The Touchstone Troupe

Come one, come all! For one night only, Tybalt Touchstone and his magnificient Troupe of Travelling Thespians presents: The Shipwright's Daughter! Do not miss this opportunity to see the Estian Elegance herself, Cordelia Thaleril, starring in the titular role! For only a single gold coin, this is an experience you will not forget!

"I am, indeed, the Tybalt Touchstone. You are pleased to finally meet me, to be sure! As you know, I am a busy man, but word of yourselves preceed you - I believe we have a problem in common." Tybalt Touchstone

"Cast now your eyes upon fair Tec, for during the final days of that Empire is when our story is told. Behold fair Aemica, a wizard of great aptitude." Opening of The Fall of the Teccan Empire

The Touchstone Troupe, or Tybalt Touchstone's Troupe of Travelling Thespians, travels around Estia performing theater plays. They are an eclectic bunch, but they are skilled at what they do. The Troupe is on the road most of the time, playing in both small villages and major cities.

The Troupe travels in covered wagons. The largest wagon folds out to reveal their stage, and is over 30 feet long and is pulled by two giant oxen. The performers and stagehands live in smaller wagons. Only the director and some stars have individual wagons, others have to share living space with their collegues. The wagon-train travels slowly between its stops, giving time for outriders to go ahead and spread the word of the incoming spectacle.

Two or three times per year, the Troupe have auditions for new actors. They usually go through upwards of a hundred histrionic hopefuls, but very few are given a chance to perform on stage with the Troupe.

Most members stay with the Troupe for many years once they are accepted into the ranks. It is not uncommon for the young actors to fall in and out of love, and drama is always close in the Troupe.

People

In total, the Troupe travels with around 40-50 people. This includes actors, stagehands, guards, carpenters, costumers, ushers, and a wheelwright. In total, the Troupe requires twenty wagons to carry everyone along with props, costumes, stage dressing, marketing materials, and other equipment.

Tybalt Touchstone

(human bard, CG, 46): The owner and artistic leader of the Troupe. He has a very large personality and an even larger ego. Tybalt works from dawn to late at night: writing new plays, leading rehearsals, casting new potential actors, negotiating marketing deals, along with managing his several dozen employees. Despite the successes of his plays, Tybalt is not very good with money and the Troupe has never been a very profitable venture. Tybalt is slender and handsome with a large moustache, and his once-dark hair is starting to go grey. He wears a Feathered Minstrel's Hat and matching doublets.

Cordelia Thaleril

(half-elf bard, CN, 30): Unquestionably the most famous performer of the Troupe, Cordelia is a true diva, renowned for her extraordinary beauty and elegance. She has golden blonde hair and golden eyes. When not on stage, Cordelia dresses in expensive gowns from the finest tailors in the Isles, along with plenty of gold jewelry. Many men (and some women) have tried to woo her, and while some have temporarily succeeded, none have managed to stick around long-term.

Cordelia owns a Lunarite Loop that she uses to go from her wagon to the backstage area without having to step on muddy ground. The ring was a gift from an elven nobleman in an attempt to gain her affection.

Lancelot

(human rogue, 37, TN): Cordelia's man-servant and bodyguard. He is the only one allowed in her carriage except her, which has given rise to many insidious rumors about them. In public, he is rarely more than a few feet away from his charge, rapier at his hip.

Orlando Goldmint

(halfling artificer, NG, 58): Lead set designer and close confidante of Tybalt. Orlando is one of the original members of the Troupe, having toured for almost 20 years. He is the first person to read Tybalt's new scripts, providing critique and ideas.

Edward Proudshaw

(human, CG, 34): Actor in the Troupe who has played several male leads, including the Captain in The Shipwrights Daughter. He is married to Marina, a fellow member of the Troupe who tailors costumes for the actors. His chiseled jawline and midnight hair has earned him a following of fawning women, much to the disdain of his wife.

Marina Proudshaw

(human, NG, 33): An expert tailor, Marina is the Troupe's head costumer. She is married to Edward. They met when they were both new in the Troupe, stealing moments between rehearsals and costume fittings.

Yorick Winterwool

(human, 48, TN): Yorick is actor with the Troupe who often plays tragic roles or villains. He revels in making the audience cry, either through his on-stage death or actions. Yorick has black hair, that he keeps in a shaggy fringe that shades his dark eyes. Yorick has been working on a collection of dark poetry, and he will recite it to anyone who wants to listen.

Robin Goodfellow

(satyr bard, 35, CG): The troupe's resident multi-instrumentalist musician who provides music for the plays. Robin is very good at adapting his performance on the fly to what is happening on stage, and has become an integral part of the Touchstone experience. Most plays begin with him giving a musical prelude, in which he narrates the premise and introduces the main characters. Robin is from Ancalos in the Feywild, and he wants nothing more than to take the Troupe there on tour. While he can play almost anything, Robin's favored instrument is his treasured mandolin.

Antonio Mintswirl

(gnome, CG, 25): Young gnome understudy actor.

Rosencrantz Guildenstern

(gnome sorcerer, 52, CG): Rosencrantz provides the lighting and sound effects for the Troupe's performances with his illusion magic. Most nights he is able to control his powers, but he once surged during a performance and turned Cordelia into a potted plant right at the climax of her sololiquy, something she has not forgiven him for.

Emilia Hollywick

(human, 19, CN): Young stagehand who has only been with the Troupe for one season. She bolsters her meager income by picking the pockets of audiencemembers when they are enthralled by the action on stage.

History

Tybalt started the Troupe nineteen years ago after graduating from the School of Rhetoric and Oratory, and it has been on the road ever since, pausing only for a few months each winter. While most influential theater productions have a rich patron, the Troupe has remained independent. The lack of a fixed location along with a penchant for performing satirical plays that are critical of the establishment has made alienated many potential patrons. Tybalt belives this is for the better, but deep down he is starting to tire of the touring life, and he does not have an obvious successor among the Troupe.

Tybalt has written several plays that have made it into the public consciousness, including An Equinox Dream. The only living playwright who can compare to his successes is Alexandra Ashridge of the Buckliss Company in Greystone. While they are competitors, Tybalt and Alexandra also have a lot of respect for each other, and both regularly perform the other's plays.