King in Yellow (Special Encounter)

Initial Text	Pass Effect	Fail Effect
The ornate golden doors of the theater are guarded by a hulking doorman who eyes you with suspicion. He demands to see your ticket before you are granted entrance. You insist that you have mistakenly left your ticket in your hotel room and attempt to bribe him to let you in (-1).	Once inside the theater, you the doors slam behind you. You look around for a door that might lead backstage (). If you pass, you find the backstage entrance and steal some of the cast's costumes; place 1 Eldritch token on the active Mystery. If you fail, you are caught snooping and thrown out; gain 1 Injury Condition.	The doorman turns his nose up at your money, but offers to trade you a ticket in return for a favor of his choosing at a later date. You may gain a Dark Pact Condition to resolve the pass effect.
You find yourself sitting in a packed audience with no memory of how you got there. The curtain rises, and the play begins. You try to tear your eyes away from the bizarre set, a disturbingly lifelike depiction of an alien landscape on a faraway star (-1).	The performance's hold on you is shattered. You turn to your neighbor and try to rouse him from his stupor to no effect. The only way to save him is to drag him kicking and screaming from the theater. You may gain a Blight Condition to place 1 Eldritch token on the active Mystery.	Unable to shift your gaze from the play, you watch as a pale man with a featureless mask takes the stage. A feeling of dread washes over you and you fight the temptation to run. Lose 2 Sanity and gain 1 Madness Condition
On the upper floor of the theater, you make your way to an unoccupied loge. A silent group of huddled ushers note your passage with piercing stares but make no attempt to stop you. Once you are a lone you begin preparations to perform a ritual that will flood the stage with light (-1).	The stage is illuminated by a blinding flash, and the actors flee behind the curtains. You feel a creeping darkness forcing its way into your mind. Your concentration threatens to falter, but you try to hold out a little longer. You may spend 2 Sanity to place 1 Eldritch token on the active Mystery. If you do not spend the Sanity, resolve the fail effect.	The ritual draws unwanted attention and the strange ushers appear to be searching for you. You are captured and turned over to the police, lose 2 Health and gain a Detained Condition.
You find yourself being hurried backstage by the visibly unhinged stage director. A member of the ensemble has gone missing during the intermission. You are going to have to take her place. You pose as one of the understudies and do your best to recall the proper lines (-1).	Satisfied, the director hands you the master script for a last minute refresher. You know you will need to read portions of the upcoming scene if you wish to make any changes to the script. You may gain 2 Madness Conditions to place 1 Eldritch token on the Active Mystery. If you do not gain the Conditions, resolve the fail effect.	The director fumes at your acting wailing about its inadequacy. You beg him to delay the show until the real cast is found, but he will not have it. The show must go on! Lose 3 Sanity.
You find one of the violinists smoking behind the building, and engage him in casual conversation about how the orchestra compensates for the acoustics. You notice a stage pass protruding from his pocket and try to steal it without alerting him (-1.)	You make your way to the orchestra pir. You locate the conductor and ask him to delay the opening number, claiming to have snapped your E-string (). If you pass, the conductor acquiesces; place 1 Eldritch token on the active Mystery. If you fail, you are amidst the orchestra when the discordant song begins; Lose 1 Sanity and gain 1 Madness Condition	The now enraged musician catches you trying to steal his pass. You must either take it by force or find another way backstage. You may spend 2 Health and gain 1 Injury Condition to resolve the pass effect.
A lengthy line forms outside the theater as a crowd of lavishly dressed guests gather for the next showing of the play. There seems to be a delay at the door, and you utilize the opportunity to haggle with some of the attendees, hoping to acquire a ticket (-1).	Having acquired a ticket and made your way inside, you snoop around backstage until you locate the theater's main fuse box (). If you pass, you succeed in knocking out all of the stage lights; place 1 Eldritch token on the active Mystery. If you fail, you nearly electrocute yourself; lose 2 Health.	You find a shady looking gentleman who is willing to sell you his ticket, but you can tell by the greed in his eyes that it is not going to be cheap. You may gain a Dark Pact Condition to resolve the pass effect.
Fearing for the lives of the enraptured audience, you plead with them in the lobby during the intermission to go home, but many of them appear to be in a sleep-like trance. You are unsure if your words have reached them (-1).	As the crowd regains their faculties and begins to disperse, you notice a young woman still entranced by the empty stage. You consider dragging her out of the theater, though it may bring you a great deal of unwanted attention. You may gain a Blight Condition to place 1 Eldritch token on the active Mystery.	Failing to gain the attention of the audience, you try to herd some of them out of the theater by force. As if of one mind, the crowd retaliates against your attempt to free them, leaving you bloodied and beaten in the lobby. Lose 3 Health.
You recognize a man known to be the violent leader of a local gang attending the play with his men. You draw him aside and offer to hire him and his men to cause a distraction in the theater while you steal something from backstage ().	As a fight breaks out between the men in the audience, you make your way backstage and try to find the Stranger's mask prop (). If you pass, you find and destroy it; place 1 Eldritch token on the active Mystery. If you fail, you are too late, the mask has already been donned; lose 1 Sanity and gain 1 Madness Condition.	The man rejects your proposal, and orders his men to teach you a lesson. Lose 2 Health and gain 1 Injury Condition.
Snooping around the theater's upper floor, you find a ladder that you can use to reach the rigging if you can keep your balance. You wait until the audience is enraptured by Cassilda's infamous song and try to climb onto the grid above the center stage (-1).	The actresses playing Cassilda and Camilla are speaking on the stage below you. You think that you could drop down between them and send the actresses into a panic, but the fall might be dangerous. You may spend 2 Health and gain a Leg Injury Condition to place 1 Eldritch token on the active Mystery.	You lose your footing, sending the ladder clattering to the floor below. You try to hide from the stage crew, but there is nowhere to hide. Lose 1 Health and 1 Sanity, and gain 1 Injury Condition.
No one stops you and you make your way backstage. In the dressing room, you find several of the cast members standing silently, staring blankly through you as if you were not there. You suspect someone has put them under a spell, and scan the room for signs of enchantment ().	You find an obsidian statuette and break it, releasing them from their trance The actress playing Cassilda demands to know why you are backstage (). If you pass, you convince them of a fire in the lobby, and they leave the building through a back door; place 1 Eldritch token on the active Mystery. If you fail, they escort you roughly to the exit; lose 2 Health.	You turn to leave, but find yourself face-to-face with the stranger. He removes the pallid mask to reveal his visage, and a sudden paralysis courses through you. Fear overwhelms reason, and you succumb to fathomless depths of his haunting gaze. Lose 3 Sanity.
Noting the contrived manner in which several of the actors move about the stage, you suspect that some malevolent entity has bewitched the cast to do its bidding. You watch the first act intently, hoping to spot something that will give it away ().	You notice that each of the actors looks to the Stranger wearing the Pallid Mask for cues, but the play has begun to dominate your mind () If you pass, you break free; Place 1 Eldritch token on the active Mystery. If you fail, you are forced to watch the opening scene of the second act; gain 2 Madness Conditions	Failing to devise a satisfactory plan of action, you attempt to leave the theater, but are stopped at the doors by an usher. Unwilling or unable to hear your protests, the usher escorts you back to your seat, just as the curtain rises. Lose 3 Sanity.
Upon taking your seat in the extravagantly decorated auditorium, you sense an enchantment falling over the chattering audience. You work quickly to unmake the curse before the attendees are fully mesmerized ().	With the enchantment dispelled, the guests look to one another, confused. You try to incite them to return to the lobby for complimentary refreshments (). If you pass, the ghoulish ushers are nearly trampled in the stampede; place 1 Eldritch token on the active Mystery. If you fail, they shush you; lose 1 Sanity.	Failing to dispel the enchantment, you begin to edge quietly toward the exit. Escape feels but a moment away when you are suddenly illuminated by a blinding spotlight. With rapidly fading clarity, you realize you have become part of the deadly play. Lose 3 Sanity.