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]