The Sharn Inquisitive Reports...
I challenge anyone to leave a performance of The Broken Sword with dry eyes. I believe that even a warforged would be moved to tears by this unflinching look at the spiritual cost of war. It’s brutal, painful, and true—which is why it was all the more shocking when it first opened at the Diamond Theater. The Downstairs district of Lower Menthis is mainly known for its bawdy entertainment and base comedy, not cutting-edge political commentary. Thus, we critics assumed that this dramatic work was a singular event, until a new play titled Fallen Angels exceeded our every expectation. Month after month in recent times, the Diamond has struck us to the quick with emotional works about the Last War and the psychic wounds we’re still struggling with.
Who is the playwright of the Diamond Theater responsible for these stirring stories? Her name is Luca Syara, but beyond that, she’s an enigma. There’s no such person on the rolls of the bardic colleges of Breland, and House Phiarlan and House Thuranni claim to know nothing about her. Syara shuns the spotlight and refuses all interviews. While her works are being debated and celebrated in classrooms and taverns, the artist spends her days in the dingy back rooms of the Diamond Theater. This seclusion has led to a number of fanciful rumors. Some say Syara fought in the Last War and that she was in Metrol on the Day of Mourning. A wilder rumor maintains that she is an exile from the Faerie Court of Thelanis, an archfey bound to human form.
While we wait for answers to this mystery, we encourage you to sample Syara’s latest work. Five Lives is a gutwrenching tragedy that forces us to look at our darkest hours, and to consider the suffering of our enemies and the common threads that unite us all. If you’re looking to forget your troubles, by all means, go see Facade or The Late Count. But if you want to take in a performance that might make you a better person, do whatever it takes to get tickets to Five Lives.