Nidal, Land of Shadows. It is aptly named, for ever since the country sold its soul to Zon-Kuthon dark clouds have blocked out the sun. You all have arrived in this grim land for different reasons: some were born here, some came by happenstance, and some were instructed to come by a higher power. Regardless of your reasons you are here now, in the port city of Nisroch. A prior employer has recommended your party to a noblewoman who requires the kind of assistance you can offer. You clutch a letter of introduction in your hands as you make your way along the dimly lit streets.
Nisroch is full of foreigners and thus also full of inquisitors looking to make sure those foreigners aren’t fomenting a rebellion. Here, even more than in other Nidalese cities, the people keep their heads down and view each other with suspicion. No music drifts along the streets, no sculptures liven dreary town squares. The Prince of Pain tolerates only one kind of beauty, and his beauty is something desired by only the most devout of his servants.
However even in Nidal the wealthy are afforded freedoms the lower classes are not. When you finally reach your destination you find yourselves in front of a luxurious manor house. A wrought iron fence has been carefully hammered into decorative shapes, making it lovely despite its austereness. The front door is made of wood that must have been shipped from Cheliax, for the warm brown color is in stark contrast to the gray that distinguishes anything coming from the Uskwood.
A butler opens the door almost before anyone can knock. ”Lady Tiberos is expecting you,” he says and ushers you all inside. As you follow him you see more evidence of wealth: delicately crafted furniture, beautiful family portraits, a library larger than many people’s homes. When you reach a drawing room he beckons you to sit on leather sofas that prove to be buttery-soft. ”I will inform her of your arrival. Would you like any refreshments while you wait?”
