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Prologue : Act
1 : The Play
An hour after sunset, and still
twilight illuminates the coloured windows
beyond the rigging and beams. Lamps are being lit now, by a hunched back
man hobbling from here to there and smelling of old eggs. You turn in
your seat glancing over the audience with a casual but professional gaze.
Old woman, young boy, mother, daughter, you pause on a rough hewed face,
eyes
narrowing. Who is here for blood and who for entertainment?
Footfalls drum hollowly on
the stage, the curtains open with tugs. The play
is about to begin, along with a whole lot of trouble. You think back to
a
week ago where it began…
"Good Sir,
This is a matter which I trust
would be of substantial
professional interest to you and your colleagues.
Your company is requested
this coming Wednesday evening,
when the moon is three quarters risen.
Please meet me by the alter,
in the temple of St
Rifstan.
Signed a new friend."
The letter placed under you
doorway was sealed with silver wax and
pressed with a signet like a baying wolf. A child skips down the
hall outside your room, raising dust "who left this letter, did
you see" you ask, the child turns briefly to you and laughs, "a
dandy". Expensive paper, fine ink, a learned hand… this person
has
money, and you’ll ask for a good price, whatever the job.
The temple of St Rifstan.
Not hard to find but disconcerting. A
grey stone church. A structure which could have merely existed to
prop up a range of grotesque creatures staring down from the roof,
hollowed eyed, threatening. A large elm casts deep shadows on the
entrance. The windows and doors are sealed with boards. Easily
removed as you make your way inside.
You wait amongst the darkness
and ruins for what seems like an
hour, but its not until you move to leave that you hear
"Du you know hew Saint
Rifstane was."
The voice grates with you
immediately. Born into wealth no doubt,
the voice is high and aristocratic, yet perhaps a bit nervous.
"They caalled him the
hermit saint. A saint no less! And
for hwhy? Living alone a decade of years in a small damp
grovel, an exile, staring across the ocean from a
miserable little isle. Mists, storms, waves, loneliness
and madness. They call that a miracle. Sounds like the
work of a halfwit!"
A small lamp is lit, revealing
a white face, hooked nose and hair
cropped like a small black bowl upon his head. His clothes are of
the latest macaroni fashion amongst the wealthy. Blue eyes look
nervously about, he is uncomfortable sneaking about abandoned
temples. Good.
He dips his hand into an indigo
purse. Gold coins fall from his
hands back to the purse. You can’t control your greedy expression,
you’ve never seen so much gold.
He states the job simply,
to locate the exiled prince Archydor.
"Thi terms are negosiable,
meet me in three nights with
your answer".
You bought the best seats available
for a play called "Voulon the Scoundrel"
which mocks the king. King bloody Voulon, you think to yourself. It is
said
he deliberately provoked the Autumn War merely to distract the earls from
plotting his demise. The war has seen great tax increases. People have
become poorer and more desperate, theft is widespread. Civil war seems
more
and more likely as Earl Manong publicly ridicules the king.
The usurper king they call
him. Taking the throne from his nephew Archydor
and banishing the young boy. Archydor was well liked as was his father,
King
Charlen. Yet when King Charlen died, Voulon banished Archydor to a secret
location, so that no one was left who could claim a greater right to the
throne then he.
The play has begun, but your
mind is eslewhere. You think through events of
the last several days…
Swamp flies buzz about your
head. They’re the nasty fat ones with
the pink eyes and a bite that stings. You slap them away again and
stop to catch your breath. Dam this swamp. This place is a maze of
confusing pathways, winding, zigzagging, crossing and re-crossing
in a senseless lacework through tall rushes and sedge. Small logs
are place precariously over streams, rivulets and quagmires. The
entire place smells of rotten eggs. The sun beats upon your back
and you look about. Lost. Somewhere beyond these shifting paths is
your goal: Rabbit Island.
Finally you found your way.
Rabbit Island plays host to a black
market. The most successful in town, almost immune from the
scrutiny of authorities on account of its difficult location. You
sit comfortably on a log, with a mug of mead in your hand in the
shade of a black market stall run by the fence called Joroth.
Joroth is medium height, but
lean and fit. He wears tight black
pants, ponytail, plain tunic and carries a short sword
prominantly. In addition to selling stolen goods, he sells
information. He isn’t cheap but what he doesn’t know, it is
said,
he can find out. He is a pleasant fellow, always cheery. He serves
you more mead from an old redwood barrel and smiles. He makes it
himself and likes to see people enjoy it. You explain that you
need information about the location of a Prince Archydo…
You are stopped by his expression,
he looks stunned then suddenly
laughs vigorously, bending forward and clutching his sides, then
stops just as suddenly. "oh no, your serious".
The information wont come
cheap he explains. He wants payment in
advance.
Favian. Quite a phenomenon.
A very popular young actor. His popularity is
primarily due to his choice of roles. He specialises in mocking the king
in
subversive plays. His good looks help to keep him popular.
From your seat in the front
row, you watch as Favian skillfully imitates the
mannerisms of King Voulon. You stare at the young man and wonder at where
he
has been for the past year.
Hiding, for sure. Favian has
had a bounty of 200 gold gotch on his head,
compliments of the king. Caught up in a wave of fame and fortune he stepped
well beyond the kings tolerance starring in a play which confirmed the
rumor
about the kings fancy for his sister.
Of course favian didn’t
write the play, he doesn’t own the theatre, however
he was a prominent target for the king. Its been a year since the bounty
was
put on his head, and now, bravely, and naively you think, Favian has decided
to come out of hiding to star in tonight’s play "Voulon the
Scoundrel". Your
expecting trouble tonight. Hopefully not as much trouble as last time
this
sort of thing happened…
So you payed Joroth and a
few days later returned to Rabbit
Island. He tells you about Jerome, who was a bard at the palace
about the time Prince Archydor was banished. He wrote a play about
it some fourteen years ago and Jeroth seems to think that it may
reveal the whereabouts of the prince. The play was called "The
Exile" and detailed the events surrounding the young prince’s
banishment.
The play was staged only once.
Soon after it began the theatre was
raided by King Voulon’s guard and the actors and crew were
murdered. Jerome is in hiding. However, there was another
survivor, a young stage hand who hid his little body amongst the
thick curtains during the raid. His name is Favian, now a popular
actor taking his revenge on the king through his art, he might
remember the play and the whereabouts of the prince. You begin to
say "but Favian is in hiding too" when Joroth shakes his head,
leans towards you to say "not for long".
You stare at Joroth’s
dark grinning eyes, impressed and a bit
nonplussed. You wonder how he gets so much information.
Snatching a famous actor from
under the noses of the guards – if that’s what
it comes to. If successful, your mercenary crew will not be short of work
again. Instant and much needed notoriety will ensure a bright future for
you
and your colleagues. Failure? Well you wouldn’t like to think what
might
happen if you fail. You have front row seats, if the guards come you should
be able to get to him fast and get him out. If the guards don’t come,
you
need only to question him after the play.
There’s a disturbance
somewhere behind you. The guards have entered and are
slowly making there way through the crowd. Well this is going to have
to
happen the hard way. Just as well you asked for plenty of money, and just
as
well you made plenty of preparations, obtained a floor plan of the theatre,
studied the surrounding streets. Briefly you think back to your negotiations
with the dandy and the preparations you made…
What price will you ask for
undertaking this job?
What preparations did you make
to ensure you are able to question Favian
before the guards get him?
created:
14 February 1998 | Last
Updated: June 23, 2001
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