< thearchitect > | video

[emet_sulk]

[ Sometime in the middle of the month, a video is uploaded to the network. It's pre-recorded and opens with a man in his late 20s (Emet-Selch) setting up his phone so that it will stay in place and upright. Many will recognise the scene behind him as being one of the generic kitchenettes belonging to an inn room.

On the table before the camera are a few sheets of paper with alchemy circles drawn on them, heaped with small piles of raw, natural ingredients such as salt and clay and the like. ]

Hmm... It appears to be functioning as intended. Good.

[ Retreating from the camera, he crosses his arms. His posture is quite lax, attire casual, but his manner is quite austere. ]

This is intended for the man I met almost a moon ago, who proposed to me the idea of creating a a book - a grimoire, if you will - filled with pages of alchemical circles that I might easily access spells I need instead of drawing them anew time and again. But I am sure there are others who may benefit from this knowledge as well.

[ He gestures, drawing attention to the pages on the table. ]

Here, I have drawn some simple transformations. Observe--

[ At his whistle, a dog-sized, shadowy, dragon-like creature hops up on to the seat next to him. Emet-Selch focuses on the pages and his familiar follows suit. The first circle begins to glow.

A snap of his fingers, a flash of light, and suddenly there is a ceramic plate sitting on top of the page in place of its raw components. It is plain and unfired of course, but it is certainly a plate.

He repeats this process for the next two sheets of paper, producing a square of cloth and a short, wooden rod respectively. ]

I have yet to see if this transformation can be done without placing the raw materials within the circle itself, but for now, it seems promising.

[ END TRANSMISSION. ]

Comments

video

[alchemists]

[ Elfnein is very interested in how the transformations operate, the idea of being able to do such a thing without the raw materials is a little unbelievable but still something to look into. ]

Is that person still around here? I'd be interested in hearing more of how these alchemical circles function in this world.

voice

[emet_sulk]

[ It takes a little while but a reply is eventually forthcoming. ]

What do you wish to know?

[alchemists]

Where I'm from alchemy is based more so using energy from memories for more powerful functions. But you're able to use there circles without burning that type of energy it seems?

[emet_sulk]

Memories? No, I only need to ensure I have the elements necessary to craft the final object. Clay for a pot, plant fibre and dried grasses for a basket - that sort of thing. If aught is drawn from my memories then I have not noticed it.

[temptationaccomplished]

[Has taken notes.]

This is wonderful. Do you intend to produce your grimoire?

voice

[emet_sulk]

Produce? Only for myself. I've not the time nor the energy to make such a thing available to others.

voice

[temptationaccomplished]

Would you permit someone to copy the contents? Aside from being a student of alchemy myself, I also quite enjoy rare books.

[emet_sulk]

Oh. Of course. Although if 'tis merely one copy you wish for, I suppose I could create a second grimoire.

Forgive me, I had thought you were asking if I intended to produce numerous copies for the general public.

Voice (If he hasn't set up a username, does that make him anonymous?)

[angel_of_death]

[It's interesting, perusing this communication network. It seems like there's more to it than what is being transmitted at the moment, as though every transmission is being not only transmitted, but recorded and archived. Truly, for such a small device to do this... it's amazing.

And here is a familiar face in the archives! So, of course Walter gives the record a listen. And what is he speaking about, but alchemy! And an interesting application of this world's practise of it, no less.

And look, there's even a way to reply to the archived transmission directly!

He'll be choosing voice, of course. There isn't an actual need to see his face, is there?]

I wonder... if you can transform raw materials into a finished product—[Or a half-finished product, as it is.]— perhaps it might even be possible to take it back a step, and create the raw materials from their basic components.

voice (probably yes)

[emet_sulk]

I have already attempted that. For better or worse, that is not how the magic works. One cannot obtain raw elements from existing items.

One can, however, change the item itself into some other form.

[angel_of_death]

Rotten luck.

[How disappointing. So if one has alchemy-based magic, they'll need to lug around materials for their works, or use the environment around them. That could make things difficult.]

I wonder if partnering with someone with elemental magic might help with the burden... Oh, and that idea about projecting a circle onto a surface the other fellow had? You might not need a spell at all to do that.

[emet_sulk]

I think you misunderstand: the elements I speak of and the elements wielded as magic are two separate things. Earth and water, mayhap I could transform into something else as they exist physically, but not so fire or wind.

video; un: notarchitect

[weenwoon]

[This reply is a video. To be more precise, it's a video recording of a tiny, iridescent beetle hiding between the folds of bark on a tree's branch. While the beetle itself remains dormant, the video is not exactly static: subtle shifting of the camera as the person recording shifts their weight or changes wrist position, the quiet sound of their breath, small, dainty snowflakes fluttering past the camera. This persists for about two and a half minutes, at which point the cameraman(?) reaches out, cupping his hand around the area the beetle is in. After a short while, he brings his hand back closer to the camera, the beetle now sluggishly awake and trying to explore this new expanse of weird land.

At this point, there's finally a sound that isn't the ambient.]

Quite an interesting idea, H--beg your pardon, most eminent Emet-Selch. [For what it's worth, he at least seems to remember the request to only use his friend's true name in private.] I find myself wondering how the appearance of the circles affects the spell. I would assume they act as formulae, and thus certain elements that define existing laws of magic, or maybe simply cause a particular reaction, can be deduced if one were to compare enough of the circles.

Which leads me to my further idea - what would happen were you to combine two different circles? Do you know yet if the shape of the object created is dependant on the spell itself or simply on the caster's whimsy? If so, I do wonder whether 'tis possible to introduce some unexpected elements to the outcome, much like a stray thought may change the concept being created.

[The speaker begins moving, still keeping the camera on the beetle in his hand, the fingers curled around the tiny creature to protect it from the cold wind.]

If we are to speak of grimoires and attempting to avoid always placing the ingredients onto the tome itself... 'Twould certainly be a pity to spill some rare ingredient, ruining the page in process! I would wonder about any manner of a spell that would allow you to project the design of the circle onto a surface, assuming 'tis merely the shape that allows you to channel the magick. Though I imagine that would fall under a different domain... Light, mayhaps? As a very crude workaround, I would suggest devising a circle for painting different ones. Your ingredients would only need to be a piece of folded material--mayhaps paper or fabric for ease of use and transport--and some manner of ink, or rather graphite or charcoal. That could save time for when you need a circle of different proportions.

If you are still listening, I would also be glad to discuss the possibilities of reverse alchemy, but I wouldn't wish an even worse migraine upon you by making you listen to my voice more.

[He laughs, and then the video finally ends.]

voice

[emet_sulk]

[ He can't believe he waited all of those two and a half minutes for Hytnlodaeus to say something USEFUL. ]

You bring up some valid concerns, but until I see a maltransformation happen in person I will assume that it is not possible. Have you ever seen my focus waver in the process of creation? Granted, these items were simple and allowed little room for error.

I will experiment further and test the limits of this magic, not least of which your idea of...portable circles. However, reverse alchemy is not possible. I have tried.

[ He is not going to ask about the beetle. He is not going to ask about the beetle-- ]

video

[weenwoon]

[The beetle returns, in fact. This time it's travelling across a vast cloth landscape... which is in fact a tablecloth. Judging by the sound around him, Hythlodaeus decided to be cozy in another cafe. He still offers the beetle his finger to climb over.]

Do you think beetles need exercise?

[A very important question!]

I hope you do realize that only makes me want to try and disrupt your famous focus. Shall we experiment with that when I am back? Though it is curious to me that reverse alchemy seems impossible. What of incorporating more active elements into the equation--fire, mayhaps?

[emet_sulk]

[ Oh, for the love of Zodiark... No, he is going to ignore the beetle. ]

You can certainly try. But what purpose would fire serve? If you wish to glaze the pot then place it in a kiln as you would normally.

« video »

[menphina]

[ She's enjoying this display immensely, really. ]

You've a more interesting power! And it still matches up with what you could already do, Emmy!

[ The nickname is for public use. She might have become more reserved but her affectionate nature remains the same.

Totally not throwing arcanistry shade here ]

You've been keeping busy, I see. Can you make flowers yet?

[ At least he isn't moping, though from what she knows from Hythlodaeus... well. ]

voice

[emet_sulk]

[ He sighs to himself before turning on the voice feature. ]

You do realise that flowers are organic objects, yes? Alchemy is not the practice of giving life to lifeless things.

[menphina]

That's true for back home, but it might not be true for this world!

[ She can't help but look a little smug. ]

How does it feel to be the creator of an arcane grimoire in this untapped land, though?

[ Oh she's teasing now. ]

un: lucerna | video

[lucere]

You've done it!

[There's no containing the sheer about of glee in Regis's tone once he sees this video. The old gray king is nearly exactly as Emet-Selch remembers him but dressed handsomely in all-black with hints of blue today. He trimmed his hair and beard just a little bit, enough to look less haggard than before. Regis greets Emet-Selch with a joyful smile, clearly proud that his absurd idea had some merit after all.]

This shall be a great boon for the alchemy community and then some.

voice

[emet_sulk]

[ Goodness. This is hardly newsworthy, he thinks. The practice of arcanistry has existed since HIS time. Still, he's quite pleased with his progress. ]

'Tis hardly worth such praise. If anything, I am ashamed I did not think of it earlier given a very similar practice exists in my home world.

voice

[lucere]

[He cannot help but note that his newfound friend is a bit camera shy. This earns a chuckle from Regis as he switches to audio for now. It seems that his scholarly colleague isn't one for the camera. That's fine, of course.]

Oh, come now, Emet! Surely a little bit of praise is warranted considering that no one else here thought of arcanistry until now.

[If Regis is wrong on this notion, blame it on his lack of research on the issue. He can barely find any books on the subject at the local libraries and shops. It's a bit frustrating, to be honest.]

I'm also quite glad you can transmute something other than those dreadful little pots.

[He's teasing, of course.]

Voice;

[stabbersinyerfambles]

[ The recording plays out and all Cehd'ra recognizes is another Garlean. Which is fine. Perfectly fine. Not all Garleans are like Zenos after all...in fact none of them really compare to the crown prince.

Still, it's nothing to do with him. What little he's learned of his own magic is enough to tell him it's not what's on display so it would be best for him to just move on.

...

Cehd'ra taps 'reply'. ]

Neat. Y'learn any other tricks yet?

voice

[emet_sulk]

Such as what? I'm afraid you will have to elaborate. This is the magic I was granted upon arrival and I am working to understand its limits as well as its potential.

[stabbersinyerfambles]

[ ...that's actually a fair question, one that Cehd'ra gives a genuine bit of thought to. ]

'Suppose the ideal'd be to use that magic to make the grimoire itself, right? But if y'still need practice...

Can y'do it in reverse? Turning a glass into sand or some such?