Nimbus Oasis

The largest body of water in the southern reaches of Surmad, the Nimbus Oasis is cloaked in legend and half-remembered tales. It is said that its waters glow with a soft, spectral light—shimmering with hues not found in the natural world. Many believe this glow is a sign of the oasis’s true inhabitants: mermaids, naiads, and other fae creatures of the deep, who weave enchantments beneath its still surface.

Yet no one has ever brought back proof of such marvels. Skeptics claim that the first wanderers to find the Nimbus Oasis—ravaged by thirst, sunstroke, and the madness of the dunes—were simply hallucinating. That theory has since been used to explain away countless other strange accounts: lights flickering beneath the waves, whispered songs at twilight, and sudden disappearances around its banks.

Despite the mystery, or perhaps because of it, the Nimbus Oasis remains a source of fierce contention. It is the only land in the region with true farming potential, and its waters can sustain entire armies. Though many argue it should be sacred ground—neutral and open to all—only a fool would ignore the power held by whoever claims the largest source of life in the parched wilderness of Surmad.