Sith Alchemy: Expansion

[Joslae]

Introduction

This document does not aim to replace the previous one on Sith Alchemy, rather it has been written with the goal of expanding on it. To take the information from the previous document and flesh it out further, to make certain techniques more clear in their use and functions. The previous document should still be read before this one.
Sith Alchemy is well known as a series of techniques that encompass the manipulation of living or non-living matter through precise applications of the force. It ranges from the creation of sith amulets to the manipulation of living beings to create Sith Spawn. While Alchemy is a well known art with a long history within the Sith, it’s a very precise and delicate art that requires years to study; to master Alchemy takes decades of constant practice and experimentation and study, to get to the level of expert also requires immense amount of dedication, many Sith will need to dedicate much of their careers to get to a competent level with Alchemy.
The practice of Alchemy can also lead to large amounts of Dark Side Corruption, as is to be expected from such fine manipulation of dark side energies. To manipulate life or to create artefacts is to channel the dark side through your body. To write runes is to surround yourself with latent dark side energy. To wear amulets is to keep the dark side close to your body at all times. Even applying the technique of Force Mask can lead to accumulation of Corruption beneath the mask. The degradation of the body through this Corruption is something all alchemists come to expect, a necessary risk. Higher tier techniques usually result in a higher gain of corruption, though sometimes it is more dependent on how a technique is used as opposed to its complexity.

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Learning Sith Alchemy is a perilous jounrey full of hurdles, the very art itself is complex to the point of insanity. This is to say nothing of the many risks one opens themselves to by meerly studying the art form, an uneducated Sith Apprentice may destroy their body with renegade corruption or have creations turn against them. In the quest to study Alchemy one should idealy spend much of their time researching, dedicating themselves to ancient scrolls or tablets, but without a teacher the learned disciple will likely be their own downfall.

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Spoiler: Force Mask

The name of a broad range of techniques used to hide the appearance of the wearer, usually just a slight change to the face though more experienced users can alter the body, hide the gender or to a certain degree change the species.
Face: The most common technique of Force Mask, it’s also the easiest. It requires a minor ritual and some molecular manipulation.
Body: Very similar in technique to Face, but requires a more complex ritual and more time, and is noticeably more draining and corrupting. Wearing it for prolonged periods can also have ill-effects on the wearer.
Gender: A more advanced form of the Body technique, it shares a lot of similarities but requires a more experienced hand and a more in depth knowledge of how to manipulate the living body and the mask.
Species: The most complex technique from Force Mask. To activate it requires an immense level of knowledge and a complicated ritual that is not only draining but material intensive. To have a Species Force Mask destroyed while it is being worn is to leave the wearer looking like a disgusting hybrid of species. But it is not an all-powerful technique, it has its limits, for example it could not be used to make a Twi’lek appear as a human and vice versa.

Spoiler: Sith Runes

Sith runes are letters or words from the High Sith Language that have been inscribed into a surface and imbued with Dark Side energies to make a particular affect active. Most runes are temporary but can be made permanent. Runes are a keystone element within many alchemical rituals, and simply being near them exposes your body to absorbing dark side energies.
Mark of Power:  A technique of runes used to amplify the power of force abilities that are cast within a certain area. Most commonly associated with use in rituals.
Protection Circle:  It protects all those within its perimeter, this is manifested in multiple different ways such as: the feeling of walking through a wall of fire as you cross the circle, a wall of telekinetic force, suffering the effects of hyper strong gravity as you try to cross. How the protection is manifested is dependent on the alchemist in question. Well made protection circles even carry the ability to stop projectiles such as blaster bolts. The protection quality is strong indeed, but it can be broken.
Sealing Runes:  This is the opposite of Protection Circle, where something inside cannot leave the circle. It may also have uses in dealing with ghosts and spirits.
Elemental Trap:  A trap on a surface that when triggered erupts in an explosion of elemental energies alongside an unhealthy dose of dark side energies. Even arming the trap is dangerous and runs the chance of backfiring on the user.
Rune Dismantling:  An important skill for all alchemists to learn, it is the ability to dismantle runes and their effects either before they expire or to dismantle permanent runes. Though upon dismantling the alchemist may find themselves absorbing all the dark side energy stored inside the runes. To attempt dismantling a rune without the proper technique (such as destroying the inscription) can be disastrous and much more dangerous.

Spoiler: Sith Amulet Creation

Basic sith amulets act as a battery of sort, storing the energy that the wearer can call upon to summon force abilities. This is the first alchemical technique that can’t be broken down further, all basic amulets are functionally identical and only differ slightly in the craftsmanship.

Spoiler: Sith Steel Creation

Sith steel is a complex alloy of metals that has been imbued with dark side energy, though it yet lacks the more well known enchantments. In the end sith steel is capable of withstanding lightsabers and is resistant to blaster bolts as well, but that is only the tip of the iceberg. The categories that Sith Steel Creations are split into are all identical in end product or function, but each application requires a different technique to apply and so are learnt differently.
Shape Metal: The most basic form of making sith steel, effectively making an ingot or plate.
Create Simple Object: Making small objects such as coins or rings, this is the equivalent of the work an apprentice blacksmith would produce.
Create Intricate Object:These items are more complex and more detailed, such as detailed pieces of jewellery.
Weapon Forging: The height of sith steel, drawing it out into the shape of a weapon. This takes the most time, and more materials than any other technique. Having experience with forging of traditional weapons would help, though Sith Steel is fundamentally different to work with.

Spoiler: Mid-Level Amulet Creation

The step up from basic amulets, these are not just batteries but hold enchantments that are only as complex as what the alchemist desires. Mid-level amulets are all created in similar ways but the process is designed around the purpose of the amulet. There are also no true categories that amulets fall into, rather it is the alchemist’s imagination that defines its purpose and use. Though some common amulets are:
Shield Talisman: An amulet that projects a protective aura around the wearer.
Talisman of Translations: A device that allows the wearer to read languages they do not know or to understand spoken languages. It usually has to be targeted towards a specific language.
Amulet of Healing: A device that empowers the natural healing of the wearer or their use of the Dark Healing skill.

Spoiler: Genetic Manipulation Through The Force

Genetic Manipulation is the first stage in making sith spawn, it is the specific targeting of an area of the body to shape it to your will through very specialised applications of the Dark Side. A potent technique, but one likely to destroy test subjects as their bodies may be unable to handle large amounts of Dark Side corruption. Each technique that falls under Genetic Manipulation gets much more difficult as they get more complex, making the leg muscles stronger is easier than making the nerve cells in fingertips more sensitive. Common areas that see manipulation are:
Muscles: The alternation of the muscle tissue, making it stronger or larger in certain areas. Such as increasing the strength and durability of the hind legs of a beast of burden.
Skeleton: Adjusting the bones of the creature to your desires, this could be making bones stronger or weaker or adding or removing bones from the body.
Manipulate Organ: Twist existing organs into new shapes. Make a heart stronger. Make lungs filter out certain molecules. Add a new enzyme to the stomach that digests new material.
Cybernetic Grafting: The art of altering a limb so that it better receives a cybernetic, merging biology and technology in the most perfect way.
Nervous System: Tweaking the micro system inside the body that is the nerves, altering how it works. This takes a very fine level of control because of how precise one must be.
Size: Taking the theory of muscle and skeletal manipulation and using that to change the size of the creature. Within limits however.
Limbs: Altering the limbs of the creature, from adding joints or muscle strength to possibly grafting new, organic limbs onto the body.
Create Organ: Push the body into the direction of growing a new organ inside itself with a specific purpose in mind. A very difficult technique as the alchemist must know how the new organ functions, down to the last detail, and the body must make room for the organ.

Spoiler: Specialised Artefact Creation

The next step up from mid-level amulets, is the creation of amulets or artefacts with very specialised roles. They are more complex to make because of their nature. Once again these are primarily dictated by the imagination of the alchemist but may include an Amulet of Projection, which fires bursts of dark side energy. Or an Amulet of Enhance Ability, which can strengthen the users characteristics when a certain event is triggered. These artefacts need not be amulets, but to make them in any other shape requires new techniques to be learnt.

Spoiler: Full Sith Spawn Creation

The goal of many alchemists, to create their own Sith Spawn. This takes all the techniques from Genetic Manipulation and applies them all at once. An alchemist could use the techniques of Genetic Manipulation and apply them one by one over the time frame of a year or they could apply them all at once in 48 hours. A Full Sithspawn can be stronger and more unique, it is essentially remaking a base animal and twisting it to resemble something new entirely. Most Sithspawn made through this way will recognise their creator as their master. A Sithspawn is born out of the life of another, a sentient slain over the growing body so that one life force might allow another to grow.

Spoiler: Sith Poison Brewing

SIth poisons are an ancient weapon of the species, and one of the most deadly. Though as time has moved forwards, many techniques for poisons have been lost. Long gone are the days where a poison coated blade can kill a man in a day. Though that isn’t to say poisons aren’t still a valid weapon, for they are. A well brewed poison can bring out a terrible fever and leave a man bound to bed for weeks, it could cause their system to go into shock and the body to seize up, or for violent hallucinations to take hold. And many other effects.

Spoiler: Sith Metallurgy

Metallurgy is the art of enchanting Sith Steel, to give it some of its more signature effects. Enchantment is a process that requires the weapon or armour to be doused in blood, reforging the item in life essence as the thought of powers is imbued inside it. There are too many enchantments to write about, an alchemist can make enchantments to suit their purpose, but here are a few common ones.
Enchantment of Strength: Added to a piece of Sith Steel armour, allowing the wearer to physically lift heavier objects.
Enchantment of Stealth: Allow metal to emit softer sounds when moving instead of the heavy clangs of full armour.
Enchantment of Vitality:: A well favored enchantment that gifts the wearer with more stamina, allowing them to outlast their opponent.
Enchantment of Deflection: The most common enchantment for Sith Swords, in addition to them resisting blaster bolts this lets them return them to the sender in the same way as a lightsaber, though the weapon is noticeably heavier.
Enchantment of Sharpness: The enchantment that Sith Swords are truly known for, their ability to never dull no matter how many are slain under its edge. Swords that are thousands of years old that were enchanted in this way are still potent weapons.

Spoiler: Sith Regenerator Creation

A very specialised technique within the art that is alchemy. It could be summarised as a very potent Amulet of Healing, though that is just the tip of the iceberg. A Regenerator is remarkably difficult to create, and they are terribly fragile to the point that even a slight touch can crack and damage the device. And should one fail inside your body, that always spells disaster. And this is to say nothing of the latent dark side corruption you will absorb from having it inside you.

Spoiler: Higher Tier Sithspawn Creation

The stuff of legends, great hounds of war hydras. Beasts that can slay hundreds of armed men with relative ease. These are the Sithspawn that are most feared throughout history, chief among them the ancient Leviathans. And while Leviathans are now impossible to create, many still attempt pale imitations. A higher tier Sithspawn is achieved in a very similar way to regular Sithspawn, but everything about the ritual is magnified. The largest difference is that beasts of this category are nearly impossible to control. When a war hydra screams its birth cries in defiance of the natural laws of the universe, it hungers for meat, and the most obvious source is the alchemist that made it. That is the largest danger, that an alchemist spends so much time and energy creating such a legendary weapon that when one is created, they are devoid of energy and cannot fight back when their creation comes down atop of them.

Spoiler: Animate Guardian

Guardians are the ancient watchers of tombs on Korriban or other Sith worlds. Statues carved of blessed stone and given unholy life. To animate a guardian is more than a ritual, it requires a suitable body to be crafted, for a home to be given, binding mechanisms set in place, and life to be given. A bound guardian is loyal always to its master, and will protect its home until the stone body is sundered. Though for this gift they are cursed to never leave their home, a guardian is bound to a location and not to a person. Guardians come in all shapes and sizes, though to make a larger guardian is much more difficult than several small guardians.

Spoiler: Supreme Artefact Creation

The creation of legendary relics of the Sith such as the Meditation Sphere of Naga Sadow or Murr Talisman. Though creations like these are no longer possible in truth, as alchemists strive to make even just a fraction of their power, they still create legendary weapons of our era. In function these are identical to specialised amulets of enchanted Sith steel, though the dial is moved to 11. An Amulet of Projection made in this fashion holds the power to blast all those in the path of the projectile to ash. Though the material cost and mental tax on the alchemist for this technique is immense, and it is not uncommon for Sith to die in the process if they were not ready.

Spoiler: Oubliette Creation

An oubliette is a unique item, and one that transcends most sciences. It is comparable to a carbon-freezing chamber, but fueled by dark side energies instead; using dozens upon dozens of Sith Amulets as batteries for its energy demand. When done correctly, it allows a user to remain in stasis for much longer than carbonite and without the dazing sickness. However if done incorrectly, the user can die in any one of hundreds of painful ways. Though even the best of these stasis caskets has its disadvantages, if used for too long the dark side energies can simply destroy the mind. And so they are like all things, best in moderation.

Spoiler: Sith Holocrons

An honourable mention here, a holocron is created through alchemical and sorcerous rituals and imbuing of dark side energies into a physical object and manipulation of metals and crystals. Though Holocrons are not to be covered here, that is something else for another time.

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Spoiler: Alchemical Rituals

Alchemy is a science, but a ritualised one. Rituals do change from technique to technique, but feature a lot of commonalities. Alchemical objects often demand a pool of blood to cool the object and harden it or seal in the enchantment. The creation of Sithspawn demands the sacrifice of something sentient, with their life force showering the Sithspawn. SIth Runes and Minor Amulets play a large role in rituals, as many of them are too taxing for just one alchemist to carry out. Some alchemists may include chanting, some may not; it’s unclear where this came from as alchemy is such an ancient art with so many points of view. But each alchemist must find out what works for them, as each individual has their own preferred techniques and methods.

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[Joslae]

Placing Runes on Armour and Clothing

Alchemical runes are, first and foremost, intended for two purposes; placing down on stationary objects to affect the world around them in various ways, or for use as components of more complex rituals. However, it is possible to deploy them as chargeable components of armour - with stipulations. These runes must be carved into something that is unable to flex, lest it disrupt the shape of the runes in the most minor way. If that does happen, or if the runes are damaged, then consequences can range from anything from a mere loss of power in the runes to a corrupting energy afflicting you, or even small force-based burns and explosions. This means that cloth, leather, flexible polymers and even particularly thin metals are either useless or ill-advised as surfaces for runes that are not part of a metallurgical enchantment on armour.

These runes are not equal to enchantments, they cannot affect the properties of the armour itself and while their effects otherwise will not be negligible, they are also not likely to be hugely significant. As an example of what these runes could do, an interconnected system of runes of protection and power might provide low level protection from force abilities and minor physical trauma. However, this will be a difficult process - establishing these rune networks on armour and imbuing them with power is an extremely lengthy and costly process, and requires the hand of an alchemist intimately familiar with rune inscription.

((Originally postyed by Aodh))

[Joslae]

Necromancy

Necromancy should be a singular, specific ritual using both alchemy and sorcery (drawing upon theory included in techniques such as animate guardians, soti asarsi, ansi niti and the school of summoning) and which animates corpses in the zombie-like, simplistic and limited form we see in lore. They can wield weapons, but only in the most simplistic way, they have pretty much no higher thought or instinct, and they usually do not last very long outside of locales they are bound to which provide a dark sided atmosphere that they are tailored to survive in.

((Originally posted by Aodh))