All the World's a Stage

All the World's a Stage is a quest in .
==Steps==
# Watch the performance with Kaeya
# Order food from Nesmil
# Chat with Kaeya
# Watch Kaeya's performance
# Talk to Kaeya
# Leave quietly with Kaeya
==Gameplay Notes==
* The names of the characters change between when they are acting and out of character. The cast list is as follows:
** Zabi plays Gundafar;
** Darbil plays Qabus;
** Kaeya plays Qubad;
** The name of Frasiyav's actor is unknown.
* Dialogue and thoughts that were previously attributed to "Gundafar" and "Qabus" are changed after their real names are shown to use their real names.
* Completing this quest for the first time will award the quest item Prince Qubad's Intaglio.
==Dialogue==
===The Stage===
;(Talk to Nesmil, optional)
: Nesmil: If you want to order any food, just holler.
;(Approach the stage)
: Gundafar: ...Your Majesty, not only has God bestowed the throne upon you, but your beloved son, Prince Qubad, has led our brave warriors to victory against Frasiyav's army. His men have laid down their arms and fled.
: Gundafar: Frasiyav's brazen ambition is no more. He has bowed his head and now presents to Your Majesty an offering of treasures and hostages, as well as a plea for peace.
: Gundafar: My king, this battle has finally restored the dignity of our people. Moreover, with Frasiyav's offer of land comes the opportunity to expand our borders, as Your Majesty so greatly wishes.
: Gundafar: His Highness the Prince and I believe this peace settlement will be a great boon to our nation. It is for this reason alone that I have removed my armor and made haste back to our halls from the front lines. My king, what say you to this proposal?
: Kaeya: Ah, it's the tale of Prince Qubad. Ever heard this one?
: Nope, never.
: Feels like we've missed a lot of the backstory.
: Kaeya: Don't worry, I still remember the general plot. Let me fill you in on the background while the king deliberates.
: Kaeya: The main characters are the brilliant prince Qubad and his war-hungry father, King Qabus. The one talking to the king right now is Gundafar, the prince's tutor.
: Kaeya: When the prince was young, the king was deceived by a malicious rumor that the prince had mistreated his stepmother. He demanded that the prince walk through a blazing fire to prove his innocence.
: Kaeya: Miraculously, the prince emerged unscathed, thus proving his innocence. But the seeds of doubt had already been sown in the king's mind.
: Kaeya: Now uneasy in the presence of his mistrustful father, the prince requested to be sent away to the battlefield, where he would fight against Frasiyav's army — that's the enemy general we heard them mention just now.
: Kaeya: This is the part where the prince has won the war and decided to forge a peace with the rival nation. He wrote a letter recommending peace to his father... Oh, it looks like the king's made up his mind. Let's keep watching.
: Qabus: Frasiyav lost because he did not have the blessing of God. Our God will always watch over us, and punish our enemies.
: Qabus: Once the bells of war have begun to toll, they shall not cease until the blood of our enemies fills the land. There can be no victory until the last enemy soldier has fallen.
: Qabus: If Qubad still wishes to be my son, and hold the intaglio I bestowed upon him as proof of his royal blood, then he must obey my command.
: Gundafar: Your Majesty, I must caution that a nation destroyed is not a fallen city writ large. Now, the loss of one city strikes fear into the hearts of our enemies, compelling them to accept defeat and cede land in exchange for peace.
: Gundafar: If, however, we insist on bringing a whole nation to its knees... Then so long as a single person is left standing, they will see us as their sworn enemy, and one day return to us tenfold the pain that we have inflicted on their nation and family.
: Gundafar: My king, a people is to their nation as wild grass to the open prairie. Though we burn down the whole field and spare not one blade of grass, roots continue to grow unseen beneath the surface. Come the spring, it is all but inevitable that fresh green shoots will rise up from the ashes.
: Qabus: Cease, Gundafar. Your mind grows dull in your old age, filled with naive delusions. We shall have no more need of you on the battlefield.
: Qabus: As for my son Qubad... I will summon him back to the capital, so he may be tried by a court-martial.
: Gundafar: What are you saying, my noble king? Why must you mistrust your own flesh and blood, and sink ever deeper into the blight of hatred?
: Gundafar: When he was falsely accused, you once doubted his honor, and made him walk through a raging fire. Did he not prove himself worthy by emerging unharmed from the flames?
: Gundafar: Now you would turn me away, when I seek only to provide the wisdom of counsel. What is the justification for this?
: Qabus: The justification is that my word, not yours, is the law of the land. Cease and begone, Gundafar, so you may spend the rest of your days with your wife.
: Gundafar: What has become of the king that I served with my life? Fanaticism has robbed him of all reason and wisdom... Peace is surely the most favorable path for our nation, yet he refuses to accept it.
: Qabus: I must think of a way to seize control of the army back from the hands of my wayward son, that they might continue this fight to the end. Perhaps the first task should be this... I shall send a loyal contingent of warriors to eliminate Frasiyav and the hostages he has sent to our palace.
: Kaeya: Brilliant acting, Darbil.
: Darbil: Hahaha, I saw you approaching us in the middle of the scene. I was worried that my performance would be subpar, and you'd think I was just making a fool of myself.
: Kaeya: Not at all, far from it. Actually, let me introduce you — this is Darbil, the actor for King Qabus.
: Kaeya: When we first got to know each other, he was still a guard for one of the merchant caravans. Seems like he's now made the switch to full-time acting.
: Hello.
: Darbil: Nice to meet you. Any friend of Kaeya's is a friend of mine.
: Darbil: To be perfectly honest, I wasn't making all that much as a mercenary. It felt right to me to get away from the danger and live a more stable life.
: Darbil: I was already pretty good at telling stories, so I just recruited a few friends, and started performing shows all over the country.
: Darbil: Full disclosure, we had to put this little stage together using whatever wood and cloth we could borrow... It's really low-budget.
: Darbil: Anyway, we're all good enough at acting to get through the motions, but none of us are any good at coming up with a script. Everything we tried to write just sounded off somehow.
: Darbil: So I got a student from the Akademiya to adapt an old story I knew to make it more appealing to our audience. What do you think? Passable?
: Kaeya: I could tell that you've had someone tighten up the lines. They turned out very nicely.
: Darbil: Ah, that's good... Well, as you can see, even now, we still don't have much of an audience... Don't suppose you'd be interested to see the rest of the show?
: Kaeya: Sure, why not. I don't have anything pressing lined up, and I don't think does either.
: Kaeya: Tickets for two, please. How much would that be?
: Darbil: Hah, there's no need for tickets. You can just get some food from Djafar Tavern — we've worked out an arrangement with them.
: Darbil: We actually found a sponsor for this performance, too. He's not too happy about the poor turnout, though...
: Darbil: I doubt we'll be able to keep him for the next performance. A real pity... but what can ya do, huh?
: Zabi: Darbil, Asgar still hasn't shown up for the next scene. We should get his costume and sword out, so they'll be ready to go the moment he gets here...
: Darbil: My apologies, I have to go get ready for the upcoming scene. I'll see you from the stage.
;(Talk to Darbil again, optional)
: Darbil: Where in the seven nations is that little twerp? The next scene is about to begin...
;(Talk to Zabi again, optional)
: Zabi: God only knows. It's not the first time he's done this, either... *sigh*
;(Use Nahida's All Schemes to Know on Nesmil, optional)
: Nesmil: (That outlander sure is easy on the eyes...)
;(Talk to Nesmil)
: Nesmil: Would you two like to order some food? What can I get you? If you're looking for recommendations, today's special is the Tandoori Roast Chicken.
: Kaeya: Bear with us a moment... We're just going to take a look at the menu.
: How did you become friends with Darbil?
: Kaeya: I was at Port Ormos discussing some business opportunities, and some crook was trying to pull a fast one on me. Darbil took pity on me, and politely asked him to make himself scarce.
: Kaeya: He's a good guy. A decent storyteller, too. Quite an interesting character.
: Kaeya: There's a lot of fun to be had if you hang around interesting people doing interesting things, especially if you're in the company of an interesting friend.
: Kaeya: That's my secret formula for staying in a good mood. Try it out sometime, you'll see what I mean.
: Kaeya: Thanks for waiting. We're ready to order now.
: Kaeya: We'll take you up on that Tandoori Roast Chicken... And let's throw in some desserts, too — one each of the Rose Custard, that Tulumba, and the Padisarah Pudding, please. That should see us through the show.
;(Talk to Nesmil again, optional)
: Nesmil: Your food's on the way. It'll just be a few more minutes.
;(Use Nahida's All Schemes to Know on Kaeya, optional)
: Kaeya: (There are worse ways to pass the time than watching a little outdoor theater... Too bad I already know the story.)
: Kaeya: (Having here will help to keep things interesting, though. And being close to where the action's happening is always exciting.)
;(Talk to Kaeya)
: Kaeya: We've got good seats. Close to the stage, but also not too crowded.
: Kaeya: We can watch the show as we eat. If I remember correctly, the next scene should focus on the prince.
: Kaeya: But I won't spoil it for you. You have to experience it for yourself.
: Do you like this story?
:: Kaeya: I don't tend to judge a story's worth by my personal affinity for it. But if you want to know my opinion, I'd say it's a fine tale, with a classical flavor that makes it a story for the ages.
:: Kaeya: History always repeats itself. When you keep this in mind and watch out for the echoes of past events in the present, things that appear unfathomable at first glance become much easier to comprehend.
: Sounds like this story has made quite an impression on you.
:: Kaeya: You could say that. It's always stayed with me, because it's hammered home a cruel but realistic truth.
:: Kaeya: "People do not choose where and when to be born, yet the circumstances of their birth define the choices that they will have for the rest of their life."
: Nesmil: Here you are! The check's on the table too — just call me over when you're ready to settle up.
: Kaeya: No need — I'll pay upfront. Here. Keep the change.
: Nesmil: Thank you, Sir... Oh, but this is too generous...
: Kaeya: Call it a token of my gratitude for the excellent service. The food all smells wonderful too, so please pass my compliments to the chef.
: Nesmil: Thank you so much, Sir.
: Kaeya: Let's dig in, .
:
: Darbil: Hey, Kaeya... Ugh, I'm so sorry, but the actor who plays the prince has run into some difficulties, and won't be able to make it.
: Darbil: We can't do the rest of the show without him so... I'm really, really sorry, but we'll have to call the show right here.
: It's too bad that we won't see the end of the story.
:: Can Kaeya fill in for him?
: Can you use an understudy?
:: Can Kaeya fill in for him?
: Kaeya: Ooh, that would be fun... I wouldn't say no.
: I was just kidding.
: Kaeya: Darbil, would you lose any income if I were to mess this up?
: Darbil: Not really, I mean... there's not much of an audience here anyway. I wouldn't want to take too much of your time, though...
: Kaeya: Eh, don't worry about that. I like to be spontaneous now and then, spice things up a little.
: Darbil: Let me think... Well, you already know the story, so you'd just need to memorize a few lines... Huh, you know what? This might actually work.
: Darbil: Ah wait, but Qubad has a specific costume he's supposed to wear, and there's no way you'd fit into it...
: Darbil: Switching actors is one thing, but wearing street clothes on stage would really ruin the immersion... Yeah, I don't think this is gonna work.
: Kaeya: Well, good thing that I've actually got a costume with me. It goes pretty well with your stage, too.
: Darbil: You're kidding? Can you show it to me?
: Kaeya: Sure, if you can show me the way to your changing room?
: Darbil: It's in the restaurant. Follow me.
:
;(Kaeya emerges wearing Sailwind Shadow)
: Kaeya: Gotta say, I think I actually look pretty dapper in this. It's a pity I don't have many opportunities to wear it in public.
: You're such a show-off! ...But you do look pretty good.
: I never knew you were so vain.
: Kaeya: Uh-oh, not a fan of me as a prince? I'll have to act my heart out, so you'll be too dazzled to make any digs.
: Darbil: Kaeya, here's your script for the next scene. It's not too long, but you also don't have very long to prepare... Do you think you can memorize your lines in time?
: Kaeya: Only one way to find out.
:
: Zabi: Okay, I think we've covered all your lines and movements on stage. You haven't had long to prepare, so don't worry about forgetting your lines — we'll remind you.
: Kaeya: Alright. I'm good to go.
: Zabi: Great! Then let's get this show on the road.
===All the World's a Stage===
;(Talk to Nesmil again, optional)
: Nesmil: Just give me a shout if you need anything else.
;(Approach the stage)
: Frasiyav: General Qubad, son of Qabus, the fate of this battle is clear.
: Frasiyav: I beg you, please spare my few remaining men. They no longer have the strength to fight back.
: Qubad: Frasiyav, though you now lead only the husk of a once-mighty army, I have no desire to crush your dignity.
: Qubad: Even your most savage warriors have no desire to see further bloodshed, and none among your ranks have opposed these peace talks. Nevertheless, I must hear it from you one final time:
: Qubad: General Frasiyav, do you agree to sign a treaty in good faith, and commit from this day forth to peace between our nations?
: Frasiyav: With my army in ruins, I am in no position to do otherwise. But on this, I give you my word:
: Frasiyav: Yes, let us end our hostilities, and send our surviving men home to their families.
: Qubad: We share the desire to lay down our arms for good, and liberate our hearts from the dirge of hatred.
: Qubad: Then as God above is our witness, by the authority vested in me by this intaglio of King Qabus:
: Qubad: I hereby declare that I will spare your hostages, and what remains of your army. May peace be restored to this land, and may these fields of war become a place where crops grow aplenty.
: Qubad: My tutor, Gundafar, has already made haste to my father, the King, with the recommendation of a truce. It is my sincere hope that he will see that peace is a path to prosperity, and grant me his blessing.
: Frasiyav: Prince Qubad, your name is renowned throughout your land and ours. I will place my hope in your words.
: Qubad: One will find on a battlefield no master of ceremonies, nor the paper on which a treaty may be signed. In their absence, let us raise our weapons, and swear an oath:
: Qubad: I, Qubad, son of Qabus, hereby pledge protection to you and all of your kin. May the oceans be stained red with my blood if I am ever to renounce this oath.
:
: Nesmil: Wow, your friend is so dreamy! He's not a real prince by any chance, is he!?
: Nesmil: Hey, Roshana, you don't want to miss this! The good-looking guy who left that huge tip is acting on stage with Darbil's troupe.
: Roshana: Darbil's one lucky man.
: Gundafar: I return, Your Highness. I hope I'm not too late... Have you already promised peace to Frasiyav?
: Qubad: Nay, I am not so rash as to preempt my father's blessing. I promised only what I could so far — the safety of his kin.
: Gundafar: My child, I must share with you the gravest news. Qabus has become blinded by fanaticism and hatred, and will stop at nothing to vanquish every last man under Frasiyav's lead.
: Qubad: How can this be? You mean to say that my father has rejected our proposal for peace?
: Gundafar: He has indeed. I urged him to reconsider, and for this I was rebuked and dismissed from his service.
: Gundafar: But far stricter punishment than this awaits you, should you return home with your troops.
: Gundafar: Please heed my warnings, dear child. I dare not imagine what unspeakable atrocities your father intends to commit.
: Qubad: Nay... The truce must stand. I cannot renounce my oath. How can man claim to stand above beast without remaining true to his word?
: Qubad: The masses have grown weary of death and conflict, in both our nation and theirs... Are we all to now bend to his will, and massacre countless more to satisfy a desire that is his alone?
: Qubad: When I departed my beloved home to fight in a foreign land, I did so to honor his wishes and for my duty to our people.
: Qubad: Alas, is this fate's grand design... Is this fate's grand design...
: Darbil: Kaeya, the next line is: "Alas, is this fate's grand design, that I should spend the rest of my days in a foreign land, till I am laid to rest in a grave far from home?"
: Qubad: Must it be so...?
: Darbil: Huh? Wait, that's not a part of the script! Kaeya, did you not hear me?
: Qubad: My dear audience, I ask you this: Do you believe in fate? If fate decreed that your life was to end in tragedy, what would you do?
:
:: (Why did he just throw the prop to me...)
:: (Seems like improv with the audience... Guess I should play along.)
: I would bravely face my fate.
: I would challenge my fate, and rise above it.
: Qubad: Oh...? Haha, then so must it be! Yes, so must it be!
: Qubad: I shall discard this intaglio, and rid myself of the shackles of fate.
: Gundafar: Wait, but that's not— My dear prince, do you intend to betray your father, and abandon your heritage?
: Qubad: Fate means to send the machinations of war to every corner of the land, to fan the flames of conflict till they engulf the entire world...
: Qubad: Fate would see my sword tainted with the blood of innocents, that the bright banner of my homeland might fly in every nation known to mankind.
: Qubad: But I shall not bow to the will of fate. I am no pawn in heaven's plan.
: Eymen: Bravo! Where did this guy come from? Is he one of the new hires?
: Oguz: Shut up, stop interrupting.
: Qubad: I, Qubad, will spend the rest of my days in a foreign land, till I breathe my last in a place far from home.
: Darbil: Whew, at least he brought it back in the end...
: Gundafar: Prince Qubad, my child, there is no need to be rash. Please bring at least your fortune, and the retainers who will always be loyal to you.
: Qubad: Gundafar, my dear mentor... You have always been like a father to me. It brings me only anguish to bid you farewell.
: Qubad: But I must walk this path, or freedom dies by my hand. Goodbye, my tribe and kin. Farewell, sweet land of my birth.
: Gundafar: Goodbye, my child.
:
===Must It Be So?===
;(Use Nahida's All Schemes to Know on Oguz, optional)
: Oguz: (Can't tell if this counts as me slacking off during work... It's a gray area, for sure.)
;(Talk to Oguz, optional)
: Oguz: The show is pretty good. Are you guys professional?
;(Use Nahida's All Schemes to Know on Eymen, optional)
: Eymen: (It's too bad that Darbil's troupe is always on the move. I wish they could stay here for longer.)
;(Talk to Eymen, optional)
: Eymen: Hmm... I wonder if I should go strike up a conversation with him?
;(Use Nahida's All Schemes to Know on Kaeya, optional)
: Kaeya: (So must it be... Hahaha, yes, so must it be!)
;(Approach Kaeya and Nesmil)
: Nesmil: Ahhhh, it's Prince Qubad... Could I please get your autograph?
: Kaeya: Why certainly, Ma'am.
: Nesmil: Ooh, thank you! I'll just go find a pen!
: Good show, Kaeya.
:: Kaeya: Hehe, feeling more like a fan now?
: I want an autograph, too.
:: Kaeya: Just an autograph? Well, you could get one of those at any time.
: Kaeya: Acting is quite fun. If there ever came a day when I left the Knights of Favonius, I think I might go into acting full-time.
: Tus: Darbil, could you introduce me to this young man?
: Darbil: Ahh, my apologies, Master Tus... I somehow missed you in the crowd earlier.
: Tus: Haha, I was some distance away. I just came over near the end after I noticed the large crowd gathered around the stage.
: Tus: The performance was outstanding across the board. I knew that the poor turnout over the past few days was just bad luck. It was only ever a matter of time before you hit it big.
: Tus: The improvised section was particularly good — I think you can include some improvisation as a staple in future performances. As for the prop he threw, no need to get it back, it's fairly cheap anyway.
: Darbil: Very well sir, Sir — and a big thanks also to our wonderful prince. Had Kaeya not agreed to fill in, we might have disbanded right on the spot...
: Tus: Kaeya, was it? Well, young man, I must say you've made quite the impression on me. My caravan is always loaded with the finest food and wines. You are welcome to visit at any time.
: Kaeya: Thank you for the invite, Sir, but I'm afraid I've reached the end of my time in Sumeru. I'm sure that my friends and family in Mondstadt must be missing me terribly.
: Tus: Haha, well then, consider it an open invitation. Once you've been bitten by the travel bug, my friend, you'll be getting itchy feet again before too long.
: Tus: My door is always open. If you're ever interested, please ask Darbil to reach out to me.
: Tus: Darbil, we can continue discussions on the sponsorship once you've wrapped up today's show. I'm going back to the inn.
: Darbil: Thank you so much, Master Tus. I'll see you shortly.
: Darbil: Seriously, Kaeya, thank you for bailing me out again. You're a good guy... May the gods bless you.
: Darbil: You know, you should stay for a few more days. I owe you a meal, at the very least...
: Zabi: Darbil! Asgar is back, he lost track of time playing Genius Invokation TCG, you've gotta sort him out...
: Darbil: Genius Invokation? Again!? Ugh, that does it, that kid's not getting away with it this time... Please excuse me, Kaeya, I will be right back...
: Kaeya: Sure. There's no rush.
: Kaeya: ...Okay, I think they're all gone. Let's slip away now, while we can.
;(Use Nahida's All Schemes to Know on Kaeya, optional)
: Kaeya: (I always like to extricate myself before things start getting tedious.)
;(Approach Kaeya)
: Kaeya: Alright, this should be far enough. Don't think they'll find me here.
: Weren't you gonna sign some autographs?
: Didn't want to stay for a free meal sometime?
: Kaeya: People were starting to expect a lot of things that I didn't sign up for. Besides, the missing actor is back now — Darbil shouldn't be needing me to stand in again.
: Kaeya: I don't mind socializing, but compared to chatting over food and drink, I much prefer just going wild on the stage.
: Kaeya: What about you? Did you enjoy the show?
: I thought your performance was intriguing.
::: Mostly, I was curious to know what was going through your mind on stage.
: I wasn't expecting that improv section.
::: Mostly, I was curious to know what was going through your mind on stage.
: Kaeya: Oh? I was expecting a lengthier critique, but you've thrown the question right back at me... Sneaky. Alright, I'll rise to your challenge.
: Kaeya: Let me think... "All the world's a stage, and all the people merely players." Does that answer your question?
: Kaeya: Perhaps there's an inept god out there deciding everyone's fates... much like the Akademiya student drafting Darbil's scripts.
: Kaeya: Yep, "inept" is a good word for it. Honestly, it might even be a little too civil to describe a god who turns fathers against their sons and is bent on endless warmongering... don't you think?
: Kaeya: Anyway, that's exactly why actors need to wake up and realize they don't have to follow the script. There's nothing to stop them from following their gut and making it up as they go along.
: Do you really believe that?
: Does this inept god really exist?
: Kaeya: Oh, my dear , please don't take me too literally. I don't want you to get the wrong idea. The "god" is just a figure of speech — the real point I'm making is about the actors.
: Kaeya: Everyone, you and I included, is both an actor and a member of the audience.
: Kaeya: If you don't like the script, just walk off the stage and join the audience. You always have a choice.
: That sounds... difficult...
: I'm not sure I fully understand...
: Kaeya: A little too obtuse? Hahaha, well don't dwell on it — it's nothing worth losing sleep over. I was just thinking aloud.
: Kaeya: Relax, be yourself, do your thing. That's all I'm really trying to say.
: Kaeya: When I did my little bit of audience interaction back there, you had no time to prepare. You had to just say what you thought in the moment. I think those spontaneous thoughts are often the most authentic... And that's why I liked your answer.
: Kaeya: You're still holding onto the Intaglio I threw to you from the stage, right? Keep it. Think of it as a souvenir of my improvised performance.
: Kaeya: It's been the most fascinating day, hasn't it, little birdie? ♪...
===Ending: Questions===
==Soundtracks==
==Trivia==
* "" is a quote from 's play .
==Other Languages==
==Change History==
es:El mundo es un escenario