Malcolm’s Chemicals
Throughout books 5 and 6, Malcolm, AKA “Malkalam the Sorcerer”, is thought to pull off feats of sorcery that we later discover are related to chemistry and science. Although we do find out his so-called sorcery is just science, we never find out how he does his “magic.”
The first “act of sorcery” Malcolm pulls off, is launching signal rockets and having them explode. How did he do that? I believe he did it using a combination known as black powder. Black powder contains a mixture of potassium nitrate, or saltpeter, charcoal and sulfur. To create this combination you need 75% saltpeter, 15% charcoal and 10% sulfur. Black powder was discovered by ancient Chinese alchemists and was used to create fireworks AND signals just like Malcolm does. The alchemists discovered black powder through experimenting with life-preserving elixirs, which I believe is quite ironic because they were trying to preserve life and ended up creating guns because the last function of black powder is gunpowder.
Now, back to Malcolm. I believe he used black powder because, just like fireworks, the signal rocket flew into the air and “exploded in a shower of sparks.” That sounds a lot like fireworks and it even mentions the word “fireworks” when the Siege of Macindaw was ending and Will was thinking about the recent battle. That seems like pretty clear evidence that Malcolm used black powder.
The only catch is that the Chinese discovered the combination long before the Europeans. However, the Europeans DID have access to all the ingredients required. We also know that Malcolm is a skilled chemist, so it is not impossible to say he discovered the mixture before the rest of Araluen/England and wanted to keep his secret mixture, just that, a secret! Malcolm wants to keep his patients safe, through the “sorcery of Grimsdell Wood” and if people found out his “magic” was just a few chemicals it would greatly reduce the aura of fear and mystery surrounding Grimsdell.
The second and last magic trick Malcolm pulls off is when they have captured General MacHaddish, the leader of the band of Scotti, who were going to take over Castle Macindaw. After they capture him, they try to question him by using Serthek’nish, a Scotti demon that steals souls. To add to the illusion, Malcolm puts a packet of an unknown substance in the fire and the fire flares up and goes back down, making it look like Serthek’nish is tampering with the flame. To make the fire flare, I don’t think Malcolm used chemicals at all, I think he used wood dust. Wood dust is a highly flammable substance that is a byproduct of all wood manufacturing. Which means that Malcolm could have easily acquired it and it matches the description of the flare. Wood dust explosions flare highly for 1-2 seconds then die back down, just like the book says. To make the wood dust catch on fire, you need two things, a heat source, which is the fire that was already burning, and you need a partially contained place, the gaps between the logs.
Lastly, these chemicals are VERY dangerous and should NOT be used without proper training. Even the wood dust can cause cancer unless proper precautions are in place. So be CAREFUL with chemicals, they are DANGEROUS!
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