Subha's Oasis

The largest oasis in the open desert, Subha's is the main halfway point between the city of Akhang-Ahvar and the port of Kurata to the west. Named for Subha Al-Waz, the great Hajdibi desert explorer of the past, all merchants and travellers across the desert make a point of stopping here to rest and to enjoy the hospitality of the monks of the small temple to Chauntea, the goddess of nature. The tall date palms provide cooling shade and the crystal clear springs have a constant flow of mineral-rich, cold fresh water which is channelled around the temple gardens into contemplative pools and small water features. Native to this oasis alone are a few species of brightly coloured heliconia flowers and small, dense shrubs that produce leaves, bark and berries used as spices and incense. Migrating birds stop here on their annual trip from west to east as the seasons change, including storks, wading birds and swallows. The large ponds of spring water can become quite crowded at times, despite covering 10 square miles in dense tree cover and lake waters. The lake does not support any aquatic life due to its rich mineral content and underground source but biting midges and jewel-like dragonflies abound.

Geography

The geography of the oasis is that of a rocky outcrop arranged in strangely symmetrical concentric rings, rising from a deep central crater from where the fresh water springs, filling the circular lake and the annular ponds around it. The bedrock is dense sandstone but strange glowing pebbles are sometimes unearthed, and there is a moderate seam of copper and flint in the limestone deposits, suggesting that this was once a seabed.

Fauna & Flora

The main native plants found here are dry grasses and flowering succulents, as well as hardy shrubs and palm trees and ancient bristlecone fir trees. Close to the lake edge and in the shallows, grow weeds such as watercress and horsetails but the lack of friable soils prevents anything at all from growing too large. The only native creatures to the oasis are lizards and insects, such as the White Whiptail lizard and the Golden Rod dragonfly, the larvae of which can withstand the alkaline waters of the spring. Since the oasis is very isolated and has a unique water source, plants and animals here have evolved in forms found in no other place in Zami Ramal.

Natural Resources

Water is the principle resource at the oasis and is the chief reason that anything exists here at all. Prospectors might find nuggets of green copper ore, or fossil bones and shells, as well as nodules of flint but such resources are not required in great amounts due to advances in metallurgy. The palm trees bear dates and coconuts but these are oddly flavoured and coloured due to the nature of the soil and water here. That same reason provides bushes from which rare spices are made, such as the eponymous "spice", a bark product from the Scarlet Laurel bush that is shredded and burned for a mind-altering effect.

Alternative Name(s)

The Great Lake

Type

Oasis

Included Organizations