Alchemy

> **"Alchemy. The science of understanding, deconstructing and reconstructing matter."-Some voiceover**
>
>

## ALCHEMY BASICS

Equivalent exchange – “something cannot be
gained without something of equal value being lost” – is in play.

Any transmutation that takes place is permanent –
this is something that sets alchemy apart from conventional magic.

Another thing that sets alchemy apart from
conventional magic is that, whereas magic requires stamina and energy on behalf
of the user to cast spells, alchemy simply changes elements already in place
without creating or conjuring anything – this means that no physical energy on
the part of the alchemist is required.

The alchemical elements, and what combination of base elements are necessary to master them, are as follows:

To generate the elements within the grid, you
must have knowledge of the corresponding external elements. For instance, if
you want to transmute lightning, you must have knowledge of air alchemy and
fire alchemy to do so.

Creation is key – when you can use the external
elements to create an internal one, then you have the ability to transmute said
internal element. It’s all a matter of truly understanding the inner workings
of an element before being able to transmute it.

One interesting thing of note about alchemy is
that, ultimately, it can do what magic cannot. This is why many people choose
not to study alchemy, for finding its potential unnerving or unnatural. In some
lands, it has even been deemed a forbidden science and considered the work of
the devil.

It is possible for a transmutation to fail. If this
occurs, then the energy that is being transferred from one form to another will
simply be let loose, and can be a great risk to the alchemist if this occurs.
For instance, if someone was trying to transmute lighting and the transmutation
failed, the energy would simply be released in a single burst – this could
potentially kill the alchemist given the amount of electrical and heat energy lighting
contains.

Transmutation failure is dependent on how much
control the alchemist has over their transmutation. If the alchemist has a
strong will and is completely focused on what they are doing, the transmutation
will not fail. If they are weak-willed, or distracted midway through their
work, there is a greater chance that the transmutation will backfire.

When it comes to the complexity of the elements,
earth is considered the least complex to master (note that this does no
decrease its power, and many alchemists favour earth due to its large amount of
capabilities). On the other hand, the hardest element to transmute is allegedly
lighting, due to the fine control over both air and fire needed for such a
feat. An old alchemic saying is: “Alchemy begins with the earth and ends with
the heavens.”

Another reason alchemy is considered unnatural is
how opposed to hands-on it is. Technology always requires a user, and since
magic comes from the energy of the wielder, physical actions are required to
release it. But since alchemy is manipulation and transmutation of the elements
around oneself, no physical movement is required. This unnatural lack of motion
from the alchemist whilst performing their art only furthers the suspicion that
goes against them.

## WHEN IT COMES TO UNDERSTANDING AND TRANSMUTING ELEMENTS…

### EARTH:

This is the very first alchemical
process one learns. Learning how to transmute earth involves firstly studying
the theoretical side of alchemy, before putting that knowledge into practice
and manipulating the ground underneath which one stands on.

### WATER:

The process of learning to
transmute water involves learning how to manipulate the oxygen and hydrogen
molecules within the air to create precipitation OR transmuting the residue of
a combustion reaction

### AIR:

In order to transmute air, one must
be able to control the activity of the ground and the chemicals it releases,
before transmuting said chemicals into those contained in the common air.

### FIRE:

Learning to transmute fire entails
being granted combustible material and using nothing but air transmutation to
light it – once this is done, the creation stage must be honed until one can
create a flame using any fuel, and without using air as a base.

### PLANTLIFE:

Before one can transmute
plantlife, they must use their knowledge of earth and water transmutation to
manipulate a seed into premature germination.

### SAND:

To transmute sand, it is necessary
to first have knowledge of air and earth, and be able to break down earth using
the transmutation of air – thus creating sand.

### METAL:

One can transmute metal when one
is able to control earth and fire – they must be able to heat rocks up and then
cool them down, creating natural metal.

### ICE:

The transmutation of ice relies on
the knowledge of water and air, and knowing how to create a scenario in which
the ambient temperature of the air is lower than that of the water.

### STEAM:

Being able to transmute steam
entails putting fire and water together and using a knowledge of air alchemy to
transmute the resultant gas.

### LIGHTNING:

To transmute lighting, one
must be able to manipulate air currents and fire – or, more accurately heat –
to change the temperature of the air around you to create positively and
negatively charged molecules that then form lighting.

## ADDITIONAL NOTES:

Earth-related
transmutation generally involves changing the shape of an object – perhaps
making a wall of stone rise from the ground, or breaking apart a wall.

Water-related
transmutation tends to revolve around editing the state of any surrounding
liquids; this includes freezing or boiling water (assuming one knows ice and
steam style transmutation), and manipulating bodies of liquid.

Air-related
transmutation consists of reworking the molecules within the air to suit
the user’s needs, creating different gases from the air molecules available and
changing the environment by making the immediate atmosphere flammable or toxic.

Fire-related
transmutation is carried out by means of transmuting an object into energy
and then releasing that energy as a plasma – for instance, a flame alchemist
could place their hand on a chair, the chair would crumble to dust at the
alchemist’s will and then a burst of flame would emerge as the potential energy
from the chair is manipulated into fire by the alchemist.

## KNOWN ALCHEMISTS

* Iamos Wilder (Earth, Water, Air, Ice, and Sand)
* Rainer Oum (All branches)
* Aedus the Fire Fist (Unknown, presumably most or all branches)