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Orphaean Alchemists

"I don't understand why we take all this time," says the apprentice, grumbling while he stared balefully at the slowly spinning mass of ephemera that he was painstakingly slowly passing in and out of the bubble of Twilight. "-to do something there's already a spell for."
"Because," said the master, calmly shaping a single ingot of an impossible metal- Perfect in every way- into a sextant, with bare hands and the patience of a saint. "-only this way does your work outlive you."

The Legacy Of Orpheus

A master artist loses his lover and descends into the underworld to retrieve her. It's a tale known everywhere that Greek myth proliferates, used to inspire artists, lovers, and storytellers alike. But like much in the Fallen World, it's a pale ghost of the truth it hides- a truth reflected in the practices and achievements of the adherents to the lessons it teaches.

The Orphaean Alchemists started as a small band of Roman alchemists seeking new mysteries to study and understand. Their curiosity led them to investigate things their compatriots never had- the myths and legends of the land Rome had devoured- Greece- for the secret truths they hid, and hit upon one with promise. The tale of Orpheus, his travels to the Underworld, his bargains with those who ruled that dark place- and the cost of his folly. They began to emulate that journey, to travel to the Underworld and see what lessons and treasures one might find. It was there that they first suspected the potential of ephemera, and turned to the tale that inspired them for an answer. Like Eurydice- who has since grown to stand as a metaphor for the insubstantial ephemera itself- looking back too soon casts her back into Death, never to be retrieved. But, with patience, and the proper songs, she can in fact be retrieved- and it was through this emulating practice that the Orphaeans perfected the first ingot of aperion.

In modern days, the Orphans- for though they follow in the footsteps of Orpheus, their father was dead before ever the order was founded- even still rely on the old practices to Perfect the metals they're famous for. Few have the patience to pass the base metals into Twilight, singing the songs, back again, back again, encore after encore, day after day, carefully tracking which songs next to sing, and which ingots are resting- a practice taken up to reflect Persephone's half-year stays in the Underworld, yet another clue to the secrets of Perfecting metals tucked into legend. But as a result, their work is one of the only sources of Perfected metals and alloys that can survive the death or inattention of their smith, making their pieces in tremendous demand among those who know they exist.

Origins

Parentage: Moros

Nicknames: Alchemists

Background: Classically appealing to those who would style themselves alchemists, Awakened smiths, chemists, mediums, and explorers all find something the Orphans have to offer.

Appearance: Depending on the bent of the practicing Alchemist, the typical garb can vary between esoteric robes laden with Alchemical symbology to lab coats and protective gear far more indicative of mundane chemists. The colors, however, are almost always faded and dull- the constant exposure to Stygian Twilight leeches the color from anything work frequently by the Alchemist while they work.

Doctrine

Prerequisites: Matter 2, Death 2, Expression 2

Initiation: Much like the Perfected metals they smelt, the Alchemists, too, must be passed into a crucible. Prospective Alchemists are first taught Eurydice's Lament- the first of many songs the Alchemist will have to learn- and is sent through a gate into Twilight, to sing and to wait. Should their song prove sweet enough, their speech precise enough, specters will gather to listen. Should the spirits approve, rather than applaud, they will come to the supplicant and reshape their soul, their ghostly hands molding the spirit into one of the Alchemists.

If they do not approve, the effect of their touch is far less pleasant, but far more temporary- and, presuming the supplicant survives their displeasure, he is let down gently and sent on his way.

Organization: There is little real organization to the Alchemists. Their art is- for now- a known quantity, and they more closely resemble a trade union than anything else. Word of an Alchemist being abused for their talents is an excellent way to see senior Alchemists descending to have a few words with the offending parties- if the complaints are ascertained to be true, they leave with the Alchemist in question and blacklist the abusive employer. As few are willing to risk permanent deprivation of reliably produced Perfected materials, this is not often needed.

Theory: The Legacy of Orpheus holds a number of pertinent lessons applicable to the understanding of the Perfecting process. Eurydice is a metaphor for the patience that must be used to permanently Perfect a material. Orpheus's songs are yantras used to codify the practices of the Alchemists. Persephone's inclusion in the tale is a reminder to rest the metals, lest they discorporate before the ephemera can set. The more his path is studied, the more secrets reveal themselves to his adherents.

Magic

Ruling Arcanum: Matter

Yantras: Graveyards (+1); singing (+1, +2 if the song is a dirge or threnody); tools for chemistry (+2); music venues (+1, +2 if a performance is occurring); lyres (+1)

Suggested Oblations: Chemistry experiments, scientific research, singing, songwriting

Concepts: Scientist, arrogant alchemist, historian, metallurgist, international financier, philanthropist, former astronaut.

Attainments

First: The Loss of Eurydice

Prerequisites: Initiation
Primary Factor: Duration Eurydice's death begins the Orphaean Journey. To understand what put it all in motion, Alchemists seek out the source of what caused her death- metaphorically, the venom that stopped her heart. The mage chooses a number of substances or objects that fall under Matter’s purview equal to the spell’s Potency. As long as this spell is active, the subject is automatically aware of the presence and location of the chosen substance within the area of effect. The chosen substance can be as broad or as specific as the mage likes (“ferrous metal,” “stainless steel,” “a knife,” and “my hunting knife” are all valid options).
Optional: Death 1
Primary Factor: Duration A gift that Orpheus could only have dreamed of, the Alchemist knows the tricks to coax secrets from even the coldest of lips. With an instant action, the mage is able to sense and communicate with ghosts within Twilight. She can sense all ghosts within the area of effect, and is capable of communicating with them by simply talking, as long as the ghost is capable of understanding a language she speaks. She may sense Anchors within the area without using Death Mage Sight. She can concentrate on a single ghost within 129deaththe area and determine its Rank, if it has an Anchor, and how many Anchors it has.

Second: The Search for Hades

Prerequisites: Matter 2, Expression 2
Primary Factor: Potency
Orpheus next had to locate the entrance to Hades- to the underworld. To aid in this search, the Alchemist has developed the ability to find what is hidden. As an instant action, the mage causes a subject to become aware of the precise composition of an object: its weight and density, as well as the precise elements that make it up. Furthermore, the subject also immediately becomes aware of any objects concealed within the object: a gold relic hidden in a secret compartment in a stone statue, for example.
Optional: Death 2
Primary Factor: Potency
Orpheus learned more from Eurydice's body than simply that she'd been poisoned- her body told him, too, what killed her. Much as Orpheus discerned the viper's role to play in her death, so does this attainment share such insights into the deaths of others. With an instant action, the mage can determine the state of a corpse. She determines the exact method of its demise as well as exactly when it died. For each level of Potency, the mage reveals contributing factors to the cause of death. For example, a man found burned in a car might have died from asphyxiation, but might have gotten that way because he was unconscious due to a head wound from crashing his car into a tree while driving drunk. As well, the mage can witness the final moments of the corpse’s life just leading up to death as though seeing through the corpse’s eyes. Each rank of Potency reveals a minute of time prior to the corpse’s demise.

Third: The Folly of Orpheus

Prerequisites: Matter 3, Expression 3
Primary Factor: Potency
Cost: 1 Potentia
Despite having his beloved in tow, Orpheus simply could not wait to complete the journey to the overworld before turning to look upon his beloved- and his impatience cost him everything. So as to avoid his folly in forgetting the simple rule not to look back, the Alchemist has learned to fully comprehend everything about his tools.
By studying the object as an instant action, the Alchemist causes a subject to gain a complete understanding of the object’s intended function. From a tool as simple as a hammer to an intricate puzzle box, the item’s intended purpose is now plain. If the object has no purpose, the spell reveals that too. Likewise, if something prevents the object from fulfilling its purpose (for example, a car missing its spark plugs can’t drive), the spell reveals the nature of the problem. As well, not only does the subject learn of all possible ways the item could be used- possibly requiring some focus to narrow it down to one- they also enjoy 8-again to all rolls to use it for its intended purpose(s) so long as the duration continues.
Optional: Death 3
Primary Factor: Duration, Advanced.
Not all Alchemists are satisfied with the simple, temporary effects of Cosmic Kiln. After taking the time necessary to complete this attainment's ritual, they can use this Attainment to create an area the Orphaeans call "arils", after the seeds Persephone ate that doomed her to the Underworld- an isolated area suffused with Twilight used to forge Perfected materials.
This effect is, in essence, identical to the Space spell Co-Location, though instead of a second location, it connects to an empty zone of Twilight. Items passed into and out of this space count each trip as one of those required to permanently transmute the item into its Perfected state. All other requirements and restrictions on this conversion are the same, however, including the required "resting" time between every 10 trips. The Alchemists say this resting period is meant to represent Persephone's time in the land of the living, during which her Underworld Bargain cannot be leveraged.

Fourth: The Gifts of Apollo

Prerequisites: Matter 4, Expression 4
Cost: 1 Potentia
Orpheus' patron, Apollo, doted upon the bard, and the blessing of the Sun may be even bestowed unto objects by the Alchemist following the journey thus far.
As an instant action, an object can be touched and made to take on a glimmer of Supernal purity. If its primary purpose is as a tool, it grants 8-Again and Rote on a number of rolls equal to the spell’s Potency, which can be refreshed for 1 Potentia at any point while the duration continues. Valuable objects, such as gold or diamonds, become incredibly pure and beautiful. Add the spell’s Potency to the object’s Availability rating to determine its increased value. This spell cannot increase an object’s Availability to more than twice its original rating.
Optional: Death 4
Primary Factor: Duration
Cost: 1 Potentia
Much as the Sun's light can grant strength, so too can it weaken- soften- materials. With an instant action, the caster may reshape Death-attuned ephemera from one object into a new object entirely. This ephemera cannot be from a ghost or other entity in Twilight, and the mechanical effects of this spell end with its duration, but the reshaping from this attainment is Lasting.
For the duration, the object gains a Durability of 2. If it is a weapon it gains a weapon rating of 2; if it is armor it gains an armor rating of 2. Objects made of ephemera are only useful against other objects or beings made of ephemera or within Twilight. Objects made this way can be used by any ephemeral entity in Twilight, including ghosts or a mage who has transformed himself into ephemera, but typically this attainment is used to reshape Perfecting materials into their final shape, rather than attempting to forge them afterwards and risking the integrity of the materials.

Fifth: The Return to Persephone

Prerequisite: Matter 5, Expression 5
Cost: 1 Potentia
The final attainment of the Alchemists follows Orpheus on the last leg of his journey, as his death changes him to a spirit to finally rejoin his beloved. By taking the time to perform this Attainment's ritual, the Master Alchemist can transmute any inert matter into any other form of inert matter: lead into gold, water into wine, wood into chlorine gas, etc. Both the initial substance and the transubstantiated substance must be relatively pure: Wood can be transformed into gold, but not into gold chased with silver. (The Stygian Mysteries teach that “purity” is a perceptual concept — so, for example, even though “wine” and “steel” are made up of numerous compounds, they are concrete enough as concepts to be transmuted). These changes are Lasting once the ritual completes.
Optional: Death 5
In the ultimate emulation of the Legacy's founder, the Alchemist learns to open an Iris straight into the Underworld to undertake her own pilgrimage to the world of the dead. After taking the time to perform this ritual, the mage rips open the material world unto the Underworld, creating an Iris between the material world and the Underworld within the area of effect. Opening the gate causes the area to gain a Death Resonance and the Gateway Condition for the Duration of the spell. The mage's Iris can lead to anywhere she has been before in the Underworld.