As the young aluentians recite, the seven schools of alchemy are Fundamental, Material, Herbal, Elemental, Vital, Artificial and Dimensional.
Fundamental
Fundamental alchemists discover new properties and new rules of alchemy and do the heaviest research into alchemy. Their practical alchemy is very limited, and their school of alchemy sets the rules for the practice of the other six. The majority of Fundamentalist discoveries get handed off to the schools who can use it effectively for their purpose. The unapplicable discoveries and discoveries deemed too dangerous for use are kept sealed within the schools vaults, and the alchemists sworn to secrecy. Most consider the Fundamentalist school to be the moral bedrock of the alchemy schools, and thus also the city.
Material
Material alchemists are the most common. Transforming basic elements, stone, cloth, wood, etc. into other useful items. Many shop owners staff a material alchemist to help keep up with trends and to take old stock and make new items. Material alchemists are very practical, but also quite creative and innovative. Within the school itself Material Alchemists act as engineers, perfecting recipes and trying to innovate new useful tools and solutions for the city.
Herbal
Herbal Alchemists work with plants and anything that grows. They improve and make the food supply more efficient, combine plants for medicinal properties and perfect recipes for herbal medicines. The Herbal school works the hardest for the least amount of results. Their work is extremely complex and it can take years to see the fruits of their labor within the city.
Elemental
Elemental Alchemists are a little more abstract, dealing with energies. They work with sheer power: fire, water, air, earth. They create weather within the dome, so crops can grow and people stay a little more sane. It’s also their duty to study the dome itself, the magic that holds the protective shield and they are in turn responsible for the welfare of the shield and Sashelas’s eventual revival.
Vital
Vital Alchemy is by far the most controversial. They are doctors and vets, they heal but there are other sides to Vital Alchemy that are always under hot debate. Fundamental Alchemists have to work closely with Vital Alchemists when creating rules so that the dead do not rise again and to keep the population numbers in check. Vital Alchemists have also been known to experiment with chimeras, and trying to perfect breeds of animals, also under great controversy. However their great need as doctors and the work they do to keep the city healthy, living and without disease means they are a crucial part of the underwater ecosystem.
Dimensional
Dimensional Alchemy is a strange offshoot, and really a bit of a cheat. It is alchemy in basic terms, but they often pull their ingredients from other dimensions, making the alchemic equations quite different compared to most of the other alchemy types. They trade an equal mass of something abundant, to replace the necessary ingredients from another dimension. However where a material alchemist could form a simple object in a matter of minutes, even the simplest dimensional recipes require several weeks and several alchemists to complete.
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