Chapter 2 - Set, The City of Gods

The dwarf Wavemaster laughs. "Indeed ya must be new to Set. I can see you also know quite a bit about our order, more'n most. But in Set, we dun practice those rituals. All religions must abide by the secular laws which bind us all. And following such laws, all religions are welcome. Even the high priest o' Diabolus has a seat on the Council! Dun get much more evil'n that!"

"Two goblins?" the Wavemaster asks as he looks around the tavern and sees not a goblin in sight. "Aye in any case, this matter be a might political so just be careful who's skulls ya be crackin'. If ya be as trustful as I hope, look into Councilor Argus. He's a priest o' Oceanus as well but hasn't attended any services recently. We don't know if he didn't support us or he was overruled. We used ta communicate via an errand boy named Darvey but haven't seen him recently either."

The Wavemaster looks at Mortemiar as as if he had three eyes, the looks at Enimpi who gives a shy smile and shrugs. "Ya feelin' all right this day? What do ya mean 'pay them a visit'? Darvey, sure, but ya can't just have a li'l stop by at the Councilor's residence! Might as well say 'I'll just have a quick chat with the king'! Some folks waitin' weeks to meet a Councilor. I'm afraid if ya in a hurry that won' do. Darvey hasn' been seen in a bit but he lives somewhere in the southern parts o' New Paradise. Close ta High Town but not in it, see? If ya ask around there people'll be able ta point ya in the right direction."

The Wavemaster gives a shrug. "Aye, I got theories, but theories are about as useless as a fish with legs. But since ya asked, I'd guess that someone has a grudge against our cult but can't be seen openly discriminatin' 'gainst us, or it is all some high falutin' rich people scheme with land development and such. Or something I hasn't thought of," he shrugs again. "Whichever it is, I don' much care. I just want ta get it solved."

Enimpi offers to take you to New Paradise but says this will likely be her last duty before her service has expired for the day. She takes you into the corner, giving you the guided tour of the place.

The people living in Set’s southwestern corner call their district New Paradise, though the district is about as far from heaven as a place could be. High walls with crenellated battlements seal off the district from its neighbors, but pressure from the Sprawl has kept the gate leading out of the city open for over a decade, allowing outsiders free passage to the city’s interior. The neighboring districts have sealed their gates in the inner walls to prevent the influx of refugees and immigrants into their communities. Thus, visitors seeking access to the rest of the city
must push through the press of buildings and navigate New Paradise’s tortured streets to find the Grand Gate that opens onto the inner city, and even then, the doors stand open for just eighteen minutes each day.

New Paradise was originally a wealthy district, and its four- and five-story buildings housed the richest families in Set. All that has changed, however; most buildings were abandoned and have since been taken over by squatters. Where once families and their servants enjoyed spacious quarters with gardens, balconies, and more, now the walls almost groan from the numbers of people squeezed within. Rope bridges stretch between the windows of close-by buildings to speed transit across the densely populated area, and many people now travel over these slender walkways.

Smoke, cooking, human filth, and sweat give New Paradise a thick atmosphere, though locals eventually grow accustomed to the district’s foul mélange. People living here are not much better off than those out in the Sprawl, but they at least get to claim a piece of the city—provided someone bigger and tougher doesn’t come along. Since the All-Faiths Company rarely bothers to patrol New Paradise, locals have learned to dispense their own kind of justice. Murderers, thieves, brutes, and others disappear if they cause too much trouble.