GLASS AS ART

With easy access to a variety of metals and extreme heat sources and it would be possible for Alchemists to achieve crystal clear glass at very low cost in a huge range of vibrant colors. Simple glass products could be chased through with intricate patterns of stunning colors. Glass bowls cups and plates could replace early less sanitary wooden or clay creations. Vibrant stained glass colors could be achieved through the inclusion of specific minerals during the melting process.

ADVANCED LENS TECHNOLOGY

Crystal clear glass panels could be ground down to form early lens technology. Refracting light for a more powerful lantern or harnessing the sun as a source of heat energy would be possible. Advanced alignment of multiple lenses would allow for the creation of early microscopes and telescopes through which Alchemists could study objects beyond the range of human eyesight be they great or small.

TEMPERED GLASS

Through an advanced process of chemically and thermally treating glass it is possible to significantly increase its strength and rigidity. This glass could be used to create large single paned windows and skylights allowing light to fill Addletownian structures. This would also allow for stronger glass vials and containers in which alchemical components could be stored. Note: Tempered glass shatters into chunks (think of a broken car side window) and not shards when broken.

STEEL ARCHITECTURE

Through the mass production of steel it would be possible for Addletownians to build megalithic buildings that reach for the sky. Steel framing would allow for more flexibilty in design such as huge bay windows and breathtaking stained glass murals without sacrificing structural integrity. Large well lit chambers could feature heavily into their building design.

DAMASCUS STEEL WEAPONRY

True ancient damascus steel had nearly mythical strength and flexbility. Modern quantum science is required to even begin to understand the traits of Damascus Steel. It is easy to imagine the feats of weaponry that Addeltownians could achieve with access to such a material. From swords and spears able to pierce iron without dulling to safe and reliable firing chambers for early projectiles. The manufacturing possibilities of Damascus Steel with an advanced knowledge of physics and the chemistry of explosives are nearly endless.

ULTRALIGHT METALS

With acess to aluminum and other light and sturdy metals it is possible to create boats or cariages far beyond the scope of other middle age sciences. Wagons light enough to be pulled by a single horse at great speed would be possible as well as large complex ships capable of extreme positive bouyancy at great size. Even rudimentary gliders would have been within the scope of a skilled Alchemist.

In any chemical reaction there are two key components, the reactants or substances that are being changed and enthalpy. Enthalpy is the potential energy of a given reaction. Sometimes this energy is self contained within the reactants themselves but other times this energy must come from an outside source to catalyze change. The more profound the change, the greater energy source required. In simple terms, it is much easier to change paper into ash than it is to change coal into diamonds. Alchemy would also be governed by these universal rules of thermodynamics and kinetics so a truly wondrous reaction would require an equally impressive energy source. “One must apply energy to overcome energy.”- Principle Alchemist Gregor.

TEMPERATURE

THE THERMITE FORGE

        

Thermite is a combination of iron oxide and aluminum that when ignited by a hot enough source burns at nearly 4500 degrees. Contained within thick metal and ceramic composite kiln’s the tremendous destructive potential of thermite can be channeled to flashboil liquids, smelt ore, or liquify iron.

GEOTHERMAL VENTS

Deep shafts driven into the earth could reach areas of significant heat to boil water and create steam powered “hydraulics”. Alternatively if the city is located near a geothermically active area (think geysers or active lava flows) those could also be used as heat and power sources.

ACIDIC REACTIONS

Some acidic chemical reactions produce extreme heat, in reality this heat wouldn’t reach a level to melt steel but its possible they could have access to alternative processes or specific rare combinations of elements that lead to a more powerful reaction.

SOLAR ENERGY

The sun is the planets greatest source of power and while Addletownians wouldn’t have access to solar panels it is easy to imagine a giant series of magnifying lenses mounted upon a huge clockwork machine powered by a hand crank that allowed the lenses to perfectly follow in alignment with the suns movement through the day. (picture Mogra’s machine that shows the planets aligning in the dark crystal, but constructed of pieces that directly speak to their functionality)

AGITATION

PRESSURE

CATALYST

The Program has been imposed on all children for roughly five years with a special deployment of the Senior Guard periodically searching houses and performing detailed census reports which indicate the abilities of potential Junior Guard candidates based on Intellect, Faith or Fighting Stature. All children – of both sexes – from the ages of 6 through 16 are required to participate in one of these three primary concentrations. Those lucky enough to be deemed of “Fighting Stature” are led through gauntlets of psychological and physical abuse to test their ability to reconcile battle-stress.

As the Junior Guard is a recent creation, its core tenets remain in a state of flux. There is, for instance, no set protocol on discipline and many Senior Guards inflict differing modes of punishment, resulting in numerous severe injuries . Disturbingly, an inordinate amount of children are groomed against their will for ‘supreme combat’ positions, ostensibly to be used as Addletown’s military, still depleted from the Great War. Many children dread this revered distinction as it is rumored to mean that they will be then eligible for immediate deployment to the Outer Realms to spread the Chaplain’s Word upon graduating from the Junior Guard. Conditioned by force, surely, but yet not attuned to life beyond Addletown, many Junior Guard are plagued with paranoid visions and shivering sweats at the thought of traversing the Outer Realms. Sadly, more often than not, they are sent there and many do not return…

PRESERVATION

Food preservation was a significant problem in the middle ages. Foodstuffs were either salted, dried or pickled in order to allow them to last through the winter months. The problem was that all of these processes often resulted in lowered nutritional value or horrible flavor. A result was that food was oftentimes left out for far too long without preservation and rotten meats were simply covered with spices to disguise the flavor. Alchemists, with their advanced knowledge of science, would have realized the dangers of this and possibly implemented an early form of food regulation. Also, it is possible that with their advanced knowledge of glass-working and metallurgy, Alchemists could have discovered an early form of canning foods– allowing for a significant increase in the possible amount of time in which food could be preserved without impacting flavor or nutritional value.

YEAST

Even in our modern age, yeast is a poorly understood natural phenomenon to the every day baker. Yeast is in fact a common single-celled fungus that is present in the air we breathe. In the middle ages, people had a basic understanding that a piece of dough from a good batch of bread could be saved and used later to create another batch with a similar flavor. The intricacies of yeast in rising bread were noted but not understood and the process was nearly mystical to early bakers. The scientific-minded alchemists in Addletown would have seen this as an interesting area of research. By studying the growth of yeast through microscopes, it is possible that they would have discovered the entire concept of microorganisms and laid the groundwork for sterilization and antibiotics.

PLAGUE & FOOD

One important fact about everyday food in the middle ages is that the plague greatly increased the availability of food. With huge percentages of human populations dying off, food became much more plentiful by proportion. Meats and cheeses–rarities at the table of a commoner in the early middle ages–were suddenly much more common after the plague and it would be more likely for the poor to seen seen eating meats at least once a day if not with every meal. Considering that Adaboy takes place after the plague has already ravaged the population, it is likely that Addletownians would have a wide variety of different foods.

Modern anesthetics were undiscovered and pain relief options ranged from biting on a block of wood to various mixtures of plants and spirits. Concoctions using sleep-inducing plants were only used if absolutely necessary, since in large quantities the plants could kill a person. Often, the best option to give patients relief in non-life threatening situations was either wine or alcohol. For example, despite their regimen of middle age dental hygiene consisting of breath-freshening rinses and wiping their teeth with a rag, the unfortunate person who needed a tooth extracted would visit the barber and be offered grain alcohol to drink until his face was numb. Elsewhere, wine and turpentine were used to dress wounds. Interestingly, records indicate that pious patients who refused the alcohol for moral reasons had significantly higher rates of complications due to infection than those who took the drink. It was suspected that the unintentional antiseptic properties of alcohol accounted for many medical successes.

SANITATION

One of the best way to treat diseases is to prevent them. Addletownians would have more advanced knowledge of engineering which would enable them to develop a sewer system to separate waste products and the dangerous animals and diseases associated with them from every day living spaces. The plague itself was carried by fleas on the backs of rats and by sequestering waste which draws the rats away from the general population, millions of deaths could very well have been avoided.

SURGERY

The inquisitive minds of the Alchemists would not have passed up the chance to study the human body. Their studies would have lead to knowledge of anatomy and rediscovery of surgical procedures that were lost with the fall of the Roman Empire. They could have easily handled clean and quick sutures, hernia corrections or even procedures to remove diseased organs or tumors.

ANTIBIOTICS

Thee study of microorganisms brought knowledge of the dangers of germs and infection. Alcohol was plentiful and with the scientific systems of the Alchemists, it was perhaps distilled in large vats of clean pure alcohol that could be used for sterilization and cleaning. Relatedly, in modern history, the discovery of penicillin followed quickly after the discovery of microbial organisms, therefore it stands to reason that if Alchemists were researching the latter they may have found the former as well.