Samasa Desert

The Samasa Desert is an arid landscape in Oracle of Seasons. It is located in southeastern Holodrum and is reached from the Eastern Coast. The Piratians are shipwrecked here when sailing into Holodrum, driving their ship into the sand all the way through to Subrosia. They remain stranded here until Link finds the Pirate's Bell.

Entrance
Link gains entry to the desert by speaking to the Captain in the House of Pirates. Once Link has completed the Ancient Ruins, the Captain deems Link a worthy adventurer and will ask him to look for his bell. The desert's only entrance lies to the south on the Eastern Coast; it is barred by a gate mounted with four skull-shaped panels. The gate is opened by pushing the third panel from the left twice, the second panel once, the first panel twice, and the fourth panel three times. Link learns this combination from a Piratian on the second floor of the House of Pirates.

Geography
The Samasa Desert harbors Leevers and Pokeys. It is riddled with cacti and pits of quicksand, some of which will suck Link down into a Like Like-infested cave. On occasion, a Deku Scrub selling shields will appear instead. Another of these caves contains the Rusty Pirate's Bell. Wearing the will prevent Link from being pulled around by the shifting sands, though he will still fall into the pit if he walks into its center. Link climbs out of the cave via a staircase, emerging on the western end of the desert. Near the coastline, the bow of the Piratians' ship protrudes from the sand. In the northeastern corner of the desert there is an oasis surrounded by quicksand. Bombing the northern rock wall between two palm trees reveals a Fairy Fountain.

An underwater passageway can be found by falling through the southernmost pit of quicksand. The passageway leads to the top of the bluff on the southeastern edge of the desert. Atop the bluff there is a Treasure Chest with the Level-1 Rang Ring inside. At the foot of the bluff on its northern side there is a patch of soil surrounded by cacti.

Search for the Pirate's Bell
Venturing into the desert, Link descends into the hold of the ruined ship. Here he encounters the spirit of a deceased Piratian who got caught in a sandstorm while searching for the Captain's bell. Unable to complete his quest, the Piratian cannot move on to the afterlife. The pirate asks Link to help find the bell, suggesting that he start by finding his skull rolling out in the desert. The skull is located in the northeastern oasis. Link picks up the bristly, talking skull with the help of the Power Bracelet and begins to search for the bell. The skull's teeth will begin to shatter when it is near a specific pit of quicksand. Link falls through this pit of quicksand into a cave with the skull in tow and finds the Rusty Bell within. If Link loses the skull in the quicksand at any point during the search, it reappears at the oasis. Once Link finds the bell, the skull is finally able to reach the afterlife. With the bell, the Piratians are able to raise the ship out of the desert. The space occupied by the ship becomes a pit of quicksand.

Trivia

 * Link can only reach the cave with the Pirate's Bell if he drops down through the quicksand while holding the skull (throwing it in first will not work). Otherwise, he'll end up in the Like Like/Deku Scrub cave.
 * Even after obtaining the bell, the Piratians' skull can still be found at the oasis. Since he took so long to reach the afterlife, he admits he is not sure how to do so. Link can still carry it around after talking to it, though it no longer serves any purpose.
 * The desert remains in summer at all times. It is one of the few areas of Holodrum which has no season stumps.