The Alchemists Song

And So The Journey Began

Hatham after a long night of fine ales, delicious artisanal food and questionable decisions goes to the well, splashes his face,and finally starts to come to terms with his life as he sits in the morning dew. It was not an instant realization. but over the hour or so he was out there. His face slowly morphs from a face from simple content, to utter self loathing and loss . A face of regret over lost choices, of forgotten possibilities, a face of utter despair.he thinks to himself.

" I have to do something for them, I can't live with the fact of how much I love them but how little I show it. But what can I do?. They're all so capable." He starts to mull over his skills and it pops into his head " the best way to show someone you love them is to feed them!" he leaps up filled with excitement and starts to prepare breakfast.

 He lights the stove, stokes the fire, and renders rosemary pork fat. As the sweet aroma of herbs,spices,meats, and vegetables being roasted slowly as to extract flavor hits the noses of the other sages slowly they arrive in the kitchen. 

" arghhhhh...hey there hatham..... What're ya making?" 

" och you like like you had some fun"

 "yeah yeah..."

 " so what I am making is a slow roasted short rib with a brandy reduction from our host. In some bacon fat I am crisping some diced potatoes with sage,hash, and spicy oil."

 "why the hell did you never tell me you could cook?" cial groaned, finally emerging with a drunken slur being very apparent in her voice.

 "You all look a bit trashed, here this should help" Hatham hands them all a strange bottle of swirling purple liquid 

"what's this" klinta inquired.

 But a question loomed over her head ' why is he doing this?'.

 "It is a concoction original to me! it will help with any head pains my intoxicated friends" Hatham passionately said like a child when their dream came true. 

"well soooorrrrryyyyy that we can't blast through a night of high alcohol and food" 

"just drink it"

 as they all gulp the sweet elixir their mind becomes clear and the drunken stupor fades off 

"I can see it has taken its effect, just in time for the food as well" hatham hands them a plate of delicious and rich foods.

 The meat so tender their spoons disintegrate any food in its path, the potatoes light and crispy, eggs fresh from the coop still sizzling in the rosemary pork fat. They take a collective bite and a collective sigh.

 "Man this is incredible!" 

"yeah when did you learn to cook" 

hatham finally answers their question "well In the human lands they need to eat way more often than we do. So they thought why not make it taste good. Living near one of the human capitals and interacting with them we struck a deal"

 shoto still slightly hazy asked "well what was the deal?"

 "It was that me being a water sage I would control the storms and deal with water details. And their "chefs" would teach me how to cook" hatham ended the tale with fond reminiscence.

 As the group finally left the boys tavern he handed them all a gift " goodbye all of you! Oh! Wait, I have something for each of you. For Shoto I have the keg of beer I made for you and since I noticed you have no weapon I made something from your culture. A stone axe, with your elemental control it can be made into many different things!" 

shoto sounding like a proud father said " well me lad thank you so much for thinking of my culture. I will tell my people of this and it will be a wonderful treasure. Now get over here" 

the two embrace but then he gives the gifts to the others. "Klinta I made this for you!"

 "uuuummmmm it looks like a handle?"

 "no no you put your fire through it"

 "ok ok " as she imbues her fire through it, it suddenly takes shape as a whip. 

"Whoa! This is really neat. thank you!" she toys with the deadly weapon and starts to spar with shoto.

"alright i've got three gifts, two for hatham and one for cial. Cial, last night you told of your adventures as a pirate and I made this"

 he holds out a sword handle carved expertly like a wind gusting through clouds " so what you do is you form your wind as a scimitar for a weapon for finding treasure. And hatham here you go" he holds out two things a scroll tightly bound, and a trinket with gears,springs, and a small crystal. 

" Hatham, quite like the others, your staff will be imbued with your water manipulation. You insert this in the weighted head of your staff, and with the fighting techniques sealed in the scroll you can use your water with your staff to create Ice blades. Be it a scythe or a dagger at either end of the staff."

 After listening, Hatham clicked in the crystal, then the staff started to shift,click, and reform. Its engravings now showing waves and the night sky dotted with stars. 

" Now hatham this will allow you to use your water in the staff like a scythe or a bow. This will aid you while you get to learn using the water catalyst. The scroll contains many things from the ancient water citadel. The sorcery of the ancients, the collective knowledge of all of them, and the map of kamael. However all of you, using these weapons require a very precise control of your spells. For if you are too taxing on your weapon or powers for too long you will lose them forever..." 

as they left weapons in tow hatham took some brandy and cognac. Brimming with joy after finally helping his friends, He decides on where to go next.