Family Secrets

Thoughts about Nell's books. Text in red isn't finished.

This is a work in progress.

Book I, Family Secrets, Diary entries 1-42
Book II, Giants, Diary entries 43-80
Book III, Ancient Threats Awake, Diary entries 81+

Dramatis personæ

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

A small taste of how Nell's book might be...

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 calls,
bouncing from wall to wall, loudly 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 all 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 you?

Honeypot

My excellent good friend! How dost thou, Velicia?
and who is your 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,
not to the 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. I will finish this salmon first.

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 you 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! You be food!

Sandeli

'Tis rude to interrupt my meal in this appalling way.
My appetite lost, I'll 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 you 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. The gate and nearby 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 would lay open for attack.
Many a goblin tribe around, want this town to ransack.
The calm might be deceiving though, 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.

From here on most is not finished!

Nathaniel

Alas! The goblins do dark deeds, indeed.
They do not even leave the dead alone in their eternal sleep.

They fight.

Velicia

Casting magic

Sandeli

I will challenge thee, big foul goblin. As big as thou art among thine race, thou art less than me.

They fight.

Sandeli

I have thee killed, goblin! [Aside] But at a price.
I bleed from wounds I received. I was struck thrice.

Honeypot

Let me see to thee and dress thine wounds,
The while, the others can hold their grounds.

Nathaniel

I see thee goblin! That sack you carry shall not leave here.
I will strike thee down with all might most severe.

Nathaniel kill goblin.

Velicia

We have them defeated.

Honeypot climb ladder against wall.

Honeypot

Goblins come running to these walls as waves a beach assail.
We must think of a device to avert the goblins to prevail.

Nathaniel

Be cunning in the working of this, and we may be saved,
Fail and here our bones will have their most fitting resting place.

Honeypot

Dorothea, hand me the sack hanging by the barrel.
Sandeli, gather sticks to act as bones, to stick therein.
They will have their price, or at least in their mind,
[Addressing unseen army]
Goblins take this sack and leave this town behind.

Velicia

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 I begin the battle once again,
I will not leave these walls
Till in the grounds you all lie buried.
The gates of mercy shall be all shut up,
And we will hunt you down in the very holes you dwell,
To find you all and your lives gruesomely end.

What say you? will you flee, and this avoid,
Or, guilty in defence, be thus destroy'd?

Nathaniel

It works! The goblins leave.

Enter Aldern hard pressed fighting goblins.

Sandeli

Stand back noble man. We will save you!

Honeypot

Oh. How handsome.

They fight.
The goblins die or flee.

Aldern

My life was but little lost, when thee me saved.
Many a goblin me attacking, have thee braved,

Thanking the heroes. Invite to hunt.

Enter Mayor

Mayor

Thanking the heroes. You have saved the day.

Thy group of heroes, as you are, joined in a group, Need a leader to command

I name Nathaniel of my own noble family your leader.

Nathaniel

I will take this duty if it pleases those who would 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 follow where the stars lead thee.

Exeunt

Scene III. In a forest.

Sandeli, Nathaniel, Honeypot, Velicia, Dorothea, Aldern

Act II

Beneath Sandpoint

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-appointed king at Hampton pier
Embark his royalty; and his brave fleet
With silken streamers the young Phoebus fanning:
Play with your fancies, and in them behold
Upon the hempen tackle ship-boys climbing;
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 ravage and behold
A city on the inconstant billows dancing;
For so appears this fleet majestical,
Holding due course to Harfleur. Follow, follow:
Grapple your minds to sternage of this navy,
And leave your England, 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

Thistletop

Act IV

Mayor

Unknown monsters pray on the countryside.

Find out ghouls

Follow to Foxglove manor

Meet ghoul leader

Fight between Honeypot, Nathaniel and Ghoul.
Enter Sandeli.
The Ghoul is stabbed in the back by Sandeli.

Monster

I am slain.

Monster 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?

Aldern

I am thy brother's spirit, Doom'd for a certain term to walk the night,

Sandeli

My brother?

Aldern

Yes. 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 and of another foul deed he's done against myself not so long ago. Unpunished was he for his crime as my word counted for little in those times. I was but a street urchin.

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.

Sandeli

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.

Act V

Ironbriar