Pitch of Heul

It is black and tar-like, ranging from almost liquid to a semi-solid which can be broken with a blunt metal object. It depends entirely on the state it is found in, though it is often malleable and easy to shape.

Pitch of Heul is known for its unique smell, particularly when mined from underground. It is referred to as "greenish" and "unripe apples" by most.

However, not all Pitch of Heul actually smells like apples, though it is overall a bitter and pungent scent either way. The vegetal notes and connection to apples is somewhat a cultural phenomenon. This misconception was adopted from another Sindainox culture, the Loar. The Loar were in closer contact with the Gvaneti in Pestilentia, who harvested it from trees and thus experienced the scent of Pitch of Heul very differently.

Pitch of Heul was the most common method of eye-keeping in the early days of the Heno Empire, though it was always far more popular among the Cambion, who carry the silica-based gene of the Saesonaid and Coriniaid. However, the distant decendants of those people known as the Gannwyll Gwydd and the Deii, would eventually ban Pitch of Heul and declare it, along with Rock Oils, as a forbidden element.

Lithomancer creating an eye-keepsake by magnifying sunlight through a crossvein plate to react with pitch of heul.

Pitch of Heul is most commonly used for eye-keeping and projecting images onto buildings for decor/painting purposes. The Glendatis had perfected the technique well enough that they would use it on a seasonal basis before cleaning it off with lye after a major seasonal festival and introducing new seasonal imagery to their buildings.

Rock Oils such as Pitch of Heul are typically associated with the Heno, who were the first to use it on an industrial and widespread scale. As they are genetically descended from the Coriniaid, whose bodies are made of silica and rock oil, it may be true that they have a natural affinity for the material.
Less known is that around the same time, the Glendatis also made use of Rock Oils as it was commonly found when drilling for saltwater. The Glendatis used Pitch of Heul when painting and carving murals in their cities and town, as the sun would cause it to blacken where it was painted. They would not think to use it for photography purposes until more contact with the Heno people in the first few centuries Early Capricorn Era.

While many Rock Oil materials are refined significantly, relatively little was done to process Pitch of Heul other than heating it to a softer state for easier applications. Later on it would be used in with other materials such as the Citron mana and Heavy Metals like galena and realgar.