Nibenay

Nibenay is a fictional city-state in the Dark Sun campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. Located on the desert world of Athas, it is one of the major powers of the Tablelands and is commonly referred to as the City of Night or City of Shadows, a reflection of its reputation for intrigue and control.

Government and society: Nibenay is governed by the Overlord of Nibenay, a tyrannical ruler who holds absolute authority. The Overlord maintains power through a combination of fear, a ruling priesthood, and psionic enforcers. The city’s social structure is highly stratified, with templars enforcing obedience, a laboring underclass, and a population of free citizens under tight surveillance. Magic use is dangerous and tightly regulated in many contexts, due in part to the world’s harsh ecological conditions and the influence of defiling magic.

Geography and features: The city sits within the broader Nibenay Basin on Athas, dominated by a fortified core where the Overlord’s palace or citadel rises above the skyline. Its streets include bustling markets, neighborhoods, and districts that house merchants, artisans, and psionic practitioners. The urban environment reflects the harsh realities of Athasian life: scarcity of resources, political machinations, and the need for constant vigilance.

Relations and role in Athas: Nibenay interacts with neighboring city-states through diplomacy, trade caravans, and occasionally conflict. It is one of several rival polities that shape the politics and survival strategies of Athas’s desert world. In sourcebooks and adventures, Nibenay serves as a backdrop for intrigue, espionage, and power struggles characteristic of Dark Sun.

See also: Dark Sun, Athas, Overlord.