11 May 2003
The companions are in Harad, having left Susan's farm that morning and continuing their journey down the dirt road running past it. Meridian has been keeping track of the ranger Sil Rana sent to Adzgar via his crystal and by the time evening approaches it has become obvious to all that Whitlock is beginning to slow down. The entropy in the environment more than he can manage. Learning of this Susan takes to his mount and rushes off, to the surprise of everyone. There is a brief moment of discussion then all decide to follow, unsure of what prompted the abrupt departure. Riding behind, Laurent thinks to use his Trump and is able to contact Susan, who claims he was simple off to rescue the Ranger; and that it never occurred to him everyone else wouldn't just follow. Laurent gives Susan a brief but snippy lecture on the value of group communication and then, fingering his Trump obviously, notes, "There are faster ways to travel you know."
Laurent is willing to make a Trump of Whitlock but requires a psychic impression of him. The only one who has a usable one is Sil Rana, and he allows Laurent to link with him mentally to extract it. Laurent find the process easier than he imagined and revels in the power this new ability gives him. Rummaging a bit, he is more or less behaved, but can't resist leaving a small suggestion in Sil Rana's mind that he should let Laurent back into his mind whenever asked. As an aristocrat, Laurent understands the value of convinence.
The Trump is constructed and the ranger is pulled through, after the process is explained to him by Sil Rana. Still nervous about the unconventional method of travel, he is almost immediately handed a strange potion by Susan and told to drink it. It is not until after he has gingerly done so that Susan mentions that it was constructed from his own blood. However mortified the group may be by this statement, they can not question the results as Whitlock speeds up to almost his normal rate. Thinking that closer proximity to what remains of the Pattern may slow the process, the group convinces the Ranger to Trump to Fiona, who is glad to take in yet one more refugee.
During the hand off she passes a box to Laurent, "Thought you might like it". While Fiona has been nothing but helpful the group is still wary and after the connection has closed examine the box carefully, finding nothing untoward. Once it has been opened, a set of light be incredible strong mail is seen inside. Ornamental and fine even by Laurent's exacting standards it proves to fit him perfect and he wastes no time donning it.
The rest of the day's journey is uneventful although that night's camp proves anything but. Meridian spends time using his new abilities to enhance the horses while the others go about various tasks setting up the evening's camp. Once the set up is complete Sil Rana walks up to Laurent and demands "Why did you feel guilty?" Laurent looks surprise but his serene aristocratic mask is soon firmly in place "I did nothing to hurt you." Sil Rana is not the only one to notice the evasion and demands "I'll need more of an answer than that." However, no answer is forthcoming and in the face of Laurent's silence the tension mounts until Sil Rana turns in disgust and walks into the surrounding woods. The rest of the group finish their preparations for the nights rest, but all are aware that the confrontation is not finished.
Sil Rana finds Peter and asks him to use his mental abilities to look into his head and see what Laurent may have done. At first Peter demures, not wishing to become embroiled in the strife between Sil Rana and Laurent, but eventually agrees and enters Sil Rana's mind. He is inexperienced but even his untrained eye can see the signs of an attempt to cover up a manipulation. Peter is able to isolate it to somewhere in the Free Will area, but can glean no further details. Ask to repair it, tells Sil Rana he is unable, he can't even figure out what was changed, much less know how to put it back together, "It's like a wire, once you bend it you can never get it quite straight again."
Sil Rana's rentering of the camp is silent but dramatic. He has his foot on Laurent's chest and his blade to his throat before anyone else can reacte. Meridian attempt to take control of the situation and requests Sil Rana hold, for the moment at least. He then asks that Laurent admit what he did, there being little doubt left in the group that some sort of action was taken. Laurent admits to his manipulation and passes it off as a minor thing, an attempt to facilitate an easier connection should they need to link again. Sil Rana relents, unsatisfied but at least feeling his point has been made. "Trust is hard earned and quickly lost." The camp returns to bed, but few sleep.
In the morning Meridian has finished the horses, they are much faster now and their thick hides able to turn most arrow and blade. The are also maroon, have whiskers and a tendency to purr. When confronted on this Meridian mumbles something about a locked co-efficient in the exterior fractal set, blushes profusely and becomes very involved in packing his saddle bags. Whatever the peculiar appearance, no one complains about the speed and they make the site of Susans long ago encounter with the Dust Mage by the end of the day. The area created that night is now much larger, everything is grey dust and stinks of rot. Meridian's elemental vision shows no life, the dust itself appearing like a fungus, but unliving.
Time is spent next morning scouting the area, the group can skirt this badland, but eventually travel will have to be made through the Grey. By the end of the day they have come to the last of the good lands and all that confronts them is a vast field of decay.
The night is spend coming up with options and they eventually decide that their best bet is to spread their reality into a central pool, using it to shield everyone equally and hope it will be sufficient to get them across. Unfortunately, according to Meridian's calculations, this will mean loosing the horses half way through.
Laurent, unsatisfied with this answer, Trumps Nuin, hoping for an alternate opinion. She tells him that the area they are attempting to reach is Trump locked and even if she could give the budding Trump artist a proper image of it, they could not travel there using that method. She is interested, however, Meridian and Susan's plan and as she carries a true Pattern Image, feels that she can give the group's pool enough of a surge that they may be able to carry everyone through.
They saddle up and prepare, as they depart Nuin mentions that last she knew, a man named Darius had the Circlet. She charges the construct that Susan and Meridian have created and the group rides into the Grey.
The crossing takes over a day and it is in the wee hours of the morning that they group finds itself in clean forest again. They ride an hour for safety and then collapse, exhausted in both body and spirit.
Once morning dawns the group rouses itself and the Rangers leave to scout the area, they quickly run across the signs of regular patrols and the group realizes they were lucky no one stumbled upon them during their exhausted rest. It is decided to jump once of the patrols, both for information and for uniforms that can be used as disguises. Sil Rana directs the setting up of the ambush and with the help of Meridian's explosive arrows it is successful. Of the three patrol members, two are killed and one captured.
The prisoner is returned to camp, Sil Rana awakens Laurent, who has slept through the ambush. "You want to experiment with your powers? Now is an appropriate time." Brother Peter visible pales at this comment, but makes no interjection. Laurent indeed take the opportunity and the prisoner's mind is thoroughly ransacked. It turns out that he is 1st Lietenant Chimptin and his mind provides a fair map of the surrounding area.
What to do with the man once his usefulness is at an end is the next subject of discord within the group. After much discussion it is decided that the only safe course is to kill him, although the choice is far from unanimous. Meridian demonstrates a new aspect of his abilities and "unbuilds" the man, simply removing him from existence. The ramifications of this are not lost on the group, many of whom see Meridians formerly amusing little math hobby in a new light.
Information gathered and the scene of the ambush cleaned, the group heads towards the city. During the trip Meridian takes some time to fix the horses, giving them a more conventional appearance, at the cost of some of their speed and invulnerablility. However, during this process he notes an odd harmonic while using his power. Tracing it back he can see that it permeates the Shadow, is an intrigral and unavoidable aspect of it's elementary mathematics. If you use power here, you will strike the harmonic, and if anyone knows how to listen, you can be not only noted, but tracked. All powers seem to be affected, Susan's magic giving a different but similar harmonic.
This noted the group reduces their use of their abilities, hoping to avoid notice. Heading north and east they eventually reach the closest of the watch towers noted on their map, exiting the forest and entering the rolling plains that surround the city. The group discovers that despite their non-use of their abilities, they have still been tracked when a large contingent of guards approach. The group runs, it's enhanced steeds more than able to loose the pursuing guards, if not the enormous cat creatures they have brought with them. Numerous attacks are used on the cats but have little effect, they are incredibly tough and very fast regenerators. The cat is finally killed only when Susan and Meridian draw power from their Items to enhance their special abilities. While effective, this leaves them exhausted and mentally seared. Peter is able to heal both of them empathically, leaving them at least functional, if not optimal.
The group continues to run, but keeps their path towards the city. Unfortunately this allows more of the cats to intersect the companions path. Sil Rana can feel them through his link with the land and they seem to have no trouble tracking the group. Despite their not using powers, the people of this Shadow clearly have some method that allows them to track the groups exact position.
The group debates but decides that while the guards can be avoided, the cats can not. They will have to stand and destroy them. Meridian suggests a powerful poision, possibly counteracting the cat's enhanced regeneration. The group agrees with this tactic and Meridian spends the time they have left preparing more of the power enhanced toxin. The first cat finally arrives and the poisoned arrows are used with impressive results, the cat is slowed and weakened, allowing it to be slain with relative ease. The second cat to arrive is wary, apparently knowing somehow the fate of the first and avoiding bow range. Sil Rana and Diagoro charge and are able to hit and finally destroy the beast.
Getting what rest they can, the group then moves on, stopping at a homestead as they near the city, needing to be rested to full strength and resupply. Peter is convinced to coherce the residents, he's not happy about using his abilities in this way but when the group points out that it's that or kill them he grudgingly accepts what he must do. They believe that the group are clerics of the local god, appear and take behavior apparently common for this sect. Meridian works with this, providing for them the attitude they expect and they are relieved when the group is finished and departs.
Susan has spent the time manifesting a vision. He sees a huge black keep, and is then drawn up so he looks down upon it. Shadowy spokes fly from it in many directions, each connecting to a smaller tower like the watch tower the group encountered earlier. Each watch tower has a red fire blazing within it, thin red lines connecting that to one of the cats. We appear as a cold blue circle, triggering responses in the red fires as we draw near.
Clearly this is how the group has been tracked, the very nature of their reality enhanced structure declaring their position. Susan and Meridian work to create a construct that mimics their image in the network of power that spans the Shadow. After many hours, and with Sil Rana and Diagoro holding of the occasional attacking cat, they complete it and release the self-directing set of twelve constructs. Each spreads from the group, stopping and moving in a manner natural to a traveling party, and each spreading out, but eventually moving towards the central keep. The group can not avoid being tracked, but now there is much more to follow.
Riding hard in an indirect course towards the keep the group eventually finds a river and camps for the evening.
