See-See

(With apologies to Ken Hite)

It is the Elixir of America. It is, in fact, the drink that defines and represents America to the rest of the world. Its icons and avatars are everywhere; it can take credit for the power of at least one major ethereal spirit. It is the obsession of more and more modern occultists, as they are drawn to its mystery. It is a brown, carbonated soda drink sweetened with sugar and infused with mysterious herbs, and even mentioning its True Name in this context is fraught with gemantric peril. And when manipulated in just the right alchemical fashion, it becomes something greater. Something heavy with power.

It's also exquisitely frustrating, because nobody knows exactly what.

Creating See-See is surprisingly easy: it merely requires a sample of the original recipe, a batch of the current soft drink - only the single-serving glass bottle versions, for reasons still unknown - and a successful Alchemy roll at -1 for every case of 24 to be transformed. No Essence, no Disturbance, and the sample can be reused; alchemists stroke their beards wisely and murmur about metaphorical enzymes, which at least is an answer. Alternatively, anyone with the Transubstantiation Attunement can do the same, again without Essence expenditure and without the need for an original sample. Either way, the result is See-See, which has three qualities:

1). It tastes incredibly good.

2). It and the bottles become relics/0. This means that it can be transported to all three planes normally and without fuss. The Infernal See-See distribution network rivals that of corporeal cocaine cartels for sheer ruthlessness and fatality rates.

3). It gives the impression of being capable of being the key or the agent or the harbinger of something more.

It is quality 3) that drives alchemists mad - sometimes literally. Even the most cursory investigation of See-See will reveal its enigmatic nature to those with the Sorcery Attunement or the Alchemy Skill. The bottles give off a thrum of power to the touch, the depths of See-See seem to reveal mandalas and patterns not quite understood, the bubbles seem to whisper almost-comprehended truths to the adept's ear, and as for the taste... the first drink of See-See will produce Enlightenment in any Sorcerer or alchemist. It is, alas, an Enlightenment that is both temporary, and without context.

Naturally, those affected by See-See in this way are strongly tempted to solve the riddle that it represents, particularly since it seems very likely that this drink somehow has an occult link to America itself. Alchemists have used it in alchemical Workings to try to improve them, tried to isolate out whatever it is that gives See-See its power, created bizarre regimens to attempt to infuse its essence into their own bodies - the list goes on. The best that one can say of such endeavors is that they rarely do anything particularly bad to the people engaged in them, but they certainly don't do anything particularly good, either. Rare is the alchemist that stops trying, however. For that matter, rare is the demon: relatively few of them can make the stuff themselves, but it doesn't stop them from being affected by it.

Meanwhile, up in the Library cafeteria (no drinks in the stacks, please) the Archangel of Destiny pops the cap off a bottle of See-See himself. In its depths he contemplates gang wars in Hell and obsessive tail-chasing on Earth, both of which completely miss the true purpose of the elixir - which is not to amuse Yves. Oh, yes, it has all the power that its worshippers believe and more. And it is so obvious a power, too - if you can let yourself think like an angel, or a blessed soul.

And then Yves has a smile.

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