Apothecarists and their recipes

The possibility of making magic usable by humans in a safe and consistent way has often seemed like a hopeless dream, and for most of history those who sought after it ended up dead or horribly damaged as a result. Yet at the same time as the struggle to harness magic directly, a particular profession ended up able to do so indirectly. Those were the early apothecaries, who naturally in the course of their work tested new plants for potential treatments, and this included some of the plants which contain a natural magic. Their discoveries were revealed first by a group of Cephei arcanists, and the union of the two vocations led to the hybrid job that was the apothecarist, who works with magical plants in the hope of using them to bring magic to the people.

Purpose

Each apothecarist has a carefully preserved list of known recipes using magical and nonmagical plants to create potions, which when ingested cause certain effects in the drinker. Naturally, the exact recipes are a closely guarded secret, as careless imitations could be disastrous. Many apothecarists also keep catalogues of their experiments, and in Virinne in particular have guild-halls where their research is compiled.
With their recipe list, apothecarists can create and sell these potions, and as such it is vital for their profession. I have heard it said that no apothecarist has ever successfully created a recipe from memory, and I doubt any would be willing to try.

Document Structure

Legal status

In Cephei and Virinne, where most apothecarists are found, the title can only be earnt through an apprenticeship under another apothecarist, and an unlicensed apothecarist can be prosecuted. In Virinne in particular, even posession of a recipe manual is restricted. The apothecarists' guild has the right to declare that certain plants need to be conserved if necessary, circumventing the legal procedures such an act would normally require.

Historical Details

History

The apothecarist's recipe list is a natural extension of the manuals carried by their forebears, apothecaries, and as apothecarists are much more recent a vocation, many of them keep purely nonmagical recipes as well. As the magical plants required for potions tend to be rare and very expensive, the same tends to be true of the potions themselves, so little information about them is known by the general populace. I imagine that in another hundred or so years, the practice will be substantially more commonplace, though I don't doubt that the recipe lists will be just as closely guarded a secret even then.

Type

Manual, Culinary

Medium

Papyrus