3 September 2000

Our session opens with our redoubtable adventurers preparing for wedding festivities. Yes, the fair (and nicely connected), Leona is marrying the handsome Sir Garrett of Julian's guard. The ceremony is taking place in the Castle gardens and everyone is invited. Mais oui!

Some background:
Mallory has been kept busy since the end of the PatternFall war using his army to rebuild his lands.

Eirea, a Golden Circle kingdom, was razed by the "Dark" and the royal family is in Arden while Random tries to find them a new shadow to inhabit. But it is not only this royal family which has suffered from the "Dark", there are a good many orphans, mostly teenagers now, into whose hands the rebuilding of Amber falls.

Archeon Praetorius, of the Church of the Unicorn is presiding at the blessed event - and a more spiritual and holy man could not be found in all of Amber. Rolfe is acting as a witness for the wedding party, and he's dressed and polished to the nines.

While all the Golden Circle nobles are happily chatting (and scheming) in the early autumn sunshine, Sedgewick and Sophia are hiding in the back of the attendees, trying to keep their individual misanthropic tendencies subtle. Rolfe is standing at the front with the wedding party, officially attentive to the words being spoken. Mallory sits in the front with the Royal family.

The wedding is lovely, the women cry, the men cheer, and all is said and done. During the following reception, which is in a ballroom set up in a pavilion, Julian is called upon to make a speech toasting the happy couple. "I hope my best wishes go with you for the rest of your lives." Very eloquent, Julian.

Not soon after this heartwarming toast is offered, Silus (Gerard's son) and Jolan (Caine's son) arrive. Silus is escorting the sweet Julietta, but tends to ignore her in favor of Jolan's more raucous discourse. Sophia rescues Julietta, and the two of them stroll and girl-talk for a bit before Sophia returns her to Silus ... once Sophia's sure that Silus gets the message not to be ungentlemanly to his escort. scowls and moves off, and winds up talking with Sedgewick for a while about this and that until he boy goes in search of someone new to latch onto. He ... finds a young, unattached, pretty, nubile girl in attendance ... all his favorite adjectives! Sedgewick takes the opportunity to escape out into the garden.

Mallory and Rolfe meet up and chat about what a dick Jolan is. The general consensus is that he's had too much time on his hands, and not enough structure or studies.

Count Tivolio, happy, boisterous Tivolio, greets Rolfe and Mallory. The Count sets up an appointment to meet with Mallory the next day, through the Mallory's manservant, Dirk.

Rolfe notices that Martin has left the reception early ... even before the happy newly weds. Quite the breach of etiquette, that.

Bleys wanders over to Random, and the two of them wander off somewhere.

During this time, Sedgewick and Sophia have moved out to the gardens, individually, to better escape the maddening hordes. Sophia wonders if she could return to her cottage, and if her absence would be missed. Sedgewick simply wants to escape the reception. To all the garden-wanderer's amusement (or chagrin depending on personality), loud voices are soon raised in what can only be called a lover's quarrel. A young nobleman listens to his upset betrothed-from-childhood fiancie tell him that she not only doesn't love him but, indeed, is already married to someone else! The young woman notices the crowd gathering around, breaks off the conversation, and runs away. The young man rushes off in the opposite direction. Sophia follows him, but he makes a clean get-away. She finds out later that he is from House Marton.

Meanwhile, dark clouds gather fiercely over the sea and rush towards the city, bringing with them cold, bitter winds and bright flashes of lightening. The icy gusts whip through the ballroom pavilion, extinguishing the candles. Suddenly, in the center of the room, an old woman is seen, hunched and mumbling, totally oblivious to her surroundings. Her hair and dress proclaim her from Rebma. The old woman continues her mumbling, becoming clearer and louder with each repetition, and soon all realize that she is chanting.

What you hold will never last
Amber's luck is fading fast
Winding curls growing tight
Throbbing with a greater light
Mother cries and mirror breaks
Brother's seed shall sorrow make
As depths below grow opaque
and land above rends and quakes
White face hides, long night bides
Morning dawns and grief reins
Amber's luck by love is slain.

Fiona and Rolfe view the body. It is conjectured that if someone were pushing energy through the old woman, they would have had to have been at the party. Fiona talks to Sedgewick about the events later, and they discuss the remains of the old woman in detail.

Mallory arrives with Llewella. Rebma's Queen reveals some distress when looking at the dead woman and hearing what was spoken. Llewella removes a bracelet from the Witch's cold, dead body with Mallory watching. It was a woven piece with a flat pebble strung on it.

Sedgewick accompanies the body (and Fiona) to the autopsy room.

Rolfe spends a good deal of the rest of the evening smoothing over the occurrence, making everything "all right" for the attendees with a judicious helping of alcohol, food and Pattern. When everyone is happy and vague on the dire doggerel spoken, Rolfe calls it a night.

Mallory parties for a while, also making sure everyone is cheerful and festive. He heads back to his residence when the partying starts to wane.

Sophia and Vialle chat for a while. Random joins them later to say that an urgent situation with a Golden Circle kingdom has arisen and he must take his leave. Bleys will be Regent during Random's absence. The King says his goodbyes to Vialle, and Sophia attends the Queen back to her chambers, then returns to her own cottage.

Sedgewick and Fiona spend the night dissecting the body of the old Rebma woman.

NEXT DAY!!

Sophia does her usual early morning routine, then heads to her workshop to begin creation on a "heartsease" flower from silver, enamel and gems.

Sedgewick gets in contact with the Constabulary. The Lady Provost gives him the scoop on what's been happening. The young man from House Marton is now dead ... an apparent suicide. There is also a serial killer working around the docks. His victims are pretty young ladies, no particular social class. The most recent victim is a merchant's daughter.

Mallory is off in the outskirts of Amber getting ore ... enough for a small car.

Rolfe has a leisurely morning, then decides to have a lush, leisurely brunch. After that, he's off to his estates to do some business.

Sedgewick returns to his apartments in the city. He sends Jolan an opening move in a chess game via courier, then settles in to do his mail.

After brunch, Rolfe spends the afternoon at the Church of the Unicorn checking with the scholars of Prophecy there. The kingdom of Kharrakhas (Home of the Obsidian Citadel) wants to compare the "Witches" prophecy (that being the old, Rebma woman's doggerel) with their own Prophecy which has been around since the Shadow came into being, for all anyone knows. With some further digging, Rolfe finds an obscure folktale concerning the "Rebma Sea Witches." It's thought that as Rebma is a reflection of Amber, so the sea witches may be a reflection of something similar found in Amber - perhaps in Arden. Rolfe trumps Julian, who replies, "But that would mean there are women in these woods ... " No help there. Rolfe heads down to Rebma.

At some point, Mallory also had headed down to Rebma.

Sophia is commissioned by a Golden Circle merchant to create a bracelet using some purple-tinged ore he bought on the road into Amber. This fellow has no idea what it is, or where it came from, but boy it's pretty! She tells him that because she's never used this metal before she will have to do some tests first to determine its properties. She will most likely have the bracelet finished in a week, and the merchant can come back at that time. He and his son head off, and Sophia trumps Mallory, as it was his road the merchant was traveling on when he met up with the person peddling this ore on the way into Amber. Mallory doesn't know where the ore may have come from in his part of the world, and would consider it to be contraband. Sophia tells him that she'll see if her contacts in the city have seen any more of the metal come into Amber, and get back to him once her tests are completed.

Rolfe bullies Llewella (but in the nicest way possible!) for tales of the Sea Witches. She spills some general beans about where they may perhaps be found. Later Rolfe and Mallory contact each other.

Sophia pays a visit to a jeweler in the city, then returns to her workshop to begin tests on the ore. She works late into the night.

Rolfe and Mallory find and have a talk with a Sea Witch. She tells them to go away refuses to help them, but Rolfe remains firm. He tells her, "... It would be unfortunate if a formal inquiry had to be made," then trumps away, rather put out.

Mallory dissuades Rolfe from starting up a Church inquisition against the Rebma Sea Witches. Rolfe returns to Amber and spends the evening writing his report.

Sedgewick talks to the law enforcement people in Rebma about the Sea Witches, then returns to Amber to speak with the Ambassadors of Eirea regarding the royal family's situation. Then off he goes into Shadow.

NEXT DAY!!

Mallory speaks with the Lady Provost.

Rolfe finishes his report about the "Cult in the Kelp."

Sedgewick ambles through Shadow seeking the "Dark", as well as a new home for the Eireans to live.

Mallory talks to Sophia regarding the ore ... She tells him the results of her metallurgical tests, and that so far it's not been seen in Amber by the other jewelers. She asks for Mallory's assistance to help track the bracelet when it is picked up by the merchant ... but that won't be for five more days yet. Mallory heads out, and Sophia carefully locks up shop, and goes to bed.

The adventure will continue on September 24th ...