Session 4: Frog Games - A Night at the Theatre

General Summary

After their investigations in the Outer Quarter our intrepid heroes headed back towards Turlin's Well. As they approached the Inn they were accosted by a scruffy, nervous looking man in the street. He enquired about purchasing the party's tickets to the Maiden's Kiss play that night at the Motley Theatre. Brother Tomas politely refused the offer but the man, who was representing a noble gentleman standing some way off, came back with a better offer. It seemed his master was quite determined to buy the tickets. Again the party rebuffed the scruffy man's offer but he was persistent and upped the offer further after further advice from his noble master. Brother Tomas decided to approach the nobleman directly and confirmed politely but firmly that the tickets were not for sale. The nobleman, a Lord Serany, was polite in return but enquired as to where the party where staying, insisting that he might come back with a better offer later. The party wisely gave him a false address and he went on his way. At this point the party decided it might just be better to head straight to the Motley as they were growing suspicious about the almost fanatical desire to see the Maiden's Kiss evident in various townsfolk! Stopping briefly to partake of the famous pies at Gantry's Tea House the party headed for the Motley. On approaching the theatre it became clear that many townsfolk wanted to see the play. Posters were plastered on every wall and around each, a large and fervent crowd vied and jostled to be nearer the poster. The party decided that a direct passage towards the theatre might rouse suspicion and took a circuitous route. However, as they got close to the theatre, and the wall around the theatre was in sight, some members of the crowd became suspicious of the party and began to watch them more closely. Brother Tomas decided the situation might become dangerous and shouted to the others to break into a run! Unfortunately, in his haste, he tripped over his robes and fell to the ground in front of the crowd. Some of the crowd ran towards the party at this point, Brother Tomas left behind as the others sprinted for the door of the Motley! The party quickly helped him to his feet but not before several angry crowd members had arrived and attempted to frisk Brother Tomas in the search for his show ticket. After some fierce fighting and the unfortunate death of one of the attackers, the party managed to retreat to the theatre just as city guards arrived and began to disperse the crowd. The chap who sold them the tickets, Braldo, beckoned them forward and shut the gates behind them. The party found themselves mostly alone in the theatre approximately an hour before the performance was due to start. Looking around there were a few audience members who had made it through the throng outside and the sounds of the orchestra tuning their instruments floated out from behind the curtain. The companions chose balcony seats and settled down for the show. The curtain rose, the players entered from behind the stage and the play began...

By the dim lights of The Motley theatre, you and your companions watch the epic tragedy of The Maiden’s Kiss unfold. Powerful performances and untamed passion unfold before your eyes. Heroism and villainy are yours to witness. By the time you realise you’ve been drawn into the high drama so utterly and completely, it’s too late. With an orchestral crescendo and the flash of a bloody blade, all are left dead on stage, and the lights slowly rise. The crowd erupts in roaring ovation, and you find yourself again part of the mob, leaping to your feet with thunderous applause. The performers come forth one by one for the curtain call. The lead, Lady Asmarisa herself, is the last to appear. Her beauty is unparalleled. Blood red hair, eyes as dark as midnight, with a smile that could drive men to madness. She makes her final bow, as do all the others, before they slowly disappear back behind the heavy velvet curtain.

Most of the companions were enchanted by the performance, believing it to be the most incredible theatrical performance they had ever seen. Brother Tomas questioned whether he had made a mistake with his religious calling and that perhaps a career on the stage might be right for him; Snakehead would have wept tears of joy, had he been capable of doing so; and Zaloras gazed lovingly at Lady Asmarisa wondering whether she was single. As the character's heads cleared they saw most of the audience now filing out with the same enraptured looks on their faces, the crowd of people exited the auditorium in a strange reverie, the sounds of the orchestra and the face of Lady Asmarisa fixed in their hearts and minds. The party held back as the last guests left. They wanted to investigate the theatre further having the suspicion that all was not quite as it seemed. As silence fell in the auditorium they began to creep from their hiding place.... Brother Tomas tried to get in around the back of the theatre but was sent away by stage hands gathered there and he did not pursue that route for fear of violence. Snakehead managed to pad silently around the seating and got to the edge of the stage without a sound, he found a small door there, slightly ajar... Unfortunately Peasant stumbled into a brass urn and plate sending them crashing to the ground and Zaloras fell from the balcony but numbed against physical pain by his love for the Lady, he managed to avoid serious injury. The sudden noise brought some attention form the back of the stage however and just as Brother Tomas managed to hurriedly slip through the small door below the stage after Snakehead, a man appeared on the stage and shouted at the party members he could see to leave immediately. Snakehead discovered a passage leading off behind the stage and a rusty old ladder leading down into darkness.... The man on the stage continued to harangue the remaining companions and when they did not leave several other stage hands joined him and threatened Peasant and Zaloras. This soon turned to violence as the two heroes held their ground but the attackers were soon dispatched, the third man running for the back of the stage. Meanwhile Snakehead headed down the ladder into the damp and the darkness, the faint sound of music rising up from below....