The Wealth of Wayrest, act I

Act I, Scene I 
Palace watch in Wayrest, 2 guards on post, Brodyvn and Laertivus.

Brod: Who goes there? 
Laer: Fallen cloud or star does blind you? 
Tis I, Laertivus 
Brod: Easy is this watch tonight, 
First night of this still young new year. 
Covert acts the foes of state 
Wait still for start of warm Rain's Hand. 
Only Tongues could hold such winds. 
Laer: Ay, but even tongues can freeze 
To iron's cold and bitter'd edge. 
Silence Derek's mournful cry, 
Steel cuts deep for Nordic skin, 
Drive, drive and end anxious days.

(noise from the gates) 
Brod: Sound? 
Laer: Ay, to arms to arms! 
Who goes there? 
Brod: The wind defies you Laertivus 
No laugh though, fear kept you alive 
These youthful two and twenty years. 
Laer: ‘Tis the hour that keeps my guard 
Brod: What of the hour? 
Past that of ghastly image. 
Laer: Indeed, and now it is the day 
When Pelagius visit did 
Cause madness in his corpus state. 
He returned to rule all men 
With mind as steady still as 
Sentinel sands. So Septim, 
In defiance we celebrate 
Ancestral folly, though we all 
Receive similar effect. 
Brod: Choleric is epidemic 
Among those of state in these days 
Without our beloved queen four years 
Gone by Flower day cherished, 
Charity mother of Wayrest. 
Damned thieves or dark agent was he 
Who raised no illicit ransom. 
Stolen was our western jewel. 
Laer: Never did great Azura 
Craft such a pure, pristine gem. 
Brod: Prince from the west visits today, 
Joins in our mock ceremonies. 
Laer: Lysandus' son Gothryd, 
Who, friendly port commands 
More men without the crown than 
Cameron among his red walls. 
Brod: Power in the hands whose new year 
Been little more than one dozen, 
Leads naive fools to massacre. 
Wield the unused iron claymore, 
Let it not lay among hammers 
To gain wealth like Balmor brandy. 
Blistering wind and endless tails 
In one becomes true warrior.

(Enter two guards) 
Who goes there? 
1Gua: Loyal guards of Eadwyre! 
Laer: Our rest has come 
Uneventful be your watch.


Scene II 
Wayrest Palace court, a fool sits with young princess Elysana recanting tales.

Fool: Distant wind from stranger lands, 
Curved stone craft not by hands, 
Burn grey fires and ashen face, 
Tell the tales of Dunmer race, 
Six houses stand, 4 tribes await, 
For native born to enter gate. 
When man believes he is god, 
Dwemer thought of one Herod, 
Is when the man casts his fate, 
Ends his reign as man of state, 
Dwarven mistake when taught is true, 
The world do not mechanically view. 
Ely: Why do you paint such grim paintings, 
Does not the sunset in Vvardenfell 
Paint coda flowers in violet shades? 
Fool: Artistic dusk is lost on sullen faces, 
Never had they days as sweet 
As these I spend with you. 
(trumpets, enter King Eadwyre with attendants and Prince Gothryd with colors and attendants) 
Enter a greater festivity than that 
Occuring on our joyous city streets. 
Ead: Welcome here to Wayrest young Gothryd, 
It is your first visit since my Carolyna 
Felt our mournful tears 
Through her burial ceremony. 
Though the weather is unrelenting 
Our celebrations bring warmth 
To early Sun's Dawn. 
Goth: Long days were they that brought me here 
Friendly host may let me remain, 
Where in discussion of our cities 
We may better our land. 
Ah, And for young Elysana, 
An elven doll I purchased in Elsweyr. 
Ely: Thank you kindly my lord.

(Enter Nurse) 
Nurse: Elysana, outside of palace doors 
The streets do beckon with circus delights 
Masked faces of celebration come march, 
Shops with items of higher rarity, 
Why do you stay within pomp stone and oak 
When brick and bread melt snow blanketed streets. 
Ely: I follow madam 
(Exeunt Nurse and Elysana)

Ead: Young Gothryd, what news dost thou 
Bring from your father, King Lysandus? 
Have his travels to Cyrodiil gone well? 
Goth: It brings me much pride to say 
King Septim has agreed to 
Giving funds for High Rock's 
Construction of a new fort 
In the Wrothgarian Mountains 
South of Shornhelm. 
A city born above enemy attacks 
That shall watch over our land. 
Ead: Lysandus, thine words charm 
Adder from bog vines to our cause. 
Soon Wayrest may rise above 
Cliffs on the bay, 
Whose abandoned peaks did make 
Our Streets a loose coin. 
High Rock may now reign 
On the four posts of commerce. 
Goth: What of the Orsinium horde? 
Ead: Perhaps nomads of skyrim, 
No longer wolves of Wayrest. 
Edvyne prepare the banquethall. (exit Edvyne) 
Tonight we celebrate the new Wayrest. 
Will you join us nephew? 
Goth: To Zenithar we shall attend tonight, 
Your warm fires are a welcome 
Beacon from the awaken sea. 
Let the night airs carry 
This feast to my home.

(Enter 4 attendants) 
Att 1: The hall is prepared my lord 
(Exeunt all sans Attendant 4) 
Att 4: Enter a cold breath cascading poison 
Down this hall. The temple is silent snow 
Calmed in this surging storm. 
A path is made in the cliffs 
For the fog foothills.


Scene III 
Royal Members of Wayrest, Marithyn of Wayrest, Gothyrd and attendants, and the  court fool attending banquet in the west hall.

Ead: To Lysandus 
All: To Lysandus 
(They drink) 
Goth: To High Rock 
All: To High Rock 
(They drink)

(Enter the musicians) 
Ead: (to Fool)What was that song you used to sing? 
Fool: The lady lays among the leaves 
Of ivy green as quiet hills 
She sings of thread of which she weaves, 
The garment's gold, her cup she fills 
With merry ales from her western home 
Tomorrow lives in those orchard fields, 
She breaths them in with her golden robe 
The lady lays apart from thieves, 
Her warmth as gold in fields she sews. 
Goth: A lovely song muse. 
Mar: My lord, you look ill. 
Ead: My temper is still Marithyn, 
All continue as you were, 
I am retired from this joyous 
Celebration, goodnight to all. 
(Exits through garden door)

Goth: (To Banthas) Did you see why Lord Eadwyre 
Did change his spirits to such grey? 
Bant: It seemed as though his heart 
Lost all expression, his hands fell 
To his sides, that is all I saw. 
Goth: (To Banthas) Perhaps the song resurfaced 
Long languished thoughts of loss. 
Ban: Do you wish to follow lead? 
Goth: Yes, the nights welcome has gone, 
I shall retire till tomorrow. 
(Exits through hallway entrance entrance with Banthas)


Scene IV 
On catwalk bridge between mainhall and residents hall. An old bookkeeper stands against the wind facing the sea.

Book: You howl, you cry from your 
Waters depth, you have risen from 
Your murky cauldron and pushed 
The eastbound ships west, 
The westbound son North.

(Enter Banthas and Gothyrd) 
Ah, here comes the flock. 
Ban: Who goes there? 
Book: I am Palathinian, bookkeeper 
Of Castle Wayrest. 
Goth: Why do you remain here in the snow? 
Pala: Because I nearly froze of the 
Cold draft awake indoors. 
I come to warn you. 
Goth: What say you old man? 
Pala: Age is all I have left, 
Age and this fate. 
Tonight the city will burn, 
And Eadwyre shall die. 
Ban: Treasonous heretic, watch your drunken words. 
Goth: The city is ashened with snow tonight, 
Not fire tonight, you are mislead. 
Pala: The city and my lord shall fall victim 
And a betrayer shall send high rock into 
The deep fissure of the mountains. 
Goth: Who is the betrayer? 
Pala: I know no more. 
Goth: What leads you to this 
Pala: A vessel has disembarked, 
The tide sweeps it away to the isle of cybiades. 
(Palathinian is taken by the sea)

Ban: This city engulfs men's souls 
Often in its cloakened shadows. 
Desolate as the open sea, 
Carry away this too old ship 
To his calmer shore. 
Goth: Do you wear his warning 
Loosely to be shed tonight? 
Ban: Take no heed in these mad 
Wails to the ocean.

(Tavern keeper below) 
Keep: The tavern, it burns, the tavern. 
Goth: The wind is strong, 
From this spark may 
Lead the flame. 
Go to the king to alert 
Our men of the service 
That may be recalled. 
Ban: Yes sire (exeunt) 
Goth: Heavy burden to the 
Man who holds the tide 
Back with his hands. 
It seems the frost 
Begins, my crown shall I watch, 
If night steals the king.

(Enter Banthas) 
Ban: The king is gone, lost 
In the haze of the city smoke. 
Goth: Quench the flames with as 
Many hands as we have, once 
The embers are dead, prepare the 
Ships for leave of this coast. 
No betrayal shall strike us down. 
(Exit Banthas)

Goth: Quickly the daedric fire 
Looms through the streets, 
Quicker than the spreading 
Fog, like the sun across the sea.

(Exeunt)