The background tension that had been building over the last week spiked to a sudden peak. No matter what arguments one believed were real or not, this was the moment of truth. The time for debate was over. Slowly the dust cloud marking the presence of travelers approached, and from the front of it emerged familiar faces.

Adventurer Zar, still riding his magnificent horse, the light gleaming off his numerous jewels making him easy to pick out at a distance. Pathfinder Ahten next to him, identifiable as one of the few old men present in the Sands and one whose shape was familiar to the waiting tribe. Next to them a third person one was visible, it was less obvious at first, but most realized it was the one-handed servant, his disability forcing him to handle his camel in a unique manner that made identifying him possible. Behind them the dust cloud continued to rise, suggesting a large number of people, and more than one hand reached down to grip a carried weapon for some small reassurance. Silver rank adventures were rare, but enough enemies of lesser skill was still a problem worth worrying about.

As the cloud drew closer figures became visible inside, each one striking the ground hard with each foot they brought down as they marched along. Their angry dispositions were clear for the world to see. Their eyes glared with concealed menace, and their teeth were bared aggressively. Even with all that the sight of them did wonders for easing the nomads’ worries.

Camels. Trains of camels, all heavily burdened with supplies were the main cause of the moving dust cloud. Despite their large packs they moved quickly, urged onwards by teams of tenders that marched alongside, keeping the procession moving forwards and preventing any accidents from occurring. Most of their focus was on the two sledges each being pulled by six camels. Dragging the sledges wasn’t as efficient as simply carrying the goods, but it allowed for the transportation of objects or materials too large or cumbersome to be loaded onto a single camel. In this case the sledges carried large amounts of wood pre-cut into planks for construction purposes. It represented a large financial investment, albeit one that Zar could clearly afford.

More evidence of that wealth came in the form of the people travelling with the caravan. While some were covering the relatively menial task of guiding the camels, all were wearing quality clothes that provided adequate protection from the desert. There weren’t any women or children present, a detail that worried the nomads slightly. They knew that most people did not have the practical experience that their tribe did in traversing the Sands, and that the currently undeveloped Oasis would not offer an easy existence until amenities could be built up and manned. Children would simply get in the way and while there were some tasks involved in early construction that anyone could handle, the additional strength that men brought made them better candidates for hiring as workers. It wasn’t that they expected entire families to be brought along; there were plenty of good reasons that only men were present. There were, however, no good reasons to bring obvious non-combatants along if Zar and his people were expecting a fight. It was a small distinction, but one that the Elders latched onto as they tried to figure out what course of action to take.

“That’s a far larger group than I expected him to be able to gather, especially in such a short period of time.” Gomer muttered under his breath, soft enough that only the other Elders standing next to him could hear.

“We had heard he had connections, both in Luxor and in some other cities. Unlike us he can convince others to work with him to develop the Oasis. Also, it’s a lot easier to hire workers than it is fighters.” Elder Shan answered, carefully inspecting the caravan.

“Not that he didn’t hire quite a few of them.” Elder Zin added his own thoughts. “There’s quite a few weapons I can spot, and all of them are sitting comfortably on their owners. Doesn’t tell us how good they are with those swords, but it isn’t their first time carrying them. I don’t like it.”

“It’s not ideal, but attacking us is hardly the only reason to bring fighters along. They were probably needed to defend the caravan while they travelled here, and the walls Ramses is building might keep monsters out, but guards will still be needed to kill them.”

“He’s still a bit too far away, but it seems like Pathfinder Ahten is comfortable at the moment.”

“Thank you for your insights, Elders.” Elder Gomer cut the discussion short. “Zar and his people will be arriving here shortly, what plan are we choosing to follow? Do we fight, do we stay, or do we run?”

“Stay.” Zin immediately replied. “Fighting is the foolish choice, and a path we should only take if forced into it. With that said it doesn’t look like they are interested in being the aggressor either, and it will take some time to finalize the deal and handle the final details of our travel plans.”

“Run.” Mu gave his vote. “If we start now we can have everyone halfway into the Sands by the time Pathfinder Ahten arrives. A couple of us elders can stay behind to finish those details you mentioned and if anything goes wrong everyone else would be able to escape before being caught.”

Every elder took their turn, giving their vote and a short explanation of their reasoning. Elder Arun was the last to offer his opinion.

“Stay.” He said firmly. A quick shrug was his only response to looks asking for more detail. As far as he was concerned, everything that needed to be said already had, and no one else remained to try and sway to one side or another.

None of the elders were willing to commit the tribe to a fight. Beyond the fact that none of them were in any shape to be the ones fighting, the composition of the caravan had relaxed their worries enough that they didn't think a fight was inevitable. The warnings the Oasis had given them still had them on edge, but not enough to risk a pre-emptive strike. Between running immediately and staying long enough to finalize details and avoid giving offense was a far more even split. Although Gomer had presented it as a binary choice between two plans, the reality was that there was a spectrum of how much the Elders trusted Zar and how long they were willing to risk staying.

“Four to three in favor of staying long enough to not look suspicious or mistrustful of Zar. I understand and agree with the arguments for keeping our distance, and if I could guarantee that this was the last time we would need to interact with Zar or travel to this Oasis I would agree with your position. However, sources of abundant water are not so common in the Sands that I am willing to give one up simply due to premonition or misplaced fear. No matter how quickly Zar builds it will be a long time before the potential of this Oasis is fully utilized, time where we can freely restock our water supplies, or at least do so for a lower cost than any other settlement would charge us. A good relationship might be the difference between life or death in the future, and I believe that pursuing such a relationship is worth a small gamble of faith.”

With their discussion complete, Elders Mu and Jero split from the group to pass word of the decision around, while the rest of the Elders joined by Ade and Healer Elan made their way to greet the newcomers.

“Grandfather! We weren’t expecting you back for a while yet!” Ade took the chance to find out what had transpired from his mentor’s point of view.

“We made excellent time travelling to Luxor. All of us were mounted, and with Zar willing and able to fight off monsters we went deeper into the Sands than I would have otherwise. Three days of travel brought us back to Luxor, just in time to avoid getting trapped out in the Sands by a large sandstorm. It still forced us to shelter inside the city for a few days, but I used the time to catch up with Mel and Zar was able to magically send messages to people he knew around the city. They couldn’t do much in terms of gathering supplies or hiring people, but having a plan in place meant that once the storm abated it only took a few days for everything to be gathered together.

The large group meant a slower journey back, but with all these camels to carry supplies and with only fit adults to worry about we kept up a good pace. We attracted more monsters than I would have liked, but nothing that they couldn’t handle.”

“The lions made for a good bit of fun, but as Pathfinder Ahten said, everything else was hardly worth mentioning.” Zar added his own perspective of the trip. “Not that I’m complaining. My backers would have had words for me if anything had damaged their investment.” He gestured at the caravan behind him that was slowly gathering at the edge of the Oasis.

“If I remember correctly, it is my turn to host the celebratory feast. While most of our supplies are quite basic, I did manage to bring along a few casks of wine, as well as the two cattle over there. Not to mention the four goats, dozen chickens, and bags of fresh fruit and vegetables.” He waggled his eyebrows, only to have Elder Gomer cut in.

“As tempting as your offer is, Adventurer Zar, I’m afraid we will have to decline. We’ve already started packing to head out, making extending our stay a tricky proposition. Also, to put it politely, you’ve brought an awful lot of men with you, men that have been by themselves in the desert for a week now. Not that I’m implying anything bad about them, I simply need to keep an eye out for all of my tribe, including the young, unmarried women who don’t know how to handle their wine.”

A flash of something quickly crosses Zar’s eyes before vanishing as if it had never been there.

“Ha! Probably for the best I didn’t spend the night the last time I was here then.” The adventurer chuckled, before continuing. “I won't argue with you too much. The less of my feast you eat the more there is for me, after all. But surely you can find the time to have a drink or two? A toast, to my success and to our relationship?

“I see no problem with that.” Gomer admitted. “We’ve been stationary too long; the wild calls to us, a feeling I’m sure you’re somewhat familiar with as an Adventurer. Perhaps some other time we will return and can have that feast you mentioned.”

“It won’t be this feast, but I’m sure that there is something we would be able to do for such an occasion. Boy! Grab the wine from that camel over there, and see if you can find some cups as well. You there! Bring my camel here as well.” The people Zar had called out hurried off to carry out his orders.

“The camel contains the rest of your payment as well as a little extra to ensure your silence. Not forever! Word will get out, and I will want it to, but not until this place has been made properly defensible. If you ever stumble across anything interesting, let me know.”

The young man returned, carrying the small cask of wine over one arm and pinching a pair of cups together with his other. Zar placed the cask on the ground before stoving the top in with the butt of his sword, creating a hole large enough to dip one of the cups into. Taking one for himself, Zar handed the other one to Gomer, who took a mouthful before passing it on to the next elder. Everyone murmured appreciatively once they had a taste, and Ade could see why when the cup was passed to him. The wine was rich, not watered down or already turning to vinegar like some of the cheaper vintages he had tried. The flavor was complex and sweet, and Ade wouldn’t have been surprised if some magical ingredients had been used in its creation at one point or another. All too soon the cup was empty, and while some of the elders made longing looks at the barrel Elder Gomer had hold of the cup and had no intention of refilling it.

Instead, the Elder raised it up for a toast. “To the future. May you be rewarded justly for your actions.”

“The future.” Everyone responded, and with a bow the two groups parted to start or finish their work respectively.