1397-04-21-A: Killer Acoustics

A game of (in no particular order) politics, intrigue, and swashbuckling adventure - set to a backdrop of an industrialized Amber.
The Stage is obsolete, leftover from a previous revision of reality. RP runs in Discord these days.

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Wyvern
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1397-04-21-A: Killer Acoustics

Post by Wyvern »

It is a lazy afternoon in Rebma, the "mirror" kingdom under the waves, and the RROH (Rebman Royal Opera House)* is packed for a show. The very first showing of a new opera, "Alcynia The Vague", advertised as a "new take on a classic romantic tragedy". Supposedly the cast includes an actual siren. At least, there are rumors to that effect.

The theatre is filled with water, of course, but the entirety of Rebma is enchanted to allow even surface-dwellers to breathe in its depths - and that same water is (part of) what gives the RROH its reputation for having the very best acoustics of any theatre in Amber (despite technically not being in Amber per se).

The lights** dim, the curtains rise, a pair of actors start to sing the opening duet - and then the lights cut out entirely, one of the voices goes silent, and the other quickly stammers to a halt as the water takes on a sort of greasy chill.

_____
* Potentially of note: the RROH is chartered by, specifically, Rebman royalty - meaning Queen Moire - not any of the Amberites. Though some of the latter have been known to attend the occasional performance.
** A truly massive chandelier provided most of the theatre's illumination, a possibly-still-living coral structure studded with enchanted orbs that cast cool blue-green glow.
kitsunenotsume
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Re: 1397-04-21-A: Killer Acoustics

Post by kitsunenotsume »

Until moments before, one of the private booths had housed, among other occupants, a bored girl watching the vaulted rafters and a small flask desperately attempting to reach them - hampered primarily by its owner's nervous fidgeting and length of fine chain binding the trinket to her waist.

She isn't much to look at, as her attire is a basic formal evening dress and shawl - simple enough to avoid standing out, and sufficiently tailored to be acceptable for more classy engagements. Features that might catch the eye (besides the aforementioned floating flask) would be the Naval brooch-pin on her breast, and a hair-style reminiscent of a feeding feather-duster as her gaze wanders.

Well, until the light goes out, at which point she can't be seen and the entire building is plunged into grue-laden gloom.

Not that it stops her from being heard, as evidenced by a soft expletive and the muted clap of sandals.
"Oh, Storms. Just when I thought my day couldn't get better, the fake sun up and dies on us. I'll, uh, see if I can find an usher, or at least one of their lamps."

((I have no idea if she is talking to herself or if other people are actually there, but it works either way))
Wyvern
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Re: 1397-04-21-A: Killer Acoustics

Post by Wyvern »

An immediate reconnaissance reveals that the corridors behind the private booths are similarly blacked out, and if there is an usher there, they are certainly not responding to any immediate calls; the surrounding water remains ominously chill and silent.
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ShadowOfPreservation
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Re: 1397-04-21-A: Killer Acoustics

Post by ShadowOfPreservation »

The silencing of a voice is never a good sign. He knew well the sound of when the screams of fleeing prey were suddenly silenced by the clamp of powerful jaws. The obvious and immediate threat was a catharsis for him. Being so far outside of his element in every respect, he’d been reluctant to even attend the event. He’d made an effort to rise to the occasion, bearing the crowd of people and their irritating high class pleasantries for the reward of seeing the masterwork of architecture that was the Opera House and the pageantry of the performance.

So while he’d been of two minds about the whole experience so far, the descending darkness and unnatural chill to the water sharpened his focus. Standing from his seat, he propelled himself forward toward the stage, darting through the water and sharpening his senses as the hunt began.
Kyttin
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Re: 1397-04-21-A: Killer Acoustics

Post by Kyttin »

He was excited. Sabressa had said there might be another siren here. He'd never met another one like him before or heard anyone else sing well underwater. He wondered if they would look like him or have different colorings than his own silver blue fins.

He hadn't known what to expect from the opera, but the lights and voices cutting out didn't seem right. Also the chill in the water wasn't normal. "So this isn't supposed to have happened..?" he mused to himself as Sabressa's complaints reached him.

Humming under his breath he focused on the vibrations in the water to tell him what was happening. Something down below shot towards the stage leaving large ripples in the water.

"There's something moving towards the stage very fast." he informed Sabressa.
kitsunenotsume
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Re: 1397-04-21-A: Killer Acoustics

Post by kitsunenotsume »

"No staff nearby either. If I didn't know better, I'd like to say it was a badly organized bit of the script, or a technical difficulty."

A brief pull on the door-frame brings her close to the merman and the edge of the booth, which the lass peers over ineffectually in the oily blackness while she kicks off her sandals.

"Unfortunately, I do know better, and it would be really nice if one day to attend a fancy event without someone trying to ruin it.

While we're at it, could you hold on to my shoes? I might as well make my delivery now, seeing as how the intermission might as well be canceled."


Presuming that the other occupant does not explicitly disagree, they get the footwear tossed at them as the messenger vaults over the railing towards the next booth.
Cynthea
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Re: 1397-04-21-A: Killer Acoustics

Post by Cynthea »

One booth over from the messenger, Cynthea frowns in the darkness - and then closes her eyes, focusing on the image of a blazing blue spiral as she brings the Pattern to mind. Powers work poorly in Amber, after all; it shouldn't take much to disrupt this one...
Wyvern
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Re: 1397-04-21-A: Killer Acoustics

Post by Wyvern »

There are few circumstances where Power can be invoked in Amber at no cost... but using Pattern to enforce the local rules is one of them. A bubble of illumination spreads around Cynthea, making it clear that the shadows are truly unnatural: within perhaps twenty feet of the Amberite, the room is lit as if the chandelier still shone, while outside that limit darkness reigns.

On the plus side, that border is rapidly expanding. On the minus side, Kyttin's sonar is giving off some very... disturbing results. The room doesn't seem to be quite the same shape anymore, and something suspiciously kraken-like seems to be present in the darkness, despite the room being far too small to contain such a monstrosity. (Also, quite a number of the theatre's patrons seem to be panicking and trying to swim for the exits... disturbingly, there is no sound to match their panicked rush.)

And Shadow, in the middle of it, finds himself bouncing off the edge of the stage (odd, that shouldn't have been there) as the carrion stench of some vast-but-untidy predator fills the water around him.
kitsunenotsume
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Re: 1397-04-21-A: Killer Acoustics

Post by kitsunenotsume »

Sabressa crosses the murky distance with a few short strokes before flailing to stop herself with a surprised yelp as the light reasserts its brilliance around her. A reflexive twist of her ankle catches the bannister and halts her momentum moments prior to what could have been an unfortunate collision with the petite lady in the centre of the light. "Ack! Kinda sudden there, Uhm, oh, right, Hi."

She stutters and blinks a bit as she (re)acclimates to the bright light, and as her vision clears the courier pales slightly, drops to a subservient knee as fast as the water and her dress allows, offers up a sealed missive from her shawl like a holy grail, and launches into flowery etiquette spoiled only by interspersed nervous additions.

"My greatest apologies for the interruption, Your Highness. I bear a delivery for the occupant of Box number Two Thirty Five, which appears to be, uhh, you, Mi'Lady. I regret to deliver under such circumstances, Your Highness, but waiting until the intermission seemed, ah, ill-advised considering the situation."
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ShadowOfPreservation
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Re: 1397-04-21-A: Killer Acoustics

Post by ShadowOfPreservation »

Shadow lets out a distinctly inhuman growl at the unexpected collision. Unable to reach his target, he instead extends his senses outward and into the shadows, seeking to bend them to his will*. As a creature of Shadow himself, it was no difficulty to sense the darkness around him and call to it. There was hesitance there but that resistance only fueled his determination to make the darkness his own.

Shadow splayed the claws of his will and tore at the shadows blanketing the theater, mentally commanding them to become part of his essence; adding new members to his pack of shadow wolves.

As he tore at the Shadows around him, the remainder of his physical and supernatural senses remained alert for any sign of the source of the darkness.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
* Overcome action invoking his High Concept to “exert control over shadows” is what I’m thinking here.
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