Stew Stansfield

This gentledrake is a Sord Sage of Lhankor Mhy. No, not a Sword Sage: a Sord Sage. Duh! Like all worshipers of the Grey One, he wears a beard. Ducks tend to have problems growing real beards, so his is false. The drake also wears a fine set of spectacles, with crystal lenses and a truestone frame. These allow the Sord Sage to focus on Truth; not just in books, but in various objects and in the behaviour of others, too.

The observant will note that the drake's right hand is making the sign of the Truth rune (). This is a common greeting among Lhankor Mhy worshipers. It's the Gloranthan equivalent of 'Scout's honour', or placing one's hand on, say, the bible in a court of law. Ducks are actually much more adept at the Illegal Exchange rune-sign (), mind you. And not just because they have four-fingered hands.

The sign is often used when people attempt to tell some mistruth, so that the magic of the sign might help them – rather like we cross our fingers behind our back, or under the table, when telling a fib. Gloranthans try to hide this sign too, of course! A common trick of wereducks is to make the sign, but then flick the middle finger up when nobody's looking. This drake is very pious, however, and wouldn't do that. Honest.

Durulz religion is mystery to most people. Ducks tend to sacrifice to the same gods as the Storm-worshiping Sartarites—such as Orlanth, Humakt and Heler—but in their own peculiar fashion. Accordingly, this drake has the Air rune () tattooed across his beak. His main deity, of course, is Lhankor Mhy. Orlanth's lorekeeper is known for dabbling in the spellbooks of ancient Western sorcerers, and his Grey Sages across the lozenge are no exception. This drake is obviously a wizard, as he's wearing a hat with stars on it.

One final thing. Across this duck's back is sheathed Shrumgiglorbb, a magical sword retrieved from a sacred mushroom grotto (a black elf temple). Unlike most swords, this one is made of rotten wood, with a mushroom pommel. It doesn't tend to keep an edge that well, but has its own disruptive magics. The sword allows the bearer to communicate with the voralan group-mind, which can be an unsettling experience! It's also home to worms and beetles – which is great when you're feeling peckish.