Gusts of wind whirled around the ash blasted stones of the eastern dreadlands.
Small pools of brackish water released a constant miasma leaving the grey, green air pungent with the smell of death. Hidden amongst the shadows and eons old filth, a lone figure moved ever so deftly, seeking to avoid the patrols of Withered Aegis and gifted alike. Sleek, swift agile steps carried this lone wanderer deep into the heart of demonic territory. Finally reaching a chosen destination, the lone wandered sat amongst the scarred rock and bone of Istaria’s past.
It would be a short wait for this traveler. A whisper, carried on the wind, not unlike an assassin’s dagger being loosened in its scabbard startles this secretive traveler out of some distant reverie. From behind, gliding over the parched soil appeared a Withered Aegis commander, a Wraith Lord. Shocked by the nearly silent approach of the Wraith Lord, the stranger gasped.
Wasting no time and with a voice like shattered glass and bone the Wraith Lord spoke, “Show me your face so I may know with whom I make this pact.�
Shaking, small feminine hands rose to pull back the hood revealing long raven locks of hair. Sharp, intelligent eyes peered out at the Wraith Lord. Regaining some measure of composer, after her initial surprise, the woman made her demands clear.
“I am Nadia, a queen amongst gypsies, and I am here to trade for those things the Gifted are always seeking,� she stated with absolute certainty.
“You and yours are known to us Gypsy and thus you shall receive that for which you have asked; however, the price for these things is now tripled,� the Wraith Lord answered nodding its ethereal head.
Nadia, aghast at this sudden increase quickly answered, “This will not work how do you expect….�
Cutting her off in mid-sentence with a booming gale of laughter, which sounded like a chandelier crashing onto a stone floor, the master of undead replied, “You do not make demands of us. If you persist with this arguing, I will strip the flesh from screaming face and dine on the marrow of your bones,� the Wraith Lord then sneered, “Do we have an agreement.�
Unsettled, by this sudden change in business, it took all of Nadia’s will to nod her head in agreement. Gathering up a heavy sack of components, she quickly and silently made her way out of the Dreadlands. Constantly looking over her shoulder, she couldn’t help but feel those eyes, colder than death, burning into her back. An upleasent change was coming and it threatened all she held dear.

Possible lore on why Nadia raised her prices.