Articles of Alchemy

Articles of Alchemy is an anonymous pre-Wesmodian book of magic containing recipes for seven magical potions. Clearly written with reference to the Esoterica of Morogyad, the book is speculatively attributed to Morogyad himself and thus forms one of the more controversial entries in the Esoterica. The book is written in a pre-Wesmodian variety of Oluzpek.

Contents

The book opens with an introduction which advances a somewhat controversial explanation for the general function of magical potions. The notion is that the human body is an essentially moist entity, existing at the halfway point between the solid and the liquid, and that its functions can be boosted or strengthened with infusions of other, magically ennobled liquids. These liquids are easier to administer than ennobled solids, which tend to take the form of magical metals which the human body can neither comfortably ingest or constructively metabolise. Critics of this book, and its attribution to Morogyad, tend to observe that this explanation is both far-fetched and not especially related to the rest of the content.
The seven potions are then described in florid, discursive prose more characteristic of Morogyad's compositions in the Insular dialect than those in Oluzpek. This compositional style is sufficiently abstruse as to leave considerable scope for guesswork and experimentation by those seeking to replicate the potions themselves. The author of the book also seems to assume knowledge of other texts in the Esoterica of Morogyad, particularly Phardys Horodyas Karanrad.
The first potion is presented as an antidote to "all known poisons" said to be refined from either the ichor of a species of large jellyfish or the blood of an octopus; the prose suggests that either basic ingredient is acceptable. The refining process includes long but carefully-times periods of very precise heating and cooling while infusion of rock salt - a rare commodity in the Eleven Cities - and a variety of gems including amethysts, emeralds and pearls, whose power may be unlocked by "appropriate gestures" by the brewer.
The second potion is a restorative said to greatly boost the strength of the imbiber; it is presented as a restorative to be administered to convalescents, though subsequent experimenters have often attempted to use it as a muscle-builder. It is created by mixing together a very precise combination of three different species of kelp - black, blue and green - spiking this combination with salts drawn from red coral, drying the resulting compound into a powder and steeping this in wine.
The third potion supposedly allows for flight of a very limited kind; the author explains this in terms of an imbiber being able to glide like a petrel, and even gives a set of instructions on how to use flowing cloaks like wings. The potion is made by curing "the entire body" of a flying fish for a very precise length of time over a very precise, high heat over several days under the open sky, stirring occasionally with the fingers. How this last condition is possible, given that the recipe makes explicit reference to the cauldron boiling, is never explained.
The fourth potion provides "insight into a man's desires," though the recipe does is not clear if the concoction should be imbibed by one who wishes to know a man's desires or by the man whose desires are of interest. The potion involves infusing vinegar with the tentacles of "the deadliest jellyfish one can find" over blue flames while making "appropriate gestures and incantations."
The fifth potion is said to grant the imbiber knowledge of distant events, evidently by allowing them to see great distances and with great clarity; the prose is, ironically muddled and unclear. The author cautions against preparing the potion, however, in that it requires "appropriate gestures and incantations" to be performed over the liquor drained from the eyes of seven dugongs, and that harming dugongs, particularly so many at once, is sure to court the displeasure of sailors.
The author also has their doubts about the sixth potion, which they claim is wholly invisible and has the ability to make the imbiber so as well. Drinking such a potion, the book cautions, is morally risky and its effects permanent. The point is somewhat undermined by the fact that a recipe is then provided, though the apparent impossibility of that recipe - which involves dissolving topaz stones in a liquor drawn from the spinal fluid of a particular variety of deep-sea eel while the eel itself is still alive - may have rendered it safe to record.
The seventh potion is a tonic for promoting general good fortune and involves steeping "ennobled" gold dust in wine over a very high heat for a long period, at specific times of the year. The recipe apparently assumes access to Morogyad's less controversial writings since it contains no guidelines as to how to ennoble gold, what times of year to conduct the ritual, or how to metabolise the resulting tincture. Given the apparent promise of earthly riches, however, the recipe is the basis for more experimentation by alchemists than the other six combined.

Commentary

The debatable authorship of this book has not stopped it from becoming one of the most widespread and frequently-consulted components of the Esoterica of Morogyad. Providing what appear to be straightforward (albeit often seemingly impossible) vectors for what ought to be fame and fortune, it is among the most popular magical texts in the Eleven Cities. Dabblers routinely use it, or extracts from it, as the basis for entire careers of experimentation and a cottage industry of commentaries and extrapolations on its contents exists. The precise value of these glosses is, of course, generally quite low, and serious thaumatologists tend to regard the book as something of a nuisance. This does not, of course, prevent it from becoming a significant presence in thaumatological thought and a foundational text in the creation of magical potions in the Eleven Cities.

Availability

A copy of Articles of Alchemy can be had from most scribes in most cities for a reasonable price. Used copies, often extensively glossed by previous owners, also circulate widely.

Type

Manual, Magical / Occult