Adis
Adis is a city cloaked in shadow and secrecy. Though it presents the appearance of a thriving urban center, beneath the surface lies a deeply entrenched criminal network operated by the mysterious and far-reaching organization run by a man known only as The Hat. A city of thieves, assassins, and silent agreements, Adis is both a haven for underworld dealings and a nightmare for those who don't understand the game being played. Law and crime coexist in balance here, with even the city guard complicit in the quiet order maintained by blood, coin, and silence.
Demographics
Adis is notably diverse, its inhabitants a blend of society’s best and worst. Humans, elves, dwarves, Drow, hobgoblins, bugbears, and half-bloods live side by side. The upper echelon—comprised of wealthy merchants and guild leaders—dominates much of the economy and influence. Crime families, freelance thieves, and mercenaries operate in full view, masked as artisans or entrepreneurs. The poor either work in fear or aspire to be recruited into the Hat’s network.
Government
Adis is officially governed by the Iron Court, a consortium of wealthy individuals who serve as public figureheads. In truth, they are mere puppets, with their strings pulled by The Hat’s operatives from the shadows. The city’s laws are flexible, often bent in favor of those with the right coin or connections. A high-ranking cleric, whose name is not publicly known, serves on retainer to The Hat—providing divine magic, resurrection services, and wards as needed, often ensuring assassinations are permanent.
Members of the Iron Court:
- Rar, a bugbear known for brutal negotiations. (Deceased after the events with Lucid Killgore in Session 12: Rough Waters Report )
- Thulgus Deharam, a dwarven industrialist that handles black market goods.
- Velkosh Medkax, a drow manipulator skilled in espionage and information trading.
- Padrolk, a war-minded hobgoblin with a network of mercenaries.
- Arohorn, a charming half-elf fence and smuggler.
Defences
Adis has a formal city guard that patrols the streets—but with a unique twist. These guards are aware of the city’s criminal balance and rarely intervene in disputes unless ordered by their true master: The Hat. They turn blind eyes, accept bribes, or carry out assassinations in disguise. Some elite guards are even trained by The Hatters and are equipped with magic-dampening gear.
Infrastructure
Despite its criminal undertones, Adis is a well-developed city with cobbled streets, sewer systems, public wells, and glowing lantern posts enchanted to burn through the night. Workshops, forges, and artisan houses operate alongside taverns and inns, many doubling as fronts for The Hat. A central clock tower marks the city square, with roads branching to all districts.
History
Adis was founded in 3649, nestled at the arid southern edge of the great desert known as the Well of Dragons, where the golden sands give way to dry plains and sparse woodland. Positioned between the elven farming town of Didun and the unpredictable expanse of the desert, Adis served originally as a waystation for caravans, traders, and explorers making their way through the shifting dunes. Its strategic location at the natural crossroads of desert, plain, and forest made it a natural resting point—and an eventual hub for trade.
The early city was simple, its people resourceful and tightly knit. Adis survived off of well-digging, hardy desert crops, and trade with elven agrarians and forest foragers. In its early centuries, it maintained a reputation for resilience, known for its sandstone walls, desert-worn architecture, and hospitable inns that welcomed both the desperate and the hopeful.
It wasn’t until 4105, during the widespread colonization phase that swept across the region, that Adis truly began to flourish. As city-states expanded and new settlements were carved into the landscape, Adis found itself transformed into a logistical linchpin. The influx of wealth, infrastructure, and ambition turned the humble outpost into a bustling trade city. A governing body of merchants and landowners—eventually formalized into the Iron Court—was established to organize its economic interests and civic systems. Grand architecture emerged during this time: amphitheaters, clock towers, stone markets, and guildhalls bloomed amid the dry winds.
For nearly a century, Adis was thriving, proud, and clean, untouched by the deeper corruption that festered in many port cities. Its guards were trusted. Its magistrates respected. Even its thieves’ guilds were relatively minor—more prankster than predator. That changed in 4200, when a stranger from the north came to town.
Known only as The Hat, this enigmatic figure brought with him unfathomable wealth and shadowed influence, flowing in from the frozen reaches of Crosela, the Winter Continent. At first, his arrival was quiet: coin changing hands, small guilds receiving new funding, mercenaries finding themselves paid twice as well if they followed a new symbol. But by 4203, it became clear Adis was no longer its own city.
The Hat dismantled the old underworld in a matter of years. The petty crime lords vanished—some bought out, some turned, others erased entirely. In their place rose a vast and seamless network of assassins, informants, smugglers, and brokers, all bound by silence and efficiency. The Iron Court, while still technically in charge, became a front. Each member had either accepted the Hat’s patronage or feared his wrath.
By 4220, Adis had become known across continents as “The City That Solves Problems.” Disappearances, cover-ups, strategic deaths—Adis became the place one went when something needed to be undone. Yet, outwardly, the city remained beautiful. Its streets still clean. Its inns still full. The guards still marched. The illusion of normalcy was perfect.
Locals say you can walk Adis in the daylight and see no monsters, but once the sun falls behind the desert edge, the true city awakens—one ruled not by law, but by shadow. Some believe the desert itself whispers the Hat’s name, carried on winds from the ruins of the Well of Dragons.
And high atop a hidden spire, behind curtains and illusions, The Hat watches—content, calculating, and patient.
Points of interest
The Astral Basin
Crumbled temple ruins on the city’s edge that glow with eerie clarity on full moons. They appear fully restored during that single night each month. Locals refuse to go near them, as entire scouting parties have vanished within. Some believe the Basin holds echoes of the gods, or portals to something far more dangerous.
The Clockwork
Its purpose unknown, this arcane device draws scholars and fools alike to decipher its runes. Some say it marks time not in hours—but in lives.
Maps
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Grenias: Adis - Jewel of the Desert
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