Alkimia
| Alkimia (Alchemy) | |
|---|---|
| Type | Scientific Magical Discipline |
| Primary Source | External Lumite Reactions |
| Region of Origin | The Undying Empire |
| Ultimate Pinnacle | Takwin (Artificial Life / Flesh-forging) |
| Notable Practitioners | Jabirean Alchemists, Treste Comte Mordeau, Estella Aria |
Alkimia, widely known in the West as Alchemy, is an esoteric and highly intellectual discipline that combines empirical science with the volatile properties of Lumite. It is one of the four recognized pillars of the Magic System in Rodinia.
Unlike the Arcane Arts, which require the practitioner to internally channel mana by resonating with the Lumite traces in their blood, Alkimia relies entirely on external manipulation. By combining raw elements, chemical reagents, and precisely drawn geometric runic arrays, an alchemist can manipulate matter, energy, and even living biology without relying heavily on their own internal mana pool.
Origins
[edit]Alkimia was pioneered, developed, and perfected in the deep deserts by the scholars of the The Undying Empire. For centuries, it was a closely guarded state secret that allowed the desert empire to overcome the physiological and magical superiority of their enemies.
It is an undisputed historical fact that the Undying Empire's absolute mastery of Alkimia is the primary reason they emerged victorious against the Holy Empire of Rodinia in both the First and Second Radiant Wars. Their alchemical warfare neutralized the traditional heavy cavalry charges and Arcane Arts of the Holy League's Templars, turning the battlefields of the Holy Land into unsurvivable meat grinders.
The Jabirean Alchemists
[edit]The true terror and might of the Undying Empire's alchemical warfare belong to the elite caste of scholars known as the Jabirean Alchemists. Operating out of the heavily fortified section of the "House of Wisdom," these masters practice a brand of alchemy that is as miraculous as it is utterly horrifying.
Heavily steeped in esoteric and occult sciences, the Jabireans view biology, metal, and Lumite as entirely interchangeable materials. Their methods are brutal, dark, and ruthless:
- Chemical & Biological Warfare: The Jabireans deploy devastating chemical weapons, toxic gasses, and corrosive Lumite-sludge that melt through knightly plate armor with ease.
- Flesh-forging: They possess the terrifying ability to forcefully mutate, enhance, and fuse living creatures with metal and Lumite to create unstoppable, pain-immune super-soldiers for the Caliph's vanguard.
- Homunculi & Mutants: The Jabireans are unbound by ethical constraints regarding the manipulation of life, treating the battlefield as a massive laboratory to test their gruesome alchemically-created monstrosities.
Takwin and the Transformative Arts
[edit]The absolute pinnacle of Jabirean Alkimia is Takwin—the literal synthesis and creation of artificial life. Through a masterful blend of biology, organic chemistry, and extreme Lumite infusion, Jabirean Alchemists can build synthetic lifeforms from scratch or fundamentally rewrite the genetic makeup of existing beings.
Following the Radiant Wars, fragments of Alchemical texts were smuggled out, looted, or traded to the West. However, because the true secrets of Takwin were fiercely protected, Western attempts to replicate it were often disastrous.
The Children of the Eclipse, specifically the excommunicated Cardinal Castillo and High Overseer Estella Aria, managed to acquire fragments of Takwin theory. Through illegal and horrific human experimentation, they reverse-engineered an imperfect branch of Alchemy they dubbed the Transformative Arts.
By using corrupted Blood Lumite and taking advantage of victims suffering from Lumite Assimilation Sickness, the Cult's alchemists forcefully mutated innocent miners into the mindless, crystalline behemoths known as Thralls. Because they lacked the foundational knowledge of the true Jabireans, the Cult's creations were essentially tortured rotting husks piloted by agonizing magical pressure.
Western Alkimia and Magi-Mechanics
[edit]In the West, particularly within the Grand Sanctuary, Alchemy is treated as a highly academic and strictly regulated field of study. Without the extreme biological applications of the Undying Empire, Western alchemists focus largely on potion-making, material refinement, and runic engineering.
A notable prodigy of this Western adaptation is Treste Comte Mordeau. By combining her genius-level understanding of Alchemy with the modern mechanical concepts provided by Asep, Treste applies Alchemy to engineering.
- She synthesizes complex, heat-resistant, high-viscosity fluids (using ingredients like Water Lumite and Basilisk marrow) to serve in mechanical torque converters.
- She utilizes impact-sensitive alchemical gelatin to create percussion fuses for explosive munitions like the SAM-1 anti-air rocket.
