Kerra & Marcellus
Kerra & Marcellus is the name of a chivalric romance play popular across Adronica, telling the story of the princess of Emsadellyr, Kerra, and her lover, an errant paladin of Lukonna called Marcellus. It is perhaps the most popular enduring plays from the Lowland Era, and one that every theatre troupe has performed. Parts of the original play have been lost, with amended, modern scripts subsequently popularised.
Plot
Act I
Marcellus, a knight and paladin of Lukonna, arrives at Emsadellyr after four years slaying sea serpents with his fellow men-at-arms. He reflects on his journeys and accomplishments, excited to see his beloved home once more. However, he is horrified to see the city under siege by raiders from Mae'vir. He prays to Lukonna, who blesses him, as he battles towards the palace, to rescue to royal family. A fighting sequence ensues, with Marcellus and his men-at-arms ultimately victorious. Princess Kerra and her maid are barricaded in a room in her palace while fighting continues in the hallway outside their door. Kerra is surrounded by portraits of her ancestors as she laments not knowing about her family's safety. A spectre of her father, King Wekot, appears before her, comforting her, and Kerra realises he is deceased. Kerra decides she will not wait for death, instead drawing upon her rudimentary arcane abilities. With her maid brandishing a sword, and she with the use of shocking grasp, they manage to break out into the hallway. Marcellus arrives at an opposing gangway and sees this happen, and has to do acrobatic stuff to get there. He arrives to finish off the last couple of raiders, and the palace is free of violence. Marcellus and Kerra remark upon each other, but both are ultimately more distracted by the loss around them. Lord Dymphore, a high-ranking nobleman, arrives panting and with bloodied steel, and expresses his surprise and subsequent relief that Kerra still lives. He goes to thank Marcellus and then recognises him as his old dear friend. The two express their regret that they meet under such circumstances, and Marcellus remarks upon a new fire behind Lord Dymphore's eyes. Kerra asks Dymphore if her family lives, and he reports he has seen the body of her brothers. She tells him she already knows that her father is dead, and laments that her mother, Queen Tyndae, is imprisoned in Hasdemar, and is alone. She goes into a trance, the world frozen around her as her father points to her murderer and tells Kerra to remain cautious, before vanishing. Kerra believes that King Wekot's ghost has pointed at Marcellus.Act II
Kerra is ruling in Queen Tyndae's absence, and her maid is desperately trying to cheer her up as they loiter the throne room. She tells Kerra that Dymphore loved her family and seeks a wife. Kerra considers him with apathy, her eyes instead going to Marcellus. The maid at first believes that Kerra loves him instead, as Kerra had been fond of him in her youth, but Kerra corrects her, telling her of her hatred. When her maid points out that Marcellus helped save her, Kerra wonders if he would have killed her before Dymphore had shown up. Across the room, Dymphore and Marcellus sit together. Dymphore ruminates on the 'ruins' of Emsadellyr around them after the attack and wishes something good had become of it. Marcellus notices again the fire in his eyes, but sees now that it is when Dymphore looks at Kerra. Marcellus calls it 'Lukonna's potion' and has an aside, monologuing about Kerra's many attractions. The potion, he realises, is within him too, and he leaves Dymphore to speak to Kerra. He flirts charmingly with her, though she only responds combatively. Desperately, he hands her flowers he has collected, and asks her to meet with him by moonlight. She curses his advances, hoping that Lukonna would turn her eyes from him, and he would die by the Mae'virans. Full of ire, she leaves the throne room with her maid. Marcellus, despondent, exits the opposite way, whispering his peace to Lukonna. Dymphore, left alone, snatches the abandoned flowers and wrings them until they snap and the petals fall. His plans, he explains, had failed with the unexpected return of Marcellus. It was Dymphore who helped the Mae'virans into the palace, and he who used the distraction to kill all members of the royal family except Kerra —who he arrived at too late to discreetly murder. He must find a way to be rid of both Kerra and Marcellus, to take the rule of Emsadellyr for himself. With an incantation to Prio of the Strings, he wraps red thread around his holy finger (ring finger), and exits the stage. In a scant prison cell, Queen Tyndae speaks in verse of her capture on the outskirts of Hasemar while on a hunt five years ago, and how she remembers the two warriors Dymphore and Marcellus both fighting to save her. She recalls how Dymphore was wounded early, while Marcellus fought valiantly with the blessing of Lukonna upon him. Tyndae believes now as she did then, that Lukonna's favour would make Marcellus a fine match for her daughter, Kerra. Tyndae regrets what of Kerra's life she is missing, while she grows lean in prison. The Hasdemaran who has guarded her all these years, Befren, arrives to sneer at the poised Tyndae, with news of the slaughter at Emsadellyr at the hands of the Mae'viran raiders. Befren claims witnesses heard a raider declare that they would not rest until every member of the royal family was killed, as repayment for assassins Tyndae sent for their rulers in early years of her reign. Tyndae is filled with a terrifying rage that has her loom over Befren. She tells him that soon, the Mae'virans would come for her at Hasdemar, and all their 'peasant rulers' would be brutally slaughtered. Befren, terrified, opens up her cell and insists she leave to spare his people. She leaves, remarking that history would remember him as a coward and her as a hero.Act III
Marcellus walks the palace gardens at night, unable to sleep like many nights before. He speaks to Lukonna, asking her why she has relinquished her fortune, while striking him in love with a woman who curses him. He wonders if he should return to the serpents, and leave Kerra and Dymphore be. As he despairs, he sees a rider on the road, whom he eventually recognises as the radiant Queen Tyndae. They reunite, and he guides her to the palace. The survivors of the palace hold a feast to celebrate Tyndae's return, though the speech Tyndae gives is somber and ominous. Kerra, too, is somber, and the two duet their grief together. In a private moment at the feast, Kerra attempts to tell her of King Wikot's ghost, but Tyndae disabuses her of any notion the Marcellus would commit such an act, describing how he attempted to save her years ago. Kerra believes her to be sentimental, and decides to confront the situation, seeking out Marcellus, although he is not at the feast. Her maid suggests that he may be with Dymphore, who is also absent. At midnight she finds Marcellus alone in the same palace gardens, and sees him praying. She casts Zone of Truth on him (which he chooses to fail), and interrupts him mid-prayer to interrogate him. She asks him if he killed Wikot, and he replies that he didn't. That shocks her, and she sits with him on a stone bench, confessing that this entire time, she was convinced of his guilt. He claims that he would never harm her family, as he has cared for all of them and is loyal in his service. She then asks him why he spends his time pacing and praying in the gardens, if not out of heavy conscience. He responds that it is for his love of her. They share a kiss, though break apart to spy Dymphore sneaking through the gardens towards the feast. The possibility of his guilt occurs to Kerra, who makes to confront him, but is stopped by Marcellus. He has seen that, in the far distance behind him, the Mae'viran army draws near. Lord Dymphore enters the feast, and Tyndae invites him to join her table. Instead, he faces her and tells her that the Mae'virans seek her death. She tells him she knows, and he adds that he also seeks her death. She stands to her feet and declares that "one act of justice beckons another," and he draws a sword and strikes her through. Kerra and Marcellus enter to the screams of the other people at the feast, and see Dymphore remove his sword. Immediately, Marcellus draws his own weapon, and the two duel. Partway through, four of the Mae'viran raiders enter the feasting hall, and all attack Marcellus. As Marcellus is distracted for long enough for Dymphore to ready a killing blow, Kerra charms the latter into handing her his sword. She kills him herself, as Marcellus slays the raiders. Tyndae is dead, but the Mae'virans still advance on the palace. Marcellus gathers his men-at-arms, and tells them to prepare to defend what remains of Emsadellyr. Kerra tells him to stop, saying that the best chance for the survival of their city is to flee, as their dwindled defences make a battle futile. He tells her that he will do his best to delay the enemy forces, but that he must go as Lukonna requires it of him. They share an intense farewell, and, as Marcellus leaves, Kerra remembers the curse she placed upon him. She calls after him to tell him, but he is already gone.Characters
| Marcellus | A paladin of Lukonna returning home after four years away. | Acts I, II, III |
| 2x Men-at-arms | Marcellus' fellow knights. | Acts I, II, III |
| 4x Mae'viran raiders | Lithe, menacing warriors from Mae'vir. | Act I |
| Kerra | Princess of Emsadellyr. | Acts I, II, III |
| Maid | Kerra's maid. | Acts I, II, III |
| Ghost of King Wikot | The spirit of the recently slain King, Kerra's father. | Acts I |
| Lord Dymphore | A high-ranking nobleman turned traitor. | Acts I, II, III |
| Queen Tyndae | Kerra's mother, imprisoned in Hasdemar for five years. | Acts II, III |
| Befren | The Hasdemaran that has guarded Tyndae for five years. | Acts II |
History
The legend has been around from hundreds of years, popular long before the end of the Lowland Era. In its adaptation to a play, it became considered the epitome of Lowland Era classical romance-tragedies, and continues to be one of the most popular plays across the highland realms. Until 1366 AE, the legend was considered little more than a myth.
Date of First Recording
Circa 120 LE
Date of Setting
Circa 110 LE
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