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Lucrezzia Belladonna of Pavona, alchemist and arch-poisoner.[3b]
An alchemist, also called a mundane alchemist to not confuse them with the wizards of the Gold Order who often use the same title,[3b] is a scholar who studies the branch of magic or physical science which deals with the nature of matter and its properties called Alchemy,[1a][1b] which in turn can be subdivided into Low Alchemy and High Alchemy.[3c]
Mundane alchemists are experts at preparing chemical compounds and recognising mineral ores. Alchemists may be of great assistance to any metal-worker and are among the only craftsmen able to produce blackpowder for firearms,[1a][1b] a skill for which there is a high demand in the Old World.[3b]
The Imperial Gunnery School in Nuln, for example, keeps a whole department of alchemists tasked with the creation of blackpowder and the improvement of its efficiency.[3b] To produce blackpowder, the alchemist must have a supply of refined saltpetre, sulphur, and charcoal, which need to be mixed in the correct proportions. This process takes 8 hours to produce 6 pounds of blackpowder from 4 pounds of saltpetre, 1 pound of sulphur, and 1 pound of charcoal, assuming the alchemist has access to a proper laboratory or workbench.[1a][1b]
Many alchemists, however, consider it beneath them to use their skills for such worldly matters and devote themselves to acquiring knowledge. Research into how to turn base substances into gold is an especially popular field of research among mundane alchemists, but one which has proved fruitless to date.[1a][1b]
Alchemists are also able to use magic, specifically Battle Magic or magical applications of alchemy, although their spellcasting ability is less than that of a true wizard of the same level of expertise.[1a][1b]
Alchemists are generally tolerated by the political powers of the region in which they live, since they are able to make many useful chemicals and reagents -- although, like other magic-users, they must possess a valid license or risk being accused of consorting with Chaos. However, even mundane alchemists are often viewed with suspicion by their community; not for fear of Chaos, but because their laboratories often emit strange smells or clouds of smoke and, occasionally, explode.[2a][2b]
In the present day, the Gold Order of the Imperial Colleges of Magic teaches alchemy extensively, to the point that its wizards control many of the mundane alchemist guilds, businesses and schools within the Empire. This, among other reasons, is why Gold Wizards are often referred to as "alchemists."[3a]
Studying Alchemy[]
An Imperial alchemist at work.
Mundane alchemists begin as apprentices, just as true wizards do. When they are ready, they go to one of the Imperial universities to further their careers. In most universities of the Empire alchemy is taught as a serious academic subject in its own right. In addition, almost all of the Colleges of Magic of the Empire teach alchemy, although rarely in any depth save for the Gold Order.[2c]
The core concept behind the teaching of alchemy at Imperial universities is that mundane alchemists are actually natural philosophers who only use magic to discover the secrets of the physical world rather than using magic to reshape natural law according to their desires as a true wizard does. Rudiments of Alchemy is the textbook of choice for the alchemy departments at all Imperial universities, and this work represents the foundation of most mundane alchemists' knowledge.[2c]
Notable Alchemists[]
- Leonardo da Miragliano - One of the greatest inventors ever born in the Old World and a master of High Alchemy.[3a]
- Lucrezzia Belladonna - Considered by many to be the most beautiful woman in all of the Old World, and the deadliest through her mastery of alchemy.[4a]
- Theodor Habermas - Habermas was the third patriarch of the Gold Order. He spent years studying the legendary Leonardo da Miragliano's Prism of Power.[3a]