The Death of Arte’men Sirus
Act I
Narrator: It was a cold, stormy day of the Divine Era year 5. Councilman Arte’men Sirus looked out from his castle bedroom window over the thick Kaoan walls and smiled at the faint outlines of an invading army moving swiftly through the forest.
Narrator: Sirus had prepared his Kaoans for fighting especially in this weather. They were about to get the chance to quench their warrior thirsts for the first time in Kaoan history.
[Kaoan Messenger enters stage]
Kaoan Messenger: Milord, the rest of the Council of Blades is waiting for you. You promised them you would give your opinion on the matter of the invader army our watchmen spotted in the forest two days ago.
Sirus: Remy, I am waiting for a very important letter from a very important friend. Tell me, who do you think are the wiser leaders of Kaoa: my co-councilmen or me?
Remy: You milord.
Sirus: What do you think would happen if I missed this letter concerning the Issue because I was downstairs eating breakfast talking the old, tired game of politics with my co-councilmen, men who are not fit to lead Kaoa without my guiding hand?
Remy: Kaoa and all faith in Eirose will be abolished from the land. I know, you have told me many times milord.
Sirus: So, knowing that information, what do you think I should do?
Remy: Meet your very important friend undercover behind the temple so you can read your letter in peace.
Sirus: Excellent! I knew my sister-in-law wasn’t giving birth to just another Ordan fifteen years ago!
Remy: *beams with pride at being Kaoan now with his uncle rather than in Orda with his parents, then exits the bedroom to proceed back downstairs to tell the Council *
[Remy/Kaoan Messenger exits stage]
Sirus: *spots his friend down by the temple so he puts on his long cloak and proceeds down towards his friend behind the Temple *
Act II
Narrator: Ten minutes later behind the Temple of Eirose…
[Masked Visitor enters stage]
Sirus: Letter?
Masked Visitor: Gold?
Sirus: Letter first.
Masked Visitor: Gold first
Sirus: Paper before metal
Masked Visitor: Money before your life
Sirus: No way! *lowers his voice * You always give the paper before the gold bribe.
Masked Visitor: Not in Orda you don’t.
Sirus: *sighs and hands the masked visitor a sack of gold *
Masked Visitor: *bounces the sack of gold back and forth between each hand as if weighing how much is inside * You still owe me 3 gold pieces.
Sirus: You didn’t even count. I demand you count first.
Masked Visitor: *sighs, dumps out the sack and begins to count each gold piece one by one *
[Sirus and Masked Visitor exit stage on opposite sides]
Narrator: Thirty minutes later…
[Arden Smellius XXI enters stage]
Smellius XXI: *skips along the Kaoan roads carrying a rather large sack and singing *
Smellius XXI: I will survive… as long as I know how to bribe I know I will stay alive… I've got all my life to live… I've got all my gems to give and I'll survive… I will survive
[Smellius XXI exits stage]
Narrator: Five minutes later…
[Remy enters stage]
Remy: Hark! All Kaoan warriors to the back gate! The enemy comes! Orders straight from the Council of Blades!
Narrator: Three minutes later…
Remy: Attention! An enemy elite archer has breached the walls! Watch your heads! DUCK!
Narrator: Mothers in the town square praying with their children leap to the ground covering their children’s heads with their bodies.
Remy: *laughs loudly * Gets them every time. What I should have said was: “The Smellius Family Pet Duck has escaped his pen again and is running free up into the temple”
Remy: Sorry folks *whistles as he walks behind the temple *
Narrator: Fifteen minutes later behind the temple…
Remy: How could you do this? He wasn’t going to harm your people.
Narrator: A voice in the shadows replied, “He didn’t comply with our payment agreement.”
Remy: But he was a councilman, THE Councilmen. Without him, Kaoa will die.
Narrator: The voice in the shadows replied, “He was a stain on your primal foundations. His heart never left the Ordan way of life.”
Remy: Veyr condemned him as a heretic for crying out loud! What more proof do you need that he was a true follower of Eirose and active councilman of Kaoa?
Narrator: The voice in the shadows did not respond but merely grinned then disappeared away.
Remy: *looks down at the dead body of his uncle Arte’men Sirus lying lifeless at his feet *
Remy: I will not be found hovering above your body with the dagger that killed you in my hand. *stabs himself with a dagger he was holding, which he didn’t know was really a dark dagger that would inject poison into his system *
Narrator: One hour later, the invading army breached entry into the city of Kaoa causing mass chaos within the city. Eventually Kaoa fought them off and at the conclusion of the battle, two Councilmen walked around back of the temple.
Act III
Councilman 1: Is this Sirus?
Councilman 2: The sword and shield is identical to those hanging in Sirus’ study.
Councilman 1: Looks like poor Remy was caught trying to protect his uncle too. *frowns at the young boy slain over his uncle’s body *
Councilman 2: Bring me Arden Smellius XXI.
Councilman 1: The crystal dealer? How could he? He was seen skipping jollily around Kaoa bragging about his latest business deal.
Councilman 2: Here’s what we’ll do. I bring you your suspect for question. You bring me my suspect for questioning. Fair now?
Councilman 1: *nods * Bring me the barbarian chieftain.
Narrator: The two councilman of Kaoa trotted off in different directions searching for the ones they were told to retrieve for questioning.
[Councilman 2 exits]
Narrator: Across town, the Councilman charged to bring back Arden Smellius XXI ran into some difficulty locating his target.
[Councilman 1 says each question to a different person in audience]
Councilman 1: Excuse me; have you seen where the crystal dealer went off to?
Councilman 1: Where’s the Smellius Estate located?
Councilman 1: Do you happen to know if Arden Smellius XXI is away on business or not?
[Councilman 1 walks back to stage]
Narrator: The councilman thought…and thought…and thought…and thought some more… then it hit him!
Narrator: Swirling through the chaotic winds of Kaoa crashing straight into the councilman’s face was a flyer.
Councilman 1: *reads the flyer * A.C.D.B. this weekend. Don’t miss out!
Councilman 1: A.C.D.B? The Annual Convention of Draedan Business? Could Arden be that stupid enough to think crystal dealing could ever be inducted into the A.C.D.B. as an international economy?
[Councilman 1 exits]
Act IV
[Masked Visitor and Smellius XXI enter]
Narrator: Meanwhile in a dark cave…
Masked Visitor: You’ve seen this glorious crystal cavern, hidden all these years beneath your very family estate.
Masked Visitor: This will supply your pathetic little business with enough crystals to last well into the times when Arden Smellius the one hundredth lives.
Masked Visitor: Now hand over the deed to that most recent land grant.
Smellius XXI: I can’t betray my country.
Masked Visitor: Countries die given the proper amount of time. Your business has the potential to last forever with the help of these caverns.
Smellius XXI: Hand me the deed to these caverns first.
Masked Visitor: Don’t have to. You, sir, own the land that these caverns were built on. It is already the property of your family.
Smellius XXI: *takes out a parchment scroll from his jacket pocket *
[Sirus enters]
Sirus: *snatches the scroll in Arden’s hands away * And here I thought I could trust you in my private office, Smellius.
Masked Visitor: Arte’men! I trust my son is doing all right under your guidance?
Sirus: He is dead, Lady Arte’misia. He killed himself thinking I was actually dead when you slipped me that potion behind the temple.
Masked Visitor: *steps forward removing her hood to reveal herself as a woman *
Sirus: Sister, did you honestly think you could get away with attempted murder and then cover your tracks? *chuckles * You never were good with stealth.
Sirus: Your actions will only cause the fall of your home city now. When I return to the Council chambers, you and your people will undoubtedly become the first souls placed on the Kaoan Hunt List.
Masked Visitor: You think I would attempt to kill my own brother? Make a death that is sure to lead to the death of my fifteen-year-old son?
Masked Visitor: Unlike you, I hold the family name of Sirus close to heart. Your blatant blasphemy and heretical sermons against Veyr, as an Ordan did nothing to help the name of Sirus.
Masked Visitor: Unlike you, I have faith in a powerfully strong deity. When you were deemed a heretic, I prayed every night that you would not continue your heretical personality in Orda.
Sirus: *draws sword glaring it threateningly at Arte’misia the masked visitor *
Masked Visitor: If you kill me, I am in the right here. Honor may be a very controversial concept, but in this case, in every meaning, it is on my side.
Sirus: *pulls his sword back taking aim to swing at Arte’misia, then 3 inches from her chest, he freezes mid-motion rethinking this action *
Smellius XXI: *cowers behind a 5-foot-long crystal watching slowly as his dream of a major crystal dealing economy fade before his eyes *
Masked Visitor: *grins knowingly and somewhat arrogantly at Arte’men Sirus *
No comments:
Post a Comment