esotericas 1587 Share Posted July 3, 2023 VOL. 4 ARS FRAGMENTI EX OFFICINA ALCHYMISTAE Spoiler BEING, BY NATURE OF ITS NAME AND ITS WRITING, A PROPOSAL FOR AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE ALCHEMICAL SYMBOLS AND THEIR NATURES, AND SELECTION OF ADVICE AND OBSERVATIONS REGARDING THE INVENTION OF NEW POTIONS. -= ҉ =- “TO GRASP THE INVISIBLE ELEMENTS; TO ATTRACT THEM BY THEIR MATERIAL CORRESPONDENCES; TO CONTROL, PURIFY, AND TRANSFORM THEM BY THE LIVING POWER OF THE SPIRIT – THIS IS TRUE ALCHEMY.” Spoiler –Paracelsus he Symbols of Alchemy are perhaps the most poorly understood element of the Alchemical process, despite being the inherent first step in all Alchemical creation. Indeed, the great struggle of Alchemy is not struggling to puzzle out esoteric recipes, ancient texts, or philosophical ramblings. Most frequently, it is the sheer drudgery of learning by rote the names and natures of each of the thirty-eight known Symbols. This learning leaves a budding Alchemist with a myriad of unanswerable questions: What in the world is the difference between Coldness and Freezing? How do I know which Symbols to use in my potion? How do I avoid accidentally burning my eyebrows off? ll these were queries that came to my own mind during my Alchemical education, and they were questions that never received proper answers. In a chaotic, obtuse, and abstract art, the Symbols seemed the least logical of all. As I begin the education of another set of students, and witness their confusion, I am once more reminded that the Symbols are just that–chaotic, obtuse, and abstract. I intend here to organise them, in hopes of providing an angle from which Alchemists may consider them. I by no means imply that this method of organisation is somehow Truth; only that it is an attempt to make sense of the truly, fundamentally nonsensical. [!] READERS LACKING IN ALCHEMICAL SKILL WOULD FIND THE MAJORITY OF THE MISSIVE TO BE DIFFICULT TO GRASP, WITHOUT THE HONED MIND OF AN ALCHEMIST. THIS DOCUMENT CAN NOT BE USED TO IMPART ALCHEMICAL KNOWLEDGE ONTO CHARACTERS WITHOUT AN [F.A.] I f we are to categorise the un-categoriseable, we must first determine the categories into which we are sorting things. In the context of the Symbols, we will make use of one category pertaining to the outer nature of the Symbol-Pair (henceforth referred to as a ‘Pair’), and one category pertaining to the inner nature of the Pair. For the sake of clarity however, we will begin by establishing a list of the 19 known Pairs. They are as follows: Spoiler Agility–Impediment Balance–Instability Burning–Freezing Clarity–Blindness Connection–Separation Courage–Fear Endurance–Curtailment Grace–Rigidity Growth–Reduction Heat–Coldness Life–Death Light–Dark Order–Chaos Peace–Rage Purity–Poison Sound–Silence Strength–Weakness Swiftness–Slowness Vigour–Lethargy 1) SUN AND MOON he first category, the external, describes whether the effect of the Pair is active or passive. These have been ascribed to the Sun and the Moon respectively, honouring their differing roles in the lives of Man. Sun-aligned Pairs can be associated with masculine energies, active effects, and the metals Gold, representing power and wealth, and Iron, representing strength and tenacity. Moon-aligned Pairs are associated with feminine energies, passive effects, and the metals Silver, representing intuition and wisdom, and Copper, representing desire and prosperity. There are also three Pairs that fall between, beyond, or outside of this first category, due to their all-encompassing natures. These Pairs are associated with the Stars, though their broad natures leads to little definite meaning to ascribe to this category. The ☉Sun-aligned Pairs are: Balance–Instability Burning–Freezing Connection–Separation Courage–Fear Endurance–Curtailment Peace–Rage Strength–Weakness Swiftness–Slowness The ☽ Moon-aligned Pairs are: Agility–Impediment Clarity–Blindness Grace–Rigidity Growth–Reduction Heat–Coldness Purity–Poison Sound–Silence Vigour–Lethargy 2) EMOTIONAL AND MATERIAL he second category, the internal, determines whether the Pair acts on the Emotional Sphere or the Material Sphere.1 This stands largely as guidance for the Alchemist in the creation of a potion, and bears minimal symbolism or meaning of its own. For example, an Alchemist wishing to halt movement may use the Material Slowness or Curtailment, but an Alchemist wishing to halt thought may use the Emotional Blindness or Silence. These distinctions are imperfect, however, and should not be taken as absolute, concrete fact. Above all, it is the Alchemist’s intentions that determine what her inventions achieve, not the materials she puts into them. The Emotional Pairs are: Balance–Instability Clarity–Blindness Connection–Separation Courage–Fear Heat–Coldness Peace–Rage Purity–Poison Sound–Silence The Material Pairs are: Agility–Impediment Burning–Freezing Endurance–Curtailment Grace–Rigidity Growth–Reduction Strength–Weakness Swiftness–Slowness Vigour–Lethargy 1] See FTO vol. 2 for a full explanation of the Spheres. 3) TRIA PRIMA he three Pairs not listed here are the same as the ♃ Star-aligned Pairs described above, those being: Life–Death Light–Dark Order–Chaos hese Pairs are too broad in nature to fall under any specific category. Although Order–Chaos may be considered Emotional, and Light–Dark Material, Life–Death is all-encompassing. These three Symbols are tied to the Tria Prima, a set of substances once believed by ancient Alchemists to be the materials with which the Creator formed the world. The Tria Prima, and their associated Pairs, encapsulate the following: 🜔 Salt | Light–Dark The essence of all things. Purification, crystallisation. The body; physicality, flesh. The Material. 🜍 Sulphur | Order–Chaos Consciousness, thought. The soul, the spirit of life. Evaporation, dissolution. The Emotional. ☿ Cinnabar | Life–Death Also called Mercury. Change in state; between solid and liquid, between life and death, between body and soul. The spirit of the Alchemist. ⊢–––––––––––––––––= ҉ =–––––––––––––––––⊣ II his information, while perhaps helpful on its own, is intended to be put to use in the invention of new Alchemical brews. As such, I feel that I ought to elaborate on my own experience attempting to invent recipes, and how this organisation of the Symbols might aid the process. RECIPE CREATION n my own experience with Alchemy, the first Symbol added to a potion most often describes the general intended purpose or effect, which is then clarified by the later Symbols. The Alchemist ought to consider whether her desired effect is Emotional or Material, and then select her starting Symbol based on that, clarifying the specifics of the effects with the later additions. On top of this, intention is central to Alchemical creation. Throwing Symbols together with no planning beforehand will almost always end in failure. The wise Alchemist decides and writes her recipe before beginning, even if she does not fully comprehend what its effects will be. POTION FAILURE he time will come in every inventive Alchemist’s life when she makes some colossal mistake, and her genius new brew explodes in her face, or turns to sludge before her eyes. In my own experience, the exact nature of the failure depends on the primary Symbol, and it generally aligns with the categories laid out in the beginning of this missive. Emotional-Sun brews seem to escalate the brewer’s emotions to excessive heights, often to the point of tears, hysteria, or other similar outbursts. Alongside this, or perhaps as a side effect, the brewer is often greeted with great bouts of nausea or stomach pains, as the brew turns to a vapour and poisons the air of the room. Emotional-Moon brews often congeal into a paste or lump at the bottom of their container. Although it at first seems harmless, the sludge will re-liquify, and fill the room with yet more noxious fumes, occasionally causing the brewer to spontaneously fall unconscious hours after completion. Material-Sun brews, to put it simply, explode. Though they do not explode to such a degree as a failed Blasting Potion, these brews still pack enough force and heat to cause significant damage to laboratory equipment. Beware flying shrapnel, and wear eye protection. Material-Moon brews become highly corrosive, often bubbling over the rim of their intended container, or eating through it entirely. These, too, are highly destructive, and can destroy a fortune’s work of equipment, furniture, or mahogany floors. Tria Prima brews, from what I have seen, simply evaporate, leaving no trace and no observable side effects. CLOSING THOUGHTS t is my hope that this information aids budding Alchemists in their studies, and helps to inform potential inventors. I do not intend this to be taken as Truth, as stated in the beginning. Instead I hope that it will provide a new perspective, and potentially useful information, that will encourage debate and conversation, as well as invention. o be good without knowledge is to be weak. To be knowledgeable without goodness is to be a danger. It is only when these faculties are united that we may truly serve Mankind. ⊢–––––––––––––––––= ҉ =–––––––––––––––––⊣ ⊢–––––––––––––––––= ҉ =–––––––––––––––––⊣ SIGNED, Her Ladyship, Court Alchemist of Hanseti-Ruska, Celestial Trustee, His Excellency, FABIAN OTTO KORTREVICH Grand Lord of Hanseti-Ruska Her Royal Majesty, AMAYA MILENA Queen-Consort of Hanseti-Ruska ⊢–––––––––––––––––= ҉ =–––––––––––––––––⊣ Spoiler None of the information in section II is intended to be strictly canon, nor does it have any corresponding redlines. It is 100% my own suggestions for how someone might RP a failed experiment, and is fully up to player interpretation. Take it or leave it as you will. Many thanks to mister Paracelsus for inspiring this abomination. Here is an easy-to-read version of the chart depicted at the beginning of section I. Please enjoy. 20 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ncarr 2246 Share Posted July 3, 2023 From within the Hand of Horen, Adela marvels at the publishings of the Haeseni court. Spoiler beautiful post!! i really love this 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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