Also, with continued hesheyel use, death flesh progresses through the body and weakens the mind—especially one’s free will and sense of self People become more susceptible to influential magic and hypnosis with each successive day on water spice Even an unskilled person can gain easy control of someone who has used hesheyel for more than 12 days A hesheyel-addled person has little cognizant connection with the real world and can be easily swayed or commanded Several weeks of continuous hesheyel use can turn a person into a desert zombie, forever wandering the wastelands with no will or consciousness Desert zombies are easy to spot and defeat, save when they gather into massive groups Putting them down is considered a mercy, as they cannot be revived from this state Animals forced to imbibe too much hesheyel can become desert zombies, as well Once in that state, they merely stagger around aimlessly or try to act out the last action requested of them before consciousness abandoned them Exposure Extreme heat and cold must be mitigated at all times Warding off the hot sun demands clothing, shade, cloaks, or parasols Those unused to it may find their skin dangerously burned, even to the point of blistering injury or death Desert animals can suffer during the day, especially if forced to function in the heat Likewise, the wastelands cool off rapidly at night, and temperatures in the far south drop below freezing commonly during the winter months Unprotected creatures suffer frostbite or hypothermia, leading to more injuries or death Clothing, shelter, or simple fires can help ward this off, though fuel for fires is a scarce commodity on the desert floor Oases Wastelands bloom where springs bring deep water to the surface, making them easily noticed Thus, no oases are abandoned, and each has its owner or protector, human or otherwise Such sites are as valuable as silver mines, even more so to dying wanderers Some offer water for the price of a service or a favor, rather than gold or goods, but not many Most often, oases and protected wells are open only to their guardians and completely off limits to outsiders Many have had to decide if a drink of water and a rest beneath the shade of trees is worth possible death These days, oases stand in lovely contrast to the bones piled up at their edges 106 Wadi Where Khitan rainwater runs on rare occasions, there is usually nothing but a dry gulley cut deep into the dry earth Wadis provide ideal hiding places for all manner of desert creatures The water that passes through them is too fleeting to be of any long-term use even to plants, although many humans place urns and skins in a wadi to collect as much muddy rainwater as they can They later strain out the silt, leaving clean, refreshing water Instead, these natural trenches are fortifications Some use them to defend against raiders, or spring from them unseen on unsuspecting passersby What makes Khitan wadis unusual is their propensity to reveal precious metals or gemstones The wastelands are in such geographic turmoil that deposits once deep beyond a miner’s wildest dreams are occasionally churned closer to the surface, where a sudden flood of water exposes them to the light of day After a driving rain, many greedy or desperate souls scour all known wadis in hopes of finding a treasure in the mud Getting Lost & Desert Hallucinations The greatest danger on a desert trek is losing one’s way The wind blows, the track is obscured with sand, visibility is reduced to nothing and, in no time at all, a traveler loses any frame of reference Daylight brings some comforts, as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, providing some direction Distant mountains provide certain landmarks that can reorient the wanderer But dust often clouds the horizon, making these unreliable Darkness brings the worst dangers, where artificial light may help guide the way but also attracts the most deadly creatures and guides them to their quarry Desert heat makes men see things that are not really there Common mirages can be puzzling enough, drawing people off in futile rushes for nonexistent water Fatigue, starvation, and dehydration magnify these wishful delusions An exhausted mind is easily fooled and, once further befuddled, the likelihood of wandering far from the proven path increases dramatically Many desperate adventures begin with someone becoming utterly lost by seeking a mirage, an illusory fortress, or oasis glimpsed in the blowing dust and sand The eyes play tricks on you in the wastelands, so any veteran desert nomad verifies anything he sees whenever possible Mysteries of Moments Most seasoned nomads share tales of mysterious circumstances that they stumbled upon out there—found