A Tragedy in the Making
Motherhorn’s amphitheater is where tragic plays are performed daily for Endelyn Moongrave to enjoy. The characters might choose to perform on stage for one or more of the following reasons:
In order to acquire something or someone in Endelyn’s possession, the characters might need to perform a play to put the hag in a bargaining mood (see “Bargaining with Endelyn” above).
The characters might intend to uphold a bargain made with Skabatha Nightshade (see “Bargaining with Skabatha” in chapter 3).
The characters might want to create a distraction, and performing a play is the best way to keep Endelyn and her minions preoccupied.
While the play is going on, one or more characters might try to sneak off and explore other areas of Motherhorn on their own, splitting the party. If that occurs, resolve what happens to these wandering characters after the play has run its course.
Preparing for the Play
Characters who choose to perform a play are met by Motherhorn’s master of ceremonies, Stagefright, who is a goblin boss (chaotic neutral). Describe this meeting as follows:
A goblin in a jester’s costume taps his clownish scepter on the floor to get your attention and says, “To impress the Dame of Unhappy Endings, you will need to perform a tragedy—something gruesome, depressing, and darkly humorous. I have just the play!” A rolled-up script suddenly appears in his hand. “Normally we would have several hours to prepare, but alas, time is of the essence. Since you don’t have time to memorize all the lines, we’ll need to improvise.” Tossing the script over one shoulder, he says, “Worry not! I’ll feed you lines from the wings if you get stuck!”
Have each player roll once on the Performers’ Roles table to determine what role Stagefright assigns to that player’s character. If two players get the same result, Stagefright lets them decide which one of them takes that role before suggesting another role for the other character (choose a table entry that hasn’t already been assigned). Allow characters to invent new roles for themselves if they don’t like the ones they’re assigned. If a character wants to play a talking pumpkin or a bored treant, let it happen!
Performers’ Roles
d8
Role
1
Drunken satyr
2
Failed magician
3
High-and-mighty princess
4
Mean-spirited servant
5
Nervous apothecary
6
Cowardly noble
7
Foolish minstrel
8
Honorable knight risen from the dead
Once all the characters have roles, Stagefright leads them to a prop storeroom (area M4a) and says, “Find whatever you can make use of in this mess!” The characters are allowed 20 minutes to don costumes and select props appropriate for their assigned roles. When they’re ready, Stagefright leads them through the dressing room (area M5) to the performers’ quarters (area M6), whereupon he says, “The play begins in ten minutes!” Characters can spend that time doing whatever they want. When the 10 minutes are up, Stagefright reappears and escorts the party to the stage (area M2).
Endelyn Moongrave peers down at the stage from a 40-foot-high stone balcony (area M21) while a gloomy audience of darklings watches from the amphitheater seats and masked goblins perch atop the stage rigging (see the boxed text in area M2 for details). Stagefright introduces the characters’ troupe and their play, then ducks behind a curtain. Additional roleplaying notes can be found in the bio for Stagefright.
Performing the Play
The rollable table Stagefright's Lines contains lines of dialogue for you to roll. See the Macros handout for more information. At the start of the play, roll on the table for each player, as Stagefright hisses a line to that player’s character from the wings. The rules of the play are as follows:
The players must ad-lib a tragedy. What their characters say and do is up to them for the most part, but they must find a way to incorporate Stagefright’s lines into the play’s dialogue. Each time a character delivers one of Stagefright’s lines, roll on the table again for that player.
Characters can freely move around the stage, use props, and enter and exit scenes as they wish, but every character who has a role must contribute to the performance.
If one of the play’s characters dies or meets some other tragic end, that character’s player no longer rolls lines of dialogue. A character who exits the story in this fashion can leave the stage but is expected to return and take a final bow once the play has concluded. Antics performed by offstage characters (including but not limited to the exploration of other areas in Motherhorn) should be resolved after the play concludes.
Endelyn is the play’s sole judge. Use the Story Tracker to keep track of how well the performance is going, in Endelyn’s estimation:
Tally one success every time a handout line is delivered in a way that complements the narrative.
Tally one success if a particularly gruesome, tragic, or darkly humorous scene is enacted.
Tally one failure each time a character loiters in the wings or remains on stage for too long without speaking.
Tally one failure if too much time goes by without a handout line being spoken, prompting Stagefright to rattle his fool’s scepter at the performers. (If you have a one-minute egg timer, you can use it as a control. Every time a handout line is spoken, flip the egg timer. If the timer runs out, too much time has gone by, warranting one failure.)
Endelyn’s Verdict
When all the handout lines have been delivered or when all the play’s characters have met tragic ends, Stagefright signals the characters to wrap it up and take their bows. Then he joins them on stage to await Endelyn’s verdict.
Success. If the characters earned more successes than failures, Endelyn is pleased to strike bargains with them. In addition, she invites them to stay in the theater as long as they like and make themselves at home; those who accept are assigned quarters in area M6.
Failure. If the characters netted more failures than successes, Endelyn is not entertained by their play and won’t bargain with them. She orders the characters to leave her theater at once; if one or more of them refuse, she orders the darklings in the audience to attack. Characters who are reduced to 0 hit points in the ensuing fracas are knocked unconscious, then stripped of their gear and locked in the prison (area M17) until Endelyn decides how to punish them for wasting her precious time.