The Quality of Gold

Part 11: The Show Must Go On!

Comments in Blue have been added after publishing.

Details

Start of Game (11/21/23) – At the edge of town

Chapter 8: Back to Stonehaven (& So Many Options)

I was not sure which direction the party was going to go, so I gave them options and planned for each as best I could.

If the party heads back to Stonehaven, they will run into the Cart of Death on their way.

Possible Scenarios:

• Feister hired a young lad named Bean to keep an eye out for the group and if they show up, to tell them that Feister has invited them to the play that night and hands them 5 tickets. He goes back to Feister to collect his finder’s fee.
• Lady Rowena is visiting the lower village this day and is chatting with Tolin. If someone eavesdrops on their conversation, she is asking about business, new visitors, the party, the upcoming play, etc. She is pleasant, if not distant, but if the party threatens in any way, she will ask them to go outside to converse. If the party insists on confronting her, she will call out for the guards to assist her in capturing the party. A handful of more powerful guards are nearby when she travels.
• If the party starts to detail what happened to them, the villagers are surprised (all except the true conspirators who will act surprised and then report this to Rowena) and some are outwardly afraid, asking if the town is safe, or should they maybe go somewhere else.
• The party will be directed to Rowena if they seek out an authority. She will request that they travel to the Citadel to inform Dougal (leader of the ‘knights’). Once there, they can meet with Dougal, tell their story and if she deems them a danger to the operation, will invite them to stay the night in the barracks so she can plan the next steps. All of these tactics allow the Citadel Terrace guards to amass in force to take the party down.
• Warning – if the party starts telling people of their recent exploits, they will be approached by either Tolin (aside) or Anna to tell them that people have been asking about them (knights, Nate Leed, Lady Rowena) and that they have a feeling they may be in dire trouble soon. “It’s just a feeling…”
• School’s in Session – If the party visits the Molentide Academy, they will find that the school is in session (during the day) and some students are in class or waiting for class to start. This is an opportunity to meet Headmistress Lethia who is business-like but pleasant. She knows that they returned (or should return) a student’s spellbook and will thank them for their effort, asking if there is anything else she or her fellow instructors can do to help. She will be as accommodating as possible within reason to gain their trust and friendship. She even invites them to sit in on a class of their choice to see the lessons in action. A bell rings between classes which the party will hear when they are in the Upper Village.

If the party does not intend to go to the school, they may see the students arriving, on break or leaving for dinner before heading back to their quarters in the Citadel.

Scenario 1 – Cart of Death

While the party is travelling the countryside, whether after assaulting the camp or when they head to Stonehaven, they will run into an unusual cart. One of the Knight patrols was sent to round up some of the undead that had escaped from one of the camps and they and a cart of the controlled undead are now on their way back to one of the nearby camps, or the Citadel. The cart contains 6 plague zombies and is escorted by 3 Knights and a low-level priest of Urgathoa. If the party acts suspicious or inquisitive, the priest will order the zombies to attack and will be joined by the living escorts as well.

Ahead on the road you see a cart with a tarp covering the bed being pulled by a stout old horse and four people walking next to it. Three of the people appear to be armored guards, but the fourth is dressed in black and carrying a 6’ tall scythe. Symbols of grinning skulls and occult symbols can be seen even at a distance.

Once the cart has been dealt with, they can enter town freely as no one has gotten word yet of their busting of the mountain camp. Feister is getting ready to begin his underground freedom operation and believes that the party can be of great help once they see what he is doing. If the party goes to one of the camps, they will miss a successful opening night, but will still be able to participate later. The longer they keep a low profile in town, the longer they can keep using it for supplies, rest, etc.

This next part was a fun diversion from the normal dungeon crawl/grind

Scenario 2 – The Late Show at Stonecarver Hall

When the party returns to Stonehaven, they are invited to opening night of Feister Sparklebeard’s new production of “The Singing Blade” (show party the Poster) which tells the story of a crude bard who was accused of insulting the king and was sentenced to death by one of the Final Blades of Galt. But after his beheading, the bard’s head continued to sing and torment the king until in desperation, the king had his own head cut off.

When the party arrives at the Hall, they will hear a crowd from inside and see a small table with a stack of leaflets (show Playbill). To either side of the stairs are large chests with various items of clothing. Most look fancy, but are just cheap props and not real. There are cloaks, hats, belts, tunics, robes and scarves.

When they enter, Feister will see them and greet them warmly, thanking them for their support. He tells them that he has saved some seats near the front for them, but they can sit wherever they wish. Once everyone is seated, it looks like a festive costume party and the audience is very excited. (the party may recognize some familiar faces) Somewhere from offstage, a resonant voice speaks:

“In the Shining Kingdom of Galt, where peace and order have reigned for centuries”

Scattered laughing (Galt is a country in perpetual rebellion where petty nobles and tyrants vie for control by politics, fear and fist)

“The good, hardworking people live by a simple code – don’t piss off the Grey Gardeners!”

More laughter. (known as a group of self-proclaimed executioners of “the Law”. No one is really sure who they work for.)

“For if you do, you may find yourself on the business end of a Final Blade, the Galt symbol of swift justice!”

The sound of a falling guillotine can be heard backstage. The audience quiets as a fancy-dressed dwarf comes on stage.

Act 1

The dwarf hums to himself and chuckles at a jest he has been working in his mind. Crowds of people appear from the edges of the stage and come over to him as he smiles, sings and jokes with them all, directing his jokes towards the audience with an exaggerated wink. His humor is crude, rude and insulting, but the crowds love him. He leaves the stage with people following him. (Audience is encouraged to laugh and cheer along – Court Page does double duty as audience cue)

Soon the dwarf returns to the stage (applause is encouraged) with the crowd following him, when a court page approaches and informs the comedic dwarf that King Copasquat has summoned him for a command performance! The dwarf shakes his head, proclaiming that the King may not appreciate his brand of humor (winks at the audience), but the page is insistent so the dwarf relents.

Act 2

The royal page announces the arrival of King Copasquat and the Queen appearing on stage and the dwarf starts his routine, but soon the jokes begin to be directed at the King (or Queen). The King does not take well to the dwarf’s increasingly personal jibes, threatens the dwarf and warns him of grave consequences, eventually bursting out in (melodramatic) fury, calling for the Final Blade.

A large wooden guillotine is wheeled out from backstage and placed center stage. The whole time, the dwarf continues his barrage of insults, even while the executioner places his head into position. Insulting the size of his various body parts, the animal-comparisons to his wife, the animal/king relationships with fish and sheep, etc. A particularly good insult comparing the king to a frog-molesting troglodyte drives the King over the edge. The audience is encouraged to cry out in dismay!

The King pushes the executioner aside and pulls the trigger rope himself and the blade comes crashing down.

The scene is part real – part illusion and when the blade comes down, a trap door opens up and the dwarf falls through leaving behind a very good, gory dwarf head on the stage DC 24 Will to see through the illusion). The audience will get understandably very concerned and start to rise and move toward the stage. (the page holds his hands on the his face encouraging people to come forward saying “Look there! He still moves!”)

Meanwhile, Feister opens the trap door under the stage and allows 6 new audience members, dressed in the same costumes as the rest of the audience to come out and filter ‘back to their seats’. Give party a DC 20 Per to notice the arrival of new patrons.