FOR TWENTY CENTURIES, the Shadow King trusted the temple bureaucracy to see to his kingdom’s affairs as he luxuriated in his arcane studies. But the death of King Kalak in Tyr has dislodged Nibenay from his comfortably oblivious state, and the nobles and templars of the city-state are scrambling to cover a plethora of sins and slights from his renewed attention.
For ages, Nibenay spent his days in isolation, researching and performing rituals to increase his knowledge and power. Recently, however, the slaying of King Kalak of Tyr has reawakened the ruler in him. In the past several weeks, he has called several councils, deposed dozens of templarwives, and begun to monitor his armed forces and noble houses. His scrutiny has sent terror through the ranks of Nibenese power wielders, none of whom abstained from dark dealings to gain their positions.
Nibenay has not completely abandoned his studies, though. He is rumored to be exploring Athas’s distant past. Speculators believe he might be looking for a way to bring about a new age.
High consorts are Nibenay’s surest allies, as are the Shadow King’s personal arcane assistants. They alone know that Nibenay is not the handsome, regal human the rest of the world sees. Rather, he has taken on a draconic aspect, which he adopts for important meetings. Nibenay’s inner circle also includes his half-monster son, Dhojakt, as well as an elite band of goliath warriors.
Nibenay prefers to sequester himself in the Naggaramakam, the royal compound where he studies the mysteries of the worlds. He emerges only to lead his army to war or to crush internal rebellions.