3. The GREAT

The GREAT


  • This is the show put on by The Green And Red Extraordinarily Amazing Troupe at the Bardic College in Peltarch as seen though the eyes of Dagoth the Green, Master of the Plan.

    All dialogue is taken from chat logs of the actual event (spellchecked). Of course, there was much more dialogue from the people in the crowd (you guys were great and really added to the atmosphere) but I've left that out because I don't want to risk offending anyone by writing for them. If you know what I mean. Also, this thing has gotten long enough without adding all the witty things people had said and writing it has worn me out. Truth be told, I hardly seen any of the spectators dialogue at the actual time because I was so damned nervous (wasn't hard rping Dag as being the same way) and had a bad case of tunnel vision rp. I'm glad I kept the log because after reading it I could see everthing I missed through my haste and concentration on the acts and realised that the full experience was better than what I managed to get at the time.

    Many thanks to all involved. You were GREAT 😉

    =====

    Dagoth paced back and forth restlessly before the heavy door leading out onto the bardic stage. Thud-thud-thud went his heavy boots upon the floor until he reached the wall and then thud-thud-thud as he turned back.

    The green clad dwarf was nervous, far more nervous than he would ever have expected. He half fancied that there were butterflies in his stomach the size of bats beating at the back of his teeth in an effort to escape. Strangling his beard in both fists, he continued his pacing.

    Thud-thud-thud

    This be it, he thought to himself. All the preparation be ending here. All the talk. We be proving or shaming ourselves. By the hammer, me breakfast nay be sitting easy.

    Thud-thud-thud

    Swallowing grimly the dwarf continued his nervous pacing, but now the beating of his own heart seemed as loud as the fall of his boots in his ears.

    "Dagoth? You alright?"

    Turning sharply, Dagoth sees the hin woman Lilith watching him worriedly. Here stood a woman that would soon wrestle a monstrous wolf and yet she was concerned for him. It shamed Dagoth to the core. Taking a deep breath, the dwarf held it a moment before letting it out slowly through his nose. Yea be the Master of the Plan, he thought to himself coldly, best be acting the part. And with that the dwarf put the bat butterflies from his mind and ceased his pacing.

    "Aye, I be fine, Lilith. Nay worry yeaself," he replied and assumed a broad grin that he did not feel. Appearances. It was all about appearances when it came to the GREAT. And right now it was his duty to appear to Lilith as if he had not a worry in the world.

    The hin lass nodded to him, only slightly reassured, but Dagoth was already turning to the cluster of performers huddled about the small red clad figure of a second hin. Dram the Red, Master of Spectaculars. This hin was all business as he gave last minute directions and answered last minute questions. There was no sign of nervousness about him. Dagoth took heart from this and the last vestiges of bat butterflies disappeared.

    Moving to Dram's side the dwarf spoke soberly, "It be time, Dram. Ready yeaself for the invisibilty." Dram nodded his assent and stood still as the dwarf chanted beneath his breath and traced sigils in the air. The next second Dram disappeared.

    Nodding to himself in satisfaction, the dwarf turned and walked to the door purposefully. Shouldering it open, he strolled out onto the bard's stage as a king would his throne room. Behind him a small shape the size of a bird flitted out the door and settled under one of the eaves. The next moment Dram brushed passed him lightly, the contact enough to assure Dagoth that the hin was with him as planned.

    It was then that the gathered spectators noticed Dagoth looking up at them with the confident grin of a born announcer. Scattered cheers and a ripple of applause greeted him and the dwarf waved as he made his way to the centre of the stage. The eagles splendour spell he had cast upon himself had left his beard shiny and smooth and the dwarf himself a more handsome sight than usual. But looking up at the faces of the audience he felt the nervousness once more. These be people yea know, some of them, he thought to himself, you'll nay ever live it down if yea botch this.

    Swallowing once more, Dagoth smiled amiably up at the crowd and spoke with a voice that came out as strong and smooth as he could have wished, "It be upon yea, good people! The most spectacular show yea likely to be seeing while yea yet live! This be a show yea be telling yea grandchildren of and they nay be believeing yea!"

    The dwarf paused to spread his arms wide, aware of the excited murmurs, nervous laughter and even the odd snigger but not allowing them to register on him. All nervousness was now fled. Dagoth had found his element.

    "I be Dagoth the Green, Master of the Plan," he had toned his grin down to a half-deprecating smile now, as if to hint that it was a name given to him and not one that he took seriously. Truth, it was given him. But he did take it seriously.

    Dagoth could now see that most of the spectators were smiling down at him beneficially, some few even waved to him companionably. They were ready. Ready to be entertained. Ready to be amazed. Raising his voice dramatically, the dwarf intoned, "Now let me introduce to yea Dram the Red, Master of Spectactulars!"

    Dagoth turned on his heel with a wry smile quirking his mouth and strolled to the far end of the stage. The crowd quieted at first and looked to the doors expectantly, but Dram was nowhere to be seen. A few of them begin to murmur their puzzlement and the dwarf took that as his prompt. Now, Po the silent thought was sent. Knowing his cue, Dagoth's bat familiar Po detached himself from his inverted perch beneath the eaves of the stage and dropped like a stone to the floor. A last second mad flutter of leathery wings bringing him up short a few feet from the ground. All eyes were now on the bat and it was only Dagoth who knew just how much Po relished the attention. A rapid fire snap of his wings and Po completed a careening circuit of the stage before pausing to hover in the very centre. The bat emitted a high pitched squeek to Dagoth as signal of his readiness and the dwarf inclined his head to him gravely, playing it up for the crowd.

    Raising his arms, the dwarf declaimed an incantation with more words than necessary and stretched his fingers out wide. An impenetrable darkness engulfed the small bat and caused a few involuntary gasps amongst the audience. Thank yea, Po, yea be a star. But now it be time for yea to leave. Dagoth sent the thought to his familiar before crooking his finger and dismissing the bat with an impressive release of magical energy that rose up from the centre of the darkness. A few moments later the darkness dissipated to reveal Dram standing triumphantly in the bats place.

    "TA DAAAA ERE I BE!", declared Dram enthusiastically as the crowd exploded into cheering and applause. "Welcome folks, ta feats o amazin amazement, like.", Dram continued in a less ear piercing tone as Dagoth moved to stand by his side, grinning from ear to ear.

    "That be just a taste of what yea be set to see," the dwarf assured the crowd before allowing Dram to continue with his spiel. Clasping his hands behind his back, the Dagoth attempted to look regal and imposing while nodding along to Dram's words as if they were the Soulforger's own truth.

    "WE'S GREEN AND RED'S EXTRAORDINARILY AMAZIN TROUPE," recommenced the hin in a voice belonging to someone five times his size. "WE'S ERE TA AMAZE N BAFFLE YAS WIF STUFF N FINGS WOT IS AMAZIN."

    Dagoth scanned the crowd closely while the hin proceeded with his proclamations, quickly noting the glazed expressions on some of the audiences faces. "ACTS O DARIN N WOT SUM WOULD SAY BE RIGHT DAFT BU WE'S GAAN TA DUS EM ANYWAYS COS THAS WOT WE'S GAAN TA DUS LIKE." It was clear to the dwarf that a few of the people were struggling to follow the hin's cant, but he decided that it was of little concern just yet. The tone and energy of the hins speech would get it's theme across well enough.

    "FIRST UP WE GA DAVIES WOT BE EATIN A SWORD LIKE." Both Dagoth and Dram grinned broadly in response to the nonplussed reaction of the audience. The aforementioned Davies climbed the stage, a handsome enough human man were it not for the look of drunkeness about him. Grinning to himself in anticipation, Dagoth strolled off the stage and entered the backstage area.

    Dram followed close behind him and spoke to the performers waiting in the corridor for their turns, "I think evryun should gaa in n stan quiet near the walls."

    Dagoth nodded his assent, "Aye, get yeaselves out there." Turning on his heel, the dwarf returned to the stage area with the rest of the troupe filing in behind him and taking surreptitious positions against the stone walls so as not to take the audiences attention away from Davies.

    Meanwhile, Davies himself was in the process of slowly lowering a short sword down his throat. Dagoth grinned fiercely at the vulgar sight and looked up to the crowd. Most wore a mixture of shock, amazement or revulsion on their faces. Davies began turning slowly where he stood so that all the people watching in the circular theatre could get a good look. Davies carefully pulled his hand away and began to close his mouth over the hilt. It was then that he wavered. A drunken sort of hitch, almost a hiccup, and Dagoth sensed that he may be struggling so he began to applaud in hope that the crowd would join in and that their support would encourage Davies. Save him choking to death or slitting his throat, which ever came first. The crowd quickly took up the applause with whoops and cheers, at least those who had not already turned away and covered their eyes.

    Davies seemed to take strength from their support and steadied himself. The next instant the blade had completely disappeared down his throat. Opening his mouth wide the sot turned in place so that everybody would have a chance to see. And what they say was no blade at all. Cheers and crys of incredulity erupted form the crowd, many demanding to know how he performed such a feat. Davies simply burped and regurgitated the blade before holding it aloft in triumph.

    "Thank you, all," he spoke simply, but even through his drunkeness there was some refined quality to his speech. He then suddenly turned and bolted for the door, disappearing backstage.

    Chuckling and shaking his head, Dagoth returned to the middle of the stage and spoke amidst the cheering and applause, "Aye, and now while Davies be puking his guts up it be time to introduce the next act."

    Moving to a position beside him Dram spoke up, "WOT BY AND OR MOUF CIN MEK THA EAR SEE COLOURS? WE'LL LIT AFFY N ER FREN GIS YAS A CLUE." Meanwhile Dagoth had kept an eye on the crowd and once more saw their incomprehension but this time decided to repeat what Dram had just said to facilitate understanding.

    "What by word or mouth can make the ear see colour? Let Affkuen and her friend show you." Smiling amiably the dwarf strolled off the stage with Dram who didn't look at all offended that the dwarf had just repeated what he had said.

    Whistles and cat calls emerged from the crowd as Affkuen moved away from the wall and made her way to the stage. As she passed by Dagoth, the dwarf quickly chanted out an incantation and cast Eagles Splendour on her. The elf never missed a step.

    Stopping in the middle of the stage Affkuen turned her face to the crowd and spoke with a smile, "Oh hello." And as easily as that, the elf had the audience in the palm of her hands. Affkuen had braided her hair with long green grasses and white clover and lillies dotted the coils. More than one woman watching envied her beauty.

    "Oh hmm I brought a chicken." she giggled charmingly and the crowd saw that it was true. A brown chicken clucked it's way over to the elfs side and Dagoth lead the applause enthusiastically from where he stood by the wall. "Oh see. Oh hmm oh I sing and dance", the elf laughed softly and bent to place a bottle of romani wine on the stone before her. "Oh wine make a song and dance oh yes good".

    Grinning, Dagoth once more looked up to gauge the mood of the audience and was pleased to see that no matter how well or badly Aff performed she was already a hit with most of the men. It was exactly as Dagoth and Dram had planned it. It pleased the dwarf no end when things fell into place so well and he smiled fiercely to Affkuen. But now the elf was preparing to sing and Dagoth momentarily ceased his scheming and plotting and worrying over the coming acts to listen to Affkuens song and let it weave it's magic over him.

    The elf who seemed more wood nymph raised wine to her mouth and drank before speaking, "Eestur -ur'eesta." Dagoth had no idea what it meant but neither did he care, for Affkuen had now begun to spin gracefully in a slow dance. "Oh see this song is about my home." she spoke with a smile before beginning the song proper. Her voice rose lilting and delicate to the audience.

    "Merry as the moon did shine,
    Upon a soft blown glade,
    And lit the stream with silver light,
    My love and heart there stayed,
    To await a time when back together,
    Like all through time we stayed,
    The days we drank the merry wine,
    And sang long night and day,
    And under soft glown pine we talked,
    And there we knew our way,
    To always know where would be home,
    A place in silver glades."

    Her song finished, Affkuen scooped up the wine she had earlier placed on the floor and laughed happily. The crowd had erupted into applause and cheers without need of prompting as Dagoth retook the stage and bowed to Affkuen solemnly. Not usually one to be touched by song, the dwarf had been moved by this. Affkuen made her way from the stage and Dagoth raised his voice to the crowd, "Be giving it up!" And they did just that, renewing the applause and cheers as Aff retook her spot by the wall.

    Dagoth sighed out and smiled up to the crowd, "It be making yea want to see her lovely home, aye?" The dwarf nodded amiable as the crowd agreed. His smile then turned to a wry grin. "So! Now from one extreme to the other! From beauty to horror! I be introducing yea to Nork, the most hideously disfigured gnome yea ever did see!"

    Hesitant applause rippled down from the audience and then were stilled. Dagoth begun walking slowly from the stage with a smile as he spoke, "I be warning yea ladies who may be prone to fainting to perhaps lookaway, aye?" Raising his voice the dwarf shouts to be heard back stage, "Send him out! Enter Nork!"

    And Nork did just that as the dwarf hurried off back stage amidst the gasps and exclamations from the crowd at sight of the "gnome". Those who watched him would assume he had fled in terror of Nork, which suited them all just fine and added to the show. But in truth Dagoth simply had to prepare for the next act. And so it was that he did not witness Nork try to remove his Peltarch noble clothes to reveal his own robes beneath at the culmination of his act. It was only later that he heard how Nork had instead torn all the robes from his body by mistake, thus leaving himself standing naked on the stage and refusing to leave. Finally Terrick had to drag him off.

    At the time Norks act was simply background noise to Dagoth while he prepared for Liliths turn next. The rise and fall of the crowds voice sounded like waves on a distant shore and he payed them just as much heed. Lilith would be wrestling a giant wolf with her bare hands. It was simply Dagoths role to provide the wolf. The proper sigils were traced and the proper words were spoken. The spell was cast and the wolf appeared amidst a magical haze that quickly dissipated. The wolf snarled savagely at Dagoth, murder in it's red eyes, but they both new who was in control here. Dagoth strolled forward and looped a heavy chain around the wolfs neck and gripped the slack as a leash. The beast was as tall at the shoudler as Dagoth himself, and though it growled ceaselessly it had no choice but to submit.

    Dagoth moved over to the door, the monstrous wolf trailing behind, and took up position there waiting for his cue. He did not need to wait long. Dram's strident voice reached him through the wood of the door, "NEXT WE AVE AN ACT O SHEAR DARIN! LITH STEEL THA STICHA IS GAAN TA WRESTLE SUMIT RIGHT BIG N MEAN LIKE! WIF NARLY BITS N AIR N GREAT BIG TEEF LIKE! WOT EATS BIG FINGS FA SUPPA N SHE BE WRESTLIN IT WIF ER BARE ANDS!" A slight pause now that Dagoth assumes is the hin taking the time to breath. "I GIS YA
    LITH STEEL THA STICHA!"

    Hearing the applause and cheers, the dwarf slowly begins counting backward from the agreed number. Time enough for Lilith to wave to the crowd and ready herself for the coming battle. Reaching zero the dwarf nodded abruptly to himself and tugged on the chain as he kicked open the door. Gasps of shock could be heard from the crowd as the dwarf stepped out, struggling with the monstrous beast that had caught scent of Lilith and was now striving for her blood. The spectators suddenly realized that this was very real.

    "Come to me now! I await you here!" Lilith cried out the challenge despite the fact that one of the wolfs paws was as large as her head. Taking that as his cue, Dagoth feigned losing his grip on the chain tethering the beast while at the same time removing the mental hold that was actually keeping the wolf at bay.

    The enraged wolf surged forward with a lustful snarl, intending to simply sheer the hins head from her neck with one bite. And all watching from above fully expected that to be the outcome. So enrapt were the audience that none noticed Dram or Terrick nock an arrow to their bows. Part of planning is being prepared for all contingencies. Dram and Terrick were ready to cut the wolf down should things go badly for Lilith.

    A little surprised by the wolfs eagerness, Dagoth had almost forgotten his lines, but he recovered quickly before the wolf closed. "Ach! Look out, lass! The beast be rabid!" He then tugged at his beard and ran about a little, the perfect picture of someone seeing things turning to disaster. Or at least that is what the dwarf hoped anyone who noticed would think.

    A snarl and a sharp click signaled the wolfs slavering jaws closing on empty air as Lilith dodged nimbly aside. Exclamations of both dismay and worry rose up from the audience as the wolf pressed the attack, the hin only barely keeping clear. Dagoth, forgotten, quietly made his way to a far corner of the stage to watch proceedings and pull the invisible puppet strings he still had attached to the beast. A sharp cry of pain broke from Lilith's mouth as the wolf found flesh and Dagoth grimaced sourly. It had of course been agreed earlier that Lilith would take some wounds but the dwarf could not watch it easily. And now with the taste of blood in it's maw the beast seemed to redouble it's attack on the hin, jaws snapping dangerously.

    Lilith was too slow. The wolfs teeth found flesh again and Dagoth could see that this time the wound was not shallow. Bright blood stained the stones of the stage and slicked the wolfs snout. Grunting a curse beneath his breath Dagoth readied himself to dismiss the animal but a shout from Lilith made him pause.

    "Enough!" she cried, and in her eyes were anger. The wolf himself was little impressed and lunged forward once more with the killing need on him, but the hin lass twisted and ducked so fast that Dagoth could not quiet follow it. She had taken the wolfs legs out from beneath him and the monstrous wolf came down heavily. Lilith darted in and brought the toe of her boot hard up under the wolfs jaws. The beast yelped and scrabbled to it's feet, once more towering over the hin.

    This was what Dagoth had been waiting for. Closing his will over the fiendish wolfs mind, Dagoth caused it to turn tall and flee from the tiny hin, for all the world as if the wolf could feel fear through it's blood lust. The crowd whooped and cheered as Lilith raced after the retreating monster.

    Raising his voice to be heard above the tumult Dagoth bellowed, "Ha! It be affeared of yea now, lass! It be trying to run!" The dwarf clapped and whistled and waited until the beast passed beside a pillar before dismissing him. Both Dram and Terrick surreptitiously returned the readied arrows to their quivers.

    Lilith herself returned to the centre of the stage, bleeding profusely from the savage bites on her arms, and looked up to the crowd proudly. A slight nod was all she offered them before turning on her heel and leaving the stage without a word. Eldath detached himself from his position by the wall and followed her backstage to patch her up. The Green dwarf took centre stage once more, a grin still on his face but slightly strained about the edges with worry. Lilith was badly wounded, just how badly wounded he could not be sure. Still, the show must go on. He put his trust in Eldath to heal her and then put them both from his mind.

    But as he was still gathering his thoughts prepartory to launching into another speech, Lilith reappeared on stage completely healed. There were large rents in her clothes but there were no wounds beneath anymore. The crowd seemed to sigh in relief as one as the hin waved happily to them and thanked them for enjoying her act. Dram walked up beside her and declaimed to thunderous applause, "AS YA SEE…LITH BE MADE O STEEL!"

    Lilith moved off the stage and took a position by the wall. Dagoth looked to Dram and nodded minutely, a hollow feeling in his stomach but he was calm. It was now time. It was time for the main attraction and the act most likely to fail. Nay be thinking too much on such, Dagoth told himself crossly, this be the here and now. Yea both either manage it or yea nay. Consequences later. Four successes from twelve attempts nay has to mean the fifth one nay be tonight.

    Dram had already begun the speech and Dagoth forced himself to listen. "NA FOLKS THIS NEXT ACT BE THE FINALEE! WE'S ASK FA YAS PATIENCE COS IT BE TAKIN SUM TIME TA PRAPARE! I'S BE REQUIRIN CONCENTRATION IN ORDA NA TA BE TURNED INTA A CRISPY HIN!"

    Dram paused to allow someones chuckle to die out. Dagoth now grim and no longer smiling, spoke up into the lull, "Aye, this be what yea all be coming to see." Moving his eye along the row of eager spectators he knew it to be true.

    Sucking air into his lungs once more Dram the Red continued, "YAS MEBE URD RUMOURS O THIS! IT BE AN ACT O DARIN! O COURAGESNESS!"

    "It be an act of madness!" the dwarf shot in, his beard gripped in two fists. Dram turned to him with a grin which faded somewhat as the dwarf continued. "There be every chance that I be putting me truest friend in a grave come the end of this night!" Dagoth leveled a gimlet stare on the spectators as he turned about to look at them all. Some few flinched away from his gaze.

    Raising his voice once more, Dram declared, "I'S BE DUSN THIS WIFAAT ANY MAGICAL AIDIN! IT BE JUS ME AGIN THA FIRE!"

    A ripple of murmurs met this assertation and the dwarf nodded humourlessly, "Make nay a mistake, folk. This be deadly real." Meanwhile Dram had begun doing a few squats and limbering exercises. The Green dwarf watched him silently a moment before asking, "Are yea ready, friend?"

    "As ready as a pig wots abaat ta be et like," Dram replied flippantly.

    Exhaling heavily the dwarf nods and intones, "The Soulforger's Blessing on yea, then. Ready yeaself for the flames"

    "Tymora is wif me."

    Rolling his sleeves up above his elbows, Dagoth put out all the candles surrounding the stage before moving to his position against the wall. He hoped Dram's words to be true. Yea can do it yea mad fool, yea can. The hollow pit in Dagoths stomach felt strangely heavy for something that was empty. He lingered idly on the thought before recognising what he was doing. He was trying to stall. Frowning slightly he worked his fingers against each other, trying to rid them of the nervous energy stored there. It felt as if the blood was trying to push through the skin of his fingertips. Dram was speaking once more and he focused his mind on that.

    "IT BE REAL…NA ILLUSION! THIS NA BE A TRICK! THIS BE RAW TALENT N SKILLS LIKE!" he was saying. Lowering his voice he added almost as an aside, "Bu if i dus gi fried we's ga a eala."

    Trying to swallow passed the sudden knot in his throat, Dagoth the Green nodded to the hin standing alone in the centre stage. Everything seemed hushed, or maybe Dagoth could simply not hear anything else at that moment. The thought did not occur to him. From somewhere he found his voice, "By the hammer and the forge, gods preserve yea." His voice was soft but carried to everyone in the theatre. Dram was watching him with reflective eyes, Dagoth could not see what he was thinking. He wondered if he looked the same way. The arcane words rose unbidden to his lips and tumbled from his mouth as heavy as stones. He felt the magical pressure surging up his arms as he formed the necessary signs. Pausing at the last moment he spoke out with a voice like thunder, "Ware the flames!"

    Dagoth the Green completed the incantation. A deceptively small ball of yellow flame shot from his hands and surged towards Dram, growing steadily larger as it neared it's targer. Dram the Red tensed as his lips peeled back from his teeth and he shouted his battle cry, "GRUNTHAR!"

    The fireball struck the stone at his feet and exploded with a deafening roar and a brilliant flash of light in the darkened theatre. All about the stage people flinched away and raised hands as the heat and wind from the tremendous blast struck their faces, momentarily robbing them of breath. With his ears ringing the way they used to when his father boxed him over the head, and with a bright blue outline of fire filming his vision, Dagoth took a blind step to the stage and grunted incoherently.

    I've killed him, he thought despairingly, Dram be dead.

    Pressing the heels of his palms into his eyes until they began to tear Dagoth blinked rapidly and slowly focused on the stage.

    "TA DAAAA!" proclaimed Dram, looking to the stunned Dagoth with a grin that should have been too big for his face. He was unscathed. Not even a smudge of ash.

    Dagoth was moving before he realised he had instructed his legs to do so. There was a roaring in his ears which he only later realized was the audience and other members of GREAT voicing their awe. Dagoth ran across the stage, so excited that he did not feel the hotness striking though his thick boots and up his legs from the super-heated stone. That was not a concern for the here and now. The dwarf closed on the manically grinning hin and swept him up in a bear hug.

    "Yea did it! Har!," he bellowed, tears of joy running into his beard, "Yea bloody did, yea crazy bastard!"

    =====

    ((You actually read all of it, did you? grins))

  • S

    Hey, I was kinda nervous during that song. It looks better now than I remember it feeling back then. I am glad I came upon this post. Thanks DG

  • ?

    Have you got your C-token yet, dear?

  • E

    Drunken Gun (aka Detective Zoran 😉 ),

    You are a great story teller. I am sorry I couldn't make the actual show, but reading this story….it was like you were there anyway. It is always fun hanging out with you, Dram and the others....Hopefully I'll catch the next show.

    See you in the camp,

    Glory the Blue 😄


  • Ha! You're coming back? 😄

    A shame Besun is dead/retired…

  • ?

    OOC: well, well… drunken gun! You are quite simply a marvelous story teller. I felt as if i was actually watching every emotion filled moment. You paint such a delicious, wonderous image ... im speechless... (which is a rare thing: just ask tric .P )

    anyway, congrats on the terrific success of your FIRST show and i look forward to the next with eager anticipation.

    PS also look forward to RPing with you again soon... 😄

  • ?

    OOC: Ah, I was wondering how someone actually rolls checks and such, apparently theres a wand I dont know about (still havent actually really gotten past creation yet, but hope to soon.) About when do you guys get on together, um… if ya can, translated into central time? If ya dont know just give me a rough estimate, because yea, when I got through creation, and found myself in the gypsy camp it was rather lonely one night, haha. Thanks for the speedy reply and patience with my newb questions!


  • OOC

    Thanks, Ken 😄 The story romanticized the event a fair bit, but anyway…

    First things first, I guess. GREAT is a just a bunch of players with chars who are friends and who call themselves a troupe every once in a while. We are not an official narfell guild but we have put in a submission that is roughly what you see here (there are two versions, the one on the bottom is a little bit more story stuff but the one at the top has a larger list of interested people):

    http://black-flag.com/nwnforum/viewtopic.php?t=7199

    It's not entirely up to date regarding how many people are interested. I think the number stands at a little over 15 but don't quote me on that.

    Q1 Davies pretty much set himself a dc (difficulty class) and then used the emote wand to roll a perform check to see if he would proceed swallowing the sword successfully or fail and start to choke. He done quite a few rolls as he went through. He basically typed out a description of what he was doing according to the whim of the dice. Maybe next time we'll raise the dc for him by getting him to swallow a double axe. 😉

    We do all sorts of things and are only limited by our imaginations, game mechanics and character abilities (like what sort of spells or feats we can adapt to use in the shows). Then again, there are things that are just purely rp'd which work beautifully like Davies sword swallowing and Aff's song.

    Q2 How does someone join us? Talk to Dagoth (dwarf mage, likes to wear green) or Dram Rosenfarel (hin rogue, likes to wear red) ingame and express your interest. Or, if you can't see us talk to any of the people mentioned in our pseudo guild charter thingo and see what they have to say. I doubt any of them would have a problem telling you abotu it IC or OOC. It'll help if you have some sort of talent or feature or an idea for an act to do yourself but if you don't it's no big deal. Dagoth and Dram have a knack for finding hidden talents for prospective performers. Of course, what they come up with will usually put your char at risk of bodily injury 🙂

    Seriosuly though, anything you think up can probably be made workable no matter how far fetched it sounds. Truth be told, I was not entirely sure how well Lilith's wrestling thing would go because there was so much that could go wrong and did (she took a big critical while doing that act :shock: ) but I guess that's half the fun. Get something that might blow up in our faces and do it. We practiced the fireball stunt quite a bit before we actually performed it and I think our success rate only just nudged 30ish%. Makes it all the more sweeter when it works.

    Only concrete prerequisite is you need to be a member of the gypsy camp which it seems like you already are so no problem there. But please note that we are a chaotic and loose bunch, the troupe. We only really get together to do the big shows so you wont really be able to use guild membership as an rp prop if you know what I mean? Like perhaps if you had a character who was a member of the Norwick militia. That is what he could rp being all the time if you wanted to because it's something that's always there. On the other hand, membership of GREAT can flavour your character but it wont actively shape them. Perhaps further down the track but not anytime soon.

    One last thing, most of us are Aussies and thus on at the same time so that can be another obstacle to you if the time zones don't meet up well (I regret that Perius and Cera and others couldn't be there because of it). The gypsy camp can be dead at certain times of the day.

    So, yeah. Thanks for your interest and see you ingame.

  • ?

    (( HAHA THATS SO AWESOME! Got a couple questions, im totally new and trying to get oriented on the gypsy camp, which I intend to join. Question: How did he RP the sword swallowing act? Bravo on the story tho, thats great. And another question: How does someone join you guys? Another: How many are in your troupe? Umm… so many questions a little while ago, haha. Oh well, seem to have forgotten most of them, now for the IC part of the post...)

    Eyes glimmer in hopes of someday seeing such a show, his thoughts are consumed with nothing but joining such a troupe even if its a stage hand

    You are incredible, fine troupe!!!

    hands back the parchement with some sadness to his eyes, and his face works hard as he tries to recall what he has read and preserve it in his own mind


  • :shock: :shock: lith read the parchment Dagoth handed her, a small smile creeping accross her usually serious features. - ahh its wopnderful , Dagoth !!! -rubs sides ahere the beast had bit deepest- "almost like being there again , eh?" onlly not so bloody…the crowd really thought i was going to die right there on stage , eh? and dram too? -grins- not a chance , eh? "
    ack, don't lookat me like that , dagoth.. it all came out fine.. even if the beast was a tad bigger than i expected, eh?
    and dram.. he didnt take even a singeing? all his eyebrows and little beadr in place?...
    -hnads the parchment back reverently-
    So when do we do it all again?


  • Well done folks! Sorry I couldn't make it, but I'm glad it all went with a bang 😉


  • A fantastic experience… I enjoyed it thoroughly - both in the watching and reading 😄

    Equinox Stargazer….....

  • ?

    Wonders if it took longer to perform or write.

    #1 Oxy Moron - Microsoft Works

  • T

    thank you dagoth
    thats a great nay GREAT read
    nice to be able to have an idea of what we did without the nervouse organisation rattleing like a manic auditor going through my head.
    good job 🙂 😄 😄 :lol: 😄

  • F

    ((For the life of me, I wish I was there…bravao!!!))

  • ?

    claps