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Journal of Dynasty Nanoscience Issue 7, vol 22, 715 PD. R Kryn, D Yvell et al
Synthesis of novel nano-scale 12-sided carbon structure as a drug transportation device
Abstract: This work details the synthesis of a novel 12-sided nano particle through a 6 step synthesis route developed in the Marble Tomes laboratories over a 36 month research period. Initial tests show significant promise of this particle as a drug delivery device, compatible with a wide variety of known chemical structures and suitable properties, however further testing and re-synthesis will be required for any development on its uses... [READ MORE]
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As long as he has been alive, Essek Thelyss had either been too much or not enough.
At the age of 80, he became the youngest ever researcher at the Marble Tomes Laboratories, the heart of science in the Dynasty.
He had attracted ire from his former classmates and co-workers, and admiration from his lecturers and Den. The former he had gotten used to ignoring, and the later became only second to the knowledge he sought: information on the Dynasty's most closely guarded scientific secret.
They called it a beacon, a 12-sided nanoparticle capable of acting as a cage or transporter for a variety of substances, without most of the limitations of previous iterations. It was named by the Bright Queen herself - who after one look at the structural scans of the substance, had drawn parallels to the most holy of relics in the Luxon religion.
Most of what was public knowledge about the beacon was contained in a single paper written on its discovery in 715PD, a paper which Essek had spent much of his youth obsessing over. The Bright Queen, although intrigued by the discovery, had become paranoid at its potential sinister implications, and ordered the details of its synthesis to be destroyed to protect the Dynasty. The only store of the substance was a small amount in a tiny glass vial from the first and only synthesis, located in one of the most secure laboratories in all of Exandria.
Essek wrote proposals petitioning for its analysis, wrote papers speculating on its further uses. He toed the line between scientific genius and crackpot heretic like any well respecting researcher was supposed to, and started to attract attention. The Bright Queen entertained him to a point and admired his courage, but denied his requests for further synthesis nonetheless.
It was easy really, when the stress of his doctoral studies took his toll and he wound up bedbound, to do anything it took to hide the truth. He rearranged meetings where he could, worked when he could, tried any treatments he could persuade his mother's clerics to get their hands on. He clawed himself out of bed, finished his studies, and when the Bright Queen offered him the position of her scientific advisor, it was too perfect an opportunity to miss.
And it was easy really, when Ludinus Da'Leth approached Essek with his proposal after reading a paper he had published. He was reckless, arrogant and young, and now in pain and scared to boot, and Da'leth offered a taste of the knowledge he had been seeking. The beacon, it claimed, could cure any ailment - who wouldn't want that? It was easy, to push down the guilt and worry that threatened to spill out of his body. With his new position, all it took to arrange the swap of containers was a form and small detour to the stores, the transport took two letters and a carriage. The rest, as they say, was history.
The fall out was ugly - as expected - but worth the notes the arrived hidden in an obscure textbook addressed to him a few months later, with theorised routes for the first few stages of synthesis. The Bright Queen refused to investigate and all official reports mentioned was a loss of sample. The chemists who aided in the synthesis and those in charge of managing the stores were fired but no culprit was ever found. Essek was tasked to protect the sample and in the aftermath became a close, trusted advisor. The lingering guilt was second only to the pain he felt day in and day out now, but he had become extremely skilled at coverups, after all.
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It was a bright day in Rexxentrum and Caleb Widogast and Beauregard Lionett were outside basking in the late winter sun in the grounds of the Cobalt Soul archives.
Caleb was dressed sensibly for the weather, long woolen coat over a plain shirt, and practical boots for cobbled streets. He was crouched on the floor, with a pile of books and journals that he was attempting to fit into the woefully small satchel he had brought with him. Beau was less equipped for the weather, her Soul vestments thrown on over a cropped t-shirt and low slung trousers. How her abdominal muscles weren't frozen yet, Caleb had no idea.
Beau kicked him with her shoe. "Hey dude, why didn’t you bring a bigger bag? You knew we were coming here" She huffed.
Caleb huffed and replied. "Ja, Beauregard, however I was not expecting finding so many relevant books, you didn't tell me the Soul had a copy of Da'Leth's library either!"
"Well yeah" The monk replied, "We don’t exactly want that to be public knowledge, but your project is approved and I'm involved too so, yeah". Despite being instrumental in both allowing Caleb access for his research, and support in the actual research, Beau still had a habit of pretending she hated doing anything nice. It was endearing after you knew her a while. Kind of.
"Anyway" She started to turn back toward the Soul, "Let me know what you find, if the weight of all of those book doesn’t crush your puny scientist body on the way home." And with a light punch on the shoulder, his best friend disappeared back into the archives.
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Caleb did manage it make it back to his apartment, albeit with burning arm muscles. He let himself in and collapsed onto his cozy two-person sofa, letting the stack of books gently fall beside him.
He lived in a little apartment with exposed brick walls, a small fireplace and every inch of ever one of the rooms lovingly decorated by his friends. It was nearby the Soltryce Academy and not too far from Beau and Yasha's house - it made for a pleasant walk to work in the mornings and the rent was reasonable. When he got back, Caleb had been offered a combined research and teaching position on material science at Soltryce academy, a position he accepted. It was interesting work and paid well.
After finishing up his expeditions with the field group known as the Mighty Nein, he had worried he would struggle living alone - he hadn't ever done it before and with the trauma of his studies, then the delightful chaos of living on the road with the Nein made him worry he wouldn't cope in the silence. However, the calm space to himself had become welcoming, and the invitations to Beau and Yasha's were frequent and appreciated. Jester, of course, messaged him every day with stories of their subsequent adventures on board a research vessel, and Caleb occasionally received crates of tea from Caduceus.
After a sufficient rest on the sofa and a warming cup of tea, Caleb moved himself and his recently acquired books to his small but functional study to start the lengthy process of evaluating them all. After returning from traveling, Caleb and Beau has made it their personal project to try to understand the lengths of the Empire's research into the beacon, and acquiring all the knowledge available on it.
If they were successful, they would be able to hand in all the evidence to the Soul and hopefully implement some guidelines on its study and protection. If they were lucky, it would see Trent Ikithon and the Martinet put behind bars for their unlawful and cruel experiments on students with untested substances. Caleb had all too much personal investment in the case to step out now.
It took up most of the duo's free time, with Yasha offering to help read over their work when she could. Luckily, it overlapped with their day jobs now more often than not, but it was still exhausting and often fruitless. There was remarkably little in literature, for such a sought after chemical, and for how much was going on behind the scenes in the Empire. It was like the tip of an iceberg, it was not what you could see that was the terrifying part.
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The warm lamps in the study gave light to a small wooden desk covered in paper and books. Caleb cleared a corner and placed his new stack, then bracing himself, opened the first one.
The first few books were purely based on theoretical structures, and didn’t add anything to Caleb's existing knowledge. The next was an old journal with blatantly wrong information about what the Dynasty had achieved following the synthesis of the beacon, classic Empire propaganda really. Sighing in frustration, he powered through the next couple of books on Dynasty materials research, skimming through them and finding very little of note.
Almost about to give up for the evening, Caleb picked up a worn-looking journal near the bottom of the pile that caught his eye. Leather bound and slim, it was adorned with a symbol on the spine which seemed to identify it as being part of the copied collection from Da'Leth's library.
On opening it, he was additionally surprised at it being a Dynasty journal, although nothing about the Martinet should surprise any of the Nein anymore. He read through it cover to cover, then took a pause to process what he had just read. He read it again.
At the very end there was a short page on the funding for the research and contact details for the primary author, a Dr E. Thelyss.
Caleb picked up the journal and practically ran over to his computer hastily stored in a shelf across the room, opened his emails and began to write.