[Alchemic Lore] Black Alchemy

[dard 756]

 Pʀᴇꜰᴀᴄᴇ

Spoiler

 

 

 

This is an update of Black Alchemy as to match current lore. The Primary example is a change to the Philter of Heith-Hedran due to the lack of such in current lore now operating more closely to the lifebanks as it stands as well as updating some things like Liquid Lifeforce. I personally think making it only white liquid is cringe, and decided to slot in the ability for Liquid Lifeforce to hold the full scale of Lifeforce’s canonical colors. This of course would need to be reflected later in Alchemy’s Reagent lore given this goes through as intended. I also modernized some of the redlines as needed.

 

 

B ʟ ᴀ ᴄ ᴋ   A ʟ ᴄ ʜ ᴇ ᴍ ʏ

ᴛɪɴᴄᴛᴜʀᴇꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀʙʏꜱꜱ

 

“Heat the cauldron and make it squeal,

Pry the bones from toe to heel,

Have it burn and char the meats,

Baste its writhing tongue in beets;

 

Holy heart of man most young;

Silver of a stilleborne’s lung;

Blood of virgin who claims it pure,

Pierce her veins and make good sure.

 

Harrowed medley makes it green,

Add the hemlock for its sheen.

With the skull of firstborne son,

Ichor glows and now we’re done.”

 

-Apocryphynuiyum, Adage of the Black Witch, Ezra

 

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When dark arts began to succumb and collapse in the years following 1700, former Necromancers and their Aspirants searched for new ways to achieve dominion over the nature of Life and Death. What began as ways to recreate Necromancy soon spiraled into darker shapes: experiments on the living and dead. The Apocryphynium catalogues the rituals and unorthodox reagents that, when combined, branch off into forbidden types of alchemy that uses essence stolen from the living.

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Philters, Draughts, and Ichors

As unpredictable as they are dangerous, instruments of Black Alchemy are rooted in the duplicity of their usefulness. What some may have bargained for as means to extend their life might very well be the device of its undoing…

 

Liquid Lifeforce

Raw lifeforce itself; reaped from the dead or living in the form of mutilated appendages, blood, and otherwise salvaged parts, is utilized in varying ways by Necromancers: notably so in their alchemic craft. This substance is extracted by adept Necromancers and congealed into smooth, colored fluid ranging in colors scaling black and white, sickly greens, and deepened purples retaining a consistency of coagulated blood. The use of liquified lifeforce, typically stolen from unsuspecting victims through Draining, is what has given Black Alchemy its taboo nature.

 

 

[Tɪᴇʀ I] Ichor of Life - [Rare]

Originally devised by cowardly court alchemists attempting to stave off the death of kings through youth, the Ichor of Life falls short of its intended task. By having liquid lifeforce in the concoction react with the appropriate alchemical symbols, lifeforce is able to return to the body after it is imbibed and rejuvenate it by a handful of extra years. Though it lacks any meaningful way to stave off immediate danger, it can extend the life of the elderly or afflicted from the loom of impending doom. The imbiber will stay the same age they were when drinking it, the duration of its effects usually lasting around ten years, diminishing each time it is imbibed. This substance creates and immediate dependency upon it, causing the body to crave it or face a series of withdrawal effects for its duration: notably rapid aging. 

 

Spoiler

Recipe:

⬢ Liquid Lifeforce

⬢ Life x3

⬢ Vigor x2

⬢ Balance x3

⬢ Endurance x3

 

Procedure:

Distill liquid lifeforce with the three symbols of life and two symbols of vigor until the concoction turns a translucent, pale yellow. Allow it to sit for half an hour, then apply a concentrate of three balance symbols that has been condensed into powder. Stir once and do not shake, allowing time to dissolve without agitation. Create a paste from the symbols of endurance and whisk into the solution. When the elixir is ready, it will appear a soft, golden shade.

 

Effects:

⬢ Drinking this ichor extends the natural life of the imbiber by ten years.

⬢ This ichor prevents death from maladies or old age, otherwise acting as a flavor mechanic for those who enforce their own age.

⬢ Life can only be extended after the initial effect has passed, the substance providing

⬢ This effect is diminishing, halving the additional benefits with each inhibition until such becomes negligible. After the primary effect of this ichor wears off, withdrawal symptoms emerge if it is not drunk.

⬢ Withdrawal effects include severe sweating, migraines, and bones feeling like hot glass. These do not inhibit combat and are purely flavor.

⬢ Withdrawal effects conclude after the body has gone five narrative years without imbibing the concoction

⬢ After the life-extending effect of this ichor wears off, the imbiber’s body ages twice as fast for however long their life was extended.

⬢ This ichor cannot save a person from immediate death as if it were a healing potion. 

⬢ This potion requires at least T1 in alchemy, and must be taught. 

 

 

[Tɪᴇʀ II] Draught of Incite - [Rare]

First born of the Darkstalker Vor’kalan in his quest to find sensation, the return of the Draught of Incite came through years of study and dedication albeit never truly perfected. The Draught allows fallen undead and decrepit, corpse-like Necromancers, to feign a temporary appearance of life. The culminated reagents within the draught will react with decaying or deadend bodies and restore vitality to flesh, making it seem as if it were once again living. The mind, too, becomes restored with how it was in life, allowing those who have long passed dead to experience life, pain, and mortality as if they were once again alive. This often leaves the undead in a perpetual state of addiction and dependency for using it, though the effects of this imperfect Draught of Incite are far more temporary.

 

Spoiler

Recipe:

⬢ Liquid Lifeforce

⬢ Salt Water

⬢ Growth x3

⬢ Rigidity x2

⬢ Death x2

⬢ Courage x1

⬢ Connection x1

 

Procedure:

Begin by brewing the growth symbols into a solution of roughly 20|80 salt to water until it takes a briney, green hue. Decant the solution into the base of liquid lifeforce and reduce the mixture down. Taking the rigidity and death symbols and grinding them into a coarse mush, empty into the lifeforce solution. Shake two times, then once down do not move. Finally add the courage symbol and connection symbol to the mixture after it has cooled without disrupting the brew. 

 

Effects:

⬢ Invokes a temporary rejuvenation to the body, feigning a youthful, living appearance for a decrepit necromancer or undead being as if they were in their prime state of life.

⬢ A draughted being is indistinguishable from any other living being.

⬢ The draught recreates a sense of humanity and sensation in the undead or necromancer, allowing them a state of emotional clarity and empathy.

⬢ For undead beings, the Draught of Incite is highly addictive due to it being able to return mortal emotions and feelings to their apathetic mind.

⬢ Draughts last for [1] OOC day and have a refractory period of [1] OOC week, otherwise having no effect if imbibed during this cooldown. 

⬢ One may NOT Romance Roleplay or FTB while under the effects of the Draught of Incite. While technically rejuvenated, they are still considered dead or dying.

⬢ Draughted undead become susceptible to pain, mortal blows, and injuries as if they were mortal though will revive normally upon death. Whilst under the effects of the Draught of Incite Undead are UNABLE to access any abilities related to their CA. Darkstalkers and Draugur are still vulnerable to their Memento Mori.

⬢ Any modifications on a draughted individual are temporarily disabled for the duration of the draught’s primary effect.

⬢ The draught has no effect on any being that is not a necromancer or undead.

⬢ This potion requires at least T2 in alchemy, and must be taught. 

 

 

[Tɪᴇʀ I] Philter of Enlightenment - [Rare]

Originating from the Red Priests of Rh’thor, the Philter of Enlightenment was meant as a way to open the mind to the possibilities of the afterlife. Imbibing the substance allows the drinker to enter a pseudo-state of death where they come face to face with the lifebanks. The body itself experiences a true death, succumbing lifeless onto the ground while the soul undergoes an involuntary journey through the limbo of the far-spanning lifebanks, experiencing unnatural and chilling hallucinations. After the philter degrades in the body, the soul is whisked back into the lifeless husk and life is returned to how it previously was.

 

Spoiler

Recipe:

⬢ Liquid Lifeforce

⬢ Peace x2

⬢ Death x2

⬢ Rigidity x2

⬢ Growth x1 

 

Procedure:

Dry all death symbols and crush into fine powder with the consistency of dust: do not mix. Taking the base of liquid lifeforce, add the peace symbols and brew until the mixture turns indigio. Add the powdered death into the solution and top off lost fluid with water. Keep at a low boil until dissolved. Stir in the rigidity symbols repeating the brewing process yet again. Lastly, grind the growth symbol with a pestle and mortar then brew a final time. Cut with water to adjust potency.

 

Effects:

⬢ The imbiber’s body goes limb and is in a suspended state of animation.

⬢ The body of the imbiber appears dead to all magical and natural tests, even beginning to rot as a corpse for the duration.

⬢ This philter normally lasts for an hour or the length of a combat scenario (whichever of the player’s choosing)

⬢ The recipe can be concentrated (5x the original recipe) to effectively softshell a character for a longer duration of the player’s choosing, allowing a player to fake their death. This effect can only be forced on someone if they give OOC consent.

⬢ Returning to one’s body only grants the imbiber the hallucinogenic trip as their memories; their corpse is not “awake” and therefore does not retain any memories of what it may have heard or seen while the soul was away.

⬢ This philter only works on lifeforce bearing descendants whose souls are not directly protected by a deity, such as those who practice an Aengudaemonic magic.

⬢ During the time, otherwise mortal strikes such as blows to the heart or head will have no effect on the corpse and simply be scars when the soul returns.

⬢ True death can occur if the corpse of the imbiber is decapitated, burned, or otherwise obliterated, where the player then follows normal death rules.

⬢ Requires at least T1 in alchemy, and must be taught.

 

 

[Tɪᴇʀ II] Deadman’s Cure - [Rare]

The practice of toying with plague and decay is not without its toll on mortal men.  Created by the Black Witch Ezra to prevent any more of her disciples from perishing, the Devil’s Cure exists as a necromancer’s tool in curing their own nefarious plaguecraft.  Alchemically crafted oil is placed into a handheld censer and then burned slowly, requiring one to breathe the odd, green fumes that are produced. Inhaling the fumes causes a person to enter a hellacious coughing fit, spewing up black bile for a day’s length in order to purge oneself crudely of the malady.

 

Spoiler

Recipe:

⬢ Liquid Lifeforce

⬢ Oil

⬢ Rage x1

⬢ Grace x1

⬢ Heat x3

⬢ Death x1

 

Procedure:

Emulsify both the liquid lifeforce and oil together. Add the moderate rage symbol and grace symbol to the emulsified fluid.  Put over a low, slow heat until both the oil and lifeforce have fused and the symbols have been infused into the new base.  Crush and dry the heat symbols and the death into a fine powder, mixing well, then add to the emulsified lifeforce to complete it.

 

Effects:

⬢ Inhaling the oil’s fumes can cure magical maladies and natural diseases, though notably, necromatic plagues.

⬢ This effect can only be done in a controlled environment; attempting to use this in combat is ineffective and the fumes will simply dissipate into the open air.

⬢ The process of curing diseases causes the recipient to cough up black bile and dark sludge for the remainder of the day, requiring rest. Combat is inhibited via fatigue and constant coughing, causing slower reactions and lessened movement.

⬢ Requires at least T2 in Alchemy and must be taught.

 

 

[Tɪᴇʀ III] Abyssal Blight - [Rare]

Developed by the first necromancers of Rh’thor as a means to coup the Red Priests, Abyssal Blight is a highly volatile gas that acts as a mimicry of the air afflicting the remnants of Aegis, the Abyss.   First made by lifeforce being vaporized condensed and funneled carefully into airtight flasks, this gaseous substance can cause terrible disease to afflict the land if unsealed. The black gas clings to lifeforce and corrupts it, spreading voraciously across landscapes if unabated.  Impossible to see through by the dead and the living, it often acts as a helpful deterrent when an unsuspecting necromancer is caught off guard. Though creatures of weaker constitutions such as flora and fauna are slowly killed by this substance, descendants who inhale the blight are instead inflicted with painful tumors and debilitating, though nonlethal, flu-like symptoms involving producing excess black bile.  

 

Spoiler

Recipe:

⬢ Liquid Lifeforce

⬢ Aqua Vitae

⬢ Death x5

⬢ Peace x1

⬢ Swiftness x3

 

Procedure:

Grind the death symbols into a quantity of dust-like powder, adding to liquid lifeforce. Place the liquid lifeforce in an alembic and boil, allowing the vapor to collect; once finished, immediately turn off heat or risk explosion.  In a separate mixture, add both the symbol of peace and the symbols of swiftness into the aqua vitae. Add to the alembic and ignite the aqua vitae until the smoke from both has mixed with the vaporous lifeforce. Carefully attach an airtight flask and collect the vapors.

 

Effects:

⬢ When the container of Abyssal Blight is shattered or unsealed, black fumes pour out in a 10x10 area over [3] emotes. These fumes originate at the central impact or unsealing point as a 3x3 spread, then a 6x6 spread the following emote, then followed by a 10x10 spread for the third.

⬢ Abyssal Blight will instantly begin to wither weak, non-sentient plant life and fauna slowly infecting and killing within hours. 

⬢ The black smog obscures visibility for all parties: living, necromancer, or undead, cutting off line of sight. The usage of heatsight will not be blocked.

⬢ The area of effect persists for one IRL week and can spread further with PRO permission.

⬢ Descendants contract a strange type of flu for two days, growing grotesque tumors and boils on their skin. It is painful, though these effects do not inhibit combat.

⬢ Living necromancers are just a susceptible to inhaling this substance and contracting the blight, experiencing the same effects.

⬢ The contracted disease can be treated with alchemical potions, appropriate magical healing, or a physician’s homeopathy.

⬢ The smog can be cleared by entrapping the area with fire and smoke or through specifi magical means such as druidic blight healing.

⬢ Requires T3 in Alchemy and must be taught.

 

 

[Tɪᴇʀ III] Further Development - [MArt]

Through experimenting with liquid lifeforce, the field of Black Alchemy possesses a surplus of untapped potential. Those who become adept in Black Alchemy can further experiment and expand the trade, so long as they possess the means to do so.

 

Spoiler

⬢ Anyone with the taught knowledge of Black Alchemy and an accepted Feat application for Alchemy are capable of creating their own Black Alchemy concoctions following the format of the aforementioned brews. In order to do this, they will need to submit an MArt for said creation.

 

Rᴇᴅʟɪɴᴇꜱ:

⬢ The player must both be a Necromancer and have an accepted Alchemy application to do this.

⬢ Black Alchemy creations must have heavy side-effects, such as crippling addiction.

⬢ Black Alchemy is renowned for its ability to do little good and an unpredictable amount of bad to the user. This rule must be followed in all creations.

 

 

Rᴇᴅʟɪɴᴇꜱ:

Spoiler

⬢ Black Alchemy is only performable by an individual who possesses a valid Feat: Alchemy App. Individual recipes are all considered Rare knowledge and must be taught directly by one who understands them. 

⬢ It is not required to hold an MA for Abyssal Necromancy to create or use Black Alchemy potions.

⬢ Liquid Lifeforce is only obtained through Draining (See Abyssal Necromancy- Thaumaturgy- Draining.

 

✦•━•⊰✼⊱•━•✦

 

[ C ʀ ᴇ ᴅ ɪ ᴛ ꜱ ]

The abyssal necro team and so on

https://www.lordofthecraft.net/forums/topic/186819-alchemic-lore-black-alchemy/ 

[JokerLow 1317]

Thats a 100% +1 from me,

[GodEmperorFlam 3447]

Thank you for submitting your Lore Games draft! You will receive input on what needs to be fixed within the next 2 weeks.