Family Secrets

I have gathered thought about how Nell's books might be here. As she comes from the streets, she would be more familiar with plays than pure literary books. She probably also thinks that it would reach more people that way.

Here follows a small taste of how Nell's first book might be...
Text in red is preliminary and is subject to change.

This is a work in progress.

Book I, Of Goblins and Ghouls, Diary entries 1-42
Book II, Of Giants, Diary entries 43-80
Book III, Of Ancient Threats, Diary entries 81+

Dramatis personæ

Sandeli - Mischievous comedic main character
Honeypot - Wine, women and song...
Nathaniel - Noble knight-like fighter
Velicia - Swordmage, knowledgeable wizard
Dorothea - Weird warlock
Gloriana - Dangerous sorceress

Family Secrets

by Sandeli Foxglove

Act I

Prologue

Enter Chorus
Chorus: Old forces of great strength, long forgotten,
In fair Perrenland, where we lay our scene,
From ancient halls beneath the ground, begotten,
Awful monsters with intentions unclean.
Opposed only by heroes by chance,
Sandeli, a lady lost at young age,
Honeypot the faun, who loves to dance,
Velicia of the eladrin, a swordmage,
Dorothea star-touched and strange of mind,
Last of them, but foremost in battle,
Nathaniel Deverin the fighter refined,
But on characters, lets not prattle.
O, pardon! since a crooked figure may
Attest in little place a giant;
A few men, green in face, may portray
A whole hoard of goblins, defiant.
Suppose within the girdle of these walls
Are now confined, cities and halls below ground,
Where our heroes' struggles and their proud calls,
bouncing from wall to wall, loudly would sound.
Think when we talk of horses, that you see the steeds,
Printing their proud hoofs i' the receiving dirt;
For 'tis your thoughts that now must deck our heroes' needs,
Carry them here and there; jumping o'er time, overt,
Turning the accomplishment of years
Into an hour-glass, solving many a mystery.
So now my audience, you may without fears
Admit me Chorus to this history;
Who prologue-like your humble patience pray,
Gently to hear, kindly to judge, our play.

Exit

Scene I. Sandpoint. A square in front of cathedral.

Sandeli, Nathaniel Deverin, Dorothea Caiphon, Mayor Deverin and Attendants

Mayor: Though yet of the late unpleasantness, five years since
The memory still be green, and that it us befitted
To bear our hearts in grief and our whole town
To be contracted in one brow of woe,
Yet so far hath discretion fought with nature
That we with wisest sorrow think on them,
Together with remembrance of ourselves.

Less than a month thereafter our chapel of old
Was most unholy burned down to the very ground,
As was several houses nearby, thusly scorched,
A big loss to us all, this deed of evil profound.
Therefore our chapel of old, now our cathedral,
The imperial building to this magnificent site,
Have we, as 'twere with a defeated joy,--
With an auspicious and a dropping eye,
With mirth in burning and with dirge in construction,
In equal scale weighing delight and dole,--
Finished our cathedral for celestial worship,
In time for celebration during our happy festival.

My duty now me command, to you all wish merriment
That food, drink, song and games can thee present.
Enter Velicia.
Velicia: Dear Sandeli, I find thee here at the food tables.
Have you not eaten yet? or is the question more
correctly put thus; Is there still food left?
Sandeli: Velicia, friend and teacher, thou knowest me and so do I thee.
'Tis no mere coincidence that we meet here.
There are many dishes left and now that you are here
we will this amend.
Enter Honeypot dancing and playing flute.
Velicia: Look! I know this faun. Honeypot! Over here!
Sandlei: A faun? Known for their drink as well as their music.
Though I know of them I have yet to meet one.
I shall keep my purse close.
Velicia: This one is of exceptional virtue.
She has none of the treachery that stain their reputation.
Here she comes now.
My most dear Honeypot! What's the news with thou?
Honeypot: My excellent good friend! How dost thou, Velicia?
And who is thine friend?
Velicia: I fare well indeed. And this is Sandeli,
A student of mine in matters of scribing.
Sandeli: Ay! I fill papers with ink and have yet to write,
By no fault of my teacher.
Honeypot: Then none might come of it. Thou wouldst do better to sing and dance.
Sandeli: I have tried, but those that heard and saw it say
I have no ear nor lips nor legs for it, not for lack of trying.
Honeypot: Do not give up so easily. Let thee have another try.
Honeypot starts playing.
Sandeli: Anon. First I will finish this salmon.
Enter Vodger Magravi carrying food.
Sandeli: Save thee, friend, and thy food: dost thou live by thy food?
Vodger: No, I live by the church.
Sandeli: Art thou a cleric?
Vodger: No such matter: I do live by the church; for I do live at Risa’s Place,
My mother's tavern, and that house doth stand by the church.
Sandeli: So thou mayst say, the church stands by thy food,
If thy food stand by the church.
Velicia: What's this I hear stirring? Look! Goblins!
Enter Goblins.
Goblins: Goblins chew and goblins bite.
Goblins cut and goblins fight.
Stab the dog and cut the horse,
Goblins eat and take by force!
Nathaniel: To Arms! To Arms! Guards, to me!
Citizens, defend thyselves or flee!
Goblins: Goblins race and goblins jump.
Goblins slash and goblins bump.
Burn the skin and mash the head,
Goblins here and ye be dead!
Dorothea: That is not dead which can eternal lie.
And with strange aeons even death may die.
Goblins: Chase the baby, catch the pup.
Bonk the head to shut it up.
Bones be cracked, flesh be stewed,
We be goblins! Ye be food!
Sandeli: 'Tis rude to interrupt my meal
In this most appalling way.
My appetite lost, I will find
Other ways to spend the day.
Draws sword.
Attendants exit.
All fight.
The goblins die or exit.
Nathaniel: We did little, and yet all's done.
The fight was easily won.
Velicia: With sword and with magic might,
I sent the goblins in wild flight.
Sandeli: I fought the goblins just as well.
Is there any food left, prey tell?
Dorotea: The stars is food enough for the soul,
Only in their presence can I feel whole.
Mayor: Well have ye done, but yet all's not done.
I fear the fighting hath just begun.
With your swords, you did this attack abate,
But the foul goblins came from the northern gate.
We need it's protection, it's fall we cannot permit.
Make haste brave heroes, go hence and look to it.

Exeunt

Scene II. A gate, wall and graveyard.

Enter Sandeli, Nathaniel, Honeypot, Velicia, Dorothea

Velicia: The northern gate is safe, and by guards manned.
We were not too late. 'Tis still in our command.
Nathaniel: This is good news.
With this gate lost, the town lay open for attack,
Which many a goblin tribe near, want to ransack.
Though, deceiving the calm may be, as before the storm arrive.
Sandeli: You talk of a coming storm? As where the stormcrows thrive?
Yet I believe you to be right. All's not well.
From the sound I hear, Velicia, thou shouldst prepare a spell,
Honeypot and Dorothea do what you do in your own accord,
And you, Nathaniel, you should ready your sword,
For there are goblins in the graveyard!
Enter goblins.
Nathaniel: Alas! The goblins do dark deeds, indeed.
But we will rid this fair town of their breed.
They will the full wrath of my righteous anger reap,
And ne'er more disturb the dead in their eternal sleep.
They fight.
Velicia: Casting magic
They fight.
Sandeli: I have slain many a goblin, but 'tis at a price.
I bleed from many wounds. I was struck thrice.
Honeypot: Let me see to thee and tent thine wounds,
The while, the others can hold their grounds.
Velicia: I see thee goblin! That sack thou carry shallst not leave here.
I will strike thee down with mighty magic most severe.
Velicia kill goblin.
Dorothea: To what end dost they take such great pains?
Dorothea look into the sack
The sack holds the unfortunate remains,
Of a man that until recently was buried.
But from his grave, in this sack was carried,
Though only in part. There's no skull in sight.
Can this be the cause of this whole fight?
Sandeli: Just further I see a grave gaping wide,
with the name Ezakien Tobyn by its side.
Nathaniel defeats last goblins.
Nathaniel: Their numbers are out
We have them defeated.
Honeypot climbs the wall.
Honeypot: Goblins come running to these walls, as waves a strond assail.
We must think of a device to avert the goblins, to prevail.
Nathaniel: Many perilous goblins have we already braved,
With cunning in the working of this, we may yet be saved.
Else here our bones will have their most fitting resting place,
If we were to suffer that final disgrace.
Honeypot: In the working of this I will need your aid,
Dorothea, take the sack hanging by the spade,
Sandeli, put therein sticks to act as bones
And what else that differences condones.
They will have their price, or at least in their mind,
Velicia climbs wall and gives sack to Honeypot
[Addressing unseen army] Goblins take this sack and leave this town behind!
Velicia: [Addressing same army] This is the latest parle we will admit;
Therefore take your leave of this place;
Or like to men proud of destruction
Defy us to our worst: for, as I am a swordmage,
A name that in my thoughts becomes me best,
If we begin the battle once again,
We will not leave these walls
Till in the grounds ye all lie buried.
The gates of mercy shall be all shut up,
And we will hunt ye down in the very holes ye dwell,
To find ye all and your lives gruesomely end.
What say you? will you flee, and this avoid,
Or, guilty in defense, be thus destroy'd?
Honeypot: Revel with joy! The goblins leave.
Nathaniel: We must make sure that the rest of the town is free of this plague.
Enter Aldern hard pressed fighting goblins.
Honeypot: What man is that, which doth fight yonder goblins?
Sandeli: He's no man, but a gentle lord,
One that I could ne'er afford.
This lord, I have herd of,
By the name Aldern Foxglove.
Honeypot: O, he doth teach the torches to burn bright!
It seems he hangs upon the cheek of night
Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope's ear;
Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear!
The measure done, I'll watch his place of stand,
And, touching his, make blessed my rude hand.
Velicia: I will make haste to this lord defend,
As a goblin war-chief, with him contend.
On a beast-like hound it mounted sits,
But will still meet an end that it befits.
Nathaniel: By my sword, I will thine action support!
This goblin campaign will be cut short.
They fight. Nathaniel fall.
Sandeli: O Woeful day!
Nathaniel has fallen from many blows,
These goblins hath shown to be dangerous foes.
Have at thee! I will my gentle friend avenge,
As I will in thine stomach, this bodkin wrench.
Sandeli draws dagger too and fight.
Honeypot: We make woe wanton with this fond delay:
His wound's tent, Nathaniel will with us stay.
But for thee I have no mercy left to give
This thrust will end the most foul life thou live.
Honeypot kills goblin war-chief.
Other goblins die or flee.
Aldern: My life was but little lost, when ye arrived,
But I have this fortunate battle survived.
I know not how to thank ye, but let me try.
As sure as the sun will evermore walk the sky,
I will repay ye all for thine labor,
Both by magic and by use of saber.
Enter Mayor
Mayor: Ye be heroes of Sandpoint, I will this proclaim.
In memory, your names will burn with bright a flame,
That will lead the way for young ones to come,
To follow, to imitate, to aspire to become,
Most valiant heroes in their own might.
This all hath me filled with such delight,
I will ye award...
Ye shouldst form a troop
and name one who will be master of ye

I propose Nathaniel of mine own blood
Nathaniel: By my sword I will take this duty,
If it pleases those who follow me.
Honeypot: I follow thee.
Velicia: I do too. We cannot all be masters.
Sandeli: Masters or no, we would do good to keep company.
Dorothea: I will follow thee to the stars,
As long as it is their pleasure,
As theirs is mine, I will please them,
By going where the stars lead thee.
Nathaniel: 'Tis done then.
My wounds and need for rest prohibit me to stay.
Now with the goblins defeated, I will not delay.
Most humbly do I take my leave, my ladies. Adieu.
Exit Nathaniel.
Aldern: About my recompense,
Willst ye go hunt, my ladies?
Honeypot: We will, my lord!
Sandeli: [Aside to Honeypot] I think thee hath already caught thine prey.
Now thou only needst to prepare and cook it.
Velicia: Hunt what, my lord?
Aldern: Hunt for boar, no less!
In two days we will to the woods, but for now,
Join me for a stoup of wine at the inn,
There my recompense will begin.
Dorothea: We will.

Exeunt

Act II

All texts should be considered preliminary in Act II

Scene I. In a forest.

Enter Aldern, Honeypot, Sandeli, Velicia, Dorothea

Sandeli: These wild woods likes me not.
The big cities, that is where my heart lie,
Where accommodations and food be bought
Where streets are narrow and houses are high
The small streets, the busy squares and the food.
There are markets and taverns full of it.
Here is nothing but trees, bushes and bugs.
Honeypot: But almost all around us is food.
Sandeli: Prepared food!
For that which is without preparation,
Is but unprepared and unprepared,
Is nothing but the same as ill equipped.
Being poor causes being ill equipped.
Therefore unprepared food is a poor excuse for food.
Enter Nathaniel.
Sandeli: Nathaniel, how good to see thee!
What brings thee out among bush and tree,
At an hour more suited to be in bed?
Nathaniel: Early? Thou wantst to be in bed instead?
The morning, which has almost wholly passed
Is the best time of the day, to this I stand fast,
To go riding in the woods or rich fields.
This much strength of both body and heart yields.
Velicia: Join us, if it thee pleases.
Nathaniel: It doest, so I will.
Aldern: Lets get on! This pleases me not.
Honeypot: Please don't take any offense from all this.
I will make thee smile again with a kiss.
Honeypot takes Aldern aside and they kiss.
Sandeli: I must say that this wood pleases not me.
Nathaniel: Why so?
Sandeli: It is due to all with what it is filled.
Not only is it made of grass and tree
It is mosquitoes and ticks I want killed.
And of ugly beasts there are even more
Like that ferocious boar.
Enter charging boar.
Dorothea fires crossbow and kills boar.
Dorothea: Something weird.
Aldern: The game is on. I will fell the next beast.
Nathaniel: We shall see about that.
Sandeli: [Aside to Nathaniel] Make sure thee can tell apart a boar from a boast.
Honeypot: cheering...

Shoot second
return
Honeypot: Adieu!
[Aside] Fare thee well, my love. Tread lightly as thee carries with thee mine heart.

Exeunt

Scene II. In a tavern.

Feasting on boar

Finding out Ameiko is missing

Scene III. In the glassworks.

Rescuing Ameiko

Scene IV. In a underground room.

Beneath Sandpoint fighting goblins and more

Act III

Prologue

Enter Chorus
Chorus: Thus with imagined wing our swift scene flies
In motion of no less celerity
Than that of thought. Suppose that you have seen
The well-equipped heroes at Sandpoint gate
Embark on their noble quest
With silken streamers the young Phoebus fanning:
Play with your fancies, and in them behold
Upon the steeds: jet black, nut red and gold.
Hear the shrill whistle which doth order give
To sounds confused; behold the threaden sails,
Borne with the invisible and creeping wind,
Draw the huge bottoms through the furrow'd sea,
Breasting the lofty surge: O, do but think
You stand upon the wall and behold
The celebrated king and attendants leaving;
For so appears this fellowship majestical,
Holding due course to Thistletop. Follow, follow:
Grapple your minds to sternage of this troop,
And leave your Sandpoint, as dead midnight still,

Guarded with grandsires, babies and old women,
Either past or not arrived to pith and puissance;
For who is he, whose chin is but enrich'd
With one appearing hair, that will not follow
These cull'd and choice-drawn cavaliers to France?
Work, work your thoughts, and therein see a siege;
Behold the ordnance on their carriages,
With fatal mouths gaping on girded Harfleur.
Suppose the ambassador from the French comes back;
Tells Harry that the king doth offer him
Katharine his daughter, and with her, to dowry,
Some petty and unprofitable dukedoms.
The offer likes not: and the nimble gunner
With linstock now the devilish cannon touches,
Alarum, and chambers go off
And down goes all before them. Still be kind,
And eke out our performance with your mind.

Exit

Scene I. Thistletop.

Enter Sandeli, Nathaniel, Honeypot, Velicia, Dorothea

Shadowmist

Exit

Scene II. Thistletop indoor.

Ripnugget

Orik & ??

Scene III. Caves.

Bruthasmus

Scene IV.

Nualia

Exeunt

Act IV

Scene I. In the countryside.

Sandeli, Nathaniel, Honeypot, Velicia, Dorothea

Nathaniel: We were sent for...

Enter ghoul

Honeypot message from "Your Lordship."

You will learn to love me in time as she did. Give yourself to the pack and it will all end. Your lordship.

If you come to his misgivings and join the pack, he will stop the harvest, his lordship said

Exeunt

Scene II. Room in Foxglove manor.

Sandeli, Nathaniel, Honeypot, Velicia, Dorothea

Haunts

Find out about Foxglove

Exeunt

Scene III. A cave.

Honeypot, Nathaniel, Velicia, Ghoulish Aldern

They fight.
Enter Sandeli.
The Ghoul is stabbed in the back by Sandeli.
Ghoul: I am slain.
Ghoul falls to his knees and demasks to Aldern.
Honeypot: Aldern! My love! How is this possible?
Aldern: List to me, Oh list!
Honeypot: We hear, pray speak.
Aldern: My hour is almost come,
When I to sulphurous and tormenting flames
Must render up myself.
Honeypot: Then hurry, poor lover.
Aldern: Pity me not, but lend thy serious hearing
To what I shall unfold.
Sandeli: Speak; We are bound to hear.
Aldern: So art thou to revenge, when thou shalt hear.
Sandeli: What? Me?
Aldern: I am thy brother's spirit,
Doom'd for a certain term to walk the night,
Sandeli: My brother?
Aldern: Ay. And I ask of thee, thus;
Revenge my foul and most unnatural murder.
Sandeli: Murder!
Aldern: Murder most foul, as in the best it is;
But this most foul, strange and unnatural.
Sandeli: Haste me to know't, that I, with wings as swift
As meditation may sweep to my revenge.
Aldern: I find thee apt;
And duller shouldst thou be than the fat weed
That roots itself in ease on Lethe wharf,
Wouldst thou not stir in this. Now, Sandeli, hear:
'Tis given out that my fathers friend, me recruited
For his murderous ways, his Skinsaw cult, but know,
Thou noble youth, that he who me this transformed,
Is still working his evil elsewhere.
Nathaniel: We shall have justice.
Aldern: Justice indeed. Ironbriar's his name,
His position; a Justice of Magnimar.
Sandeli: I know this man who still walks in the sun
And of another foul deed he hath done
Against myself not so long ago.
Unpunished was he for his crime
At that time my word counted for little.
As a street urchin, I was easy to belittle.
Aldern: And the same is to blame for even this.
When our parents died, he was put as your guardian.
He hath betrayed us both.
Aldern falls over.
Aldern: My time grows short, my strength leaves me.
Honeypot: Adieu, a thousand times adieu.
Aldern: Adieu, adieu! Remember me.
Aldern dies.
Honeypot: Oh, woe! He hath left us.
[To Aldern]I shall weep for thee, my dearest.
Sandeli: In his death he was himself again.
The monster and sickness all but gone.

monologue

Exeunt

Scene IV. ???.

Sandeli, Velicia, Dorothea :

Sandeli: [To Velicia]There he lay on the floor of the wretched cave, his expensive clothes torn, soaked in his own blood. He was all but dead, when words left his broken lips. Words of woe and of sorrow and of angst. He cried for help to flee the Huntsman. His strength left him but also a few last words. He told that he had been fooled by the Skinsaw Cult, and that he regretted that his family was ended with him. One sister had married in the Great Kingdoms and the other...
Velicia: The other?
Sandeli: The other was taken to Magnimar by Justice Ironbriar, the very man who corrupted Aldern, and who have wronged me.

The time is out of joint: O cursed spite,
That ever I was born to set it right!

Enter Nathaniel and Honeypot.
Nathaniel: We will seek him out!

Exeunt

Act V

=== Scene I. Magnimar. ===
Sandeli, Nathaniel, Honeypot, Velicia, Dorothea :

=== Scene II. Townhouse in Magnimar. ===
Sandeli, Nathaniel, Honeypot, Velicia, Dorothea :

=== Scene III. A sawmill. ===
Sandeli, Nathaniel, Honeypot, Velicia, Dorothea :

Nay, come, let's go together.

Ironbriar

Yet not all's forlorn,
I fill my heart with scorn

A man, young lady! lady, such a man
As all the world--why, he's a man of wax.

If, by the tribunes' leave, and yours, good people,
I may be heard, I would crave a word or two;
The which shall turn you to no further harm
Than so much loss of time.

He who the sword of heaven will bear
Should be as holy as severe;
Pattern in himself to know,
Grace to stand, and virtue go;
More nor less to others paying
Than by self-offences weighing.
Shame to him whose cruel striking
Kills for faults of his own liking!
Twice treble shame on Angelo,
To weed my vice and let his grow!
O, what may man within him hide,
Though angel on the outward side!
How may likeness made in crimes,
Making practise on the times,
To draw with idle spiders' strings
Most ponderous and substantial things!
Craft against vice I must apply:
With Angelo to-night shall lie
His old betrothed but despised;
So disguise shall, by the disguised,
Pay with falsehood false exacting,
And perform an old contracting.

Exeunt

Epilogue

Enter Chorus
Chorus: Thus far, with rough and all-unable pen,
Our bending author hath pursued the story,
In little room confining mighty men,
Mangling by starts the full course of their glory.
Small time, but in that small most greatly lived
These stars of Perrenland: Fortune made their swords;
By which many magic items be achieved.
They set out on paths encouraged by lords,
To far off places, riding their steeds,
Meeting both giants and dragons of old,
Performing many great heroic deeds.
Of which many good stories may be told:
Which oft our stage hath shown; and, for their sake,
In your fair minds let this acceptance take.

Exit