Free Speech Bard Agrees to Perform in Silence
"The Imperial Ministry of Culture found that the Silence spell would be easier than writing out the long list of banned topics."
Local bard, Aman “Laffs” Lunphney, has agreed to perform his stand-up comedy act “They’ll Cancel Me For This” within a 20-foot-radius sphere of Silence at the Emperor’s Royal Hall in the capital city of Blackguard. Reports from our sources indicate that the Imperial Ministry of Culture found that the Silence spell would be easier than writing out the long list of banned topics.
The announcement early today shocked many as Lunphney has been very vocal about the necessity of free speech within the Shadow Empire, and agreeing to perform under the effects of a Silence spell seems to contradict that view. However, Lunphney explained to The Dungeon Tribune that when he advocates for absolute free speech, he doesn’t mean in all scenarios. “I advocate for absolute free speech, but mostly for people who don’t have anything meaningful to say,” Lunphney declared. “Like, I think you should be able to say slurs and amplify bigoted stereotypes. You know, make fun of the less fortunate. I don’t think free speech applies to people trying to voice concerns over important things like human rights or political opposition.”
Free speech issues aside, there are many within the arts community who take issue with the performance, and fail to see the artistic merit of performing a genre with a large auditory component in silence. “I don’t see the point,” says Professor of Bardic Studies, Elaj Boardtreader. “If it were someone with more artistic integrity, I would say this is some sort of avante-garde performance art, perhaps an illustration of the futility of speaking truth to power. But I’m not sure someone rehashing halfling jokes that were trite decades ago is capable of that.”
Some of the more cynical within the community believe the event to be born from ulterior motives. “While I wouldn’t put it past Emperor Tyran to spend money on entertainment he won’t enjoy,” says Belile The Headliner, a bard currently in exile from the Empire. “I believe this event is clearly an attempt to rehabilitate the Empires’ image within the rest of The Mountain Realm. Many within the Realm look upon the Shadow Empire with contempt due to the mandatory necromancy. But it’s going to take more than a comedy show to make people forget those atrocities, they’ll probably need some professional wrestling too.”
Belile is similarly critical of Lunphney. “People are going to call me jealous because I didn’t get to perform for an evil dictator,” begins Belile. “But it’s pretty clear (Lunphney) is desperate to take this gig. I don’t know if he needs the gold, per se. It may just be that he’s desperate for attention and validation. I just wish he’d get it through hard work and dedication, or through whoring around like the rest of us bards.”