Mafia Murder Theater: Casting of Romeo and Juliet - The Thespians Win!

[desert ashes]

From backstage a chorus member called out:

"Ah, Rolin's a bit intoxicated at the moment!  Someone left the key in the closet that had all the wine for the party." A couple of snickers could be heard before,  "But he was muttering something about Valerian before he passed out!"

Roll ID: 17266
Owner: Moirae
Viewer: Noone or Anyone
Time Rolled: 2010-08-09 02:38:29
Full Result: Moirae rolled: 1d7
Comment:
Result: 6,
Total: 6

[desert ashes]

On Stage: "Murder most foul, as in the best it is. But this most foul, strange, and unnatural." (Lynch vote.)

Cast and Crew
Kyrsa (4) - Valerian, Remiel, Izu, Marguerite
Marguerite (3) - Xandi, Kyrsa, Imogen
Valerian (1) - Rolin
Imogen
Izu
Remiel
Rolin
Xandi

Call Backed: 5 Thespians, 1 Director, 1 Stage Manager and 1 Understudy



The tides of death had changed with but one name murmured: Kyrsa.  One by one all lights dimmed until a sole spotlight remained on the fair woman and Producer; a moment later it turned crimson as the noose fell down about her neck and the hinges of the hidden door beneath her began to creak to life. 

"What, drawn, and talk of peace! I hate the word,

As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee:

Have at thee, coward!"

Shrieks sounded through the theater, Tybalt's words echoing as the door gave way and Kyrsa was no more, her last breath taken with the noose's cinch.  What fluttered from her pocket, however, was not a note of secrets between villains but one of set changes and lighting cues, for the woman destined to portray Tybalt, who had been named among her peers as the Producer, had also been the Director and savior of the Thespians. 

Without their guardian the Thespians were now more than ever at risk from the remaining Understudy.

[Imogen]

Imogen shook her head, and glanced over at Marguerite and Izu.... "Who needs enemies with allies like this."

[desert ashes]

"Death lies on her like an untimely frost

Upon the sweetest flower of all the field."

The shadows in de Chantal theater stirred once again.  It was the all seeing Imogen who paced the stage, script in hand and the passages for Capulet highlighted in yellow while others were marked in various colors, notes scribbled for props, sounds, times, names, placements and more.  Perhaps she was too caught up in the lines of the part that'd been given to her, or perhaps it was the thoughts of finding out who the remaining Understudy was, as a lack of information was always a Stage Manager's worse fear. 

A fear that came to life when the shadowed figure slipped behind the Stage Manager, the seer of the Thespians, and plunged in the dagger just as the final word left Imogen's lips.  Dramatically she gasped, the script dropping to the stage floor as her eyes widened; a shriek caught in her throat as she fell to the ground and the curtains closed.

The Understudy had chosen well.

How would the Thespians fare in electing a new Producer and finding the remaining Understudy now?

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On Stage: Producer voting.  Who among the cast and crew is the fairest of them all?

Cast and Crew
Aiden — Thespian/Mercutio, Killed, Act 1 (Night)
Goober — Understudy/Montague, Lynched, Act 2 (Day)
Imogen — Stage Manager/Capulet, Killed, Act 3 (Night)
Izu
Kyrsa — Director/Tybalt, Lynched, Act 3 (Day)
Marguerite
Remiel
Rolin
thirteenhearts — Understudy/Lady Capulet, Lynched, Act 1 (Day)
Valerian
Xandi

Still Voting: Izu, Marguerite, Remiel, Rolin, Valerian, Xandi

Call Backed: 5 Thespians, 1 Understudy

[Remiel]

Upon learning not only that Kyrsa, the Director, was dead, but also that the insidious Understudy had murdered Imogen, the Stage Manager, as well,  Remiel turned a ghastly shade of ghostly pale.  Then he ran outside, not stopping once he had reached the street.  Turning to face the sky, his face a portrait of quintessential agony, he shook his fist and yelled,

"KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!"

Once he had gotten that out of his system, he ran back inside.  Once there, breathless and flushed, he paused to pat the sweat from his forehead with a towel before saying,

"Clearly we cannot trust Marguerite and Izu.  I believe we cannot trust Valerian, either.  As for Rolin -- although perhaps getting drunk on wine is, perhaps, the appropriate response to all that has happened so far,  we need someone who can think with a level head.  That only leaves Xandi.  I believe Xandi will aptly and competently carry out the duties as our new Producer."

[Valerian]

Val, still pale from learning of this latest terrible death and how defenseless they now all were -- well, all except one of them -- was now even more rattled after Remiel's amazingly loud yell, which was still quite clear even from the street.  She gave him an odd look as he returned and breathlessly cast his vote.

"Are you kidding?  If you think you can't trust me, then you definitely can't trust Xandi.  I followed her lead in voting for Kyrsa -- just like you did, Remiel -- because Xandi convinced us that she knew something useful.  But apparently she's listening to all the wrong people, and they're telling her all the wrong things.  If she's so easily swayed, she shouldn't be in charge.  I vote for Marguerite.  Thanks to Xandi's confusion, Marguerite was forced to vote for Kyrsa to save herself, so we can't hold that against her.  I think we can trust her."

Then she stopped, blushed, and sat down again, huddling unhappily in a corner.  "Besides, we need someone tough to protect us," she murmured.

[Autumn52]

Xandi crossed her arms and looked at everyone...

My vote goes for Valerian.

That was all she said as she went to sit down. How could anyone not think her trustworthy after all she had sacrificed for the sake of the whole. She silently wept.

[Marguerite]

"You lie Xandi for you could be the understudy who killed Kyrsa and not me in order to throw off suspicion. You would not be the one to save us but to kill us. I vote for Valerian for this woman will get rid of the last understudy."

[Remiel]

Remiel gave Valerian a sober look (which was probably more than Rolin was capable of at the moment) as he went to comfort Xandi, gallantly offering her his handkerchief.  "Yes, Valerian, Xandi did vote for Kyrsa, initially.  However, she then changed her vote to Marguerite, when you and I did not.  I still maintain that she is the only one out of all of us who can truly be trusted." 

[Valerian]

"Well, all I'm maintaining is that I don't know who to trust anymore," Val sighed.  "And I guess you don't even trust yourself anymore, Remiel," she added, with a bleak smile.  "No, I know, you can't vote for yourself.  Besides, I'm sure Xandi means well.  We're just all confused, and she got carried away.  I'm sorry, Xandi."  She sighed again and turned to stare at the floor just past her toes.

[desert ashes]

On Stage: Producer voting.  Who among the cast and crew is the fairest of them all?

Cast and Crew
Valerian (3) - Xandi, Marguerite, Izu
Marguerite (1) - Valerian
Xandi (1) - Remiel
Izu
Remiel
Rolin

Still Voting: Rolin

Call Backed: 5 Thespians, 1 Understudy

[Izu]

Valerian

[[sorry for not being very active - I'm sick right now ;.;]]

[desert ashes]

It took some time before one of the chorus members were able to locate Rolin, sleeping away his drunkenness in a closet and entirely unable to vote.  Not, it was realized, that his vote would have mattered; Valerian swept away the votes and with the sheepish report of the chorus member, she became the new Producer. 

Now, onto the more gruesome matters at hand ...

On Stage: "Murder most foul, as in the best it is. But this most foul, strange, and unnatural." (Lynch vote.)

Cast and Crew
Izu
Marguerite
Remiel
Rolin
Valerian
Xandi

Still Voting: Izu, Marguerite, Remiel, Rolin, Valerian, Xandi

Call Backed: 5 Thespians, 1 Understudy

[Remiel]

Remiel rolled his eyes.  "No one listens to me! Why does no one ever listen to me?"  He crossed his arms, and fumed, throwing a tantrum in the finest tradition of divas everywhere.  "Look, it is quite clear to me that our murderer is either Marguerite or Valerian.  (Although, I suppose it's equally likely it could be Izu. But never mind. )   Marguerite is the obvious choice; therefore, naturally,  I suspect Valerian as our culprit."

"Now, if anyone wants me, I'll be in my trailer."  He stomped off, knowing full well that he didn't really have a trailer. 

[Marguerite]

Xandi is the culprit! I have nothing more to say.

[Autumn52]

Marguerite

That is all Xandi said as she sat down and awaited the votes.

[Izu]

"I will say... Xandi."

[Remiel]

Remiel popped his head out of his "trailer" (which was, in fact, the men's bathroom at the theater).   "Are you guys nuts? Are you insane? Xandi is the only person out of all of us that we can trust! She was right about thirteenhearts, after all, and was the first one to vote for Goober."

Wishing not to throw his vote away, he changed it to Marguerite.

[Marguerite]

Marguerite merely shrugged and grabbed herself a bottle of wine to enjoy for tonight.

[desert ashes]

On Stage: "Murder most foul, as in the best it is. But this most foul, strange, and unnatural." (Lynch vote.)

Cast and Crew
Marguerite (2) - Xandi, Remiel
Xandi (2) - Marguerite, Izu
Izu
Remiel
Rolin
Valerian

Still Voting: Rolin, Valerian

Call Backed: 5 Thespians, 1 Understudy

[Valerian]

Val hesitated, sighed, then shook her head sadly.  "I'm sorry, Xandi.  I don't know what else to do."

[Autumn52]

As the day drug on Xandi knew her next move would shock everyone. She stood once more and looked around the room.

Saying softly in an exhausted voice, "To be absolutely fair to everyone hear I don't know who is the guilty party but I guess we will leave it up to Rolin to decide our fate. I am not certain of Margs guilt I am only guessing but one observation I would like to make is that the true culprit can vote anyway they please this round. Since they are the final understudy, they can vote with someone who has proven their innocences over and over in vote after vote and know that is does not matter. Please remember my words in any case."

As she finished speaking she looked suspiciously at Remiel, Marg, Valerian, and then Izu and Rolin.

[Marguerite]

Marguerite laughed at Xandi, "Just give it up! I am not the understudy and while it was unfortunate for Kyrsa to side with a killer, you will be taken down and hung for everyone to see. You will not ruin this play that has been made for everyone." She pointed to Xandi and then put the finger to her neck to show Xandi was as good as gone.

[desert ashes]

There was a crash heard from backstage, followed by roaring, drunken laughter, the heavy falling of feet and then several metal clangs after another, larger crash.  An extra called out, "Rolin!  Put down that wine!"

"Osh, shoosh, Val.  Er.  Whosh are yoush?"

Suddenly there was a thud and then,

"Rolin?  You okay, dude?  Uh oh... "




On Stage: "Murder most foul, as in the best it is. But this most foul, strange, and unnatural." (Lynch vote.)

Cast and Crew
Xandi (3) - Marguerite, Izu, Valerian
Marguerite (2) - Xandi, Remiel
Valerian (1) - Rolin
Izu
Remiel
Rolin

Call Backed: 5 Thespians, 1 Understudy

"A glooming peace this morning with it brings;

The sun, for sorrow, will not show his head..."

Thus, it was Xandi who was taken to the center of the stage, the single red spotlight falling on her once all other lights dimmed.  However, the woman chosen for the role of Prince Escalus was not revealed as the final Understudy but as an innocent, budding Thespian.

Danger was still very present in the de Chantal Theater.

[desert ashes]

"And we're rollin'..."

"Yeaaah, we're rollin."

"Oooh, rollin."

"Rollin' down the rii --- "

The chorus member's head shot up when the voice of the Thespian Rolin, above on the catwalk, suddenly broke off with a strangled gasp.  A moment later drops of freshly spilled blood splattered down onto his cheek.  For a second he could do nothing, and then with a blood curdling scream he raced to his feet and went running to the stage.

"He's dead! Benvolio -- Rolin -- is dead! Murder!  Murder!"

And then he promptly fainted center stage.

The Understudy had struck again.

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On Stage: "Murder most foul, as in the best it is. But this most foul, strange, and unnatural." (Lynch vote.)

Cast and Crew
Izu
Marguerite
Remiel
Valerian

Aiden — Thespian/Mercutio, Killed, Act 1 (Night)
Goober — Understudy/Montague, Lynched, Act 2 (Day)
Imogen — Stage Manager/Capulet, Killed, Act 3 (Night)
Kyrsa — Director/Tybalt, Lynched, Act 3 (Day)
Rolin — Thespian/Benvolio, Killed, Act 4 (Night)
thirteenhearts — Understudy/Lady Capulet, Lynched, Act 1 (Day)
Xandi — Thespain/Prince Escalus, Lynched, Act 4 (Day)

Still Voting: Izu, Marguerite, Remiel, Valerian

Call Backed: 3 Thespians, 1 Understudy