13 Leaffall, 695 NE, about 2230 hrs
The Recital Hall at the Imperial University, University Ward, Tharokas
Thaern, Roland, Valathorn, Quintus, Traubon, Ferus: The immense recital hall stretches in front of you, scores and scores of seats lined up, throngs of Tharokans dressed in their best finery shuffle in, filling the seats. The walls of the hall are oak, stained a deep and somber brown, and the ceiling is high and vaulted. Gas lamps line the walls, illuminating the hall with flickering, smoky light. The stage proper, raised to a height of seven or eight feet, is currently shielded from your view by a brilliant blue curtain of imported silk, and the proscenium arch is ornately carved with myriad fauns, satyrs, and woodland beasts. A number of box seats, filled with Elven nobles (including some senators, you think, and the Lord Governor), and the main balcony, filled with to the point of overflowing with commoners, loom overhead, casting dark shadows. On the whole, the hall is considered by experts to have almost supernaturally good acoustics and is the pride of the Euphonestin (1).
Your seats end up being in a bit of an odd section, somewhere between the upper classes and the mobs of commoners. Looking around you see a dwarf (it looks like he's not from the Swamp, could he be a mountain dwarf?), an Elven soldier, and a number of humans in various types of attire, including one who appears to be a priest of Fharlanghn. There are two empty seats at the end of the row.
At about 2240 hrs, the curtains part, revealing a giant pipe organ some twenty feet tall at it's highest point. The crowd hushes; Mintwhistle has always been a harpsichordist. Two large glass cylinders filled with a strange green energy are attached to the organ by massive leather tubes. A few canis dressed in black worker's clothes move around quickly, checking the connections and adjusting them at times. A low, throbbing hum can be heard in the silence.
Seamus, Aston: After a couple of near misses and one desperate moment when three Elven bluecoats (2) passed by, looking fot Pelor-knows-what, although they could very well have been looking for uninvited guests such as yourselves, you reach a small practice room, just west of the Recital Hall. An ornate clock on the wall reads 2237 hrs, and you are just starting to settle in to enjoy the concert, when you notice two small envelopes sitting on your chairs. One of them bears Seamus's name (his proper, birth name
and his alias); the other, Aston's. Inside is a brief, unsigned note and a ticket to the recital.
You'll find the seating in the hall proper much more comfortable and the concert far more entertaining. Please accept the enclosed tickets with my compliments.
Everyone: The concert starts promptly at 2245 hrs, when Calan Mintwhistle, garbed in formal black robes, enters from the eastern wing to thunderous applause (the crowd all but forgetting the strange instrument). He bows slightly, coughs, and speaks in a low, melodious tone. "Friends! Welcome, welcome. I am pleased to see so many of you here and touched that you all remember me this far north, as I've not been here for ages. Tonight, I would like to do away with tradition and let my program speak for itself, although you shall not be too much in the dark, as I've selected a couple familiar pieces for the first segment. One brief word about the two middle selections: they've yet to be performed anywhere, and I am proud to debut them here in the presence of so many esteemed and honored guests." He bows to Catullus Erenore's (3) box, and then turns to the pipe organ and starts to play.
The first piece is familiar, the second movement of Amblecrown's Requiem in D Minor (4), and the organ's sounds fill the room. Oftentimes, it feels as if three men are playing the organ, but Mintwhistle never shows any sign of fatigue or stress. The second piece, Mintwhistle's Variations on Ilvara's Dance of the Woodlands, is far more jovial and pleases the crowd very much (5).
Finally, he seques into the first movement of his new piece. The tones are dark and Mintwhistle frequently sustains dissonant notes longer than is popular (or, some may argue, necessary). He also manages to make the notes bend and twist, going sharp or flat at his whim. The piece moves through two slow segments and an odd waltz into a frenzied march. He plays faster and faster, pushing himself, beads of sweat sliding down his face until he releases into a series of oddly melodic tone clusters set over a pedal bass.
Just as he seems to be ending his foray into ordered noise, the lights go out and, almost on cue, a woman screams.
OOC:
Occasionally, it'll be necessary for me to "footnote" things in the game, things that your characters would know. I'll do this by putting a number in parentheses after the item and then list it at the end of the post.
OOC for
Shoggoth and
Jarval:
You may or may not go into the concert hall with your new tickets. If you do not, you will not see anything I describe inside the hall, but you'll hear the concert as well as the others. Please let me know what you want to do.
Footnotes
(1)
The Euphonestin: The faculty of the University's bardic college, Euphones Tympanum.
(2)
Elven bluecoats: Trained soldiers assigned to guard the city and usually present at large public gatherings. A step above the rank and file town guardsman, who usually is a human or elven commoner forcibly pressed into duty. Named for their high-collared blue coats, these soldiers always carry at a flintlock pistol and a saber.
(3)
Catullus Erenore: The Lord Governor and public face of the Emperor.
(4)
Amblecrown's Requiem in D Minor: William Amblecrown was a human bard from around the time of the 4th Peloran Crusade. His requiem masses have become extremely popular as of late, and this one is notable for its frequent use at state funerals. The second movement has a charming, if simple, melody, and is often called "The Soldier in Ysgard."
(5)
Ilvara's Dance of the Woodlands: A light piece, fast and airy. Liandra Ilvara was the daughter of an Elvish diplomat who helped a band of adventurers clear out some troubles in Cauldron some 150 years ago.
