Act II - Proscenia: A Kingdom for a stage

Scene I  Duesday 1st Frost.  Proscenia customs house, and streets, early morning.
Enter
All the Party and Il Capitano, with Patch rolled in a carpet. 
We appear in a warehouse and on an enormous set of scales, where Il Capitano declares us as cultural artefacts and souvenirs of his reported trip to the "south coast". We are somewhat overweight, due no doubt to Patch being in Roke's carpet and Serendipity levitates slightly removing her weight to even things out.  Mortimer does much the same, but mostly just to annoy the customs officials.  We are declared overweight, an extra fee is levied, and we are free to leave.  Of the mimes who snuck away in the inter-planar space there is no sign. We travel through the sleeping streets of Proscenia in the cold night air.  It is well lit with oil lantern street lights and even the smaller houses appear prosperous by the standard of the Baronies.  We travel into a wealthier area with larger houses and arrive at Il Capitano's home, a large house with several servants.
[Exeunt]

Scene II  Duesday 1st Frost.  Upstairs in Il Capitano's house, early morning.
Enter
All the Party and Il Capitano, with Patch rolled in a carpet.
Il Capitano tells us that our main contact while here will be his valet Zanni. We get the impression that Il Capitano wishes to converse little with us, perhaps so that we cannot divine his true purposes.  We expect that Zanni will know as little as he needs to so that we cannot learn things we should not.
[Exit Il Capitano, Enter Zanni]

Zanni proves to be a male human in his mid-20's, tidy and enthusiastic. He has no college but possesses the ability of "wall walking" and began studying performance magics some 10 years ago. He is wearing a Mind Cloak, the most recent magic upon him is "forget" and he is a native of Proscenia.  The party, suspicious sorts that they are, suggest that Zanni's abilities suggest that he is in fact a mime.  Zanni denies this, claiming not to be a mime, but rather a trainee Binder.  He does admit however that his parents were arrested and removed for crimes of mummery and that he was a ward of the state before becoming Il Capitano's valet.  It also appears that some mimes are reformed by the state and move into useful and legal careers as criers and merchants.

Zanni is interviewed and provides information about the happenings a year past and of the mimes:  The old King, Arturo, was replaced by his younger half-brother Antelone. The Administration changed with the King, some people were arrested, some went on "holiday" to the coast -- and of these some are still alive.  He also recounts how two members of the old King's court were found to be Mime Lords and sent to Dom Daniel, information we had from Il Capitano.  Zanni tells how artistic movements change quickly, that there are never more than a few leading lights in mummery (these are the Mime Lords?) and that once the leader is removed some of the followers retire, while others change movements.  Zanni reiterates Il Capitano's plan; we should enter Dom Daniel and then try to escape, thus proving it can be done and explaining the astrology readings that suggest two Mime Lords have escaped.  The party becomes frustrated with Zanni's lack of information and requests to speak again with Il Capitano.
[Exit Zanni, Enter Il Capitano]
Il Capitano appears loathe to offer more information.  He suggests that the information he has could "kill us all", and that even "saying this endangers us".  The party are nonplussed as it appears Il Capitano's entire plan is to have us leap into a place that for hundreds of years the Proscenians have deemed inescapable and try to find a way out.  Il Capitano also claims not to know that Zanni possesses mummery skills.  We offer Il Capitano another option: if we can find an escaped mime that would prove the same thing; that escape from Dom Daniel is possible.

Il Capitano tells how upon retiring, the old King Arturo did himself journey to Dom Daniel.  His successor, Antelone is unmarried and the old King's daughter, Princess Garsenda (herself in her early 20's and unmarried) is the only apparent heir.  Arturo is seems had always been somewhat eccentric -- a number of positions within his court having been held by statues -- and had in his dotage been greatly influenced by his jester Arlecchino, whom he had made chancellor.  With his abdication some two-thirds of the previous court has "retired to the South Coast", and some thirty servants (including children) were sent to Dom Daniel -- rather than be slain, this was considered a regal mercy.  This totalled some 50 or so people sent to Dom Daniel in the last year -- whereas before this one every few years was the norm.

He further tells how recent astrology readings looking for risks to the King and kingdom have given answers that are most similar in style to some of 11 months ago (before Brighella and Arlecchino were escorted to Dom Daniel), and that this strongly suggest that two Mime Lords believed to be in Dom Daniel are indeed at large.  People sent to Dom Daniel do occasionally emerge, but only if they are dead: it appears that sometimes bodies are found floating in the Aether lake near Dom Daniel, naked but without manacles and not aged from when they were cast in -- even if years have passed.  There are never marks upon the bodies and Healers gain no useful information, nor will speaking with the dead work.  Once a body is found Astrology readings will confirm the existence, and death, of the person.  The readings with which Il Capitano is concerned however suggest that two figures have escaped alive; Arlecchino and someone rather sombre (though we have no better identification).

Dawn's idea: After we discover that Il Capitano can mimic the magical abilities of others, Dawn suggest that he imitate Roke's Location spell and attempt to find people with whom he is familiar who should be in Dom Daniel. He attempts to locate Arturo, Brighella and Arlecchino all with no success.  But is was a good idea none-the-less.
[Exit Il Capitano]

The party examine the domino mask that Roke grabbed, and also Patch; the mime in the carpet.  The mask proves to be the focus for disguise magics. Patch is found to have acquired a note: "Please return to sender".  The note has been affected by Prestidigitation magic.  We do not know how that got there. Pent hibernates Patch. Serendipity does a Star Reading on "the whereabouts and well-being of the former King's minstrel Brighella", and gets a response that suggests he is alive and well and living on the south coast, "Oh, I do like to be beside the sea-side...".  Being late, and many hours since the party members had slept, we away to bed.
[Exeunt]

Scene III  W'nsday 2nd Frost.  Il Capitano's house, an hour before noon.
[Alarums]  Enter The Party.
The party awakes to divers alarums and excursions.  Carriages have arrived at the house and guards are diverting traffic.  The party, fearing a well announced attack, prepare for the worst.  Downstairs the Princess Garsenda is escorted inside where she visits with Il Capitano and discusses opera.
[Enter Zanni and Columbina]
Zanni brings the much coifed and coutured Columbina upstairs where she exults at us, saying that we are "going to visit Arlecchino", who has been "sent to Dom Daniel", and that we are "champions of the oppressed".  This all appears to be Zanni's doing, and with the blessing of his master.
[Exit Princess, Columbina and cast of thousands]
The party remonstrates with Zanni, explaining that our mission is a secret and that he is to tell no others of it.  Zanni responds that he will follow his master's orders. This further raises our suspicions that Il Capitano is playing a game other than that of which he has informed us. We are also informed that Columbina will be returning later this afternoon for further exulting, once she has been informed that she has left her fan at the house.  The party have determined that, following Serendipity's reading of last night, we should journey on wings and other forms of magical flight to the South Coast and there attempt to discover the whereabouts of Brighella.  Zanni will be accompanying us to continue to provide information without price, and to keep tabs on us for Il Capitano.  Zanni leaves, to portal to the coast and arrange accommodation, before returning and flying down with us.  Your humble scribe feels that the wit of this plan cannot be explained by mere words.
[Exit Zanni, Enter Il Capitano]
The party enjoys luncheon with Il Capitano, where he explains that the Princess's visit was unexpected and that he is a "friend of the family".  It is possible that her Highness was checking on the truth of the "souvenirs" with which Il Capitano had returned.  Our employer explains that in a month or so, when the request for payment of duty arrives from customs he will return us.  Asking about our planned trip south, Il Capitano confirms that we can travel without papers, as indeed servants do, and that flying is permitted, although not through towns.  He does not believe that Brighella retired to the coast, so if he is there it would be evidence of escape from Dom Daniel.  We ask after portraits or statues of the people whom we seek.  It appears that many statues of Arturo have "weathered badly" (probably vandalized) and that some were not good personal likenesses anyway.  There may be some useful portraits, but these are in the palace and not easily accessible.  When we ask if Il Capitano has any idea how we might find Brighella, he suggests that he will be locatable by the panicked and screaming crowds, will be dressed brightly and will most probably be flying through the air and setting buildings on fire.  No doubt this is the official description, but we doubt it will be useful.  Il Capitano tells us more of mimes (see the Glossary).
Our employer has certain "contacts" in the south so we arrange a simple recognition phrase. It is in Khuzdul, the language of the Dwarves and unknown on Proscenia. "Perhaps you know our mutual friend Loraco?".  In the case of danger the name will be feminized to Loraca.  As Pent comments, "Guys are good, girls are bad".
Il Capitano also confirms the connection between Columbina and Arlecchino, in that they were courting.
[2 hours after noon, Exit Il Capitano]
The party discusses matters. We suspect that Il Capitano wants to put old friends back on top, and perhaps desires a relationship with the Princess, supporting her as heir, and perhaps marriage.
[Enter Columbina]
Zanni gives Columbina's fan to Serendipity and regrets it. The fan is given to Columbina.  In discussion it is revealed that she was away during the last Carnival and change of government, but she explains of the exiled servants that they no doubt "saw a lot and formed misleading opinions" and that "remedial action" was required.  Some were sent to Dom Daniel, some innocents were sent to state "schools".  Columbina was surprised when Arlecchino was found guilty of mummery.
Of Columbina: a short lived sentient, warded against magic, and with a blurry aura of concealing magic.
Asked for a picture of Arlechinno, Columbina gives/loans a locket to Serendipity, who in return gives/loans a brooch to Columbina.  To help with our identifying exiled servants, Columbina describes for us two maid-servants and one "adorable child".
[Exit Columbina]
The party decides to rest for the afternoon.  Dawn attempts a reading using divinatory feathers: "Where is Pedrolino?".  The feathers do very odd things and no clear reading is made.
[Exeunt]

Scene IV  W'nsday 2nd Frost.  A field outside Proscenia city, night.
Enter
The Party and Zanni on wings, winds and divers flying mechanisms, with Patch.
The party land in the field and do various magics. We turn Patch into a (hibernated) garter snake and stow him in a storage box belonging to Serendipity.  The group then fly south for ten hours or so.
[Exeunt]

End of Act II

Act I - Alusian Tales: Forward to Proscenia
Index
Act III - Upton-on-Sea: Oh, We do like to be beside the sea-side