NPC — Non-Player Character
Any character in the story who is not controlled by a player: shopkeepers, guards, villains and allies are all played by the Game Master.
A Non-Player Character (NPC) is anyone in the world who is not one of the players' heroes. The Game Master (GM) speaks and acts for them. NPCs can be friendly, neutral or hostile; in turn order they are marked NPC. The GM can lend an NPC to a player for a while, for example a hired guard, and take it back later.