Heroica RPG- Quest #68: A Night at the Theatre

[CMP]

"Aye, he was one of 'em by the name of Poletad, but I haven't met any beyond him. Blue Assassins? I don't blame ya', mate, Blue Assassins are known to be awfully crafty bastards...here, use this," suggested Atramor, unhooking Conspirator from his belt and handing it hilt first to Russel. "Wasn't gonna get much use anyway, not when there's rats to kill....just be careful what ya' swing it at.

[Peppermint_M]

Tesni listened to the play synopsis, she had never really gone to see a real play before. Travelling players had put on the odd show but nothing like that. Still idly patting the horse from time to time she rode on. "I've never really considered talking to animals Ellaria, I always found my other skills more in demand." She shrugged, "it sounds pretty cool though, I could chat to this lovely pony."

[Zepher]

Night falls. The heroes continue to trot along in the dark. Russel admires his new sword happily, and swings it a few times in practice. He almost pricks the pony, however, and stops.

The heroes travel the well worn path to Bric'lin. The moon hangs high in the sky, bathing the land in light.

Then, in a puff of smoke and the smell of lilacs... four figures stand in the heroes' path. (one of them darker than the others... sorry...)

"Hail."

"Hail."

"Hail."

"Going to a Night at the Theatre? But where is your fourth member?"

The heroes glance around and notice that Althior and his ethereal steed are gone.

[En garde, witches!]

"Do not worry, Ruffers. We did not take your friend. He is but lost. We mean no harm."

"I guess we must proceed without him. Humph. We come with a warning. And a mission."

"You must not fear that which you do not know, young crab."

What do the heroes say and do?

[CMP]

Atramor narrows his eyes at the beings. One reminded him vividly of Triad, and another of Blackenord. He wasn't fazed nor concerned with Althior's disappearance, but was rightly suspicious of the quartet accosting them in the dead of night.

"Who the hell are ya'll?"

[Zepher]

"We are the witches three. Didn't you pay any attention to that play summery?"

"Ugh, mortals never do. I doubt they'd even know who we serve, though I smell the sweet stench on at least one of them."

"Ah, cut them some slack, they've got a lot going on, I'm sure."

"Quiet, children. We are here for a reason. Let us answer Atramor's question. I am Deci, the oldest of the three."

"I am Nona."

"And I'm Morta, the runt of the litter. We're the witches in the play you're about to see."

"Fool! Giving away our identity!"

"They would have figured it out anyway."

"Silence, children! This hobgoblin is named Marcellus. He is our guard. We have raised him from a young age."

"Hi there. Touch the witches, and die."

"Marcellus is such a dear. Don't let his intimidation scare you. He's really got a heart of gold."

"Morta, let's stay on task."

"Right. Well, I guess I'll begin then. Hail, King of the Kingdom. Hail, ye who defends all except yourself. Hail, brave warrior, brave death. Hail hail hail."

"Hail too to the Duke, with wily ambition. Hail to the brave coward, hiding behind the screen while others die in your place. Hail to the one who died a death much like he lived life."

"And hail to the General, who history favored. Hail to the General who loved the wife, hail to the General who betrayed a friend and was betrayed again."

"Be careful, heroes, oft when you fight evil, you become it."

"That's the whole thing, right? We can go now?"

"Best of luck, heroes. Defeat the curse. And remember to play your part."

Marcellus bares his little hobgoblin teeth at the heroes, and then, in another puff of smoke, all four figures are gone. The heroes stand stunned for a second, and then Althior stumbles out of the woods and trips over the stone wall, landing hard on his face.

[Sandy]

Ellaria looks at the others. "Okay... Does any of you have any idea what that was all about? Because I sure as heck don't."

"[Russel, what is going on here? Were those people actors from that play we're going to see?"]

[CMP]

Atramor looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Hmmm...those sure as hell weren't actors, Ellaria. Hate this metaphorical crap."

[Peppermint_M]

"Uh, a riddle? I am not really one for those... Prefer to think about who or what to hit with the weapon that is most efficent..."

[Sandy]

"Well, maybe things will get clearer once we reach Bric'lin. It just seems to me that you, me and Tesni have a bigger role to play here than we thought... Sorry, Althior."

[CMP]

Atramor grumbled a little. "I signed up to kill rats, not play roles, I thought that's what the actors were for..." He glances at Althior as he stumbles into the clearing, and chuckles. "Lost your way?"

[Zepher]

Ellaria looks at the others. "Okay... Does any of you have any idea what that was all about? Because I sure as heck don't."

"[Russel, what is going on here? Were those people actors from that play we're going to see?"]

[Not as far as I can tell. Maybe just some loonies. Maybe some witches. Maybe friendly, maybe foes. Whatever they may be, they're gone now. There's a lot in the world that we crabs don't understand, unfortunately. There are witches in the play that we're seeing... so perhaps they play that part? Though Pigley said that they were using some sort of etherial summon for that, I thought.]

Althior seems unable or unwilling to answer, and so the party sets out again. The sun is in the sky by the time they reach Bric'lin, and by following a number of signs and directions, they eventually make their way to the Theatre.

At the heroes' approach, the man in the white shirt holding a shield calls for a stop and turns to face them.

"Hello, and welcome to the Bric'Lin theatre! My name is Sir Jules Taylor, and I am directing this lovely play, as well as playing the part of the Duke. You may have heard of my, I believe I am fairly well known. Much better known than that hack Bilbert Wigglepike. Ha! Writing and directing! He has the wrong combination. Why direct what you wrote? All the great plays have already been written. Direct the greats, that's what I say. Anyway, you must be the heroes Lord Chauncey said he was sending. I must admit, I'm a little bit miffed that he won't be here for the show, I think he would have very much enjoyed it... he demanded that we put it on, by the Gods, and now he's not even here. Well, you can ask around. That's my Rebel Prince and General fighting on the stage. The lovely Alexa Kaye plays the Duke's Wife, and over there lounging on the ground is the bum who is playing the King."

Edited May 18, 2013 by Zepher

[Sandy]

"Greetings, Sir Taylor! I am Ellaria Arbour, and these are my companions in championship, Tesni Hightribe, Atramor Gibbin and Althior Emorith. We are your resident pest control for tonight, it seems. May I ask you, what made you choose this play to direct? You must have heard about the curse..."

[Zepher]

Sir Taylor kisses Ellaria's hand and then raises an eyebrow at her more... ragtag companions.

"As I was saying, Lord Chauncey insisted that we put on this play. I don't know why, though yes, we are both aware of the curse. It is my personal belief that he does not want the play to be lost to the sands of time. Lord Chauncey is a huge fan of the past, he actually owns and frequently visits the Library in Bric'Lin, reading all sorts of ancient tomes. I have directed two other plays for Lord Chauncey, and I can assure you that he both believes in and does not fear curses."

[Peppermint_M]

Tesni looked around the theater, noticing the other actors. She smirked at the reaction of the director. "Hello Sir Taylor, sorry I'm not dressed to the nines, silk travels poorly and I haven't had a chance to go shopping." She winked "When you're fighting in the thick of it instead of casting from the back row, you dress practical."

[CMP]

Atramor narrowed his eyes slightly at Sir Taylor.

"Who do you have as the witches, then?"

[Zepher]

Tesni looked around the theater, noticing the other actors. She smirked at the reaction of the director. "Hello Sir Taylor, sorry I'm not dressed to the nines, silk travels poorly and I haven't had a chance to go shopping." She winked "When you're fighting in the thick of it instead of casting from the back row, you dress practical."

"Quite alright, mi'lady," he says with a sour voice and cast away eyes. "Some of my cast doesn't understand fashion either. The man playing the King stinks to high heavens. I think he was a pirate once or something."

Atramor narrowed his eyes slightly at Sir Taylor.

"Who do you have as the witches, then?"

"Oh, well, interestingly enough, Lord Chauncey has supplied us with three of his personal minions to play the witches. He's a bit of a summoner... er, I think Evoker is the term? On top of his other studies, of course. They're all just black shadows, no faces or names, but I much prefer them that way, and they handle my direction much better than some others. I also forgot to mention a few of the extras I employ. I gave them the day off after running all their scenes, so I think they're all in the local tavern, save that pig who stuck around."

"Hello, heroes," Pigley drawls in his low pig voice.

"Howdy there, Pigley! How is the world of Theatre treating you?"

"The part of Guard Number Two is both minor and fitting."

[CMP]

"Aye, obviously if he smells, he was probably a pirate...," grumbled Atramor with sarcasm, rolling his eyes. He shuffles over to watch the Rebel and the General fight.

[Peppermint_M]

"So sorry about that. You know, you look a little familiar? Are you any relation to the Hinckwell family?" Tesni asked through gritted teeth, wondering if she could shut the cretin up about oputfits. Namyrra never had any problem with the armour and weapons...

[K-Nut]

Althior looked around "Refresh my memory, would you? What is Lord Chauncey's involvement with this show?"

[Sandy]

"It seems we have a lot of people to meet and greet, then", Ellaria says to the others.

She then pulls out a small notebook from her satchel and starts to scribble down the Dramatis Personae. She then pauses.

"Sir Taylor, what is the play called? I don't believe we have heard of its title yet... And which are the names of the men who play the General and the King, if I may ask?"

Dramatis Personae

Duke - Sir Jules Taylor

Duke's Wife - Alexa Kaye

General - ?

King - pirate?

Three Witches - spirits summoned by Lord Chauncey

Guard #1 - ?

Guard #2 - Pigley

[Zepher]

"Aye, obviously if he smells, he was probably a pirate...," grumbled Atramor with sarcasm, rolling his eyes. He shuffles over to watch the Rebel and the General fight.

Atramor watches the two go at it for a bit. They seem to be decent, though the General stumbles from time to time. Finally they stop and turn to Arthur.

"How are you doing?"

"Are you here for the show? Do you want to play the General? I'm woefully underprepared."

"You can't give away your damn part! If someone could swoop in and take it today, then what would be the point of rehearsals!" yells Jules.

"So sorry about that. You know, you look a little familiar? Are you any relation to the Hinckwell family?"

"The Hinckwells. Ha! No, I am not part of that family. The Taylor clan has a long history in theatre, and that is all we do. Those political big wigs think they're so important in Eubric, but in Bric'Lin, no one hardly cares about them at all." ( OoC: )

Althior looked around "Refresh my memory, would you? What is Lord Chauncey's involvement with this show?"

"Lord Chauncey owns this theatre."

"Sir Taylor, what is the play called? I don't believe we have heard of its title yet... And which are the names of the men who play the General and the King, if I may ask?"

"The General, Mr. Barney Reynolds, claims he was in a traveling caravan when he was younger, but you couldn't tell it based on his performance. The King is being played by some man named Johnny, claims its his first production. That one I have an easier time believing."

Edited May 19, 2013 by Zepher

[Peppermint_M]

Tesni shrugged and got down to business. "Where do you expect the rats to enter if at all? Is it some curse or an attraction that calls them here?" She looked around the stage area with interest.

[Zepher]

"Ah, the rats. What you're here for. Of course, I nearly forgot why he sent you brutes. The rats have, in the past, come from anywhere and everywhere, or so the reports go. They come either at the final dress rehearsal, or during the performance itself. We in the theatre community believe that there must be some curse on the play, which is why its so rarely performed."

"As a precaution, you should be in the audience for both the dress rehearsal and the first performance tomorrow. We're actually getting pretty close to our dress. The actors will break for about half an hour, and then I think we'll get into it. You should probably rest beforehand to, as I believe you rode through the night."

Edited May 19, 2013 by Zepher

[CMP]

"No, I've been hired to keeps the rats off your megablocks. Who are you two?"

[Zepher]

"Oh good, we'll be needing you! I've seen Treachery! performed once before, and the leading lady was carried off stage by rats during the performance itself! I'm Phillip J. Firuz, by the by. I'm a classically trained Stirlance actor. Maybe you've heard of my, though that new Eubric singer is the only thing anyone is talking about now a days."

"My name is Barney."