The athanor as a relic?

While transcribing and translating the alchemy rules from Nephilim: Revelation's The Players' Book, which condenses a decade of mechanics and fluff innovations, I came across a description of the Athanor as sharing a bond with its creator.

By building the lab and investing it with Ka from his Stasis item, the alchemist creates an alchemical being composed of his Pentacle, his Stasis item, and his lab. To destroy any part of the lab is to amputate this being. When a tool is destroyed, all substances produced by it instantly lose effectiveness and the alchemist is shocked into a depression for days. Certain laboratories are even said to develop sentience, seek to possess their creator, and defend themselves with alchemy!

In other words, alchemical relics (see Gamemaster's Companion p33 for details). The meditations Miracle of Creation (see the unpublished alchemy rules) and Ultimate Purification of Gold (see Enlightened Magic p95-6) may be used to imbue objects with souls.

In a prior post I provided some cosmetic suggestions for replicating the aesthetic of the French athanor using the revised US rules. But now I want to revisit that with the new fluff I read, perhaps make it crunchier? What follows are some raw unpolished ideas for adapting the idea to the unpublished revised (or enlightened) magic system.

By enchanting the athanor (see Enlightened Magic p69 for details), it provides a bonus to preparing Black Stone procedures based on the amount of Ka invested. But this goes even further: as the alchemist advances in their occult science, the athanor may develop its own Ka and sentience akin to a relic. Such an elemental being is linked to its creator by alchemical and sympathetic bonds, with the alchemist's own Solar-Ka being what provides this alchemical relic with its awareness, identity, and will.

Likewise, this phenomenon can appear in the higher circles. While White Stone doesn't have an athanor per se, the alchemist still requires various tools to physically craft the work of art and probably an entire art studio. In the same way as enchanting an athanor or sorcerous magical tools to provide a bonus to preparation, the alchemist may enchant the art studio and the various art supplies therein to provide a bonus to crafting works of art. Thus impressed with the alchemist's Ka, the art studio becomes its own athanor and may in turn develop sentience. Alternately, the work of art itself becomes the relic!

The same goes for Philosopher's Stone, where the laboratory and athanor exist within the alchemist's own mindscape. Sounds like it could be a source of Tulpas? Elementals generated from the alchemist's own spirit?

All three of these athanors are linked to the alchemist and form a single alchemical being. This mimics the creation of a golem, where the three circles produce the body, mind, and soul, respectively.

All of this "as above, so below" symbolism is absolutely fascinating! I need to think more on it... Hope you enjoyed!

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