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This is The Execution of the Color Alchemist , which you recognize to be a painting of the famous Order of the Candlestone alchemist named Kelwin. Like Morroy, he was a Calbrian and is famous in Candlestone for being the father of color alchemy. You remember Master Arasemis explaining that it was one of the more esoteric schools of alchemy, dedicated to the study and practice of changing the color of substances and objects, often with unknown or not well understood consequences.

Most of Kelwin’s daily work was said to revolve around creating pigments and dyes for cosmetics, artwork, glass, inks, and other domestic uses. However, his ultimate goal was enta chromia: a pigment that can become any color at any time for the purpose of creating clothing of invisibility. Arasemis said that as Kelwin got closer to his goal, one of his adherents coveted the enta chromia for himself. She took Kelwin’s notebooks and hid them away, then outed her master to the king’s men for sorcery.

Under the pain of torture, Kelwin’s followers detailed his work to the king, who ordered Kelwin to be executed by methods gleaned from his own alchemy books. The king’s investigators settled on a concoction that was called shadowed seafire. Arasemis said he is not aware of any such creation, so he thinks it was more likely that they misinterpreted something from Kelwin’s books.

The king’s men combined random mixtures from his laboratory in a large vat, with the intent of burning Kelwin, but the thick liquid began to solidify around him when a hot lamp was brought near to light it. This moment is depicted in the painting, with Kelwin waiting calmly for death in return for the king sparing the lives of his followers.

Impatient with the pace of events, and perhaps embarrassed that his investigators bungled their task, the king ordered Kelwin to be beheaded while he sat fixed in the vat of solidified liquid. The king then reneged on his promise, ordering the execution of Kelwin’s followers that had not evaded capture.

Today, Kelwin is considered a martyr by Candlestone, one who pushed the boundaries of what was possible with alchemy. Arasemis said he does not know what happened to Kelwin’s stolen notebooks. The pupil who had betrayed him was pardoned by the king, so she may have tried to complete enta chromia alone in secret. Other color alchemists have tried to reproduce Kelwin’s work, to little effect as far as anyone knows.

Many alchemists consider invisible materials to be a hopeless fantasy rife with trickery, as some color alchemists have turned to the creation of gold platinate and iron platinate substances. These are intended to mimic real gold and iron in an attempt to defraud gullible marks of their money.

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Context: This is an excerpt from the Earthpillar Online: Thorendor Castle interactive . This epic fantasy WIP has full-scale DungeonDraft maps of every room of a 10-floor castle (100+ map images), where alchemical objects, artwork, bookshelves, chests, and doors are clickable like an old school choose-your-own-adventure. You can wander each room to learn more about the Earthpillar world you’ve read about in the novels (or get a taste of the writing if you haven't), without stumbling into spoilers.

Description

This is The Execution of the Color Alchemist , which you recognize to be a painting of the famous Order of the Candlestone alchemist named Kelwin. Like Morroy, he was a Calbrian and is famous in Candlestone for being the father of color alchemy. You remember Master Arasemis explaining that it was one of the more esoteric schools of alchemy, dedicated to the study and practice of changing the color of substances and objects, often with unknown or not well understood consequences.

Most of Kelwin’s daily work was said to revolve around creating pigments and dyes for cosmetics, artwork, glass, inks, and other domestic uses. However, his ultimate goal was enta chromia: a pigment that can become any color at any time for the purpose of creating clothing of invisibility. Arasemis said that as Kelwin got closer to his goal, one of his adherents coveted the enta chromia for himself. She took Kelwin’s notebooks and hid them away, then outed her master to the king’s men for sorcery.

Under the pain of torture, Kelwin’s followers detailed his work to the king, who ordered Kelwin to be executed by methods gleaned from his own alchemy books. The king’s investigators settled on a concoction that was called shadowed seafire. Arasemis said he is not aware of any such creation, so he thinks it was more likely that they misinterpreted something from Kelwin’s books.

The king’s men combined random mixtures from his laboratory in a large vat, with the intent of burning Kelwin, but the thick liquid began to solidify around him when a hot lamp was brought near to light it. This moment is depicted in the painting, with Kelwin waiting calmly for death in return for the king sparing the lives of his followers.

Impatient with the pace of events, and perhaps embarrassed that his investigators bungled their task, the king ordered Kelwin to be beheaded while he sat fixed in the vat of solidified liquid. The king then reneged on his promise, ordering the execution of Kelwin’s followers that had not evaded capture.

Today, Kelwin is considered a martyr by Candlestone, one who pushed the boundaries of what was possible with alchemy. Arasemis said he does not know what happened to Kelwin’s stolen notebooks. The pupil who had betrayed him was pardoned by the king, so she may have tried to complete enta chromia alone in secret. Other color alchemists have tried to reproduce Kelwin’s work, to little effect as far as anyone knows.

Many alchemists consider invisible materials to be a hopeless fantasy rife with trickery, as some color alchemists have turned to the creation of gold platinate and iron platinate substances. These are intended to mimic real gold and iron in an attempt to defraud gullible marks of their money.

---

Context: This is an excerpt from the Earthpillar Online: Thorendor Castle interactive . This epic fantasy WIP has full-scale DungeonDraft maps of every room of a 10-floor castle (100+ map images), where alchemical objects, artwork, bookshelves, chests, and doors are clickable like an old school choose-your-own-adventure. You can wander each room to learn more about the Earthpillar world you’ve read about in the novels (or get a taste of the writing if you haven't), without stumbling into spoilers.