Stronghold of education and learning, this fortress is in one of the coldest areas of Idalos and home to many knowledge seekers in a variety of disciplines. However, unknown to most, below the city are those who suffer for the sake of science. While all are welcome, not everyone will be treated as they expect.
“And this“, the Mortalborn spoke in a cool and clipped tone and turned to face his class again. “Is why being familiar with domain magic is of the utmost importance when practicing what we commonly call blood magic. You cannot simply take a mage’s blood, pour it into a vial and make a potion from it. If you are lucky, doing such will only make you sick, but if worse comes to worst it can kill you.” He paused for a moment and leafed through the book that was lying on the desk in front of him – a treatise on the principles of blood magic, one of the standard works – before he informed the young men and women that were looking at him expectantly, “For your homework I want you to write five pages on a domain magic of your choice. Don’t forget to quote your sources!”
Having said that, he turned to clean the blackboard next to his desk that was covered with a plethora of alchemic formulas. Behind him, his students were stuffing their books into their bags at quite an impressive speed that they unfortunately often failed to display in class, chatting loudly as they did so, mostly about things that had nothing to do with alchemy, such as their plans for the rest of the trial, as was their habit. He watched them for a few moments, shaking his head slightly at their behaviour, before he took his cloak, a cloak that was made of fine wool and trimmed with silver fox, fur and put it on.
He had about three breaks before he needed to be at the Infirmary that he regularly supplied with potions, and he intended to make good use of that time. The season before, he had started to work on a new series of experiments that involved the creation of potions to counteract several especially potent poisons, and there was still a lot of work to be done. He checked the classroom one last time in order to make sure that nobody had left anything behind and that the various tools and reagents were in their correct place, before he walked towards the door at a brisk pace, reluctant to waste any time.
He had just opened the door and was about to step across the threshold and into the hallway when he noticed the man walking in his direction, an Eidisi judging by his blue skin. “Yes?” he asked and stopped in order to look at the stranger. “How may I help you?”
Pulling his cloak tighter around his body, then adjusting the cloaks hood, Isen attempted to fight off the ever present cold, along with the light snowfall, that plagued his home. The Eidisi had taken today off from his normal duties in the depths of the Academy that made up the confines of the Facility of Retrospective Analysis. Today he was seeking out a new course of study. Even after the researcher had returned to his roots and basics earlier in the Arc, his research had lost all momentum he had found. At every turn he was met with failure after failure. This was something that did not sit well with Isen. He was a creature of knowledge and success. He did not fail at this goals. So today, he was returning to the Viden Academy… as a student, of sorts.
He had spoken to a few of his fellow researchers, along with his former professor within Griseous Wing, about seeking out some assistance. They all directed him to an assistant professor in the Academy, one Professor Thetys a human Alchemist, that taught within the Arcane branch of the academy. This was where the necromancer was heading and why he was out in the cold. He had an appointment with an assistant professor to speak with him on the alchemical arts.
Finally reaching the warmth inside the confines of the Academy, the knowledge center of the world. Reaching up and pulling his hood down to reveal his face to the world. Then shaking off the snow that had accumulated on his shoulders from his trek outside, the blue male started moving throughout the interior of the academy. He was walking with all the authority given to him as one of Yvithia’s own children, along with his standing within the city. With a sense of superiority that was ever present around Isen, he made towards the library. He walked down the middle of the hallways, forcing the students, visitors, and others to move around him like water hitting a rock. The only time the researcher diverted out of his own path was to make room for few members of superior standing than himself, such as the senior professors or one of the deans, that he came across. As he passed them, he made sure to move to the side, as was his place in the city.
Passing through the academy from the lobby to the library, Isen quickened his pace. The increase amount of students within the hallways meant that morning classes were starting to release for the day. With a faster step, the he made his way from the ground floor up to the Prime Atheneum, then into the Grisesous Wing of the Academy. Taking the familiar path through halls that he had once spent every Trial of many Arcs within.
As the mage rounded the corner, continuing down the hallway to the room he had been told the professor used. He was met with the site of a black haired human. This man had his cloak and gloves in hand, Isen had just caught him as he left for the day. “Yes?” the Human asked the Eidisi as he continued his approach towards the room, forcing the alchemist to stop in the doorway. “How may I help you?” the man asked.
The necromancer looked over the potioneer with a slight thought of disgust of having to ask a human for lessons on any type of academic or intellectual subject. Schooling his emotions the Eidisi spoke to Doran “Professor.” He offered a neutral greeting to the teacher. Continuing to answer the instructor’s question“My name is Isen Fydar. I work as a researcher here within Viden Academy. I am in need of some instruction within the Alchemical Arts to refresh my memory as it has been some time since I studied this picturlar branch of arcane knowledge. I was told that you would be the…. man to learn from.” The Eidisi advised making sure to emphasize the pause when trying to determine the correct description for the being before him. Isen checked the hallway for anyone else lurking about before continuing the conversation. “I have sought out other teachers within the Grisesous Wing and each one pointed me in your direction. I am hoping to receive some assistance in refreshing my memory of the subject. Along with providing some more practical experiences. I would of course be willing to pay for these lessons.” He said as he removed his gold pouch from his belt, showing the alchemist the mostly full leather pouch. “There would be more coins in it for you if these lessons were both private and discrete.” He finished up his offer to the professor.
The Eidisi that stood in front of him was tall, as tall as he was, the Mortalborn noticed as he let his gaze sweep Isen’s form, with the white eyes and the blue skin that were characteristic of his race, and a shimmering silvery mark over his right eye – Xypha, the blessing of Yvithia. The shape of it was unmistakable. There had been a time, when he had been a younger man and known much less about the world that he lived in, when he had desired it as well and wanted to become one of her Blessed, but these trials he served a different, but no less powerful mistress. Still, he idly wondered what the man had done to earn it for a moment, before he decided that it didn’t matter, at least not right now.
He inclined his head fractionally as the mortal introduced himself, and took note of the way that he held himself, arrogantly, as if he considered himself to be better than his peers, an attitude that seemed to be especially common among his race and that never ceased to amuse him, considering the fact that they all faded away and died within less than two centuries and were largely blind to what was really going on in Idalos, just like the rest of the mortal races. The expression on his face revealed nothing of what he was thinking though, it was cool as almost always, and he held himself completely straight.
“I occasionally teach private lessons”, he replied in a neutral tone and gestured for the mortal to walk with him. He noticed the pause that Isen had made before he had called him a man and raised an eyebrow slightly, wondering if he was aware of his true nature. He was not as secretive as he had once been – his desire to pretend to be a lesser being was declining rapidly. “The people that you talked to were right. I am likely the one who is most qualified for the job”, he remarked in a tone that was devoid of arrogance. The Mortalborn wasn’t bragging. He was merely stating a fact. He was one of the greatest alchemists alive, and he had even faced an Immortal and lived to tell the tale. He looked at the pouch for a moment before he turned to Isen again. He didn’t ask him why there was such a need for discretion. Everybody had their own reasons, and he wouldn’t pry.
“You said that you want to refresh your memory”, he remarked. “Tell me about your previous studies, Mister Fydar, and which aspect of alchemy you are most interested in”, he spoke as he opened the door to his office and gestured for Isen to enter first. If the man didn’t want anybody to find out about his studies, then he would without a doubt appreciate the fact that they would be talking in private rather than in the hallway where students and professors constantly passed them by and would be able to listen in on them.
“I occasionally teach private lessons” was the reply offered by the human before him. The necromancer watched as Doran eyed the coin purse in Isen’s blue hand. With a quick glance from his own solid white eyes to the leather pouch and then back. With in internal smirk, the Eidisi put his gold pouch away knowing that he had the professor’s interest now. With a wave of his hand, the Alchemist motioned for Isen to walk with him down the hallway. As the duo walked through the halls of the Academy. The black hair man continued speaking, breaking the silence that was between them outside of the lonely sounds of their footfalls.“The people that you talked to were right. I am likely the one who is most qualified for the job” without a hint of superiority within his voice. As an Eidisi, Isen wouldn’t have been able to keep the egotistical tone out of his voice, even if it wasn’t true. But from what he had heard, this Doran a human that appeared no different than the subjects used in Isen experiments, had been very high spoke of by his kinsmen. And his seniors, who were all fellow Eidisi, weren’t ones to exaggerate one’s talents or skills. Isen nodded his head at the statement of him picking the right tutor. The pair continued down the hallway, towards the office areas for the various professors in the Grisesous Wing if he wasn’t mistaken, which didn’t happen often.
Arriving at a door, to which Isen assumed was the office belonging to teacher beside him, he waited for Doran to open it. As the professor unlocked the door, he continued the conversation by asking for clarification on his purpose. “You said that you want to refresh your memory.' he stated, to which the blue male answered with a curt nod. He the followed up with a simple question “Tell me about your previous studies, Mister Fydar, and which aspect of alchemy you are most interested in?” He asked as he opened the door and motioned for Isen to enter the room before him. The mage passed through the threshold into the office, followed by the professor, who shut and secured the door behind him. Moving towards one the guest’s chairs and watching as Doran moved towards his side of the desk. With a wave of his hand, the instructor offered a seat to Isen, which the Eidisi took. As Doran sat down, Isen answered his question.“Well Professor Thetys, it has been just over two decades since I have received any formal education on anything pertaining to Alchemy. I have read a book or two over those twenty Arcs, but not enough to keep my skills sharp or my knowledge of this subject up to date. I have reached a point where I could use my skills to be resharpened, along with the information I know to be brought up to the current standard.” Isen answered in his normal calculated and neutral tone that he used for others. Continuing his answer “I am sure that there has been a fair amount of advancement in the subject over that time span. New procedures for preparing and purifying ingredients, new reagents or new uses for old ones, ectrea ectrea. I am hoping that you can facilitate this course of study in a streamlined manner. As I have too many other important tasks to take care of than to enroll in the Academy. Then as a student attend your classes to learn this all over again, over the course of a semester like any normal student.” Isen finished, keeping his eyes focused on the human awaiting Doran’s response to the answer he had given.
Once they had entered his office, the Mortalborn gestured for Isen to take a seat at one of the two guest chairs that stood in front of his desk, a heavy oaken desk that had been placed in front of the window from which you could see a snow-covered courtyard. If the Eidisi took a look around the room, he would find out that it was extremely clean and tidy and somewhat plain and contained very few decorations such as potted plants, paintings or small sculptures. While the Mortalborn’s personal quarters were fairly luxurious, he preferred to have as few distractions as possible at his place of work.
“Did you pursue a degree back then – or perhaps even finish one?” the Mortalborn asked and folded his hands atop the table, as Isen admitted that it had been over two decades since he had last studied alchemy – which was something that he wasn’t particularly happy to hear, he had to admit. If Isen hadn’t studied alchemy since then, it was likely that he had forgotten quite a bit and that he would have to begin with the basics. He didn’t let his displeasure show of course – such would be extremely unprofessional. The son of Ziell was, as almost always, calm cool and collected, and he held himself completely straight.
“There were indeed a few discoveries made over the course of the past two decades. Some of them were the result of research that I was directly involved in”, he admitted. He was mostly talking about the fire works that one of his research partners and he had showcased in Viden the season before – Isen might have heard of that event. There was also another, much more powerful item that he had created, back when he had still been living in Etzos – an item that could, in essence, uncast spells and negate magic – but he chose to keep that to himself. He would likely need an ace up his sleeve in the coming arcs.
“In order to be able to plan this lesson I need to find out what exactly you remember”, he told Isen. “To that end I will ask you a couple of questions. Can you tell me what primers and binders are, for example, and which of the two you apply first? Do you remember what you use a crucible for? And do you have any idea how you would go about creating a portable light source, without resorting to the use of fire and candles or lamp oil? Which reagent would you use to make your item glow?” he wanted to know and looked at the Eidisi questioningly. Primers and binders were something that he taught his Letter students about.
His other question would be a bit harder to answer and was aimed at judging Isen’s familiarity with alchemical reagents. The man had mentioned reading a book or two, so perhaps he possessed some sort of knowledge in that regard – or was at least somewhat creative.
Sitting opposite of the black haired human, Isen took in the view of his surroundings. This alchemist appeared to have similar beliefs to the Necromancer in terms of luxury and decorative items within the workplace, it seemed that Doran preferred to keep his distractions limited. Like researcher’s laboratory below, this office only held the bare essentials with a few decorative items scattered throughout the room. Though the Eidisi would agree that furniture and items within the office were very luxurious in nature, if he were to judge everything based on the craftsmanship of oak desk between them. Moving his attention from the desk and surroundings to the man speaking to him as the conversation moved onward. “Did you pursue a degree back then or perhaps even finish one?” Doran asked Isen. With a neutral tone Isen offered an answer, “No I did not. I received my Diploma through the Institute of Sciences, specializing in Medicine.. After receiving my Diploma, I moved into the Institute of Arcana but only received a certificate in Magical Theory before leaving the Academy.” Isen stated as he leaned further back into the chair he was sitting in. “Alchemy was a subject that I took theory classes on. But very little practical classes were available back then.” Isen offered as a further explanation to his schooling.
Doran paused for a minute and appeared to be thinking about Isen’s response to his question. The alchemist moved the conversation forward by advising that there have been many great discoveries within the subject. It wasn’t lost on Isen that when the human pointed out that many of the breakthroughs and advancements, were discovered by his own hand. Through his voice didn’t seem to carry the same arrogance or superiority, that would have been found if an Eidisi had made the same comment. It always surprised Isen to the passiveness that the other races shown when speaking of their own accomplishments. It was true, that the majority of Eidisi didn’t just flaunt their accomplishments for everyone to see, there was a certain art to bragging about one's accomplishments while staying in good taste to those around you. But even when boasting about themselves, no Eidisi was able to fully keep the air of superiority out of their voice. Especially one such as Isen, who was marked by the Mistress of Knowledge herself, who was very proud of his intellectual achievements he had experienced throughout his life.
From this point, Doran decided to test Isen’s knowledge over what the necromancer remember from his days as a student. “In order to be able to plan this lesson I need to find out what exactly you remember”, he advised Isen. Which pleased to the researcher. He wanted these lessons to be streamlined and quick, as he needed to get back to his own more important work. Doran continued with his statement, “To that end I will ask you a couple of questions. Can you tell me what primers and binders are, for example, and which of the two you apply first? Do you remember what you use a crucible for? And do you have any idea how you would go about creating a portable light source, without resorting to the use of fire and candles or lamp oil? Which reagent would you use to make your item glow?”. Doran finished up his line of questioning, as he set back and awaited the answers.
Isen contemplated the questions at hand, then attempted to find the answers that were within his head. The first question about primers and binders was fairly simple and basic, thus was easily answered by Isen “A primer is a reagent that allows certain materials to accept quantities without rejecting it. While a binder is used to combine different reagents so that they can equally affect the material. So with those explanations, the primer would need to be applied first. So that the reagent would even affect the material in the first place.” Isen answered the simple questions posed to him by the alchemist. Pausing for a moment thinking of the a solution for the second questions. “As for the light source question. I am not sure to a proper answer. I would offer that would take one of the various bioluminescent fish in the sea. Once you have the fish, you could begin breaking it down. Once completed it could be used to make an item glow without using fire or oil. Though I’d admit that this may not be the simplest solution, but who knows.” Isen answered the second part of the question with an air of confidence, but unsure if that solution would actually work on the question posed. By the immortals, he wasn’t looking forward to learning this subject, the dead were much simpler. Adjusting himself within the chair once more awaiting the next step.
“This“, the Mortalborn replied in a cool tone as Isen told him that the primer would need to be applied first, and his lips curved into just the hint of a smile. Apparently, he realized, he wouldn’t have to start with the very basics after all which came as no small relief to him. “Is correct. As for your answer regarding how one would go about making a portable light source – it is correct as well, although making a lamp out of bioluminescent fish would be somewhat …” He paused for a moment, looking for the right word, and continued, “… complicated. You’d have to isolate that which makes the fish glow, possibly with a centrifuge.”
“There are other, easier ways to accomplish such”, he informed Isen, opened a drawer of his massive desk and removed a small, yellow crystal from it that he then handed to the Eidisi. “One of my students and I experimented with phosphorescent crystals back in Rynmere. We ground them, made a paste from the fragments and applied said paste to the target object – which is only one way to make something glow, of course”, he admitted. He paused in order to give Isen some time to inspect the crystal and think about what he had just heard before he continued,
“It seems as if I won’t have to explain the different types of reagents to you after all. You seem to remember them well enough. I think that we should discuss the actual alchemical process instead and, possibly, make an item as there is a difference between knowing how something is done in theory and actually doing it. Let’s go back to our portable light source”, he decided. “You know that you have to treat the object that you want to imbue with a primer so that it can receive the reagents and that reagents tend to negate each other without the use of a binder.”
“A very simple light source could be created by just treating the target object with a primer and the main reagent, but such a light source would be quite impractical as it would always be turned on and the alchemical effect would not always be instantaneous. You want to be able to turn your light source on and off at will.”
“How would you go about speeding up the alchemical reaction, Mister Fydar?” the Mortalborn wanted to know. “What kind of reagent would you add? How would you go about making a light source that can be turned on and off? And finally, what is a crucible, Mister Fydar? You seem to have missed that question”, he remarked. The Eidisi had answered all of his questions – apart from one. If you wanted to succeed as an alchemist, understanding the alchemical process and knowing what you used the different reagents for wasn’t enough. You also needed to be intricately familiar with your tools.
Knowledge:
Alchemy: Being familiar with domain magic is important when practicing blood magic
Alchemy: Ways of creating a portable light source
Teaching: Inquiring about a student's previous studies
Teaching: Asking questions in order to ascertain a student's knowledge level
Loot: N/A
Injuries: N/A
Renown: N/A due to Isen's lessens being privet
Points: 15 May not be used for Magic
Do Eidisi even feel the cold? That was something that confused me in the first post of Isen. But sadly I do not think I will get a answer from him. This is quite a old thread as well. I do enjoy the two of you acting in character. Doran does a good job in the academy, as the best alchemist basically ever. That does hurt a Eidisi pride. bioluminescent would be a fun way to make a torch.
I am happy to see people coming back, it is a sign of a good community.
Any injures are based on a 1d100 roll using applicable skills
