bookholm: Thespian Quarter
Several thespian edifices tower in the Zamonian literary landscape. Figuratively, the monumental ouevre of Aleisha Wimpersleake overshadows and underpins all; the creative energies of the Orm have spoken through no Zamonian so persistently as through she. Literally, the Puppetocircus Maximus' rotund silhouette dominates the skyline of Bookholm, the City of Dreaming Books, from all angles.
Around the spherical hulk of the Puppetocircus, a busy district has blossomed. Here, the streets bustle at all hours. Actors rehearse or busk with their monologues in the open air; carpenters and stage hands rush hither and fro with precariously juggled hammers, tacks, ropes, sandbags, rolls of fabric, timber joists, and scaffolds. Playwrights, poets, producers, agents, and directors pace along, pipes and snufters in hand, or sit in crowded smoky cafes, deeply engaged in the arguments and discussions that propel nascent works to the heights of fame via the stage. And here, there, everywhere, the puppeteers ingrain themselves within the essential fabric of the city. Fine-fingered gnomes with eyes ballooned ten times through crystal loupes tinker with dancing automatons of clockwork and spring, while skilled, black-robed dancers practice dips and twirls with painted full-scale dolls. In a few years, the impassioned artistry of the puppetists will dominate the city near-entirely.
use any combination of the verbs, nouns, and adjectives below to rapidly sketch NPCs, items, locations, or situations.
| 1D6 | Adjective | Verb | Noun |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Garish | Manipulate | Illusion |
| 2 | Explosive | Craft | Marionette |
| 3 | Deceptive | Decorate | Auditorium |
| 4 | Intricate | Enthrall | Thespian |
| 5 | Impassioned | Perform | Play |
| 6 | Genius | Declare | Troupe |
BOOK: Do Not Chain to a Humbug (12)
4,000 SILVER PENCE. A rare, antique, hand-scribed and illuminated copy of Aleisha Wimpersleake's iconic comedic play. Set on the continent of Pangaea, it concerns a hopelessly romantic troglodyte. He engages in forlorn escapades at a masquerade ball alongside several dinosaurs as, unknowingly, a giant meteor approaches the globe.
special: Test this book's Stat to open it and read a passage out loud, causing all nearby to Test their Luck or suffer a fit of uncontrollable laughter lasting 2D6 minutes.
Living Doll
| Skill | Stamina | Initiative | Armour | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 19 | 2 | 3 | 3x As Knife |
special: Once visualized -- e.g. with successful Second Sight, the liberal application of aerosolised flour, etc., -- its puppet-strings can be targeted and cut, rendering the marionette lifeless. The puppeteer is as per Goblin in the Troika! core rules.
With the puppeteering bubble dangerously close to bursting, some desperate practitioners have resorted to violent crime. Recently, nocturnal streets of the Quarter have been terroriser by monstrous, knife-wielding muggers -- in actual fact, deadly and lifelike marionettes operated by puppeteers hidden among the darkened rooftops far above.
Maestro Corodiak
| Skill | Stamina | Initiative | Armour | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 5 | 4 | 0 | As Knife |
special: Able to sense perfectly, even in total darkness.
Twin brother of the mad sculptor Hagob Salbandian and uncle of the vicious and conniving Pfistomel Smyke, this eyeless genius shark-grub sits at the epicentre of the Puppetocircus Maximus' buzzing nervous system. His dedication to the artform is all-consuming, and he will spare no expense in the pursuit of puppeteering perfection. For his newest and most daring venture, known as the Invisible Theatre, he needs test subjects and assistants in equal measures to enter a specially built compound in the Catacombs where fantastic sights and sounds await.