# Oblivion: Theory of Alchemy

Book Information
ID | xx01EF56
| 0 |  | 5.0
Locations
Found in the following locations:

- Miranu Falanu's secret laboratory

Theory of Alchemy
by Miranu Hlaalu

Basics

Standard Alchemical theory states that there are three major elements, Earth, Water, and Air, and three major Forces also, namely Fire, Frost and Shock, and that Alchemy is the process of using the three Forces upon the three elements to produce change. Some more religious Alchemists regard the fact that three times three equals Nine to be significant, but I do not consider that anything but coincidence.

The book "Fundamentals of Alchemy" teaches us the mechanism for performing Alchemy, but does not explain the principles that make it work. Perhaps that is because those principles are not properly understood. I shall endeavor to determine them and note what I find in this volume.

It is widely known, even by those who do not practice Alchemy, that Fire can transform Earth into Water (melting) and Water into Air (boiling) and that Frost can effect the reverse transformations. I have witnessed an experiment where plates were placed in a liquid, and Shock used to produce Earth (in the form of Silver) at one plate and Air at the other, so it appears that Shock can also transform the elements in ways that Fire and Frost cannot.

Alchemy is the process of mixing ingredients, transforming the elements, and separating the mixtures. We note that the result of the separation is not to restore the original ingredients, but to create new ones, so this must necessarily involve breaking the ingredients down into more fundamental units, and re-assembling them in new combinations. I believe that when we know the nature of these fundamental units, we will have a fuller knowledge of the principles of Alchemy. My aim will be to discover these units and catalog them.

Known units

Although there are a number of exceptions, it appears that many metals, such as silver and gold, are among these fundamental units. All attempts to separate them have failed. It is possible to combine Silver with other ingredients, and to separate it back out again, indicating that it is unchanged by the process, and thus likely to be indivisible. Gold seems to remain incorruptible by Alchemy, and must also be one of these Alchemical units, although if it will not combine, the point is rather moot.

Brass, on the other hand is clearly a mixture. We know how to make it from other metals, and it can be dissolved and the parent metals recovered. (This makes me suspect that Copper is also a fundamental alchemical unit, as I can reliably extract it from brass.) In similar fashion, we know Steel is a mixture, and again I believe that Iron may be indivisible.

I had hoped that some crystals would turn out to be unitary, but all my experiments have shown them to be mixtures. Many of them dissolve in water, and the crystals reform if the mixture is heated, so they initially appeared to be candidates, but when other ingredients are added, it can become impossible to separate out the original crystals, and I must conclude that they have been separated into other units. Sometimes, I have been able to separate a metal from the mixture, so perhaps crystals are a union of metals with something else I have yet to separate.

Separating liquids with shock has produced a number of different types of Air. Some are poisons, some can be breathed without harm, (but not for long, as there seems to be something missing that life needs). I believe that there may be Alchemical units among these types of air, if only I can find them.

Some have suggested that the Force of Fire might be an Alchemical Unit, as you can create fire just by mixing two ingredients, but since fire can also be created by purely mechanical processes, such as an ungreased wheel, I do not hold that to be true. What is notable, however, is that ingredients used to make fire required the use of much fire to produce them, so it is likely that some mixtures store up the fire that was put in to their creation.

Available methods

Most Alchemists do all their transformations and separations using Fire. The Calcinator is used to reduce ingredients to a more basic form (sometimes producing metals directly), and the Alembic and Retort to separate mixtures, depending on whether one wants to keep the more or less volatile component.

I have been shown the use of Shock as a separating tool, and I have have added to that a method of using Frost for the same purpose. This latter has been invaluable in my experiments in separating Hist Sap, and it appears that Fire can destroy some compounds for ever, particularly those coming from plant or animal sources. My impression is that the use of Fire makes simpler compounds from more complex ones, as I often get the same residues from different starting mixtures after heating them, so I am hopeful that Frost will do the reverse, although I have nothing yet to confirm this idea.

Dissolving ingredients together appears to perform some transformations without the use of any forces of Fire, Frost or Shock. That has led others to speculate that these three are not the only forces that exist, but I am of the opinion that when they are all in balance, they cannot be detected, and so in fact all three are acting in unison, or at least at the same time.

Apparatus

It is important to use the highest quality apparatus when performing Alchemy. A better Mortar and Pestle grinds finer, and makes the ingredients easier to dissolve (if they will) or at least mix with the liquid more closely. A good Calcinator will not taint the ingredient with its own metallic nature, even when the strongest fire is used. Likewise good Alembics and Retorts will produce more complete separation of the mixtures put into them.

There is, however a need for other types of apparatus if Alchemy is to be taken further. A Retort works just as well with Frost as it does with Fire for separating a mixture, but there is little available for harnessing Shock as an Alchemical tool. The few experiments I have seen done with Shock used metal plates in a simple bowl, but I am sure a dedicated piece of apparatus can be devised to do that job better. The Mage who showed me also had to cast the Shock spell himself, and so the experiment could not be left to continue without him. That deficiency needs to be addressed if Shock separation is to become useful.