Part 3: Siege of Songs

Soon after the announcement gala, Fallenta invites you to your first meeting as coproducers. "Good, you’re here. Working with your notes from our first meeting, I’ve made an initial outline for the opera’s script, but I wanted to get your input before I start in earnest. After all, no one knows your adventures like you do, and I’m sure you have thoughts on the show. Have a seat, and we can get started."

Fallenta explains that she intends to write this opera using the classic styles of Cheliax, but with that decision comes another—you must determine which of the three categories of Chelaxian opera would make the most sense for you to stage.

Opera Histria (Spectacular Opera): The most bombastic tradition is an opera that focuses less on individual character arcs but on the spectacle of the story itself, resulting in productions heavy on action and meant to thrill.

Opera Prepostera (Comedic Opera): This tradition is one aimed at the "common" people, and operas in this style are often regarded as light-hearted or comedic, designed to inspire and lift the audience’s spirits.

Opera Verita (Dramatic Opera): This tradition is the most serious of the three styles and emphasizes serious tones meant to evoke feelings of sadness or melancholy, inviting the viewer to explore the deeper emotional meanings of life.

The categories aren’t entirely mutually exclusive, but you should choose your predominant tone as the opera’s style.

After deciding on the style, Fallenta goes over her notes about the opera's three acts, giving you a chance to adjust any decisions you have made if you'd like.

Once that is done, she nods and sets down her pen. "Excellent, that should give me plenty to work with. As for the rest of your duties, you have several things to handle before we begin rehearsals, but first, we need to cast a crucial part: your nemesis! And I have the perfect performer in mind.

"If any of you followed opera before, you’ve probably heard of Oriole. Their reputation is legendary; they can perform any voice part with equal artistry. Unfortunately, Oriole officially retired a couple of years ago, and no one knows where they are now—no one who’s talking, anyway. But I’m sure finding them will be easy enough for people of your talents!"

Bekassine recalls that Oriole’s sudden retirement from performance took place after one of their best-reviewed shows in Absalom. They claimed they wanted to "go out on a high note," but others believe Oriole had grown bored or even jaded with their life.

"I think Horace has the right idea," Fallenta says to answer Bekassine's question. "Oriole is a nephilim, a ganzi. They are quite well-liked here in Kintargo. They spent a fair amount of time at Songbird Hall, one of the only places in pre-secession Kintargo that a nephilim could feel safe in showing their true self. Oriole’s first big break in Kintargo was a performance at the city’s oldest performance hall, the Three-Legged Devil, and they made long-lasting friendships with the owners and locals of that venue. Perhaps asking around at both of those locations can help you find some of their friends who may know where Oriole went."

Bekassine and Ramank question the priests in Songbird Hall. They learn that while Oriole did attend Shelynite services, their true faith was to the empyreal lord Arshea, patron of freedom, physical beauty, and sexuality. In fact, Oriole was gifted some guardian statues fashioned to look like Arshea from an appreciative patron.

Meanwhile, Aurelia makes a good impression on stage at the Three-Legged Devil. Speaking with the patrons there afterwards, she is able to make contact with an associate of Oriole's. This associate tells her that the performer relocated to an island in the Shackles known as Petrel's Perch. It is located in an island chain off Garund’s coast and to the east of Yoha’s Graveyard.

Using teleportation magic, it's only a matter of a couple of days before you find yourselves near the shoreline on the island of Petrel's Perch. It is raining rather heavily, fat raindrops pattering against the ground and your clothes and armor and making the already hot air of the Shackles even more humid. Most of the island’s shoreline consist of jagged cliffsides, but an idyllic lagoon inside of the "C" shaped island features a lovely beach on which Oriole has seen to the construction of a single pier that can accommodate most sailing ships. Much of the island is covered by subtropical forest with thick, trackless undergrowth, but a trail leads up to the island's highest peak.

Through the rain and lush foliage, a wrought-iron fence with an open front gate comes into view. Beyond it stands an elegant two-story mansion, its brick walls adorned with vines and roses that twine up its sides. A sheen of rippling energy covers the building’s many windows, as well as a skylight visible on the second story.

As you get closer, you see that the iron gate is fashioned to look like a page of sheet music. It hangs open in front of the house, swinging crookedly on broken hinges. Past the gate, pathways extend to the east and west, as well as to the house’s front door, which also hangs slightly open but is covered with a faint shimmer of energy—as are the building’s shuttered windows. Farther to the northeast of the manor stands a gazebo, its trellised sides adorned with vines. Patches of wildflowers grow here and there alongside the path amid several taller trees.

On the path to the gazebo, an enormous dinosaur with a large, sail-like fin running along its spine hunkers down. It lets loose a low, rumbling growl.