From: rigler@galileo.ifa.hawaii.edu (Protean Godstuff)
Date: Tue, 22 Sep 1992 23:06:46 GMT
Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn
Subject: [KQ] Panarchus [Glorshanned] Playing both sides...

[ADMIN:  In this article I introduce a new NPC available for general
use:  Sergeant Landra Thorpe of the Generican City Guard.  She is a 
human fighter type.  Intelligent, brave, loyal, and good with a sword.
She was trained by Ex-Sergeant Kron, whom she greatly respected.  Since
his dismissal from the Guard, she considers him disgraced.]

Sergeant Thorpe glances up from her report at the noisy arrival of the
day watch and pauses to reflect on the events of the past week.

Things are finally getting back to normal at Glorshanned Keep.  The riot
caused no little confusion for the City Guard, and the aftershocks will
no doubt be felt for days.  During the madness, the doors of the upper 
cellblocks were opened and the petty offenders released in order to make 
room for the hordes of incoming prisoners.  Fortunately, Generica's King 
granted full amnesty for all rioters, and the overcrowded cells were promp-
tly emptied.  (King HAH!  Everybody in Generica knows that the puppet King 
merely signs off on all important decisions, which are really made by 
Melwis "The Wise" and his Council of Merchants.  Fortunately, she muses, 
Melwis really *is* wise...)

Anyway, in all the confusion, the incident in the bazaar had almost been
forgotten.  What is this city coming to, that monsters like lizardmen,
birdmen and lionmen have become bold enough to roam the streets of the 
city in the full light of day?   In the scuffle, one merchant received 
a nasty scratch, scores of citizens were terrified, and worst of all, the
City Guard was defeated and humiliated in front of a crowd of laughing
onlookers!  While the Guardsmen floundered in mud, the lizardman slew
and drank the blood of a Guardhound right in front of their eyes!  Sergeant 
Thorpe shakes her head as she finishes writing the hastily written report
and signs it.  Lt. Panarchus will want to see it right away.  A veteran
of the Marsh Wars, his hatred for lizardkind is legendary.  These thoughts
remind her of another veteran:  Her teacher, Kron...who was recently dis-
missed from the Guard in disgrace.  She shakes her head and forces the 
visage of the grizzled fighter from her mind.  Tragic.

She straps on her short sword and jogs through the hallways of Glorshanned
Keep, nodding her friends as she passes them.  It is good to be popular.
Everyone knows she is Panarchus's favorite.  Smart, fearless (well almost)
and damn good with a regulation short sword (thanks to Kron).  She darts up 
the stairs to the officer's level and knocks on a stout wooden door.

"Just a moment!"  There is a frantic scuffling noise within.  Lt. Panarchus
has sure been acting strange lately, Landra thinks.  Almost furtive.  The
door opens.

"Yes, Sgt. Thorpe.  What is it?"  He looks terrible.  Bags under his eyes.
Haunted...

"Um, Sir, I've finished the report on the lizardman--"

"Wha--?"  Panarchus frowns and snatches the report from her hands.

"--and I've had wanted posters drawn up.  We can begin posting them on my 
watch and...er...is something wrong, sir?"

Panarchus is glaring down at her.  He opens his mouth to speak, then closes
it, then speaks softly.  "Sergeant, are you telling me that *more* lizardman 
been sighted in the past 24 hours?"

"No.  Just the one, but by it could be anywh--"

"Ah, just the one, then."  Panarchus relaxes visibly.  Then he takes the
wanted posters from her hands.  "You won't be needing these.  Didn't they 
tell you?  I personally tracked that lizardman and took care of the sit-
uation."

"Really?"  She blurts, her eyes filling with admiration.  "You...you killed
it, sir?"

"So you see, the case is closed, Sergeant Thorpe."

"Er...did it put up a fight?  How did you kill it, sir?  I'd love to hear
you tell about it.  We all would, and--"

"By the way, Sergeant, I haven't had a chance to commend you for your fine
performance during the riots.  You are an exemplary officer, a consumate
professional.  I'll be recommending you for promotion next month."

"Thank you, sir!"

"Dismissed."

"Sir!"  She turns heel and strides off down the stairs to the main level. 

Panarchus closes the door.  That was too close for comfort.  He almost 
lost it and betrayed himself to Thorpe just now, and she's too intelligent 
to mess around with.  And too damned loyal to the Gaurd.  If she ever finds
out that he's playing both sides, she'll have to be silenced.  He mops the 
sweat from his brow and returns to his desk, trying to calm his mind and 
think.

What is *wrong* with him?  This sense of agitation that started up during
the riots is only getting stronger, and now he can't think straight.  But
deep down, he knows the source must be the Great Mother he serves.  Though
he has tried to avoid facing it these past two days, the visit by Thorpe 
has shocked him into a moment of sobriety, and he realizes he must go to
Her in the Shunned Center.  There is obviously some kind of trouble, afoot,
and it must be serious indeed for the Great Mother to be sending out waves 
of alarm Her servants throughout the city.

As he suits up and straps on his blades, he wonders about Kron, and the
lizardman agent he has programmed with subliminal instructions to lure 
Kron into the Shunned Center.  It is a dangerous game he is playing.  In
a state of uncharacteristic preoccupation, he leaves his office and departs 
Glorshanned quickly, ignoring the salutes of his inferiors, and forgetting
to salute his superiors.

Sergeant Thorpe watches her idol leave through the gates.  On her own init-
iative, she decides to design a new poster announcing the end of the lizardman 
menace.  That should calm the outraged merchants and win back some prestige 
for the City Gaurd.  She gets new poster boards from supply and goes to work...

Rigler (aka 'Thk')
--