The Magic of Ayrelon: Alchemy

There are two types of Alchemy on Ayrelon. Chemical Alchemy involves the blending of ingredients using precise formula and processes to create salves, elixirs and the like. Magical Alchemy takes those techniques and enhances them with magical ingredients and is often enhanced through spells.

Chemical Alchemy

Chemical Alchemy is common across Ayrelon. From Shaman crafting special brews for their tribe to alchemical shops in major cities, nearly every inhabitant benefits from the results of alchemy at some point in their life.

Alchemists learn to combine herbal and medicinal ingredients either through tradition or extensive apprenticeship and training. Their techniques include aging, cooking, brewing, roasting, distilling and extracting ingredients to produce brews, poultices, salves, herbal mixtures, seasoning blends and simple potions.

Many ailments are treated with alchemy-produced medicines, especially in larger cities where alchemists are more prevalent. Special teas and herbal mixtures can be directly consumed or added to meals to enhance dietary function, improve general nutrition or enhance certain physical abilities for a time.

While such usage of alchemical solutions is common the world over, its frequency is limited by availability and cost. This relegates the citizens of smaller settlements to limited access, and thus less frequent usage. Meanwhile, well-to-do citizens of larger cities rarely go a day without some form of alchemy improving their life.

Magical Alchemy

Magical ingredients and spells are sometimes used to enhance the products of chemical alchemy. Ingredients such as dragon scales, or pixie dust, are provide no benefit using chemical alchemy alone. One must learn special techniques and processes through which to impart the magical benefits of those ingredients to their product. Processed normally, the magic within these ingredients is depleted, rendering them useless. A dragon scale stew produced by a chemical alchemist would simply have a funny taste, and offer no additional benefit.

Further, the healing potions and salves produced by chemical alchemists have limited capabilities. While one might use such potions to survive or heal minor wounds, true healing from potions requires magical enhancement beyond what typical ingredients can provide.

Magical alchemists learn to imbue ingredients with spells, which is the primary purpose of many magical ingredients. In order to have lasting effects, the target of their spells must be capable of holding the energies of those spells. While many novices assume that dragon scales, for example, offer a power all their own, the truth of the matter is that dragon scales can hold a substantial amount of magic. This makes dragon scales a perfect target for enhanced healing spells, or physical enhancement spells such as those that might grant strength, or dexterity.

By learning to process magical ingredients safely and without losing their properties, alchemists with the ability to cast spells can begin to use magical ingredients which they imbue with spells to brew stronger potions, or make superior salves.

Magical Alchemists are rare, and as such are in high demand. They often work directly for lords, or kings, and their products are exceedingly expensive. Both a thorough understanding of chemical alchemy and a great deal of experience with spell-casting are required in order to learn magical alchemy.

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