The Arcane Alchemist
This book can be found in a chest at the Okeke inn. Its author is a practitioner of both arcanism and alchemy, and helps to explain the difference while asserting their personal preferences between the arts.
Coordinates¶
| X | Y | Z |
|---|---|---|
| -1566 | 71 | -438 |
Transcription¶
I am an arcanist, yet I have pursued and studied the field of alchemy. While I am an arcanist, I still consider myself an alchemist. In many alchemical societies, this would be considered unacceptable. As an alchemist you undergo an immensely spiritual journey, you pledge an oath, adopt a creed, and adhere your practice to the rules defined by your society. On the other hand, anyone can be an arcanist. Simply by scribbling runes onto yourself or a catalyst, one can achieve immense power with little training. This is the major difference between alchemy and arcanism.
If the ideologies of alchemy did not exist, it would be considered a school of arcanism known as ‘biomancy’, which I have studied rather extensively. Alchemy is merely the usage of arcanic concepts to manipulate life and organic material. Every other arcane school interacts with fundamental forces and energies like fire, air, light, water, and energy. Alchemy strictly interacts with the living, and as the living are infinitely more complex than the fundamental, alchemy is also infinitely more complex. Due to this fact, alchemists insist on biomancy being considered a field completely separate from standard arcanism due to how different its fundamentals and practices are. Although it is fundamentally linked to arcanism and the energy flow controlling runes gifted to us by Mystic Elder Khive, if you were to call an alchemist an arcanist you would quite possibly find yourself horribly disfigured and begging for mercy. Most alchemical societies come with the prerequisite that you abandon schools of arcanism you may have previously found yourself a part of, and fully devote your mind and body to the art of biomancy. There are exceptions to this rule, most notably being the Red Dawn Society, which fully accepted the link between alchemy and arcanism, encouraging its members to pursue both fields.
I began my alchemical journey as a wandering arcanist, a good samaritan using my studies and abilities to help those in need across the land. At one point, I stumbled upon an order of “arcane alchemists'', as they called themselves. This order was secret, and contained an incredibly long line of members who were notably famous arcanists. The order itself was founded by arguably one of the most important arcanists in history, the one who first used the concepts of alchemy to concoct Khivesbrew. This paved the path for arcanists to elevate their work and abilities without risking their own lifeforce, it is the most important tool in any experienced arcanist’s arsenal. The concoction of Khivesbrew is the most common and widely used example of the worlds of arcanism and alchemy colliding, as a combination of alchemical concepts and advanced arcanism are required for its creation. “True” alchemists, however, typically have no need for Khivesbrew and so it is typically only created and used by arcanists.
I studied intently under the masters of this society for a time, as they recognized my skill in the arcane and sought to elevate me through a knowledge of biomancy. I learned how to apply biomancy to my practice with the other arcane schools, and became a much better arcanist for it. I practiced and performed many of the same things that apprenticed alchemists do, sans spirituality. Where much of alchemy is very spiritual in nature, this order rejected the spirituality of the art and focused solely on the objectivity of it. As this order was founded by arcanists and and not alchemists, that made sense. As arcanists we seek logic and truth, we attempt to peer beyond the veil of mysticism to view the raw data. We do not like being left with unknowns, we seek to understand and explain everything with the world around us. “True” alchemists, however, use their concept of the Five Spheres to justify the mechanics of their processes. They are content with unknowns, and use them to advance their practice. As I did not adhere to the mysticism of the Five Spheres, I could never be considered a “true” alchemist. While I can respect and understand the devotion of "true" aspects, much as I can respect the devotion of the Virmari to our Lady Virtuo, I have found that alchemy’s spirituality has the capacity to interfere with innovation and growth. This is not always true, especially for the brighter alchemists who understand the tenets of their society as not rules but as guidelines. Perhaps I retain this viewpoint because I myself am not a “true” alchemist, as my studies of the arcane led me to alchemy and not vice versa. While I am skilled in both fields, I do not believe myself to be on the same level of mastery as even intermediate “true” alchemists. Perhaps if I truly devoted myself to alchemy, went through the Journey of the Spheres, opened the mental pathways the Journey is said to unlock, I would find greater mastery. Yet, I am quite content with my current knowledge and practice of the art.
I am an arcanist, first, and an alchemist second. I am an arcane alchemist.