Points on a Map: The Oasis of Del Foor – Possible Plots

Welcome back to Points on a Map!

In previous installments we learned a bit about the history and people of the Oasis of Del Foor and the settlement of Ashid. Now it’s time to ponder some of the possible ways to integrate it into your story – a few suggestions for entrances, exits, and plot threads.

There and Back Again

There are three ways your PCs may get to Ashid  from any one of the nearby oases or settlements in and around The Waste: on foot, by camel, or by horse. If your setting includes magic or modern conveniences, you might add flying carpets, planes, trains, or automobiles as well. The same methods of travel may be used again to leave the Oasis when it comes time to move on.

• On Foot – Not recommended. Though the desert people have adapted to life in the Waste’s extreme conditions, even they only travel on foot in the direst of circumstances. PCs entering Ashid on foot will be mistrusted and shunned for fear that they are scouts for raiding parties, thieves, or worse.
• By Camel – A camel can carry up to 300 lbs of water on its back in water skins and survive for up to 8 days with no food or water, making it an ideal traveling companion—if not for the bad attitude and the smell. Camels may be stabled for a single night or a few days with Bakhi El Tahad at Al Asfar Ibil (The Yellow Camel) near the Dawn or Dusk Market. They will be well tended by Bakhi and his staff.
• By Horse – Only the rich and powerful can afford horses, which require much more water than a camel and are often accompanied by a slower-traveling camel or two to carry the extra water necessary. Horses may also be stabled at Al Asfar Ibil as well, but may draw unwanted attention since horses are somewhat uncommon in Ashid.

Trade caravans traveling the desert routes will often employ a combination of camels and horses. The camels will be used for transport and combat, and the horses used for exclusively combat and scouting along the journey as necessary. Many caravans employ guards and scouts to protect people and cargo from harm, which may offer an opportunity for the PCs to travel the desert as part of a larger group.

Random Encounters: Crossing the Desert: While traveling in the desert, here are a few potential random encounters (roll d10):

1. You are delayed by a sandstorm, postponing your journey by anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.
2. Your camel was bitten by a snake and is slowed significantly.
3. You found scorpions in your bedroll and are suffering the lingering effects of their sting.
4. Your camp is attacked by a small group of bandits or raiding party.
5. You find a hole in your waterskin.
6. You are entranced by a flowering plant along the journey.
7. You are treated to a particularly clear night while camping on the journey, allowing you to count 1,001 stars in the sky.
8. You see a shooting star as the sun sets or rises, which your guides interpret as a good omen for the next leg of your journey.
9. You encounter a friendly caravan traveling the opposite direction along the trail.
10. You are buffeted by a steady wind, which makes visibility and breathing difficult for a few hours at a time.

Learning the Mysteries of Ashid

Once the party arrives and stables their mounts, they will be directed to Zahar Nuzi (the Inn of Flowers) for lodging or instructed where to set up camp on the edge of the oasis. They may then explore the rest of what Ashid has to offer. The inhabitants of Ashid will be polite to visitors, but won’t share much with the PCs until a bond of trust is formed. The older denizens who know about the disappearances will be afraid to speak openly about the disappearances and many of the middle-aged or younger residents are too focused on day-to-day business to notice much.

If they eventually meet Jibra Al Ghul or Madam Torha, they may be directed to the Citadel to speak to Bashi El Vaz and Bayim El Vaz. In turn, they may be introduced to the family patriarch, Roovi El Vaz himself, who may tell them the story if they gain his trust. However, after a century of paranoia and the recent troubles, that trust may be difficult to come by.

Random Encounters: Exploring Ashid: While exploring Ashid, here are a few potential random encounters (d10):

1. A small crowd of street urchins accost you, asking for handouts of food, gold, or goods.
2. You witness a thief’s sentencing in a public area. Depending on the crime, the thief may lose a single finger or as much as a hand as punishment.
3. You realize that you are being followed around the oasis by a solitary figure in the shadows.
4. A hawker quietly encourages you to visit the Tea Room at Zahar Nuzi or the refreshments available at Shariba Al Ghul.
5. You notice a woman frantically looking for her child, asking if anyone has seen the boy or girl.
6. A well-dressed man travels in haste with an entourage towards the Dawn or Dusk Market.
7. A group of men sharing a hookah in the shade of a palm grove invite you to join them.
8. You see a traveler escorted by armed men from the Baths to the Citadel while near the Baths you see an angry mob discussing something.
9. You hear yelling and see a tent on fire at the edge of the oasis. Instead of water, responders throw sand at the flames to knock them down.
10. A group of armed men on horseback charge through town as if on a mission.

Suggested Three-act Structure for Adventure

If you want to apply a simple three-act structure to the story of Ashid, here’s one possibility:

1. First Act
   • Arrive in Ashid
   • Visit the various shops, taverns, inns, spas, and businesses
   • Meet one or more of the key NPCs
2. Middle Act
   • One of the NPCs the party meets along the way suddenly disappears
   • If the party begins to investigate, they are encouraged to speak to the El Vaz family
   • They start to discover more about the disappearances and pinpoint when they began
3. Last Act
   • Discovery of the source of the problem. Revelation of the demon Beyesh and the cost of Ashid’s success.
   • Resolution – will they decide to remove Maaz Al Yad, attempt to destroy the demon, or destroy Roovi El Vaz, potentially sealing the fate of Ashid’s future?

Further Possibilities

• Simple Mystery – find the source of the disappearances
• Dispatch the Evil – remove Maaz Al Yad and/or Roovi El Vaz
• Guard the Tomb of Beyesh or attempt to banish the demon for good

GMs can do many things with Beyesh. If the party should be foolish enough to set him free, Beyesh could be an excellent enemy and the party could have to put the “genie back in the bottle” or destroy him completely at some point. But not before the demon has caused some havoc in the outside world.

Though Ashid is a small oasis size-wise, it might become a good central location for other desert adventures such as exploring nearby tombs and ruins, eradicating the local bandit problem (if one exists), or even helping El Vaz and eventually being granted space for a business or home.

Also, nothing says that the plight of the missing will reveal itself the first time the PCs visit Ashid. Perhaps the secrets of the oasis will reveal themselves slowly and the PCs will later wonder how they missed the signs.

Depending on the genre, setting, and system, there may be other places and businesses in Ashid to explore. You might find a gambling den or a brothel operating with Al Ghul’s knowledge. Or you may find a place of worship and insert an entire belief structure. Priests, monks, and prophets may add another level of intrigue to the stage that could help or hinder the PCs goals.

Ashid as written may be just as comfortable in a pulp campaign as a fantasy one, a Call of Cthulhu adventure as much as one in Spirit of the Century or Dungeons & Dragons. There are plenty of options to explore and ways to fit a desert scenario or two into many worlds and times.

You might find inspiration in movies like The Mummy and The Mummy Returns, Stargate, the great Sinbad movies and tales, Lawrence of Arabia, and of course the classic 1001 Arabian Nights.

Resources

Here are a few more resources to explore:

• English Words from Arabic (The Metaverse)
• Fantasy Arabian Nights Names (Rolang’s Creeping Doom)
• 20 Most Incredible Desert Oases [pics] (Environmental Graffiti)
• The Web Site of The Siwa Oasis (Egypt)
• Oasis (Wikipedia)
• Wildlife in the Sahara (Temehu)
• Riding across the Sahra (The Lone Riders Guild)
• The Camel (Islam City)
• Camel Proverbs (Creative Proverbs)

Well, that’s it for now about Ashid and the Oasis of Del Foor. Next we’ll explore the world of the Floating Market and see what secrets may be in store.

Feel free to offer suggestions on other themes to explore in Ashid or other Points on the Map you might like to hear about. And I’d love to hear if you manage to fit Ashid into your own campaigns. Let us know in the comments!