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Background
Oasis is located in an isolated grove. The path leading to it is on the western side. When you get close to the entrance, you'll be stopped by Tree Father Birch, "the leader of His people, the Treeminders." He'll invite you inside, and when you follow him and talk to him again, you'll trigger the quest.
Note: If you're rude to Tree Father Birch, then you'll need to talk to Branchtender Maple before you can pass through the front gate.
Walkthrough
Tree Father Birch will tell you that the tree-god saw you coming, and that it would like to meet with you. However, before this meeting can take place, you'll have to undergo a Ceremony of Purification, which will supposedly cleanse you of any evil intent. To start the ceremony, you'll need to wait for all of the Treeminders to show up around you, and then you'll need to activate the basin in the center of the pavilion (#1). Nothing bad will happen to you when you do this, and you won't be able to continue the quest without it.
At the end of the ceremony, you'll be transported to the grove, where you'll meet the tree-god Harold and his friend Bob (#7). Harold will tell you that his unending existence inside a tree is slowly driving him insane, and that he'd rather be dead. Since he can no longer do anything himself, he'll ask you to help out, and he'll tell you that the best way to kill him is to destroy his heart (#7), which has become tangled in the tree's roots and is now in the cavern beneath him. He'll also let you know that the Treeminders won't hold this murder against you, because he'll explain the situation to them when you head underground.
Note: Harold also appeared in
Fallout,
Fallout 2, and
Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel. Bob was just smaller in those other games.
After talking to Harold, you should return to the village entrance and speak with the Treeminders. If you pass a speech check or have the Child at Heart perk, then Sapling Yew will let slip that Harold can be burned to death. Bloomseer Poplar and others will give you some background information on the grove. And when you reach Tree Father Birch and Leaf Mother Laurel (#4), you'll witness them having a disagreement. Birch will argue that they should rein Harold in before others find out about him, while Laurel will argue that they should share Harold with the rest of the wasteland. Afterwards, Birch will give you some sap that will decrease Harold's influence, while Laurel will give you some liniment that will do the exact opposite.
To reach Harold's heart (#7), you'll have to travel underground, starting with the caverns (Exit C). Along the way, you'll encounter several mirelurks, including some mirelurk kings, and you'll have to wade through lots of irradiated water. So plan ahead by taking
Rad-X, and remember to aim for the mirelurks' faces, which is where they're the most vulnerable.
When you reach the heart (#7), you'll have to make a decision:
- If you destroy it (Harold's wish), then you'll immediately gain the Barkskin perk, and when you return to the Treeminders you'll also receive
Yew's Bear Charm (from Sapling Yew). But note: Sapling Yew's reward seems like a bug. It doesn't make sense given her response to your actions.
- If you apply the sap (Birch's wish), then when you return to the Treeminders you'll receive
Yew's Bear Charm (from Sapling Yew),
Maple's Garb (from Branchtender Maple), and a
Missile Launcher and
Missile (from Branchtender Cypress).
- If you apply the liniment (Laurel's wish), then when you return to the Treeminders you'll receive
Yew's Bear Charm (from Sapling Yew),
Poplar's Hood (from Bloomseer Poplar), and
Linden's Outcast Power Armor (from Branchtender Linden).
Regardless of what you choose, you'll also receive 300 experience points at the end of the quest, and once a day Bloomseer Poplar will offer you a vision of your future, which will give you a small hint about a quest that you haven't completed yet.
Note: At any time you can also complete the quest by burning Harold to death (using any weapon that does fire damage). However, if you do this then you won't get any sort of a reward, and the Treeminders (minus Sapling Yew, who will disappear) will turn against you.
1 - Pavilion
2 - Bed
This is the only bed in the village that you'll be allowed to sleep on.
3 - Harold and Bob
4 - Birch and Laurel's Argument
5 - Underwater Passage
6 - Abandoned Camp
You'll find the remains of a camp here, including a copy of the
D.C. Journal of Internal Medicine (in a crate) and bed that you can sleep on.
7 - Harold's Heart
8 - Ledge
You'll only be able to jump down from the ledge. That means you won't be able to get to Harold's heart (#7) from the damp cave. You'll only be able to use it to get back to the Treeminders.
Exits:
- Exit to the wasteland.
- Gate between the entrance and the grove.
- Door between the entrance and the caverns. This door will start out locked, but after you've triggered the quest, Branchtender Cypress will give you the key.
- Door between the caverns and the sunken chambers.
- Door between the sunken chambers and the damp cave.
- Door between the damp cave and the grotto. This door will start out locked, but after you've triggered the quest, Branchtender Cypress will give you the key.