Antonica · EverQuest (original release)
Oasis of Marr
A lake in the heart of the Desert of Ro: crocodiles on the shore, spectres around an island temple, an orc highway down the west side, Cazel the sand giant, and a dock for the ships to Kunark.
Water in the desert
The Oasis of Marr is a large desert zone in the middle of the Desert of Ro. Crocodiles of every kind live in the oasis itself, and the island in the middle holds a temple surrounded by spectres. The EQ Atlas calls it one of the most dangerous zones in this part of the world, because almost every creature in it is powerful and aggressive, and lower-level travellers cross it constantly between Freeport or Neriak and the swamps to the south.
The lake’s name honours the Marr twins, Mithaniel and Erollisi Marr. Monsters run from about level 7 to 30 and above: pumas, sand scarabs, tarantulas, madmen, mummies, ghouls, dry bone skeletons, crocodiles and caimans, deepwater goblins, orc warriors and priests, sand giants and spectres. Allakhazam records that the Oasis was merged into a remade South Ro in 2006.
Sources: EQ Atlas (eqatlas.ca): Oasis of Marr · Allakhazam: Oasis of Marr (zone) · Project 1999 Wiki: Oasis of Marr
Cazel and the dry bones
Two creatures stand out. Cazel is a very high-level sand giant who appears now and then in the northeast and is all but unkillable even for groups that hunt sand giants; he can leave bodies stacked on the shore. The dry bone skeleton, or DBS, wanders the whole zone, high-teens and aggressive, and is hard to see against the sand; it is easily mistaken for a necromancer’s pet.
The south is the most dangerous stretch, with more powerful creatures and dunes that hide them; desert madmen there are far stronger than they look. The guide’s advice is to watch from dune tops, move fast for the zone line, and never fight in the open desert. The safest north-to-south route runs along the eastern shore, where the crocodiles are not aggressive, unless someone has pulled a spectre from the island and it is drifting down the beach.
Sources: EQ Atlas (eqatlas.ca): Oasis of Marr · Allakhazam: Oasis of Marr (zone)
The orc highway
The Orc Highway runs along the whole western edge of the zone, busiest at the northwest corner of the lake. Hunt it in a group: orcs are always wandering, and even a sharp puller will eventually bring a swarm. Kill the priests first, because they heal. Mind the names, too: “an orc warrior” is mid-teens, but “a orc warrior” is nearer twentieth.
The crocodiles and caimans on the eastern edge suit characters in their low teens, and the deepwater kinds carry you to about twentieth, if your swimming is good enough to get back to shore. Higher levels pull spectres from the island and hunt sand giants. A gypsy camp by the lake sells combine weapons, and an inn on the southern shore sells goods at inflated prices.
Sources: EQ Atlas (eqatlas.ca): Oasis of Marr · Project 1999 Wiki: Oasis of Marr
Ways on
North, a wide border with the Northern Desert of Ro needs no pass. South, a small mountain range has a narrow pass in the middle of its southern edge into the Southern Desert of Ro. The dock has boats across the sea, by way of Timorous Deep, and the continent of Kunark.
The desert is the realm of Solusek Ro; the twins whose name the oasis bears are in The Marr Twins.
Sources: EQ Atlas (eqatlas.ca): Oasis of Marr · Allakhazam: Oasis of Marr (zone) · Allakhazam: Timorous Deep (zone)
Lore tied to this zone
Sources: EQ Atlas (eqatlas.ca): Oasis of Marr · Allakhazam: Oasis of Marr (zone) · Project 1999 Wiki: Oasis of Marr