"The first toast on any voyage is to the Emperor. The second is to the alchemist who made the Blocks. One keeps our souls safe, the other keeps our guts from turning to water." —Common toast among Arunean sailors
An Alkahest Block is a small, single-use alchemical tablet that represents one of the most critical technological advancements for maritime life in Nhera. Developed through a fusion of human ingenuity and adapted Eldar alchemical principles, these blocks allow sailors to purify stagnant or brackish water, rendering it clean and potable. This innovation has dramatically increased the potential length and safety of sea voyages, warding off the dysentery and other waterborne illnesses that once plagued long-haul sailors. Despite their effectiveness, the blocks are a finite, carefully rationed resource, making a ship's supply a vital strategic asset.
An Alkahest Block is a dense, chalky tablet, typically a hand's-width square. It is grayish-white in color and composed of a superfine, highly compressed granulation of several rare, powdered minerals and a stabilizing saline compound. The exact formula is a jealously guarded secret of the various national alchemist guilds, with Befraren blocks being known for their purity and Arunean blocks for their potency (though leaving a subtle mineral aftertaste). When handled, a block feels cool to the touch and will leave a fine, salty dust on the fingers.
The purification process is a controlled and vigorous alchemical reaction. When a precisely measured portion of an Alkahest Block is dropped into a cask of water, it immediately begins to dissolve with a loud, fizzing hiss.
The Reaction: The block's primary reagents react with the organic and saline contaminants in the water, creating a thick, expanding foam.
The Separation: This foam is cohesive and lighter than water. As it churns and expands, it physically traps bacteria, slime, salt, and other impurities, pulling them to the surface.
The Result: After several minutes, the fizzing subsides. The reaction leaves a thick, stable layer of foul-smelling, solidified scum on the surface of the water. This scum can be easily skimmed off, leaving the water below it perfectly clean, cool, and safe to drink, often with a faint, mineral aftertaste.
The necessity of Alkahest Blocks has created a vital resource in the world's economy. A ship's supply is held under lock and key by the quartermaster or surgeon and is rationed with exacting precision. The loss of a ship's supply due to a storm, sabotage, or simple miscalculation on a long voyage is a catastrophic event, often leading to a slow death by thirst or disease. Control over the mines that produce the necessary minerals and the guilds that manufacture the blocks is a significant point of political and economic power among the maritime nations.