Alchemist's Fire

This lore has been shelved and is not used on the server anymore. This page exists purely for archival reasons.

A jar of Alchemist's Fire being slowly exposed to air.

Alchemist's Fire is a highly volatile and destructive substance distilled using Alchemy. It is a liquid that can vary in color from purple to red to green, depending on the ingredients used. When exposed to air, the liquid is set alight. Ignited Alchemist's Fire can get hot enough to melt silver and soften stronger metals such as steel, and is capable of sustaining itself in scenarios that natural would be incapable of, such as directly on or being covered in water, as the air in the water is still enough to keep the fire going and not be completely snuffed out. Because of this, Alchemist's Fire, once ignited, is extremely difficult to smother.

Alchemist's Fire is very valued and potent in combat if used properly, however, due to how combustible it is, it is just as likely to harm the user as it is the target. If the Alchemist’s Fire is agitated, it will start to generate gases that fill the container. If there is too much build up in the container, it will burst and send glass and fire everywhere. Due to this, alchemists who are capable of brewing the substance and then being able to safely contain it are always in demand.

Because of the volatility of Alchemist's Fire and the care needed when handling, it is almost entirely up to chance whether you succeed in bottling, transporting, and utilizing it. As such, rolls when you have Alchemist’s Fire on you are required when getting hit, throwing the Alchemist’s Fire, or doing anything that might cause it to shake. Having the Alchemist's Fire agitated (i.e. by being hit or falling down with the container on you, or throwing it hard) Will result in a 30% chance (6 or lower on a normal /roll) of the Alchemist's Fire causing the container to burst. Even relatively safer methods such as softly throwing it or throwing it underhand have a 15% (3 or lower) chance of backfiring. Simply pouring the Alchemist's Fire out or letting it spill from the container will not give any increased chance of backfiring, but it should still be done slowly so that Alchemist's Fire does not get on you or anyone you do not intend for it to.

ALCHEMIST'S FIRE Alchemist's Fire is one of the more powerful concotions available to the masterful alchemist. It is said to be the distilled essence of flame, and is thus as unpredicatable and dangerous as it is powerful. Alchemist's Fire releases air as it burns, meaning the concoction itself, once aflame, cannot be effectively extinguished. Preparation of Alchemist's Fire Alchemist's Fire is brewed from several powerful fire symbols and a powerful air symbol. The effect is quite literal, a substance that burns fiercely and brightly, can combust at room temperature, and releases its own air for a time, fuelling itself. Alchemist's Fire does, however, need air to begin to combust. As soon as it has air, it will immediately burst into flame, even at room temperature. If it is still in the bottle at the time, the bottle will explode. Thus, alchemist's fire must be brewed at almost freezing. The temperature must be kept that low or the entire cauldron (and a full sized cauldron must be used due to the next step), and the reagents mixed. The alchemist must wear gloves that cannot burn such as the fibres of Athin, a powerful water symbol. The bottles are immersed into the alchemist fire, letting the air bubble out and then corking the bottle with glass (not cork) stoppers. These bottles are then removed. The alchemist's fire on the outside of the glass will soon ignite, and the bottles must be immediately immersed in water before the expansion of the substance within the airtight glass due to heat causes the bottle to crack. This is repeated, immersing bottles into the cauldron, filling them with fire and letting the air bubble out, then removing the bottles. All the time the cauldron and its contents must remain at near freezing. When the alchemist has extracted as many bottles as he can, they then mix water symbols into the remaining alchemist's fire, rendering it useless and harmless. Some alchemists prefer to get a good distance away and just let the remaining alchemist's fire burn rather than be wasteful with water symbols, but this runs the risk of setting fire to all manner of things. If at any time the cauldron gets above 5 degrees, all of the alchemist's fire will burst into flame and the alchemist will be maimed, if not killed. Most alchemists do not attempt to brew alchemist's fire. The Dangers of Handling Alchemist's Fire Alchemist's Fire must be kept in its airtight bottle. Once prepared, the bottle can never be reopened in air or it will immediately burst into flames. Not only that, but the mix of fire symbols and air symbols is not perfect. Too much force can separate small amounts of air symbol, giving the alchemist's fire fuel and causing it to ignite while still sealed in the bottle and explode. Shaking the bottle will make it explode. If a bottle is on one's person, throwing it hard or getting hit while carrying it on your person gives the bottle a 30% chance of exploding while still with the handler. Throwing it underarm has only a 15% chance of explosion. Pouring it on the ground will not cause it to explode. Dropping it will cause it to explode when it hits the ground. Sudden changes of speed, like falling over or running into something also have a 30% chance of causing the potion to explode. This applies to a normal flask, more potion means a greater chance of it exploding. Note that when Alchemist's Fire explodes, it does not go off like a hand grenade. The bottle itself is torn apart, scattering broken glass, and the flaming liquid within is thrown from it, splattering anyone next to it in flames. Limitations of Alchemist's Fire As Alchemist's Fire ignites as soon as it has air, uncorking it essentially results in bottled fire with the aerodynamics of petrol. It can only be spread as much as an equivalent amount of petrol can, one flask cannot be used to make metre long or tall walls of fire. Alchemist's Fire makes a poor fire bomb too, as the act of accelerating the bottle to throw it stands a good risk of setting it off. Alchemist's Fire is not napalm in a bottle, nor is it a way of competing with a fire mage. While it burns fiercely and for a good amount of time, it is a very unpredictable weapon in personal combat, being as likely to burn its user as its target.

Approved By - Fitermon