Waiting for the Barbarians

The presence of Joll and the anticipated new campaign has coincided with an increasing paranoia amongst the citizens of the town. The enemy takes on an almost mythical character and all negative things both real and imagined are attributed to them. The Magistrate recognizes the growing paranoia and hopes that people will simply forget that he ever existed as he fears a mob retaliation against him. While they do not forget him, he has been so reduced and subjugated that he is nothing more than a pathetic being who the townspeople treat as an animal. The Magistrate has become a beggar, and his only real purpose in life is to find food and a place to sleep.

As time elapses, people become less antagonistic toward the Magistrate. He even senses sympathy from some of the women of the town. The Magistrate seizes on the sympathy and begins to reassert some semblance of his humanity. In the process, he hears some of the gossip and rumors that are spreading through the town, most notable is the whispers of people preparing to leave. This creates a growing tension among the residents of the town between those who will stay and those who want to leave.