De Snel

Master De Snel is a trainer and the leader of the prestigious fighting academy, the Library of Scars in Jhelom.

In Ultima VII, De Snel wielded considerable political influence in Jhelom as chief of the Library. Mayor Joseph, admitted to the hero that he feared De Snel, and felt that attempts to directly intervene with the headstrong fighter would only result in his assassination, posed as a duel.

If questioned about a serpentine dagger (whose style was emblematic of the Library) which was found at a murder site in Minoc, De Snel claimed that the weapon had been stolen from the academy. He would then offer the Avatar a "demonstration" of his art, attacking the hero regardless of whether his offer was accepted.

It would later be revealed that De Snel was the original chief assassin of the Fellowship, carrying out the same manner of work as Hook would in later years.

Trivia

 * De Snel's counterpart in reality is Dallas Snell, who was lead programmer of Ultima VII. Snell also appears earlier in Martian Dreams as Dallas Garrett, a bodyguard hired by Nikola Tesla to accompany him on his rescue mission to Mars.
 * In Ultima Underworld II, Syria will reminisce about the hero's duel with De Snel, implying that questioning him about the serpentine dagger and killing him in the resultant battle in Ultima VII is canonical, even though it is an optional action within the game itself.