The crystals appeared quite literally overnight. First as small fragments at first. Though through the night they seemed to take root and grew. Almost all of them remained undiscovered not until weeks if not months later. And even then, the Aspect Crystals remained untouched for weeks longer. Sometimes curious kids broke them off to see what happened. Nothing really. Mages, at first, thought they could use the crystals to their own ends. Except they lacked the proper methods to actually use them. As quickly as they had become intriguing, they turned dull and useless to most again. Elementite, the metal, traced the same story. Its veins underground appeared overnight. The yellowy metal was first to be thought gold. Only when people realized how brittle it was, did they lose interest again. The Cadheron berries were the only creation left alone for much longer than that.
[hr]
Nidar slept quite fitfully. Nightmares had been plaguing him for two weeks now. Ever since that demon had appeared in the Labyrinth. Enura, the queen, had to lead the bravest of the Mystics into its bowels now. Many called it brave. Not Nidar. He called it foolish. The man was quite contend to remain above ground and draw his runes in the sand-pots that his slaves carried around. But his imagination took him for a stroll every night. Making him read those bloody words again and again.

Just like always he woke up in his tent, drenched in cold sweat. The full moon stood high in the sky. Nidar got up, but felt too late the heavy thing that was resting on him. With a heavy clang it fell to the ground. In the morning haze he barely recognized what it was. But as his scattered thoughts pulled himself together, he realized it were metal plates. Bound together with golden rings. He grabbed it, and carried it to the desk outside his tent.

Orb had come from no-where at night. Just like the Puzzleknots. Nidar still sat on the same desk. Four layers were opened up so far. He was certain in the coming year the next three would open and he’d gain his focus. But this book, it was something else. The plated slabs were showing symbols that were odd at first, but soon Nidar realized their not so hidden meaning. It showed water, over fire. Two rocks being thrown into the water and much more. The earliest pages showed some sort of processes, each with a unique circular symbol.

The rose far too quick for Nidar. Something about the night gave him insight. Now at day, in the shadow, his mind seemed to have turned sluggish. Beside him laid piles of clay tablets. Ready to be fired. Containing the notes of that which he already deciphered. But these texts, which he somehow knew were called the Topaz Texts, they seemed to contain vastly more knowledge. And that which he had would have to be put to the test as well!
[hr]
Kiara sat hunched over the golden plates. Reading them again and again and again now. Beside her laid various objects in the cave. With a warm fire burning and a cauldron boiling away. She had done as the golden plates had told her to. It wasn’t had to find the berries as a Cenél. Though they had to be new. Her mother, nor her grandmothers recognized the strange berries. Which meant, almost certainly, that they didn’t exist until very long yet. It was a chilling thought. The idea that a god just went about and placed a completely new plant in the world.

Squeezing the seeds had been hard. She had been working on it for three day straight now. But at the bottom of her cauldron she saw the bounty boiling away. A Cenél was able to guess time from shadows and the sun. It was a skill you needed to survive. Especially in the cold, winter nights up here so far in the north. When the hour was over, she dumped a handful of raspberries and a clay cup worth of fresh water into the mixture.

Nothing particularly interesting happened as she kept stirring the pot. Until she felt like there were no more pieces and the strange liquid had broken down everything that was thrown into it. Carefully Kiara scooped up bit of the purple liquid into her cup. At first she just let her lips carefully touch upon the liquid. See if it burned or tasted wrong. To her own surprise, it smelled and tasted delicious. In one greedy gulp she down the rest of the cup. It tasted like true Cenél brewed liquor. Not that pissed out ale the Dûnans served. No this was a strong kind of stuff. Kiara laid back onto the bed she had made of dried grasses. Slowly the potion took effect. Unlike alcohol, it didn’t send her floating. Instead it took away the aching in her old bones. Making her feel less old. With a contend smile she closed her eyes and drifted asleep. Without pain in her joints for the first time in a decade.
[hr]
Esiré had been obsessing over the gold-plate book for nights now. At day she kept it hidden away from everyone. At night though, she sat hunched over its heavy pages. Tracing her finger over the relief images. The symbols started out obvious, but as she kept turning page after page she noticed how the symbols turned more complex. She had persisted though. Right now she was reading alone at night, with only a candle light in the woods as her company. In in the still burning coals beside her sat a blackened clay pot, happily boiling away. It had taken her all evening to gather enough seeds.

The book detailed a fair few recipes, each calling for generally only mundane things. Nuts, leaves, berries. But there was one hinting towards something different. It was hidden in a clarification. Various ingredients were summed up only as an example involving a certain process. The next ingredients were hidden in similar fashion in the book. Esiré had discovered the pattern though. Once she was certain, she carefully closed the book again and stood up over the cauldron. With her own bone knife she slowly cut open her hand and squeezed it. Letting the blood run off her hand into the boiling cauldron. After she then added some blueberries and a marigold flower. Carefully she stirred it all around.

When she drank the mixture, at first nothing happened. Then her gut seemed to contract. Esiré dropped to her knees, feeling the intense need to puke up the vile mixture she had just drank. She fought that feeling though. With her eyes and mouth clenched close she rolled over the ground for a moment. Clutching her own stomach until the terrible, sickly feeling finally receeded. Slowly she opened her eyes. Not to find the dark world of the night but to see everything in a hue of light blue. The moon above felt as bright as the sun at mid-noon.
[hr]
Qael’Naath watched with pleasure as his new gift was gleefully accepted. The Topaz Texts were only the start of mortalkind’s discovery of Alchemy. A vital skill that any mage worth his salt would have to master. For the next few years those who possessed the texts would be busy learning all there is to learn about them but then the interesting phase would start. Humanity exploring alchemy blind. Without Qael’s help. They would have to find experiment with what is given in the world. Create tools and better recipes. As he looked through his avatar’s divine senses, he wondered how long it would take before the first Magnum Opus would be build. Well, he supposed that was mortalkind’s test. An hourglass appeared beside him and the tipped it over. Letting the sand run down.

[hider=Summary]On a certain night the Aspect Crystals, Elementite and the Cadheron trees were spread out across the world. Though many of these creations would not be discovered still for some time.

The first of the Topaz Texts is given to Nidar. A Mystic of Anghebad who sleeps terrible. When he wakes up and gets up, the gold-plated texts actually fall off him. For the rest of the night he is hard at work to decipher the texts.

Kiara is an old Fakir who also received in a book. In  her cave she diligently prepares a potion from the Cadheron berries. The potion she drinks makes her think of Cenél liquor. When she laid down though, it did not make her feel floaty like liquor should. Instead it soothe her aching body and allowed her a good night sleep.

Esiré is obsessed over the Topaz Texts. At night she skulks away to read it. Tonight though, she starts her first experiment to create a potion. But unlike Kiara, she added something to the base: her own blood. Allowing the potion to be much stronger. However it also has a much worse effect on her when she consumes it. When the pain in her stomach finally vanishes, she realizes she can see in the dark.

Qael, from his realm, observes the mortals using his gifts and is intrigued. But he also devises a test: how long would it take for the mortals to create the First Magnum Opus?[/hider]

[hider=MP/DP]
[b]Qael’Naath Start:[/b] 5MP / 5DP
- 2DP: Aspect Crystals – Crystals that grow across the world which have a random elemental aspect to them. The four basic aspects that these crystals can assume are: air, earth, fire, water and mana. Rare Aspect crystals will have three of the four prime aspects: mind, soul and matter. Aspect Crystals can be used for a variety of things. Their stored aspects can predominantly be used in alchemical recipes to strengthen one aspect or another. The crystals themselves, when subjected to the right alchemical treatments, can also be used to capture and hold more complex aspects. The crystalline or First Magnum Opus is the “Deus Vitris” or crystalized divinity. A required ingredient for all other Magnum Opera. (2/5 for Portfolio Alchemy)
- 1DP: Elementite – A fairly common metal that is as easily melted as copper. Elementite is highly conductive of almost everything (mana, electricity, the aspects). While very easy to use, elementite is incredibly soft and brittle. Using it in armor or weaponry is a very bad idea. Elementite objects should at all times be treated with care and caution. (3/5 for Portfolio Alchemy)
- 1MP: The Topaz Texts – Books crafted from plates of gold metal bound together with strings, the Topaz Texts provide all those who have it in their possession with the basics of alchemy. The first few “pages” are shown entirely using easy to understand symbols. Showing people basic alchemical processes like distillation, separation and solution. Upon these basic processes the book continues to build showing more and more alchemical symbols. Explaining the usage of the many mundane elements, alchemical compounds and aspects one can use. The texts only provide a strong foundation for any alchemist. While it contains many hints towards further, more complex processes, compounds and other creations it only refers to a Magnum Opus once. (4/5 for Portfolio Alchemy)
- 1MP: Cadheron Berries – The juice of these common berries can be used to make a basic but versatile base for potions. The Cadheron Base is created by heating the berries above a specific temperature for an hour. When it is still warm, the ingredients of the desired potion should be added (for example, apple juice and whole walnuts will create a potion that slightly restores muscle fatigue quickly). It is to be noted that the Cadheron base itself can be improved upon by further purification and other alchemical processes. Resulting in a more delicate but more useful and effective potion base. However, while the Cadheron base is consumable, it has a certain level of toxicity. Using too many potions with a Cadheron basis at once will result in severe sickness and even death. Prolonged usage of Cadheron berry potions will also result in death. (5/5 for Portfolio Alchemy)
- 3MP: Assume the portfolio of Alchemy.
[b]Qael’Naath End:[/b] 0MP / 2DP[/hider]

[hider=Prestige]
[b]Post Length:[/b] 7.3K
+ 3 Prestige: Mystics
+ 3 Prestige: Cult of the Destroyer
[/hider]