Josiah Sterling

## Description

Josiah Sterling is an mostly reclusive alchemist from the east coast. Josiah was born to high-class, wealthy parents and grew up with a fine education in Boston. During his adolescent years, Josiah grew up reading stories about mythical objects such as the fountain of youth, or the Holy Grail. However, one particular myth stood out to him above all the rest, The Philosopher's Stone. He is highly knowledgeable about ancient alchemical texts and theories, having extensively studied the works of renowned alchemists such as Paracelsus and Hermes Trismegistus.

He is a young man with a neatly trimmed beard, although his reputation might be tarnished he still wants to uphold a sense of class. He is always wearing a dark bowler hat, and a dark suit.

The Philosopher's Stone was a mystifying topic for Josiah, as discovering it did not require a dangerous journey into unknown parts of the world, all it required was the power of alchemy. The stone was the most sought after object in alchemy and many great alchemists failed to create it over centuries. This led to many scientists to disregard the theory of the Philosopher's Stone and believed that it did not exist. Josiah disagreed.

As Josiah grew older he took up a career in alchemy and was enrolled into Boston University with the help of his parents who were both highly regarded students when they attended. Josiah was a legacy student so he was able to access to more expensive equipment to research alchemy. For the first 2 years at Boston University, Josiah was constantly experimenting with different elements. After Josiah felt confident enough with his advanced knowledge of alchemy, he attempted 'The Magnum Opus' (also known as 'The Great Work'), this refers to the process of creating The Philosopher's Stone. The university wasn't aware of his experiments as he always snuck into the lab after hours to conduct his research, as the scholars disapproved of alchemy and thought that it was not real science and belonged in the Middle Ages. Once the clock struck 12 o'clock, Josiah began his great experiment. At first, the experiment was going well and went through phases of nigredo, albedo, citrinitas, and rubedo. However, when Josiah reached the multiplication stage, a mixture of two flammable and combustible compounds caused a spontaneous combustion and turned the lab into an inferno. Struck with shock, Josiah knew that he needed to save his research and work and so quickly grabbed his research journal and fled the scene. Unfortunately, he was swiftly caught for the destruction of the University lab and was wanted by the police, after disgracing the family name, Josiah fled west to wipe the slate and start fresh.

Using money given to him by his parent's, Josiah travelled to the small county of Bronze, a small town where he was unknown and could start alchemy once again. His failure in Boston did not deter him but only invigorated him to succeed even further. Josiah is currently looking for a permanent place to conduct his experiments. He is also looking for 'The Moonstone's Tear' an incredibly rare gemstone found in the heart of a treacherous mountain range. Legends claim that the gemstone possesses mystical properties that can enhance the potency of alchemical concoctions. It is said to radiate a faint lunar glow and can only be found during specific celestial alignments. Securing a Moonstone's Tear requires navigating treacherous terrain, braving extreme weather conditions, some say that it can be found in the mountains near Howling Peak. Another item Josiah seeks is 'The Enigma of Elixir Veritas', an ancient alchemical manuscript written by an enigmatic alchemist known only as Orin the Veiled. The manuscript contains intricate diagrams, symbolic codes, and cryptic riddles that hold the key to a ground-breaking alchemical process for creating the Elixir Veritas—an elixir rumoured to grant immortality.