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Mists of Isolation - Research into Unconventional Alchemy IV

Journal of Conrad Azohi - Day 382 after embarking

Our group spent a little over three months travelling in the Nuro Lakelands, but, to my disappointment, even with the number of tribes living in the region, we've only managed to locate the one tribe with anything which would have been of interest to my studies. That tribe's luminous tattoo ink is detailed in my previous journal entry. So, to try and find new cultures to study, we have decided to leave these lands behind. First, we intended to head into the Juwkodo Scrublands, and then north, when we reached the Ahran Desert, cutting across it until we reach the far-off nation of Kuthus. Much of the last three weeks we have been occupied with gathering supplies for the journey.

However, we encountered an interesting tribe in the Juwkodo Scrublands. Apparently these people were formerly a tribe living in the Nuro Lakelands who, after a conflict with a rival tribe, were driven out into these scrublands. This is considered a death sentence to the Nuro tribes, who could not possibly imagine surviving in such dry climates. However, the resourceful people of this Juwkodo tribe developed a type of incense using stones from the region. This smokey incense acts as an atmospheric moisture barrier. They developed this compound many years ago, but, in the modern day, the amount of this incense that the tribe utilizes is astonishing. I would estimate that at least a ton of the mists are produced and released into the air every day.

The methods this tribe utilizes to disperse this mist are more advanced than any in our group would have ever expected to see. The mist is produced in a cave system and piped through artificial tunnels to the places that need it, where it builds up pressure and begins pushing through the soil, giving the ground a smoking appearance. The tribespeople have crafted these tunnels so that the mist will rise in walls around their lands, forming a hydrophobic barrier which seals water vapor in, making it easier to retain moisture for farmlands and the like. Also, the tribe will run this mist through their water supplies itself, resulting in a chemical change where the water vapor that rises off the surface of the water will be much heavier, and linger close to the ground, so that the vapor barriers will have a reasonable effect.

I am persuaded to say that this compound and it's uses are so advanced that the Juwkodo tribe must be much more advanced than their culture would suggest. I would want to stay here and study their alchemy some more, but my group tells me that we must leave soon in order to make it to Kuthus before the summer heat begins in earnest. So, I have hastily copied down as much as I can learn about these mists in this time frame. I am sure that I am missing some details, but hopefully this is enough for further study. I intend to return to this place in the future and resume my research, however.