Taken From the Journal of Korvosian Alchemist – Ernest Fyffe

 

8 Years Ago:

I am really going to have to fire Jamis. I give very simple instructions, “Bring me dead.” Yet he apparently cannot follow even these simple things.

 

“It’s not my fault boss. He looked dead to me, how was I supposed to know?”

 

I should have just ended his unfortunate existence, or at least beat him senseless, but in honesty, unless you were as skilled with anatomy and physiology as I am, you could nearly be forgiven for thinking the same.

 

Along with two, very dead, very boring unfortunate victims of the shakes, Jamis also brought me a child, this one had all the appearances of being dead, but was not. I’ll sleep on it tonight and either have Jamis return him in the morning or I’ll conduct an autopsy in the morning. He will no doubt succumb to his injuries during the night.

 

…

 

8 Years - 2 Days ago:

 

It has been two days since Jamis brought me the child. I find myself intrigued. The boy should have expired due to his injuries, and yet he still lives. Very interesting indeed.

 

I cleaned some of the filth off and he appears to be about 8-9 years old and has the look of Shoanti about him. I wonder where he came from.

 

…

 

8 Years – 5 Days Ago:

 

The boy has now got my attention. It has been five days and I have decided that it fate that our paths crossed. I have always wanted a live subject to study and now I have one. Not only will they not be missed. I can conduct studies on a growing specimen, from childhood to adulthood.

 

…

 

8 Years – 10 days Ago:

 

I have taken to calling the boy, Watson. He does not speak much, and most of what comes out of his mouth is unintelligible nonsense. I think he may have suffered some kind of head trauma or some birth defect that has impaired his mental faculties, but as a purely physical specimen he seems unusually robust.

 

Now that his body has recovered I am going to introduce him to the wheel.

 

…

 

7 Years Ago

 

Watson continues to amaze. Though his speech is at best that of someone half his age, he shows remarkable strength and endurance and has worked the wheel for nearly a year without fail.

 

…

 

6 and ½ years Ago

 

Last night I was awoken by a cry from Watson. I am now almost 100% positive that he is, or at least was Shoanti. He was dreaming and was speaking some words which were definitely Shoanti in origin. He did mention the name “Hector”, as couple of times. I wonder if her is referring to Hector Warmore, the old leader of Nirmathis? Perhaps the Shoanti tell their children the same stories as the Chelaxians.

 

…

 

5 Years Ago

 

I am concerned with Watson, though he rarely speaks I am sure I have seen him watching me while I conduct my experiments and listening in on my musings. I would like to partition the lab off, but I like to watch him work the wheel. He been at it now for years and only seems to grow stronger. At the very least I may need to commence working in Varisian so as to ensure my privacy.

 

2 Years Ago

 

Today there was a incident in the lab. It was only through my superior knowledge of the art that I survived.

 

Waston managed to break free of his bonds and he attacked me while I was preoccupied with other matters in the lab His strength is quite remarkable, I must take more samples. It was only to my physical mutagen that I was able to subdue him. I had almost stopped preparing it in the morning, but old habits die-hard and it saved my life and more importantly my work.

 

After subduing Watson and suitably anaesthetizing him, I sort out some more robust manacles and will now need to leave him chained to the wheel at all times.

 

…

 

21 Months Ago

 

Despite the incident three months ago, Waston seems to have settled somewhat and I have even allowed him a couple of hours a week off the wheel.

 

I have got some very good results studying him now that he is a little older. I think I have learnt more from my experiments and observations of him over the past six or so years than the rest of my training.

 

I should have started on the living years ago!

 

Still, I am wary. He looks at me sometimes and seems to have more appreciation for what is going on than his demeanour indicates.

 

…

 

Armageddon

 

It’s ruined! All those years of study, up in smoke! So much of my life’s work gone.

I awoke early this morning to the noise of crackling flames, breaking glass and thick acrid smoke. I made immediately for the lab, but it was too late, it was thoroughly engulfed and so much of my labour disappearing in flame and smoke.

 

I watched in disgust as my neighbours filthy children laughed in delight at the vivid colours and explosions of sparks as many unique and irreplaceable compounds were consumed.

 

…

 

The Aftermath

 

It has been has been a day since the great fire. I am still at a loss as to how it occurred. I am normally so careful, I never leave unattended flames or volatile chemicals unsecured.

 

I was able to salvage some gold and personal effects that were in my bed trunk so I am not completely destitute, but far closer than I would like to be.

 

Little else was left however, the intensity of the flames was so strong that they completely disintegrated Watson and left not even a tooth behind. So hot that the manacles themselves and iron lock on the lab door popped open.

 

…

 

RECENT UPDATE

 

My attempts to rebuild have been delayed at every step. The council won’t let me rebuild until restitution to my neighbours is made and the guild approves my credentials. The guild tarries, as they have not understanding of my work, of my art. They only understand at temporary elixirs and parlour tricks emulating wizardly effects. They do not understand the true power of permanent augmentation. They are but ignorant buffoons.

 

On the subject of ignorant buffoons I ran into Jamis today, older and more useless than before. While attempting to masquerade his pathetic request for charity as an offer of his pathetic services, he mentioned that Gaedren Lann had disappeared and if rumours believed, been killed by a band of angry vigilantes.

 

Sick old man had it coming. Still his activities did provide the occasional useful specimen for my studies. Perhaps I could employ their services. They certainly could not be worse that Jamis and his crew.

 

The description Jamis provided of the assailants, six in total, was not very helpful at. There was something that seemed familiar about the description of the largest member of the bunch, but I just can’t place it. Perhaps if I had better help than this pox-ridden imbecile I’d get more useful information… Hmmm pox, maybe I’ll infect him next time I see him.