A couple of months ago, by a strange and tedious set of circumstances I shan’t bore you with here, I come across this box of what appears to be certain alchemical ingredients and equipment, as well as a book that seems to have a related content (I’m afraid that none of the two languages in which I’m fluent, nor any of those of which I know a little, allow me to make much sense of it, so I’ll have to go by the visual cues here). I am at best an amateur antiquarian, so I cannot say for sure, but the box and book themselves appear to be several centuries old, although extremely well-preserved compared to most museum items of similar age. The equipment inside might have been replaced over time, so the age of some of those items may well be much more recent. Considering the socio-economic conditions of those times, it was most likely manufactured for someone with some measure of wealth and status.

The sigils that make out the center of the diagrams on the box lid and book cover are engraved with a coiled dragon biting its own tail, similar to certain reconstructions I have seen of the seal for the Order of the Dragon, and the motto ‘MORTUI NON MORDANT’ is inscribed around the edge. The fixtures around the box have been fashioned to resemble the wings of bats -- or, I suppose, dragons as they are usually depicted.

It is curious. Most curious indeed.

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Pictures of the box exterior is here (with fanciful description) and here (with some of the facts, ma'am). A detail of the inside view is here.