Oasis

The Oasis is a location Northwest of Clifftop Shacks in the Capital Wasteland, that is unusually full of trees and other green plants.

Background
Harold, a special product of the Forced Evolutionary Virus, with a tree on his head which he called Bob (Sometimes calls it Herbert because, "Bob hates it"), eventually found himself overwhelmed by it and became rooted to the ground during his travels in the Capital Wasteland region. Here he was discovered by several people who began to worship him as a god, and a small and exclusive cult known as the Treeminders began to form in secrecy. Bob began to blossom (which Harold apparently finds embarrassing) and many plants grew in this area, which became green with life, a stark contrast to the outer wasteland.

When the Lone Wanderer arrived he/she was urged to talk to Harold. Harold revealed his true identity and begged for mercy; after being stuck in the same position for decades he was eager for death. The other dwellers of Oasis had ignored Harold's wishes thus far, and asked the Lone Wanderer to instead either suppress or expand Harold/Bob's fertility.

Layout
Oasis is situated almost at the top center of the map. It is surrounded by steep cliffs, and can only be entered through a small gorge by traveling west to east. This gorge can be hard to find but is characterized by the following landmarks:

How to find the gorge: Near the center of the north edge of the map, there is a road running parallel to a railway line. Follow the railway/road until you find two abandoned railway cars. At the northern most railroad car, stand on the eastern side of the car and face west. The letters "CMR" are visible on the side of the car. Behind the player will be a pile of highway debris. Turn around and proceed east over the pile of debris. There will be a bridge over a gorge. Crossing the bridge and following the path in a generally easterly direction will lead directly to Oasis.

It is possible to get the coordinates of the Oasis by killing the Drifter at Dickerson Tabernacle Chapel. There are also a pair (or more) of wandering Wastelanders found in a random encounter who will disclose the location, before attempting to kill the player, as well as a dying Wasteland Merchant.

Inhabitants

 * Harold
 * Tree Father Birch
 * Leaf Mother Laurel
 * Branchtender Maple
 * Branchtender Cypress
 * Branchtender Linden
 * Bloomseer Poplar
 * Sapling Yew

Sunken Chambers
In the chamber immediately to the left of the door there is:


 * A D.C. Journal of Internal Medicine (inside a box with the baseball glove)

At the bottom of the northern pond there is:


 * A Mini Nuke

Damp Cave
On land, continuing around right side of cave there is:


 * A Nuka-Cola Quantum

Related quests
Oasis (quest)

Appearances
The Oasis appears only in Fallout 3.

Behind the scenes

 * The lyrical content of the song "Colony of Birchmen" by the progressive metal band Mastodon parallels events in the Oasis quest to a surprising degree, particularly the lines "This forest is growing faster than I can tell / Cell structure eats away at a massive swell / Seems, however, I'm a victim of circumstance...", and "My heart's gone away...."
 * There is a place called Green Valley near Washington which is fairly close to the spot of Oasis.
 * When you are allowed to speak with Harold, and he asks you to kill him, the bad karma response is, 'Sure. Where do you want the bullet, head or gut?', which--short of the bullet--is a quote from Bruce Willis in the film The Last Boy Scout.