These are the speeches which were spoken at the final meeting of the Order of Purification, which led to its splintering into mortal and fae factions, between whom grew a great enmity during the following days and years.

***

The words of Roger Caultry, fourth Lord Mortimer, a mortal alchemist of great repute:

"My fellows. For years I have dedicated my life not only to the study of the alchemical mysteries, but to the pursuit of alchemy's highest wonder: that emblem of perfection known as the Philosopher's Stone. From my earliest days as an apprentice in the laboratorium of another, to this moment when I stand before you as a respected master of the art, I have struggled to achieve what none before me have achieved. All of us have struggled thus. All of us have sought the unattainable.

"And I say to you today, we cannot attain it. Not by the methods we have thus far relied upon.

"Let me illustrate to you what I mean. I relate to you an incident which occurred not a year ago, when I undertook for a second time to create an elixer I had first brewed seven years previously. It conferred upon he who drank it the power to transform him into living fire -- or so it was, when first I created it. This time, I tell you, though I repeated my processes exactly, measured my ingredients to the finest degree, the effect was not as it had been. My assistant, far from experiencing the transformation, instead perished from a toxic draught.

"What transpired, to cause this change in effect? Quite simply, it was this: randomness. Unpredictability. That element of chance which overturns our most careful efforts struck against my work, turning wonder to poison. We have all felt its effects. And so I come before you today to state my belief, that we will never attain our desired goal so long as this chaotic element undermines our studies. So long as we cannot rely on what we know, so long as the rules by which we operate change without warning, we cannot possibly make the progress we seek. If we are to create the Philosopher's Stone, we must understand the materials we work with, and the natural laws which govern them. Our knowledge must be stable. What is done once must be done again, by the same means, with the same components, not invented anew each time we begin. Only by making it so can we perfect our art. I exhort you all to renounce this chaos, this unpredictability, and aid me in rationalizing the alchemical process, in transforming it to a servant upon whom we can rely."

***

The words of Amarante Laelia Rhi Junia ap Dougal, Lady of the Western Grove, a fae alchemist of great repute:

"What you suggest is folly in its purest form. You speak of rationality and comprehension; you speak of limiting possibility. Change and unpredictability are the very hallmarks of that potential which gives us even a chance of achieving the Philosopher's Stone. Remove those, and you remove all hope of reaching our goal. How much has this world already limited itself, denying the possibility of some things, accepting an ever-smaller catalogue of creatures which can exist, actions which can occur?

"These measurements and systems you so cherish are shackles upon our work. Perhaps you are right; perhaps we must change our methods if we are to make progress. The direction you propose, however, is a false one, and will lead us ever further away. We must renounce the limitation of mind which demands that we understand our work. True, this may mean that one alchemist will achieve an effect, and another will not be able to re-create it. But should we consider this wrong? Why should one be able to imitate your work, and have it work for him? We must all seek our own paths to our goals. And if one among us creates the Stone, and others cannot, then I will not mourn. I will discard what I think I know, begin anew; I will try different components, different processes, and find my own method of creating the Stone.

"Yes, friends, we must change our ways. But not through the methods he suggests. Accept such limitations, and you will forever condemn yourself to minor achievements at best."