The Emerald Springs

Summary

The emerald springs of the Oasis of the Zayirin are said to have been created by an ancient Emerald dragon Vugot, that burrowed down into the mountain to build it's lair, but she dug too deep while attempting to escape the heat of the sun and opened up a hole into the great underground sea that lies beneath the surface. It is said that the Vugot still lives under the mountain, but is trapped in an air pocket where she sleeps until the water dries up and she will be able to make her way back to the surface. Occasionally, the land shakes as the dragon rolls over or perhaps rages against being trapped. The water is therefor not only sacred, but also a protection against the dragon's hunger and wrath for being trapped below ground for so long. Because of this the water must be used carefully and not wasted; the lakes must not have their levels lowered for it might free the dragon.

Historical Basis

The tribes of the Zayira Desert tell stories of the first discovery of this wonderful source of water. The merchant Barkad Chafik, his caravan having been enveloped in a sand storm and under pressure to get his goods delivered before they spoiled, forced his camels and men to keep moving through the blinding wind driven sand. On the third day, the storm finally broke and as the sun rose,  Barkad found himself several hundred yards from a lonely mountain.  As the approached, hoping to climb the mountain and figure out where they were, they discovered the cleft in the south side of the mountain that would eventually be known as the Oasis of the Zayirin.
As they set up camp and explored the area, one of Chafik's caravan guards discovered a dragon's claw near the edge of one lakes that make up the oasis.  Additional searching found a few dragon scales. The claw and the scales were kept and eventually presented to the chief of the Zayirin who asked about them, and sent men to find this oasis, and claim it for the tribe. The Zayirin, once the oasis was found, moved there and started setting up a permanent settlement.
During the initial construction of the settlement, there were several earthquakes in the area, that the tribe claims were the result of using too much water and disturbing the dragon that lives in the waters.

Spread

This myth is well know by the the tribes of the Zayira Desert and by those who travel to the Oasis of the Zayirin as every street hawker tries to sell what they claim are scales of Vugot, but are usually scales from the much more common desert snake that have been died green.