I headed back to the Winged Guar Tavern, changed robes, got a bite to eat, then headed back to the Grand Bazaar. I was a bit tired of all this running around, so I decided I'd just enjoy the city for a while before heading to bed.

I made my way back to the main market place, and noticed a number of people waiting for this famous play to start. Now, I'd been in Morrowind for over a year, and had actually found this book concerning the play coming up, so I decided I'd stay to see how it turns out.  One of the guards did mention that it was supposed to have a surprise ending.

I saw Marena Gilnith waiting there as well. She asked me if I had found anyone new for her to meet. I mentioned that one of the merchants seemed to be a very likeable person.

"I have to tell you up front that I'm very apprehensive about all this." she said. "I'm taking a big risk here, not to mention that I need to leave for worth in a bit. So you'd better be right about this. If you've found someone who's all wrong for me, I'll simply never forgive you. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I believe my judgment about this person is sound." I replied. "His name is Sunel Hlas.

"Sunel Hlas, you say?" she said. "Hmm, I think I've heard the name before, but can't remember where. Ok, I'm really trusting your judgement, Mr. Dragonmeal. Tell him to meet me at the Winged Guar two days from now. I hope he's nice...."

"I'm sure you'll like him." I said, giving her a smile and a wink.   

I headed on down to the stage area, expecting to find a good spot to sit and watch this play I had heard so much about. There was a problem, however. A number of the patrons asked if I knew why there was a delay. It seems they had all been waiting there for a while now, and there was some sort of hold-up back-stage. I figured I'd better check around the back and see if I should wait around or not.

At the back of the stage, I found Meryn Othralas, pacing, and looking very nervous. As soon as he saw me, his face perked up into a smile.

"Greetings, Breton!" he said. "I'm Meryn Othralas, founder of the Mournhold Players. I'm sure you came here to watch our production of 'The Horror of Castle Xry.' Well, I'm very sorry to inform you that we won't be putting on the show today. The troupe has its own drama to worry about at this moment."

"Oh?" I said. "What seems to be the problem?"

"Oh yes, well, wouldn't you know that the very day we're supposed to debut our show, our lead actor, Tarvus Beleth, comes down with collywobbles." he said. "We can't find anyone to take over his part. I would do it, but my expertise is desperately needed backstage. So now I've just got to stand up here and try to drive people away from our heavily promoted production."

He sighed heavily, seeing all his work go down the drain, then added "I just wish we could find someone who looks like Tarvus...."

He paused for a moment, looking me over, then said "Hmm, wait just a minute there, Breton. You know, you kind of look a little like Tarvus. I think this might work. What do you say, Breton? Would you like to take on the part of Clavides, Captain of the Imperial Guard, in our production?"

Well, I had never tried roll-playing before, but I could see he was in a pickle, so, being the soft touch that I am, I decided to agree to help.

He gave me a copy of "The Horror of Castle Xry" and said I have just two minutes to memorize my lines before the play was set to start.

I read over the story again, memorizing the lines of the Imperial Guard captain, and reported back to Meryn Othralas, saying that I was ready.

"Good job, Mr. Dragonmeal." he replied, taking the book back from me. "You're right on time. Let's get this show on the road. All you have to do is head out there through the door, hit your mark in the center of the rug next to Gureryne, stand still, and deliver your lines. Move quickly through the door - timing is everything. And be careful, the audience knows the play well, and I'll be counting your mistakes. Now, go break a leg!"

"Break a leg." he says.

Slaying a dragon would be a bit less stressful, but oh well, I said I'd help, so here goes nothing.

Ah, the roar of the greasepaint. The smell of the crowd.....

Gureryne started in with her lines, and I managed to deliver all the correct responses, though I had to admit, I didn't put a lot of emotion into them. I had forgotten to ask what my motivation was, or something like that that actors seem to need.

The play seemed to go well, none-the-less, right up until I responded with "They're all Telvanni." Suddenly, someone from the crowd shouted "NOW YOU DIE!!!" and came running at me from the audience.   

Everyone was dumbstruck by the attack. Even the guards weren't sure if this was part of the act or not. I was certain it was not. The sword he slashed me with was certainly no stage-prop - it carried a poison enchantment.

I would have blasted him with God's Frost, but Gureryne was too close, and it would have killed her as well.

Unable to use a blast-type spell on him, I decided to try and maneuver him to a clear area.

I threw a few punches at him, stepping back each time, drawing him away from Gureryne to where I could take care of this killer.

Once I had him in the clear, I hit him with Medusa's Gaze, then used the Spider's Kiss, draining his life force into myself, healing the damage he had just done.

He managed to free himself from the paralyzing spell, but I hit him with another and another, freezing him in place while the crowd just watched this battle take place.

Each time he freed himself from Medusa's Gaze, I managed to force him to move further and further away from anyone that might be in range, until I was finally able to hit him with God's Frost.

That managed to take care of him. He turned and fell, dead on the stage.

I know that bad acting can have consequences, but this was a bit much. Tough crowd.

The crowd stood and gave applause, thinking that this was the best show they had seen in years. I couldn't help but take a bow before heading out the back door.

"Ah, yes, well, I do intend to pay you in full." he said, still sounding like a nervous child. He reached down into his purse and pulled out a number of gold coins. "Let's see, during the play I didn't count a single mistake. Very impressive, Mr. Dragonmeal, but your acting skills could definitely use some improvement. Here, take this gold and this amulet that will improve your acting abilities whenever you need it. Thank you again, and I hope you can forgive us."

He handed me several thousand coins, and the Amulet of Verbosity, which would increase my speechcraft skills for 30 seconds. Well, I did need some practice acting, so I suppose that was pretty good, all things considered.

Then again, perhaps I should stick with Alchemy.

I had one final mission to complete that night before heading back to the Winged Guar. I stopped the store of Sunel Hlas, and told him about Marena Gilnith.

He was resistant at first, but I pestered him enough about it that he agreed to meet her at the Winged Guar in two nights.

All-in-all, not a bad evening, even considering the attempt on my life. I just put it down to really, really bad acting with a tough crowd.

I promised myself never to do that again.