The perceptive reader may notice small inconsistencies in the charactersappearing in these stories. Their speech patterns, their accounts of certainevents, and their observations on the town's pecking order vary from time totime.

These are not inconsistencies!

The reader should consider the contradictions again, bearing three things inmind.

First, each story is told from a different viewpoint, and different people seeand hear things differently. Even readily observable facts are influenced byindividual perceptions and opinions. Thus, a minstrel narrating a conversationwith a magician would give a different account than would a thief witnessing thesame exchange.

Second, the citizens of Sanctuary are by necessity more than a little paranoid.They tend to either omit or slightly alter information in conversation. This isdone more reflexively than out of premeditation, as it is essential for survivalin this community.

Finally, Sanctuary is a fiercely competitive environment. One does not gainemployment by admitting to being 'the second-best swordsman in town'. Inaddition to exaggerating one's own status, it is commonplace to downgrade orignore one's closest competitors. As a result, the pecking order of Sanctuarywill vary depending on who you talk to ... or more importantly, who you believe.

Moving his head with minute care to avoid notice, Hakiem the Storyteller studiedthe room over the untouched rim of his wine cup. This was, of course, donethrough slitted eyes. It would not do to have anyone suspect he was not trulyasleep. What he saw only confirmed his growing feelings of disgust.

The Vulgar Unicorn was definitely going downhill. A drunk was snoring on the