Alchemy

Alchemy is a form of Legerdemain, magic that any corporeal being, regardless of their innate magical qualities, may practice. Alchemy involves the combination of various ingredients, which when brought together, produce a specific magical effect. Mages make use of alchemy is a form of magical focus, though the variant that they practice is not nearly as rigid in its formulae.

It is believed by many, however, that Legerdemain Alchemy came into being as a result of mages consistently employing specific formulae and rituals as foci, to the point where the mental energy directed at said formulae became so prominent within the Ether that it became possible for any being to use them and produce the same effect.

## List of Alchemical Formulae

### Tier 1

* Dreamdust: Dreamdust is a powdered substance, which, when inhaled, causes corporeal beings the fall into a deep slumber, during which they cannot be woken, though they otherwise suffer no lasting harm. Dreamdust in its basic form is ineffective against the undead, though it is capable of affecting spirits if they are possessing a host, as the spirit's connection to the host's mind pulls them into a slumber. Transformed Skinchangers and other potent beings are more resistant to the effects, which have a much shorter duration.
	+ Ingredients: Poppies, others tbd
* Heartshock: Heartshock is a potion that, when consumes, instantly grants a powerful rush of adrenaline.
	+ Ingredients: ground charcoal,
* Owl Elixir : Owl Elixir is a potion that, when consumed, grants perfect night vision. This allows subjects to see clearly even in total absence of light, though their ability to see color is greatly diminished in true darkness.
	+ Ingredients: Owl feathers, others tbd
* Philter of Quiet Sleep: The Philter of Quiet Sleep ensures that anyone who drinks it will not suffer any dreams when they sleep.
	+ Ingredients: tbd
* Sealing Salve: Sealing Salve is an ointment applied to wounds. Though it does not mend flesh, it does provide an instant and highly flexible sealant for cuts, and is extremely useful for preventing blood loss, as no liquid can penetrate it.
* Brew of Unobtrusiveness: This is a simple brew with a number of useful effects. Applied to skin, or a solid material such as rubber or fabric, the brew muffles the sounds they make, removes any smell attached, and even dims the ambient light surrounding it slightly. While ineffective at concealment in broad daylight or doing a noisy activity, it is useful for enhancing other forms of concealment. Caution should be advised when applying the brew around the mouth, neck, or ears, as the muffling of sound may hamper communication efforts.
	+ Ingredients: Cotton wool, black dye or ink

### Tier 2

* Dragonbreath Crystals: These small red granules look much like chunks of salt, and can vary in size from that of a small berry to a grapefruit. When thrown with sufficient force, however, they explode with a blast of fire. Larger crystals produce larger amounts of fire.
	+ Ingredients: Sulfur, quartz, bat guano.
* Philter of the Wakeful Mind: The Philter of the Wakeful Mind allows an individual to forgo the need for sleep. Though heavy physical exertion still tires them while the Philter is active, they do not feel the need to slumber. Its primary limitation is that, after its effects wear off, the next time the person who take it goes to sleep, they be unable to wake under any circumstances. Furthermore, for every week that they were under the effects of the Philter, their slumber will last an additional sleep period (for instance, staying awake for a week will cause an eight hour sleep period to become sixteen, three weeks twenty four, etc).
	+ Ingredients: Strong caffeine, tbd
* Scourge Oil: Scourge Oil is a substance often applied to weapons. While it is utterly harmless to inorganic material, such as rock or metal, its touch causes any organic substance, be it living flesh, dead wood or cotton shirts, to begin to corrode. Wounds inflicted by Scourge Oil are agonizing, slow and difficult to heal even to those with magical regenerative powers.
	+ Ingredients: Iron rust (preferably from an old weapon), crude oil, lye, sulfur, others tbd
* Silent Flesh Elixir: This is a potion which, when imbibed, grants utter immunity to all forms of pain for the period of its duration. Damage is still suffered, and it is still fully possible for a subject to die of blood loss or organ damage, but they will not feel any discomfort. This potion also allows for subjects to be nearly tireless due to the lack of discomfort usually caused by fatigue, but it does not protect bone and muscle from being damaged due to overuse.

### Tier 3

* Oakflesh Elixir: The Oakflesh Elixir, when imbibed, toughens the bodies of those who consume it, giving their forms the strength of hard oak. Though there are no visible or tangible physical effects, any damage inflicted upon their bodies affects their form as it would were they made out of strong wood. For instance, rather than stabbing deep into one's gut, a knife might only penetrate a few inches. Furthermore, Oakflesh Elixir also prevents ordinary bleeding.
	+ Ingredients: Oak galls and heartwood, more tbd
* Pebble of Nourishment: A single Pebble of Nourishment can allow an individual to survive without food or water for up to a week, without hunger nor thirst and without suffering most of the negative effects of dehydration or starvation in the short-term. The stone is not subject to deterioration nor decay. A truly desperate alchemist can survive months in barren environments with such stones, though long-term use does result in nutrient deficiencies such as scurvy or beriberi. Note that the draught is useless against exhaustion, heatstroke, hypothermia, or other such afflictions, and the use of this potion in place of food intake will not permit the building of muscle and hampers proper healing. Excessive use may also damage the mouth or throat if the stones are not small or smooth enough.
	+ Ingredients: Smooth river stones, boiling water, iron nails, salt and pepper. Soup stock may be used in place of water to improve the taste of the rocks, without effect on the "potion" itself.
* Souldam Potion : An essential tool for any alchemist who traffics with spirits, the Souldam potion protects any who imbibe it from being possessed by creatures of the Ether, including ghosts, demons, numina, and faeries. A standard dose of Souldam prevents any spirit from entering the body for one day.
	+ Ingredients: Silver dust, red wine, mandrake root, cat's eyes, heated in an iron flask
* Spider Elixir: The Spider Elixir grants those who consume it the ability to scale sheer surfaces, allowing them to cause any part of their bodies to adhere to any surface that can bear their weight, even through their clothes.
	+ Ingredients:
* Rockbreaker Balm: A relatively modest concoction, the Rockbreaker Balm is known to soothe stiff muscle pains and effectively counteract paralysis. Its most notable feature, however, is that it can counter the symptoms of petrification and many similar effects, changing body parts from stone or crystal back into flesh so long as the victim is still alive. Side-effects include brittle bones and weak grip for up to an hour after use. Additionally, the balm nullifies Oakflesh or Stoneflesh Elixirs on the subject.
	+ Ingredients: A silver mirror ground down into a powder, petroleum jelly, pyrite

### Tier 4

* Stoneflesh Elixir: A more advanced version of Oakflesh, Stoneflesh instead gives the strength and resilience of solid stone.
	+ Ingredients:
* Pyreblood Tincture: The Pyreblood Tincture, as the name suggests, sets the blood vessels aflame. Shortly following consumption, the subject experiences a high but harmless fever and is energized greatly by the inferno flowing through their arteries. They become impervious to hypothermia and fatigue alike. Furthermore, upon suffering any injury that draws blood, the normally-harmless fluid exits the body boiling and accompanied by a fierce gout of flame. The potion, however, can be taxing upon the subject's energy reserves, with drinkers experiencing drowsiness and greatly increased appetite once the tincture wears off. Additionally, it is known to slow the clotting of wounds.
	+ Ingredients: Obsidian-glass crystals, pumice rock, salamander tails, vodka (more if anyone has ideas)

### Tier 5

* Blackout Powder: Scattering this blackout powder in an area wreaks havoc on mortal and mechanical senses alike, immediately absorbing light, sound, wind, and even electronic signals. The dust befuddles the senses, extinguishes flames, and shorts out electricity and electronic devices, lingering for hours until the powder settles or is blown away.
	+ Ingredients: Sand, flour, copper filings, powdered obsidian, charcoal dust, others tbd
* Etherbane Bomb: One of the most effective weapons against spirits that an alchemist can create, the Etherbane bomb is an explosive brew, that when met with sufficient force (usually thrown against the ground or a wall) bursts into a blast of bright white light. This light has no affect on purely corporeal matter, but causes the materialized bodies of spirits to break down, inflicting horrific damage on any part of the spirit's materialized form it touches. Often, a direct hit will instantly dispel a materialized form. Etherbane also causes harm to any spirit possessing a body or inhabiting an inanimate object. No harm is done to the host, but the spirit has its essence corroded, inflicting tremendous pain, vastly weakening their power, to the point where the average spirit (with the exception of numina in the late stages of possession) is immediately forced back to its home realm in the Ether.
	+ Ingredients: Silver dust, gold dust, iron shavings, others tbd

### Tier 6

* Brew of Hateful Overgrowth: A dangerous, reviled, and exceptionally rare recipe, the Brew of Hateful Overgrowth is part poison, part arcane mutagen. Foul-tasting and impossible to conceal, a few drops of the potion causes the subject to be wracked with sickness and struck with infections which seem to actively resist curative efforts. At a full dose, the illness is accompanied by an unnatural vitality as the subject grows to enormous size, sprouts misshapen and outsized new limbs, and is struck with madness and mindless aggression. The brew is even more effective applied directly to soil, with the contaminated plant life becoming an impassable writhing garden of needle-sharp twigs and razor-sharp leaves that can last for years or decades.
	+ Known ingredients include mercury, aconite, the brain stems of rabid animals, and copious quantities of human blood