North America, second half of the 19th century. The irresistible scent of endless opportunity, freedom, adventure and undiscovered riches fills the continent.

Like so many others at the time, young Theodor Mackaroy had answered the powerful call of gold. After a long and arduous journey across the vast, barren wastes, marked by hardship and exhaustion, he had finally reached his destination. In a remote, unpopulated area (the exact location is not recorded), many other gold-seeking individuals had already set up camp.

Among them were many desperate, poor people who had nothing to lose and everything to gain; a few greedy rich men who had brought their emaciated workers with them and were now forcing them to workday and night to increase their own wealth; a few curious onlookers and even fewer children and women. Only Theodor had other motives.

As the days passed on the supposedly auspicious mountain, which was said to hold almost endless reserves of gold, the frustration and desperation of the gold seekers grew as their supplies dwindled. Only the tiniest, individual traces of gold, little more than delicate dust, could be unearthed.

The masses eventually packed up their tents and followed the alluring, tempting call of deceptive gold further west, hoping to find a great vein of gold in the next mountain range, the next river, the next day, or the day after that, and finally strike it rich.

But Theodor had recognised the real treasure of the area: The fertile soil, which grew barley, millet and wheat, among other things. Realising that this was a central location, he built an inn that soon became a popular and busy stop for prospectors and travellers alike.

The Adventure Club of Europe has records of how Theodor expanded his business and soon had many loyal workers in the fields and at the inn, allowing him to concentrate on his second great passion: Alchemy. Why bother looking for gold when you could make it yourself? But gold was not his only goal; he also experimented with recipes, tinctures and remedies with great success. Sadly, many of his exciting achievements have been forgotten and lost over time.

However, it is said that his distant descendant, a resourceful man named Thomas, who had great culinary expertise and an extraordinary talent for reinventing sumptuous delights, rediscovered one of the original recipes that was thought to be lost. He is also said to have refined and modified the original recipe to produce a concoction, known as ‘liquid gold’, that is as beneficial as it is delicious. It is said that prosperity and good fortune will always follow those who wet their throats with the legendary liquid gold.

ACE is currently investigating these modern legends and will report here as soon as new findings are available.

Property of the club:

Contemporary witness footage and current eyewitness accounts. ACE is unable to provide further details at this time as this is an ongoing expedition.