After being confined to their tents for a few days everyone was eager to get out and socialize, Ade included. There was still work that needed to be done after a sandstorm, but it was communal work, sweeping away the sand that had piled up before it could be tracked inside the otherwise clean tents. A few people headed elsewhere to let the animals out and to take the anchoring cables down before anyone could trip over them, but most people gravitated towards the open area in the middle of the camp where they could slowly work while catching up on gossip and news, mundane as it was.

At least, that was what people had intended to be doing once the storm was over. The reality was slightly different.

“You’re being too soft on those whelps! One of them did it, and I’ll have answers out of them! No respect these days, but a few strokes should fix that!”

Ade rubbed his temples to try and ward off the developing headache. Even if he couldn’t see the cantankerous meddler, Dun’s voice had a way of carrying. Most of the time it served as a useful signal to warn others to avoid the area, but that simply wasn’t possible this time. Sighing once more for good measure, Ade pressed his way through the spectators, heading towards the spot where Dun was arguing with the assembled Elders.

“We’ve already explained this to you, Dun. Every single parent has confirmed that their children were inside the entire time. How exactly do you think that a young child could undo the bindings keeping the tent sealed, make their way through a sandstorm where they wouldn’t be able to see their hands in front of their face, draw enough arrows to cover most of the Oasis without the storm erasing them, and then somehow sneak back inside their tent, all without their parents spotting them missing?” Elder Arun asked wearily. The last question had been rhetorical but seeing that the stubborn man intended to answer it anyways Arun quickly cut him off.

“I see that Pathfinder Ade has returned from his quick scouting expedition with new information for us. Thank you for your time, Dun, I will be sure to let you know if we have need of your particular expertise.” He gave a short nod before turning his body to focus fully on Ade, cutting Dun out of the upcoming conversation before he could try and involve himself. Recognizing the move for the dismissal it was, Dun walked off muttering unintelligibly under his breath.

“Now then, Pathfinder Ade. What did you find on your scouting trip?”

For appearance more than anything else Ade took a moment to gather his thoughts. The elders had tasked him with circling around the Oasis, seeing if he could spot any signs of people coming or going, or anything else unusual. Left unsaid was that everyone knew what was likely responsible for the arrows, they just wanted to make sure that everyone in the tribe could be convinced and in agreement before the nomads as a group decided on their response.

Ade projected his voice while giving his report, intentionally allowing the onlookers to hear what he had to say. “There were no signs of anyone entering or leaving the Oasis during the storm. The Wild was a bit closer to the Oasis than it normally is, but it's closer everywhere, not just in a single location that would indicate someone exiting or entering the Shifting Sands. Only other thing I noticed was that a good amount of sand has built up at the edge of the Oasis making a large circle.”

“Thank you for your report, Pathfinder Ade.” Elder Gomer preempted any whispering from the audience. "I think it’s quite clear that neither the children nor some mysterious strangers out in the Sands are responsible for the arrows left on the ground. Does anyone else have any other suggestions as to who might be responsible?”

“Could be the mage, doing something funny to mess with us.” Someone towards the back suggested. The rest of the nomads made it clear his idea was clearly a minority position, but the elders were willing to address it all the same.

“Possible, but highly unlikely. Ramses has shown himself to be a rather lazy individual, taking every chance he can to sit around and do nothing. The walls and foundation he’s set up are the bare minimum I would expect from an earth mage, and every single time he has practically been standing on the area he wished to affect. It’s possible he’s simply playing a convoluted trick on us all, but that still wouldn’t account for everything that has happened before Ramses arrived.” Gomer laid out the counter argument clearly. It was true that Ramses was a lazy stranger they didn’t know much about, but no one present thought he was the sort of character to really invest himself in the levels of intrigue necessary to accomplish everything that had been happening. And, as Elder Gomer said, strange things had started long before the mage had made an appearance.

“The Oasis.” It wasn’t any single person who brought up the idea this time, but several, all murmuring in agreement. It was one thing to hear of the blessings that the established cities experienced, to know factually that they all drew a good portion of their power from their control of magical pools of water. It was another thing entirely to see one of those selfsame Oases evolve over time, growing in size and in power as the days went by. Clearly there was some source driving all the changes, and the latest changes hinted that whatever controlled the growth might be intelligent enough to leave a warning for the nomads.

Gomer waited a bit for the whispered conversation to die down. “None of us Elders know just what makes certain places like this oasis magical. If the cities know then it is a secret they keep to themselves. Perhaps Ing is responsible for blessing her Great Temple, perhaps all or none of the Oases owe their power to her influence. We do not know. It is not knowledge that we remember, that our tribe passes down from generation to generation. We cannot rely on history to show us the correct path forwards in this situation.”

Before his admittance of ignorance could really sink in, Elder Gomer continued with his speech. “That is not to say we are blind fools cluelessly stumbling forwards. We Elders do have working eyes and ears, despite what some rumors might imply. We’ve seen the Oasis grow in front of our eyes, we’ve heard of it keeping monsters and now the sandstorm at bay. The Oasis has not been a danger to us. We don’t know what message the arrows and face are meant to convey. We have guesses, like many of you do, but nothing to back those guesses up. Soon we will find the time to talk with everyone to hear your input and ideas as we try and figure out what is happening. We will make ourselves available to hear your concerns, and do our best to prepare everyone for whatever is going on. But there is one thing we wish to do first.”

Elder Gomer began to walk, followed by the other elders. “The Oasis has made an effort to get our attention. We shall let it know that it has it.”

It was a slow procession that made its way towards the pool, following the multitude of arrows that pointed the way forwards. The pool itself was completely sand free, whatever magic present that removed debris more than capable of handling the large amounts of sand that had been dumped there by the storm. The sight was somewhat surreal, a perfectly clear pool of water surrounded by sand as afar as the eye could see. Even the altar had been buried under a layer of sand, and it was with careful movements that the elders brushed it off.

“Spirit of the Oasis, we come before you. We know not why you have left us with these markings on the ground, why you are unhappy, but we are listening. You have given us much, let us help you in any way we can.”

No sooner did the Elder finish his prayer than the world began to shake. It was not an earthquake, but a softer swaying, a rippling of space and energy that pulsed outwards. Somehow the sand covering the ground seemed to vanish, seeping downwards into what should have been solid soil. The effect was even more pronounced when the wave hit the edge of the Oasis. Instead of stopping or petering out in built up momentum, transforming sand into dirt entirely before a thick layer of grass appeared to cover the expanded area.

A quick check showed that the expansion had stopped short of the desert farm, not that it mattered all that much. With their eventual departure, the nomads would be content to harvest what they could and then simply leave the rest where it lay.

“I suppose that works as a yes.” Elder Mu commented dryly. “It’s nice to know the Oasis can hear and respond to us, even if it can’t tell us what exactly it wants us to do.” Raising his voice, the Elder addressed the gaping tribe, who were still taking in the changes. "Everyone, I would ask that you keep your eyes and your mind open. If you see anything unusual or noteworthy let us know."

After a quick round of assent the nomads began to disperse, their morning plans of cleaning thoroughly disrupted. Ade made his way back to his tent to think on what he had just seen, only to have his shoulder caught from behind. Ramses the mage stood there, still yawning sleepily and wearing his night clothes. He had obviously been woken up by the commotion and had stumbled outside to see what had happened.

“Good morning.” The lazy mage yawned. “What did I just miss?” While Ade struggled to find the right words Ramses blinked a few times, slowly processing what he was seeing.

“Whoa. Nice job cleaning this place up!”

Ade sighed. This might take a while.