Petra Vance

Instructor of Alchemy Foundations, the course every Solmere student completes before choosing a specialisation.

Given name from the author's notes. Ch. 257 gives only "Instructor Vance".

The lecture

Ch. 257 gives the saga its in-text statement of what Alchemy is. See ../systems/alchemy.md.

VNC: Your soul ability is what your soul already is. Effortless. Given. Alchemy is not that. [...] If you came here expecting an easy second gift, I encourage you to leave this lecture hall immediately and save us both the disappointment.

VNC: But it is also the one door in this entire academy that opens for absolutely anyone, regardless of what you were or were not born with.

Her eyes pause on Arthur a fraction longer than on anyone else while she says the second part.

She does not smile at the nervous laughter. "I am not joking."

The demonstration

She lifts a slow coil of water above a vial, and Yseult spends the demonstration telling Arthur it is far finer control than Vance is admitting to.

VNC: Miss Marchant. [...] Since you clearly have opinions on the fineness of essence control, perhaps you'd like to demonstrate your own. YSE: I'd be delighted. VNC: Wonderful.

Then she sends the coil across the hall and empties it over Yseult's head.

VNC: There. Now you have opinions AND a demonstration to compare them against. I find that's usually the more educational combination.

She returns to her materials without further comment.

Yseult's read of her was correct, and the demonstration proves it rather than refuting it: crossing a lecture hall with a held shape and landing it precisely is harder than the coil was.