Who is the Silver-Haired Sage?

By Psinga the Herald

The King�s Brigade deal with supernatural events threatening the realm. A tightly knit team of swashbuckling militia they lie between the kingdom structures of military and militia. They do not publish what they do and remain very much "on the Q.T." concerning their activities. One of the most intriguing mysteries surrounding the King�s Brigade is the place in this very physical team held by a silver-haired sage. This sage is almost always with units of the King�s Brigade yet never speaks to members of the public and is not normally acknowledged as even being a part of the King�s Brigade.

The Mythtropolis Gazette sent reporter Billy Black to Secomber during the riots to observe the King�s Brigade in action and find out more about the identity of this Silver-Haired Sage.

The vampire-dominated forces of Secomber, slavers, organised murderers, gangs of undead, and torturers - including some parliamentarians! - were recently rounded up and purged form the city by forces of the Kingdom military led by units of the King�s Brigade. Co-ordinating this assault on the renegade city was Captain Ulmerica, now Military Governor of Secomber. And advising her throughout the operation was the Silver-Haired Sage, referred to only as the "Doctor".

"Secomber�s always been a great place to live. It�s just a pity about all the damned vampires"

- Local resident of Secomber

This Silver-Haired Sage has an ancient bearing and an acerbic demeanor. He dresses in simple clothing, usually black robes, and is always with members of the King�s Brigade hierarchy. He has become a familiar sight in Mythtropolis, fending off onlookers and enquirers with his fierce unforgiving gaze, as if he had no time for anything but what current project he and the King�s Brigade are working on. In Secomber, this picture remained in place, with this sage remaining always with the King�s Brigade, advising them on tactics both mundane and mystical.

Through questioning members of the usually tight-lipped King�s Brigade, I was able to establish the following:

1) All members of the King�s Brigade go to the sage for advise. He advises them in nearly all matters involving threats to the realm and in operational circumstances.

2) Officially the King�s Brigade do not acknowledge a link from the sage to their actions, or even his presence.

During the re-taking of Secomber, mysterious green fireballs, rumoured to herald the return of an ancient and powerful hero, flashed down form the sky to destroy many buildings including the Parliamentary Stronghold. The Silver-Haired Sage was reported to be communicating with these fireballs. The result of the green-fireballs? Secomber was secured by the King�s Brigade far more easily than it would have otherwise been done, the rebels neatly rendered powerless by having their strongholds into rubble. Remarkably, no civilians were killed by the fireballs. An amazing coincidence.

"The city�s in ruins. There was some unpleasantness. I can never go back."

"Vlad" of Secomber

Further investigation revealed that these same green-fireballs destroyed a large vampire enclave north of the city near the site of an archaeological dig, and that an artefact of great power was unearthed by these green-fireballs. This artefact was then recovered by the King�s Brigade. Upon investigation by the King�s Brigade and their sage, the artefact was secreted away.

So we have green-fireballs shooting from the sky to destroy the forces of the evil and the undead without harming innocent civilians. The silver-haired sage of the King�s Brigade, this "Doctor", communicates with the green fireballs. The green fireballs unearth unearth a powerful artefact which is then recovered by members of the King�s Brigade, examined by the silver-haired sage and then secreted away. Who is this man that seems to wield so much influence within this quasi-covert military unit?

Members of the King�s Brigade have remained tight-lipped on the involvement in their unit�s affairs of the silver-haired sage. Is he some former sage companion of our king, sought after for his knowledge? Recent events in Secomber highlight the potential military power capable of being wielded by this paramilitary peacekeeping unit. It is perhaps rightly a concern of many citizens that such an unknown quantity as "the Doctor" has so great an influence over the King�s Brigade.