Welcome, to the Oasis of Adventure!

After securing our horses at the local stable, we made our way along the rocky path toward the indicated hut. The deep blue water of the Oasis shimmered in the sun like a sapphire, surrounded by lush green vegetation and the call of exotic birds. The lazy smoke of nearby campfires brought scents of sizzling meat, fragrant spices and roasted vegetables. It was nearly enough to make one forget why they had come.

But not us.

We had come seeking a man by the name of Julian Moors, an old adventurer and local representative for the wealthy and powerful Ivory Trading Company. Our guide had told us exactly where to find him, and while that guide was summarily eaten by a serpent of improbable size, he was right.

The hut drew near, and its brownish canvas walls billowed in the desert wind. An opening yawned like an open maw, alight with a pair of torches. Pushing a tarp aside, we walked into the structure and were immediately met with the familiar sights and smells of boiled leather, freshly sharpened steel, burning oil, iron rations -- it was the smell of adventure.

A refined, one-eyed man behind the counter of the shop lifted his chin as we entered the shop, coming about the weathered desk and placed his left hand upon his hip as he pointed toward us with the other.

"Ah, now THAT is a group of adventurers -- or I'm a doppleganger about to lure you to your death in the back room."

The corners of the man's eyes crinkled as he flashed a toothy smile as most of us stood there with slack jaws and wild thoughts. Waving a dismissive hand toward us, the man turned back toward the counter and an old bit of parchment sprawled across it. "Gets 'em thinkin' every time. NOW! I suppose you're all here...for the treasure, yes?"

His weathered hand reached forward and slid his finger along the cracked face of the parchment, tracing a series of grid lines scrawled over a large shape simple labeled, "The Great Desert" until he came to an unmarked square.

"Well, now, Sunback's Ridge...I've always had a good feeling it might be there, nestled somewhere within the many caves there. How about it? Up for some treasure hunting?"

--

I wanted to do something different with this map, so I created a small Oasis village that is home to an agent of a company tasked with hiring adventurers to plumb the Great Desert for a treasure of great value. Riddled with ancient tombs of a past civilization, fortunes await the bold and brave, though one in particular has all but consumed the Ivory Trading Company, and brought hundreds of men and women through this town for a share of the wealth they've been pouring into the task.

The constant flow of travelers has caused a market to crop up, as well as some larger establishments providing accommodations, stabling and entertainment.

This could easily be the staging point for a variety of quests, or even the quest itself, dealing with some of the personalities running the various businesses or perhaps rival adventuring parties all working toward the same goal.