SHARN—Panic rippled throughout the districts of Lower Menthis yesterday evening when an explosion went off inside the Diamond Theater during a showing of Luca Syara's latest play, Five Lives. The theater was packed, as has become standard for the location, with people from all walks of life. This combined with it's relatively low security made it the perfect target for a group looking to sow fear and discord.
The explosive was placed beneath the stage, and during the play at an appropriate moment was detonated as an illusory explosion, part of the show, exploded. This lead to confusion as initially the audience didn't realise what had occurred, and that the explosion was indeed real.
The reality of the situation became clear all too quickly after the smoke settled. The entire cast were either killed outright or injured, as well as many in the audience who were closest to the stage. Several members of the audience, including a couple of off-duty officers of the Watch and a representative of the Boromar Clan, managed to organise the others and safely evacuate the venue, calling in the Sharn Watch to cordon the area off and investigate the scene.
An investigation by the Sharn Watch seems to indicate that the Brelish Extremist group, the Swords of Liberty, are behind the attack. The Swords of Liberty are best known for their opposition to the monarchy, but they have also been vocal in their belief that Breland would have won the Last War if it had been allowed to play out to it's conclusion. The resident playwright in the Diamond Theater, Luca Syara, is renowned in Sharn and many of her plays are famously critical of the Last War. Certainly, she makes no effort in her storytelling to paint Breland in a positive light.
In addition to this, many of the artists involved in the theater's productions are Cyran nationals who have been taken in by Breland. The Swords of Liberty have repeatedly targeted the last remaining member of the Cyran royal family, Prince Oargev ir'Wynarn, with violence. It can't be ruled out that nationality, and perhaps lingering resentment from the war, played a part in this attack.
The theater will close to review their security practices, and to allow the staff to mourn and recover.
