Scene I Freyasday 4th Frost. Open countryside,
half way back to Proscenia city, around dusk. Enter The Party on wings, winds and divers flying
mechanisms.
We stop en-route for dinner and divinatory magics. Dawn attempts
an astrology reading of "Who instigated the arrest attempt on us?", and
receives a musical answer, " I see a little silhouetto of a man,
Scaramouch,
scaramouch will you do the fandango...". The similarity of the
name
in the reading and that of the current captain of the Artistic
Enforcers
fails to surprise anyone. Mortimer attempts an astrology reading
of
"The intentions and motivations of the former King's minstrel;
Brighella",
but gets no answer. We dine and depart.
[Exeunt Omnes]
[Offstage, an interlude]
A few minutes flight out of Proscenia city we stop to recast flying and
unseens and to cast Quickness, and then depart for Il Capitano's house.
Scene II Freyasday 4th Frost. Il Capitano's
house, roof and upper stories, near midnight. Enter The Party on wings, winds and divers flying
mechanisms, land on Il Capitano's roof. The party lands on Il Capitano's roof and effects entry. We
sleathily make our way through the house, save for Serendipity, who in
a moment of light comedic relief, and despite the fact that she floats
to move, manages to find any number of ways to make noise. Roke,
having previously located both Il Capitano and Zanni indicates a room
in the house and we move to it. We knock and enter and greet Il
Capitano. Zanni appears quite surprised to see us. In the
room there is another man, dressed in black. He is introduced to
us by Il Capitano as Scaramouch! (DAs reveal that he is a Mind
Mage and much skilled with a Spell of Truth). At Il Capitano's
"suggestion" we decide to go downstairs to the kitchen and see if the
cook can provide a later supper. We depart.
[Exeunt]
Scene III Freyasday 4th Frost. The kitchen of
Il Capitano's house, around midnight Enter The Party, already present, A Cook and
Two Artistic Enforcers.
We enter the kitchen to find the Cook and two black clad Enforcers.
Roke enquires after the location of a garderobe and excuses
himself.
[Exit Roke]
Braegon checks for the most recent hostile magics to affect the
Enforcers (Mental Attack and Wall of Light), and we sit, eat and engage
them in light conversation. One of them begins questioning Dawn as to
where she comes
from and unsatisfied with her answers becomes hostile and threatening.
[Exit The Cook, quietly]
When Dawn truthfully tells him that she hails from Stonesboro, he stabs
her in the arm with a fork! Despite this unprovoked attack the
party remain calm. He then tells her that we are all under
arrest, and when asked fr the charges responds, "back-chat for one".
The man is clearly unbalanced. He tells the party to stay
put and goes upstairs to inform his captain. Seren steps into the
scullery and becoming a cat curls up out of the way.
[Exit mad Enforcer, and then Serendipity]
[Offstage, a private interlude]
In the garderobe Roke casts a Wizard's face to spy upon Il Capitano and
Scaramouch's conversation, using that small room for voyeuristic
privacy. Il Capitano and Scaramouch are discussing hemlines,
although this appear to be a code for political alliances of some sort.
The mad Enforcer enters the room and has a brief, whispered discussion
with Scaramouch, who tells him to "take them all in". He leaves
the room and Roke begins to try and Sleep him.
Scene III continuedThe kitchen of Il
Capitano's house, a few minutes later.
In the interim the party have a cast a spell or two, much to the
discomfort of the remaining Enforcer who appears a pleasant enough
though somewhat
nervous type. Braegon has been telling him how much trouble he
and
his partner will be in for harassing Il Capitano's guests.
[Re-enter mad Enforcer]
The mad man returns and has time for one good exclamation along the
lines of "you're all coming with me", before crashing insensate to the
table.
His companion appears quite put out by this and insists that we
aid
him in getting the mad Enforcer into a carriage and accompanying him to
the gaol. We agree, and moments later he joins his partner on the
floor. Now faced with the need to conceal the slept and hibernated
bodies
of two Enforcers, Mortimer uses curses to turn the mad Enforcer into a
pot,
and his companion into a soup ladle and then conceals them in the
scullery.
The curse allows for them to be released should they be used to
serve
minestrone to royalty.
[Enter Servette]
A maid of Il Capitano's appears and tells us that she is to accompany
us, although she appears uncertain as to where that should be. We
ask her for a tour of the cellar. She is agreeable to this.
[Exeunt Omnes]
Scene IV Freyasday 4th Frost. The cellar of
Il Capitano's house, after midnight Enter Servette and The Party, except
Serendipity.
We examine Il Capitano's cellar, and a fine cellar it is indeed.
Braegon decides however that the one thing it is missing is a
fortified bunker
and begins building one, leading off one side of the cellar via a small
tunnel and heading towards the alleys behind the house. We enter
and
examine the bunker and await events. Dawn, nervous about confinement
underground soothes herself to sleep. Roke continues to use a
wizard's face to eavesdrop
on Il Capitano and Scaramouch from the neighbouring room, and to
occasionally
check the environs. Roke apprises Serendipity (still in cat form
and
in the scullery) of events. Several of Il Capitano's servants suddenly
have
to visit sick relatives.
[Offstage]
Il Capitano and Scaramouch talk more openly of alliances. Scaramouch
exclaims: "Look at the time, I must be going". Chanting begins in
the room.
[Onstage]
Roke's Locate on Il Capitano changes to a SSE direction and a check of
range shows 82 miles, placing it well outside an populous area. Roke
notices black clad figures beginning to surround Il Capitano's house.
Roke tells Serendipity to re-join the party and prepares Quickness.
Braegon opens a tunnel at the back of the bunker. Suddenly
tunnelings open up under Il Capitano's house, uncovering the cellar but
not the bunker. Servette screams. Amelia assaults her. This
all fails to wake Dawn.
[Enter A score of Artistic Enforcers from all directions,
and Serendipity running]
As Serendipity hurries to re-join the group, the guards open fire with
crossbows and spells. Serendipity manages to resist several
spells but is wounded in the leg by a poisoned quarrel. A wall of
fire appears in the cellar and two guards leap from street level, one
stumbles and falls into the wall. Serendipity leaps through the
small tunnel into the bunker and Pent seals the crawlspace with a plug
of ice. Mortimer darkens
the bunker and some of the cellar as more guards begin leaping into the
cellar from street level. As the party hurry down Braegon's escape
route an
Earth Elemental breaks through the floor into the bunker. Servette
screams. Amelia assaults her again. Braegon carries the still
senseless Dawn into the new tunnel. Dawn does begin to become
aware of her situation -- sealed underground -- and this gives her
pause. With the party now clear of the bunker, Mortimer raises the
light level in the area to totally lit. A moment later several of
the party are thrown the length of the tunnel by a telekinetic rage
spell, slamming into each other and the far wall. Servette
screams and collapses.
At the end of the tunnel Braegon opens a new route at 90 degrees, and
at the back of the group Serendipity drops a gold ball. Amelia
runs
for it. Suddenly a new pit opens up and the house of Il
Capitano's
neighbour collapses into it in spectacular style. [Exit Earth
Elemental]
As the party runs into the new tunnel fire flashes past, and a
tunneling appears at the far end. Guards leap into this as other run
down the tunnel behind us, and then pull up nervously as they come face
to face with Amelia and Serendipity. Braegon prepares a counterspell --
to some disbelief from various party members. Roke prevents Dawn from
doing anything stupid. The party moves close to Braegon, Amelia tumbles
Servette out into our first tunnel, where she is killed by the guards.
Braegon counters his tunneling and the world goes away.
[Exeunt]