Completed [Stormhold Salves] Phabulous Philters Pt. I

[Aoren]

10th of Autumn 513, AV
8th Bell

“It is time to further your knowledge of the art of Philtering.”

Aoren looked up from where he was sweeping the floor of Stormhold Salves into the eyes of his employer. Sahfri Blackleaf stood with a book tucked against her chest, a hand on one of her hips and a few glass instruments in some of the others. He arched his eyebrow slightly. That was met with a smile.

“You are my apprentice after all. If you are to excel in the Philter’s craft I am going to have to teach you more than just how to piece together formula’s in the hopes that you produce something effective. Come.” Aoren did as he was bidden. He set the broom aside and followed the apothecary into the work room. He had barely seen the proprietor of the shop all day. She had forbade him from entering the work room until she called for him upon arriving at the shop that morning. He now saw what it was that she must have been working on.

In the center of the room was the large work table that served as the working space for all of the apothecary’s craft. Assembled around the table were various stations dedicated to a different process of Philtering. Aoren blinked at the different stations around the room. He recognized some of the equipment but there were bits and pieces that he was unfamiliar with. They were mostly those pieces of equipment he didn’t work with. The more advanced tools of Philtering that only Sahri could use. The Epharyian woman went to stand by the table setting the book and her various tools down. She then turned to Aoren running a hand through her dark hair before fixing him with a calm steady gaze.

“What are the processes of Philtering?” Always straightforward and to the point. Gentle with her words but firm in her expectations. It was something that Aoren admired about her. He answered without hesitation.

“Absorption. Assation. Calcination. Chromatography. Cupellation. Distillation. Insuration. Sublimation.” Sahfri nodded folding two of her hands before her at her waist level. She gestured to the equipment set up around the work table.

“I have gathered here all of the instruments of Philtering, Aoren. One station for each process in Philtering. We will not cover all of the processes today but each day we shall move from one station to the next until I am satisfied you can go through them without prompting.” The Drykas man took a look around the table then placed a hand on his head running it through his hair before rubbing the back of his scalp.

“Great.”

[Aoren]

He wasn’t apprehensive. Sahfri Blackleaf was a patient and dutiful teacher. She would not lead him astray but once she imparted a lesson she expected you to remember it. It required a great deal of his attention. Learning new, such complex ideas was a mentally exhausting process but it was a challenge Aoren accepted happily. It kept him from growing dull. That was something he would always be thankful for.

“Yes, ma’am. Which process are we going to start with?” She motioned to the station immediately to her right.

“Absorption. First, we must run through your knowledge of basic Philtering tools.” Without hesitation she touched a piece of glassware on the table then gave Aoren a questioning look. He took a moment before the name came to his mind.

“Alembic.” He recognized it by the pear shaped holding bell topped by a screw on venting hood. Sahfri nodded.

“And it’s uses?” That was a tougher question. He ran through the times he had used the device. He rarely concocted anything on his own outside Sahfri’s direct supervision.

“Umm…” She kept her gaze on him awaiting his reply with steady patience. The only signal that she might have possibly doubted him at all was the slight arching of her right eyebrow. It was more a gentle prompting than any sort of harsh reprimand. Few things about Sahfri Blackleaf were harsh. It took a moment but drawing upon his rudimentary knowledge of the various pieces of equipment he managed to recall it. “Alembics are used in the distillation and separation of liquids.” She nodded content with his answer.

“Very good and this?” She touched her hand upon a tool he immediately recognized.

“Mortar and Pestle. Used for crushing materials and are made of either stone, wood or ceramic. Also used to help mash more pliable herbs in the process to develop paste.” She nodded.

“Also good. I am going to test you on your knowledge of a piece of equipment every day until I am satisfied. Let us move on to Absorption.” She stepped back then took up her place at the table lighting the braziers to get the liquids in the bottom of the apparatus bubbling. “Now then, what is the process of Absorption?”

“It is the Philtering process by which gasses and other vapors are purified so that contaminants can be expunged via filters, usually made of cheese cloth, and the gasses are allowed to go through condensation creating a pure substance.” Sahfri smiled. She was pleased with his answer. Aoren was not entirely certain that his definition was one hundred percent accurate but he was certain it was very close. Close enough that Mistress Blackleaf did not correct him.

[Aoren]

“You get the basic principle. How does one actually set up to go through the absorption process?” She finished lighting the braziers. That was a tougher question. Before he could answer however she gestured to the equipment.

“Show. And tell.” He swallowed a bit. Stepping up to the table he took a deep breath then exhaled slowly.

“Relax, Aoren. I will not lead you astray.” He knew this. All the same it was a nerve wracking experience being put on the spot. Aoren was hardly a man for many words. The more he talked the more befuddled he became so he let his actions speak for him more so than his words. Picking up a piece of glassware he uncorked it then grabbed some of the cheesecloth lain upon the table. No doubt she had placed it there on purpose knowing exactly what Aoren would do.

"The cloth is durable. It can be fastened to the end of the glassware tightly but it is not advisable to do so. The reason for that is that as the gas rises through the cloth the obvious heat caused by the vapors rising will make the cloth tighten. So the cloth needs to be draped loosely over the opening but not so loose that it will allow impurities to pass through."

He fastened the cheesecloth over the nozzle of the apparatus so that the liquid that would be turned to gas could pass through it and the impurities filtered. Once that was done he set the glass container in its proper place atop an iron ring that held the container just above the flames so as not to overheat it. He then fastened the proper attachments to it so that the vapors from the heated liquid could pass into the distillation coil. He stepped back to allow Mistress Blackleaf to take a look at his handiwork. She looked over the way he had placed the cloth over the glassware then gently tapped the distilling coil to test its sturdiness.

“Very good. Not surprising however.” Aoren took that as a small compliment. “Why does the cheesecloth work so well in filtering out the impurities from the vapors?”

On that Aoren was stumped. He truly did not know the answer to that question. For a moment he considered piecing together bits of information that he knew but that would have been an insult to Mistress Blackleaf’s teaching. So he rubbed the back of his head and shrugged his shoulders furrowing his brow.

“I do not know, ma’am.” She gave him a patient smile then gestured for him to come closer. With one hand she pointed at the cloth.

“Cheesecloth is woven tightly. From very fine linen and can capture the miniscule bits of dirt and dust that travels up with the gases as they rise through the tubes.” She brushed her fingers along the coils as she spoke. “It is treated with charcoal so that it will help attract the dirt and other impurities without tainting the gases as they pass through the cloth. Most importantly however the cloth itself can be easily cleaned and does not itself place that which passes through at risk for contamination.”

[Aoren]

Aoren nodded taking these lessons to heart. It would not do well to forget them. It was always good to know the purpose of something. If one knew the purpose of an object then one could properly put that object to good use. He was delighted to say the least at learning something new. The Philterer’s craft fascinated him. The possibilities were nearly limited in its application.

“We are going to start simple. I want you to purify this water.” She picked up a beaker containing muddy water. The dirty liquid swirled. Its murkiness attesting to its impurities. Then she pointed to three buckets on the nearby counter. Aoren’s eyes widened slightly. That would take hours. Sahfri smiled up at him, soft amusement in her gaze. She pat Aoren on the forearm.

“I shall be at the counter.” Aoren sighed rubbing at the back of his head. “I know it seems daunting but this is how you refine your craft. Come get me when you have finished this task.”

With that Sahfri left Aoren to his work. He was not ungrateful. Sahfri Blackleaf had taken him under her wing. She had taught him how to make medicines. She had shown him the beauty of the world of Healing and what it meant to mend that which was broken and it was just the tip of the ice. If he wanted to excel he would have to learn and the art of Philtering was anything but fast paced. With a shake of his head and a small chuckle Aoren rolled up his sleeves.

It was time to get to work. He had a lot of water to pass through the Absorption process. Not to mention he had seven more lessons to cover over the next seven days.

“Note to self: buy some Lillian Root Tea.”

He was going to need it.

[Aoren]

Setting to work he picked up first the beaker containing the water Sahfri had pushed toward him. For a moment he held it at eye level staring into its dirty depths. He understood the task that she had set before him. It was to show him the effectiveness and importance of the absorption process. If he couldn’t perfect that process there was certainly no way he was going to be able to create pure Philters. No matter what the end result of the philter itself was. The effect of the philter would be lessened if the ingredients that went into it were impure.

Grabbing the container for intended to aid in the process he poured the dirty water into it then walked up to the first bucket of water. The container was hardly filled to an acceptable level. Bringing the bucket over to the work table he set it down gently then dipped the beaker into it allowing it to fill before dumping the contents into the absorption container. He continued to do this until the container itself was half-full. Setting the beaker down he repositioned the container above the brazier then fastened the cheesecloth snuggly in place.

Aoren adjusted the nozzle of the coil so that the vapors from the soon to be boiling water would not escape the absorption container.

“I should probably look up exactly what this container is called.” He had used it many times in his work throughout the time he’d been at the shop. He had only called it by its proper name a few times. Given that Mistress Blackleaf was going to be quizzing him day in and day out it was a wise idea for him to review most everything he knew about the craft. Including the proper names of the equipment he worked with. Leaning against the counter opposite the work table he folded his arms over his chest watching the fire flicker back and forth beneath the dirty water.

It is a good thing I am a patient man.

Knowing that it would be some time before the task ahead was finished he turned to the shelves above the counter where he stood. There rested the manuscripts Mistress Blackleaf used to assist her in her craft. Aoren frequently perused them. While he was certain she had the majority of them memorized he did not. Reaching up he ran his fingers along the spine of the books until he settled on one he found would be most useful.

[Aoren]

Common Herbs And Their Uses

Opening the book he started at the most logical place to start, the beginning. He had read through a few passages within the volume but only under Mistress Blackleaf’s direction. During those times the book was usually opened to the page that was most relevant to the task at hand but given that he would have free time between purifying the water he figured it would be wise to occupy that time with things relevant to his craft.

“One of the most commonly overlooked remedies that people tend to forget is the apple…” That piqued Aoren’s interest he arched an eyebrow slightly as he began the sentence. “This fruit can aid in staving off various heart problems associated with old age. It is also highly advised as a simple routine remedy for heavy drinkers as the minerals found within the peel of the apple have been known to assist in maintaining a healthy liver and prevent infection within the kidneys.” Aoren blinked at the book.

That was certainly very useful information to know.

“Note to self: eat more apples.” Though he was far from a heavy drinker he certainly saw the benefit of eating more of them. Those benefits became even more obvious as he continued to read.

“Apples, when made into oils or vinegars, are also known to assist in alleviating joint problems. Furthermore the entire apple tree is useful in herbal medicine. In addition to the fruit of the apple tree, its bark, flowers, and leaves all have healthy properties. Herbalists also use the apple tree for its astringent properties. The inner bark of the apple tree as well as blossoms are an astringent tonic, and can be used as an infusion for sore throats. The wild crab apple tree is considered better than modern cultivars for use in herbal medicine.”

Aoren chuckled to himself as he read through the general wellness facts about apples to be found within the pages. When he was finished he glanced up seeing that the water in the container had begun to boil. He watched the steam rise through the cloth to moisten the inside of the distillation coil. He glanced at the opposite end noting that the receiving container was properly fastened and in place.

“Well, an apple a day certainly will help keep the doctor away.” He shook his head. There was so much more to learn and he was just starting.

NoteNPC used with Accolade's permission. Hail to the Dova-Boss!

[Radiant]

Aoren :

Experience

Skill	XP Earned
Observation	+2 XP
Philtering	+3 XP
Botany	+1 XP
Reading	+1 XP

Lores

Lore Earned

Philtering: General Steps And Processes

Philtering: Absorption

Tools Used For Philtering

Botany: Apple's Uses In Medicine

Loots

Notes :

Good work, Aoren, as always! Now I'm interested in seeing the plot develops, I wonder what kind of potion he would make.

My radiance is not bright enough?

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, beam me a PM and we can work it out.