You arrive precisely to witness the crescendo of a momentous struggle against the cohorts of evil; this thunderous, draconic manifestation of the devil, come again at this time from the depths of iniquity to attempt to sever the last tenuous thread of life from the ancient and sacred line of David.

I am the convert guardian of the Sangrail, evoked from the inimical underworld by the agents of Yahweh at this their time of greatest peril, and together with my legion of angels of stone will extirpate this nefarious onslaught on humanity. Time, dedication and conscience have equipped me with profound strength, wisdom and the powers of the forbidden, arcane arts, and duty has delivered me to this violated, hallowed place of ultimate battle.

Drawing on my powers on necromancy, I breathe amuletic life into the host of dormant, divine monuments and in a chaotic moment of eternity and with brutal, golemic ferocity the last defence aquit their immortal duty. The Diabolis is vanquished, for another aeon..

Once again, my unqualified thanksgiving goes to my cardinal collection of fossilised effigies labouring for the good within the walls of the alembic, and to you, our unswerving flock of acolytes, for supporting our worthy cause.

I bid you adieu,

In our lifetimes we all seek something. Just as with countless mortals, I seek passion; I search for my escorte eternelle, my maitresse defunts. I hunger for that affinitive catalyst to my imminent, hermetic union.

My quest takes me to less genial venues than for most, and at less comely hours. My haunts are amoung the sepulchres and the tombstones. My companions are the silent bats and unseen creatures that rustle through ivy and undergrowth.

I must find her. If I am to overcome the prevailing powers of darkness that permeate from the forested mountains of the Balkans, I must empower my immortality. I will search until I elicit and liberate my beckoning consort. I will initiate her to the Rites of Undeath and finally, conjoin with her to form our sacred, holistic ensemble in the Chemical Wedding.

I must express my eternal gratitude to those who have assisted and supported me in this relentless task and given me the strength and purpose to continue.

Your servant,

On this day, by His grace I have so attained this state. I have done the manifestly impossible; turned lead into gold, cultivated the perfect black rose, transformed my base self into the purest of souls; I have achieved the Opus Magnus…

The Greatest Work.

From this day on, I am armed with the sword and the shield, the courage and the wit to do His bidding for all mankind and undauntingly accomplish The Mission.

By the grace of Our Creator, this is my testament. Unlimited gratitude and blessings go to my accomplices and followers, without whom The Mission would always be beyond attainment.

My little game of deception, despite intense public scrutiny, seems to have worked successfully now for over 100 years without fear of detection. And I know that I may trust in you to maintain the utmost of discretion in this most delicate of matters; and this, can be taken as my confession.

Had I not done what I did back in 1888, in the dark, squalid back streets and alleys of London’s East End, life for all of us would be very different today.

My name is Sir Mortimer Windsor and following a highly confidential security alert in November 1879 at Great Scotland Yard, I was appointed Royal Privy Convoy and Physician to the Family in Residence.

Had I failed to perform my grisly work so efficiently and effectively, the forces of darkness would have succeeded in casting a long shadow over history. The ‘ladies of the night’ were in fact vampires, who preyed on the wanton vulnerability of the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha’s male strain, to infiltrate and convert Victorian Britain’s royal family forever.

So you see, I had to do it. Didn’t I?
And I think that now you will be grateful. Won’t you?
Until the next time, I remain your most dedicated servant,

Sir Mortimer Windsor, FRS… Alias The Alchemist née Amzer

My name is Alexander Farthing, Librarius Occultus, enigmatic founder and eternal bibliographer incognita to the Great Library of Chalisbury, the most influential collection of documented wisdom since Alexandria itself. I fleetingly take leave of my duties, from the endless preoccupation of my subterranean sanctuary, to welcome you to this celebrated volume, the latest and most rewarding of the Alchemy Gothic liberri magnus.

I briefly have to thank you for your unique intellectual foresight and taste in your discovery, but also to my sweating group of gifted and dedicated artisan servants, for creating this vast dark treasury of decadence.

Stimulate your cognition, enrich your senses. Enjoy!

And prithee enter our temple of discovery and enlightenment, on this, the most auspicious and exciting of occasion, on the very cusp of the Second Epoch.

Never before in the history of the heavenly or terrestrial sciences, have we had such an opportunity to equip and surround ourselves with the rich and extraordinary collection of talismans and artefacts that are so famously offered herein. And indeed, never before has there been such an especial need so to do!

My unqualified gratitude and respect go to all those here who have ceaselessly lived and toiled for the creation, perfection and realisation of this unparalleled collection of essential exotica.

Thanks and reverence especially go to you, our esteemed visionaries and benefactors, without whom our hermetic endeavours would have no purpose.

We hope you enjoy and truly benefit from our efforts.

Tread carefully hence, through The Great Portal of Wisdom.

I bid you farewell, and may your god go with you.

May I thank the rare collection of performers, artists, magicians, artisans, merchants, clerics and chancellors for making this most illustrious and beguiling festivity, the greatest gothic fair in the world. And may we in turn thank you, most honourable guest, for your valued enriching attendance and your loyal support, and hope that you leave our fête étrenge, enlightened and fulfilled.

Until our next meeting at The All Souls Fair,
I bid you……Adieu!

You are of course, most welcome guests to Alembic Hall & the frightening wealth of incalculable, undisturbed treasures that lie within it’s unnaturally charged domain. It’s caché of secret knowledge & forbidden pleasures, simultaneously known like banshees beckoning your attention & appear tantalisingly within your grasp.

Beware, as for mortals have entered this place, this centuries old sink-hole of arcane ethereal energy, & departed with their spiritus anima, or their sanity intact.

I am indebted to my dungeon of tortured but dedicated souls, toiling to indulge your unquestionable fantasies.

We salute you, for believing in us. For without you we do not exist. Your breath is inside us & your material desire our life’s blood.

Be my guest & partake of the forbidden fruits, & enjoy your stay in the Hall of Spectral Delights.

Welcome to this most recent chronicle of developments in the secret history of man and his eternal struggle for the achievement of the higher state, through the reciprocal maturity of the Lost Arts.

You will find within, many strangely beautiful artefacts, legacies of the toils of the devout servants of the Pandectes Philosophiae. These bountiful treasures are now yours for the asking, and it is to my loyal and dedicated retainers and talented artisans that I offer our heart-felt gratitude, and to you, our extraordinary sagacious initiates and patrons, that we extend our respect and appreciation.

Yours, en sobriquet, for ever and ever,

You are the one of the privileged chosen few to have providentially acquired this latest treasury of unique and priceless relics.

Each strange and wonderful item is charged with latent magical powers from the hands of the cloistered scribes of servitude and the devout sweating thralls who forged them in The Alchemist’s den. It is these dedicated disciples of the alternative path of righteousness to which both me and thee owe their unbridled gratitude.

I present to you the treasures of the past, the pleasures of the present, and the antiques of tomorrow.

I remain your most humble servant,

I bid you solomn greeting, to what is the fifth chapter in the ever illuminating voluminous works of the hand of The Alchemist.

Thanks are once again to be bestowed upon you, the devout and discerning individualists who continually demand still further advances in science and the arts, and who look for me for the fulfilment of their bizaarest dreams. Followers of the Technician of the Lost Arts ( or Acolytes, I hope that in this latest of libris arcanus you will find the “Coup de Maitre” for which you are seeking. Thanks once again to you, and especially to the veteran disciples, many of whom may have been privy to my reincarnation 13 years ago. Thanks are due also to my band of dwarves and hirelings without whom none of the treasures herein could have been made, nor yet despatched.

I leave you once more to your darklit interesting and inspiring alternative twists of lifestyle – Share and enjoy.
Until the next seasons festivities – Adieu!

Welcome to the second Alchymic Tabularum, which I sincerely hope is received with as much pleasure as was in the offering.

I would like to thank all Alchemy customers everywhere, for helping me to succeed in the germination and growth of the Artis Arcanum - The Secret Art.

For those who are new initiates into Alchemy, I hope
you consider your discovery to be fulfilling and gratifying, and to everyone, my wish is to serve you faithfully and eternally.