Alchemy

"Alchemy. The science of understanding, deconstructing and reconstructing matter."-Some voiceover

Equivalent exchange – “something cannot be

gained without something of equal value being lost” – is in play.

Any transmutation that takes place is permanent – this is something that sets alchemy apart from conventional magic.

Another thing that sets alchemy apart from conventional magic is that, whereas magic requires stamina and energy on behalf of the user to cast spells, alchemy simply changes elements already in place without creating or conjuring anything – this means that no physical energy on the part of the alchemist is required.

The alchemical elements are as follows:

ELEMENTS	EARTH	WATER	AIR	FIRE
EARTH	EARTH	PLANTLIFE	SAND	METAL
WATER	PLANTLIFE	WATER	ICE	STEAM
AIR	SAND	ICE	AIR	LIGHTNING
FIRE	METAL	STEAM	LIGHTNING	FIRE

To generate the elements within the grid, you must have knowledge of the corresponding external elements. For instance, if you want to transmute lightning, you must have knowledge of air alchemy and fire alchemy to do so.

Creation is key – when you can use the external elements to create an internal one, then you have the ability to transmute said internal element. It’s all a matter of truly understanding the inner workings of an element before being able to transmute it.

One interesting thing of note about alchemy is that, ultimately, it can do what magic cannot. This is why many people choose not to study alchemy, for finding its potential unnerving or unnatural. In some lands, it has even been deemed a forbidden science and considered the work of the devil.

It is possible for a transmutation to fail. If this occurs, then the energy that is being transferred from one form to another will simply be let loose, and can be a great risk to the alchemist if this occurs. For instance, if someone was trying to transmute lighting and the transmutation failed, the energy would simply be released in a single burst – this could potentially kill the alchemist given the amount of electrical and heat energy lighting contains.

Transmutation failure is dependent on how much control the alchemist has over their transmutation. If the alchemist has a strong will and is completely focused on what they are doing, the transmutation will not fail. If they are weak-willed, or distracted midway through their work, there is a greater chance that the transmutation will backfire.

When it comes to the complexity of the elements, earth is considered the least complex to master (note that this does no decrease its power, and many alchemists favour earth due to its large amount of capabilities). On the other hand, the hardest element to transmute is allegedly lighting, due to the fine control over both air and fire needed for such a feat. An old alchemic saying is: “Alchemy begins with the earth and ends with the heavens.”

Another reason alchemy is considered unnatural is how opposed to hands-on it is. Technology always requires a user, and since magic comes from the energy of the wielder, physical actions are required to release it. But since alchemy is manipulation and transmutation of the elements around oneself, no physical movement is required. This unnatural lack of motion from the alchemist whilst performing their art only furthers the suspicion that goes against them.

WHEN IT COMES TO UNDERSTANDING AND TRANSMUTING ELEMENTS…

EARTH:

This is the very first alchemical process one learns. Learning how to transmute earth involves firstly studying the theoretical side of alchemy, before putting that knowledge into practice and manipulating the ground underneath which one stands on.

WATER:

The process of learning to transmute water involves learning how to manipulate the oxygen and hydrogen molecules within the air to create precipitation OR transmuting the residue of a combustion reaction

AIR:

In order to transmute air, one must be able to control the activity of the ground and the chemicals it releases, before transmuting said chemicals into those contained in the common air.

FIRE:

Learning to transmute fire entails being granted combustible material and using nothing but air transmutation to light it – once this is done, the creation stage must be honed until one can create a flame using any fuel, and without using air as a base.

PLANTLIFE:

Before one can transmute plantlife, they must use their knowledge of earth and water transmutation to manipulate a seed into premature germination.

SAND:

To transmute sand, it is necessary to first have knowledge of air and earth, and be able to break down earth using the transmutation of air – thus creating sand.

METAL:

One can transmute metal when one is able to control earth and fire – they must be able to heat rocks up and then cool them down, creating natural metal.

ICE:

The transmutation of ice relies on the knowledge of water and air, and knowing how to create a scenario in which the ambient temperature of the air is lower than that of the water.

STEAM:

Being able to transmute steam entails putting fire and water together and using a knowledge of air alchemy to transmute the resultant gas.

LIGHTNING:

To transmute lighting, one must be able to manipulate air currents and fire – or, more accurately heat – to change the temperature of the air around you to create positively and negatively charged molecules that then form lighting.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

Earth-related transmutation generally involves changing the shape of an object – perhaps making a wall of stone rise from the ground, or breaking apart a wall.

Water-related transmutation tends to revolve around editing the state of any surrounding liquids; this includes freezing or boiling water (assuming one knows ice and steam style transmutation), and manipulating bodies of liquid.

Air-related transmutation consists of reworking the molecules within the air to suit the user’s needs, creating different gases from the air molecules available and changing the environment by making the immediate atmosphere flammable or toxic.

Fire-related transmutation is carried out by means of transmuting an object into energy and then releasing that energy as a plasma – for instance, a flame alchemist could place their hand on a chair, the chair would crumble to dust at the alchemist’s will and then a burst of flame would emerge as the potential energy from the chair is manipulated into fire by the alchemist.

KNOWN ALCHEMISTS

• Iamos Wilder (Earth, Water, Air, Ice, and Sand)
• Rainer Oum (All branches)