Defenestration of Prague
Radical Hussites storm the New Town Hall in Prague, confronting the town council over religious persecution. The confrontation escalates into violence as the Hussites throw several council members out
Setting
New Town Hall, Prague, Kingdom of Bohemia. The scene is set in the council chamber, a large, austere room with high ceilings and narrow windows. The walls are adorned with tapestries depicting religious and civic scenes, and the floor is made of cold, hard stone. The room is filled with the tension of political and religious strife.
Characters
Hussite Preacher
primary
A gaunt man in his late 40s with intense, burning eyes and a wild, unkempt beard. His face is weathered from years of outdoor preaching, with deep lines etched by fervor and hardship. He stands tall despite his lean frame, with calloused hands that often clutch a worn Bible.
Town Councilman
primary
A middle-aged man of slight build, with thinning gray hair and a pallid complexion. His face is lined with stress, and his hands tremble slightly. His posture is hunched, as if trying to make himself smaller in the face of danger.
Hussite Zealot
secondary
A burly man in his late 30s, with a weathered face marked by a jagged scar across his left cheek. His sunken eyes burn with fervent intensity, and his muscular frame is tense with readiness for violence. His hands are calloused from years of wielding weapons, and he stands with a slight forward lean, like a wolf ready to pounce.
Guard Captain
secondary
A rugged man in his late 30s with a muscular build, bearing the scars of previous battles. His short-cropped brown hair is streaked with gray, and his piercing blue eyes constantly scan for threats. A jagged scar runs from his left temple to his jawline.
Scribe
background
A middle-aged man with a thin, wiry frame, his face lined with the stress of the moment. His hands are ink-stained from years of meticulous record-keeping, and his eyes dart nervously between the documents he's trying to save and the escalating conflict around him.
Dialog
Hussite Preacher
Ecclesia semper reformanda! The time for compromise is past! These wolves in priests' robes have starved Christ's flock long enough!
Town Councilman
Good preacher, I beg you consider... Surely we can... There must be another way than violence!
Hussite Preacher
Another way? When they barred the chalice from Christ's own? 'Vae vobis legis peritis!' Woe unto you lawyers who burden men with laws you won't touch yourselves!
Guard Captain
Councilor - behind me now. Sir.
Hussite Preacher
Draw that blade and prove yourself no better than the Roman butchers! The cup is Christ's promise to all - even you, soldier!
Town Councilman
Please - by the saints - can we not send for the archbishop? Let Rome decide this matter!
Hussite Preacher
Rome? Rome has spoken enough! 'Behold, I stand at the door and knock!' And you bar it against Him!