Lord John-Paul

Lord John-Paul is the ruler of Serpent's Hold during Ultima VII.

Description
Should the Avatar venture to Serpent's Hold during their adventures regarding the Black Gate, they would find that the keep's Lord, John-Paul, wished an audience with them. Should the meet with the castellan, they would be told that a statue of Lord British had recently been vandalized in the keep's commons, and that John-Paul would appreciate the hero's aid in investigating the matter. If the hero declined, the baron would send for an official from Yew to help resolve the matter.

If the Avatar agreed to undertake the case, they would be able to ascertain fairly quickly that Gargish blood was present at the scene of the crime, implicating the captain of the guard, Sir Horffe. While it was possible that the inquiry would end with Horffe accused, further probing would reveal that the gargoyle had merely been injured whilst attempting to stop the true culprit, the discontented Sir Pendaran. Should the hero successfully bring this truth to light, John-Paul would be duly impressed, and would look to finding a fitting punishment for his wayward knight.

Trivia

 * Like many characters in Serpent's Hold, John-Paul is based on a character from the popular television show, Star Trek: The Next Generation. He resembles Jean-Luc Picard, the captain of the enterprise during the series.
 * Anton spoke to John-Paul regarding Serpent's Hold while working on the  Key to the Black Gate, and he uses the Lord's description of the area in his finalized work.
 * Should the Avatar at first refuse to look into the matter of the statue and later have a change of heart, John-Paul will politely tell the hero that the matter is being looked into and apologize at length for having bothered them in the first place. Only by being very direct and to the point will the Avatar be able to establish that they do, in fact, wish to help.
 * Should Horffe be present while speaking to John-Paul, the gargoyle will be mentioned as consistently standing at attention by his side, and he will respond should he come under suspicion in the course of the investigation.