We continue our adventure in our apartments after a day of rest in the City of Westcrown.
The Party
Bort Taberd – Human [native Chelish] fighter. The son of wealthy merchants.
Toobufforu – Human [native Chelish] rogue. The son of the late famed opera singer (and known lover of young boys) Michelangelo.
Scarvend – Human [immigrant Khellid] sorcerer. Immigrant from the bizarre city of Starfall, he believes himself to be a prophet of the void beyond.
Max Blackstone – Dwarf cleric of Torag. Seeks to bring back open worship of deities other than Asmodeus to Westcrown.
Bindle – Gnome Illusionist. Seeks to allow art back into city.
The Adventure
One morning a messenger delivers a letter to us at our new apartments. The letter summons us to the leader of the Order of Westcrown. We gather our gear and make our way to the safe house, careful to make sure that we are not followed.
Our leader says tells us about a mysterious item kept in the attic of the mayor’s estate, a Dodecahedron etched with mystical runes and cavings. This item called the Chelis Crux, is guarded by magic and dangerous traps, but may hold the hold the secret to a long lost artifact that was lost hundreds of years ago. He tells us though that the mayors manor cannot be assaulted directly because of the guards and powerful allies the mayor has near him. However, he says there may be another way you can get into the mayor’s manor.
Every few years a noted Director visits the town. This month he is here looking for a troup of actors for a play. We all look at each other quizically. Bindle, however, is visibily excited because he has a background in theater. Our leader says that this isn’t an ordinary play, this is a play were the actors may actually die! The troop this Director looks for are usually local adventurers that usually die during the play to the sadistic enjoyment of the audience. Rarely ever do the actors survive the play to its entireity. He says that this will be very dangerous, but if you survive you will have access to the mayor’s manor and may be able to retrieve the Chelis Crux.
The leader gives us directions to where the Director will be looking for actors at an inn near the mayor’s manor later that afteroon.
We arrive at the inn later that day, outside on a board is posted a flier saying that the renowned Director is looking for actors for the Trial of Laradzod. Its an open casting call and we enter the inn and tell the proprietor that we are here for the play.
We make ourselves comfortable and wait patiently. There doesn’t seem to be any others here waiting. A small wirery man comes down the stairs, well dressed. He introduces himself as the Director of the play and that he is looking for actors. We introduce ourselves and tell him we are interested.
We ask where are the other actors, and he says that there haven’t been any others, we are the first. He interviews each of us individually attempting to determine our strengths and weaknesses. He tells us that he will make his decision later in the week and for us to return then.
We wait til the end of the week and return the the inn. The proprietor brings us to a large room in the back for banquets. There the Director and several others are already there. He tells us that all of us have been accepted into the play. He introduces us to the other members of the play, one of which is someone we seen several weeks ago, a man Bort roughed up at the stables for talking back at him. The Director says that training would start the next day and gives us the address of a warehouse several blocks from where we are. He handed us scripts and assigns us each our parts.
Bindle, the gnome illusionist, was to have the lead part. Eventhough the part is for a human fighter, Bindle snowcased his ability to Alter Self in his interview. Coupled with his acting abilities he was a perfect match for the role.
Bort, the human fighter, was to be the Torturer. Toobufforu, the huamn Rogue/Fighter, as to play the bumbling Paladin. The Sorcerer was to play the elderly wizard. While Max, the dwarven cleric, was to play the helish dwarven muse – a non-speaking role. Our rival from the stables, was to play the judge. Our training started immediately.
For the next few weeks we practiced our parts. A hunchback, was the stagehand. He showed us how certain creatures in the play would be played by barrels, however, when he said that Max, the cleric, felt that he wasn’t telling us the full truth, but couldn’t pin why or what about exactly. We thought about our ‘weapon training’ part of the play and we surmised that we probably would not be fighting fake creatures to make the play ‘authentic’. We prepared for the worst.
The day of the play we make arrangments for a carriage to pick us up at our appartments and take us to the theather. The actress playing the main female part joined us in our carriage as we arrived ‘in style’ to the theather.
We prepared for a final rehursal going over last minute details of the play. Toobufforu, the human Rogue/Fighter, apparently made friends with the plump opera singer during our weeks of rehersal. We notice him and her exchanging lustful glances during the final rehersal. People started entering the threater. We go into our dressing room adorned our elaborate costumes and waited for the play to start.
The Director came into our dressing room a few minutes before the play wishing us good luck. We however, noticed, that he was very nervious. Something wasn’t right. Actually instead of nervous was actually frightened and pale as if he seen a ghost. He left and we all looked at each other thinking is there something that we’re missing.
The plump opera singer starts the play with a musical introduction that goes into a narrative. We take our positions and the curtains open to the crowd of several hundred. The balconies above are also filled with dignataries.
First act Laradzod, played by Bindle currently Altered Selfed into a human fighter, is accused of crimes against Asmodeus. The Magistrate, played by Bort’s rival from the horse stables, puts Bindle’s character and Tobufferu, the Rogue/Fighter’s character on trial. The female lead also joins in as well as the Sorcerer playing the wizard. The dwarven cleric, playing the infernal dwarven muse plays his pipes miserably.
Next act Bort enters as the Torturer character. He using a wipe and strikes each of us, some more than others. His character joins Bindle’s character in the trial.
The next act we were to supposed to fight two large barrels that were to be skeltons, but then appeared on-stage was instead where two very large and real skeltons. Roll initiative.
Tobuffru, quick to acts move to flank one of the large skeltons. He attacks with glaive striking the skeleton. Bort is next and moves into position to flank and strikes the same skelton. Max, the dwarven cleric, moves into melee with the first skelton stikes him with his Morningstar. Bindle, can’t cast spells because he is playing a human fighter character so he move to attack the skeltons. Since the Sorcerer was playing a wizard he casts Magic Missile at the first skelton.
The skeltons slow to react attack. The first skelon strikes the dwarf hard, nearly bringing him down. The other skeleton strikes at Bort but misses. Tobuffru, now in flanking position, strikes the skeleton with a sneak attack. Bort swings and takes out the first skeleton and then bashes with his shield with the second. The rest of us focus on the remaining skelton and take it out. End of the act.
Between acts Max the cleric, heals the party members. The next act has us eating these creatures. In rehearsals we use muffins, but we think that its going to real this time. The curtain comes up after the musical accompaniment between the acts.
It was as bad as we thought, we were to swallow rot grubs say our lines and then try to remove them from our gullet. It was very painful and Max had to help Bindle with his rot grub, but everyone survived.
After this act Max heals the party. The grubs also did ability damage which he uses a Wand of Lesser Restoration to cure. The next act has us being devoured by a beast with acid in his stomach so Max casts Resist Energy [Acid] on Bort. This is getting very dangerous.
The next act a large glass cauldron is wheeled on stage from hidden pulleys. A motif of a monster adorns the mouth of the cauldron and the sides leaving the center clear to the audience. We each enter the cauldron as we says our lines and it tips over with acid that stars to burn though our skin. Everyone except Bort starts taking acid damage.
Tobuffru easily climbs to the top of the cauldron. He and Bort help the female lead out first followed by the Sorcerer and Bindle who had to drink healing potions to stay up. The next minute though was Bort and Tobufforu trying to help Max the dwarf out. After going though eight healing potions the dwarf finally makes it out and then falls to the stage with a bone-crunching thump to the glee of the audience.
After that act we all heal from all the damage and prepare for the last act. According to the script there was no fighting, but we prepared for battle nonetheless.
In the last act an illusion of a god Asmodus appeared and took the Magistrate was through a trap door in the stage.
The audience loved our performance. The Director met us backstage and said that we did a great job. We were all invited to the mayor’s manor tomorrow night to celebrate. We retired to our apartments ready for tomorrow’s party.
Session ends.