Faction Alchemy 101 (Open to all Darksiders & NFUs)

[Lysander von Ascania]

Lysander surveyed the class from the front. The academy was still rising from the ashes of recent events on Coruscant. Tall windows let natural lighting pass through, and the air was rich with an earthy scent of blended herbs. The prospect of teaching something other than saber instruction was.. curiously engaging to him.

Student kits had been laid out across different tables. Most of the morning was devoted to the task, arranging it all with care. Each contained a small cauldron, glass vials, a stirring rod, a dropper, a tray, a neutral leaf, and powdered crystal.

A hand drifted toward the center table, fingers paused along the edges of his kit. “Alchemy,” said softly, “doesn’t depend on the Force. It depends only on disciplined observation.”

He let the sentence rest for a few seconds. "A Harmonizing Draught, they call it. That is what we're making today. Gentle? Hardly.. think of it more like a blade for the mind."

A neutral leaf was held between his fingers. “Step one.. the base infusion. You will place your leaf into water that's just the right temperature. Warm enough to coax life from it. Too hot and it turns bitter. Too cold and it will never awaken. That is the first lesson. Not success or failure.. but awareness. Those who cannot discern these small changes will undoubtably stumble later, no matter how strong one may think themselves.”

“Step two,” he continued, holding a small vial. “This is where the binding agent comes into play. We’re using powdered crystal. And here’s the key.. add it grain by grain. Patience is essential.”

The liquid took on a dark reddish brown hue.

He guided a slow stir. “Now, as you mix, you’ll notice the solution clouding up.. that’s completely normal. Wait for it to clear again.. that will be your feedback, your signal that things are aligning correctly. For those of you sensitive to the Force, remember to restrain yourselves. Feel what is happening.. don’t force the outcome.”

The gesture was demonstrated, letting it respond. “And for those not attuned to the Force, focus on keen observation and timing.. that is your guide.”

Another pause followed, letting the mixture settle.

Fingers tapped against the vial’s edge. “Now, step three.. is where you stamp your own personal signature on the concoction. Think of it as the ‘you’ in your potion. You breathe into it. No huffing and puffing, though. We’re not trying to start a fire. After is a another clockwise stir. Pay attention here, because this is where most blow it, by rushing, extra twirling. Impatience will wreck the whole mixture faster than you can say 'oops.' So, watch the liquid. See how it moves, how it pushes back like it knows you’re watching.“

A gentle curve of the lips was paired with a raised eyebrow. “Remember, that’s the heart of control. Not just in brewing, but, well.. life. Lets try to avoid blowing anything up today, yeah? Got it? Perfect.”

After, he stood quietly, ready to respond if questions arose. Surely some would flourish with a little guidance, while others may find their own way through observation alone.

 

[Ghruna]

GHRUNA

Ghruna had bumped into the table as she arrived. The glassware made enough noise that she muttered under her breath with embarrassment.

Ghruna had a strong sense of smell. The sharp scent of herbs mixed with something deeper, almost like the tang of a storm. She wrinkled her nose and eyed the kit laid out before her with mild suspicion. Vials. Leaves. Stirring rods. It looked more like a healer’s table than anything suited for a warrior.

She sat with her arms crossed, tail flicking slowly behind her, legs barely fitting beneath the bench. Her horns nearly brushed the curtain of hanging herbs above. This was not a space made for her.

Still, she watched Lysander closely. She did not know much about alchemy, but she knew enough to respect things she didn’t understand.

By step three, Ghruna was still trying to finish step one.

Impatience will wreck the whole mixture faster than you can say 'oops.'

Ghruna grunted in frustration.

 

[Kaiva Rowe]

Kaiva arrived without ceremony, moving with the kind of composed ease that neither sought attention nor avoided it. There were no hurried steps to announce her presence, no shift in the room's rhythm to mark her entrance, no disruption of the steady cadence already in motion.

She paused just inside the doorway, allowing herself a moment to take in the room as a whole before committing to any movement. Her gaze swept over the tall windows and the way the afternoon light filtered through them, softening the edges of the tables arranged in deliberate patterns. She noted the layered scent of herbs, balanced carefully enough that no single note dominated—and the calm, measured cadence of Lysander's voice as he finished his instruction. Even the subtle variations in posture among the students were immediately apparent, each offering a small piece of information about their focus, confidence, or uncertainty.

Patterns formed quickly, as they always did for her.

Who leaned forward with intent.
Who leaned back in hesitation.
Who watched their hands more than the liquid.
Who watched the liquid more than themselves.

Only after completing that quiet survey did Kaiva move, choosing an empty place at the edge of one of the tables rather than at its center. It was close enough to participate without being intrusive, and far enough to observe without drawing unnecessary focus.

Her kit remained untouched when she sat. Kaiva did not reach for it immediately. Instead, she rested her hands lightly on the table and allowed her attention to settle on the nearest mixture. She watched the way the surface tension shifted when someone stirred too quickly, the faint ripple that signaled impatience rather than intention. She noticed the slight discoloration in another student's vial, the early warning of imbalance that would need correction before it deepened. Across from her, Ghruna's stiff posture and the faint irritation tightening her jaw caught Kaiva's eye.

Impatience, Kaiva thought quietly. Not carelessness. Just urgency with nowhere to go.

Only then did she begin.

She lifted the neutral leaf between her fingers, turning it once, then again, inspecting its texture and moisture with the same calm precision she applied to everything. Her movements were unhurried and economical, each one chosen rather than wasted. When she placed the leaf into the warmed water, she did so at a shallow angle, watching for the first subtle shift in color before releasing it fully.

No Force guidance. No unnecessary flourish. Just attention.

As the infusion began to wake, Kaiva adjusted her posture by a fraction, leaning in just enough to listen to the mixture as much as she watched it. Her expression remained composed, but there was intent behind her stillness, a quiet focus that shaped the space around her.

A soft breath left her, barely audible.

"Awaken," she murmured under her breath, not as a command to the mixture, but as a reminder to herself to remain present, patient, and receptive.

She reached for the powdered crystal next, tapping a single grain onto her palm before letting it fall into the vial.

One. A pause. Another.

She did not look at Lysander. She did not look at the others. Her focus remained entirely on the slow, unfolding conversation taking place in glass and water, a dialogue of temperature, density, and intention.

Only once the mixture began to clear did she glance sideways, her gaze resting briefly on Ghruna. There was no judgment in her expression, no amusement at the other woman's frustration—only a thoughtful, quiet recognition.

As if noting gently, without speaking it aloud: You will get there. You just have to stop fighting it first.

Then Kaiva returned her attention to her own work, patient and precise, settling fully into the rhythm of the lesson as though she had been part of it from the beginning.

Lysander von Ascania Ghruna

 

[Tamsin Starfall]

​

Theme: Season Of The Witch
TAGS: Lysander von Ascania | Ghruna | Kaiva Rowe

A small figure dressed in black robes the hood pulled over stood in the back of the room. Listening intently to Lysander von Ascania teachings on alchemy. Taking in his methods for the practice of the finest of arts Alchemy. Finesse and patients were the two key fundamentals that he seemed to teach well. Tamsin wasn't here to learn so much as observe the methods and practices which Lysander used.

She had already taken the fundamentals of alchemy back at Korriban Academy. That time seemed so long ago now yet it had been a little over a few years now. She quietly watched his teaching methods as her eyes scanned the others who had come to learn this art. Noting the tense unease of Ghruna and the calm calculation of Kaiva Rowe .

Tamsin herself no expert in alchemy but competent enough saw flaws in both methods. The demon in her, who was none to quiet in her head was called this whole class a sham. Mouthing off about how it wanted to wipe these amateurs out of existence, especially the teacher. Yet as it rambled on in Tamsin's skull, she just ignored it as best she could.

In truth it had been Tamsin's sister Darth Anathemous who had spoken well of this Lysander. It was part of what had brought her to this class to observe him. She finally picked up the leaf on the small lab in front of her and just looked it over for a moment. The leaf seemed pretty common, as she tried to identify the species of tree it might come from. As she couldn't exactly pinpoint its origin she set it back down on the counter.

Her hand then moved gently to pick up the powdered crystal. Again, she examined it closely noting its granulation and the slight glint it gave off if turned in the light just right. She then set it back down and dipped a single finger in the water testing it the temperature just slightly above room in its unaltered state.

As her finger sat in the water her eyes looked towards Ghruna with worry as she heard them grunt in frustration. Her finger began to swirl around in the water counterclockwise as her eyes fixated on the young Maldrani. A violet Ichor began to swirl into the water in front of her turning it a mist violet as she just watched ahead of her. Looking to see if Lysander would catch the issue brewing.

 

[Eurydice]

Direct: Ghruna
Indirect: Lysander von Ascania Kaiva Rowe Tamsin Starfall
​

Patience and observation were two aspects Eurydice had in spades. Still, she worried. She always worried.

Mercy had suggested she attend this lesson to expand her budding skill in alchemy. The Seer hesitantly agreed, but it had taken a titanic amount of willpower not to flee from the classroom at the sight of their instructor.

Nothing good came from an Ascania.

Accordingly, she chose a seat in the corner. Farther away from the blonde menace. However, this arrangement had her next to a towering Minotaur of a woman - one who didn't seem particularly suited to delicate glassware.

Maybe she'd surprise them, Eurydice gave a second thought. Maybe she had the bearings of a master alchemist beneath all that brutish muscle.

Wait…was that a tail?

Only now did she realize that she'd been staring for far too long. In an effort to correct this awkward slight, she gave Ghruna a wavering, oddly angled half-smile.

Then, she abruptly turned back to her own cauldron. Her focus remained squarely and acutely on the leaf as it floated lazily in the water. Little bubbles drifted to the surface.

A beat of sweat dribbled along Eurydice's scrunched brow, and plinked into the simmering pot.

 

[Naniti]

Coruscant. Academy. Previously held by a Galactic Empire with some Dark Siders lurking in the shadows as was tradition. And then there was Lysander offering to train others. In batt-- Alchemy. Naniti didn't disagree, but she hadn't seen it coming. Book learning? Skill? The need to apply patience and delicate movements rather than pummeling something to death? Ambitious to round out the Sith education curriculum. Naturally, the Togruta was curious what such a course would teach and how it would be received.

That and to support Lysander in his efforts to give a little depth to the education rigor of their Academy.

Despite her book studies -- devoted to a completely different topic -- Naniti had to pay careful attention to Lysander's intructions and demonstration. Alchemy was not one of her strong suits. Though perhaps there could be some practical applications -- there had to be, otherwise Lysander wouldn't be teaching about it.

Naniti looked down at the supplies and then up at Lysander. After a second she turned to regard a few others in the class. Then her blue eyes turned back to their instructor. "Explode?" she asked with a gradual escalation in her voice, but not one panicked by the possibility. Were any of these ingredients really at risk of exploding? She could find out, if she wanted, but Lysander didn't strike her as the ruthless try-to-kill-you kind of Sith instructor.

She set to work making the tea for a base in order to meet the class work requirements. A drought for the mind was it? Naniti wondered if it would be safe to drink even if it did not explode. Healing arts with Sith weren't like the Jedi form, and she wondered what a potion might really do.

Lysander von Ascania | Ghruna | Kaiva Rowe | Tamsin Starfall | Eurydice

 

[Anet Raine]

Lysander von Ascania Eurydice Ghruna Tamsin Starfall Naniti Kaiva Rowe

Anet arrived late. It wasn't even fashionable, though she was, in her acolyte's robes literally cut from a better cloth. She fell into place, as if she were there the whole time. Thankfully, she had brushed up on her alchemy already to create a pair of training chokers. One of which she wore now. By observing the others and picking up on what Lysander said the moment of her arrival, she managed to bring herself up to speed.

Albeit her solution was clouding up a little more than the others. Did she add too much of one thing or too little of another? Had she mixed incorrectly? Oh well, just wait for it to die down.

She sighed and looked around. A small part of her hoped the others hadn't noticed. Yes, who knew the rich girl with the sociopathic, progress-driven father would have gifted child trauma?

That was when she noticed Eurydice, far more awkward than she was.

"Careful," she called out, hiding a grin. "Who knows what a droplet of sweat might do now." Anet teased.

She had no idea, honestly, but suspected 'nothing at all, really' was the logical answer. Then again, maybe that was her stamp? As the instructor put it.

In her vain attempt to inspire unease in the new girl, Anet failed to notice the clouding hadn't died down, and that whatever she made was an alchemical fog machine that rolled off the table and onto her feet. She looked down with a defeated frown.

"Fuck."

 

[Ghruna]

Only now did she realize that she'd been staring for far too long. In an effort to correct this awkward slight, she gave Ghruna a wavering, oddly angled half-smile.

Ghruna had been glaring at the mixture in her cauldron. The leaf bobbed mockingly in the water, stubbornly refusing to do whatever it was supposed to. Was it warm enough? Too warm? Too cold?

"What?"

"Careful," she called out, hiding a grin. "Who knows what a droplet of sweat might do now." Anet teased.

Ghruna frowned at them both and then turned back to the challenge of dexterity and patience.

She reached for the powdered crystal and - remembering Lysander’s warning - resisted the urge to dump half the vial in and see what happened. A single grain clung to her thick fingertip. It took genuine effort to shake it loose into the water. Another. And another. Ghruna grunted, low and quiet.

She growled in frustration.

Just a soft rumble, low in her chest, barely audible. She went for the next grain and sighed. Her tail gave a flick of frustration.

 

[Kaiva Rowe]

Kaiva had remained silent since the lesson began, content to let the rhythm of the classroom establish itself around her before she became part of it.

She sat with her back straight, her shoulders relaxed, her workspace arranged with quiet care. Each tool rested exactly where she had placed it, the stirring rod aligned neatly with the edge of the table, the vials spaced just far enough apart to prevent accidental contact. Nothing was crowded. Nothing was excessive. It was less a matter of perfection than of intention.

Her mixture rested in front of her in its earliest stage, still mostly clear, touched only faintly by the slow infusion of the leaf. She watched it with steady patience, not as someone waiting for a result, but as someone listening for a response. Around her, the room carried on in small, uneven currents. The nervous shuffle of feet, the soft clink of glass, a muttered curse, the low rumble of frustration that escaped Ghruna's throat before she managed to restrain it.

Kaiva noticed all of it.

Not in a way that distracted her, but in the way one becomes aware of the weather while walking. It was simply part of the environment, something to be acknowledged and understood rather than reacted to.

She reached for the powdered crystal and tipped a single grain into her palm, watching how it caught the light for a brief moment before letting it fall into the vial. The surface rippled softly. She waited, counting under her breath, observing how the liquid responded before deciding whether to continue. Only when it began to settle did she add another grain, careful not to rush the process.

Her stirring was minimal, controlled to the point of restraint. She guided the motion rather than imposed it, allowing the mixture to resist slightly before yielding. It reminded her faintly of conversation, of the way understanding emerged more readily when neither side tried too hard to dominate the exchange.

Lysander's earlier words lingered in her thoughts. Awareness. Feedback. Restraint.

They applied here more cleanly than she had expected.

When Ghruna's low growl reached her again, Kaiva glanced sideways for a brief moment, her gaze lingering just long enough to register the tension in the woman's posture and the careful effort it took for her not to give in to impatience. There was no judgment in the look, and no amusement. Only recognition. She had known that frustration herself, in other contexts, in other lessons.

Her attention returned to her own work.

Leaning in slightly, she studied the way the mixture pushed back against the stirring rod before slowly aligning with its movement. She adjusted her pace by a fraction, matching its resistance rather than fighting it, letting the rhythm settle naturally. A quiet breath escaped her as the solution began to clear, thin wisps of cloudiness dissolving into something smoother and more coherent.

This was not simply brewing.

It was a dialogue.

With the materials. With herself. With the environment around her.

And so Kaiva remained where she was, a quiet presence among unfamiliar faces, saying little, revealing less, learning far more than she outwardly showed as she observed each of them in turn, filing away impressions and patterns for later consideration.

Ghruna Anet Raine Naniti Eurydice Tamsin Starfall Lysander von Ascania

 

[Lysander von Ascania]

Ghruna Anet Raine Kaiva Rowe Eurydice Tamsin Starfall Naniti​

The room’s heartbeat skipped now and then, as one might expect. Pockets of clarity, confusion, and even stubbornness. It was no surprise that no two cauldrons looked alike.

First, he gravitated toward the Maldrani, Ghruna , a familiar presence from their encounters on Desevro and later on Stewjon amid the hunt. At her workbench, he halted, sweeping over the half blended concoction. “You’re tackling it as if brute force will crack the code. You should trust the water to carry the task for you.”

The next was a student he hadn’t seen before, Kaiva Rowe , one who seemed more concerned with her own work than with any of her neighbors; it was interesting to see everyone at different stages, and it wasn’t a flaw, just the nature of the craft.

“You’re listening well. But don’t anticipate its next breath. Let it lead.”

Tamsin Starfall would receive a small nod of recognition. Their paths had rarely crossed, though for a short while they might have unknowingly been co‑apprentices; Kaila was the one who pulled him into the Covenant after delivering captured Arkanian scientists to her, just before the Galactic Alliance collapsed.

He noted the violet tint spreading through her water. “You are not following the mixture. You are letting something inside you speak louder. Alchemy does not fear power.”

No insight through the Force was really required to feel Eurydice 's fear; the woman’s watch over the cauldron and the way she chose her place in the room made it rather easy to see. He wasn’t one to lie; honesty was his habit. But.. maybe a tiny deviation would serve a greater purpose here. So.. one would unfurl from his tongue.

“You’re on the right track. Keep going.”

And at the edge of the spreading fog, hesitation took hold. If anyone was going to conjure a more disastrous reaction, it would be Anet Raine . Maybe if she spent half as much attention on the mixture as she did on commentary, she wouldn't be standing in it.

“You can still salvage the lesson. Clear your table and start again.” At least the words landed calmly.

Naniti 's question drew a slow side‑eye. Worst‑case scenarios were fair game. An image of Genarius surfaced and vanished a second later. A ribbon of dryness colored the answer. “No explosions today. This isn’t Edic Bar.”

Maybe that even counted as a joke for the class, assuming you weren't from the Mid Rim.

Lysander would return to the quieter task of observing.

 

[Eurydice]

"What?"

Eurydice flinched so hard that her knee bumped the workbench. The water within the jostled cauldron sloshed, which the frazzled girl hurried to steady with both hands.

"Careful," she called out, hiding a grin. "Who knows what a droplet of sweat might do now." Anet teased.

Fortunately, her faux pas hadn't been enough to earn the maldrani's ire. Eurydice's head turned slowly, mechanically, in silent horror towards Anet.

A fresh wave of fear surged through agitated nerves as their instructor began making commentary on their progress. When he stopped in front of Eurydice, she fell back on old teachings. Head bowed, eyes down. Sith or not, Lysander carried the noble blood of Ukatis and he could-

“You’re on the right track. Keep going.”

Oh. Was that…was that praise? Eurydice blinked at the floor. So she hadn't bungled this entirely? That was surprising. She'd been given another chance.

Eurydice waited for Lysander to move on before she reached for the little vial of crystal powder. Grain by grain, he'd said. And that was exactly what she did, meticulously applying the reagent one granule at a time.

 

[Naniti]

The Togruta grunted at Lysander's "joke." Yes, well, best there weren't those kinds of explosions! Naniti had no desire to wipe this Academy from existence or to crack Coruscant like an egg. And if he had them using those kinds of reagents this early in the course... well, thrilling as that would be Naniti would have considered relocating somewhere safer.

Considering some of the pupil had already caused a frothy mixture of chemicals. At least it hadn't been acidic.

Grain by grain? A blue eye spied Eurydice doing as instructed after having been praised by Lysander for her work so far. Was this meant to teach them patience, how to concoct new mixtures, or simply a means of intruding a bit of torture into the lesson? There had to be a more efficient way to measure out the amount of binding agent.

"This will make an excellent tea." 'Draught,' he'd called it. That did make it sound more official, more noteworthy. Naniti was surprised they allowed the use of the word 'harmonizing' in the name. How many Sith thought that sounded 'a bit too Jedi-like?'

All that said, she was curious what Lysander had meant by forcing the outcome. He'd said it just after referring to 'restraint' using the Force. Always someone trying to take a shortcut? Alchemy didn't strike the Togruta as something you even used the Force doing. Sithalchemy -- where you created some of the most odious and foul creations in all of existence -- used the Force at times. Maybe the line between them wasn't so clear cut.

Lysander von Ascania | Eurydice | Ghruna | Anet Raine | Kaiva Rowe | Tamsin Starfall

 

[Tamsin Starfall]

​

Theme: Season Of The Witch
TAGS: Lysander von Ascania | Ghruna | Kaiva Rowe | Naniti | Eurydice | Anet Raine

"You are not following the mixture. You are letting something inside you speak louder. Alchemy does not fear power."

"…What?" Her sights turned downwards towards the water in the cauldron. Totally unaware of what was happening, but she could hear that voice in the back of her head cackling. She Had been paying attention to others in the classroom and how it was being taught, instead of trying to keep the demon from causing mischief.

"Dammit, sorry……that happens sometimes…." She said as she pulled her finger from the now violet colored water. It happened more often than she liked the demon taking control whenever it felt like it.

Her eyes peered downward at the ichor tainted water, she wasn't sure what kind of spell the demon had put on the water but it probably wasn't good. "…it should be fi….." but before she could finish her statement Lysander had moved on and then a fog began rolling off one of the desks, but Tamsin didn't look up to see whose it was.

Instead, she just grabbed the leaf and dropped it into the cauldron of violet water. She let out a slight sigh of relief as nothing happened, the leaf just floated there on top of the ichor-stained water. She then cautiously reached for the ground crystal as she stood there hesitantly for a moment before tapping a little into the mixture. Nothing again happened so she tapped in a little more as she did the violet water began to bubble a little but not aggressively. The leaf began to slowly separate, as Tamsin carefully turned up the heat a little.

The bits of the leaf that separated began to dissolve into the ichored water as they did and mixed with the crystals and ichor the concoction began to shift from a violet color to into a reddish color. The concoction began to thicken a little as Tamsin just watched the leaf slowly break apart and dissolve into something, she wasn't sure what the hell it was but it probably wasn't what Lysander anted them to make.

 

[Anet Raine]

Lysander von Ascania | Ghruna | Kaiva Rowe | Naniti | Eurydice

“You can still salvage the lesson. Clear your table and start again.” At least the words landed calmly.

Anet sighed as quietly as she could, burying the anger that prodded the surface. Not to dismiss that anger, but to internalize it; a weapon for another time.

While Lysander turned to the others, she cleared her workspace and reorganized the supplies that remained. This time, she was more attentive to the others, turning her gaze to their work so she might grasp both skill and mistakes.

Starting with the base infusion, the acolyte methodically followed through, step by step. When the temperature felt right, she added the leaf. Then, she took the crystaline powder between pale blue fingers, gently sprinkling it into the solution. She saw another student's expression sour, and tried to determine the cause of their mistake. Looking around, she noticed that his (unlike the others) was quite clouded, much like her first attempt. With that intuition, she waited for it to clear before moving on.

Finally, she caught onto the third step, having observed the room while she waited for her concoction to clear. So, they were supposed to breathe into it? That felt a little esoteric, but given her studies into the history of the Sith, it didn't surprise her. Anet leaned down and gently exhaled, like the unwound sigh of relief beside a lover's ear. She gave it another gentle stir for good measure. That one wasn't observed, it just... felt like the right thing to do.

She leaned back and noticed fluid ripple towards her, a slow and shallow wave.

Anet blinked and turned her head towards the instruction. "So - now what?" She asked calmly, though not without a hint of impatience.

For all her effort to improve, she was still a results-driven woman. Stubborn, some might say.