Elf Alchemist
Alchemy is often the hot new thing in terms of magic, a strange and often underestimated arcane practice. Entrenched customs will likely not want to give alchemists the same respect that clerics, wizards, and other spell-casters receive. After all, generally these practices have centuries or even millennia of tradition to legitimize them. Therefore, an elf taking up this pseudo-science is likely to turn heads.
Given their long life spans, an elf alchemist may take their time in developing their formulae and crafting their concoctions. Years of experimentation, decades of refinement, centuries of expanding their knowledge. Of course, they are likely still going against tradition, but that may be the point. Perhaps these elves are engaging in a new branch of research in order to adapt to changing conditions, very in line with their chosen profession. They could also be fed up with how static elven magical practices have become, wanting to make discoveries and explore concepts traditional casters won’t pursue. There might even be some foresight in this, using their many previous years of experience to see trends and conditions coalescing into an advantageous position for alchemists in the future. No matter what, these elves are likely to make good use of their natural advantage of time to ensure their experiments are successful.
Xolani Mandla Amahle Maningi
Out past the outskirts can be found the territory of the elves, and on the far fringes of that you can find an isolated island in a little-known lake. On that island stands a tower surrounded by a high wall. Rumors say it is the home of an elderly elven wizard, but in fact its sole inhabitant is relatively young alchemist. Xolani’s family is wealthy even among elves, and they invested in the tower to give the cripplingly shy young prodigy a place to feel at ease. Although he isn’t far into his second century, Xolani has accomplished multiple breakthroughs in the field of alchemy, but the sometimes pyrotechnic results have led to the rumors about his tower. If someone tries to entreat the “mysterious mage,” Xolani sends his homunculus to send them away. If they insist, he’ll try and give them various potions to make them leave. And in case of trespassers, numerous alchemical traps have been set around and inside the tower.
Zorion Salazar
The elves have watched other races go to war many times, and often the signs are the same. So, some of the more entrepreneurial elves start to watch for those signs and then invest into related industries. Zorion set up shop in a historically neutral city-state that borders on three historically feuding nations. From there, they can keep their ears open to news and rumors pointing towards growing conflicts. Though their primary stock and trade is healing potions, “bottled strength” and alchemist’s fire are also quite popular. If approached by adventurers during the lead up to or during a conflict, Zorion will have limited supplies but be willing to offer completed product in exchange for gathering resources or transporting orders to the front lines. Whether this makes them targets of the belligerents is not of great concern.
Zoie Remington
A new continent is discovered, and colonists head to unknown shores. But when they arrive, a shocking complication is found: magic here works in strange and sometimes unpredictable ways. The only thing that seems unaffected are potions, so the demand for alchemists surges in the colony. Zoie Remington finds herself thrust into a public leadership position as both her settlement’s head healer and arcane scholar, which she views as a double-edged sword. Yes, she’s got authority, respect, and pay like she’s never seen, but other elves centuries her seniors are glaring at her from afar. These clerics and wizards, used to being on top in matters of magic, are generally quite unhappy with being displaced from what they assumed to be easy seats of power. Zoie’s feeling the pressure, but she’s too concerned with her official duties and ongoing experiments, for which requests are often found on the town work board to gather both known and newly discovered components.
