The Clockwork Alchemist’s Lexicon of Echoes

A Compendium of Lost Formulas, Haunting Residues, and Chronometric Conjurations

By Prof Erasmus Thorne, Emeritus (Disgraced)

Prologue: The Ticking Void

Forget the grand pronouncements of the Royal Society. Discard your faith in predictable reactions and replicable outcomes. Herein lies a different pursuit – the Alchemist’s art, distorted through the lens of time itself. I have chased whispers through shattered hourglasses, wrestled with paradoxes in the brass lungs of automatons, and distilled the sorrow of forgotten events into potent elixirs.

This lexicon is not a guide to success. It is a map of failure, etched onto the skin of temporal collapse. Consider yourselves warned. Turn back now, and perhaps salvage the sliver of sanity you still possess.

Section I: The Resonance of Reagents

This section details materials possessing inherent chronal disturbances, either due to their origin in unstable time periods or through intentional manipulation. Handle with extreme cautiousnesscaveatcircumspectionforethought. Even proximity can alter the flow of time within the immediate vicinity.

Aetherium Dust: Extracted from meteorites imbued with the dying echoes of nascent universes. Appears as shimmering, obsidian-like powder. Inhalation induces visions of probabilistic futures, often ending in ruinous self-destruction. Classified as a Class V temporal hazard. Actual estimated quantity: 3 grams, contained within a lead-lined crucible submerged in liquid nitrogen (location known only to myself). Side effects include uncontrollable shivering, heightened sensitivity to chronal flux, and the uncanny ability to auspicate the next sentence spoken by anyone within a 10-foot radius (accuracy rate: 78%).
Crimson Chronarium: A sentient metal capable of manipulating local time. It pulses with a dull, crimson light, its surface cool to the touch. Prolonged exposure induces temporal fragmentation, causing the subject to go through their life in disjointed, non-linear segments. Origin unknown, but suspected to be forged in the heart of a collapsing star. Currently bound within a series of complex interlocking clockwork mechanisms designed to neutralize its chronal emissions (efficacy: questionable). Do not attempt to disengage the mechanisms. Ever.
Petrified Sighs: The solidified exhalations of individuals caught within temporal anomalies. Resemble chunks of opaque, shimmering glass. Each shard contains a frozen moment of terror and regret. Upon being shattered, releases a localized temporal distortion, briefly reliving the final moments of the trapped individual. High potential for catastrophic causality loops. Collection and experimentation strictly forbidden (although, I confess, I have made several small incisions to study their resonating frequency).
Echo Bloom: A parasitic fungus that feeds on temporal energy. Grows exclusively on structures that have witnessed significant historical events. Emits a low, subsonic hum that distorts perceptions of time, causing periods of intense déjà vu and feelings of profound melancholic. Consumption of the spores leads to accelerated aging, followed by spontaneous combustion. Described as having a flavour reminiscent of “dust and regret.”
Shadowsilk: Woven by spiders native to areas experiencing extreme temporal displacement. Possesses the ability to absorb and re-emit light from different points in time. Garments crafted from Shadowsilk appear to shift and shimmer, reflecting fleeting glimpses of the past and future. Extremely volatile and prone to spontaneous unraveling, creating localized temporal rifts.

Section II: Formulary of Chronal Concoctions

This section details alchemical preparations designed to manipulate or interact with time. Success rates are notoriously low, and unintended consequences are virtually guaranteed. Overture these formulas with the utmost trepidation.

Elixir of Fleeting Reverie: A potent concoction designed to induce temporary clairvoyance. Requires precise measurements of Aetherium Dust, steeped in distilled moonlight and catalyzed by the blood of a prophet (or, failing that, a particularly perceptive crow). Side effects may include spontaneous combustion, prophetic seizures, and the development of an insatiable craving for clockwork mechanisms. Current efficacy rate: 17% (with a 98% chance of madness).
Chrono-Static Potion: A viscous, amber liquid designed to create a localized temporal stasis field. In hypothesis, it should freeze time within a designated area. In practice, it often results in unpredictable temporal fluctuations, causing objects to flicker in and out of existence, and individuals to experience rapid aging and rejuvenation cycles. Recipe requires precise synchronization with the lunar cycle and the resonance of a grandfather clock that has witnessed a significant death.
Resonance Draught: A dangerous potion aimed at enhancing one’s perception of temporal echoes. Involves the distillation of Petrified Sighs in a crucible constructed from bone. Allows the imbiber to temporarily relive the experiences of individuals trapped within temporal anomalies. Extreme risk of psychic contamination and permanent mental instability. Dosage: One drop (administered with extreme caution, preferably by someone who doesn’t value their own sanity).
The Philosopher’s Gear: Not a potion, but a device. A complex organisation of interlocking gears crafted from Crimson Chronarium. Supposedly, when properly configured, can accelerate the user’s personal timeline, allowing them to acquire knowledge and skills at an accelerated rate. However, the acceleration is rarely uniform, resulting in fragmented memories and a distorted sense of self. Current status: fastened within a reinforced vault protected by a series of temporal traps (even I have lost the key).
The Time-Stained Tears of the Prophet: A mythologized substance rumored to grant the drinker the ability to alter past events. Requires the literal tears of an Oracle who has witnessed the end of the world, meticulously collected and preserved in a vacuum-sealed ampoule. Existence unconfirmed, but the pursuit remains… tantalizing.

Section III: The Automaton’s Lament

This section explores the intersection of clockwork mechanisms and temporal anomalies, focusing on automatons that have become imbued with chronal disturbances. These machines are often unpredictable and dangerous, their actions driven by fragmented memories and distorted perceptions of time.

The Chronometer Golem: A towering automaton constructed from clockwork gears, brass plates, and human bones. Supposedly designed to safeguard a forgotten temple, it has become corrupted by temporal echoes, causing it to exist in multiple points in time simultaneously. Witnesses report seeing the golem flicker and phase in and out of existence, its movements jerky and unpredictable. Approach with extreme caution; its temporal distortions can warp reality itself.
The Weeping Automaton: A delicate porcelain doll, perpetually weeping tears of mercury. Said to be possessed by the spirit of a young girl who died in a tragic accident. Its tears are highly corrosive and exhibit strange chronal properties, capable of aging objects or reverting them to their original state. Its weeping grows louder when it is near areas experiencing temporal instability.
The Clockwork Oracle: A complex automaton designed to predict future events. Its predictions are delivered through a series of cryptic pronouncements printed on small paper scrolls. However, its chronal distortions have rendered its predictions unreliable and often self-contradictory. Said to be haunted by the ghosts of countless failed prophecies.
The Gear-Grinding Ghoul: A grotesque automaton constructed from salvaged clockwork parts and decaying flesh. Animated by a rogue chronal energy source, it relentlessly hunts for missing components, driven by a primeval need to repair itself. Its touch induces accelerated decay, rapidly aging organic matter. It can phase through solid objects for fractions of a second, making it difficult to contain.
The Temporal Loom: A massive, self-operating loom constructed from brass and iron. Said to weave the threads of time itself. However, its mechanisms have become corrupted by temporal echoes, causing it to unravel and reweave portions of the past and future, creating paradoxes and anomalies. Approach with extreme caution; tampering with the Temporal Loom could unravel the clothframework of reality.

Section IV: Echoes of Lost Events

This section details significant historical events that have left behind lingering temporal echoes. These echoes can manifest as localized chronal disturbances, spectral apparitions, or even alterations to the very fabric of reality.

The Great Temporal Schism of 1788: A catastrophic experiment conducted by the Royal Society, resulting in a massive temporal rupture. The event is said to have fractured time itself, creating countless alternate timelines and leaving behind lingering echoes that continue to plague the present day. Symptoms include recurring nightmares, spontaneous time slips, and the unsettling feeling of being watched by entities from other realities.
The Whispering Chapel of Saint Chronos: A forgotten chapel located deep within the catacombs beneath the city. Said to be built upon a nexus of temporal energy. Whispers of forgotten prayers and echoing screams can be heard within its walls, even when the chapel is completely empty. Prolonged exposure induces temporal disorientation and a profound sense of dread.
The Lost Library of Alexandria: (Temporal Fragment): A small section of the original Library of Alexandria, inexplicably displaced from its original timeline. Exists as a fleeting mirage, accessible only during periods of intense temporal flux. Contains countless books and scrolls containing forbidden knowledge, but also harbors dangerous temporal anomalies. Approach with extreme caution; the Library is said to be guarded by entities from alternate realities.
The Clockwork Uprising of 1897: A rebellion of sentient automatons against their human masters. The uprising was brutally suppressed, but the echoes of their struggle continue to resonate within the city’s clockwork infrastructure. Said to manifest as glitches in automated systems, unexplained malfunctions, and the unsettling feeling of being watched by inanimate objects.
The Last Stand of Professor Chronos: My own fateful, and ultimately disastrous, attempt to harness the power of the Temporal Loom. The resulting explosion shattered the laboratory and created a localized temporal rift, trapping me within a fragmented loop of repeating moments. Only through sheer force of will (and a considerable amount of Aetherium Dust) was I able to escape, leaving behind a residue of temporal chaos that continues to haunt the site.