Alchemy

Alchemy is the practice of mixing various herbs, fungi, minerals, and other materials for the purpose of creating potions. It is one of the more common means of creating magical effects, as brewing potions does not require any actual manipulation of magical energy, merely the knowledge of the formulae necessary to brew a potion.

For this reason, alchemy is practiced not only by sorcerers, but also by court physicians, midwives, herbalists, and even thieves and assassins.

## Synthesis

Alchemists (those who are highly trained and educated, at any rate) refer to the process that results when specific substances are combined together to create a magical reaction as synthesis. When the correct proportion and combination of substances is blended together, the mystical essences locked within their forms will mix together in an invisible (for the most part, at least) swirl of new magical energy, with each combination possessing their own unique supernatural properties, known as a synthetic effect. The combination of substances needed to create a specific synthetic effect are known as formulae. Various alchemists constantly attempt to find new formulae by combining various items, though given the extreme complexity of each formula, new ones are relatively rare, and often remain secret to whatever individual alchemist happens to stumble upon them.

## Concoctions

An alchemical concoction is the result of an alchemist's craft, and is their means of creating various supernatural effects. These concoctions are most often imagined as brightly coloured liquids in small glass vials, but an alchemical concoction can take many forms. We find these mixtures stored in vials, bottles and jars, as potions, powders, poisons, pills, pigments, and perfumes.

### Draughts

Draughts are potions meant to be consumed, and have effects upon the psyche, such as putting an individual to sleep, causing hallucinations, inducing a maddened rage, or sending a subject into a state of euphoria.

### Elixirs

Elixirs are potions designed for consumption, which take an effect upon the physical body. Elixirs are designed primarily to be beneficial to the body, and the effects they induce include the acceleration of healing, the restoration of stamina, increasing of strength and desensitization to pain.

### Poisons

Alchemical poisons should require little description to make clear their purpose. They are agents of harm, and are often slipped into food or coated on weapons, and come in all manner of forms, ranging from liquids to powders.

## Alchemical Ingredients

* Snowberry
	+ Closely related to blueberries, snowberry shrubs are found in the colder places in the north. Most often they grow wild in the forests of Rhatnheim, but some may be found on mountaintops.
	+ By adding pulped snowberries to boiling water, and then adding a cold-water fish and assorted herbs, an alchemist can brew a mixture that warms the imbiber to the very bones, keeping them from feeling the worse effects of even the greatest chill. This is most effectively served as soup.
* Glowing mushrooms
	+ These mushrooms are found at the roots of trees in many forests, regardless of climate, and as their name suggests, they glow a faint blue-green colour.
	+ These mushrooms are easily made into healing potions by adding the mashed mushroom to a cauldron of boiling water, along with honey, a generous helping of either alcohol or vinegar, and various spices, and then stirring gently with a silver implement. Then, the potion can be either drunk or applied to a wound.
* *Sal mundi*
	+ *Sal mundi*, better known as alchemist's salt (or 'salt of the world'), is not found naturally. it is itself made using alchemy, by allowing ordinary salt to dissolve in water, then adding an alchemical ingredient. Then, the water is allowed to evaporate, leaving the slightly iridescent salt behind. Not all alchemical ingredients can be used for this purpose. The ingredients which will work include glowing mushrooms.
	+ Alchemist's salt is not directly used in the brewing of any potions. Adding it to a potion offers slight improvements to factors such as potency and shelf life. For this reason, and because it is fairly simple to make, alchemists (any alchemist worth their salt) will often carry a jar or pouch of the stuff.