Troupe Commedia

A large guild of fine arts performers of all types. They have a main building in The Refuge, but also perform, teach, and train in all the major cities. Known for their Banquet(s) Commedia; a morose tradition that some very famous Peninsular figures choose to undergo. Their memory is encapsulated a medium of art; an opera, a play, a song, a book, visual arts, etc. There is a gala where their medium is revealed at the event, and the figure is ceremonially killed at the Banquet and has their soul bonded to the Commedia.

###### History

Nearing the end of Tiridan’s life, many of his advisors and upper ranking officials of the Peninsula wanted a lasting monument to his legacy involving his work on the Peninsula. Remus Cibara, one of Tiridan’s close friends, pitched the idea that a statue should erected in Crescenda Bay to welcome newcomers to the Peninsula (at the time, the Second Ship had just come through the portal). Remus was a renowned magician and embalmer, and believed that he may be able to use Tiridan’s life energy to magically imbue the statue long term.

Unbeknownst to most of the Peninsula at the time, there was a lot of pushback on the ritual, as Remus needed Tiridan’s life energy to release at the correct moment in order for the magic to take effect; therefore, Remus would need to kill Tiridan during the spell. Many of Tiridan’s advisors were against this, but Tiridan consented and thus the decision was made.

To avoid public dissension, the statue is built and they wait to reveal it to the public until the day Tiridan believed his life was coming to an end; they threw a grand festival, revealed the statue, and then Tiridan “peacefully passed in his bed surrounded by his advisors” the evening of that same day. Upon his death, a great light came forth from the Capitol building, which shot towards the statue and struck with a visible sonic boom. In Tiridan’s left eye, where a large sapphire used to be, hung an amorphous fizzle of light. Climbing up, it was untouchable (almost like two positive sided batteries trying to touch, but VERY strong), but being near it gave an overwhelming sense of Tiridan’s presence, as if he was standing right in front of you.

The story at the time was that Tiridan’s soul was given a send-off by Remus upon his death and that it manifested into the eye of the statue. He was hailed as a great hero for his dedication to Tiridan and gained a cult following, especially with the guild of artisans that helped to build the statue. Remus thought “I can monetize this” and founded the Troupe Commedia as a way to continue preserving the legacy of The Peninsula’s greatest figures. The ritual was titled Banquet Commedia and became more of a spectacle for the upper class to watch as the Commedia were created.

The second Banquet Commedia was Eveline’s opera, A Shadow of Power, where she was killed on stage by Remus (the Jester) much to the shock of the patrons watching.

It wasn’t until maybe the third or fourth Banquet that it became public knowledge that the Banquets Commedia must involve killing the subject during the ritual. None of the subjects were so old as to be on their deathbed when the Banquet took place; it always just so happened that the subject passed during the Banquet away from the eyes of the public. After a few Banquets, one of the successor Jesters performed a Banquet Commedia publicly in front of the common population, and the secret was out.

###### Appearance

All revelers are dressed in extravagant, all white 18th century fashion; high boots, trousers, high collared vests and jackets, elegant buttons, ruffles, etc (think: Hamilton ensemble cast). Very glamorously hair’ed and makeup’ed. Each reveler wears a white half mask on the left half of their face (not attached by any visual means, a millimeter thick) that moves very slightly with the face as the reveler emotes (most in the eyebrow, cheekbone, and slight mouth movement).

###### How to Join

Enlistment in the Troupe Commedia involves an application to one of the colleges, where they must submit a piece of art in their medium of choice. Their application is reviewed by a committee of Vecchi, and if accepted, are interviewed by the Innamorati that their art form is represented by.

###### Ranking

**The Jester**: the head of the Troupe. Oversees all Banquet Commedia and performs the sacrifice for each Banquet. Jesters are chosen by their predecessor and are usually a member of the Innamorati, unless an alternative is elected by the Jester and unanimously voted upon by the Innamorati. The Jester always has a successor chosen, which is written down and magically sealed. The seal is broken on their premature death, if they have not publicly chosen. The successor can be changed at any time.

**The Innamorati are the second level of ranking in the Troupe, and have equal status among the five. When not working on Banquets Commedia, they work in administration over their specific field:**

**The Lady**: A role filled by either gender despite the title. Primarily deals in Commedia involving music.

**The Stutterer**: Primarily deals in Commedia involving theatre and literature.

**The Puppet**: Primarily deals in Commedia involving visual arts and innovation.

**The Lover**: Primarily deals in Commedia involving media heavily involved in the arcane (Example: Valera’s Dancer)

**The Doctor**: Primarily deals with preparation of the subject on the process of the Banquet and Death. Oversees proper burial and embalming of body after Banquet. When not working on Banquets Commedia, The Doctor works in advertisement and internal affairs.

**The Vecchi-** The third ranking of the Troupe, consisting of artisans, actors, writers, etc that work on Banquets Commedia as needed. They also oversee and create performances as the main form of live entertainment/art for the Peninsula when not working on Banquets.

**The Zanni-** The lowest ranking in the Troupe, working as performers, advertisers, etc; grunt men.

###### The Ritual

The details of the ritual and the spell are closely guarded amount the Inmamorati, and only the Jester knows every aspect of it, in books locked away and only accessible to the Jester. It involves a long passage of words in an arcane language, widely known to translate a story about the fabrication of the world, the heavens, and the passage of life. The second half of the passage branches to speak of the entrance of the world of the dead, and creating a new path to spend  “the years after your years” in the world you once lived. The last few lines involve releasing yourself to this new path, to “meet death in the middle, to move past and through Him” and ends with stabbing the subject in the heart with a knife. On impact, there is a great impact like thunder, then a sharp whine like a flash bang, and the wound opens like a crack in rock. Out shines a bright golden veil of light, then a flash of an underworldly green-white, and then the light is gone entirely.

The knife is allegedly the same night the Remus wielded on Tiridan, however there were multiple versions of the knives created before the Troupe decided on a “look” that they liked best, and it has remained the same ever since.

###### Banquets Commedia

The Tiridan Statue- standing at 143 feet and has one twinkling eye where Tiridans soul resides. It stands open-palmed facing ocean in the port area of The Refuge to welcome newcomers through the portal.

A Shadow of Power- Tiridan’s wife, Evaline Tiridan, was immortalized in an opera; in the final act when her character appears, her spirit is summoned to fulfill her part. When her character dies, the spirit departs.

Valera’s Dancer- Simone Valera was an aristocrat and astrologist based in Laddorn City that was in service of the Queen’s court. Her Banquet Commedia involved her soul being bonded to the night sky, creating 9 new stars. At midnight, the constellation moves and dances, before becoming stationary again after a few minutes. There is a folk legend that children born during Valera’s Dance is blessed with good fortune for life.

The Painting of Isabelle Arani- Isabelle was the Magistrate of Hymora that was immortalized in a large painting. The painting is of a large bedroom that Isabelle lives in and moves around in her daily activities. The room has a window that reflects the same time of day as real life. Isabelle seems to have some understanding of where the focal point of the painting is (though she seemingly cannot see the real world), and would regularly dance and perform for those watching. Eventually, Isabelle began showing signs of boredom, then distress, and nowadays does nothing except sleep, and read constantly from the many books in her room. She has made it through less than half of them. This Commedia has come under a lot of scrutiny as she has clearly become unhappy; however, the Troupe has made a public statement stating that Isabelle  was made well aware of the experience of a Banquet Commedia and that all Commedia are permanent.

Sir Lucia Battenfort, The Eternal Vigilante- Sir Lucia was a knight who was alive in the 11th century with many legends to his name. Upon his death, his armour was enchanted to patrol the walls of The Refuge on constant guard for all eternity.