It didn’t take long for the two Pathfinders to make it back to the Oasis, where they found the potential buyer had gone on a charm offensive.

“Zar’s the name, Zar Bloodwake if you need another one. Was only born with the first, so came up with the second when a tax collector asked. The name’s the only thing I gave the leech. If he wants some of my gold he can go fight monsters himself.” The rider had dismounted and had handed the reins of his horse off to his crippled follower, who sullenly stared from the sideline as his superior made a popular spectacle of himself. His tan, muscled arms were quite the hit with the nomads interested in that sort of thing. Muscles like that took years of dedication to acquire, years the fighter had put to good use as indicated by his fine clothes and jewelry. His biggest fans, however, weren’t interested in any of those features.

“Mr. Zar, can you show us your sword?” An innocent six year old asked, holding his own stick based weaponry up for comparison. Always happy to show off the adventurer motioned everyone to step back. The scimitar seemed to leap into his hand where he expertly used it to run through a series of cuts that had the sword flying up and down, crossing his body and even cutting out behind his back before returning the blade to its sheath. His audience watched with rapt eyes, and after a little begging he was convinced to demonstrate a second routine.

Adventurers were rare amongst the nomads. Their mobile nature meant that it was simple enough to leave an area if they came across a dangerous monster. The need to drive off or defeat monsters to preserve trade and message routes or settlements situated too close to the sands provided the incentives that drove the high risk, high reward business of Adventuring.

“Wooow” the kids watching chorused, much to Zar’s amusement.

“Impressive, eh?” he asked and got a chorus of nods in response. “Unfortunately monsters don’t care how impressive an adventurer I am, more’s the pity.” He half-lifted the scimitar out of the sheath.

“It’s a good weapon, but swords are meant for fighting people, opponents where finesse and skill can make the difference between their blood running or yours.. Against monsters you either want something with some distance, or something with some weight, preferably some of both as a group. I used an axe to cut my way up to silver rank, not a lot of monsters I couldn’t draw blood from, and that was only because they didn’t have any. Just don’t ask me to fight any fire monsters, ha ha.”

Seeing that the Elders were trying to get his attention Zar quickly wrapped things up. “Why don’t you kids go and hit each other with sticks to learn how to do it right while I have a quick chat with these old folk over here.” While nearby parents did their best to stop the excited children eager to begin replicating Zar’s swordplay, the man himself was ushered into a tent to talk. Pathfinder Ahten used his status to join the group inside, pulling his grandson after him.

“You weren’t lying, it's the real deal, and I’m buying. How much?” Zar was quick and to the point once everyone was inside.

“Um, well.”

“Too much babbling, not enough talking. The only reason you have something to sell is because you got here first. By myself I could probably handle half your guards if it came to a fight, and I’m not even that strong compared to some of the mercenaries out there. Every day you don’t sell is one more day for someone else to find you and kick you out of here, and I’m only willing to negotiate because I think it will be less of a hassle. So make sure it isn’t a hassle.” Zar kept up the verbal assault, keeping everyone else off balance while he established his position.

“Eight hundred.” Elder Shan spoke up.

Zar shook his head. “Eight hundred was the price back when I thought you had a chance of actually defending it. There’s four hundred pounds of gold on the camels I brought along. It’s yours along with a few useful magical items if we close this deal right now. Then you can be long gone before any fighting starts.

Ade could tell some of the elders were interested in that option. That was a large amount of gold. Split up evenly it was almost two pounds of gold per person, enough wealth to live comfortably for a year, longer if efforts were made to be frugal. Spent in bulk to purchase supplies and tools for the tribe meant the next decade or two would have an unheard level of security.

Elder Gomer wasn’t about to just roll over and close the deal that easily. “That might be true, but we’ve learned more about the Oasis since then as well. A magical barrier to deter monsters, the fact that the Oasis is slowly growing in size, and an occasional boost to plants all add a good amount to the price, I should think.

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Instead of being scared off or concerned by the demand for more money, Zar’s gaze grew downright avaricious. “That does change things. What I brought with me should serve as a down payment, so let’s talk about how much you want to keep this place between just us.”

Ade lost the train of conversation after that, as the more experienced traders quickly broke down into arguing over details such as the worth of Kalimshan silver or the approximate value of a pair of used stormcloaks. Eventually everyone seemed satisfied with what they had negotiated for, and a round of handshakes followed as the deal was sealed.

“Ade, go tell the cooks to begin preparations for a feast.” Elder Shan ordered.

“Drinks or a celebratory meal will have to wait for my return, I’m afraid.” Zar said regretfully. “I love a party as much as anyone, but time waits for no man. If your Pathfinder is willing, I would like to begin the journey back to Luxor posthaste. It’ll take some time to gather up the men I need.”

“These bones should be good for another trip or two.” Pathfinder Ahten said wryly. “I’ll just have to do my relaxing in Luxor while I wait.”

“My servant will come back with me, but Ramses, the earth mage, can stay here to start the process of building proper fortifications.” A few of the elders grimaced at the half hidden insult, but held their tongues.

The quick turnaround wasn’t expected, but didn’t require any significant preparation. The pack camels were unloaded and fitted with saddles for Ahten and the unnamed servant to ride, even as the wrapped treasures were carried to a storehouse, most people unaware of the contents hidden behind burlap and leather. With their food and water supplies restocked, the trio left the Oasis at a quick pace, letting their mounts do the hard work of carrying them back to the city.

Ramses the mage had found a comfortable spot by the pool for a nap, and when woken and told of the new plans had simply grunted “Tomorrow.” before rolling over and ignoring everyone.

With the outsiders accounted for the Elders once more made their way back to their tent, where their show of unity immediately broke apart.

“He was the best buyer you could find?”

“You should have held out for a higher price.”

“He rubs me the wrong way.”

“I didn’t see you volunteering.”

“How much do we trust the mage, more like a spy, he left behind?"

“Silence!” Elder Gomer cut through the quickly forming arguments. “I have my own concerns about the matter, but Elders Shan and Jero deserve a chance to explain themselves before we start throwing accusations at them.”

Elder Jero gave a quick nod in thanks, before quickly summarizing their trip. “Uneventful journey to Luxor, where we stayed at Torm the blacksmith’s house. No news about any other nomads, either at Luxor or at any of the other places they traded with." The news brought some frowns from those elders who had hoped to contact their distant cousins, but Jero pressed onwards. “Tried to talk to leaders of the city, couldn’t get an appointment. Took some coinage but managed to get a middleman to spread the word we had a secret to sell. Three weeks of politely dealing with bronze adventurers and landowners with more greed than money. Zar was one of the few who seemed reasonable, and who could possibly pay us enough to make it worth the effort. Noble from another city, rumors say.”

Elder Shan took over. “The other thing that made us go forward with selling to Zar was that despite our best efforts to keep things quiet people were starting to get ideas. Second week after we got there anonymous parties issued a whole bunch of exploration contracts for independent Pathfinders. Zar isn’t the perfect buyer, but he’s the only one willing and able to buy in the timeframe we found ourselves in. It’s only a matter of time before someone else stumbles over this place, and even with the advantages that come with defending against attacks from the Shifting Sands, we simply don’t have the combat strength to drive off any serious attempt.”

There were a few more questions and accusations thrown around, but it quickly became clear that the choices made were the best of a bad bunch. With that point of contention cleared up the Elders switched focus to planning for the future.

“Two or three weeks for Pathfinder Ahten to guide them to Luxor, for them to gather up a group, and then return. It’s not rushed, but we will need to make sure everyone is ready to move again after our long period of staying stationary.” Elder Gomer outlined the timeframe they had to work with.

“It’ll be hard convincing some people to head out, but the sight of gold should go a long way towards making the stubborn parties go along with it. Especially if we can establish good relationships with whoever Zar brings here and can make this Oasis a regular stop on our travels.”

“I still don’t like it.” Elder Arun grumbled. “What if it all turns out to be a setup, a trap of some sort?”

Elder Gomer ended the meeting. “Only so much we can do. We make them regret their betrayal as much as possible, and we do our best to make sure the tribe survives. We have a couple of weeks to get ready. Arun, I’d like it if you can try and set up some surprises just in case things do take a turn for the worst.”