Amalgamation of Silver and Gold

Rules

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. Performing this ritual requires a ring of ilium, an ingot of weltsilver, and a measure of ambergelt which are placed in an opaque container.

Effects

When the ritual is performed, the ritualists seal a ring of ilium, an ingot of weltsilver, and a measure of ambergelt into an opaque container. Over the course of the next hour or so, the three substances combine to create a white globe of chalky material known as the white stone.

The material is stable and permanent once created, at least until it is used. Consuming the white stone can be done in a number of ways - mixing it with liquid and drinking it, combining it with grease or oil and smearing it on the skin, or burning it in a fire and inhaling the thick smoke that results. Only one character can benefit from consuming the white stone.

It has a number of effects; if more than one would apply a take place in order:

• It removes the effects of venom or weakness from any source that can be treated with ritual magic.
• It will remove a curse that involves poison, sickness, or physical debilitation. Curses in Imperial lore affected by the white stone are: Curse of Gangrenous Flesh, and Curse of Decrepitude. It may remove other similar curses; the ritual Wisdom of the Balanced Blade will usually indicate if a curse can be removed by the white stone.
• It will remove the effects of mundane diseases, including green lung or the Reikos Flux.
• Likewise it will cure many mundane poisoning, provided that poison could in theory be treated with magic. Its ability to cure those fatal substances created by an apothecary is more limited however.
• If the consumer is under the effect of a poison brewed by an apothecary it will delay the onset of death. The white stone ensures that the symptoms the target is suffering will not worsen for half an hour, after which time they will proceed as normal. A given patient can only benefit from a single white stone during the course of any given poisoning but it will pause the effects of all such poisons. The target still suffers the symptoms of their current stage, however, so it is important to use the stone quickly. Given the stone takes an hour to form, it is important to have a stone on hand before the poisoning.

Any character can recognise a white stone for what it is, and its properties can be determined by detect magic.

Description

This ritual was a gift from the eternal Azoth, delivered to the Navarr alchemist Ifan during the Autumn Equinox 382YE. The ritual text took the form of a peculiar sculpture that provided magical knowledge to those who examined it with the appropriate cantrip. It represents one of a number of rituals - along with the Eight-Spoked Wheel, the Retrograde Wheel, and Distill the Serpent's Stone that transform base materials - in this case to create an entirely new substance through the power of the incredibly powerful star metal to create an entirely new substance.

Where Distil the Serpent's Stone attempts to create a perfected material, a substance of higher nature than the dross of the mundane world around it, the Amalgamation of Silver and Gold creates a substance specifically intended to "perfect" the body of a mortal being. Its effects are somewhat limited however; while it can cure poison and disease, or wash away the effects of certain curses, it can only temporarily stave off the death of someone exposed to the most powerful poisons, those brewed by apothecaries. Still, some of those who have studied the ritual claim that it shows what can be achieved and that it may eventually lead to more powerful substances that can help achieve the goal of the true master alchemist - the perfection of body and spirit.

This ritual can be ruinously expensive, of course, given it requires ilium. Those who have made a study of the ritual suggest that the true potence of the white stone comes from the star metal included; that the mana "unlocks" the power of the ilium guided in some fashion by the weltsilver and ambergelt used in the preparation. Both of these materials, of course, have connections with the health of mortals (among other things) - weltsilver is very effective at shaping, directing and channelling living energies, while ambergelt has some healing and preservational properties. Some alchemists are intrigued that the ritual uses both a cold metal mined from deep under the earth, and more organic living substance harvested from a forest and theorise that this combination of substances from such very different places may be worth exploring further.

Shortly before the Summer Solstice 383YE, magical scholars associated with the Lyceum discovered that the common magic item known as the Mask of Gold and Lead could be used to make the ritual easier to perform - much as it facilitated the more familiar the Eight-Spoked Wheel, the Retrograde Wheel, and Distill the Serpent's Stone rituals.

Common Elements

This is an alchemical mystery, and almost always includes elements such as fire; beakers, bowls and other pieces of alchemical equipment; water and other liquids, including blood (some ritualists use a little blood from one each of a human, a changeling, a briar, a naga, a cambion, a draughir, and a merrow); charts and diagrams; and the other trappings of this ancient magical lore. Special materials and a ring of ilium, and consequently a vessel such as a crucible or cauldron are often the central focus of the magic.

Many ritualists wear masks or veils when they perform this ritual - not least because there are occasionally noxious byproducts of the transformation. This ritual is often performed in private; the white stone is powerful, and can be a highly coveted treasure.

The forces of the heavens are often referenced in alchemical rituals. If the theory that the stars represent in some way the tools of the Creator are true, then evoking the power of astronomancy seems entirely appropriate to the practice of enacting permanent transformation. The constellations of the Great Wyrm and the Fountain in particular is likely to be evoked. The names of the eternal Azoth is often used although some goetic magicians also mention Ylenrith whose resonances are closely associated with concepts of purification.

The runes of transformation and purification are evoked with this magic, although it is common to include Wyr, Diras and possibly even Bravash to draw on elements of mystery, secret lore, and fertility.

The magic item known as the Mask of Gold and Lead can be used to make this ritual easier to perform.