Bitter Well

Who controls water, controls life. The few oases scattered across the wastes were discovered long ago and remain in the hands of those strong enough to keep them. Prospectors mount forays into the wilderness, scouring the land for new water sources, for any such find can make a prince of a pauper. For a long time, travelers approaching the Narrows east of Draj had heard running water, but no one could track down the source – not until three years ago, when dwarf prospectors set themselves the task of finding it. They uncovered a small spring of cold, clean water emerging from under the rock mantle. The dwarves constructed a makeshift encampment and set out to improve their well, believing they could sell the water to caravans bound for Draj or Eldaarich in the far north. It didn't take long for the dwarves to discover that the water was in short supply, and that a single caravan could drink it down to a trickle that would take a week or more to recover. In fact, the water isn't even enough to support the community that has grown up around it – hence the name Bitter Well.