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Perplexing Oil - Research into Unconventional Alchemy XXIV

Journal of Conrad Azohi - Day 1,260 after embarking

A little over three weeks after entering the most recent entry of my journal, we reached the border of the forested nation I've learned is called "Baruu," in the native language. It was a strange shift, at the edge of those woods, as the trees just suddenly stop, giving way to what I can best describe as "salted, tarry wasteland." The sight of that hideous terrain gave us enough pause to halt us in our tracks. Instead of forging ahead, we turned back and returned to the last village we had stopped at, seeking information. Apparently, that wasteland, called "Atro" in the native language, is a massive disc of corrupted land, which people usually choose to walk around. The border of the region has been mapped and shown to be a great circle on the surface of the world, like a huge crater, hundreds of kilometers across. The forested nation of Baruu lies to the east and south, a mountain range lies to the west, and a region of wild savanna lies to it's north. No one has ever mapped the interior of the wasteland, for fear of the poisonous tar which coats everything. Also, there is no known water or life in the area, so survival would be difficult for the would-be map-maker. In fact, the region is considered a dark, cursed place, and the people of Baruu claim that they have warded off the pirates and slave traders which would normally be a danger to their nation, by threatening exile into Atro for any pirates or slave traders who are caught. It seems to have been an effective deterrent, with how peaceful their lands are.

Naturally, my curiosity about the area was overpowering. Hornon and Jaku took some convincing, but I persuaded them by pointing out that I could easily transmute water from any kind of material easily enough, and food, while much more difficult, would also not be an issue. Also, I could concoct an antidote for any poison in the tar. Still, they wanted to prepare for a while before delving into such an area, and I cannot blame them. So, we took a week and gathered up various materials which we would need for the exploration. After that, we entered into Atro, a land which is considered by locals to be a world of death. Some even said that the entrance to the afterlife lays within the blasted and blackened land. If it does, I will certainly be making a journal entry concerning it, regardless of if I can find an alchemical justification to put it into this journal or not.

One of my first actions as we traveled through the area was to examine the terrain itself. The salted outcropping appear to be mostly ancient, calcified wood, drained of life. The dirt is simply dirt, and the stone is simply stone, however the black, tar-like substance which covers everything is more akin to some kind of alchemical waste. It is extremely high in mors content. I knew it was poisonous, so we were naturally taking precautions to ensure we and our beast of burden not come into contact with the oil if we can avoid it. Though, after learning that it is a mors-based poison, I made sure to transmute some anti-mors compounds. I can see why this place is so maligned. Without an alchemist, the area would be a certain death penalty.

I've classified the tar as a type of gold-based oil. Mors is extremely rare in nature, so I'm wagering that this oil is not natural. The fact that it coats the land in a nearly perfect circle seems to imply that there was some sort of disaster which evenly spread it out across the entire land. I would venture to claim it was some manner of explosion, but, with how massive the region is, it would have been a truly tremendous explosion: one great enough to shake the entire world, surely, and perhaps even split it. Also, an explosion would tend to result in an uneven edge to the region, instead of the sudden drop-off that we observed. So, I will admit that I am honestly befuddled. I cannot imagine what could spread this oil out so evenly and widely. Perhaps it was intentionally spread? Though, surely a more efficient way of killing the land existed. Also, why go into the effort to make the region a nearly perfect circle? I truly am perplexed.

I have identified a few characteristics of the oil. Water does not move it, fire does not burn it, and earth is slowly calcified in it's presence. It clings to material and is difficult to clean off, being viscous, like tar. The gold contained in it's structure is perhaps one of the most interesting details, however. The gold atoms between the different molecules tend to try and align themselves into a lattice structure. I am convinced that this oil is artificial, so perhaps this property of this oil, taking lattice-like structures in large enough quantities, was wanted. Though, I've not exactly discerned what application such a trait would be desired for. Also, I have isolated another oil from within the tar, one based on water, lead, and quicksilver, which I think may have been the precursor to the gold oil. In the next few pages, I have detailed how the manufacturing process from the lead oil to the gold oil would have progressed, if this is indeed a precursor.

I am thoroughly stumped by the nature of this oil. Over the next few days I will be continuing to study it and ponder it's potential origins. Though, we are currently looking for ruins of a civilization, as I'm sure that there will be some.