Introduction (SNS)

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: Martia stepped back from the dragon's crimson corpse, withdrawing her blade from its scaly head. As it rasped free, her companions sent up a cheer. The creature that had terrorized their homeland for so many centuries was finally dead
: Carter, her wizened friend, stepped behind her and patted her on the shoulder. Blood streamed down his forehead from a gash above his hairline. "At long last, Martia, you have fulfilled the promise of your bloodline. It was prophesied that a Wander line would be the death of old Drahlix and now those predictions have finally come true. You have fulfilled your fate."
: Martia smiled widely. It seemed as if the burden of centuries of lost hope had been lifted from her shoulders. Her traditionally grim demeanor vanished as if the clouds parted to let the sun shine down on the Dark Peak. Outside, just such a thing was happening.
: She wiped her sword clean on the pile of gold the dragon used as a bed and scraped the blood and gore onto the coins-staining them with the creature's dark ichor. She looked down at the weapon and read the inscriptions along its flat sides. It was the Sword of Baran, the legendary blade of steel that her great-grandfather had forged and that her great-grandmother had enchanted with spells powe1jul enough to fell even mighty Drahlix.
: "Without you, Carter, none of this would have been possible. Before I met you, no one had ever been able to discern the meaning of my birthmark. Had that mystery not been solved, I would never have known of my birthright."
: "'Twas nothing, child," tittered the old man. "History has always been my passion." He turned away from her brightly shining eyes as if intimidated by the light and intensity he saw there. To cover his embarrassment at her praise, he turned his eyes to the smoke-blackened ceiling of the cathedral, searching for the incredible murals he knew must lay beneath the layers of grime and soot. "I always thought that I would spend my life surrounded by my books, enveloped and sheltered by the legends and tales I collected." He sighed deeply, "I never dreamed it would lead me to such an eventful life."
: He turned to the young warrior and looked directly into her eyes, steeled by the thoughts of destiny whirling in his head. "It is I who owe you much gratitude. If not for your persistence, your... stubbornness," he smiled, "I would never have dreamed of seeing this day."
: Martia grinned, flashing her white teeth. "Nonsense, Carter. Surely, it was my own good right arm that drove home the blade that took this foul creature's life, but without the Sword of Baran, my strength would not have been enough."
: She hefted the blade for a moment and considered where the prophesies would lead her next. What perils would she yet encounter? Not all of the weapon's fate had been fulfilled-not by half But that would have to wait for another day.
: She sheathed the sword in the new scabbard she had crafted according to Carter's demanding specifications. Without his wisdom, her youthful foolhardiness would surely have led her straight into the dragon's maw. But with the knowledge that he bore, she had been able to find the means to victory.
: She suddenly realized that she had become serious again. This was no time for grimness. A celebration would be brewing in the town, and she was ready to join it. The people who had first mocked her for her foolhardy quest would now be rallying to accept her as their queen.
: She smiled at the thought of the petty bureaucrats and advisers who fought to stymie her at every path. Now they would bow to her as the champion of the land.
:"Come, old friend," she said to Carter as she headed for the cathedral's massive doors. "The day is getting late, and we have a realm to rebuild. I will need your wise and learned counsel yet. Tonight, however, let us revel in our victory!"
The great heroes of fantasy have a well kept secret. This secret should be obvious to anyone who has ever set out on a great undertaking: 
You can't do it alone.
Tales of heroes are filled with details about stalwart companions who follow them into battle or even greater dangers. In fact, the protagonists of such tales are more often than not a group of heroes-a party of adventurers. Bards spread the tales of glorious deeds around campfires and tavern tables far and wide, but the fact remains that many of these histories omit some of the most vital members of these successful adventuring groups. 
What is a forgotten legend without someone to remember it? Or a lost map without a copy? Or an unknown land if the heroes are simply lost in it? And how can a prophecy be fulfilled without a seer to show it? Who builds the siege engines to bring down the castle walls? 
These supporting characters are often ignored in many ADVANCED DUNG EONS & DRAGONS® games, or they are seen as simple plot devices. Often, these supporting characters make appearances only as two- dimensional cardboard cut-outs and paper-thin caricatures. Well, no longer! 
Sages and Specialists finally brings these secondary personages to the kind of fully realized life that they deserve. Supporting NPCs don't have to be throwaway characters. With the rules and guidelines contained in this book, a Dungeon Master can finally create three-dimensional NPCs that play an integral part in an ongoing campaign.