The next morning was a strangely quiet time. Ade wasn’t about to accuse any of the respected elders of being hungover, but at the same time he wouldn’t have been surprised if they drank more than they should have at the celebration last night. For most of them it wasn’t a serious issue, but Ade was positive that Elder Shan would regret his excesses with the amount of travelling that lay ahead of him.
The discussion the previous day that Ade had been pulled into was not a pleasant one. Ade didn’t claim to be an elder or have any sort of special knowledge or leadership ability that meant he should be responsible for making weighty decisions, but he was the Pathfinder who had found the Oasis. With the discussion revolving around that same Oasis, all sides had wanted Ade present; a pawn they could use to weight things in favor of their arguments.
The problem facing the elders was that the tribe they lead wasn’t equipped to easily settle an Oasis. Finding and securing the priceless source of water was one thing, but the question then became what next. Of the seven elders present, only Elder Gomer thought the tribe should try to settle the Oasis by themselves regardless of the difficulties involved in that task. Far too many of their members had skills that couldn’t be put to use at the Oasis, and they lacked both building and farming materials to truly turn the Oasis into a habitable settlement. Even Ade’s grandfather Ahten throwing his support behind Gomer wasn’t enough to sway the other elders from their choices. As far as the majority was concerned, the potential rewards of having a city of their own in the future didn’t outweigh the difficulties they would face in the moment trying to reach that point.
The other six elders were split between two positions. While they all were eager to sell off the Oasis, trading its location for treasures the tribe could more easily use, they disagreed as to who they should approach in order to make the sale. The oasis was extremely valuable, so valuable that it drastically limited who would have the wealth and inclination to purchase the rights to it. While any nearby settlement would be more than happy to uproot themselves for a life at an Oasis, their ability to reward the nomads was limited to good relations. A round of derisive chuckles showed how little value the elders put in that currency lasting very long. The other side of the equation was that those with wealth were likely to be quite content with their current situations and thus unlikely to invest in the construction of a new Oasis. A few might be interested, but it would take time and careful negotiations to make such a deal happen.
Three elders were in favor of trying to find such a benefactor in one of the larger tribes. The Cloudchasers, Sunwalkers, and Dune Shepherds were all mentioned, tribes with multiple Pathfinders, with dedicated water mages capable of supplying the needs of hundreds. All were tribes large enough to have the manpower to develop the Oasis and were in possession of treasures that could be traded fairly including magical items such as Everfull Barrels to Stormshields.
The other three elders argued that just because the larger tribes could develop the Oasis didn’t mean they would want to, considering just how much it would change the lifestyle they were used to. Instead, they argued for heading to an existing Oasis and trying to find a backer there, where it would be easier to purchase the necessary seeds and building materials at the same time.
Ade’s stance on the matter most closely aligned with those of Elder Gomer and Pathfinder Ahten. As such he mostly threw his support behind the pair while they worked to find a compromise solution. An offhand comment he made was the start of that compromise. “How exactly are you going to find the tribes?”
It wasn’t impossible to stumble across other groups out in the Shifting Sands, but it was rare, even with a knowledgeable pathfinder in charge. The pathfinder might be able to take you to where another group had been but catching up to their current position was far trickier. Instead of dashing across the desert hoping to run into another tribe the consensus was for two elders, one from each faction, to head out with Pathfinder Ahten towards the nearest city. While they were there they could work on meeting with the local rich people and talk with travelers who might give them a better idea as to where the larger tribes might be located. They could then head from city to city trying to make that connection, and if they found an interested businessman that both elders could work with then they could simply form the agreement there and return to the Oasis. The small group would also plan on visiting the Oasis every few months to provide status updates as well as to resupply and pick up goods for trading.
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That agreement meant the main tribe would be without its Pathfinder for a long period of time. While they didn’t plan on doing any travelling away from the Oasis, all the elders thought it would be best to have a Pathfinder named and present just in case. Despite Ade’s polite protests, he had been publicly chosen at the celebration the previous night and would be in charge of all Pathfinding while his Grandfather was gone.
The small group was able to move quickly, and it didn’t take long before they had left the Oasis behind, vanishing over sand dunes as they weaved a path towards whatever city happened to be closest. Once they were out of sight everyone went their own way, leaving Ade and Elder Gomer standing alone. Ade watched as Elder Gomer began to rub his hands in glee.
“I hope you don’t mind a bit of hard work, because I’ll be keeping you busy, Pathfinder Ade.” He motioned for Ade to follow him as he strode back to the camp. “I’d be surprised if they manage to make a deal in the next couple of months, so we have some time to get things set up, but the better our position is before they return, the more likely this is to work.”
“I’m afraid I don’t understand, Elder.” Ade admitted.
“That’s all right. You’re young and have plenty of time to learn how to be a conniving bastard before you end up on the council. It’s all about giving people what they want, but in a way that works for us. Two groups both want to negotiate their own deal? Have them work together and they will spend almost as much time working against each other as they will working towards their own goals. I don’t think Elder Shan and Elder Jero will actively sabotage each other, but they will certainly find it harder to close out a deal with the other constantly pointing out the drawbacks of any deal they do. And while they are busy elsewhere, we are here with the tribe, plenty of idle hands that wouldn’t mind putting a bit of work in to make their lives more comfortable. We might not be building any marble monuments, but I’m sure some nice mud brick shelters would be an easy thing to build. And the longer it takes to reach a deal, the more time everyone has to get settled in here, the more likely it becomes that I can convince some of the other elders to take a chance and try to build something more permanent.” Elder Gomer patiently explained.
He stopped walking and turned to give Ade his full attention. “I can't do it without you, Ade. We’ll need resources that aren’t’ present here, as well as someone to guide hunting and mining parties to and from the Oasis. The other Elders were right that most people have skills that won’t be used here, so I’m counting on you to help make things possible. I want our people to be happy, and while that means making sure that they have enough food and water and supplies to stay alive, it also means making sure they have a sense of purpose. Will you help me?”
Ade thought it over for a moment. On one hand, what Elder Gomer said made a lot of sense. People would need something to keep them busy and for the miners and the hunters that meant heading out into the Sands. Tor, Amy, and Kane could help, but Ade was the only one of the four who had been recognized as a full Pathfinder, and without his participation things would fall apart rather quickly. On the other hand, he had been looking forward to taking a break, to spending some time simply relaxing. Maybe even heading out into the Shifting Sands by himself with no obligations or objectives other than returning back to the camp before too much time had passed.
Ade barely kept himself from sighing. “What do you need me to do?” he asked, doing his best to keep his tone even. He might resent the obligations his abilities pushed on him, but he wasn’t about to refuse them, not when it would hurt so many other people.
Elder Gomer peered at Ade a moment before responding. “For now, nothing. Take a few days for yourself, relax, recover your energy from guiding us all here. I have to go around and see if anyone shares this vision of mine, as well as simply getting a better handle of what resources we have already and which ones we'll need to gather or trade for. Even then it won’t be too much of a workload for you. Most of the work will be done right here, and I’m sure the miners wouldn’t mind a light work schedule.” With a clap on the shoulder the Elder parted ways with Ade, on the hunt for the next person he wanted to convince to help him with his plan.
Ade, meanwhile, made his way over to his tent. With practiced ease he quickly put on all of his gear, before making his way over to the cooking area to grab some supplies. Some bread and meat leftover from the feast was quickly wrapped up and stuffed in his bag and Ade made his way out of the Oasis into the desert before anyone could stop him. He had implicit permission to go do his own thing for a couple of days and if he stuck around the camp it wouldn’t take long before people found him and began to bother him. It wasn’t the long journeys he hoped to make someday, but two days with only the sun for company was just what he needed.