|
The messenger boy approaches each of you and hands you a letter closed with a wax seal of the Glyph of the Open Road. The missive within directs you to meet J Dacilane, the Headmaster of the Dacilane Academy, in front of the Grand Lodge first thing the following morning.
Upon arrival the next day, a few other Pathfinders are milling about. One very senior agent is chatting with the Headmaster. You each elect not to interrupt, given that the Pathfinder in question is so senior she has an entire volume of the Pathfinder Chronicles written about her missions alone. And she is well known for having little patience with junior agents not worthy of joining her on missions.
Instead, you take a moment to introduce yourselves to the others holding similar missives to yours.
|
A halfling-sized scarecrow, dressed in worn, mismatched leathers, approaches the group. He has a Jack o’ lantern for a head. A crow looks around from his shoulder; at second glance, it appears to be made of blackened wicker.
He removes the top of his head, and tips it like a hat. ”Blackfeather Jack, at your…oh, hello again!”
Nodding toward the senior agent, he adds in hushed tones, ”Ooo, I didn’t realize she was involved. Somehow I thought she’d be taller”
|
"Greetings," softly says a man with notable sibilance. He has an assortment of odd talismans and satchels affixed to his belts along with his blades. "I am Pawero bin Oware. I do not believe I have had the honor to work with any of you in the past." The light reflects off his skin in a way that gives the impression of fine scales.
|
"Hiya all!" comes a cheerful voice as a happy-go-lucky gnome walks in. He looks around at the gathered Pathfinders and blushes slightly, "Oh! It appears I'm one of the last to arrive. Sorry for that. I was busy creating a new drink for my coffee stand. I call it a capu-chin-o. It's made of... " Seeing the glazed looks, he continues, "Oh! I'm sorry. I'm Gnimishmeijinomu. But you can call me Gnimish. You see, I..." The gnome rambles on...
|
|
As Gnimish drones on, the senior agent smiles warmly at J and then uncharacteristically gives the Headmaster a hug. He accepts it happily before seeing her off with a wave and turning in your direction.
“Ah, Pathfinders! I take it you’re the ones I’ve been told will help me out? Gnimish, how nice to see you again. How’s that coffee thing going?” the slender man in his 20s dressed in the blues of an Eagle Knight approaches you with a smile. He easily and politely continues with an introduction to the rest of you before the gnome can even get started. “J Dacilane, at your service. My academy teaches the children of many Pathfinder agents, and so we call upon the Society from time to time to help with certain matters. This is no different.” He sighs. “We might as well continue this discussion on the way. I’m worried for the students, so I don’t want to dally too much.”
J leads the way off the grounds of the Grand Lodge and into the streets of the Foreign Quarter. As he walks, he continues his explanation. “The Academy has been trying to put on this play for the last few weeks, and we have only barely made it happen due to the accidents. Nothing too threatening, yet, but ever since we started performing at the Muse of the Rose, it’s been nothing but problems.” Chuckling nervously, he continues, “At first, it was just missed cues or forgetting small lines, but during our last performance, one of our actors got hurt during the fight scene in the third act. Their dueling partner slipped on the floor, which had become covered in grease.” He shakes his head. “We had to take precautions after that so no one would be seriously hurt. What I need you to do is investigate the theater, then figure out the best way to make the show go on. Do you have any questions?”
|
|
"Was that--the greased floor--the only accident that could not be attributed to the performers' own mistakes?" Pawero asks. "And nothing mysterious of the sort has happened prior to rehearsing the Muse of the Rose. Have you hired any new staff or admitted any new students between the Muse and the Acadamy's previous play?"
|
|
To Melania’s question J replies that he’ll try to make the student available, though he doubts the young lady will have anything to add. He rolls his eyes at Schek’s attempt at a joke, and assures the kobold that the girl’s injury extends to no more than her pride.
He pauses at the question about the agent. ”Amestra Veen is essentially retired, though I wouldn’t rule out her returning to active service at some point. She was part of a Pathfinder team that saved me when I was a child. We’ve been close ever since, and I even did an internship on a mission with her once.” Several leaves suddenly swirl up in a small tornado as J speaks, even though there is no breeze….
Responding to the questions of the others, he reveals what they’ve found so far. “We do have a few small clues: we found glittery powder around those who have forgotten their lines, and one of the students swore they heard a high-pitched giggle before one of the accidents happened.”
He quickly responds to Jack and Pawero’s probing questions. ”No, no new students in the last few months. No, the Muse does not have a history of anything like this."
As you pass by an adventurer’s outfitters shop, J snaps his small fine fingers. ”After the grease incident during the fight scene, we introduced precautions to make sure these accidents didn’t turn deadly. We have a ritual used for dueling practice in the Academy that allows them to use the full strength of their abilities and avoid injuries. We’ve performed the ritual and now anyone wearing a special pin in the building will not cause any true damage, at least through the next performance. We also have you to help watch the performance and stop anything unexpected from taking place.” He stops walking to withdraw five pins from his pocket. ”Please wear these while at the Academy. It will ensure that none of the students get harmed accidentally.” He smiles ruefully knowing full well how Pathfinders most often solve problems. ”If you feel that you must use lethal force, you may remove them, but please only do so as a last resort.”
He does his best to answer any further questions until arriving at the Muse of the Rose theater.
“One last thing, in the lobby, artwork had been vandalized. Since it’s an active theater, we’ve had to clean them, but we left the most recent vandalism alone, so you can investigate and pursue any leads you may find,” he finishes with a nod of approval to Pawero.
|
|
Schek becomes entranced when leaves suddenly swirl up in a small tornado next to J, momentarily forgetting what the headmaster is talking about, except for the information that the glittery powder seems to cause students to forget their line while acting. He remains captivated until J hands him a pin. He hesitates to accept it until J explains that it is a safety pin.
He lets his gaze wander around the room as if he were a stranger to everything inside it.
|
|
Jack, Pawro and Gnimish stand in the entryway taking in the lobby and each recalls what they know about this old theater. The Muse of the Rose theater was built by Cassandra Serio, a follower of Shelyn, to make the local art scene more accessible to artists who are not normally recognized by more well- known theaters. This has allowed schools, traveling troupes, and local performers to get exposure. The lobby features artwork of Shelyn by local artists as well as art concerning past performances and performers.
The theater’s front doors give way to a grand lobby that seems to be a combination of an art museum and a sitting room. The centerpiece, situated over the entrance to the main theater, is a sculpture of two of Shelyn’s songbirds, beaks and rainbow tails touching so they form a heart with a red rose in the center. Tables, chairs, and couches fill the first floor, as well as artwork on the walls that depicts past performances the theater has hosted over the years. Statuary of Shelyn is prominently displayed throughout. Stairs to the left and right of the entrances ascend to the mezzanine, where even more art can be found, including images of Shelyn, prominent historical figures, local heroes, and others. Some artwork on both floors is covered in crude graffiti—simple, colorful moustaches and beards, black eyes, blackened teeth, arrows drawn through heads, etc.
Once everyone has entered the lobby, J explains, “These acts of vandalism haven’t been uncommon. They’re nothing permanent, but they do require extra cleaning. Though the students have cleaned the artwork each day, the same pieces keep getting vandalized overnight. In light of your assistance, I’ve instructed them not to clean the graffiti from last night, so you can better investigate fully.” J looks towards the door. “I’ll leave you to it; I need to go check in with the academy. You have the run of the place, and the students know you’re here to help. I’ll be back in time for the show.
I hope you can figure out what’s going on by then. Start wherever you’d like, but I’d stick together, as there’s no telling how much these mischief makers—whoever they are—will escalate things.”
|
|
|
|
"Well that the defacing is reversible," Pawero comments before moving to investigate the vandalized artwork. "These are quite skilled works. Now on to the investigations."
The man makes his way around the room in a methodical order, checking each of the vandalized works. He occasionally pulls out one small book or another from his pouches to verify some thought he is puzzling in his head. "Sss." He then goes back to the beginning and more quickly examines the other works.
"Ah. Each of the targeted pieces of art are by artists with a connection to the Dacilane Academy. I feel like there is another clue just out of reach..."