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Specifically my question is if a group of adventurers are passing through Nidal, how much scrutiny will they receive from the Kuthites? Are there border crossing outposts? Are those entering Nidal searched for contraband? The Inner Sea Guide mentions that worship of Desna is outlawed. Say the party includes a cleric of Desna. I imagine there's one degree of punishment for carrying religious articles, and a higher degree for actual proselytizing. How much tolerance do the Kuthites of Nidal have for other followers of Chaotic deities?
So to summarize, would it be reasonable to explain to a Desnan cleric that they are taking their life in their hands if they enter Nidal? If they are caught, they should expect to be imprisoned and tortured in the happiest of circumstances, and put to death via torture if they run their mouths. Of course, it depends where in the country they are operating too. In the north they might have sympathizers, while in the heartlands there will be no room for error. If you believe this is too harsh a stance, please explain why. Thanks!
I just downloaded the Pathfinder Tales novel Nightglass. Am I going to get any insight into the 'justice' system when I read this?
How much tolerance do the Kuthites of Nidal have for other followers of Chaotic deities?
So to summarize, would it be reasonable to explain to a Desnan cleric that they are taking their life in their hands if they enter Nidal?
Not a lot!
...and yes, probably.
Ultimately it's your game, of course, and as GM, your decisions rule the day. But my view would be that Nidal is a supremely inhospitable place, and if you're foolish enough to openly break the rules there, welp, they're always looking for new test subjects.
Also if your group's going through Nisroch, it's likely that border controls would be particularly strict, since that's the designated port city/place that foreigners are permitted (and watched extra closely), but there would also be a higher percentage of foreigners in the city, so non-evil PCs might have better luck finding allies and sympathizers once they did get in.
Nightglass mostly covers Pangolais and a little bit of the borderlands in and near the Uskwood; the web fiction Misery's Mirror is set mainly in Nisroch. Hopefully they can be somewhat useful as fictional tours through two of Golarion's many charming locales.
It seems a little strange for me to be offering insight into a book after the book's author, but whatever.
Funny you should mention Nightglass, because the prologue to that book describes a group of adventurers passing through Nidal. For one thing, it doesn't end well for them, though a lot of the details aren't told, Then again, they were in Uskwood, so it's likely the Kuthites fell on them for getting too close to Pangolais without an invitation.
The homebrew campaign I'm currently working on will involve the PCs traveling through Nidal. To facilitate, I created an Underground Railroad the Nidalese Desnans created to smuggle dissidents out of the country across what I imagined to be the least patrolled border - the Nidal-Cheliax line. They travel the route backwards, partially to investigate a recent disruption to the railroad.
Just an idea for you. A network with resources to keep the PCs hidden while they accomplish their main task, with potential for side plots along the way.
Specifically my question is if a group of adventurers are passing through Nidal, how much scrutiny will they receive from the Kuthites? Are there border crossing outposts? Are those entering Nidal searched for contraband? The Inner Sea Guide mentions that worship of Desna is outlawed. Say the party includes a cleric of Desna. I imagine there's one degree of punishment for carrying religious articles, and a higher degree for actual proselytizing. How much tolerance do the Kuthites of Nidal have for other followers of Chaotic deities?
So to summarize, would it be reasonable to explain to a Desnan cleric that they are taking their life in their hands if they enter Nidal? If they are caught, they should expect to be imprisoned and tortured in the happiest of circumstances, and put to death via torture if they run their mouths. Of course, it depends where in the country they are operating too. In the north they might have sympathizers, while in the heartlands there will be no room for error. If you believe this is too harsh a stance, please explain why. Thanks!
I just downloaded the Pathfinder Tales novel Nightglass. Am I going to get any insight into the 'justice' system when I read this?
That's a rather accurate portrayal of the place, though you should remind the players that the underground Desnan movements are more than just willing to give any Good (and Chaotic) people going around a helping hand. However, the Cleric of Desna in the party should hide their holy symbols somehow before getting even near the Nidalese border, unless he/she wants to be tortured to death slowly and then have his/her soul send to the Shadow Plane to be tormented by Kytons some more.