Prologue
A host of individuals are met by an expensive but plain carriage that turns up at their abode/residence with an invitation to attend the Royal Observatory and an audience with Dr John Dee, the Queen's astrologer. The Doctor meets them and tells them that he has need of their many talenst. He requests that they look into a matter for the Master of Revels, Lord Lynley. To Lynley falls the task of licensing entertainment and clearly within that remit theatres and plays. Effectively his Lordship is censor Royale. It seems that Elizabethan fears that stage plays would enflame passions and bring out the base instincts of the audience have been realised with theatre goers rutting in the audience, fornicating in the street and running through the town unclad.
Chapter One
Lynley meets them and informs that that the happening appear to have been brought on by a single play, that of playwright Master Jacob Miller. All the events occurred during or shortly after his new play Anthony, a tale of star crossed lovers. There have been two showings, both have been plagued by strange goings on. Lord Lynley attended the second and from back stage thought he saw a WOMAN on stage
but when he intervened it was merely a boy player. Lynley reports having been convinced it was a woman. he also tells the party that the fornicators and the unclad runner are still being held by his gaoler. Here the party spilts up.
Knight Templar Sir Roderick, the cudgel bearing Lucas and woman of herbs Megan speak with the prisoners. Whilst fop Sir Percy, Scientist Edwin, Yuri the hunter and Servant Boy Thomas go to locate the playwright Miller at his lodgings.
Chapter Two
Testimonies were exacted from the prisoners with either womanly wiles and soothing herbal infusions or with the armoured embodiment of God's wrath against the unclean and the application of red hot pokers. All accounts were roughly equivalent, a loss of memory during a scene from the play involving the heroine and then returning to consciousness to find themselves being confronted by constables of the law or angry and bemused peasant folk. All agree the leading lady was very convincing and one might swear a real woman. This scene of intimidation, threats and torture ends with a touching moment as Templar Sir Roderick who hails from a Monastic Order joins the two unmarried fornicators in wedlock. Thee was not a dry eye in the gaol.
Chapter Three
Meanwhile, the playwright Miller is confronted by the four other investigators. He denies any prior knowledge of the happenings. When it is questioned that he might gain in profit from the attention , he states that he is a playwright for the money, but for the art's sake. The foppish Sir Percy is satisfied that the man of arts is truth-telling and sated in part the party request an audience with his company of players, they are rehearsing in the wood upon a bank in a clearing to capture something of the wild nature in their play. The four question the players and are convinced that the leading female player is a man and they can see no art or artifice of magick within the pay nor within certain sections recited for them. Hunter Yuriel finds animal tracks around the edge of the clearing but nothing that would indicate any strange or unusual creatures. Perhaps the woodland animals hug too closely to the cover of the wood around the clearing but this is not greatly unusual and seems of little import.
Chapter Four
Sir Roderick, Lucy and Megan arrive at the theatre and find Master Pritchard, the theatre's manager and his staff of one. The sharp eyed Lucas spots movement behind the stage and observant Megan is convinced she spied a young maiden. Master Pritchard states that the only women folk that should be there are Mildred the cleaner and perhaps Nanny who occasionally assists -neiteh rwould even kindly be called young. Mildred and Nanny are summoned and reveal the presence of Leia, Nanny's daughter. She is young, pretty and buxom. Sir Roderick and Lucas question the assembled as to the strange happenings. Meanwhile Megan detecting an intriguing scent goes a hunting about Master Pritchard's office. She locates a flagon he is imbibing form containing a herbal infusion. Analysing it she suspects it is a love potion with the addition of a human hair potentially Leia's within. She surmises it is perhaps an attempt at Magick.
In the main theatre, her two more physical compatriots spot a bleeding wound on Master Pritchard's hand, a cut that will not he claims heal. He claims to have obtained the wound trimming his quill but Sir Roderick doubts his story and suspects blood magic. Unsatisfied by the Manager's answers the knight throws him roughly to the floor and accuses him of witchcraft. At this point Megan appears and asks Pritchard about the drink. He states that it is for his wheezing chest and provided by Nanny. When questioned alone Nanny reveals that whilst she had indeed been asked to provide an infusion for the chest; she had created one for the heart it was her intention to facilitate the marriage of her daughter Leia to the eligible manager. Outraged by the trickery and evident Witchcraft, Lucas and Sir Roderick resolve to kill Nanny by burning as befits a witch.
Chapter Five
Fortunately the calm and reasoned voice of science arrives at this moment in the form of Sir Edwin and the others. Sir Edwin proposes to weigh Nanny and compare her weight to a swan. Reasoning that both witches and swans float and are therefore made of wood. Young Thomas is sent to obtain a swan. Meanwhile the beare bayting (bear baiting) is cancelled and the players return from the wood. With his great weighing experiment delayed, Sir Edwin becomes inflamed by frustration and is so inflamed he has a fainting fit.
Then the young lad who plays the leading woman is caught imbibing a herbal brew to stave off puberty more of Nanny Longman's work. The party persuade the troupe to give a private showing of the play. This time within the bounds of the stage the play produces a magical effect four of the brave heroes are fooled into believing the actor is indeed a woman and indeed that the props and costumes are more real than they previously were. Sir Roderick focusses on the seemingly convincing weapon which he knows to be false and using his martial training breaks free of the thrall. Meanwhile Yuriel ascends the stage and accosts the the young actor the spell breaks and reality is returned. The stage is inspected and week old berries are found beneath the stage. Berries from the local wood. Also small human footprints are detected as well as evidence that the creature that laid these prints can fly. The party suspect both cherubs and fairies. The berries are removed and snares and traps laid beneath the stage to capture the creature should it return.
Chapter Six
Sir Edwin his experiment forgotten is insistent that the party return to the clearing in the woods. He goes accompanied by the woodsman Yuriel, Young Thomas, and Sir Percy. Whilst the others remain for the play. Returning to the clearing at dusk Yuriel and Thomas find a fairy ring and are met by fairies who partially surround them. The two fops wait at the edge of the clearing nigh on thirty fairies meet the two bold adventurers who question them to their intent they talk of freeing man form the shackles and illusions of society and civilisation they talk of having fun and returning to more natural and animalistic ways. The fey creatures are asked to stop their magick and leave the town's folk alone. The fairies strike a bargain bring us babies and we will leave the town's folk and the deal is struck with young orphans rapidly located. The fairies fade agreeing to not return until the children are eighteen.
