The Ballad of Lyranessa
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Spring has begun to creep in rather early this year. A few weeks ago, at this time of day, an uncomfortable chill might have made this experience rather chilly. But today, on this bright morning, the sky is clear and the weather is warm. It's a perfect day for an outing. And with weather like this comes the start of something a lot of Alexandrians look forward to: theater season.
This is a bustling, cosmopolitan place, even by global standards, and so it attracts its share of creative people. Artists from around the world come here, looking for both noble patronage and equally skilled collaborators with which to ply their trade. Some earn repute with their talent. Others crash and burn and return home. Perhaps the greatest share simply manage to get by, doing decent work without ever quite breaking into the ranks of the famous. One such middle tier company is Janiston's Men, an up-and-coming acting troupe lead by writer-director Taris Janistan, known for its quality spring dramas. One small problem this spring, though: Janiston has been recovering from Sailor's Consumption. Many thought they wouldn't be putting on a show this season. But somehow, they've managed to find a writer and a script, and the show has, as they say, gone on. No word on what it's going to be, but many have shown up anyway.
And so here you are, in the stands. Maybe you came alone. Maybe you decided to go together, to keep each other company. Whatever the case, the stands are about three quarters full, and you find yourself facing a large, colorful theatrical tent with beautifully-painted wooden scenary set up on stage. The show is about to begin.
Morgan loves shows from bards and preformers of all sorts. In her lap she has a apple that she is cutting up in small pieces with a knife.
Kisaiya is in the stands, somehow, in fact she probably got in by some manner of sleight of hand and perhaps taking a ticket someone left on a counter to be borrowed. Kisaiya loved this city! So many people left things around to be borrowed, of course Tami kept chastising her that it was stealing - she didn't buy that idea though. It's not like people were HOLDING the tickets at the time.
They left them.
Right there.
For anyone.
Like a Princess of Vandalheim!!
And that's why Kisaiya is seated next to Morgan, cupping her hands around her mouth and yelling, "WOOOOOOOOOO! START THE PLAY!" She's not exactly the most savvy theater going princess.
NOT ONLY THAT BUT KISA FOUND A TICKET FOR SANDY TOO! Which is why Sandy is seated next to Kisa.
Sandy is presently slumped in her seat, face buried in her hands.
This is going to be enmiserating. To be sure.
Morgan offers some of her apple to the people next or near her
A single man steps out onto the stage from the wings, and the crowd falls silent. Do you know him? If you follow the theatrical scene, or even if you're just an unwilling noble, you do. As the man looks up, tilting his hat up to show his sighhhhh-inducing face, baby blue eyes panning across the crowd, a few girls scream. One or two actually swoon. This, ladies and gentleman, is Asil Stravis. He's the less famous of the two Stravises in this company, but he's still the stuff of fangirl fever dreams. And it's not just because he's a well-built Eldanar who's quite the looker.
He strums the lute in his hands once, and a spectral band appears to accompany him. The fangirl screaming grows louder, then dies down as he raises his hand to quiet them; did I mention he's also a very skilled bard. And here he begins to narrate in something between a pleasant song and poetic oratory. The show begins.
"Welcome, fair travelers, here to hear another tale from Janiston's Men. We are but bards who aim to please, traveling far and wide to bring you stories to harken to your heart and stir your soul. Today, though . . . today will be something special. Delivered to us by a child of Alexandria is a tale more vivid than a dream, yet true . . . if you dare to believe. We present to you today . . . the Ballad of Lyranessa, the Flame Queen."
Here someone sings from beyond the wings. And as she does, she steps out onto the stage. It's Sienna Leizus, the company's half-elven ingenue, as beautiful as you'd expect of a star actress. Her voice is powerful and haunting, though. There are no words just yet, but she's singing of longing and misery; those feelings come through clearly.
Asil continues. "A wizardess beyond compare, her flames extinguished many a foe of Alexandria. Until one day, during one tragic battle, she was said to be lost. The truth known only to a few. Jealous of her growing popularity, afraid the common folk were coming to love her enough to threaten their rule, a cabal of nobles locked her away in a tower of ice which sealed her magic. And so here she waits, singing her mournful melody." Sienna's--nay, Lyranessa's--song grows more mournful here.
Kisaiya looks over at Morgan and grins, takign some of the apple and offering back some Cider in return. "It's like your apple but a lot older! The Elf of apples!!" She nudges Sandy in the side, "Get it! GET IT! It's like you but more red." She grins at her, then sticks her tongue out before... GASP!
"SHH! It's starting." Kisa hisses to Sandy. Then she stops, waits for a moment and then points out toward the man on stage. She hisses again at Sandy, "OH MY GODS! Do you see that guy?! Wooo! OH! OH! OH! WAIT! Ballad of Lyranessa? IS THAT ONE OF YOUR RELATIVES?!"
Oh good.
Sandy listens as the words are spoklen, listens as the balld of the Flame Queen begins. This could be worse. It could easily be worse. A glance to Kisa. Then back to the play. Then back to Kisa. Then back to the play. SHE CLEARLY SUSPECTS A TRICK. Mostly because this is her lot lin life.
Here a gnome dressed all in the black exits from the wings, stepping off to the far side of the apron before beginning to silently waggle his fingers. This is Zazortan, the company's special effects wizard. Literally. Cold and ice envelop the stage, though not enough to obscure the actors. An occasional breeze is tossed in the direction of the audience, but it seems only very slightly cool, more for effect than anything else. This isn't an elemental effect, to those who can spot such things. It's purely an illusion.
Besra turns to her left as she hears somebody whisper loudly. She is, after all, a mercenary. A mercenary hired in the Desolation. In Vandalheim. She stares at Kisaiya for a few moments. Is that . . . whatever she's thinking, she seems to stop caring a few seconds later. Secretly, she's only here for the food; her favorite thing about theater season is the concession stand. She has like two plates in front of her.
Asil's narration falls quiet for a bit, letting the song reach a climax and then wind down before he continues. "But today's story, dear travelers, is not merely that of a lost princess waiting for rescue. Today's story is of heartbreak and agony, of painful choices, of a duel between pure light . . . " Here the music turns ominous, and so too does Asil's voice. "And an unspeakable darkness. Two powerful forces would vie for one heart, and such a thing could not possibly end well for all."
You hear a horse to your right. Clad in mithral plate, a helmet obscuring their face, a proud knight on horseback rides onto the festival grounds. Approaching the stage, they dismount, holding their sword high to rally the oooo'ing crowd. "The paladin Darena, hearing of Lyranessa's plight from their squire, decided to defy the oaths which bound them to the nobility, choosing instead to sacrifice everything to rescue our fair maiden. For Lyranessa, long the paladin's companion in battle, had stolen Darena's heart."
And suddenly thunder roars, the audience taken aback with a fright. Floating on a black cloud is the more famous Stravis, Dasil Stravis. When she hops off her cloud, landing gracefully on the stage, one can see why. Dasil is also a tall and statuesque Eldanar, but she's androgynous enough to have plenty of fans, both male and female. Today, she's dressed to play that up for whatever reason. "Unbenownst to Darena, Lyranessa had long been visited in her dreams by another suitor. The Demon Scourge Zandiella, Monarch of the Black Realm, had also fallen for the Flame Queen. And today, both driven by love, both unaware of the other, would be the day that the two of them would come to save her."
AND THERE IT IS.
Sandy just groans. She just groans and sluimps down in her seat. She puts her hands to her face and just sighs. Loudly. Too Louidly, obviously.
Her ears are twitching madly at this point. Elf ears do that. Twitch, that is.
Her expression just reads 'I hate my life' right now.
Kisaiya stares at Sandy then, then back to the stage, back to Sandy... Back to the stage. To the horse! She leans closer toward Sandy and whispers, "I have an amazing pony I sometimes ride around on. I call him my masterwork sparkle pony the fourth." She nods her head and doesn't clarify why it's the fourth.
Perhaps she already went through three?
Kisaiya looks back to Sandy again and cants her head, "Why are you sighing? WAIT! Are you related to one of them?! I KNEW IT!"
"I am, of course, inspiring 'Lady Zandiella'," explains Sandy to Kisaiya, quietly. She blinks large eyes at Kisa for a moment as she speaksa bout her pony. She blinks several times at her. "TGhat's... great," she says to her. "Brilliant idea. Masterwork Sparkle Pony. I should make them sparkle more." Anything to distract for a moment from what the heels are slowly causing to turn in the backj of her head. The Crimson Pen is to blame,. surely.
She celars her throat once and glances back towards the story.
Kisaiaya /gasps/ at Sandy, her eyes growing wider, "NO WAY!" She says it a bit louder than she meant to. Then she leans in a bit closer, speaking more quietly, "You're kidding me? You could make it sparkle more?" She leans back into her chair then and lets out a little pleased giggle with a wiggle in her seat. Then a tilt of her head. "Oh come off it. She looks nothing like you! I mean, maybe if she shrunk." She sticks her tongue out at Sandy.
The show ambles on. This particular script seems to have its share of crowd-pleasing action, though that's common enough for spring dramas. This is the only entertainment of that kind which a lot of people get, especially if they're not fans of the blood and guts of the Colosseum. Here we see Darena and Zandiella besting various challenges both magical and physical, their respective performers getting a chance to show their stuff. In one final stunt, Darena grabs onto a long, quite magical rope, leaping from the stage, swinging all the way over the crowd to the back of the stand. It's so graceful that it seems halfway between acrobatics and flight, drawing plenty of oohs and ahhs.
Besra turns to Kisaiya, finally, just happening to be sitting near the "princess." "Excuse me, miss," she begins politely. "I pray you'll forgive such a bold question from someone who's but a wandering sellsword from a lawless land, but have I seen you somewhere? Your face does seem a little familiar to me."
Besra is interrupted by something quite spectacular, though. Well, spectacular to the regular citizens here, who aren't often treated to the sights of grand artifice and magic and adventure. The aisle running across the center of the stands, previously roped off, vanishes from view, and a few seconds later, what looks like a drawbridge appears in its stead. At the same moment, the scenery on the stage is replaced by the gates of a frozen tower. And finally, a Darkness spell darkens the sky. This is why people love the shows of Janiston's Men. Some people accuse them of putting on fluffy effects-driven showcases, but they simply consider themselves, "the complete package." And so Zandiella and Darena find themselves facing off, in the dead of a starry night, on the bridge of Lyranessa's tower.
Asil narrates. "Oh, fair travelers!" His voice is thick with grief. "That these two souls had met in a different time, at a different place! That they had come to understand, rather than come to blows! For this night would prove that noble intentions at odds can lead to greater tragedy than villainy!"
Zandiella steps forward, proudly, boldly. "You! I know you, Warrior of Alexandria. You, foul warrior of a nation who would imprison a woman for her good deeds, were you sent to block my path?"
Darena finally removes their helmet, revealing long hair and a . . . wait, she's dressed to look an awful lot like a certain Great Paladin. Somebody is not going to be pleased. Also, this is a new love triangle. Did somebody not like the Mareth and Jyrana pairing? "You! I know you too! The Demon Scourge, The Black Monarch! They say your blood is human, yet you stayed your hand when Alexandria needed help. Were you sent to block _my_ path?"
"Why not? Consider it a wedding present. I'll see if I can make it happen," answres Sandy. Clearly, she is thinking of a horse made of diamonds. Perhaps she can call it 'Butt Stallion' or something. Naw. That's too stupid, even for her. Instead, her eyes go back to the play and she staaaares. She stares.
A hand goes to her mouth and covers it. "Great," she manages to say. But it's clear, now, that she's trying so hard not to laugh.
And failing, somewhat, given the sniggering sounds that are coming from her at this point.
"OH MY GOODNESS!" Kisaiya stares, enraptured, at the stage as she watches the goings on. She leans forward, literally on the edge of her seat with a wide grin. She looks back to Sandy, then back to the stage, back to Sandy, back to the stage. "I still don't see it, but /wow/ this is a production! DO YOU SEE THOSE SPELLS?!" Her eyes widen and she practically jumps out of her seat as she sees the big reveal.
"NO WAY!" She yells out, then she looks back to Sandy, sitting back down, "So- so you had a thing with Serene too?! WOW! Serne and Myrana. /WOW/ you do have some interesting love interests." She nods her head, then looks back out to the stage, "I still don't see the resemblance though." Then she hears Besra, canting her head she looks at the other woman.
"What...? Oh- I mean, maybe? I think I saw a couple little dolls of me in the trades?" Kisa frowns, and glances to Sandy, "Is there somewhere else she would've seen me?"
"W-what? No!" Sandy looks horrified at Kisa. That is all. HORRIFIEDF.
Kisaiaya scoffs, "Don't look at me that way. You're the one who said you're Zandiella!!"
"She's based off me! THEY TOOK LIBERITES," Sandy hisses at Kisa.
"Well, there is a certain rumor in Vandalheim," Besra begins, her body language relaxing even more as she leans back just a touch, her tone getting sharper. "That all of us sellswords owe our allegience to a certain someone. That we have our very own monarch. I was a bit puzzled when I was told that, myself. I've never seen a castle, and there's certainly no noble that I've met that could tolerate life in the Desolation." She shrugs slightly. "Would you know anything about that?"
On the stage, the fight is on. And oh, is it spectacular. With each swipe of Darena's shining sword, arcs of holy energy fly, the stands flashing with light. And Zandiella, using her demon powers, summons . . . bats and various creatures? Yes, those are definitely witch powers, but it's not like most people here know the difference! How is Zazortan managing to keep up with all of thi . . .
Just then Zazortan collapses, clearly pushed to exhaustion by this much spellcasting. Oops.
Fret not! Before the audience can even notice, a gnomish understudy steps up to replace him! And . . . and Zazortan is unceremoniously stuffed into a barrel and rolled away . . . Is this how they treat their effects artists? This is almost as bad as a certain town I can think of. (As an aside, human audiences are frequently horrified by this treatment and complain about it, only to learn that the gnomes themselves invented this system, barrel and all. Horrifyingly, the gnomes consider this "standard gnomish efficiency.")
The two combatants feign exhaustion, lowering their weapons. Behind them, the tower evaporates, revealing Lyranessa on the stage. Asil speaks loudly. "So terrible was the clash of these powerful forces that Lyranessa's tower was rent asunder."
Lyranessa begins to sing another song. In a haunting ballad, she pleads for the two knights, both light and dark, to put down their weapons. She gestures around herself as she drifts across the stage, saying that her liberation is the result of their joined labor. The song goes on for some time. This is the big showcase of Sienna's--the actress playing Lyranessa--vocal talents.
Kisaiya stares out at the stage and then- slowly her head turns. It turns toward Besra, then it turns back to Sandy, then Besra... Sandy. This happens several times before she leans in to Sandy and she hisses out, "Well of course they took liberties! You're shorter than she is. So did you and S-s-s-s-s-" And she sounds like a dying snake with her finger extended and pointed to Sandy.
She sounds like the dying snake as her head slowly turns in the direction of Besra. Her finger pointing along with it. Her eyebrows leech up to her hairline, her eyes growing wider still, "s-s-s-s-snO WAY!" She stares at Besra and her jaw drops.
Kisaiaya grabs Sandy's arm and she shakes it. Shakes it again. SHAKES IT A THIRD TIME BEFORE LEANING IN TO SANDY! "Sandy! SANDY!" She's still facing Besra and talking too loud for it to be only between the two of them. "Do you think that's because I'm the Princes of Vandalheim?! IS SHE TALKING ABOUT ME?! SANDY! SANDY! SANDY!"
Kisa isn't getting any quieter.
Oh no.
Sandy has been too entrapped by the horror of the play to pay attention to the quiet conversation between Besra and Kisaiya, but now she's got a bit of it. She was about to say no, but her eyes are now on Besra.
She mouths, "/You/."
"SHHHHHH," she adds, loudly, two fingers going over her lips. A desperate effort to stop waht is about to happen.
Zandiella and Darena drift toward each other for a final strike, but as the final haunting peels of Lyranessa's song cry out, they slump together shoulder to shoulder, only standing by supporting each other. Their energy seems completely depleted. Dropped in unison, their swords clatter to the ground atop the stage. "We did this," they say. A long pause follows. "Together."
"There would be heartbreak today, fair travelers, a pain that no soul can imagine," Asil says. Slowly, the spotlight on Lyranessa dims, and the one on Zandiella and Darena brightens. Darena's actress, Utsula, is a Tsuran woman who who usually plays supporting female roles. More skilled in physicality than acting or singing, she only gets the female lead in productions that lean more toward action or comedy. But today, she's seeming a little more feminine than usual. As if to emphasize that, a breeze suddenly blows, her long and flowing hair drifting behind the pair.
"Together," Darena says. "I came here with pride and presumptuousness, thinking myself entitled to a woman I had never met. Today, you have shown me the darkness in my heart. And you freed me from it. In battle, you showed me a feeling far truer and purer."
Zandiella, played by the ever dashing Dasil, stands up tall once more, a full six inches taller than Darena. She puts her hands on Darena's shoulders. "And I have long feared the people of Alexandria. They feared me because of my blood, and I hated them for it, and so I stayed away when they needed my might most. I thought I had to live in the darkness. But you have shown me the light in my heart. In battle, you showed me something truly worth fighting for."
Lyranessa cries out. "Wait! I'm the princess here!" And then the spotlight on her goes black completely. Uhhh. Is this really going this way?
"You're yesterday's news. We broke you out. You can walk back," the other two women reply.
Asil adds, "A pain nobody can imagine." Holy fuck, that's raw.
A brief exchange follows. "Let us leave this place, Darena." "But I can only summon my magical horse once every 24 hours, Zandiella." "Wow. That's really stupid. Behold my sidekick, traveling companion, and trusty mount! The ultimate clockwork steed, Travelaria!" On cue, riding in from the east is an immaculately built clockwork steed. It's copper. And it speaks in the perfectly proper, immaculately practiced, Acanian-accented speech of an Alexandrian noblewoman. "Lets ride," she says. In fact, the horse sounds suspiciously like a certain someb . . .
"NOOOO!" There's a copper golem woman screeching hysterically from a far corner of the stands. "WHO BUILT THAT?! I'LL KILL THEM!" She's heading for the stage, but luckily, the guards rush in, subdue her, and drag her off in a matter of seconds.
And so Zandiella and Darena literally ride off an into illusory sunset, leaving Lyranessa to fume on stage. The spotlight returns to her, her face now twisted with rage. "Alexandria . . . Alexandria will burn!"
"Part two will be coming next fall, fair travelers! The Wrath of the Flame Queen!" Asil says cheerfully. "Make sure to tell all of your friends to see this before then!" The crowd actually bursts into raucous cheers as the spectral chorus reappears to play the fade out music . . . this is what sells, apparently . . .
When TravelAria arrives, Sandy bursts out laughing.
This is now the best play ever. Imemdiately. She tips back in her chair, unable to stop and falls to the ground with a heavy crash. Hey, she's kinda heavy, okay?
"AHHAHAHAHAHAH"
GAME: Besra rolls bluff: (5)+10: 15
"Wow. You people are brutal," Besra says, clearly taken aback by the spectacle. She turns to Kisaiya here. "Wait, are you the princess?!" Feigned surprise. "My /liege./ I've always felt that the Desolation could use a bit of a noble touch. Y'know, what with the mana storms and murder and all that." She pauses there. "Say, aren't you a bit of a big shot with the trade guilds?" Definitely no ill intentions here!
Kisaiaya looks toward Sandy, then back to Besra. Eh! Sandy will be fine for now. Even with the murderous intent followed by riotous laughter. She blinks and tilts her head as she watches her. Then she squints, "He-e-e-e-ey. It's not mana storms and murder." She crosses her arms, "There was alot of fun places too. I never saw any murder there... and... and..." She shrugs, sighs.
A look back to Sandy, nope, she's losing it. Another shrug, and she looks back to Besra once more, "I didn't ask for that. Don't even. Just Kisa will do. Unless Serra is around, then Princess Kisa. Please?"
Besra narrows her eyes. She almost seems confused here, but more than that, she looks to be trying to figure Kisaiya out. "Alright." Pause. "Kisa." Her eyes drift to Sandy's possible incoming nervous breakdown, and there she stands. "I'll be taking my leave. Don't have too much fun, Lady Sandiel. And . . . " turning back to Kisaiya, "Give my regards to the rest of the royal family," she adds with a flourishing bow.
Kisaiaya turns to look at Sandy, "OH MY GODS!" She hisses out, "THERE'S A ROYAL FAMILY I DON'T KNOW?! Am I their unofficial daughter?!"
"..."
Sandy just sort of blanks on a good answer for a moment. And then gives Besra the most murderous glare.
The faintest hint of a victorious smirk creeps onto Besra's face as Sandy looks at her. And then she turns and exits, gray cloak fluttering behind her.