Date: 13/11/1694

The blizzard has come to an end, and its a safe assumption that the Lantharians are slowly digging their way out of the snow. It is an estimate of two more days until the front door is cleared and we are free to leave the facility. I can’t wait to go the local restaurant and enjoy Anayan chicken stew, which would be a massive improvement over the food rations that we survived on.

This may cost me, but I have taken to using the crystal sample to augment my own stuff. I keep it in my room, and continue to perform tests on it during the day as normal. At night, I sneak the sample out in its magic-dampening maculite container and leave an empty duplicate container in the laboratory. Nobody suspects a thing, which seems to be the case as the container evades magic detectors without a hitch day after day.

My continued experiments continue to refine the existing hypothesis:

The crystal sample is a catalyst for the instantaneous transformation of any matter that it comes into contact with when exposed to any form of energy. The transformations of matter that occur seem to be tied to the purpose of the object (evidenced by a transmutation of chalk into maculite), else the augmentations that occur incline toward inert properties in the long run.

With that knowledge in mind, I continue my experiments in my room.

My set-up consists of a kettle in to heat the crystal until it is warm, then exposing the sample over the object which I desire to augment. Over the course of 14 experiments conducted over a period of 2 nights, I have come to discover that the degree of augmentation of matter alters in proximity to the sample. This matter augmentation increases exponentially depending on proximity and the amount of energy exposed to, making a something as simple as warming the sample up in a kettle and rubbing it over the desired object an easy way to produce results.

Through this, my experimentation with my own stuff has lead to improvements. Among them include my travel cloak; reducing the weight and improving its weather properties (essentially making it perfect for desert and winter conditions). My travel pack has also been improved to make it much sturdier and lighter, and my clothes have been augmented to be much comfier for winter.

Despite all these improvements to my belongings, I have been feeling strange recently. Symptoms include bouts of sudden fatigue, headaches, and nausea (with two cases of vomiting), although I always feel more energetic than usual when not suffering. I attribute this from exposure to the sample during my late night experiments without safety equipment outside of a pair of gloves. No way to tell if that is the case, but these changes may be due to the aforementioned possibility, and thus I am contemplating borrowing some mice from the biology research section to conduct some tests on how living creatures are affected by exposure to the sample.

My final (albeit more personal) thoughts on the crystal sample for the day: I think it essentially constitutes the essence of creation itself, from the fact that it alters matter itself in a way that magic would. I have to re-consult Garick on the workings of magic later, which will definitely help me to optimise the augmentation of matter in my private study. My mind runs rampant with great plans ahead, but I cannot risk people finding out about my work.

It is far too important.

To-do list:

• Prepare for research trip to Theon, Vanar.
• Borrow mice from biology for live subject tests. Test speed, strength, memory(?).
• Consult Garrick on how magic works.
• Get some Anayan chicken stew.