The Oasis

Oasis is the mysterious and innately magical, verdant valley located within the Valley of Melodies in Sedo. It seems unaffected by even the worst weather, and remains lush and lively through the hardest droughts. The origin and history of the Oasis are largely unknown, as there is no mention of it in Serora’s history records.

## Entry

The rock formations around the Oasis are thick, growing thicker as one nears the hidden valley, and finally form a winding tunnel with many dead ends and dangerous ridges. This is the original entry point into the Oasis, and the one used by both most of the Seroran refugees, and later the Aodhians when they attempted to attack the valley.

The second entry point into the Oasis was only discovered during the herd’s time there when the area was fully mapped. This entry is more open, allowing for easier access for large groups (or bigger familiars). It is a rounded, almost gate-like opening in the rock that after a short walk in the large tunnel opens towards the coast. This opening was the primary one used by the Water Bandits in their assault.

## Oasis Valley

The Oasis Valley is much larger than one would assume from the outside, covering acres upon acres of ground. At the center of the valley is a lake fed by a slow and shallow river with many safe crossings. This river has several smaller offshoots, providing the whole area with ample fresh water. The river originates from outside the Valley, flowing into it from near the first entrance, and leaving the valley near the second entrance into the sea. The water currents seem unaffected by any of the magical properties of Oasis, but the openings are too small and dangerous for equines to pass.

The outer rim of the Oasis resembles the nicer parts of Ziuseset - various grasses, cacti, hardy desert trees and other Seroran native plants dot the landscape. The nearer one gets to the epicenter of the valley - the lake - the more verdant nature becomes. Around the lake, the greenery is unnaturally verdant for Sedo. The natural vegetation includes many edible and medicinal plants, including varieties not usually found in Sedo without careful cultivation, such as wild grapes, strawberries, mango, pineapple, apples and lettuce.

## Magical Properties

The Oasis is innately magical, and has some unusual attributes. The most obvious of these is the valley’s verdant state, unlike anything seen anywhere else in Sedo. Not even a troop of Plant Manipulators could achieve the kind of biodiversity that seems to exist in the Oasis naturally and effortlessly.

Some level of climate and weather manipulation also seems to run through the valley. Although still decisively a hot place, the Oasis does not suffer from the kind of extreme changes in conditions between night and day as the rest of Sedo - temperatures are more even and predictable. Extreme weather seems to pass over the Oasis without doing any harm, and rainfall is slightly more frequent than elsewhere in Sedo.

Additionally, the Oasis can not be flown over, nor can equines traverse into or out from the Oasis by flight. Even if one knows exactly where the Oasis is, they find themselves unable to locate it, much less land safely within its borders. Similarly, one taking flight from the Oasis and heading outside will find themselves disoriented, flying in circles, and eventually forced to return to the ground. This likely explains how it remained hidden for so long.

### The Oasis Barrier

During the Aodh-Serora war, from about March of 1701 to early October of 1701, the Oasis was protected by an additional barrier. This barrier, created by a spatial manipulation relic, originally made it so that no one could enter or leave the Oasis in any way. The barrier took the appearance of a reflective surface of gold and blue light, and enveloped the entire valley - even the sky above it. While blessings such as dream manipulation or astral projection could be used to communicate to the outside world, nothing would allow one to physically pass through the barrier.

In the summer of 1701, the barrier was changed by the very same relic that created it. The changed barrier kept its original appearance, but would allow equines to teleport through it.

## History of the Oasis

The Oasis appears to be a relic of a time long past, but little is known of its origin, original purpose, or even how and why it came to be. The modern herd (post God’s War) had no knowledge of the Oasis’ existence until the spring of 1700, when a mysterious stranger by the name of Ishmael led them into the verdant valley.

The Oasis was used as an emergency food supply from spring of 1700 until late summer of the same year. With the war looming over the herd, the viability of Oasis as a safe haven for the herd was investigated before the new year. The first refugees arrived soon after, and kept arriving until the spring of 1701, when the Oasis was sealed away from the outside world.

During the following months, a settlement began to grow within the Oasis, and much of the land was taken into use as living, herding and farming area. Although the Oasis was verdant, and food was initially plentiful, housing over half of the desert herd, as well as many Vagabonds, began to deplete the natural resources. The more pressing issue for many, however, was the change into having to live in such packed quarters.

The barrier was altered in the summer of 1701, and brought down by Alya’s magic in the autumn of the same year - although it is not known if this was intentional or not. Soon after the magical barrier collapsed, many of the residents left the valley, content to return to their roaming lifestyles. With the Oasis left largely undefended, a coalition of Water Bandit crews took over the valley and its settlement.

## Gadis

### Founded

1701

Gadis is a small settlement within the Oasis, built near the central lake. Founded when the masses of refugees arrived in the valley, necessity and ingenuity - and ample time due to being locked into the valley - soon found the little tend village transitioning into more permanent structures. The buildings in Gadis are mostly constructed from bricks and clay, and many have either stone tile or hay roofs. There is little to no town planning to speak off, and no large public buildings. Instead, the town is tightly packed and slightly chaotic, with buildings seeming to sprout out of one another and the pathways between them being crowded and small.  Several shrines to Alya are scattered around the little town. Immediately around the town, the verdant nature takes over, although some fences and pavings have been put in place to form the wild flora into orchards.

The Water Bandits have done little to change the place. They seem content to simply occupy the spaces prepared for them, although some buildings have been redecorated with stolen loot or other such trinkets. Their only contribution to the town itself has been to build some simple wooden barricades around the town in their anticipation of a Seroran counterattack.

Gadis is hostile to most visitors, and Water Bandits patrol the Oasis to deny entry into the valley. They rarely receive visitors, although a few select Vagabonds are welcome to come and go as they wish.