You order another exorbitantly expensive glass of water from the bartender as you sit in the shade. You've finally made it to the city of Shajan, rumored to be just north of the fabled Oasis. It took you half your life savings and a good pair of boots, but you've finally arrived. You sit in your chair heavily, sweating profusely in the heat. Now that you've arrived here, you have to admit you don't know how to proceed. Sipping water as slowly as thirst permits, you decide to question the bartender.
"Barkeep, what do you know about the Oasis? The one that makes your greatest dreams and nightmares come true?"
"Hmph, its a fable." he tells you gruffly, "not like that'll stop you. Everyone comes here to find it, but I've yet to hear anyone say they've come back from it. At least tourists like you are good for business."
"I'm not a tourist! I need to get there, you don't understand!" you tell him emphatically, as the indescribable dreams flit through your mind. You've been having them since adolescence, but over the past year your sleep has become more and more... vivid. Abandoning your friends and your country, you've crossed so many miles to find the meaning of those dreams, and you can't be stopped here, not so close!
"Yea, yea, I get it. Well, since you've got that crazed look in your eye, I guess I'll give you a tip or two." the bartender says to you, his tone softening a bit.
"First, you need better clothes. Those heavy leather garments might be good where you're from, but do you see anyone wearing that here? No, we all wear white cloaks to keep the sun out, and as little else underneath as possible. You'd be wise to do the same.
"Now, about your grand Oasis. The way I see it, you could go three ways. First, there's a traveling merchant in town. You could buy yer cloak, and beg for some tips from her. It won't come cheap, mind, but she's been to the edge of the world and back.
"Second, ya see those yellow cloaks over there? Them's the Oasis worshippers. A cult if you ask me, but they obsess over it just as much as you do, so they probably know something. Keep to themselves, though, you'd have to join them to get anywhere with them.
"Third, there's a hermit that lives at the edge of town. I've never known anyone to talk to the hermit, and no one knows anything about them. Could be a man, a woman, or whatever else for all I know. But the hermits been a mystery since I've been a kid, long ago, and has to have some power. Might be related to the Oasis, but I don't think its worth your hide."
You thank the bartender for his advice, and set off getting a cloak and...
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