Preparing for The Audition

Cultural event

Thuniel asks for help from The Circle of Six in auditioning for a guild called The Troupe.They meet a framilar face while visiting the Blacksmith. The group investigates the audition process and potental entrances to the audition. Caia meets Thuniels mother. Thuniel sneaks into the Tailors Shop. Everyone attends a play at The Sylvan Theatre.

Thuniel tells a tale of a guild of thieves and assassins named The Troupe. It is rumored they are holding auditions for membership. Part of the initiation process is to steal something from their vaults to prove your aptitude. Thuniel has heard of an artifact called "The Shroud of Ollandra" that is rumored to cure any sickness. Together they can steal the shroud and heal members of the town and Thuniel will gain membership in the guild. This worried many members of The Six. Knowing Gilly Button had a contract out on her. Also suspecting Thuniel of nefarious motives. As a show of good faith, Thuniel retrieved the Death Note she had stored in Merrä's saddle bags and burned it to the fire. She then proposed once in the guild she could send false messages and leads to the seedy underground. Trying to lead them on a false chase to help Gilly clear her name and keep the heat off her. The Six agreed to the terms. Then traveled to Blightfen to investigate.   Gilly, Moz, Brerenax, and Aela go get weapons silvered for 100 GP and an amount of time (one day) at Wynna’s Arsenal. Dwarven woman at the forge and a crass, loud woman in the back yelling at her. A familiar face of Betty Coppermane hobbles in missing a leg, using a huge maul (Toby) as a crutch. Betty comes in, yelling about bitches. Her sister Wynna is fixing up her prosthetic. She says everyone is kindred spirits.   Later during the investigation, Thuniel learned The audition process for admittance into The Troupe can be achieved in a few ways. The cast member auditioning must take something from their vault however they deem the best course of action.   The most common and widely known way to pass through the Gauntlet is a series of rooms and securities to get to the vault. The entrance is found in the green room in The Sylvan Theatre. The Ushers are keen to let anyone try as they don't think many will survive the trials.   Others have tried and sneak their way in to bypass some of the rooms straight to the vault. These paths are rumored in two places. The Cathedral Village Graveyard and the Dragons Stables in Hydras Farthing.   The Party decide for Caia to copy Meyllewyn and we go to the stables. Thuniels mother is impressed by Caia’s courtly manners and makes her acquaintance, and Thuniel riffs off the performance and says she is a client. She says "we’re going to the theater" and my mother says she is too. Thuniel is reluctant to introduce Caia “Button” around and has something of her own going on. They get her to let them use Grandfather’s Box at the theater. Caia decides to use the image of a long-removed cousin named Carlos.   Meanwhile, Caia and Gilly consult Gilderoy about the potential history of The Troupe. They learn it is an ancient organization that dates back many eras. They are an elite assassin and thieves guild. They also learn the audition process involves 5 tasks and other important details about their appearance and terminology. The wear harlequin make up and have Stage names as code names. There are usually 10 members of the guild.   Thuniel perks up at the mention of harlequin makeup and realizes that she has seen someone in said makeup occasionally and it is at a tailor located in the Unicorn’s Borough, the Tailor in the Plush Hem occasionally wears that makeup. Thuniel arranges to have outfits brought for the party and to meet at the Sylvan Theater while Caia and she go to the Plush Hem.   Robert Blakely is gone, but his assistant Miranda is there. They are preparing to close up, but my family is important enough to get last-minute help. Caia distracts Miranda, and Thuniel peruses the inventory and notices there’s a specific curtained area where the curtained area is longer than the floor and there’s a mannequin on top of the curtain at that point, and a seam in the floor that shouldn’t be there. Thuniel also knows they do all the costumes for the theatre.   Thuniel pretends to need air while Caia flirts it up with Miranda, and uses the opportunity to leave the window unlatched. “Carlos” and Thuniel leave and wait around a corner for her to close up.   The party then meets up at The Sylvan Theatre. Gilly points out Neville to Alcath and go to talk to him, maybe invite him to the box. Neville seems preoccupied and paranoid, looking around and looking nervously. Neville clocking a few odd characters in the crowd. A elf on the edge of the crowd, a gnome woman in pigtails, and there’s something unusual in the rafters, a dark, shadowy figure. There are a lot of jesters and people performing outside wearing harlequin makeup, so it’s hard to pick out individuals.   Gilly and friends are watching from the box as they talk to Neville. The stairs are guarded and there are guards at each door. Alcath casts Message to Moz and describes the people Neville is watching. Gilly and Moz attempt to sneak around in the rafters.   They decide to have Moz go scope it out as a tiny owl. She goes behind a curtain and changes into a tiny owl. Aela keeps the waiter from noticing that Moz just turned into an owl and flew away. Moz goes up to scope it out and looks for the shadowy figure. She sneaks closer and a couple of people see her, but she has seen what it’s a Kenku. It has white paint on its beak. Almost looks like a stagehand, with a dark cloak up and a long bow strapped to its back.   Gilly goes down and she weaves her way to the front of the crowd while Moz tells her what she’s seeing. Moz can see down behind the curtain and sees actors getting ready, in the crowd, she can see Neville and Berenax. Moz goes to land on Berenax’s head and he pokes it, and she snaps at him. Berenax looks back and sees only Aela in the box, and she tosses a creampuff at him. Ushers and people are making their way to get the bird out of the theater, but then she flies off.   Alcath goes back upstairs to watch Neville. Gilly and Berenax are staying on the floor for the production/until Neville leaves. Alcath notices that Neville isn’t even watching the show, and twenty minutes in, Neville leaves and doesn’t come back. Gilly is watching the Kenku and he’s just doing the stagehand stuff. Gilly notices the Gnome’s gone too.   The play is a historical play about The Dragon Wars and the group of humans that banded together to send them away. Lawrence the Dreamer was the leader. The capital city Lawrencia where The Noble Road ends was named after Him. Play is called "The Rise of the Banner Lords."   Thuniel sneaks into The Plush Hem and finds the secret room in the floorboards. Caia attempts to follow but slips on the panels outside the window and distracts the guards so Thuniel is unseen. She sends her familiar in with Thuniel.   She finds an empty mannequin, makeup counter, closed cabinet, closed secretary desk. Inside is Note written in Thieves cant. An ashtray to burn notes, Death notes, and a caricature of a white face with single red line down from the lip and dark blue lines from the eyes. Thuniel copies out a line of text, but then hears someone approaching. Lantern off, then wait with the trap door nearly closed. I sneak out and try to put everything back the way it was, but not exactly and then sneak out and close the window. Thuniel gets out and asks the pixie to take me to Caia. She tells me that Gilly knows Thieves’ Cant and we leave for the theater. Gilly reads the note “Contract: Arson, noble stock..."