Oases

Overview

Within The Tumult exist pockets of reality where the laws of nature and physics still apply to some extent. These Oases played a crucial role in the survival of humanity, providing stable ground from which civilization could eventually rebuild. An Oasis repels the Tumult in a manner compared to an anticyclone repelling certain meteorological phenomena.

Nature and Formation

Oases vary significantly in scale and origin. Some appear to be naturally occurring stable zones, while others are generated by powerful ideas deeply anchored in reality. When an idea takes root strongly enough in the texture of a region — whether through sustained Alteration, the presence of a powerful entity, or other means — it can stabilize the surrounding area against mutagenic forces.

The Oasis surrounding Cais Adarra in the Storhvit illustrates this principle: the imprisoned Oneiros Kuraokami has entrenched the idea of cold, ice, and winter so deeply that Tumult winds are repelled by the mountain peak. However, this stability is dependent on the source — freeing Kuraokami would almost certainly destroy the Oasis. The City of Scholars crater similarly enjoys a degree of natural protection, possibly aided by its geological structure functioning as a protective dome.

Limitations

Before humanity learned Alteration, Oases offered only partial protection. The places themselves could resist the Tumult’s passage without being completely altered, but the humans sheltering within them remained defenseless against mutagenic effects. Permanent settlement was impossible because during Tumult surges, people were still vulnerable even if the land was not. Only after the Oneiroi taught humanity Alteration did sustained habitation within Oases become viable.

Historical Significance

Human tribes traveled from Oasis to Oasis to escape the ravages of the Tumult during the period known as The Great Wandering. Eight major tribes eventually converged on Asgartha, an Oasis large enough to accommodate all allied communities. Through centuries of effort and the application of Alteration, Asgartha was stabilized into the most significant known Oasis — the cradle of post-Confluence civilization.

Relationships

• Asgartha: Most significant known Oasis; cradle of post-Confluence civilization
• Alteration: Skill that enabled permanent habitation within Oases
• Cais Adarra: Mountain peak whose entrenched idea of cold creates an Oasis in the Storhvit
• City of Scholars: Ancient crater site with natural Tumult protection
• Kuraokami: Imprisoned Oneiros whose presence sustains the Storhvit Oasis
• Oneiroi: Beings who taught humanity Alteration, enabling sustained Oasis settlement
• Storhvit: Region containing an entity-sustained Oasis
• The Great Wandering: Period of human migration between Oases
• The Tumult: Mutagenic phenomenon that Oases resist