Solo [Stormhold Salves] Phabulous Philters Pt. III

[Aoren]

12th of Fall, 513 AV
8th Bell

Eight was not what Aoren would have called a large number. It was actually not very large at all. It was a number that didn’t even require all of Aoren’s fingers to count up to. It was even. It was plain. In retrospect however, eight was beginning to seem like a very large number. Especially when it came to the number of processes involved in Philtering. He had come into the shop that morning just as he always had. He had said hello to his employer, Sahfri Blackleaf like normal and then she had sent him to the work room to continue his training as her apprentice.

Aoren was beginning to consider a career change was in order.

All of that aside he knew he wasn’t serious. He deeply enjoyed the work that he did. It was just beginning to seem a little daunting was all. Philtering was by no means a rapidly paced profession. It required an abundance of patience because most of the processes involved to create a suitable philter took a great deal of time. At the present time he was standing near the worktable tapping his fingers on the surface reading over the current process that he was tasked with learning on that particular day.

“Calcination. Hard solids are reduced to powered material through this process. It allows the philterer to purify solids and reduce them down to more workable forms without a loss of usefulness and beneficial properties. Some substances are crystallized through this process. The actual process involves heating the base substance without it contacting the heat’s fuel source. The temperature is not enough to melt the base substance but hot enough to cause various thermal-based changes in the base substance that brings out a purer end result. Calcination may also be performed by crushing or smashing minerals beforehand and then heating them to crystallization. The final product of this form of calcinations is known as calx.”

Aoren thumbed the page of the Philtering manuscript he was currently reading. During his employment at Stormhold Salves he had seen Sahfri Blackleaf use the process being described in the book on several occasions. He had never done it personally. That would change today. The whole point of him being her apprentice was to learn all that she had to teach him. He knew of only one medicinal remedy off the top of his head that he could use the Calcination process in without horribly mucking things up. Pushing away the book he walked over to the shelf where rested his employer’s multitude of volumes on herbal remedies, potions, and other products of philtering. Aoren reached up and took down the most basic volume available.

[Aoren]

He flipped through the pages perusing each thing that could be crafted by a Philterer with an equal sense of wonder. The sheer amount of things that philtering made possible was impressive to say the least. It bordered on magical. Indeed, magic could be infused in potions to create marvelous effects. Such capabilities were beyond Aoren’s skill though. Mistress Blackleaf did not often infuse magic into her creations. She possessed no magic that he knew of and the only person who regularly stood in to offer their services in that regard was the Healer of Soothing Waters. There were a plethora of recipes beyond Aoren’s skill but when he finally found one that suited his needs he trailed his finger down the page reading carefully.

“Myrian Salts. Myrian Salts are used in a variety of ointments, creams and salves to alleviate rashes, fungal infections, a multitude of parasites including lice and serves as a general catch-all cure for a variety of ailments. It is made from the dried leaves and stems of the following plant-life…” Aoren’s eyes trailed down the page as he read the necessary ingredients to the remedy. There were plants on the list that were exceptionally delicate and beyond his handling capabilities. Indeed the remedy seemed a little above what Aoren was capable of creating. Nonetheless he would get the ground work done. They were in need of this specific item on the shelves. He would at least start the materials through the necessary processes before handing things over to Mistress Blackleaf so that she could complete them.

Keeping the book close to his work station Aoren set about getting the necessary tools ready. He went over to one of the buckets of water that they kept in the work room dipping an empty beaker into it. He swirled the glass around eyeing the particles that floated in the water with a slight amount of annoyance. The water that he’d brought in with him this morning was deeply contaminated. It would have to be put through the proper filtrations to be purified. No matter, Aoren certainly possessed enough competency in the art of Philtering to do that. He set the water filled beaker on the work table next to the distillation coil then grabbed a properly sized retort.

The retort was a unique piece of glassware that sometimes made Aoren smirk in amusement when he saw it. It was oddly shaped but it worked wonderfully despite its simple yet elegant design. It was essentially an ordinary glass alembic with a single difference: it was molded and blown to have two sealable openings on both ends.

Affixing the retort to the opposite end of the distillation coil so that it could effectively collect the soon to be filtered fluid that would pass through it he placed an empty beaker just beneath it. Aoren took a hold of an ordinary alembic then poured the contaminated water into it watching it slosh about. He then set the alembic atop the holster on the philtering brazier that would heat the water so that it would evaporate and pass through the coil. Grabbing a bit of charcoal treated cheesecloth he affixed it to the opening of the alembic before attaching it to the distillation coil then lit the brazier opening its heat source up so that it rapidly heated the water within the alembic but not so much that it would crack the glass.

[Aoren]

Philtering was a very fine art. It was all about the details. Without attention to the finite points involved in creating the products of philtering one could not possibly master it. That was a lesson that had become apparent to Aoren on day one. Being an inherently patient man he was well suited for the job. A fact that Mistress Blackleaf had reminded him of on several occasions. He stood back eyeing the brazier making certain that the flame did not burn too hot before going over to the recipe book to read over the necessary ingredients.

“One of the chief ingredients in the creation of Myrians Salts is the tropical lime that grows in the less dense and more sunlit areas of the jungles of Falyndar. The lime is a round green fruit that is distinguished by its bumpy exterior and small size being only approximately two inches in diameter. It grows on a thorny bush that is usually between five to ten inches tall. The bush can be recognized by its distinctively shaped “double” leaves.”

Aoren drew himself a mental picture of the fruit that the recipe called for. He’d seen ordinary limes before. This particular recipe seemed to call for a very specific type of lime. He hoped that he would be able to find it in the greenhouse. While he didn’t not doubt that there would be at least one plant in there that matched the description in the book his vast unfamiliarity with plant life made it difficult to pinpoint the necessary herbs sometimes.

“The second tropical plant used in the creation of Myrian Salts is Cilantro or more specifically the seeds of the Cilantro plant known as Coriander. The plant can be identified most definitively by the shape of its leaves which are variable in shape, broadly lobed at the base of the plant, and slender and feathery higher on the flowering stems. The flowers are borne in small umbels, white or very pale pink, asymmetrical, with the petals pointing away from the centre of the umbel longer than those pointing toward it. The products created using coriander have been known to fight infections and stave off various low-threat viruses.”

Little by little Aoren’s understanding of the innumerable amount of medicinal uses for plants was being expanded. There were simply so many of them! It astounded him sometimes the vast amount of plant life that existed that could benefit so many in so many ways. It was a wonder how all of them were categorized and identified. Then again, where there were plants and other life there was bound to be something that ate it. The effects of eating these things was something evidently well documented. He picked up the book carrying it with him into the warm greenhouse in which Mistress Blackleaf tended to the large amount of herbs needed to create her wares. He continued to read about the final ingredient needed to make the Myrian Salts.

[Aoren]

“Lemongrass is a tall perennial grass that grows in more tropic environments. The grass is characterized by its long singular leaves that often curve the taller it grows. The lemongrass tends to grow in a shrub like gathering as opposed to blanketing an area like other species of grass. When used for medicinal purposes the grass is known to have antifungal properties.” Looking up from the book he sighed taking in the large greenhouse.

There were so many plants, bushes, and types of herbal life inside the greenhouse he didn’t even know where to begin. He thought he might start in the tropical section of the vast indoor garden though. It only made sense. Setting down the book on a nearby workbench he removed his apron along with his shirt then picked up a basket and some garden shears. He was about to walk into a section of the greenhouse that always made him sweat horribly because it was so stuffy and hot in there.

The layout of the greenhouse was easy enough to understand. He was almost certain that the Magecrafter of Syliras had a hand in its creation. It was sectioned off by a multitude of glass compartments that stretched back into a larger portion of the shop that most of the customers didn’t even know existed. Each compartment of the greenhouse was specific to a certain environment. The main part of the greenhouse sheltered plants that were comfortable in most any warm environment as it served as a foyer for the rest of the greenhouse. The foyer was octagonal in shape with a door in each of the glass walls. One door led into the greenhouse compound itself from the workroom of the shop while the rest lead to different biomes housing plant life most commonly found in those biomes.

It was how Mistress Blackleaf managed to acquire herbs usually considered exotic. There were some herbs though that were beyond even her skill to tend to within a controlled environment. He opened the door leading to the tropical section and was immediately stifled by how impossibly warm it was inside. He was not cut out for such a hot environment. He didn’t know how the Myrian people put up with it.

“Let see…lime. Lime. Lime…” He gazed around the greenhouse walking the carefully constructed path through the lines of plant life until he came upon a relatively tall plant bearing bumpy green fruit. Aoren smiled. He knelt next to the bush reaching for one of the limes. He immediately pulled his hand back as something sharp and pointy stuck into his finger. He yelped in surprise.

“Thorns. Right.” Being more mindful of the thorns along the stem of the plant he gently grasped one of the limes tugging on it gently. Using the garden shears he clipped it off of its stem depositing it into his basket. Sweat was already starting to form on his bare torso. It made him uncomfortable but he had work to do so he paid it no mind. Aoren clipped two more limes from the bush before searching for the other plants. He came upon the cilantro along with its budding seeds easily enough. It matched the description in the book perfectly.

Just as with the limes he knelt before the plant picking the seeds buds carefully and diligently one by one until he had roughly a dozen or so bundles of the seeds. When he found the lemongrass, instead of ripping it up by the root he clipped the leaves of grass with the shears as close to the root as was reasonable to prevent the plant from dying. He was as careful with it as he was will all of the plants having fostered a healthy respect for tending to them.

[Aoren]

When he’d gathered his necessary ingredients Aoren left the tropical section of the greenhouse immediately noticing the drop in temperature. He closed the door behind him collected his shirt and the book then went back to the work room. He set the basket on the worktable then pulled his shirt back over his head not much liking the way it stuck to his body. That couldn’t be helped though so he just went back to work.

The first thing he would need to do is to peel the limes. He picked up a simple cutting knife and began slicing each of the three limes in half. He then pulled the peel off of each one in succession until the fruit lay bare. He set the raw fruit aside. That was not the part he needed but he might be able to find a use for it later. Grabbing two ceramic bowls Aoren deposited the rinds of the limes into the smaller bowl and the lemongrass in another before going over to the kiln in the corner of the workroom. He set the bowls on a nearby counter then got to work on tending to the kiln’s fire. Grabbing some firewood he placed it in the wood chamber then ignited the wood using his fire reimancy.

It was a simple enough task that Aoren had done repeatedly. Carefully Aoren tended to the fire. He prodded it with an iron rod allowing the flames to grow then let them settle. He did this for several minutes until he was content the fire reached an appropriate level. Opening the main chamber of the kiln he put on some thick gloves and moved aside some of the ingredients that were sitting inside still undergoing their drying. He set both bowls inside then closed the main chamber of the kiln. It would be a little while before they were ready as they needed to be dried out in order to be reduced to a fine powder.

The last ingredient, the coriander, was the only thing already dry enough to make into a fine powder. He deposited the seeds into the basin of the mortar. Picking up the pestle he began the diligent process of crushing each bundle of seeds. It was slow work and it made his wrists cramp a few times but he did it quietly until finally each bundle had been made into as fine a powder as Aoren could make. Once that was done he left the powder in the basin of the mortar then went to tend to the water being purified through the distillation coil.

It had evaporated and condensed nicely at that point. The beaker on the opposite end of the coil was nearly full. With a satisfied nod he went to one of the cupboard and retrieved a few supplies he would need to make an unrefined cream. A little bit of butter. Some all purpose oil. Some flour and of course the purified water that he’d been working on.

[Aoren]

Once all of those ingredients were assembled Aoren set to work on making a base cream that could be augmented by the properties of the other three ingredients. He would be able to properly crystallize and turn the other ingredients into calx but suspending them into the cream so that it could be utilized as a proper remedy was a little beyond him. That would be something Mistress Blackleaf would have to do as adding powders to an emollient was a little more refined than just mixing it into the substance. There was a balance that needed to be maintained and at the moment Aoren did not know how to do that. He was certain he would get there one day but it would only be through patient practice and the continual study of Philtering as a trade skill.

He set about mixing the cream together. It had shocked him at first that things found in an every day larder had been part of the Philtering process but when he thought about it, it really wasn’t as shocking as he’d first thought. Philtering was an art that could be applied in ways pertaining to more than just medicine. A Philterer could use the craft in cooking, in magic, food preservation, and even in the development of agriculture. When he’d really put some thought into it he saw how those areas could all overlap in a practical application sense.

When the cream was finished he set the bowl down upon the surface of the worktable then grabbed the alembic formerly containing the contaminated water. He set it aside picking up a clean one in place of the other. The only thing left to do at this point was wait for the rinds of the limes and the lemongrass to finish drying out so that he could grind them into powders then subject them to the calcination process. So, Aoren did the only thing he could do while he waited. He read about subject greatly helpful in the pursuit of mastery in his craft. Going to the shelf with the assorted manuscripts related to philtering Aoren chose a more purely medical book opening up to one of the first few pages.

“Gross anatomy (also called topographical anatomy, regional anatomy, or anthropotomy) is the study of anatomical structures that can be seen by the naked eye. It is one of two parts of the scientific study of human anatomy the other part being the theoretical micro-anatomy. While the science and study of anatomy is limited largely to what researchers and physicians can see there are those who postulate there are aspects of the physical body that cannot be seen by the naked eye.” Aoren scratched his head. He was not a scientist. He was certainly not a physician. Such abstract concepts were a little over his head but he made an effort to press on in an attempt to understand what the book was talking about anyways.

“Human anatomy can be taught regionally or systemically; that is, respectively, studying anatomy by bodily regions such as the head and chest, or studying by specific systems, such as the circulatory or respiratory systems.” Aoren closed the book. That was enough on anatomy for one day. Already he could feel himself getting confused by terms and phrases that were way over his level of medical comprehension. He was interested in learning about medicine. He would need to know a lot more in order to progress as an apothecary but at the moment he didn’t have the amount of concentration needed to focus on learning entirely new methods of thinking. The science of medicine was a very heavy undertaking and it wasn’t one he was entirely ready to step up to just yet.

[Aoren]

He walked over to the kiln donning the thick gloves and opened the chamber. With due diligence he retrieved each bowl with its varied ingredients from within the chamber as most if not all had been adequately dried out including his grass and the lime rinds. Setting the bowls on a nearby counter he took the two he needed returning to his work station depositing the rinds into the mortar.

When the rinds were crushed he emptied the dust into a bowl along with the coriander then did the same with the lemongrass. He mixed the powdered substances together before dumping them into a fresh alembic along with the remainder of the purified water. While that may have seemed counter-productive to someone unfamiliar with the philtration processes it made sense to Aoren.

He lit the brazier beneath the alembic then stood back knowing that it would be a little while before the powder was heated enough to let the water seep in and essentially dry out again and crystallize. The indirect heat afforded by using the alembic to disperse the touch of the flames from the brazier would help to evenly distribute the calcination process. Once that was finished Aoren would have to further grind the newly formed crystals in the mortar. From there it would be up to Mistress Blackleaf to finish making the Myrian Salts cream.

Overall Aoren was very pleased with the progress he’d been making as her apprentice. He could still see himself back on the first day when he’d practically been late to work. He’d stumbled over a particularly lost looking woman and had ended up having to treat her at the shop the very same day. He chuckled looking back on how disoriented he’d seemed. A year was a long time. He had certainly been through a great deal in the past few seasons. He’d grown. Not just physically but spiritually and mentally as well. He wasn’t the same man he was a year ago.

He doubted that he would be the same man a year from now.

Aoren contented himself with tidying up the workroom while he waited for the mixture in the alembic to crystallize. He went to the cleaning closet grabbed a broom then began sweeping the floors. It was regularly dusty given the amount of people that walked in and out of the shop on a daily basis. Stormhold Salves had to be busiest during the Fall and Winter seasons when sickness was most prevalent. They had regular business during the Spring and Summer but that business was geared more toward treating allergies or sunburns rather than disease.

The young man often wondered exactly how far being an apothecary would take him. When he thought about it Aoren often envisioned himself traveling from city to city treating the sick, mending the broken or studying some new type of ingredient to add into his potions so that he could better his understanding of what exactly an apothecary and a philterer could do for the greater good.

[Aoren]

It was a silly dream but it was one he was leaning toward more and more as the days rolled by. He was progressing in his skills. Slowly but steadily that was a given. There were things he understood now that would have made no sense to him not too long ago. It only made him wonder, what else could he learn?

He retrieved the dust pan from the cleaning closet sweeping the dirt he’d swept into piles around the floor into it then depositing it into a bin. Returning to the workroom he was pleased to see that his tidying up of the shop had afforded enough time for the reactions to take place in the powders within the alembic. Putting on the thick gloves he grasped the glassware by its neck picking up a pipette stirring the crystallized powder noting its roughness. With a delighted nod he poured the contents of the alembic into the mortar of the worktable for the last time setting the glassware down.

Removing the gloves and setting them aside he picked up the pestle beginning the slow task of grinding the crystals into yet even finer powder. All in all he was satisfied that he now had a firm grasp on the concept of Calcination as a philtering process. He could see how useful it would be in the days to come as he continued down the road toward mastery. More and more he was realized how each process built upon the other enabling him to do more complex things.

It wouldn’t be long before he was doing truly interesting things such as adding magic to his philters. The idea excited Aoren. All in due time however. All in due time. For now, he finished grinding the crystals into a powder then set them down next to the unrefined cream. He couldn’t make completed Myrian Salts cream but he had gotten the ground work out of the way. Wiping his hands on his shift he scratched his scalp happy with the work he’d managed to complete in the few hours he’d been at work. There was still much to do and he would watch Mistress Blackleaf closely as she did it.

[Taylani]

XP Award!

Aoren:

XP Award:

• +4 philtering
• +2 medicine
• +5 herbalism
• +2 cleaning

Lore:

• Philtering: Calcination where hard solids are reduced to powders.
• Eight: The number of true hardship
• Medicine : Myrian Salts used to alleviate Rashes, infections and parrasites.
• Herbalism: Cilantro is an ingredient in Myrrian Salts
• Medicine: Gross Anatomy, is the study of anatomical structures seen with the naked eye.
  

Comments :

Gave you more herbalism then Philtering because Aoren worked a bit more in the green house with the herbs in this thread. However Herbalism goes hand in hand with philtering so its win win  . Feel free to PM me if you have any concerns, and don’t forget to edit/delete your grade request. .

TAYLANI