The Royal Opera House
A grandiose yet fading jewel, the Royal Opera House represents Greyhawk’s aspirations to grandeur, though its elegant and intricate architecture is marred by neglect and disrepair.
Despite its name, "Royal" is purely honorific—there has never been a royal ruler of Greyhawk. The name, dating back to Zagig’s reign, was likely intended as a joke. Today, the opera house suffers from financial strain, and frequent appeals for donations are made to patrons. Attendants in liveried uniforms circulate with collection boxes, soliciting contributions before performances and in the lounge areas.
The Struggle to Stay Afloat
In a bid to keep the establishment financially viable, Director Amadeus Wolfzart has introduced afternoon theatrical productions—lowbrow affairs filled with damsels in distress, monstrous villains, and ridiculously heroic rescues. These performances, dubbed "silver dreadfuls" by critics, are wildly popular (cost of admission: 2 to 8 sp) but have tarnished the opera’s reputation.
This decision has earned Wolfzart the scorn of Kahari Kellainen, director of the Grand Theatre , who views these productions as a disgrace. Their bitter rivalry has even led to open hostility between their staffs—culminating in an infamous vegetable-pelting incident involving Grand Theatre gnomes and outraged opera stagehands.
Key Personalities
- Amadeus Wolfzart (41 years old, 5’11”, 176 lbs.)
- Wears extravagant purple and gold robes.
- Speaks in affected, obsequious tones, especially around nobility.
- Manages the Royal Opera’s productions, though he delegates afternoon entertainments to his "personal secretary," Selmund Rogerssen.
- Selmund Rogerssen (AC 10, NM, hp 3)
- Dresses even more flamboyantly than Wolfzart.
- Is frightfully jolly and sociable.
- Defends his lowbrow productions, claiming to be "giving the public what they want."
- Aestrella Shanfarel, the Grand Diva
- The sole reason the Royal Opera remains in operation.
- A true talent, detailed fully in Chapter 7.
Encounters & Plot Hooks
The Royal Opera House and Grand Theatre provide opportunities for characters to:
- Encounter major NPCs among Greyhawk’s upper class, including Directors, mages, sages, scholars, and wealthy merchants.
- Increase their social standing by attending performances and mingling with the elite.
- Become entangled in the rivalry between the Grand Theatre and the Royal Opera, which may escalate into sabotage, blackmail, or even assassination attempts.
- Be recruited by Kahari Kellainen (perhaps seeking elven allies) or Aestrella Shanfarel (who may use charm person to enlist aid).
- Thwart an assassin operating from the opera’s gantries, using a blowgun and poisoned darts to eliminate a noble target.
- Take on jobs as stagehands, special effects wizards (illusionists preferred), or even performers (bards or those with appropriate skills).
Performers must first join the Guild of Entertainers and Performing Artistes , but such roles provide excellent opportunities for intrigue, social maneuvering, and unexpected adventure.
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