Act 3, Scene 1: Organ Failure

• Setting: The Prayer Room. Bright white, blue and silver ornaments, a big stained glass window with a slightly offworldish interpretation of Da Vinci's "Vitruvian Man" in the middle. There is an altar under the window. Near [2] there are a couple of organ pipes on the background, and the organ's keyboard on the playrail. On the back wall, left and right of the altar (to keep things symmetrical), is a "broom closet" type cupboard, the one at [3] is operational.
• Stage setup: Air Duct (Zefiro, Nex), broom closet in backdrop (Liam)
• 2nd playrail: altar
• Frontprop: organ keybpard
• Props: bucket (Kayjay), mop (Kayjay), cloak (?), Stun Rods (every hand)
• PreRec: Keepers

MAIN DIALOGUE

Curtain - open

Lights on

MUS-0905 - Crashing in
SND-0901 - Sounds of someone squeezing through an air duct.

Riversong (off): "Hrgsnm. Hrgmbrmbl. Hnnnnnrrrrgs."

SND-0901 (cont.) - Crack

Riversong (off): "Uh oh."

SND-0901 (cont.) - Creak

Riversong (off): "Aaaaaaargh!"

A piece of broken metal air duct tilts down from the ceiling, and hangs there for a second. Half a puppet sticks out the end, legs first.

Riversong (off): "Oh shit shit shit …"

SND-0901 (cont.) - RRRRRIP!

The air duct falls down

Riversong (off): "Yiiiiiiiikes!"

SND-0901 (cont.) - Crash

Cloud of dust wafts up.

Riversong (off): "Ouch. By the gods, that hurt."

Riversong coughs, and appears in front of the altar in the middle of the stage.

Riversong clears himself from dust and debris, looking at the audience.

Riversong: "I see now why this wasn't the rebels' preferred invasion route."

Riversong looks around at the backdrop.

Riversong: "Woooow! This looks so much nicer than the prayer room of the chapel in Ferndale! Everything's so bright! Beautiful! I wonder what kind of ceremonies they conduct in here."

SND-0902 - Footsteps from the hallway

Riversong: "Drat! Someone's coming! Why can't I keep my god damned mouth shut …"

Riversong looks for a place to hide.

Riversong finds the broom closet at [3], which has a bucket and a mop in it. He hides inside and closes the door.

RATS-01 (SND-0903 - Closet Open)
RATS-02 (SND-0904 - Closet Close)

Put the bucket on Riversong's head and give him the mop

SND-0902 (cont.) - Large Door Opens

Organist comes in from [1]

Organist: "Dumm dee dumm dee dumm dumm. Hmm …. I could have sworn I heard a noise. Oh, whatever. At least there's still time for some practice."

Organist sits down at the organ, cracking his knuckles

SND-0905 - Knuckles Crack
MUS-0901 - STOP

Organist: "One, two, three, four."

Organist plays some music on the organ.

MUS-0901-Organ Music

Riversong slowly opens the broom closet from the inside, wearing a bucket as a helmet, carrying the mop like a weapon.

RATS-01 (SND-0903 - Closet Open)

Riversong sneaks up behind the Organist, and knocks him down with the mop.

SND-0906 - Whack!!

The organist falls onto the keyboard, creating a very loud noise

MUS-0902 - Colossal Cacophony
MUS-0901 STOP

Riversong: "Gaaaah!"

Riversong lifts the organist off the keyboard and drops him on the floor

MUS-0903 - End Organ
MUS-0902 STOP
MUS-0906 - Sorry My Friend

Riversong: "Phew! I'm sorry my friend, I hope you don't mind if I borrow your cloak for a moment."

Riversong disappears

SND-0907 Rustling and tearing

Riversong reappears wearing the Organist's cloak.

MUS-0906 STOP
MUS-0907 - Avenger

Riversong: "Tadaa! Look at me, I'm Brother Riversong, Avenger of the dispossessed! Now what do we do with you?"

Riversong picks up the Organist, carries him to the broom closet, and puts him UPRIGHT into the closet.

Riversong: "Have a nice day, my friend."

MUS-0907 STOP
MUS-0908 - Sliding out

Riversong closes the closet door, and walks towards [7]

RATS-02 (SND-0904 - Closet Close)

Wait a few seconds. Then broom closet opens again.

RATS-01 (SND-0903 - Closet Open)

Organist slowly begins to lean forward

SND-0909 - Oranist Sliding Out

Riversong turns around, catching him, pushing him back in.

Riversong: "Argh! Nononono! You're … supposed … to stay … inside!"

Riversong jams the mop diagonally into the opening, so that it holds back the corpse, then closes the door.

RATS-02 (SND-0904 - Closet Close)

Riversong: "There, piece of cake! Now let's see if I can find Frostwind. Shouldn't be too hard, now that I'm in disguise."

MUS-0908 STOP
MUS-0909 - Keepers are coming

Riversong walks towards [7]

SND-0911 - Footsteps

Many footsteps, large door opens

Riversong: "Arrrgh! Shit!"

Riversong runs towards [2] and sits down before the keyboard, hiding his face under the hood of his cloak.

SND-0911 (cont.) - Footsteps + Large Door + Chatter

Strongarm and a delegation of Keepers come in, talking.

Strongarm walks up behind the altar.

The Keepers all "sit" down in a row before the altar, facing Strongarm, their backs towards the audience.

SND-0912 - Seating
SND-0911 STOP

Strongarm: "Dear Brothers and Sisters! Welcome to today's morning service. Praised be the gods of the holy mountain!"

PRE-0901 - Everyone: "As it was, and always will be!"

Strongarm: "Head Overseer Ironwill has called me up from my home village to temporarily serve as a replacement for Brother Swiftfoot, whose health sadly has deteriorated so much that he can't be with us here today. May the gods be with him and his family!"

PRE-0902 - Everyone: "As it was, and always will be!"

Strongarm: "Before we begin with the festive part, Overseer Ironwill asked me to give you a few updates about the current situation."

Strongarm coughs, obviously short of breath

Strongarm: "We still have not been able to restart the main light core, which means that the production of the shadow remedy is still halted. Our best researchers are working on a solution, but until then we can only see it as the gods' will to test our faith."

PRE-0903 - Everyone: "As it was, and always will be!"

Strongarm: "Without the remedy, the darkness within us grows every day, and the Overseers are calling up Brothers and Sisters from all villages who still are of better health to help us out."

Strongarm coughs again

Strongarm: "Our healers have opened up an extra basement level, which will serve as a temporary infirmary. If anyone in your family shows signs of the plague, please take them down to level 12, and let the healers take a look. Any questions?"

Keeper1 raises a paw

Strongarm: "Yes, please?"

MUS-0909 STOP
MUS-0910 - Forsaken

PRE-0904 - Keeper1: "The scriptures say that the light core is driven by the power of the gods! Does that mean that the gods have forsaken us?"

Strongarm (reassuring): "Of course not. It's hard to explain without getting technical, but according to Overseer Ironwill, it is not that the gods' power is no longer there, but the machinery that controls it has been locked down, so we can no longer use it."

PRE-0905 - Keeper2: "Is it true that the lockdown was Brother Fireheart's doing?"

Strongarm: "Yes. He was a servant of the darkness. But don't despair. Where there is a lock, there is also a key: Fireheart's bastard daughter. Ironwill is interrogating her right now. So let's pray to the gods of the holy mountain!"

PRE-0906 - Everyone: "As it was, and always will be!"
MUS-0910 STOP
MUS-0911 - As it was

Strongarm: "Let's sing the song of the uplifting, chant book page 437. Music, please!"

Riversong looks around, whimpering to himself

Strongarm: "What are you waiting for? I said, Music, please!"

Riversong breathes deeply and presses random keys

MUS-0904 - Argelbargel Symphony
SND-0913 - Audience in Pain

Everyone protests and holds their ears.

Strongarm: "By the gods, stop that dreadful noise! What the hell is wrong with you?"

MUS-0904 (cont.) - Music Ends

Riversong coughs violently, changing his voice to pretend he is all hoarse

MUS-0911 STOP
MUS-0912 - I'm so sorry

Riversong (hoarse): "I'm so sorry … I have the dark plague … and the flu … and the measles. At the same time! I can barely see. Or hear. Or smell. Or taste. Or-"

Strongarm (interrupting): "For goodness sake, then why are you still here? Get your tail down to the infirmary!"

Riversong stands up, and slowly limps towards [7], hunched down, looking at the floor, so nobody can see his face.

While Riversong talks, the broom closed slowly opens, the Organist still inside

SND-0914 - Corpse falls out of closet

Riversong (hoarse): "Oh, thank you Brother Strongarm for letting me go! I would have gone to the infirmary, but I didn't want to disappoint you. So I tried my best, but it just wasn't good enough. I'm so sorry! Music has always been my greatest passion and I …"

Everybody just stares at the broom closet.

The organist slowly tips over and falls out.

SND-0914 (cont.) - THUD

Riversong flinches and freezes

Everybody looks at Riversong

Strongarm: "Stop right there and show me your face."

Riversong pulls down his hood and looks at Strongarm.

Riversong: "Eh, hello Brother Strongarm."

Strongarm: "RIVERSONG!"

SND-0915 - Everybody stands up
MUS-0912 STOP
MUS-0913 - End

All Keepers stand up, raise their staffs and surround Riversong

Riversong (timid): "Please don't hurt me!"

Blackout

SND-0916 - Megabritzel

Riversong: "AAAIAAIIIIIAIAAIII!"

Lights out

Curtain - close