Mentat shows it to Mew, irritably. "This is serviceable as a bomb, but it is not what I am looking for. We need to distill it further. How would you do that?"

OOC: I believe this would be Wisdom + Arcana, or Wisdom + Forbidden Lore. A Intelligence + Craft check would be used to make it, unless magic is on the table.

Lessons would continue. If she didn't know, he was going to cast two spells back-to-back, the start of a Logic chain with the start of an Imagination train so that he could figure out the answer to what was eluding him.

Logic worked with what was known, and nothing else. Imagination just threw whatever out there - while almost always related to the topic at hand, Imagination divination didn't really care if it would work or not, it just conjured forth an idea that was not being considered.

Chaining the two usually meant positive results, at the worst with bad ideas being eliminated as a conclusion was closed in upon.

The danger of this, as Mentat liked to remind himself, was that magic could become a substitute for rational thought. Still, if he was going to be the only one coming up with ideas, he'd have to think for everyone, and that would require magic disguised as a discussion with himself.

At least this time he would be talking to himself for a reason other than loneliness or bad habit...

"Well if memory serves, heat and filtering is used to distill something, but we're filtering magical properties. Give me a few minutes..." I lift a finger at the last sentence to accentuate my point then take a thoughtful pose. "I think I need to unhinge my mind a moment."  I pull out my phone and a pair of headphones and turn on some appropriate music. (For some reason my brain is convinced that would be the metal version of Hopes and Dreams.) Regardless of what the song is, I channel the energy in the song into my task, and pull out some of my art supplies. Starting with a graphite pencil I draw a circle on the (table or ground whichever they can be seen on.) "Siri, can you do a search on alchemical symbols for Fire, distillation, unity, and..." I pause a moment to consider if I do need another rune or symbol, my hands flowing with the music as I consider any other keywords that may help the process and coming up with noting. "I guess three should do it." Provided she comes up with anything I'll draw them inside the circle as equal-distance apart as possible.

I then wrap the bottle in two sheets of blank paper, one around the body of the bottle and one around the top, crumpling them a little to keep them where I needed them. The purpose of the bottom bottle is to hold the heat and potential fire close to the bottle and the top one is to catch the impurities that escape as it boils. I then place it in the center of the circle, and put my hands outside of it to try and activate it.




OOC: Rolled 56 on Wis + Arcana

Mentat

You look over Mew's plans and they seem alchemically sound.

She is starting to use her magic to perform alchemy.

Mew gets in the zone with the metal version of Hopes and Dreams Save the World playing through her headphones. she flows into the alchemical process and directs it to the intended result without really thinking too much about it. After about ten minutes, the reaction seems to stop.

Mentat
The process looks haphazard but she manages to do what was intended. That liquid seems to target the connection between the will holding the monster together and the material of the monster.

"Excellent work, and we are both still here." Mentat smiles. "Your methods are different from mine, but if it works as intended, who cares about the specifics on the assembly line?"

Mentat was speaking while he drew a knife and began treating the blade with the potion Mew had distilled. "Advice regarding magic and mindsets: Solipsism, the idea that the world is merely one's own perceptions, or the related idea of 'it's all just a dream' - the reason I discourage these is because while they are admittedly fast roads to learning magic, they are ultimately traps from which escape is very hard. They are all but certain roads to madness, and an insane, immortal wizard is not something I wish to deal with."

"Now, that being said...this might actually BE a video game, one which is having to adjust itself to deal with people who are looking at its details really closely. Which means it can be reduced to programming, which means it can be cheated. And the consequences for cheating are not as strong as you might think...as long as you know the code language." Mentat looked to Mew meaningfully. "You know the power of self-deception. It is why you have access to COSMIC. But believing yourself to be awesome is merely a start. You must find out how to back it up with repeatable action."

OOC: 00:09, Today: Mentat rolled 37 using 8d10, keeping the 3 highest rolls, rerolling max, rerolling ones with rolls of (10+9)19,6,9,7,7,9,4,{1}6.  Intelligence + Arcana test.

"Eh, yeah I can see how a crazy immortal even without magic would be an issue. That doesn't even cover fast tracks usually being a bad idea in the first place." I take a thoughtful pose as I wait for him to finish coating his blade. "So you want me to use the scientific method for magic?" I tilt my head with the question. As he answers I'll coat Law's Son with the mixture.

You two are successful in poisoning your blades with the mixture.
(It will deal an additional 1k1 damage to creatures of this Castle on the next hit)

To make it permanent you need to fuse the essence of the mixture with your weapon. Somehow.

"If it works. Some people are into that crystal, psychic hocus-pocus, and it actually works for them." He began working on an infusion process, as he created and applied a second dose, aiming to concentrate the formula without simply destroying the blade and burning a hole through the table and the floor beneath it. "I have my preferences: money, power, technology, and ritual arcane knowledge. Your path to enlightenment is your own, and no one walks it but you. Others can make the road more pleasant, but in the end, you walk it alone."

"Now, let's see if I can't make a murder weapon aimed at this castle's residents. You already have one."

He first analyzed the weapon, attempting to retrocog the infusion with the history and development of comparable magitech to imitate its development and history. He ran the infusion slowly from the beaker into the weapon, concentrating the formula in a way that its desire to destroy would paradoxically neutralize itself while maintaining a stable form and desired properties.

Then began the hard part: a formal infusion of magic, as he drew a second blade and began gentle etching runes of containment and focused intent into the weapon he was forging. An entire letter of God would be necessary to make it work, but he could pull it off as long as it could not be understood in entirety on one side of the blade.

"Now, let's turn this into a real weapon worthy of the work put in it." Mentat decided to use another combination of infusions at the table that would extend the steel of the weapon while allowing the runes to remain intact. His eyes were beginning to glow blue from the sheer intensity of the mana he was spending to make this happen, and he felt its familiar flow through his body as he remolded the knife from the artifact it was to the artifact it could be. "Let's unlock this weapon's real potential."
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:37, Tue 05 Dec 2017.

I look at the potion a good long while contemplating how best to enhance the effects on the blade for longevities sake. This is actually when it occurs to me that my two remaining bullets would be a good choice for the mixture as well, so I give them a light coating.

Let's start with the basics we are in an alchemy lab.

You know we might also find something to pollish our bola to be more funtional.

First, one thing at a time. Second when in doubt, research.

I pull out my trusty phone and ask, "Siri look up processes for infusing metals with new properties.

Mew poisons her other bullets as Mentat gets to work transmuting a knife.

Siri brings of information on an Alchemical infusion process. It involves drawing a magic circle to direct the process. Then you anoint the metal with both your blood and the Liquid with the magical property. Then you infuse the circle with quintessence while chanting and holding your hands just outside the circle. Your blood will be transmuted into the metal and bond the liquid to it giving the metal the property of the liquid.

After you finish reading the process Mentat Finishes writing a part of עולם יצירה on one side of the blade and the other part on the other side.

Then he draws knifes and keeps adding them to the knife then the sword. And then he keeps adding knives to it. (Mentat, You sensed that the spell required even more matter.)
Finally ending with what you recognized from Exalted as a Daiklave. It still has the runes clearly written on each side of the Daiklave

OOC: Congratulations. You now have a Daiklave. Stats as a standard daiklave. But deals +1k1 damage to being of this Castle. You can throw this Daiklave and it automatically returns to you when you throw it.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:15, Wed 20 Dec 2017.

Mentat frowned. "The universe is telling me I'm overreaching. I'll take the gift, and not push my luck with it further."

He gave the oversized blade a few swings with one hand, careful not to hit anything or anyone around him. "Worthless for closed rooms, unless I want to destroy the room along with whatever I am fighting. Still, lighter than it looks, and in open terrain it will be a fantastic weapon."

"How's your project coming? Need to do anything crazy, like stabbing yourself?"

I give a cringing smile to Ed's Mentat's comment "Ya know I don't know if you can read from there or if it is just an honest joke." I load the bullets into the gun and start setting up the circle that Siri shows and memorize the chant. "You have anymore spare knives that I could barrow? The ritual Siri found does, yes require my blood, and I don't know if it is a good idea to get the formula in my blood stream."

"So, you want to use blood magic in Castle Dracula?" Mentat arced an eye as he tried to figure out how he was going to carry this oversized blade, and just ended up settling on putting it impossibly inside of his jacket. He pulled a silver dagger out and put it in front of Mew.

"Well, we might as well do crazy right. Since I have an actual sword once more, I now like my odds in a fight." Mentat went into tutor mode in his thinking and speaking. "Blood magic isn't inherently evil, but the evil forces of a world will often try to claim your power as theirs. Don't let them. Some forms of magic require safeguards and extra steps, due to their associations with dark powers."

"Christ himself invoked the power of blood as a means of salvation, and a brave magus can do the same thing. But caution is required, especially in a place like this. When I do it, I get called names like 'blasphemer' or 'heretic' because I command the heavens from my feet instead of begging for power on my knees." He smiled as he opened his shirt, and showed a circle with eldritch glyphs on it branded over his heart. "Sometimes the heavens command back. There is a price for everything in this world, and power demands some steep prices. Mistakes demand steeper ones."

"But that's my cross to bear, so to speak." He buttoned his shirt back up. "If your path to magic involves blood magic, then so be it. Everyone has a unique path to enlightenment and I can accidentally curb it with my personality. But know that I can read you. You have an affinity for darkness which either suggests a weak and vulnerable character, or that demonstrates a will and a heart that has the ability to separate what you do from who you are."

"Make sure they don't become one and the same."

"...You pose,..a very good point. I somehow failed to consider where I was. Buut I suppose you're right, better to learn a safe way to use it now then attempt it haphazardly latter...Come to think of it, could you take a look at the incantation that Siri found and let me know if its going to, well ya know make me kneel to dark powers or something like that?"

"Let's look at this..." Mentat looks the formula over, no expression showing. "Well, it takes all the reverence of a cookbook to the approach of blood magic. Just the facts. That's good - I was half afraid you read some witchy-poo crap that involved dancing naked in a glade while spilling your blood for the earth gods. I don't know what kind of wife alternate me was into - I was into some weird things as a kid, and I could have decided they were good ideas again."

"So this isn't some anarch crap, but its apathy will open you up to surveillance by dark powers. We are already under observation, so that really doesn't matter. What will matter is that they are likely to send someone directly to deal with you." He smiled. "Do it. I need to test this sword anyways. Also, I'm in a lab. I am...wait a moment."

He was still getting used to the weight and dimensions of his newly created expression of his ego, but it occurred to him to look for a lab coat. He had some science to do.

After a bit of searching Mentat finds a lab coat and goggles. The goggles look rather old.

I nod at Mentat's approval, and finish my final preparations for the spell. As I get ready to cast it, I am very careful not to kneel but a stretched crouch, almost like the kind an olympic athlete would take before a race. I carefully cut my left palm with Ed's Mentat's silver dagger and gengerly wipe it on both sides the blade and quickly follow it up with the concoction. Then I place my hands on the cold ground around the circle and recite the incantation with certainty and gusto.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:20, Sun 07 Jan 2018.

"They'll do." Mentat changes clothes on the spot, not really caring if Mew gets an eye full or not: if she was married to one of his alters, she wasn't seeing anything new.

Madness and science...now he was ready for some real workings.

There is a dim surge of light as the poison bonds to the blade via Mew's blood. It's nature mixing with the nature of the steel.

Mentat is lean and thin. But with notisable muscles.

OOC: You succeed. Lawson's sword now has a permanent poison effect that targets the decitizens of this castle giving +1k1 damage against them.

Mew, You also now lv. 1 in Alchemy.

I do my best not to stare at the nicely toned version of Ed, as this one is not infact my husband. This task is made easier as I had something to examine and put my focus towards, namely my bola. I stand upright and put Law's Son back in its scabbard. I begin talking to myself a little quietly, but no where near as quiet at Ed often would. "Hmm- How does one make a makeshift bola more effective? Is the rope more of a weak point or is its lack of range more of an issue? Then again am I relying too much on magic? Just because the all-solving-hammer can turn your problems into nails doesn't mean I should be using it so much...Ooo maybe I could melt the string together a little bit, like ya do to a bow string. Bunsen Burner, where are you?" I look for a bunsen burner hopefully before anything decides to show up, so I can melt the strings of my bola together.

"I don't know why in the blazes you want bolas, unless you are planning on taking something alive while you are in an ambush position and you can reliably not accidentally hit their face and kill them anyways." He rolled his eyes, momentarily muttering before returning to form. "Rookie anime fans. You have a gun, a tool designed to kill things from beyond arm's reach. That is literally all it is for...unless you are me and can use it as a pole in a pinch. The point is, you can make string for your bolas you are probably not trained in using unless you are secretly Zulu...or you can use what you have, and make some bullets for your GUN."

"Ya know I was doing my best not to make magic my go to for every problem. But I'm guessing you already know how to make bullets so I wouldn't have to keep using magic to do everything?"

You see something that looks a lot like a bunsen burner. Looks like a variant that allows better mixing of the air and fuel.

"Charcoal, saltpeter, sulfur. These are the base ingredients for gunpowder in a low-yield form. There are other aspects, compositions, portions...things like that which can change your bullet from 'will not fire' to 'detonates your firearm in the chamber.' Early in your career, you will use magic a lot just to take off. Use it to learn today, so when you are deprived of magic tomorrow, you will have options that aren't 'cast a spell at it' or 'ask magical know-everything familiar.'" Mentat looked over the table for anything he could craft into metal, and smirked at noticing just what he could actually make.

"The casing itself will be important as well, as it needs to keep its shape when the bullet fires so it doesn't damage the weapon...and that's assuming it even holds the material inside, bullet and all. Making a bullet is complex, but not impossible. We need to create the materials for it."

He pulled a vial of mercury from the table, and grinned. "Let's get vulgar, regardless of the warning signs of my newfound weapon, because I don't want to take the time to slow teach you this sort of thing. Mercury is an element of the Mind, which combined with the proper glyphs..." Mentat removes a candlestick from the wall, and blows it out. "Be careful when doing this, by the way: mercury boils away at a low temperature, and this stuff is not curable easily if it gets in you..."

He uses his knife to carve a deep circular groove into the table, and begins etching symbols with the mercury, and some of them are those of the Zodiac. The circle keeps the mercury in one place as he carefully manipulates it. "...but if we do this correctly, we can transmute ignorance into knowledge. Now, pull out one unused bullet, and set it down...away from the fire and the mercury. We aren't ready yet, but when we are, we will toss the bullet into our new improvised quicksilver pool and it will give us a compound which, when mixed with brass or gold, should create an Amalgam that will remember and create bullets of the same calibur you tossed in. They will even have the advantage of being poisonous to whatever is hit by them, so don't use them to hunt, or you will die or make yourself stupid for until a zygote experience."

Starting off I carefully watch Ed's MENTAT'S methods and try to absorb his thinking, and partially wondering if I could use what I remember of astronomy for future projects. I then pull out the bullet as asked and set it down well away from the workspace, only for one of Mentat's comments to catch my attention. "What's a Zygoat experience? I can't help but visualize a cyber-punk goat being involved, but I don't think existence is made of that much bat guano."