Naga's Lore of Alchemy

Naga's Lore of Alchemy
Type	Book

For those who seek ancient knowledge, or seek to learn the secrets of Sith Alchemy, a copy of Naga's Lore of Alchemy is a must have. However the original copy has great historical value as well. The story of the book is one of the most curious of modern archaeology.

Author and Loss

Naga's Lore of Alchemy was written by Naga Shadow, a Dark Lord of the Sith. While in exile on Yavin IV Shadow began experimenting with mutagens on both sentient and non-sentient beings. The records of some of those experiments are contained in the Lore of Alchemy. Shadow intended to use the slaves he experimented on to one day return to his position as Dark Lord of the Sith. However, in accordance with a vision he saw, he put himself into a state of suspended animation. This caused his power over his slaves to begin to fade. This caused the book, along with many other writings of his, to be easy prey for Darth Zash, who was seeking eternal life. Zash believed that Shadow's chemical experiments could be used in connection with Sith rituals to allow her to transpose her mind and will into the body of another, thus allowing her to live forever. However, when she attempted the ritual, it backfired on her, and her apprentice assumed her place. The apprentice, however, was quickly engulfed in a feud with Darth Fahneton and Shadow's works were lost in the struggle.

Family Feud

The book changed hands multiple times through the years, often being sold for mere pittance. Finally it came to rest on Millius Prime, home of the Diathim. Peaceful, and very anti-technology, the Diathim had no use for the book except for it's curiousity value. They placed it in a museum. There it remained until Black Sun took over the sector. A member of the Black Sun ruling family, Asmo von Ismay, visited Millius Prime and saw the book. Interested in the knowledge it contained, he took it. The Diathim did not object, as the book meant nothing to them. However, an ambitious younger von Ismay, Vlademar von Ismay, Asmo's nephew, took up the Diathim's supposed grievance. His real cause was to gain prestige within the house itself. The contention became so fierce that it threatened to result in an internal civil war. However, Vlademar mysteriously died at a crucial moment, preventing a civil war. Asmo would not get to enjoy his prize long, however. A Clawdite, named Nino Hergast, led an intrepid bandit raid on Asmo's mansion, cleaning out his collection of antiquities, including the book.

Nationalism

Hergast was a unique bandit. He styled himself a nationalist for his Clawdite people, outcasts from their own society. Thus, when he saw the ideas contained in the book, he was thrilled. He sold off most of the loot from Asmo von Ismay's mansion, but kept the book. Already slightly intuned with the Force, Hergast used what he found in the book, to raise an army of Clawdites and mercenaries to try to wrest control of Zolan the Falleen Federation. They met with some success for a while, but the superior firepower of Falleen guaranteed the defeat of Hergast. His army was defeated and he was captured and executed. The book passed into the hands of a Falleen private named Corrina Strand. She was a lover of things ancient and she hung on to the book for a time. However, she fell on financial hard times and was forced to sell the book. It fell into the hands of a dealer of antiquities who in turn, sold it to Hawke Tanor who currently possesses it.