Hunter Ambrosias on Alchemy
Hunter Ambrosias on Alchemy
Amos Quill's Summary of AlchemyThrough the following interview I learned that alchemy is the art of turning primary into potions. Some potions are harder to make than others, and all are time consuming. However, once a given potion is made it can be stored indefinitely. A potion can also be transferred to someone who does not know how to make them, making it more flexible, in that respect, than magic (which has an instant effect and can only be used by a mage). Joining the guild seems simple enough. You approach the local guild master and they will interview you before assigning you to a teacher. It can take several months, six to twelve, to complete training. Once trained you can make several useful potions, some of which sell for a decent profit. Alchemy can create bad effects as well as good, though Hunter insists this is based not on the effect, but the way it is used. Hunter gave an example of using Fast Poison to find and test Complex Antidote. Testing new potions is very dangerous, and a Physik or mage (with Purify Body) should be on hand when testing a potion. Learning alchemy does not prevent you from learning or doing anything else, such as magic. Magic and alchemy should never be mixed.
An interview of Hunter Ambrosias by Amos Quill| Amos Quill: | Greetings Hunter. I’m glad you agreed to this interview. There is a lot of mystery in alchemy, and though some of that is necessary I’m hoping to shed some much needed light on the guild. |
| Hunter Ambrosias: | I’m glad to help, but as I said before there are some questions I’m not going to be able to answer. Guild law being what it is. |
| Amos: | That’s quite alright. I’m not looking to get anyone into trouble. For the record, what is your full name? |
| Hunter: | My name is Hunter Ambrosias. |
| Amos: | Where were you born? |
| Hunter: | Bibelot, northern Remtarch. |
| Amos: | Did you learn alchemy in Bibelot? |
| Hunter: | No, it was after I traveled to Kingspointe that I took an interest in alchemy. |
| Amos: | Kingspointe? The guild master there is… |
| Hunter: | Master Aldath Raven. Under the guild master for Anenark, Master Ashfall. |
| Amos: | Of course. Now, Master Raven… what was your first impression of him? |
| Hunter: | Master Aldath is a quiet, gruff man. A paradox. Few people have as many ink stains as scars. Normally it’s one or the other. As a scholar and a Guardian trained member of the Brotherhood of the Arm, he’s got more than enough marks from both lines of work. |
| Amos: | A Guardian trained scholar? I understand you have several interests as well, yes? |
| Hunter: | I am a full Alchemist, working on becoming a master. I’m also an apprentice in the Order of the Five Points. I am Guardian training in Open-Hand. I am studying to be a Scholar, and an Herbalist. I would also like to be more active in the Church of Tara. |
| Amos: | I understand that you went through your lessons pretty quick. Can you tell me about that? |
| Hunter: | Sure I can. Master Aldath taught me the theory of alchemy, and took me through all the notes, guild law, some rules to follow, Thomas’s Practical Rules of Alchemy, guild pricing… all the basics. Then he sent me to an alchemist named Jared. Jared was to teach me, over time, how to actually make potions. These lessons are normally spread out over several months. I learned quickly and Jared decided to push me one lesson ahead. This is accepted practice, as long as it’s only one lesson. Three lessons later, with the town preparing for a large battle, Jared decided I was going to skip a lesson or two to help him make some potions for the good people of Kingspointe. He felt this was necessary at the time, and ended up being a big help. The next morning we went over the lessons I skipped, and then explained to Master Aldath that I was done with the training. He was not pleased at how quickly I covered the entire range of lessons, but I passed the Journeyman test. Since then I have gone to show that I did master the knowledge presented by both Master Aldath and Jared. Not only have I advanced the knowledge of the guild, to include rediscovering Complex Antidote, I have also trained one apprentice up to Journeyman. I have two other apprentices who are promising young alchemists. |
| Amos: | Impressive. About how quickly would you say you went through your training? |
| Hunter: | Three or four weeks to cover six to twelve months of information. |
| Amos: | Wow! I am impressed! Did your student also rush his training? |
| Hunter: | No, even without prompting from Master Aldath I decided to create a set schedule and follow it. When Sabriel was finished with my lessons she was more than ready for her final test. It took a bit longer, but she’s a better alchemist for it. |
| Amos: | You mentioned something called Thomas’s Practical Rules of Alchemy. What are those? |
| Hunter: | Basic safety rules actually… fire burns, things that touch fire burn and, of course, never put you hand into something if you’re not sure you will be able to retrieve it. |
| Amos: | He needed rules for that? |
| Hunter: | Well, I did break the last one once, lost my right hand because of it. |
| Amos: | I’m sorry… what? You seem to have both hands now. |
| Hunter: | The joys of alchemy… I re-grew it with a potion. |
| Amos: | You can do that? |
| Hunter: | Not any more, that formula doesn’t work now. |
| Amos: | The formula doesn’t work? How did that happen? |
| Hunter: | Someone tried to become a god, we live with the consequences. |
| Amos: | You’re joking, of course… |
| Hunter: | Mixing magic and alchemy is very dangerous. People who have done it in the past didn’t know what the consequences of their actions might be. One group tried to flood the Face, I don’t know what happened to them. I know they didn’t survive, but I don’t know if that’s because of the people who stopped them or because of the spell they cast. Another guy tried to ascend to godhood, yellow dust is all that’s left of him. I have some of that dust if you'd like to see it... The lesson here is do not mix magic and alchemy. Not only is it illegal, but it has bad and unpredictable consequences. |
| Amos: | Interesting. Moving on, let’s say I wanted to become an Alchemist. Where would I start? |
| Hunter: | See that building there *points to a sign with a mortar and pestle hanging over the door of a building* That’s the local guildhouse. Most towns don’t have it as nicely marked, but with Rourn being such a large place, you get pretty signs. If you’re in a smaller town, just ask around for an alchemist, they can point you in the right direction. Once you find the local guildhall, ask for the Guild Master. Master Adam or whoever the local Guild Master is will interview you to decide if he will accept you as a student. If he does, he will hand you off to either a full Alchemist or a Master Alchemist. Either way, I’m sure you will receive fine training. |
| Amos: | Would you teach me? |
| Hunter: | No, not me. My guildhouse is in Kingspointe. You’d have to go through Master Aldath to learn from me. As I don’t think you are planning on moving to Anenark, I don’t foresee you as one of my students. |
| Amos: | I see your point. So, why would someone want to be an alchemist. What are the benefits? |
| Hunter: | The most obvious benefit is being able to make potions that do amazing things. Heal limbs, stop bleeding, make someone dance. The second obvious benefit is that you can then sell those potions. Personally I like exploring new things. What I get from it is the opportunity to discover. |
| Amos: | Discover? Can you give me an example? |
| Hunter: | A few days ago, back in Kingspointe, I rediscovered Complex Antidote. Because of that discovery alchemists all over the Face will be able to cure poisons. A new formula is not the only thing to be discovered, but that gets into areas I can’t really talk about. |
| Amos: | I understand. You mentioned poisons. There is a darker side to alchemy, is there not? |
| Hunter: | No. Alchemy is a tool. There is no dark or light side to it. Some potions seem to have good uses, others seem to have evil uses. But really it’s the person using it that makes it so. I carried a Fast Poison on me for quite some time. I thought I’d never need to use it. Then, a week or so ago, I used it on a young mage. Without that poison I would not have been able to test Complex Antidote. Without knowing one I would not have been able to make or test the other. |
| Amos: | Is this how you normally test potions? “Here, drink this…” |
| Hunter: | No. In this instance I knew that the odds where high that the potion on hand was Complex Antidote. Normally I don’t have that level of certainty. Empirical testing leaves far too many uncertainties in my mind. It’s also very risky. The Five Points have access to a spell that is both more precise and far less risky. It’s not cheap, but the precision is worth the expense. |
| Amos: | Isn’t that mixing magic and alchemy? I thought that was frowned upon. |
| Hunter: | It’s illegal to mix magic and alchemy. However when I sought clarification on that law I found that it refers only to using primary in a spell, and not casting a spell on a made potion. Some still don’t like using magic in any way, but legally speaking I am in the clear. |
| Amos: | I see you’ve given that some thought. |
| Hunter: | I am a mage and an alchemist… and in both I am mostly a researcher. It’s important to know where the lines are. |
| Amos: | I agree. So I’ve joined the guild, Master Adam has assigned me to a teacher. Now what? How do you brew a potion? |
| Hunter: | How to answer that without actually breaking the rules… Your first lesson may not be brewing potions, each person probably teaches a little differently. As for brewing potions, I guess that starts with Primary, that’s common enough knowledge. From there it’s mostly guild secrets. I can tell you that it’s generally a long process. The easiest of potions can take me up five to ten minutes per potion. The more complicated potions can take up to an hour to produce. There are other alchemical processes which can take up to an hour as well. It’s not easy, nor convenient. But you can store the potion, or hand it to someone who is neither a mage nor an alchemist. This ability to store and transfer potions creates a flexibility that doesn’t easily exist in magic. |
| Amos: | That was a more complete answer than I was expecting, thank you. What potions are available currently? |
| Hunter: | That’s a fairly
sizeable list… I’ll give you some more notable items on the list, rather
than going over every potion:
|
| Hunter: | You can ask your local guildhouse for a more complete list. |
| Amos: | What equipment do you need for alchemy? |
| Hunter: | Mortar and pestle, various containers… The rest I think I’ll keep to myself. |
| Amos: | Lets finish this up. Would you recommend alchemy to someone who is interested in learning a new skill? |
| Hunter: | If their interest is in learning, then sure… though I’d ask why they picked alchemy at random. Otherwise I’d ask them what their interests are. There are parts of alchemy that are tedious and repetitive. However, the effects are, to me, worth the effort. I find that a lot of people like the idea of alchemy, but the actually practice turns out to be more than they expected. This is one of the first topics that a Guild Master will cover with a potential apprentice. |
| Amos: | Thank you, Hunter… this was most enlightening. |
| Hunter: | As I said, I’m glad I could help. |