Characters in Attendance:
Aaron - Younger son of Florimel, brother of Lore. [Andy]
Dalen - A young woman associated with The White Rose, an upper class 'tavern' in Amber. [Kath]
Lentaro Dojangi (Len) - Delegate/Ambassador for the "Tech" shadow of Telluria. [Jeremy Z.]
Theron - Inquisitor for the Church of the Unicorn. [Stacey]




[This first session was dominated (of course) by the attribute auction]

When we first saw our intrepid adventurers ...

Invitations have been issued for a banquet at Castle Amber in honor of the acceptance of the new Shadow of Telluria into the Silver Circle. Most of the attendants are minor representatives of the major houses and mercantile groups/guilds. Lord Aaron has made an appearance. His brother, Lore, is also there in company with Lord Fumaris Candelin-Serr, the most vocal opponent of the Tellurian inclusion into the Silver Circle. The Inquisitor, Theron, is also making an appearance, as well as Father Phillip the head of the Church of the Unicorn. Regis Cantal and Guildmaster Tardac are among the other notables. Dalen is the representative for the merchant concern, the White Rose. Prince Caine is in company with the Tellurian Ambassador, Lentaro Dojangi. There are approx. 40 others in attendance.

The Tellurians are a high-tech society capable of super-luminary travel. Their specialty seems to be the manufacture of certain medical supplies ... anesthetics, purgatives ... poisons mayhaps?

Lord Aaron arrives first, spends some time bantering with Lord Lore, and trying to escape from the "proposals" of the more than marriageable Lady Klissera of House Sorrel.

Ambassador Len is speaking to Father Phillip, and is joined a little later by Inquisitor Theron. Len asks Theron what the role of "Inquisitor" entails, and Theron asks what Len's actual role is for his Shadow.

Lore approaches the group shortly thereafter with Lord Fumaris in tow, and makes insulting small talk with his brother and the rest of the party. Lore asks Len about the "unfortunate demise of his predecessor". Len only agrees that it was indeed "unfortunate." The question is raised if Telluria will be establishing a "presence" in Amber -- the answer is "yes". An embassy. This makes Fumaris less than happy.

After several rounds of schmoozing punctuated by remarks of the bitchy variety, King Random and Queen Vialle arrive. As they move towards the Tellurian delegate, Lord Fumaris moves to intercept ... only to fall dead at Random's feet, his face mottled with blue blotches.

Everyone freezes. Aaron crunches a loud canapé. Everyone looks at Aaron. Everyone looks back at the dead Fumaris. Dalen says something inappropriately lower-class, then moves to the body to make sure he's truly gone. He's dead, Jim.

Len is asked to accompany the guards, as it looks very bad for him. There are whispers that the "unfortunate predecessor" also had blue mottling on his face when he was found dead (another whisper suggests it has something to do with the "medicines" which can be acquired in Telluria. Theron goes with Len, as does Caine. Lore has disappeared for the moment. Random and Vialle leave, as do most of the guards. The unfortunate Fumaris is trotted out through the double doors by the two remaining guards.

Several moments later a scream is heard from past the double doors. Everyone looks in that direction, but doesn't move. With another low muttering, Dalen runs out to see what is happening. She screams. Aaron runs out. He's in time to see the now-standing body of Lord Fumaris calmly twisting the head off of the remaining guard.

Aaron raises Pattern and tries to look at the zombie-like Fumaris. Fumaris gets a recognizing cast to his face, as if something about Aaron is making him "hungry". Aaron looks momentarily weakened, and finally snaps out of his viewing long enough to retreat back through the doors.

Dalen attempts to cut the shambling Fumaris with her longsword. The cuts seal up again on their own accord, though it can be seen that the damage does take a toll on the zombie.

Aaron and Dalen close the doors in an attempt to keep Fumaris out of the banquet hall. Guards are screamed for. Several hard, heavy thuds shake the doors, and Aaron points out that the wood they are constructed from is moldering and splintering -- deconstructing. He looks at them using his Pattern lens, and says it looks as if the "reality" of the wood is being taken from them -- sucked right out.

The doors shatter, and zombie-Fumaris shambles into the room. Dalen attacks it, cleaving its arm. At the same moment, Len, Theron and several of the guards come back into the banquet hall, having been summoned by a freaking guard earlier. Len clears a banquet table and raises off the ground, the resulting clatter drawing all eyes to him, including that of Fumaris. Dalen takes the opportunity to stab the zombie through the heart. The attack weakens Fumaris, but in turn, Dalen suddenly wracked with pain, and to all eyes it seems as if her bones are being bent in various directions. She retreats quickly, and hollers for the guards to "DO SOMETHING".

The guards quickly find their wits, and finish off the now twice-dead Fumaris. The attack on Dalen stops. Len puts the table back down. Prince Gerard enters the room and takes over the investigation. He speaks with Aaron and grabs the doors which had rotted.

Most of the nobles and other visitors have disappeared by this time. Aaron and Dalen find some wine and indulge for a bit. After a while it dawns on them that Len has no guards or even his own people around him, and only the Inquisitor is standing near him. Dalen walks towards the Tellurian to inquire if he is all right. She gets about five feet in front of him when she stops dead and seems to space out for a good fifteen seconds. After she snaps back, she babbles a little about Len being safe, and the rest wonder what was in the wine she drank.

Len is escorted back to his suite by the guards, with the request that he stay there until called for. Theron trumps out. Aaron returns home, and Dalen returns to the Rose.

To be continued on 8.27 at 6:30 PM ...