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Welcome, dear heart, to the House of Reveries, home of the greatest players in Summerset! Perhaps aspirations of fame brought you here, or dreams of fortune. Perhaps mere curiosity or a need to belong. Nonetheless, before you undergo the extensive audition process to join our grand troupe, you must understand our order. And like all great plays, the best place to start is always at the beginning.
A High Elf of noble intentions, and more than likely noble heritage, founded the House of Reveries. Grand Maestro Ingress was a leader of extraordinary vision and significant wealth, and it's she that sets the prelude to our great story. Though there are many plays, poems, and songs dedicated to her honor, all tell the same tale of her dedication and passion to the art of performance. But rather than stemming from a need to create something new, our first Grand Maestro's dedication grew from a distaste of the old.
Before she was ever a Grand Maestro, our founder was but a simple mer of great passion. Many say her father nurtured her ever-growing love for performance. She appreciated all forms of the beloved art, whether it was the drama of a great monologue of old or the merriment of a simple juggling act. Yes, she felt kinship toward all of her fellow performers, from the humblest backgrounds to the greatest of names. And for a time she was happy.
Alas, she grew older, and with age came a dark wisdom. She gazed into the heart of her fellow performers and found few who held true love for their craft. She began to realize that these mer saw the arts as a stepping-stone, a path that would eventually lead to notoriety and power. A way to elevate their names to the highest rank, to become privileged and renowned. The poor soul grew more isolated as she encountered fewer kindred souls and soon withdrew from the world of performance, though it pained her greatly to do so.
It was during this time of isolation that she reflected on what she could do to change this troubling trend. Determined to make a difference, she did the unthinkable. She cast aside her own name, burning down her old identity. From those ashes she rose as the Grand Maestro Ingress, and swore to create a group of like-minded companions. And thus the House of Reveries was born.
All members of our troupe would live for their passion and their passion alone. To keep this manifesto in mind, Grand Maestro Ingress declared that all her players would wear masks and take up new names. They would never reveal their original identities, for it was the prominence of names that had turned so many of her fellow performers bitter and joyless. All who joined the House of Reveries would do so only for the love of the craft, the thrill of the performance. The only thing her players would crave was the resounding applause of the crowd.
And so we come to you, dear heart, to determine what you wish to be. Who you wish to be. Have you come upon our doorsteps hoping for mere fame and fortune, or are you ready to cast off such selfish chains and live for the art? If you wish to join us, know that you shall never be you again. You'll be something brighter, something beautiful. You'll gain a thousand faces, but shall never show your own.
Will you wear the mask?