Alchemy in Forgotten Realms
In the Realms, alchemy is a field dominated by secrets, mysteries, and danger. A few alchemists search for the means of turning stones or other dross into gold, or for elixirs to restore or preserve youth, but most alchemists think such preoc-cupations to be “bold madness” or centuries (at best) away from success. The daily living of most alchemists consists of concocting nonmagical painkillers, healing salves, and love potions for those whose fears or slim purses keep them from being customers of magic.
Alchemy in the Realms is concerned with ev¬erything from stuff you drink to make you slim, to stuff you rub on to remove your warts, to stuff you eat to make sure you will or won’t get preg¬nant, to stuff you slap on manacles or locks to make them crumble to rust, to stuff you paint on manacles and locks to make them stay unaffected when some of that previously mentioned stuff gets slapped on them.
Some alchemists constantly seek new poi¬sons and antidotes, because there’s good coin to be made from folk who need them—such as the dancer in Calimport famous for performing with many deadly scorpions and snakes that bite or sting her repeatedly and harmlessly, to her evident pleasure rather than pain; and the thieves who, equipped with the same alchemical quaffs as the dancer, freely steal valuables from coffers guarded by venomous serpents and scorpions.
Alchemy isn’t called “alchemy” when prac¬ticed by priests, who are not above disparaging lay folk who practice it, though (aside from temples having less experimentation and substance sub¬stitutions, and more written records) there’s little real difference between a temple’s “holy secrets of the gods” preparations and independent alchemy. Some alchemists and herbalists work with each other, and some sneer at each other. Truthful lore isn’t widely shared in alchemy, so the “science” advances very slowly, every practitioner having to achieve mastery for oneself. Most alchemical tomes available for purchase contain wrong or de¬liberatelfalse information.
Alchemy in the Realms is nowhere near as dominant and effective as modern real-world chemistry is, but specific breakthroughs might occur during the events of a campaign. If clever adventurers find wild new uses for something, remember that alchemy can easily involve unin¬tended explosions. Lots of them.
The Quest for Eternity
Elixirs, potions, and drafts (in the Realms, some¬thing introduced into a drinkable, usually in sparing amounts) that engender love or lust, or confer very deep sleep, pain relief, or invisibility are the daily bread and butter of all alchemists, herbalists, and spellcasters. These simple concoc¬tions also provide a reliable source of income for temples, shrine-tending priests, traveling preach¬ers, and even hermits. However, the general populace believes that only those who can work magic can create potions of longevity, elixirs of youth, and other means of extending one’s life span. These are always rare, expensive, and highly sought after treasures. Gossip and local lore abound with horrific tales of what can go wrong in the pursuit of magical youth, from death in an instant (literally crumbling to dust from sudden aging), to being transformed into various monsters, to an ongoing curse of limbs and body parts slowly but continu¬ously shifting through various beast forms. All the same, longevity magic remains a common pursuit of the very wealthy, who often hire wizards to help them cheat death, and among powerful mages themselves, who often try to devise their own life¬extending and renewing magic. This quest for immortality (or at least vigor) is a long process, and not something for which an adventuring wizard should be able to find a tutor. As well, subtle differences in internal body chemistry lead to magnified differences in a po¬tion’s results. As a veteran alchemist might warn, “What works for you may not work for me, and be warned—experiments that don’t work age you, so a night of tinkering and gulping might bring you tottering to the edge of your grave.” Although there’s a roaring trade in false elix¬irs of youth restored or eternal youth, very few individuals know how to make real potions of lon¬gevity. These few keep this secret to themselves, sharing such concoctions only with those they fall in love with and want to have as companions for¬ever, to avoid being forced into slavery as captive potion producers. Thus, everyone has to discover the process anew, either by finding it written down in an ancient tomb or cache (and honestly or maliciously incorrect formulae are common) or by finding such potions as treasure. Longevity potions were far more common in ancient Netheril than they are today, because cer¬tain magical processes were more widespread and better understood then than they are now. Real longevity magic is likely to be well guarded (in¬cluding false potions—usually poisons—as lures for would-be thieves), and is never offered for sale in shops. Owners such as powerful wizards might sell a single potion, discreetly and after a personal approach, to a wealthy buyer (usually presenting the item as “discovered among the treasures of Archwizard X after his unfortunate demise at the hands of Y”). Buyers should be aware that evil mages have been known to gain influence over wealthy individuals by selling them “youth po¬tions” that grant such control. The life of an alchemist, a family of alchemists, or an adventuring band of ingredient procurers serving various alchemists, can make for an ideal campaign for one to three players.Если вы хотите что то добавить или присоединится к команде редакторов - пишите комментарии
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