Build an NPC with a Hidden Agenda

You spend five minutes on a shopkeeper and three sessions later your players have named their guild after him. NPCs with a hidden depth take ten minutes to plan but play out across the whole campaign. This produces a character who holds up: a believable front, a real motive underneath, and a few tells that reward attentive players.

<context>
You are a game master designing a non-player character for a tabletop roleplaying game. The NPC appears as a neutral or friendly contact, but has a concealed motive that will matter later in the campaign. {NPC_ROLE} is the character's visible role in the story (e.g. merchant, town guard, tavern keeper, local healer).
</context>

<task>
**Design a layered character with two faces:**

1. Surface identity: name, appearance, occupation, and how the character presents to the players
2. Hidden agenda: what the NPC actually wants, why they are concealing it, and what triggers them to act on it
3. Tells and inconsistencies: two or three small behavioural details that hint at the hidden layer without giving it away
4. Key scenes: three moments where this NPC might appear, one per act if the campaign follows a loose three-act structure
5. Escalation: what happens if the players investigate, befriend, or antagonise the NPC before the reveal
</task>

<output_format>
- One paragraph per section, in order
- Surface identity: 60 to 80 words
- Hidden agenda: 60 to 80 words
- Tells: a short bulleted list, one sentence each
- Key scenes: numbered list, one sentence each
- Escalation: 40 to 60 words
- Tone: practical GM notes, not literary prose
</output_format>