Elixir Cultivation

The excavation was successful. The following analysis — not so much.

I was there when we uncovered the cave room. Finding it was easy, for it made its presence known from the moment we broke ground. Fine tendrils crept across the stone like vines, spindly and thin at first, then thicker and sluggish further down. They outlined a path all the way to the heart.

First inspection would lead one to believe that what lingers before us is a large, decomposing fungal root... yet, what shows up under the microscope is anything but.

The organism is alive, still. Undying, and refusing to be analysed or understood. It re-shapes itself upon being observed, latching onto nearby cells and matter, consuming, mimicking, changing them. It is utterly fascinating.

Such properties hold great potential! We ought to dig deeper, push further — perhaps these roots could hold the secret to a longer life... to eternity, even!

- Manathor; Expedition Lead

The root has been more "active" as of late, reacting to the stimuli around it as if awoken. According to the enclosing rock formations and their geological records, this organism may have slumbered for thousands of years. However, we may not be its first guests.

While it refuses to be catalogued properly, it always holds to a similar core; a codex of matter that appears entirely external — not mycelial or plant-like. Not human. Not Ancient, either. Whatever it is, it was absorbed in bygone ages, therefore predating our records.

Its past is riveting, but so is its future. We've distilled the roots into a liquid — a shimmering blue Elixir, captivating and serene — and stored it for further testing.

Surprisingly, it was gone when I walked by storage today. No signs of unpermitted intrusion... Only a scrap of dark, tattered fabric in the rubble. I was worried until a belated order for inventory transfer arrived. My assistants must have re-organized samples ahead of schedule.

The dead skincells on the fabric present with the same matter codex as the fungal roots, so the scrap was likely here all along. I wonder what existed first: The root, or the lifeform sampled by it?

- Manathor; Expedition Lead