The Mirecourt Players

A traveling performer troupe led by Mother Gristlewort, a swamp hag, with two redcaps, a troll, a kuo-toa, Bramblejaw, a mangrove treant known onstage as Root-Mother Poisonoak, a tiefling, and a bullywug among its players. Root-Mother Poisonoak performs a musical act with rattling branches, hollow-root percussion, and a chorus of swaying poison-oak leaves; hecklers leave the show scratching. The troupe's acts blend bog-dance, grotesque comedy, puppet theater, drum thunder, and feats of impossible strength. Baba Yaga is their patron, and they win Titania's Summer Court tournament every year.

The troupe began when a swamp hag gathered outcasts from failed fairy revels, ruined villages, and one very confused pond. Baba Yaga became their patron and secured their place in Titania's Summer Court tournament, where mortal performers, fey houses, and monster companies compete before the Summer Queen. In exchange for the invitation, the Players owe Baba Yaga one private encore after every victory. The contract has held for generations of mortal seasons, and the troupe has never lost. Their secret is that Baba Yaga does not judge the performances; she chooses what doors open for them, then collects the price when the applause ends.

The troupe treats every conversation as a performance, complete with bows, flourishes, and sudden changes of voice. Their leader demands perfect timing but allows each player one grotesque improvisation per act. They greet insults with applause and answer ordinary questions through riddles, songs, or staged arguments. No member speaks Baba Yaga's name without touching wood, iron, or a living root.

- A rival Summer Court troupe discovers the Players' contract and asks the characters to help expose the rigged tournament without drawing Baba Yaga's notice. - One performer vanishes before the final round, leaving behind only a wet red footprint and a torn scrap of contract parchment. - Baba Yaga demands an encore in a mortal village. The Players must perform there before dawn, but every laugh feeds a curse placed on the audience. - The annual victory prize is a living crown of summer roses. This year it whispers the name of a character and refuses to be worn by anyone else.