are as necessary for the continued survival and domination of humanity within such a dangerous galactic arena as the countless billions of soldiers whom wield their creations in battle. Of this truth there can be no doubt.*

* ***The Lassarus-Serum:** The Lassarus Serum was formulated to enhance the human body and mind, and is most often utilized by the various armed forces of Humanity in order to combat the myriad dangers of the galaxy. Upon injection, the serum will integrate itself with the subject's DNA. The bones and muscles of those injected with the serum are vastly denser and more resilient than a normal human's. The users speed is tremendously enhanced beyond the peak of human potential, moving into superhuman levels of conditioning. The subject's agility is vastly enhanced  as well. Their musculature produces far fewer fatigue toxins during physical activity than compared to the musculature of an ordinary human, allowing them to exert themselves at peak capacity for hours before tiring. Their reflexes are enhanced to extraordinary levels, being able to avoid bullets at peak efficiency. The serum can also cause negative side effects if candidates are not carefully selected. Some iterations of the serum can cause severe psychological and physical mutations, turning the candidates into feral raging monsters.*
* ***The Enhancer-Serum:** Enhancer Serum is an alchemical substance manufactured and used by various military organizations, criminal syndicates, and even professional athletes to bestow baseline humans with extraordinary physical abilities. Unlike the Lassarus Serum, the Enhancer Serum is a highly addictive super-steroid that must be regularly injected in order for the effects to remain. Once injected, the drug would instantly transform the user into a hulking mass of unbridled physical strength. However, as the drug wears off, the user's body would rapidly return to its original state or sometimes considerably weaker, at which point the user would suffer from massive, debilitating withdrawal symptoms, which are usually accompanied by hallucinations. One injection enhances a subject's talents up to ten times and last for around 12 hours. Another side effect of the Enhancer Serum are the negative mental abnormalities, it causing permanent and gradual memory lose over time. Despite these serious drawbacks, the drug is very widely used in place of the much harder to manufacture and utilize Lassarus Serum.*
* ***The Diluted Khull Potion:** The Diluted Khull Potion is composed of a mysterious chemical blend produced upon a single heavily guarded world within the reclusive interstellar nation of the Seheron Union. This alchemical serum is capable of granting enhanced physical abilities comparable to those endowed by the Lassarus Serum. Bestowing superhuman strength, speed, stamina, durability, reflexes, agility, and instincts upon those whom consume it. The user's senses are enhanced as well, allowing them to easily see clearly in total darkness, track any scent, and hear an enemy's heartbeat. The Diluted Khull Potion drastically alters a baseline human's natural aging process, causing them to age significantly slower than an ordinary human being. As an example, despite being many centuries old, a Khull Potion enhanced individual will maintain the physical appearance and vitality of a man or woman in their mid to late 20s. However, two notable side effects of the Diluted Khull Potion are occasionally experiencing extremely painful prophetic dreams and as well as drastically decreased fertility among those who consume it.*
* ***The Rejuvenation Formula:** The Rejuvenation Formula is an alchemical serum produced by alchemical science. While not nearly as potent as the Lassarus Serum or Khull Potion, it possess life-prolonging properties as well as granting the user limited immortality, greater strength, endurance, agility, stamina, and healing. While all physical abilities are immensely enhanced to the early levels of superhuman conditioning, regular doses of the serum must be administered in order to maintain its effects. Continued use can increase an unaugmented human's lifespan to 2,700 years, while the body still ages it does so remarkably slowly. However, despite its many benefits, there are some negative side effects, such as developing a crippling dependency on the substances in order for the user to functioning normally. In particular, it does not prevent the mind or body of the person injected with it from decaying, only slowing this process to a crawl. So while they can live for centuries, old age and death are an eventuality.*