Arcane Law ~ Chapter the Third
Potions
It is essential that you understand that there are three forms of potion, two are of a magical nature while the other is not. This last comprises those creations of Alchemy, which possess nothing of the Universal Amalgam bound into their nature. We are not concerned with such as these nor the poisons that they devise to bring such havoc to the courts of kings.
The potions which are our concern are those which contain the Universal Amalgam bound into them in a pattern of suspension which is similar in many ways to a scroll but no invocation is required to release their power.
Of these two forms one is of relative simplicity to produce, once you have learned the skills required and practised them completely. This form is that which brings about the result within the one that imbibes it, such as one that dissipates poisons in the body.
The second is most complex and perhaps least useful, this form empowers the recipient to work a spell specific to the potion. Thus one may create such a potion whereby he who drinks it may dissipate the poisons within another's body. The extreme difficulty in making such a potion surely outweighs its usefulness; I will leave it to you, the reader, to determine just how difficult it is by considering such information as I convey within these pages.
How They Work
When a magical potion is imbibed the pattern that holds the magic is broken down by the action of the body; the magic is thus released within the body of the recipient and will act almost immediately.
The pattern is the most important part of the potion; it is this that maintains the spell in its structure it is the weaving that holds the Universal Amalgam. For Low Magic specific patterns have been devised that will always work within the fluid medium and this is what is taught at the Third Rank.
How They Are Made
It must be said once more that we must trade with Guild of Alchemy for our main ingredient, the Base, which holds the pattern and maintains the spell. We do not know its composition, but it was created by Alchemy Master Tarl in the I24th year after the Founding of the Great Library of Norhault. Its secret has been guarded jealously by the Alchemists since that time.
It is perhaps something for which we should be grateful that Alchemy Master Tarl required the help of Master Toolcrafter Joseph for the development of the skills to weave a spell into an unsupported liquid. One dare not think what terrible demonstration Tarl would have carried out to the embarrassment of our Guild.
The skill of Pattern Binding you are taught at the Third Rank is the one required for the creation of magical potions. And indeed an understanding of this is most helpful in the creation of magical artefacts as it incorporates the fundamentals taught by Master Toolcrafter Joseph. As he wrote:
When you try to bind a spell into a liquid it's like trying to catch a pig. You have to know where it's going next before it does one little slip and it's away and you're lying face down in the muck.
Once the binding is accomplished the liquid must sealed immediately within a suitable container lest as the liquid dissipates and the structure of the pattern will no longer hold and the power of spell will he used up without effect. Once sealed the potion should hold its potency for many years, but it depends much on the skill of the maker.
How Are They Destroyed
Due to the nature of binding a pattern into a liquid it is most unstable and once unsealed the pattern will breakdown speedily, it is dependent upon its age, the complexity of the pattern and its weaving, the power of the spell contained and the initial skill of the maker.
Some Considerations
As a form of artefact the magical potion is perhaps the least useful in many of its aspects, difficult to make and of short lifetime. Yet it is easy to transport and may be used by anyone, or indeed an animal may consume one to receive its effects.
On the darker side it is easier to introduce the spell effect to one who is unknowing by this method and the instigator need not he present when the effect occurs.
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