Zathariel
Zathariel is the enigmatic co-owner of the Grey Market in Waterdeep’s Trades Ward. A slender Nephal woman, having one celestial parent and one infernal, Zathariel’s very presence is unsettling. Her appearance reflects the war within her bloodline, split almost perfectly down the middle in a way that evokes the unease of something deliberately unnatural.
Her base skin tone is pale, but the celestial side of her body glows faintly with golden undertones. That side of her face is framed by long, voluminous black hair that falls over her eye in a femme fatale cascade, accented with gold highlights. Her eye on this side has a golden cornea and a silver iris. On the infernal side, her skin shifts to reddish undertones, and her hair is cropped into a short, spiked pixie cut with streaks of deep red. Her eye on this side has a black cornea and a red iris. Her lips are painted black on the upper and gold on the lower, emphasizing the divide even further. Small, delicate horns with a slight wave curve back over her scalp, unobtrusive but unmistakably infernal.
Zathariel is unnerving to be around. Mortals near her often feel unsettled, finding it difficult to be persuasive or resist her charms. Celestials and fiends are immune to this discomfort, but react with instinctive revulsion.
She co-manages the shop alongside Kalas Vryn, a smuggler currently on assignment in the Nine Hells. The two share a deep bond, professional and personal, and operate with long-earned trust. Zathariel handles the day-to-day business in his absence, screening visitors and guarding access to Kalas’s vault-office. She is careful, alert, and coldly efficient.
Zathariel met the party when they arrived at The Grey Market possessing a duplicate of her office key. Though suspicious, Melvin managed to convince her to let them inside. She opened the safe, removed a pouch from within, and revealed a soul coin that had been ordered by an anonymous client. When she learned the courier who delivered it, Captain Nephros, had been brutally murdered, she visibly reacted and showed rare remorse. Even so, she refused to name the client. She offered to alert the party when the buyer returned to complete the transaction, but only for a steep price. Zathariel made it clear she does not know the buyer’s identity or true intentions. Her loyalty remains with the shop and her absent partner, Kalas.
