Villa of Zaethus Nauripides

Just to the southwest of the main gate into Balic sits an understated square two story home with a white pillared front porch that overlooks the road. The grounds of the estate � ten acres, a small holding by Balican noble standards � are covered with Aenia wheat. A short stone wall surrounds the property, more to mark the boundaries that to keep trespassers out. An airy stone arch supported by thin pillars separates the road leading to the estate from the driveway that runs by the house and to a small barn behind it.

This is the home of Zaethus Nauripides, a minor noble of Balic. He participates in government only occasionally, making sure the appearance of interest is present, but not enough to draw himself into deeply into political battles. He has friends and allies among the other nobles in Balic, as well as connections to the merchant houses, though visitors from either of these groups to his estate are rare. He is known as friendly, though a bit reclusive, keeping people at arms length.

The house is spacious, yet intimate. A single step ascends to the covered porch, which runs the length of the covered house. The eight pillars on the porch support a balcony on the second floor. Wicker furniture, painted white to match the color of the house, allows for sitters to serenely observe the road to Balic a short distance away.

Inside the door of the first story, an entrance hall with a floor of polished granite greets guests. A stairway sits along the left side of the hallway which ascends to the second floor. Directly past the stairs, a back door exits the house. Six doorways lead from the main hall, three on the left and three on the right. The first two doors on the left � the first just before the stairs, and the second directly after them � leads into the dining hall. A long wooden table with a dozen chairs awaits diners. Several windows allow plenty of light into the room. A series of fans hang from the ceiling, operated by a rope pulled by a servant who stands in the corner when dinner is served. The final door on the left leads to the kitchen and pantry.

On the right side of the hall, the first and last doors lead into an extended entertaining area. The two rooms are separated by a wall to provide for an intimate setting for smaller crowds, but double doors can be opened to accommodate larger parties. Elegantly furnished, the room is very comfortable. The door in the middle of the hallway, between the two entrances to the entertaining area, is a closet.

Upstairs is the living area. Zaethus lives alone in the house is a fashionable master bedroom, leaving four bedrooms furnished but empty (ample room for visitors), and a final room serves as a well stocked study and library. The entire second story is surrounded by a porch providing beautiful views of the estate, Balic, and the Estuary. Access to the porch can be gained by two doors, one on either end of the hall.

Behind the main house are two outbuildings. The first is a simple one story servants quarters that holds the estates ten servants. Note that they are not slaves � Zaethus does not own any slaves. Instead, he provides food and housing for his servants, as well as a small pay, but they are free to leave if they so choose. All of his servants realize the beneficial conditions they live under, however, and have no desire to go elsewhere.

The other building is a small barn, holding two kanks and all the farming equipment used for harvesting the wheat. Also parked inside the barn is a small wagon, used mainly to haul the harvested wheat to the city for sale in the markets.

Zaethus (NG hm Preserver3/Ari6) is a tall, quiet man. His pale skin and blue eyes contrast with his black hair, and he walks with grace. He is typically quiet in the company of strangers, listening much more than he speaks, and is infallibly polite. He is very interested in areas of horticulture and experiments with portions of his crop to try and grow a heartier wheat, and will speak at length about these topics.

Another great interest of Zaethus is the politics of Balic. He was much relieved to know that Andropinis would not be returning from his journey across the Silt Sea, and was also relieved to know that it was House Wavir which took control of much of the city. Though they are merchants and ultimately profit oriented, he thinks they are the best possible rulers of Balic, given the conditions of other city-states across the Tablelands.

The noble also dabbles in preserving magic, and though he is far from a powerful wizard, he is fascinated by the subject. He rarely uses his abilities, only in the direst emergencies resorting to his magical abilities. His will absolutely deny any knowledge of the Veiled Alliance initially, though will inform his contacts of any inquiries made about them.