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Voltaic Dust - Research into Unconventional Alchemy XXVI

Journal of Conrad Azohi - Day 1,291 after embarking

I have been attempting to analyze the structures in the processing facilities at the heart of the villages, in this oasis. I am unsure of the exact purpose of many systems I have found, but I have been finding patterns in how the systems are laid out. I've been able to pick out inputs and outputs, as well as several complex feedback loops by studying the layout of the internal piping. As best I can determine, these buildings are refineries built without knowledge of alchemical techniques.

The structures are easily hundreds of years old, but they are largely undamaged. My companions even managed to get what appeared to be a crucible functioning again.

I have a theory that, perhaps, the mors-oil has somehow preserved this region by acting as a disinfecting buffer between it and the outside world. Nothing living can cross that barrier without some method of fighting against the corrupting oil, after all. The immaculate state of this oasis, with its eternally-flourishing gardens, indicates that, perhaps, they were seeking preservation. If they believed that the outside world were a corrupting force, then they might have sought isolation, creating a vast barrier to keep themselves "safe."

It clearly didn't work, as the oasis is completely abandoned. I believe they may not have had the amount of resources that they would need to survive. For example, the fuel for the crucible is a type of tin-lead dust that, when heated, converts to a gold-lead dust, releasing intense electrical sparks. This byproduct seems to be where they got a fair amount of the gold for the other compounds they made, but the tin-lead dust, itself, is in short supply.