The Training has Begun- [Tabby]

[Alodian Aviastas]

18 Day of Summer 510 AV After Alodian had been shown around by Mihai and then met Astrid, as well as grabbing a cat nap, he decided to meet this follower of the Goddess Rak'keli. Mihai had been gracious enough to tell him where the Herbalism shop was, and Alodian was ready to meet his new mentor of sorts. He wasn't sure of how the mentor would react to an outsider, but he hoped that he or she would be just as kind as Mihai and Astrid were to him. Pushing open the shop door, Alodian stepped inside. Astonished, the young man looked around the shop, at all of the different herbs and whatnot. A grin spread across his face as he moved further into the mesmerizing feat before him. "Hello?" he asked in Vani, and then remembered that the mentor probably wouldn't understand a lick of what he had just said. Switching to Common he said, "Hello? Is anyone there?" His emerald eyes searched for any sign of life, as he waited for someone, anyone to answer him.

[Tabarnac]

The tinkle of the bell roused an old man from his still room, and shuffling footsteps presaged the arrival of old Jarret, a healer of some renown, at least in Denval. He was clearly past his prime, white-and-silver beard a bit of a mess, homespun robes spotted with all the herb work he continued to do. His smile was both welcoming and curious, a canine tooth missing, but teeth otherwise well kept. "I'm coming, I'm coming," he groused like a grandfather aping a curmudgeon with a favorite grandson. "And I'm here, but likely not for much longer. No herbal cure for mortality, my boy, not a one." His Common was not bad, not at all. His green eyes searched Alodian's face for a moment before the lit, a delayed reaction. "You are young Master Aviastas, yes? Come, perhaps, to learn a thing or two from Old Jarret before Dira takes him as a lover, eh? Eh? Speak up, my boy. Speak up. I'm likely to keel over before you finish at this rate."

[Alodian Aviastas]

Alodian's head snapped up as someone answered him. His emeralds searched the store, trying to get any look at the person who spoke to him. When he came up with nothing, his grin slid down to a half smile. He was about to think that he was imagining hearing the voice, when the old man appeared in front of him. His grin was back in action again, as he studied the man. He was significantly older than Alodian, but that didn't matter. The older the better, and usually that meant the wiser where he came from. "Yes Mister Jarret, I am Alodian. I assume Astrid told you I was coming?" he asked the old man. He noticed that his attire was spotted with different colors and such, and he knew he was in the right place. "I have come to learn more healing," he said, as he lifted up his right shirt sleeve, revealing his gnosis from Rak'keli. His eyes searched Jarret's face for any sign of recognition, unless he really was getting too old. He started to wonder just how sane this old guy was.

[Tabarnac]

"Captain Astrid," he corrected, cuffing the taller, more impressively built Alodian with all the self-assurance of a man too old to care about inconsequential things. Of course, the little blow wouldn't hurt a fly, but it was the thought that counted. "Show some respect, my boy. It's on her authority I'm taking you on as an apprentice, after all." His eyes still twinkled with the mirth that his age also accorded him; life was, after all, rather funny even if it was sometimes gallows humor. "Now come into the stillroom and make me a tincture of cinquefoil. Quickly, quickly, and correctly so you don't have to start over. I'll not want to be missing lunch today." He led Alodian back into the still room from which he came. It was cool and smelled of earth and pungent herbs. The walls were lined with shelves full of glass jars containing different herbs, mushrooms, and minerals. Others held lead boxes whose contents were dangerous. There were vials of liquids, other mixtures. Of course, everything was labeled in Denvali. "Show me if you've earned Rak'keli's favor." He crossed his arms over his chest.

[Alodian Aviastas]

Alodian felt a light sensation, realizing that it was Jarret. "Oh, Captain Astrid? That explains much," he murmured, as he listened to the task that was given to him. He had been expecting this much, but that still didn't leave him much to practice. He was still new to herbalism, so this would be interesting. Once Alodian was told what to do, he looked around, surveying the options he had before him. The only thing he knew about tinctures was that they needed a substantial amount of ethyl alcohol. After thinking for a moment, he got to work. Grabbing a wide mouthed jar, some of a Potentilla plant, and some cheesecloth, Alodian made sure all of his items were prepared for use. Looking at his items, he realized a few essential items were missing. Heading back to the shelves, he found a wooden mortar and pestle. Once he retrieved the mortar and pestle, he ground up the Potentilla plant. When they were ground up to a point where he was satisfied, he placed the plant grindings in the jar. Now came the part where he needed to put the ethyl alcohol in. Looking around, he didn't see any vodka or rum, but he did find vinegar. Deciding that would have to do, he grabbed the bottle and covered the plant grindings. Once they were covered, he continued to fill up the jar until it was half full. Putting the lid on the jar, Alodian turned to Jarret. "It has to be heated, but it should be good to use, right?" he asked the old man, hoping that he had followed the steps right. He didn't want to disappoint the old man, and he was eager to try to please him.

[Tabarnac]

"The philosophy behind tincture is to capture the spiritual and physical essence of the plant. This is done by using the power of ethanol to dissolve and preserve the herb in question, in our case cinquefoil." The old man had assumed a lecturing air. In fact, he often taught at the Lyceum, but Alodian was lucky (?) enough to have him for one on one instruction. Captain Astrid held more sway than anyone in Denval. "Ethanol, is used for countless applications. Produced by the fermentation of either sugar or starch, ethanol may be used as a solvent for organic chemicals, or as a starting compound for manufacturing dyes, drugs, perfumes, and explosives. "Different plant species demand different strengths of solvent or alcohol. For example, opium requires seventy percent pure grain for prime efficacy. Resinous plants such as cannabis, along with countless other alkaloid-rich botanicals, are ideally suited for extraction in high-proof spirits such as ninety percent pure grain alcohol. "Plant matter for making tinctures must be dry. When fresh matter is used, the end result is disappointing. Scissoring up the plant material effectively facilitates extracting all medicinal constituents. "Cinquefoil should soak anywhere from one to 10 days. Some folks soak it for up to four weeks, following that up with a secondary five day soak in fresh ethanol just to ensure all useful resins have been leached. "I recommend a minimum cinquefoil to alcohol ratio at one gram of cinquefoil per fluid ounce of ethanol. Some prefer up to seven grams per ounce but others might find this too strong. Individual needs vary. Cautious experimentation is the key. "Throughout the soaking period use only enough ethanol to cover the plant material and occasionally agitate. In a nod to the Goddess, herbs still in solution at this stage are referred to by some as the 'Menstruum.' "After you've soaked the cinquefoil for the desired time, shake and strain the plant material. After filtering the cinquefoil solution, it is ready to be stored. This is done best within a colored glass medicine bottle. This will protect the precious mixture from degradation by light, while also imbuing... mystery to the potion. Hehe. Sometimes a patient just needs to think that we're giving them a magic potion and they will recover... Such is the power of the human mind. "For further protection, the tincture should be kept in a cool, dark place. Ergo, the still room." He indicated the dim room where he was lecturing to his new apprentice. "Yet cinquefoil preserved in ethanol has a long shelf life. Tincture medicines do not come with an expiry date. The fragrance and bouquet of mature tincture is floral akin to perfume." Master Jarret obviously enjoyed his work a little too much sometimes. "As the mother tincture matures, new herb solutions may be added, and the final evaporated concentrate extract becomes a composite of many plants. The spent plant material should be collected in a porcelain bowl for drying before mulching." He paused. "At least here in Denval, where arable land is limited, one must recycle useful organic materials in order to keep the local ecology as strong as possible." He paused again before returning to his lecture. "Over several deposits you will notice a residue mark from essential extracted resins adhering to the sides of the collection bowl. Simply add a small amount of alcohol, swirl, and redissolve this valuable material back into the original mother tincture. Waste not, want not!" He looked hard at Alodian to make sure he was getting all this. Some students had the gall to fall asleep on him! "You did all right, my boy. Do you have any questions?"

[Alodian Aviastas]

Alodian's eyes went wide with astonishment. The old man started spitting out information to him that he tried to remember, although it was a lot to take in. Oddly enough, he pretty much got the gist of what Jarret was saying. Some of the stuff that the old man said he read in books, while others were from experimentation. he nodded his head periodically to let Jarret know that he was indeed paying attention. When the mentor said he did fine, a grin exploded from Alodian's face. This would be a learning experience after all! After thinking for a moment, a questioned formed in his head. "Now I didn't have any Vodka or Rum, so I substituted it for Vinegar. What else could I substitute for the alcohol if i am ever in a tight pinch and don't have any of those three around?" he asked, wondering if there was anything else he could substitute in the place of the alcohol and vinegar. "Also, is there a quicker way to do the same process, only to speed it up? I know you said that it takes anywhere from 1-10 days, but is there a way to make sure that it is ready before then?" he asked, curious to know if there was any way to speed up the process. There were so many advances in herbalism that there were always new ways to create antidotes for things. he was only a novice, but he had high hopes that one day he could acquire a second mark from the Goddess.

[Tabarnac]

"Some botanicals will leach faster if you add a very slow heat to them, but others will be ruined by heat. In some cases, if you refresh the ethanol, things will happen moderately faster, but again, not in all cases. Pure ethanol is the cleanest, most efficient alcohol for making tinctures. In Denval, our degtine will work if no ethanol is available, but no alcohol made for human consumption is as well distilled as medicinal ethanol. Some herb witches and hedge wizards might disagree, but their strong beliefs might be affecting their processes. We all manipulate the djed on some level, after all..."

[Alodian Aviastas]

Nodding, Alodian stored this information where all the other information master Jarret just spewed at him went. "Now this Djed, I'm not really informed of it. I've heard about it, but I have never seen it used, nor do I know how to use it exactly. I have heard it used as a name for magic, and I understand that it is the primal energy. I am just not sure how I would be able to use it," Alodian confessed, as he really didn't know much about djed. He didn't want Master Jarret to think that he didn't know anything, but in truth, he knew very little. He knew more about medicines and such, rather than herbs and philtering, as well as djed. Looking around the room, Alodian noticed just how much stuff it really held. Anything he could ever need was right here, at least for the beginning levels. Thinking for a moment, he turned back to the old man. "Master Jarret, how often will we be practicing? Captain Astrid didn't tell me anything on that matter, just that I would have an apprenticeship with you," he said, looking at Jarret. he could see himself growing very fond of this man, almost as a grandfather.

[Tabarnac]

"You will learn more about the djed than I can teach you. From Rak'keli." Jarret, Alodian would learn, had never been blessed with gnosis, but didn't seem to care one way or another. He understood flesh and plants and processes. The spiritual act of healing was not exactly his forte, though he did have a certain sort of bedside manner and took pleasure in helping his patients. "You will philter simple things for me until you can do better. Then you will philter harder things. Depends on business. Many customers, lots of practice. Not so many, I send you to the chapel to learn about Rak'keli."