The group decides to stick together, slowly filtering into the "comedy" room, albeit with a mix of different emotions about it all. Rick perhaps the most eager, almost rushing onto the stage to see if he can reach that mask up there, but he halts long before getting there as the voice seems to come from it. As the party registers what it said, Asimi is first to respond to it.

"I've arrived, as your visions have shown,"

There is a brief pause, as if thinking, before 'Comedy' speaks again.

"I'm sorry, are we supposed to have met..?"

Behind them, Khond briefly postulates.

 "Do you think maybe we'll get to watch a comedy in here?  Ooh, or will each of us need to perform an act matching the doors' labels to unlock further passage forward?  Dibs not tragedy."

"One of you seems experienced in these matters! Well, are you ready to come earn your 'key', then?"

Rick looks around for the source of the voice before sliding forward to look behind/around the mask for the source of the voice.

If he can reach, he'll tentatively poke the mask.

An annoyed grimace crossed Asimi's face but at least it was some confirmation that this may have all been set up a long time ago. Stepping back, she glances at Khond as he becomes the focus of the mask's attention.

Rick looks about, trying to find the disembodied voice, and when he's not sure where it comes from decides to get yet closer to investigating this mask. Climbing up on the stage, he doesn't get much farther as a beam of light appears out of seemingly nowhere, focusing upon him on the stage.

(Spoiler for Rick.)

While this is going on, Sylvia notes Asimi's disgruntlement and doesn't seem too pleased herself with the answer given. She doesn't dare get too much closer given whatever is happening to Rick right now, but does speak up to the elf.

"I don't think it's actually Comedy. It feels more like an enchantment he made rather than the real deal."

Breldo is sweeping the room for the voice or source of the light, sighting down his crossbow.

"I-I don't like this" Nuria stutters, glancing at Khond. Based on the Not-Comedy's response, it seems the centaur might be on to something.

Breldo tries to find whatever is causing either the light or the voice, and while the light seems like it could potentially be coming from the rafters, he's not quite sure what the origin of Comedy's echoey voice is... But he's about to have to figure out a whole lot more as the stage comes to life.

On the right side of the stage, a wall seems to pop up from the floor, like a cardboard cutout. There's a crude painting of a stone wall of some kind on it, only a cutout left near the bottom, a hole that seems like it'd be too small to fit a person. On the other side, closer to where Rick entered the stage, two dolls seem to pop out from the floor, cloth mannequins sticking out of the floor by a wooden pole, a mace in one hand, and a rusty helmet upon their "heads".

"He's getting away!"

"After him!"

"He's going for a dead end, we got him!"

The scene, crude as it might be, seems intimately familiar to the Tabaxi. He's only barely given enough time to register what is happening before those "dolls" start moving.

Nuria visibly jumps when the dolls suddenly spring from the floor.

Sylvera is eager to gain whatever info she can from this new turn of events... especially after having withdrawn for some reason over the past few days. She frowns when Comedy seemingly doesn't recognize them, or Asimi. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that this or the other Comedy they met was just a puppet? Or perhaps a memory? Magic doesn't make sense, but she's trying to think outside the box.

She frowns further when it seems like the dolls are targeting Rick. What would happen if someone else stepped onto the stage?

Khond is visibly jittering with excitement, ready to step forward and make further suggestions, before all of a sudden Rick is on the stage and chaos is erupting.  Slightly disheartened by being outside of the performance, the centaur calls out, You're the star of this comedy, Rick!  Either trounce and humiliate them with humorous manner, or make your downfall amusing!  I suggest either tricking the goons into bonking each other or getting caught in the wall and giving comedic yelps as they batter your backside.  Children always love seeing exaggeratedly harmless slapstick humour."

Rick's jaw drops and eyes widen comically as he starts babbling,

"No, no, no, no, no-"

At the same time his hands search his person for the nearest oil stash which he just pours on his head before throwing it to the side and grabbing another oil pouch and pouring all over himself as he stumbles back to the wall and the small hole before turning and, seeing the hole, shrieks,

"NOOOOOOOO!"

If there is a curtain or something OTHER than the wall to start climbing up, Rick will extend claws and make for the rafters, dripping oil.

When Sylvia vocalizes what Asimi is already thinking the elf nods in agreement, "Yes. It's... Annoying." She finally says, sighing to herself before watching the ongoing mess with Rick on stage. Watching what was clearly a traumatic experience play out in front of her, she looks at the impending mental breakdown and glances to the others, "Should we try and help him?"

(Rick, can you give me a wisdom saving throw?)

(That'd be a 4.)

"I think he might require expertise none of us possess.", Breldo opines.

Some of the group watching postulates ideas, while Khond begins to cheer. But as the set comes into view, Rick is not quite hit with the same sensation of slapstick as others might expect. There is a certain, invisible pressure upon it, and it rapidly becomes evident he cannot resist it as he takes 2 damage.

But even then, there is no psychic compulsion that has Rick trying to climb up the curtains rather than the demons inside his own mind.

"Hey, no damaging the stage! Disqualified, disqualified!"

The cardboard cutout and the "soldiers" drop to the ground, and the stage returns to normal.

"I hadn't even done anything yet! Such a reaction is not funny at all!"

"But now, now, what's this I hear? You met my real, amazing, beautiful, humorous, incredible, and very humble creator? Why, I'm honored you mistook him for me! But to be called a mere enchantment! Is this pixie of yours an enchantment as well, then?"

"Actually, how even are you here? Quite the curious bunch all of you are. Oh, what fun this might be! Get your friend off the stage, and someone else can try."

"Hey, what are you saying there! And... Erm..."

Sylvia trails off. Clearly, she doesn't know the answer to that either.

Rick continues to the ceiling, no longer looking behind himself or listening.

"No, no, no, no, no..."

"Rick, come here, come off the stage."  Oren tries to coax the Tabaxi back off the stage, but when that happens, Oren also tries to stay out of the greasy cats proximity.

He then looks at Khond with happy surprise, "You know what we are supposed to do??  I don't understand, what do we do next?"

Khond moves to the edge of the stage, spreading his arms wide, as if ready to embrace a dearly missed friend, "Rick, here!  You'll be safe over here."

Glancing at Oren, the centaur quirks an eyebrow, "Why, of course.  We are presented with a stage, in a room which was labelled as 'comedy,' where all other rooms have been marked as other types of performance or story.  As a performer, it would be a disgrace upon myself to not know my role in this grand work; It is to complete the scene.  To please the audience.  To bless the world with the magic of creation that is performance.  The precise actions matter not so much as the essence; Whatever one does when they are on this stage, it must be comedic.  Now, I admit that I am more one to work with a script, but any performer worth their salt should know at least a little of how to improvise, for when things don't go per the script.  Shall I demonstrate once Rick is safely extricated from the stage?"