Zoaran Death Mud

The lost city of Zoara, once nestled along the shores of the Dead Sea, held many intriguing secrets. Among them was the sacred

“Death Mud,” a dark, mineral-rich clay that the Zoarans believed could ward off illness, extend life, and even cheat death itself. Said to be taken directly from the Dead Sea itself, they coated their bodies in it, bathing in pools and emerging with skin darkened like the risen dead - hence the name. To them, it was a gift from the underworld, a sacred balance between decay and renewal.

Over time, the city of Zoara was lost to time, perhaps swallowed by the shifting sands, and the Death Mud was lost to legend. That is, until Veylins took an interest, and sent Seeker Sana to search for it, and discover if there was any truth to the legend.

Guided by whispered tales and ancient texts obtained from the locals, Sana ventured into the arid lands bordering the Dead Sea, following hints of a hidden cave where the Death Mud still remained in its purest form.

After days of searching, she found it - a shadowed cavern veiled in salt-crusted rock. Deep inside, where the daylight could not reach, a pool of deep, black mud shimmered under the glow of her lantern.

It seemed untouched by time, dark in color and richer in than any she had seen before. When she dipped her fingers into it, the texture was cool, smooth, and dense with minerals.

Curious, she spread it over her arm. Almost instantly, her skin tightened, tingled, and then softened as she rinsed it away. The secret of the ancient Zoarans truly was something wonderful - they had mastered the art of rejuvenation.

 

Sana collected the Death Mud, carefully transporting it back to the Moonvale Boutique. There, it became one of the boutique’s most desired offerings - a purifying mask that toned the skin, reduced pores, and left behind an ethereal glow. Customers spoke of its transformative power, its almost mythical ability to restore youthful radiance.

But some whispered of something else - that when they looked in the mirror, just for a moment, they saw the shadow of the Zoarans staring back at them.

Perhaps they were able to master
death after all…

When the sea of death fills with myst
And moon hangs low above the hill,
Zoara rises, silver-kissed,
Her spectral walls ascending still.