Even as the opening day drew closer, no one outside the theater knew what kind of play Lucen had written.
Nobles tried asking discreetly. Some tried bribery. A few even attempted to plant their own people among the actors and stagehands.
None of them succeeded. Harry Nidhouni's auditions were brief, but his eyes were sharp. After only a short conversation, he seemed able to tell who was trustworthy and who was not.
And with Sir Thalos standing watch over the theater grounds, no one dared attempt anything more forceful.
When interest in the play began to wane, the bards changed their tune. New lines spread through taverns and plazas, different from before, darker, sharper, once again stirring curiosity across Norvaegard.
A handful of stagehands were dismissed soon after, quietly escorted out when it was discovered they had spoken too freely.
