Nerrid Secret Service
Formed almost 1500 years ago and powered the insatiable curiosity of the Nerrid, the Nerrid Secret Service is Tarien's most widespread espionage network. Nerrid agents can be found in almost every corner of the continent, often posing as merchants or other legitimate - and more often than not quite successful - businesses, quietly funneling information about the world back to the Nerrid Alliance. Of course, the agency was formally disbanded nearly a century ago. Most agents, however, have not yet received that memo.
Value of information is not something upon which the N.S.S. focuses. Instead, the quantity of information is paramount. Agents that file regular reports, using the correct forms, of course, are measured on how much information that bring back to the Alliance. Indeed, deep within the burrows of Nerridon, huge chasms are filled with scrolls, cataloguing geography, analyzing Tarien's many species of flora and fauna, and detailing the most mundane facts about life outside the Alliance. The libraries are a treasure trove of information, carefully catalogued in a secret system that only the most senior librarians know. For each bit of useful information, such as the common lair defense tactics of a blue dragon or the disposition of Elanthai Council troops in western Merdenkal , the library contains ten scrolls itemizing the meals eaten by a Yatian merchant and theorizing about a correlation between fish consumption and success at dice. Given this huge surplus of information, and that non-Nerrid are not allowed to use library resources, most scholars have resigned themselves to the fact that information gathered by the agency is completely unusable.
The reach of the agency is far, indeed. With the heaviest concentration of agents in Gartcha, Grennig, and Karradone, they have infiltrated, often publicly, institutions including the Brotherhood of Thieves, foreign governments, and even some secret societies. Alas, their reach has not extended to the far east. While the Flietch-ta Empire does allow Nerrid merchants to visit, the Elanthai Council has banned them completely. While travelling the world, Nerrid have learned to keep a low profile, keeping their magical talents to themselves and striving to provide a useful service, often in form of trade goods or fine craftsmanship to their hosts. Even though most savvy government officials assume that every Nerrid is an agent, few turn down their offers of trade or assistance., so great is its value. And besides, what will the Nerrid do with a detailed list of place settings at the Imperial Palace?
742 BC - 687 AC
Type
Government, Secret Service
Alternative Names
N.S.S.
Parent Organization
Subsidiary Organizations
Notable Members