Scene I Th'rsday 17th Frost. Lake edge,
Calenture.
Already present All the Party.
The party prepare for entry into the lake. Roke and Mortimer make
use
of grease paints from Mortimer's equipment and put on clown faces. Dawn
jumps in, Amelia follows. Five minutes later Serendipity, Mortimer and
Roke enter, with Roke and Serendipity holding hands (and Roke taking
damage).
[Exit into the Lake, Dawn,
Amelia, Serendipity, Roke and Mortimer]
The five move away from the shore and away from the light.
[Exit to divers locations Braegon
and Pent]
Scene II Th'rsday 17th Frost. In the Lake.
Enter Dawn, Amelia, Serendipity, Roke and Mortimer.
[Individually -- for they cannot see each other]
After some while a form of self-image begins to reassert itself.
Familiar clothes and some equipment begins to appear on their unclad
forms. Serendipity becomes as darkness, Dawn appears as herself in her
red dress, Roke appears as himself is a woven cloak and peaked hat with
ear flaps, Amelia appears younger, with longer hair and a silver arm,
and Mortimer appears as a noble elf.
The current becomes stronger, then roiling, and each is straightened
out, stretched and feels to be sucked down into a hole. Thence, within
a bubble, and floating in a pale green liquid, each begins slowly
floating to the surface.
[Exit]
Scene III Sometime after the 17th Frost. Dom
Daniel.
Enter Dawn, Amelia, Roke, Mortimer and Serendipity, one at a time, in that order. As each enters they rise until they are standing upon an almost
solid surface. Dawn and Amelia stop at stage height, Roke rises
some few feet higher (as though on a pillar), Mortimer rises a few
above that, and Seredipity continues rising until she is some 10 feet
above Dawn and Amelia. (See Appendices for fuller physical
description of Dom Daniel).
[Staging Notes -- it will be difficult to represent the nature of Dom
Daniel without magical assistance in staging, as each actor walks as
though upon a hillock, but a hill where the sides are liquid to those
lower. An Illusionist may be of considerable use in this
endeavour].
The party spend some time familiarizing themselves with our new
surroundings. They appear to be in a valley of sorts, with
greenish ground underfoot (at their various heights), rising up into
cliff walls and growing paler as it does. Distant figures may be
made out atop the cliffs. The party each remember that they know
things, but cannot recall the specifics. Seredipity concentrates
for some time on her ability to create weapons of darkness and from
beneath her a bubble rises. When it arrives and breaks at the surface
she discovers that she can remember her talent, and also that she has
risen an additional foot in height. The party spend some time
remembering things and rising with each memory. Mortimer goes in
search of others and discovers two women dressed in fine servant's
clothes. They are polite to this elven stranger, but cannot
remember their names. They walk into a cliff, and return shortly,
one foot higher and announce that they are Maria and Isabella.
They were servants at the palace, and some time ago -- they are vague
of how long their have been here -- after some sort of commotion they
were cast into Dom Daniel. They seem to know little else.
In the meantime a figure descends from part way up a cliff, apparently
dropping bubbles and height and approaches Serendipity, the "tallest"
of the party. Dawn attempts to intercept a bubble and gains a
"taste" of something unpleasant.
[Enter Mordecai]
The stranger introduces himself and indicates that his "master" is atop
the cliff. He speaks to Serendipity is a stilted and high
faluting language, and offers to trade knowledge, which appears to be
the common currency in this place. Mordecai assumes that the rest of
the party are Serendipity's retinue. Serendipity thanks him for
his offer and gently puts him off, stating that as one newly arrived
she
needs time to consider options. Mordecai offers as parting advice
that Serendipity should not "start anything, because no-one will finish
it". As Mordecai leaves he summons make memory bubbles to gain
height. Dawn intercepts one of the bubbles and feels the memories
wash over her, gaining the taste of something not altogether pleasant,
but retaining none of the knowledge.
The party decide to move off, putting some distance between ourselves
and Mordecai and his master, and also in the hope of uncovering some
Proscenians of our acquaintance. As we move we discover more of
the physical properties of the place; the residual memory of the ground
-- peaks and troughs stay until undone by another traveller. The ground
becomes more viscous the higher one rises, and as one rises abilities
becomes harder to use and more prone to failure.
[Enter A Queen, suspended from the fly]
We pass a hill top inhabited by a Queenly type. Amelia bows to her and
she in return sprinkles sparkling faerie dust on Amelia that confers
some from of blessing. We move on.
[Exit Queen]
Serendipity and Roke examine the aura of the plane, which is magical in
nature. Serendipity seeks to find what might break the plane and
discovers as an answer the "Final Cataclysmic Darkness". Roke
attempts to find the exit boundary and learns that it is "at the edge
of your understanding". Mortimer discovers that he has no contact
with the higher Powers, as though the link was disjointed in some
way. Roke backfires and goes catatonic. When he recovers a
short while later he recounts that he found himself alone and floating
and enveloped in velvety darkness. When Dawn backfires soon after
she reports the same effect. Spells cast at each other appear to
have no effect. Stabbing Roke in the leg while catatonic appears to do
him no harm, though he reports a feeling of "pins and needles".
[Enter and Exit, suspended from the
fly, a number of Mythical, God-like and Brightly Coloured Figures]
A great roiling mass of figures, far above us, rolls overhead swamping
us all underwater. When the turbulence clears and the ground
level reasserts itself the Party moves on.
[Exit All of the Party through a valley between two peaks]
Scene IV Date unknown. The Proscenian Court in
Exile - Dom Daniel.
Already present Il Capitano, Proscenian Courtiers and Guards. Enter The Party.
Emerging from between two peaks, the Party come upon the Court of King
Arturo in exile, arrayed in a bowl-like valley, the Guards occupying
the high ground and the Courtiers mingling freely on a slightly lower
level.
Il Capitano, dressed head to foot in black, does not appear all that
pleased to see us. He expresses surprise that we have weapons
(apart from those present as part of our self image), and requires that
we leave our arms before seeing the King. We hand weapons to
Amelia (those that are part of our self image reappear on us) and she
stays behind to talk with a Guard.
[Exit Amelia]
The remainder of the party are taken before the court, where we meet
the King, his Chancellor dressed as a Jester, a lute player, and a
young woman who works for
Il Capitano.
[Enter King Arturo,
Arlechinno, Brighella
and Zagne]
King Arturo seems quite unaware of the oddness of his surroundings and
confides in us his unhappiness that the Princess does not visit.
Arlechinno appears and disappears, and there are suggestions that it is
useful for a Chancellor to be able to come and go as needed.
Arlechinno gives Dawn his bladder on a stick and the King assumes she
is the Chancellor. Arlechinno gives his stick to Seren who turns
into a cat. He subsequently turns her into a pie and there
follows an odd conversation regarding the uses of cinnamon as a
condiment for Baronesses.
The party questions Arlechinno regarding his ability in disappearance
and he tells us that he can escape Dom Daniel by "forgetting".
Arlechinno can and has helped Brighella escape before and is confident
that Il Capitano could also do it. The party suggests a council
to discuss escape options.
We discuss with Arlechinno and he tells us of "decomposing". The
last part of the decomposition is hard; one must give up life, but not
die. Arlechinno decomposes and Brighella composes. We
discuss with Il Capitano and speak of conventions; dramatic, operatic
and even Morris dancing. We talk of icons and masks and the
minimization of information, and after much discussing we arrive at the
"Cunning Plan".
The Cunning Plan
The Party proposes a masked ball. All of the Court are to take on
the guise of stock characters, and it to be a vice-versa revel to
increase the chance of a humourous rather than tragic slant. The
court will dance and over the course of the ball the character variants
will reduce
until only the archetypes remain. Arlechinno, the jester will
copy and mock each in turn and absorb them until only he is left.
Arlechinno will then escape Dom Daniel as he can, and produce forth
Brighella who will re-compose the Court. The dance will continue
with the archetypes becoming variants until the final dance and
subsequent unmasking, when the King will be revealed to be one of the
revelers. [Writing this some time later your humble author admits
that in the cold light of day, or indeed anywhere outside of Dom
Daniel, this may all seem a bit odd. But take it from one who was
there; it was stranger still at the time].
Arlechinno lends to Serendipity his ability to create things from
nothing and she attempts to make him a fine new jester's outfit for the
masque. The first attempt is rather black and spiky and perhaps
more suitable for guerrilla street theater. The second attempt is
still rather combat oriented, but the third is excellent. A black
jester's outfit with a mirrored mask that will reflect the viewer's
face.
The Party decide to attend as clowns, or "lazzi" as we do not know the
courtly dances and forms. Serendipity elects to be a bullying
clown, Amelia a pratfaller, Roke will be clumsy, Dawn will mimic and be
under foot and Mortimer will dress as a doctor and be a fool.
Arlechinno runs a clown school and teaches us pratfalls and schtick.
Also in preparation for the ball we send out scouts to find others who
wish to take this opportunity to escape Dom Daniel; but little comes of
this.
The Masked Ball
Scene V Date unknown. The Proscenian Court in
Exile - Dom Daniel.
Enter variously King Arturo, Arlechinno, Brighella
and Zagne, a mysterious
figure dressed as Il Dottore, all of
the Proscenian Courtiers, Servants and Guards, and The
Party.
(Should the producer wish to replicate the costumes worn by the party
they may equip Amelia with a frizzy and blood red wig; Dawn in a
reddish brown scholar's robe; Roke in various shades of blue; Seren in
black and midnight blue; and Mortimer in the black robes of a doctoral
scholar.)
The ball begins with courtly dances and proceeds as outlined in "The
Cunning Plan" above. As the party forgets skills and gives up knowledge
and abilities we sink. Odd attributes disappear and normalcy returns,
Seren's tattoos disappear and missing feet return. Mortimer
becomes a halfling again. The party and the court sink, and
Arlechinno the Jester begins to absorb courtiers. Dawn becomes
stuck, unable to change, and then gives up her mortality; her wings
fall off and she plummets. We try and catch her but she passes through
us. Arlechinno absorbs the party and the other named players
until only Arlechinno, Brighella, and Il Dottore remain. Finally
there is only Arlechinno. (We surmise, and this will certainly do for a
dramatic retelling. Obviously once absorbed your playwright
cannot say with certainty what transpired).
[An Aquatic Interlude]
In the lake of Calenture, the party encounter odd shapes, colours and
flavours. We consume them and regain ourselves and our knowledge and
abilities.
Scene VI Sunday 27th Frost. Lake edge,
Calenture.
Already present Braegon and Pent.
Braegon and Pent are waiting on the edge of the lake as they have done
so every day for the past 10 days when from the lake begins to emerge a
most singular procession of masked courtiers and servants.
[Enter Arlechinno, Brighella,
Il Dottore, Zagne, all of the Proscenian Courtiers,
Servants and Guards, and
The Party, except for Dawn].
All appear much as they did in Dom Daniel, save that Seren is dressed
in gold & white, and Mortimer wears an outsized Il Dottore costume.
Dawn's body is floating in the river. Braegon enters the water and
ressurects her.
The last dance is held and then all are unmasked. one of the courtiers
is revealed to be King Arturo, Zagne is revealed to be Zanni, and Il
Dottore is revealed to be Il Capitano.
[Exit Arlechinno, Brighella,
and Il Dottore, skipping].
(Staging note: at this point the costumes and indeed clothes of all
present, with the exception of Arlechinno, Brighella, and Il Dottore
unfortunately disappeared. Mortimer understands if the producers may
wish to omit or alter this portion of the act in the interests of taste
and public morality. However, the use of illusory clothing, dispelled
at the appropriate moment and leaving the players in only their
underwear should achieve the desired humourous effect). [Exeunt Omnes]