The Theater of Blood

The Plane of Music

Ayonae Ro, the Maestra, shaped her realm after nature: "she molded her realm into a vast, lush tropical island and populated it with creatures that would be muses for her music." The island’s people "were the best of performers", and shows ran "constantly on the various stages and in concert halls on the island." Her mother’s story, and the plane’s origin, are on the Druzzil Ro page. Source [1]

Ayonae "was capable of shaping emotions with her music and like her mother she could shape her plane at will to match her needs and desires." Until Mayong came, her plane "was a haven of the finest music and tranquility". Source [1]

The break came at one moment: "The sanctity of her home was shattered on the hour that Mayong Mistmoore was raised to realm [sic] of the gods". How Mayong reached godhood is told on his own page. Source [1]

What it became

The Theater of Blood is "an island isolated in a vast churning crimson sea at the center of Ayonae’s plane." The sun is "blotted out by a russet darkness", and in its place hangs "a low-hanging harvest moon in an eternal night sky". Source [1]

The island’s "whimsical cottages and towers have magically molded" into Mayong’s style, "the same seen in Mayong’s stronghold, Dreadspire Keep". SOE adds that Dreadspire "is still buried in the deepest depths of Darkhollow", yet "it is as if pieces of it were transported to the plane of Music [sic]." SOE lists the new look: "Twisted columns, high arches, stained-glass windows, gargoyles, and jagged spires". Even "the musical clef formed by the curve of a shoreline and a pair of islands off the coast" now swarms with his servants. Source [1]

Dying trees "shed weeping leaves", restless spirits wander the hills "wailing in pain and frustration", and bones lie in the coves. SOE’s summary: "The Theater of Blood has simply become the embodiment of despair." Source [1]

Deathknell

Visitors are met by a statue of Mayong "atop an ornate column". Its "signature double-bladed weapon" points toward "the most imposing structure on the island, a bell tower known now as Deathknell". SOE says "The purpose of Deathknell is unknown", but rumour says Mayong waits inside "for someone worthy enough to challenge his newly found divinity." Source [1]

The tower is shut tight: "All entrances and exits are sealed. No one enters the tower, and no one leaves." Source [1]

SOE describes "A whisper of haunting music" near the tower, and from the top, "Screams and the cacophony of discordant bells". SOE notes that when the noise peaks, "even the boldest of Mayong’s servants keep their distance." Source [1]

The amphitheater and the fount

The Amphitheater of Lost Muses is an open-air stage in the island’s southeast corner, built like Dreadspire, with "Marble pillars, decorative fresco, and red velvet curtains" and "Mayong’s leering gargoyles" around it. The seats are "for an audience now gone", though some vampires use the stage "for their own evil brand of entertainment." Source [1]

The Darkened Fount is where the island’s vampires gather, in a courtyard east of Deathknell that was once "a festive marketplace and performance square." The fountain has "Four elevated granite horns" spraying "a thick, viscous liquid" that leaves a mist "like a fog". A cobbled path links it to the stage and the rest of the island. Source [1]

Mad Mary-Anne

Mad Mary-Anne was once Mary-Anne Madrigal, a soprano who "sang daily for the denizens of the Plane of Music". SOE says: "Even by Ayonae’s standards her voice was incredible. Her unnaturally perfect intonations could provoke tears in even the most stoic listener." Source [1]

Mayong’s touch hit Mary-Anne harder than her sisters. Her voice "has devolved into a raspy wail and her sanity is lost". She walks the path to Deathknell where she once sang, and the fact that she "can only issue screeches and squeals drives her further into madness." Source [1]

Valik the Cruel

Valik the Cruel is "an obsidian gargoyle" and "a close follower of Mayong", and was "instrumental in the invasion". Valik is "Known not only for his cruelty, but also his unmerciful efficiency", and was "personally responsible for the slaughter of hundreds" of Ayonae’s people while she "looked on in horror" as they were "dismembered, disemboweled, and destroyed". Source [1]

SOE says: "Even Mayong’s own forces are frightened of his brutal methods." "Solitary by nature", since the takeover Valik keeps to himself "on the clef islands." Source [1]

SOE ends with the island as it stands now: "The evil touch of Mayong Mistmoore can be seen and felt everywhere on the island", and "As if drained of hope, all substance and life has been siphoned from the isle." Source [1]