As Foun jumped into the Tower, the seal slammed shut, and everything was suddenly silent.

Inside, Foun saw that he was within an ancient reception room of some sort..

He sits back and focuses on healing himself or regenerating or whatever you want to call it. He'll rip some of his cloth into bandages and examines the wound. He wants to know how bad it is.

It wasn't too bad - hurt like hell, and Foun couldn't heal it, but he wouldn't die and he knew it would heal soon enough. The bandages helped.

He sighed he knew that learning medicine would definitely be a large help. He looks about a reception area? Curious he feels like he should know this place it being his and all yet he has no recollection of anything here. He tries to open his eye of truth to get a better look.

There were stacks of ancient parchment lying about, written in a familiar - but maddeningly alien - language. There is a statue of a great tree in the center - representing Yggdrasil - and stairs leading upwards behind it. The room was dark, dusty, still..

He shakes his head trying to stand up he nurses his wound just a little bit more wanting to make sure he was ready to go on further he examined the area just once more taking the parchments and going over them. Making sure to keep his eye of truth open for anything he may have missed. He also goes up to the tree he uses his tech abilities to try to figure out any strange devices in the room.

Foun sees - for only a moment, but a moment is enough - the great statue of the Tree take on a hazel life, all green and brown, and then return to stone.

His wound wouldn't be fatal, and thanks to Foun's nursing would heal efficiently and with little complication.

He comes closer to the tree trying to catch a glimpse of this again. He also uses his aura of the heart to see if the tree would react in a positive or negative way. Hopefully if the tree's energies or purposes are positive the reaction would be positive to something similar. He doesn't come too close yet he must of course observe these things slowly.

There is, Foun soon realizes, something deep within the core of the statue - something intensely supernatural that is dying to be let out.

He wonders if doing so would be for his benefit or not. Deciding for now to simply see if he can communicate with it. For now he will simply meditate before the tree and open his mind to communication if this entity could reach his mind. He makes sure to keep up a strong front in case the creature tries to take control. He keeps himself strong and waits.
(He will wait one IC day)

Foun's diligent meditation, his slight experience with the arcane, and natural affinity for the place seem to garner results.. Foun gets the distinct impression that something sacred beyond words is trapped within the statue.. something still alive.

Sacred didn't always mean good though, perhaps this once he would risk it. Coming towards the tree he lays a hand upon it. Doing his best to use his tech abilities to understand how the tree worked as a prison.

The tree was a construct of the most esoteric of sorceries and the holiest of sciences; it was a strange thing that Foun immediately recognized, but was not exactly sure how it worked.

He did not wish to harm the tree this possibly causing a negative reaction within the tower. He decides for now that he would wait possibly... for now he would do that he decided to examine the exits in this room to decide how he should continue exploring noting that at some point he would return and release this entity. Hoping it would understand he spoke aloud. Whatever you are, I will release you, but first allow me to continue this journey and see if there is a better way to free you then destroying the tree.

There were stairs leading downwards, stairs leading upwards, and the seal leading outside of the Tree.

Foun felt a wave of paradox hit him, and he knew that he couldn't remain in the Tower of Foun and the Funeral at once.

It was a dangerous situation to be in playing with paradox, memories of once having control over paradox went through his mind. These things burned through his mind quickly before he decided for now to give in to leave this place and return later. Thus he dissappears.

The Tower was silent behind him, waiting Foun's return.

He was back in what a curious thing. Now now he had things he needed to do and no time at all. Of course he used his eye of truth to make sure there were no surprises. He would descend first hoping that his past self had the common sense to leave behind an alchemical lab. He could use one as of this moment.

Foun was in an incredible state of luck. Seocnd level was a fully-functional alchemical lab, containing stacks of texts, a thousand different properties to be burned and distilled, a heavy athanor (and several portable, smaller athanors), chopping boards, flasks and beakers, scales..

He would take a full inventory of everything here and he would try to think of a way to craft a direct portal here. This was after all his tower and he was tired of trying to sneak in and out of it. He would try to ponder on getting that done and then when he was finished he would go over the results of everything.

The inventory (tell me if you think it needs anything else):

x close to 500 beakers, vials, flasks, etc
x 90 measuring instruments, including chronometers, thermometers, thaumeters, pressure meters, multicompasses, dowsing rods, lodestones, scales etc
x 1 full-bodied athanor
x 3 portable athanor furnaces
x close to 200 alchemical texts on a variety of alchemical subjects
x close to 300 knives, chopping boards, etc, of varying sizes and length
x close to 1000 different herbs, properties, metals, substances, chemicals, etc.
x small magical well with huge amounts of water
x five miniature burners
 

He decides to compare the texts he's found with the second chapter of that book he read, and continues to focus on what would need to be done to create a direct portal to the lighthouse so he wouldn't have to go through the valley anymore.

Foun spends a while reading through the texts that seem related to the second chapter.

The Original Text of The Alchemist and His Work:

The Conjuration of Flames
The Building of an Athanor
The First Step in Refining the Soul
The Sol Nigros

1. The Alchemist is to construct his Athanor out of the steel that have not seen the flames of the sun;
2. He is to be given the heart of a sacred virgin in this endeavour;
3. He is to light the fire with the words of the wise, the symbol of his attunement to the path of self knowledge;
4. The fire that is raised is to be as hot as the fire, and the Alchemist is the dragon, with scales in hand;
5. When a perfect balance between the heart and gold is found, both are to be cast into the Fires of the Athanor;
6. Divination is the first mystical art, and is to be consulted in this act;
7. Om.

Hours pass, and Foun reads and.. learns!

i. THE CONJURATION OF FLAMES, according to Servants of the Athanor, is another word for building - consecrating, rather - an Athanor for use. This is implied in the source text.
iii. THE FIRST STEP IN REFINING THE SOUL is, also according to Servants of the Athanor, another term for the building and consecration of an Athanor.
iv. THE SOL NIGROS, or THE BLACK SUN, according to Fowling's Concise Dictionary of Alchemy, refers to the Nigredo, or the first purification. In this case, a blaze to burn the soul into shape.

1. "Steel that have not seen the flames of the sun," refers to one of three things. Man and the Mundane Egg states that it is metal so long caught in the Void that when it crashes, via meteorite impact, upon Yggdrasil that it is awakened, symbolically a sign of the start of the Alchemist's quest. Fowling's Concise Dictionary states that Steel, Not Seen the Flames of the Sun simply refers to building an Athanor out of metal forged from a cold iron furnace. Treatise on the Craft states that it refers to Harbingerite, a metal mined only in the Realm Void by the bravest of souls and thus one of the rarest materials - and the most potent - and Alchemist can use, though it also acknowledges Fowling's theory regarding the matter as possibly true.

2. "Heart of a sacred virgin," could be one of two things. Fowling's Concise Dictionary states that Sacred Virgin, Heart refers to the fact that the Alchemist must be pure of heart before he can engage on the purification of the soul. He must not want it, but need it; he must need it with every inch of his being. Anything less will fail. Simple lust of result will spell only failure. He must be as innocent in his quest as a virgin, for the quest itself, the act, is sacred. Forbidden Sex Secrets of the Darkening Alchemist claims that in ancient times a physical heart, taken from mortal breast of a virgin, was thought to be an important component of the Elixir of Life.

3. "To light the fire with the words of the wise," is symbolic, claims the Servants of the Athanor. It refers to the Alchemist lighting his own inner Athanor by studying the texts of the ancient master alchemists, learning their craft through rote experimentation, and by building the passion with fasting and meditation on the craft. Hitler and the Hidden Alchemy, on the other hand, states that "to light the fire with the words of the wise" refers to burning the books of the masters in a symbolic statement; that the Alchemist will carve their own destiny, needing not the methods of others, and the burning of the books is that first step of freedom.

4. "The fire that is raised is to be as hot as the fire" is an abbreviation of Fowling's own statement at the beginning of her other text, Athamanor: "The fire that is raised is to be as hot as the fire, the blaze of the soul eternal." This means that the Alchemist must be confident in his own passion before he should even begin to light the Athanor. "And the Alchemist is the dragon", Fowling's Concise Dictionary states that the Dragon is a symbol of the Emperor, the perfect being, the true immortal; another abbreviation, from her work: "And the Alchemist is the dragon, or rather the drake-in-waiting, requiring sustenance in wisdom and a proper education before embracing Adulthood, becoming the Emperor," and finally, "Scales in hand," refers, according to Fowling's Athamanor, to the fact that the Alchemist must be calculating and exact with every measurement he makes - emotionally, socially, practically, ethically, chemically.

5. No specific meaning is given for, "When a perfect balance between the heart and gold is found", but Foun assumes that it relates to the balance needed between earnest questing for enlightenment and the urge, the greed, of it. One must be pure of heart. The entire first stage was of purifying his intentions. "both are to be cast into the Fires of the Athanor" is quite literal in a strange sense: the Athanor is to be built, the fires lit, and, according to Servants of the Athanor a solemn quest-oath that the Alchemist will strive towards enlightenment shall be sworn upon Yggdrasil itself.

6. Fowling describes, in her Concise Dictionary, Divination as: "see: the First Mystical Art." Naturally, she describes the First Mystical Art as "see: Divination." Foun, as a conjurer, knows enough about the workings of magic to take the hint, regardless.

7. "Om," according to History of the Flame, was a sacred word of the Earthborn Hindus appropriated by Indian (another Earthborn territory, it would seem, this 'India') Alchemists as a direct expression, a sacred syllable, of the Art.

He would record it all and taking all the alchemical workings he could find he would pack them up the best he could. Crailek would be surprised in deed, something was up. He was starting to remember and a feeling in his gut was already telling him what he needed to do. There was no time, but then there never was. He wished he could have explored his tower further, but this would have to do. Putting his hand on the wall he spoke first in a tongue he had forgotten and again in the common tongue. I will leave though now, but you always knew that was the way this would end. I cannot stay here it is not right for me. I have existed in this place too long... I must go now and I will not return. Please I ask you allow my beloved and the child-hero max entrance to this place if they ask of it. Farewell my wonder...

He then leaves with the books in tow.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:48, Sun 25 Apr 2010.

The Tower, perhaps a little shocked by this sudden departure, seems to give its silent assent, and Foun is gone.