The original survey crew sent by the Explorer’s League was indeed correct in their findings. The ground here holds artifacts of unlimited value to our people. No doubt we will find many answers in our quest for knowledge beneath the sand and rock of Bael Modan.
The geology of the region dictates we use extreme measures however. Many of the sand deposits have solidified under the harsh conditions and varying climate.
The solution is quite simple however. Using wood pulp as an absorbent, we can combine traces of nitroglycerin with sodium nitrate to develp a strong blasting charge capable of breaking through even the most dense masses.
The work will be noisy and disruptive, but our search is of far greater importance than the comfort of the local inhabitants. In fact we’ve already had to drive a band of bull-men out of the area who were proving to be a nuisance.
The fact that we are dealing with various rogue elements out here leads me to believe we will need support from the King’s army. Not only will the excavation require military support, it would seem to my novice eye that the location of Bael Modan might be of strategic value to the Alliance considering the volatility of world politics in their current state.
Alas, I have digressed. There is much work to be done beneath the rock, I have spent too much time writting and not enough digging.
Journal drops from Prospector Khazgorm in Bael Modan, The Barrens