Latest posts of: Lionhorse

Hello, everyone, long time no seen, and all because of studies and work, and many other things. You know that I am studying Pharmacy at university, so, I wanted to create something like that in the world of Caelereth. Of course there is alchemy, though alchemy is something different than pharmacy anyways. For this entry I used industry template. Maybe we could make pharmacy as one part of alchemy? Well, its up to you.

Pharmoceia

Overview:
Pharmoceia is an art of researching, developing, and making different kinds of medicine, and is also responsible for correct application of medicine without fear that it might harm the patient. Pharmoceia most commonly is known as an art of medicine making, and those who practice it are called pharmoceists or, in other words, healers.

Description:
Art of Pharmoceia is trying to answer on many essential questions concerning health care and nature resource usage in medicine - how to prepare medicine; what ingredients are needed for that; what are the properties of ingredients; what will happen to patient, if he/she uses too much of prescribed medicine; and so forth. It also tries to unite all possible forms of medicine to improve health care even more than it is now.

For every pharmoceist, health of a patient comes first. If there are numerous healers, who simply abandon their patients, because of the lack of knowledge or ethical issues, pharmoceists do not - they are trying to do all they can, and are using all their collective knowledge to ensure safety and, if possible, full recovery of a patient. They are also trying to bring greater good to this world in general.

All pharmoceists are united in one guild, which exact location at the present time is unknown, but there are some hints and stories about it. The unity of pharmoceists can be observed through their clothing and gear - all pharmoceists wear brown mage robes and have wooden staves that are intertwined with two wines. Each of them also have a case that is made out of wood, and is 1 fore, 1 palmspan, 1 nailsbreadth, 3 grains in length, 1 palmspan, 6 nailsbreadths, 4 grains width, and 1 fore high. The case contains tools, bottles with different kinds of medicine, some alchemical tools, and reagents - in short, everything that a true pharmoceist need in any situation to accomplish his calling. Because of such gear and clothing they sometimes are mistaken by druids, which they are not, though some of them use magic as well.

Training:
Some pharmoceists reveal that they are united in Pharmoceia Guild, but their training is taking place in various Temples of Ha'wyn - the Aeoliran God of Health, therefore most pharmoceists, if not all, come from the desert continent Aeoliran. They train together, live together, collect knowledge about medicinal plants, animal parts, and many other things to store them all in their guild for safe keeping, ensuring that this information would never get into the hands of evil. Some of them become the priests of Ha'wyn, and, following their spiritual path, they never abandon a half dead on the road.

Pharmoceists can be of any age, starting from the age of eight, when young children are welcomed to the Temple to learn the way of Nature, Body and Health, if they wish.

At the begging of training, they are spending two years under the guidance of Pharmoceia Master at one local Temple, learning all basics of nature, animals, body, health, and how all these things interact with each other. After that, they are sent to Pharmoceia Guild, to test their skills. If initiate passes the tests, he or she becomes an apprentice, and is given a brown robe sewed out of fine linen cloth by their parents or local house wives, in case if one, for some reasons, have no parents.

For the next three years apprentices must travel to other Temples of Ha'wyn, where they can receive advanced training under the guidance of various Pharmoceia Masters, who are masters in their own discipline. Each Temple has only one Pharmoceia Master, and each apprentice must undergo training in all of the Temples. After three years of rigorous training, all apprentices are sent to Pharmoceia Guild to take tests on their skills once again. If passed, they become a journeymen, and are given the wooden cases that are made out of wood by their parents or local men, if, for some reasons, one have no parents. In this case journeyman can store everything he/she needs for a journey to accomplish his/her calling in almost any situation, and the case has a leather belt attached to it to make it easier to carry.

Before journey, all journeymen give a special oath in front of all other pharmoceists that are present in the guild, to remind themselves, why they are doing their Art. The oath include a set of things pharmoceist can or can not do. If any pharmoceist ever breaks the oath, he or she risks of being expelled from the guild, all his/her possessions will be taken away, and for scoundrel the doors to the Guild will be sealed away forever.

Once the oath and case is given, every journeyman must make a special staff that will serve as their walking stick, and as a badge of their office. Those, who are using magic, must make their staves during the second year of training while being initiates, and their staves will not only be a badge of their office or a simple walking stick, but also an important tool for using magic.

When all gear is crafted and packed, during the next five years all journeymen must go on to the journey through out the world, to help those in need, to practice their art, to search for new applications of Pharmoceia, and discover new possibilities in the field of their Art. During this journey, Pharmoceist Journeyman must write a diary about things he/she have done or events he/she have encountered, as well as research information about different kinds of diseases, plants, minerals, new medicine forms or research methods etc.

After five long years, upon return to the Guild, each pharmoceist journeyman must give all their diaries to the Council of Masters, to inform them about their work during the quest. Every journeyman must return to the Guild with some interesting plant, plant seed, animal, animal part, mineral specimen, uncommon reagent etc. as well, for further development and research of a specimen, and to improve Guild's economics. During their quest, every journeyman collects different kinds of alchemical tools, and may share it with other pharmoceists in the Guild. Following next year, pharmoceist journeymen do nothing and relax from their travel in one of the Temples of Ha'wyn. After one year, Council of Masters gather all journeymen in the Guild once again to announce the results of their journeys. Some of them become Pharmoceists, but, if results are better than Council have expected, some of them become Pharmoceist Adepts.

Finally, to become a Pharmoceist Master, Pharmoceist Adept must make several discoveries that other Pharmoceist Masters will recognize as very important and valuable for their cause.

Guild's economics:
Being poor, desert Guild, members of Pharmoceia Guild have developed very close economical relationship with gnomes, who are masters of alchemic trade. When Pharmoceist Journeymen are taking their "five years quest", first and foremost they travel to gnomish kingdoms for supplies, which they get for a service to gnomish community. For example, alchemical tools, reagents or medical ingredients Pharmoceist Journeyman will get for free, if he/she will make enough medicine to cure ill gnomish people or will cure an unknown disease, or will do some other medicine related service for the gnomes. If Pharmoceist Journeyman has showed him-/herself very useful for gnomish society, he/she may also get some extra supplies for the Guild.

Pharmoceia disciplines:

Pharmoceia, as you already can see, is very strict art that consists of many disciplines, each putting their best effort in their field of specialty.

Research Pharmoceia:
Deals with research and discovery of methods that can be used to reveal unknown medicines, poisons, and substances in liquids or living beings. This is done by application of various reagents to unknown substances or their solutions, resulting in the change of its color. Depending upon the reagent, the color of unknown product can change, and depending upon this change, it is possible to tell what is inside the unknown product.

For example, you have unknown solution that gives out strong scent, reminiscent of rotten garlick. There are so many things that could smell like that, and you have a feeling that inside the solution might be arsenic, but you are not sure about that. In order to know for sure, what is inside the solution, you should mix together Baveran Aceed and Quicksilver to make Baveran Quicksilver solution that will be needed a little bit later. Then you need a small bottle with a cork that has a hole in it, but inside the hole you should place a small glass tube. Place into a bottle a small piece of Zincum, add 3 - 4 drops of concentrated Baveran Aceed, and 2 - 3 drops of your unknown solution. Close the bottle with that special cork. Then apply some drops of Baveran Quicksilver solution onto a small piece of bright parchment (not brown or old), roll it, so it could fit the cork's glass tube, and place it inside the glass tube. After several seconds the bright parchment will turn dark brown - it means that your unknown solution contains arsenic.

Above is described only one method out of thousands that are used for detection of unknown substances. As you can see it is very difficult and creative field of Pharmoceia.

Herbalism and Nature Lore:
Herbalism and Nature Lore are very closely related to each other, and their main focus is on flora and fauna of Caelereth.

Nature Lore is a science that observes the life cycle of plants, animals and many other creatures, as well as natural processes and changes that occur during a certain life cycle of each. It also observes interactions between plants and living beings, putting all that information into one scheme that is called Law of Everything - unified law that explains and teaches about nature that is all around us.
Herbalism, on the other hand, is a sub-branch of Nature Lore that focuses mainly on the fauna of Caelereth. Its main goal is to explore plants, their life cycles, properties and possible usage in different kinds of industries that are found all around the world.
Herbalism is a vital part of Pharmoceia that is trying to find as many medicinal plants as possible to treat all sorts of ailments. It is also important to research poisonous plants in order to prepare for possible poisonings that may occur under the guidance of twisted minds. "Knowing poison, you will know how to counter it" - this is one of many postulates that Pharmoceia Masters teach to their pupils, to help them understand the meaning of poisons and antidotes.
Animal Lore, Beast and Creature Lore are another sub-branches of Nature Lore. Animal Lore focus on the animals of mundane nature (not magical), but Beast and Creature Lore focus on creatures, and other forms of living, or non-living, beings of magical and unnatural nature. Both are trying to research habitat and behaviour, diet, mating, and possible resources that animals and creatures might produce.
Art of Pharmoceia is using some of animal resources, for example, internal organs, horns, claws, and many others.
Earth Lore is a sub-branch of Nature Lore that focuses on materials and resources, which can be obtained from the earth and soil of Caelereth, including gems, minerals, metals and other earth resources. Some of them are used in Pharmoceia as well. For example, metal compounds or minerals, to make a certain medicine forms or to identify unknown substances. Therefore Earth Lore is also very close related to Alchemy, which is also dealing with research of earth resources.

Practical Pharmoceia:
Deals with actual preparation of medicines in various forms: powders, solutions, liquids, infusions, decoctions, mixtures, and many more. This discipline is dealing with mixing of various ingredients together, in correct order, to make a high quality medicine. In order to accomplish it, pharmoceists are researching properties of substances, plant and animal materials. Knowing properties of ingredient, one will know, how it will interact with other ingredients, when mixed together, and will successfully produce a useable medicine.
This discipline is especially important, when treating babies and children, who are the most caprice patients of all. Children doesn't like sour and bad tasting medicines, therefore it's pharmoceists duty to hide the unpleasant taste of a medicine without affecting its effects.

Pharmocelogion:
In short, Pharmocelogion deals with research of medicines and substances to discover their correct usage in medicine and medicine making. It is a study about the properties of medicine and how to use various medicinal preparations in healing, avoiding negative properties that it may cause. Yes, even medicine can do harm, if used wrongly. From here comes postulate: "Everything is poison, if taken in wrong doses".

This field of study describes interaction between living organism and medical substance, which in turn can change the state of a living being. If a substance has medical properties, it is called "pharmo-active" substance, from which you can make medical preparations. Pharmocelogion describes not only the properties of a medical substances, but also the ways how to combine them, interactions of various medical substances, the way of healing process by using one or the other medical substance or preparation. This study is still searching for more new medical substances and the ways how to use them in medicine.

Pharmomagos:
Sometimes potions, solutions, powders, and other medical preparations and substances, are not always effective enough to cure a disease or poisoning, therefore there are some pharmoceists, who use magic to enhance the power and effectiveness of medical preparations/substances and medical treatment in general. It is rumored that there are even some diseases that can be cured only with magic and no other way. So Pharmomagos deals with application of magic in medicine to ensure better treatment.

In this field of study most commonly used spells are:

Sanguinary Block - Earth Magic School, Level I spell - first aid in case of bleeding;
Weaken Resolve - Earth Magic School, Level II spell - this spell is used in combination with calming spells in case of aggression;
Deadened Senses - Earth Magic School, Level III spell - can be used to lower pain;
Injèrán Touch - Fire Magic School, Level II spell - can be used in case of frostbite or to seal a bleeding wound (very crude method, but effective);
Burning Regeneration - Fire Magic School, Level IV spell - can be used to increase regenerative properties of the body thus increasing effectiveness of healing process;
Calm - Water Magic School, Level I spell - can be used to ease aggression or properties of other mental diseases;
Ice Touch - Water Magic School, Level II spell - can be used to preserve severed body parts (this spell is recommended for short duration usage);
Serenity - Water Magic School, Level IV spell - advanced version of Calm spell;
Kord's Fever of Nightmares - Water Magic School, Level VII spell - very sinister spell that should never be used because among pharmoceists is considered as a very potent magical poison (it took time for pharmoceists to discover an antidote to this);
Water Extraction - Water Magic School, Level VII spell - also a very crude spell, but can be used to extract some part of poisons in the living being thus ensuring the recovery of a patient;
Enlightenment - Wind Magic School, Level II spell - can be used in treatment of mental diseases that reduces the patient's ability to learn and perceive information in general;
Spectral Sight - Wind Magic School, Level III spell - can be used by pharmoceist to better understand, what is wrong with the patient, in which part of the patient could be the health related problem, and how medicine is affecting him/her;
Aura of Restoration - Wind Magic School, Level VI spell - also increases healing process;
Refresh - Wind Magic School, Level VI spell - could be used to restore strength of a warrior in case of great need;
Comfort - Wind Magic School, Level VIII spell - can be used to treat mental illnesses in combination with other spells.
Biorhythm - Xeua Magic School, Level VI spell - can be used to aid healing processes or treatment;
Close Wound - Xeua Magic School, Level VI spell - can be used to increase wound healing process and regenerative abilities of a target body.

Terms in Pharmoceia:
While studying the noble art of Pharmoceia, one encounters many confusing terms, therefore there are some very widely known across the academical world of Caelereth, which are commonly used in various books about plants, animals and medical preparations in general.

Medical or Pharmo-active substance - one substance that can change the state of living organism in some way, if taken, and is used in medicine making.
Medical preparation - a medical remedy that contains two or more medical substances along with many other ingredients mixed together.
Medical prescription - a receipt, which describes all ingredients, in proper doses, that are used to make a specific medical preparation.
Ingredients - all components of a medical preparation.
Medical properties (Properties) - a set of properties, which possess every medical substance or preparation, and express in the living organism as a set of changes, e.g., faster heart beating, possible hallucinations, easing of pain etc.
Medical treatment - a set of actions a healer must do to effectively cure a disease or poisoning.
Patient - a person or living being that suffers from diseases, poisoning or other health related problems.

History of the Industry:
Still to be added - maybe.

That will be enough for now. You can start commenting and giving your suggestions, making discussions etc., and I will finish this entry as soon as possible.