Location: Oldtown (9)
Services: Entertainment
Key NPCs: Flourish (“male human” master of ceremonies), Rose (“female human” artist)
The Rose Theater provides entertainment for Quickstone. Each week, one night is devoted to scripted entertainment, and another to Brelish country dances. Three nights have variety shows—music, magic, tumbling, fancy wandwork, and more. The remaining two nights, the theater is made available to local interest groups: kobold acrobats, the Soldiers’ Choir, Mourners who want to dance the Cyran tago. Traveling entertainers and local talent are often worked into the variety shows, so there’s almost always something new in the mix—occasionally including performers from Droaam.
The mystery of the Rose is that while there’s a host of regular performers, no one knows exactly how many people work there. Vaegal is an elf acrobat and contortionist; the dwarf Drego Drego does a comedy act lampooning Karrnath (“What a country!”); the elderly Mystress Mysteria entertains with illusion and Prestidigitation; Rose plays the harp and sings; and these are just a few examples. But most of these performers are rarely seen outside the theater, and certainly never in a group. It is quite possible that they’re a tight-knit troupe who prefer to keep to themselves, but most people assume that at least some of these performers are just personas created for the shows. The two people who are encountered outside the theater are Flourish, who serves as the master of ceremonies and manager of the theater; and Rose, who designs sets and costumes in addition to writing music. For the most part, the townsfolk go to the Rose for entertainment, and don’t really care if the performers are changelings, warlocks, or magewrights; it’s all part of the show, and of course things aren’t exactly what they appear. Flourish and Rose are established members of Oldtown, and they are entitled to their secrets; and if asked directly about it, they’ll smile and say “We wouldn’t want to spoil the mystery.”
The Rose Theater isn’t licensed by House Phiarlan or Thuranni. While this is hardly a problem for the wild frontier, as Quickstone grows it’s always possible that one of the Shadow Houses will take an interest in the town, and this could cause trouble.