Ashes of Enlightenment

The Ashes of Enlightenment were part of a legend known to Thai scholars which held that the remains were of an ascended master. By sipping a handful of the ashes in green tea on Buddha's day of enlightenment, a pathway to the same would open for the drinker allowing them to bypass the traditional route which took several lifetimes.

Professor Niarim disappeared while searching for the ashes but was subsequently beheld in visions by his three closest friends and reports claimed that he had performed the ritual.

The limited supply of ashes were sought after by several competing groups which included Thai crime lords, the Japanese, Chinese power groups and Occidental archaeologists and/or fortune seekers. While false clues led some to India, a band of adventurers received a memo suggesting that Niarim was planning to search a scuttled junk in the Bay of Siam.

Behind the scenes
"Ashes of Enlightenment" is the name of the adventure hook in which the ashes appear in Indiana Jones and the Lands of Adventure. It's not clear whether the title is the artifact's actual name.