STATIC: Battle of the Bards
General Summary
Wherein a bardic rivalry reaches its zenith
The solution reveals itself, as it often does, in a dream. Sharkbait, Corinna Himmelswander, Messelum, and Kosi, all acquaintances, find themselves sharing the same dream. They are playing in a band--Sharkbait is tearing it up on the accordion, Kosi is playing the upright bass, Corinna is playing a tambourine (but not very well), and Messelum is holding it together through piano. All are wearing black fedoras--save Sharkbait, whose fedora is turquoise--, giving rise to the apparent name of their band: The Fourdoras (sometimes rendered as FOURdoras, Four-Doras, and 4doras). After the song they were playing ended, they had just enough time to look at each other in awareness before being set upon by a DREAM FIGHT. Luckily, our band seems to play well together in combat situations, too. After the battle, they woke. Knowing, as they do, that one of the few immutable truths of Gavros is that dreams are important--they have actual consequences to waking reality--they matter, our heroes understood their task--to crush Sharkbait's rival in a Battle of the Bands.
First, they needed to organize the Battle itself. Fortunately, there are two people involved in this that have the resources to do this. Between Messelum's access to the Fickle Fortune Palace of Entertainments, and The Roach's considerable influence, the Battle was both funded and marketed without a hitch. The plan was simple--all the Fourdoras needed to do was advanced through three knockout rounds against other bards and bands, and then win the championship round. Leffam, unable to resist such a lure, is sure to enter the contest and hope to illustrate his prowess as a top bard in the City. The Fourdoras need to beat Leffam and show the city that one) he isn't Sharkbait and two) Sharkbait is just better. That should do the trick at quashing this ridiculous, one-sided, beef. The best part? Nobody has to get hurt! Aside from hurt feelings. Simple!
As a quick aside, it is worth mentioning that all of Sharkbait's understanding of music is pulled from a plane that is decidedly not his own. He is a conduit, of sorts, for the musical spirits of other worlds.
"Father of Mine" also fared well against the music of the New New Carydam Singers--an acapella/dance crew led by Corrie, which was fortunate, as nobody really, in their heart of hearts, wanted the dance crew to advance. The semi-final featured their toughest match yet in the form of Olenk Mendlespar, a crooner known for mournful, tear-jearing ballads. Despite the tears, our heroes managed to achieve victory with a festive cover of "The Macarena." Leffam and his band, the Toothy Grins, will be their final opponent. The Fourdoras, recognizing the momentous occasion, played their closer from Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey. The crowd went, proverbially, wild. Leffam, not to be outdone, played an extremely powerful and complex song called "The Battle of Hives and Hole," which, apparently, is about a battle between devils and demons. It was difficult to judge who the victor of the Battle of the Bands would be, especially since the entire proceedings were interrupted by a literal battle between devils and demons. It seemed that Leffem's song was cursed and literally caused a portion of the battle to be reenacted whenever (and wherever) it was played. All this was quickly explained to them by the reemergence of a familiar, devilish, face: Hommdar, the Herald of Honeybile, of the 133rd Tract of The Nether. Honeybile had once been helped out of a tight spot (see STATIC 13: Birthing Trees, Bees, & City Business) by our some of our heroes and wanted to repay the favor. The best way to do that was to resolve the battle as quickly as possible and then take care of Leffem. To do that, the Fourdoras leapt into the fray, taking on the demons of Uggil's Hole and their champion. The resolution of the now quite literal Battle of the Bands was brutal and bloody, but resulted in the Fourdoras favor, as the won the tournament. But now there was the question of Leffem. As in, what to do with this rival who risked the fate of the city to win? Honeybile argued that Leffem's soul belonged, now, to Valvardrad, but Mess and Kosi were less kin to have this situation resolve that way. Instead, they offered up two precious gifts for Leffem's soul continuing to exist on this plane: Messelum's piano ability, and Sharkbait's turquoise fedora. Honeybile said okay and that he would square it with the boss, which may result in our heroes owing Honeybile the proverbial "one."
Putting the Band Together
The rivalry between Sharkbait, beloved bard of the The Interdimensional Blinkerton Detective Agency, and Leffem Greensmock (see STATIC 13: Birthing Trees, Bees, & City Business) is intensifying. Greensmock's antics during The Displacement of all of the Blinkertons, save Corinna Himmelswander and Sharkbait, have done much harm to his reputation, and, by extension, the reputation of the Blinkertons. Vallen Durchdenwald, also offended by the audacity of this Greensmock, hasn't been able to locate the elusive bard in the city. It seems he has gone to ground. How, then, to draw him out and finish this rivalry?The solution reveals itself, as it often does, in a dream. Sharkbait, Corinna Himmelswander, Messelum, and Kosi, all acquaintances, find themselves sharing the same dream. They are playing in a band--Sharkbait is tearing it up on the accordion, Kosi is playing the upright bass, Corinna is playing a tambourine (but not very well), and Messelum is holding it together through piano. All are wearing black fedoras--save Sharkbait, whose fedora is turquoise--, giving rise to the apparent name of their band: The Fourdoras (sometimes rendered as FOURdoras, Four-Doras, and 4doras). After the song they were playing ended, they had just enough time to look at each other in awareness before being set upon by a DREAM FIGHT. Luckily, our band seems to play well together in combat situations, too. After the battle, they woke. Knowing, as they do, that one of the few immutable truths of Gavros is that dreams are important--they have actual consequences to waking reality--they matter, our heroes understood their task--to crush Sharkbait's rival in a Battle of the Bands.
First, they needed to organize the Battle itself. Fortunately, there are two people involved in this that have the resources to do this. Between Messelum's access to the Fickle Fortune Palace of Entertainments, and The Roach's considerable influence, the Battle was both funded and marketed without a hitch. The plan was simple--all the Fourdoras needed to do was advanced through three knockout rounds against other bards and bands, and then win the championship round. Leffam, unable to resist such a lure, is sure to enter the contest and hope to illustrate his prowess as a top bard in the City. The Fourdoras need to beat Leffam and show the city that one) he isn't Sharkbait and two) Sharkbait is just better. That should do the trick at quashing this ridiculous, one-sided, beef. The best part? Nobody has to get hurt! Aside from hurt feelings. Simple!
A Showdown at the Fickle Fortune
The Battle of the Bands commenced well enough for our Fourdoras. They faced off against the Dog Coast Family, a cult-like folk collective led by Yondillar, whose performances have been known to strong wistful feelings. Fortunately, their rendition of "Livin' la Vita Loca" was enough of a success with the crowd to move on.As a quick aside, it is worth mentioning that all of Sharkbait's understanding of music is pulled from a plane that is decidedly not his own. He is a conduit, of sorts, for the musical spirits of other worlds.
"Father of Mine" also fared well against the music of the New New Carydam Singers--an acapella/dance crew led by Corrie, which was fortunate, as nobody really, in their heart of hearts, wanted the dance crew to advance. The semi-final featured their toughest match yet in the form of Olenk Mendlespar, a crooner known for mournful, tear-jearing ballads. Despite the tears, our heroes managed to achieve victory with a festive cover of "The Macarena." Leffam and his band, the Toothy Grins, will be their final opponent. The Fourdoras, recognizing the momentous occasion, played their closer from Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey. The crowd went, proverbially, wild. Leffam, not to be outdone, played an extremely powerful and complex song called "The Battle of Hives and Hole," which, apparently, is about a battle between devils and demons. It was difficult to judge who the victor of the Battle of the Bands would be, especially since the entire proceedings were interrupted by a literal battle between devils and demons. It seemed that Leffem's song was cursed and literally caused a portion of the battle to be reenacted whenever (and wherever) it was played. All this was quickly explained to them by the reemergence of a familiar, devilish, face: Hommdar, the Herald of Honeybile, of the 133rd Tract of The Nether. Honeybile had once been helped out of a tight spot (see STATIC 13: Birthing Trees, Bees, & City Business) by our some of our heroes and wanted to repay the favor. The best way to do that was to resolve the battle as quickly as possible and then take care of Leffem. To do that, the Fourdoras leapt into the fray, taking on the demons of Uggil's Hole and their champion. The resolution of the now quite literal Battle of the Bands was brutal and bloody, but resulted in the Fourdoras favor, as the won the tournament. But now there was the question of Leffem. As in, what to do with this rival who risked the fate of the city to win? Honeybile argued that Leffem's soul belonged, now, to Valvardrad, but Mess and Kosi were less kin to have this situation resolve that way. Instead, they offered up two precious gifts for Leffem's soul continuing to exist on this plane: Messelum's piano ability, and Sharkbait's turquoise fedora. Honeybile said okay and that he would square it with the boss, which may result in our heroes owing Honeybile the proverbial "one."
And That's Where We Left It
And that's what Corinna and Sharkbait got up to while the rest of the Blinkertons were in Dhib’ma’qulm.Varied & Sundry Details
- Corinna Himmelswander's amulet, The Centipede's Eye, saved her from not one, but two devastating attacks.
- While waiting for their comrades to "un-Displace," Corinna and Sharkbait forged a friendship. Corinna took on odd jobs for The Concern and Sharkbait won a steamball tournament.
Character(s) interacted with
- Vallen Durchdenwald--businessman, known for lead-pipe ruthlessness in his dealings
- Leffem Greensmock--rival of Sharkbait, saved from a fate in The Nether
- Yondillar and the Dog Coast Family--a music collective (some would say cult) that plays folk music with heart
- Cordie and the New New Carydam Singers--acapella dance crew
- Olenk Mendlespar--a crooning bard that sings profoundly sad romantic ballads
- Hommdar, the Herald of Honeybile--bound to Valvardrad, ruler of the 133rd Tract of The Nether
Report Date
11 Jun 2023
Primary Location
Secondary Location
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