PHOENIX STEAMWORKS
& RESEARCH FACILITY
Vulgar silver and gold are dead,
while those of the Philosophers are full of life.
Illustrations by the phenomenal Mlle. Julie Dillon.
PERFUME OIL BLENDS
Presented in an amber apothecary vial.
The Antikythera Mechanism
$7.50 – $32.00
The Antikythera Mechanism
$7.50 – $32.00
Bronze gears spin inside a polished wooden case, and an entire universe dances within.
Teakwood, oak, black vanilla, and tobacco.
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Add to cartYou whom Haggard holds in thrall,
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You shall see your fortune flower
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Yet none but one of Hagsgate town
May bring the castle swirling down.Beyond the town, darker than dark, King Haggard’s castle teetered like a lunatic on stilts, and beyond the castle the sea slid. Drinn stopped him as he raised his glass. “Not that toast, my friend. Will you drink to a woe fifty years old? It is that long since our sorrow fell, when King Haggard built his castle by the sea.”
“When the witch built it, I think.” Schmendrick wagged a finger at him. “Credit where it’s due, after all.”
“Ah, you know that story,” Drinn said. “Then you must also know that Haggard refused to pay the witch when her task was completed.”
The magician nodded. “Aye,” and she cursed him for his greed – cursed the castle, rather. “But what had that to do with Hagsgate? The town had done the witch no wrong.”
“No,” Drinn replied. “But neither had it done her any good. She could not unmake the castle – or would not, for she fancied herself an artistic sort and boasted that her work was years ahead of its time. Anyway, she came to the elders of Hagsgate and demanded that they force Haggard to pay what was due her. ‘Look at me and see yourselves,’ she rasped. ‘That’s the true test of a town, or of a king. A lord who cheats an ugly old witch will cheat his own folk by and by. Stop him while you can, before you grow used to him.’” Drinn sipped his wine and thoughtfully filled Schmendrick’s glass once more.
“Haggard paid her no money,” he went on, “and Hagsgate, alas, paid her no heed. She was treated politely and referred to the proper authorities, whereupon she flew into a fury and screamed that in our eagerness to make no enemies at all, we had now made two.” He paused, covering his eyes with lids so thin that Molly was sure he could see through them, like a bird. With his eyes closed, he said, “It was then that she cursed Haggard’s castle, and cursed our town as well. Thus his greed brought ruin upon us all.”
In the sighing silence, Molly Grue’s voice came down like a hammer on a horseshoe, as though she were again berating poor Captain Cully. “Haggard’s less at fault than you yourselves,” she mocked the folk of Hagsgate, “for he was only one thief, and you were many. You earned your trouble by your own avarice, not your king’s.”
Drinn opened his eyes and gave her an angry look. “We earned nothing,” he protested. “It was our parents and grandparents whom the witch asked for help, and I’ll grant you that they were as much to blame as Haggard, in their way. We would have handled the matter quite differently.” And every middle-aged face in the room scowled at every older face.
One of the old men spoke up in a voice that wheezed and miaowed. “You would have done just as we did. There were crops to harvest and stock to tend, as there still are. There was Haggard to live with, as there still is. We know very well how you would have behaved. You are our children.”
Weed-strewn oak, opoponax, wet stone, creaking redwood, and desolate olibanum.
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Select Options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product pageSay that the men of the old black tower,
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Pinot noir, dark myrrh, red sandalwood, black patchouli, night-blooming jasmine, and attar of rose.
minikadomi –
This one is deep and rich and though it leans masculine, I think women can still use it. For me it has too much of underlying bitterness, though.
jdryford –
Black Pheonix continues to surprise me with how much I enjoy their sweeter scents. The vanilla comes off right out of the bottle, but not in the way I expected, I think the teak and oak make it more earthy (more like harvesting a vanilla plant than baking with vanilla). On my skin it becomes very warm and sweet, but not unpleasantly so, and the tobacco bleeds through it in a way that’s very reminiscent of my old buddy’s pipe tobacco (a smell I really love). It makes me want to go read books in sunlit parlor.
lex –
received as a frimp, and goodness gracious am I glad for that. this is a perfume I never knew I was looking for – just the right balance of woody, earthy, and sweet. the vanilla isn’t sickly sweet in the slightest; instead, it elevates the teak and oak notes to a scent as warm as a comfy rug in front of a fireplace. the tobacco adds just the right amount of herbal spice to brighten it all up while not at all clashing with the other notes.
I would bathe in this if I could. 10/10.
c.morelock35 –
got this as a frimp, it was actually one i was thinking about purchasing anyway which is super cool. makes me think of an old sophisticated library where you can sit in a corner and drink a large mug of something spiced. its warm, incense like, and dark but in a mysterious traveler who always brings back cool spices and weird stories kind of way.
Kylie Gardner –
I got this as a frimp and will absolutely be buying the full-size bottle! It is simple and sophisticated. Suitable for the masculine and feminine. The tobacco is very subtle and adds a richness to the scent. If I had to describe what the scent feels like, it would be reading old books in a sunny nook as the sunbeams illuminate the dust in the air.
Claire –
This is a beautiful scent and very complex. It reminds me of an incense shop in the best way possible. It also stays on really well.
beetle –
Ordered with my first big batch of Imps, I love this scent! It’s another favorite, joining “Dee” in my hierarchy of daily scents. Wet, the oak wood comes forward strongly, sweetened by teak and vanilla. As it dries, the tobacco gives this a gentle smoke that ricochets off of a twang of brass that brightens the whole thing. It ages to a sweet, woody vanilla. I associate this with grounding energy and maintaining focus. It has a long throw, and the dark vanilla note sticks with me throughout the day.
I will definitely be ordering a full size bottle!
(As a disclaimer, I’ve observed that most scents sweeten on my skin, sometimes drastically, so this might be less sweet on someone else.)
shpnjm –
Huge huge fan of this one. The vanilla and teak play off each other wonderfully and the tobacco stops it from being too sugary. Totally agree with the review that said it smells like the abstract concept of home–it’s warm and comforting without being smothering. Wore it while baking once and felt like i had achieved the epitome of constructive masculinity. Surpassingly lovely.
chriskatonic –
This scent is great for any time of the day. The scent is long-lasting and consistent. It is sweet, with a hint of spicy, woody, bitterness. The combination of wood, tobacco, and vanilla is fantastic. The strongest note is the teak wood. The weakest note is the vanilla, but while the vanilla is hard to identify, it still lends a warm sweetness to the whole, and prevents the scent from being too bitter, too woody, or otherwise overwhelming. This is definitely a favorite of mine!
Vera-Lace –
Received this as an Imp and I was hesitant to open it because I’ve never been a fan of tobacco. Of course, I associated tobacco with cigarettes, and I set it aside. A month or so ago, I decided to take a sniff and I was transported back to my childhood and the smell of my father’s pipe tobacco humidor. I’d forgotten he had one – I don’t have that many memories of him and this one had faded away. Once I smelled the open Imp, it brought me back to the times I used to sneak into his den and smell the tobacco in its glass jar with the wooden top.
Wet, it was very warm and woody, as it dried, the tobacco became more pronounced with a slight hint of vanilla. The scent lasts several hours on me. For me, it feels warm and comforting. Like Jensen said in January, 2017, “This smells like home.”
Jessica –
Beautifully warm and woody. At first it has a strong, sweet incense smell that for me fades to a vanilla pipe tobacco by the end of the day. It is both exotic and familiar and it makes me feel just lovely when I wear it.
Sunegami –
I. Love. This. Scent. When I first put it on it smells bright and lovely, like honey and brass. As it warms it mellows and more tobacco and vanilla come out, but it’s still light.
Jamie –
This is genuinely my favorite scent ever purchased from BPAL. I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself if or when they discontinue it.
Jensen –
This smells like home.
I have no other way to describe it. It’s odd, because to my memory and knowledge my homes have never, ever *actually* smelled remotely like this… but I put it on and my mind is, at once, at peace. I feel safe and warm and close and lovely.
The teak and oak are very strong on me to start, with lush undertones of vanilla. Often tobaccos go powdery on me, but not this time. It finishes with sweat tobacco and vanilla. I want a blanket of this, something I can roll around in; my mind goes to liquid late summers and early autumns…
hotaru1301 –
In the bottle
A gentle wet/moist tobacco scent, with a grounding wood smell. My brain recognizes the vanilla, but it isn’t sweet like candy or cake. It reminds me of a tobacco shop cabinet. Right before the exhale, an incense like scent comes up front… more like a tobacco cabinet opened in a pagan shop/new age shop or like un-burned incense.
wet on skin:
There is a strong raw tobacco scent. I smell a cedar scent and the vanilla is indistinguishable from the others. It reminds me of a lumberyard . It is a very woody scent but not like living wood. It’s more like a wooden pipe filled with tobacco before being lit. It’s almost too masculine for me to wear but I really want it on my husband.
On skin dry 30+ mins.
The vanilla is coming out and mixing with the wood scent. It’s creating a leather like scent.
Worn 3+ hours
The wood scents are dominate, the vanilla follows with a deep note that drags into the lungs. The tobacco scent is nearly faint. Now the smell reminds me of the wood craving shops at the Renaissance fair.
This is a wonderful scent. I love it, but it’s almost too masculine for me. There doesn’t appear to be any musk at all. Maybe my husband will like it? I know I’d like it on him.
ggrosz84 –
I think this is a scent that likely varies a lot based on a person’s body chemistry. It might also benefit from aging.
Wet, I found it very sweet – like caramel candy. As it dried, I could find the wood and tobacco notes if I put my nose to my wrist and concentrated. However, mostly I pick up a very strong sweet vanilla (pleasant enough, but I was hoping to smell the other notes more strongly). The throw is quite good, and I bet it will last all day.
OliviaRains –
Got this along with a handful of others in imps. I like to get a good 4 samples before deciding and I tried this one the 2nd day. I tried Snake Oil the 1st. Last night after I showered, I put this one on. I wanted to see how it would hold up over night. I had it on maybe 30 minutes, when my boyfriend came home, hugged me hello and nearly dropped everything he was holding while he just intensely sniffed my neck and holding a breath after then sighing…said “wow! You smell like I should eat you! That’s amazing!” then he gave me another follow up smell and just smiled. Then this morning hugging me good bye he said “Is that the same one as last night?!” I said “It is! Do you think it smells too sweet or too edible?” (I’ve heard my boyfriend say he doesn’t like when fragrance smells too much like food or too sweet) but then he replied “Oh no, it’s awesome! It smells like a dirty sexy sweet smell, it’s really my favorite!” He couldn’t keep his hands off me or his nose!
Today over the hours, I have noticed hints of tones throughout the day. I get a sort of smell of what reminds me of a hint of Egyptian Musk with a followed trail of earthy vanilla and wood. It will be hard to try a different one tomorrow as I am already hooked on this one and plan to buy the bottle! I had originally thought the Snake Oil would be my #1 but, after trying this one, it seems to agree with me chemically and my boyfriend loves it!
mabbyjen –
i found this ages ago and it’s become my scent. mabbysmell, a verified term of my coworkers. i get compliments constantly, from males and females.
it’s a little smoky, it’s woody, hints of sweet, long lasting on my skin. a little powerful at first, it mellows and changes throughout the day.perfection.
Stacy –
Intoxicating, warm, and sophisticated–lots of depth. It bears a resemblance to early-90s Women’s Obsession on me, but I mean this in the best way. I’ll probably get a full-size once my imp runs dry.
EMILY –
In imp impressions, sweet cherry like wood and tobacco. First on almost like Smokey sweet liquorice, then down into almost like cherry and wood, tobacco wasn’t strong on me at all, provided a little Smokey sweetness. Turns down into vanilla, amber and honey.Probably every Dependant on skin chemistry. Nice dry sent sweet, almost bitter and sometimes Smokey.
luxdancer –
Wet: Warm vanilla with a dark edge, maybe the tobacco? A little bit of a woodsy, herbal note that comes out when it’s on my skin.
Dry: On me, it fades quickly and is a scent on the periphery of my senses. It begins to take on a more spicy, herbal note after awhile unless I catch the scent at a distance, when I draw my arm back.
It’s an interesting effect on me – soft and warm from afar, with an herbal bite when close.
[email protected] –
purchased: imp
in the bottle: golden wood:
wet: WOOOOOOOD
dry: WOOOOOD with hints of vanilla and the rest
Usually, most of these notes would work on me, and I usually don’t have a problem with wood. However, the blend includes a wood note that does not mesh with my chemistry. Even after a few hours, the odd wood note overpowers what my body chemistry does to the rest of this blend. Fortunately, I gifted my imp to a friend tonight and the scent works very well for her, hence the four out of five points.
otterling –
I tried this as an imp as well, uncertain of what to think of it, but I was sold the moment I opened it. The scent of something golden, warm, and slightly honeyed rolls up to you from the bottle. The sharp edges of over-sweetness that I often get in flowery perfumes isn’t present here as the subtle tobacco and wood notes help ground the smell and keep it soothing instead of overwhelming. Definitely going on my must have list.
Jade –
Got this one as an imp as well. Still on the fence about it. I like the heavier sweet notes, not as certain about the high notes, though it does round out the scent nicely to keep it from being too cloying. The latter is subtle and I only catch it now and then.
Overall, it’s nice, and I’m tempted to get a bottle once the imp is gone. If you like sweet, musky scented incense, this might be perfect for you.
serin –
Love, love, love this one. Got an imp of it a while back, and it’s taken several months of regular use to finish. Warm and comforting, with golden woods in the back, sweet without being cloying. Will be getting a big bottle