The castle of Bulwark guards an important crossroads in the centre of the Yjsbson Empire. Should the southern provinces rebel (which, from time to time, they do), Imperial forces from the north will find it easy to put down the rebellion if, and only if, whoever controls Bulwark allows them to pass unhindered.
For this reason, a player character who appears to know of a back way into Bulwark is likely to attract attention, some of it welcome, some of it less so.
The current owner of Bulwark is Ivfrjjngrjjbhnni, an intelligent nobleman descended from a younger son of one of the Emperors of the First Empire. (See here for an explanation of terms like First Empire.)
(AD&D-Specific: ) Ivfrjjngrjjbhnni, male human, 7th level fighter, Str 15, Dex 12, Con 18, Int 16, Wis 13, Cha 16, HP 74, Al Neutral.
Physically, Ivfrjjngrjjbhnni is tall (185cm) and handsome, and could be mistaken for a paladin.
In turbulent times, Ivfrjjngrjjbhnni keeps his head on his shoulders by using it (he has acquired a deserved reputation for deviousness). He does not rule out the possibility of declaring himself Emperor (he thinks, probably correctly, that he could do the job better than the current one), but knows that the time is not yet right for this. However, if forces loyal to the current Emperor were to be bogged down in the south, tied down by guerilla warfare and the threat of rebellion, Ivfrjjngrjjbhnni's assessment of the situation might change.
Nlthzse is Ivfrjjngrjjbhnni's advisor, mentor, and friend. Nlthzse comes from a lower-middle-class background, and was actually born in Bulwark. It is Nlthzse who will attempt (and fail) to interrogate the player character who has appeared in Bulwark in mysterious circumstances.
(AD&D-Specific: ) Nlthzse, male human, dual-class, 7th level fighter, 8th level cleric, Str 18(60), Dex 17, Con 12, Int 16, Wis 18, Cha 13, HP 48, Al Neutral.
(AD&D-Specific: ) Nlthzse is a priest of the old, First Empire, deities, whose major concern is military action. Treat them as War deities (Priests' Handbook) except that they don't incite war for the sake of it, but rather as a reliable means of attaining political ends.
Physically, Nlthzse is very tall (193cm) and looks rather gangly and uncoordinated.
Nlthzse advises Ivfrjjngrjjbhnni, and advises him well. For example, when someone appears from nowhere in the middle of the castle, having bypassed the guards, Nlthzse's advice is not put him to death or sling him in the oubliette, but find out how he did it.
It rapidly becomes clear to Nlthzse that the intruder is from another world. Nlthzse speaks a few offworld languages, but not very well, and he doesn't speak this one at all. (His deities do not grant the comprehend languages or tongues spells. As deities who do not really approve of foreigners, why should they? Make the foreigners learn Yjsbson!) In addition, from his limited experience of people from other worlds, Nlthzse knows that they often react badly to local food.
So what happens next is that Nlthzse takes the intruder to a temple where (a) there will be priests who speak a wider variety of offworld languages, and (b) there will be food which is safe for people from other worlds to eat.
Click here for information on the temple.