Nigredo

Blood of Devils

Nigredo - The Blood of Devils; a thick, black tar-like substance residing deep within the earth. It's a fossil fuel with supernatural quirks and qualities; highly rich in aether and usually of dark or destructive resonance.
Nigredo can be found deep within the earth. It's one of the Big Five elements in the alchemist's Magnum Opus and resides on rank five. The reason for that is strictly traditional and has nothing to do with its worth or qualities. It is simply the last one that was discovered and thus added to the almanach. Actually, Nigredo is the third-most thought-after material from the big Five. 
Prima Materia is the most thought-after basis for creating fuel; it is raw, colourless aether, the purest and most versatile substance in the world and a prime source of endless energy. It is also highly unstable, almost impossible to keep pure and very difficult and expensive to cultivate, maintain and process. Albedo is a porous rock that burns well, smells awful and has very low energy efficiency while producing a lot of smoke - but it is easy to come by and perfectly safe to use as is or process. Nigredo is kind of in the middle of the spectrum; it needs to be harvested deep from the earth and is a rare finds in some parts of the world, it needs quite some materials and techniques to be properly refined, but is only moderately dangerous to use, produces fumes half as bothersome than burning albedo and is very efficient when refined properly.
The Alliance uses machinery, generators and vehicles powered by refined Nigredo fuel and is highly successful in developing even more effective techniques of purifying it, infusing it with various resonances and creating wild materials from it.

Properties

Material Characteristics

Nigredo pours out of the earth like clotting blood and wells up to fill whatever cavity has been inflicted with slow, tardy, but unstoppable force. It is usually harvested with large pumps, but often pours out with so much pressure, it rains down upon the land like bloody rain. The colour is more crimson when it defaults at destructive resonance and more black when it comes with a natural darkness resonance. Rare cases of wildernes resonance have been reported, but couldn't be confirmed.

Physical & Chemical Properties

Devils' Blood is thick, sticky and oily in texture; smells earthy and slightly rotten. When filled into barrels, it starts to emanate a humming sound after about 24 hours that grows louder the farther it gets away from it's place of origin. It is thus advisable to contain it carefully and in sound-proof containers, and make sure to refine it in a facility close to the original source.

Geology & Geography

The Alliance territory's wide tundra fields and grassland harbor sheer endless, subterranean lakes filled with Devils' Blood. The biggest harvest ground is called the Graveyard of Wings; originally a place to mine Albedo, once the surface deposits were depleted, and the workers started digging deeper, the first Nigredo source was found which changed everything. 
The Crimson Empire lacks a decent source of Nigredo and is slowly starting to fall behind the Allaince in their war efforts due to the fact, that they don't have an equal abundance of fuel to power their war machines. they are trying to supplement with more aether fuel, but this has only been partially successful, leading to many accidents with the highly unstable aether supllements.

Origin & Source

It is said that Nigredo is the fossilized blood of Infernals who fought in the Final War.

Rubedo is the most precious among the 'Big Five' elements in the Magnum Opus of alchemists:

• Prima Materia - Raw, pure, uncolored aether without resonance. Can be used to shape and form any other material.
• Rubedo - Gold in it's varying qualities and forms; the only material that can hold the fleeting, raw aether without polluting it.
• Citrinitas - A pale, ugly, yellowish metal that's dull in color as a ore and not much more when furnaced; it's very rare and holds a terrible secret only skilled alchemists can unlock.
• Albedo - The Bones of Angels; a porous rock-like, bleak material found in the earth. It's a fossil fuel with supernatural quirks and qualities.
• Nigredo - The Blood of the Devils; a thick, black tar-like substance residing deep within the earth. It's a fossil fuel with supernatural quirks and qualities.

Color

Iridescent, almost black, but actually the darkest crimson.

Common State

A viscous, thick liquid.