The Broken Smiles District

Theater is a popular pastime in the City for both the commoners and the nobility. The center of theatrical craft is the Broken Smiles District (the macabre name comes from the symbol of a half-comedy, half-tragedy mask that represents the borough). The district is like Broadway and the West End had a baby. Playhouses abound. Its residents are all theater kids. They like to sing. Its residents are also fiercely territorial: different families support different playing companies. The rivalries are fierce. For example, if you’re a supporter of the Lord Governor’s Men, don’t find yourself below Swan’s Street after dark.

Sensations:

There are always crowds of people, beggars, and cutpurses. Playhouses carry names as fanciful as the taverns: the Curtain, the Bear-Baiter, Good Hope. For a half-coin, the poor can stand on the rush-strewn floors of almost any theater. The wealthier can afford more comfortable seating, coddle-cups of watered wine, and pretty decent sandwiches. Plays run the gamut from comedies, passion plays, musicals, satyr plays, and tragedies.

Special City Action:

• The play’s the thing: For 25g, you can take one other person (either an adventurer or a GM character) out for an evening’s entertainment. Name the subject of the play you are going to see—it can be anything: murder, marriage, mortgages, money, etc. You may correctly gauge your companion’s opinion about this subject by observing their reaction to the play. This can give you insight into some subject they wish to keep hidden from you.