Game Log: Session V

December 17, 2000

It is the late afternoon of the same day ...

A knock at the cottage door reveals His Grace, Gregory Masterson, the Bishop of Amber (Church of the Unicorn). He seeks Sophia's "assistance" in exploring the "goodness" of the power sink in the ballroom. Sophia is all courtesy, and assures His Grace of her willingness to help the Church as is needed. She isn't sure, however, if it's the power sink that they're so interested in as much as her claim that she can sense whether something is "good" or "not good", and she also lets the Bishop know that Lord Sedgewick has been given permission to utilize the space, so she really has no idea what shape it will be in. His Grace says that he'll take care of that matter, and the day after the funeral of Lady Julietta is set for the examination ... the Bishop will be there at 8:00 AM.

Sophia retires to her workshop to finish some spellwork which was pending.

Sebastian spends the late afternoon proceeding with the construction of a fencing academy he is having built in Amber proper. After a while, he goes to talk to Flora ... and they speak of decorating, the academy, and a few other matters.

Sedgewick is prepping for a rather large summoning spell to be used in the ballroom. He's interrupted by Sophia returning his trump call (he had trumped her while Gregory Masterson was there) letting him know that the Bishop will probably not be happy that the space will be utilized. After the call ends and Sedgewick has resumed his preparation, another interruption ensues ... this time it is the Castle guards informing his Lordship that the Church as asked that he cease and desist. Furthermore, the Bishop is in the Regent's office and would like a word. Sedgewick decides to give His Grace several, and heads upstairs where he finds Masterson sitting with his fingers steepled, and Bleys looking over a veritable tome of legal documents. Sedgewick is told by Bleys that yes, the Bishop has the legal right to stop him from proceeding with his "experiments" in the ballroom. After many heated words are exchanged between Sedgewick and the Bishop, Sedgewick says he'll "cease" for now, but he will get a legal injunction which will allow him to proceed as planned.

Sedgewick heads back into town to take care of some "housekeeping." He also preps a legal case against the Engineer's Guild ... just for general principle's sake.

Fiona is visited by Sebastian down in her forge, and they speak of swords, magic and the possibility of a "small enchantment" to be made to keep Chaosians out of his Academy. After general chit chat, Sebastian stays in the Castle, looking to see who is around. He comes across Count Tivolio. They, along with Sebastian's servant, Manfred, embark on an evening of much frivolity, drinking and debauchery. Whilst deep in their cups, they trump Sedgewick, and he joins the merry party for more bar hopping, women and wine.

Sophia gets to bed around midnight. Towards dawn she has a dream of walking down an alleyway in Amber, knowing that she's being watched, observed. It's night, icy cold and moonless. She emerges from the alleyway to find herself at dockside. The waves are curiously frozen though not with cold ... they are frozen in time. Finally, a cloaked and hooded figure emerges from the darkness. As the hood is pulled back, she sees that it is Jolan. He tells her, with gleeful malice, that there is no moon, and that he can't wait to see her face when it disappears forever. As he touches her face with his beyond-cold fingers she tries to wake herself up, but he says that in this realm he is the master and she has no control though he'll let her go for now. She wakes up to a bitterly cold pre-dawn.

Searching through the cottage, she finds no one else around. Stirring up the fires against the unseasonable chill, she then goes to check on Serenity. The young woman is still in her bed, but there is a trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth and a blossom of red against the white of her nightgown at the abdomen. Serenity wakes easily enough and spits out some blood, but otherwise seems unharmed. Sophia, terrified, trumps Fiona for help. The Princess arrives soon afterwards, verifies that the cottage has a poltergeist, and sees to Serenity who had been stabbed with a "spirit sword". Visibly shaken, the two young women have much tea and huddle near the fire while Fiona does her thing. Eventually, the household regains its calm again, and the company gets ready for the trip to Arden.

Sedgewick, after receiving some information from various sources, heads to the Family cemetery for a visit to Corwin's tomb. When he is there, a coldness moves through him, and out of the corner of his eye a white figure is barely visible. Magic to hand, he discovers that it is Deirdre ... and she appears to be speaking to someone, though Sedgewick can't discern who it is, nor what is being said. He pulls out Corwin's trump and tries to make contact, but to no avail. Eventually the ghost of Deirdre dissolves into nothing, only to resolve elsewhere and begin again a loop of trapped memory/energy. Sedgewick moves on to Eric's tomb.

Some time around midday, Sebastian wakes up rather muzzily, moves slowly out of the bed he's sharing with two unknown, still-sleeping femmes, orders them a fruit basket and fresh pastries, grabs his clothes and is out of there. He heads home.

Gerard collects the women, and he, Serenity, Fiona and Sophia all ride off towards Arden garnering an assortment of odd looks as they pass by. Out towards the forest, in the farmland, all is not well. Buildings have been destroyed by some "unnatural force" wood spirits, says one farmer who is still left though is farm is a ruin. The spirits destroyed the buildings, and killed the man's son, even though the family has always respected the land. The animals were left unharmed. Now rather grim, the party rides into Arden.

Sedgewick finds Eric's tomb to be untouched. It's dusty, and unvisited. He has Arielle raise the stone lid of the tomb, then finally the coffin's lid. Inside is the desiccated body of King Eric, still crowned. Sedgewick gathers his energies and prepares to raise Eric's ghost.

Deep in Arden, the four riders find Julian and some of his men in a dell. They're digging graves for those of their comrades who have fallen to the Witches in the forest. There are countless graves yet to be dug, and many men already buried. Julian looks worn, dirt and grime cover his once-white armor and streak is face. Fiona offers him her handkerchief, and he wipes some of the sweat and dust away. The party moves aside to talk. Julian will not say what happened with Maegwin, the Rebma woman, but agrees to stand trial ... and there Sophia will "hear her truth." He further agrees not to use his boon at the trial, regardless of the outcome. The conversation is quiet and intense ... and Sophia tries to explain that she's not so much concerned with what is the "law" as she is what is "right." Julian asks her if she thinks the Witches will be satisfied with anything less than his death. Sophia tells him that she will try to talk with them again. Without much else to say, Sophia, Fiona and Gerard take their leave of Julian, and he goes back to his grave digging. Serenity has disappeared.

During the afternoon, Sebastian spends a fair whack of time going through the library, looking for information relating to the prophecy. He sees Lord Rein a little later, and gives him a copy of the doggerel. They speak for a while about potentialities in what it could mean.

Into the woods go Fiona, Gerard and Sophia to see if they can speak with the Witches ... only to be attacked by earth elementals, whirlwinds of razor-sharp leaves and more mundane arrows. The Witches of Arden seem to object to their presence (or at least some of them do). Fiona sends up a Pattern shield around the group, but the elemental advances. Gerard is struck by lightening, and is trumped by Sebastian not too long afterwards. Gerard pulls him through, and Sebastian wades into the fray. After a few attacks going back and forth, the group finally decides to trump back to Amber. A discussion with the Witches will have to be attempted in another fashion.

Sebastian is trumped by Flora, and he takes a still partially deaf Gerard through to her. Without much ado, its decided to simply take the Prince down to the infirmary. After seeing Gerard taken care of, Sebastian heads back up to the library. He has a conversation with one of the librarians about a book which discourses on Tir-na Nog'th, and how if it were to cease, most of the minds of Amber would go mad. Sebastian isn't the first person to ask about this information either ... after a while, it becomes apparent that the librarian's mind has been tampered with in regard to this subject.

Meanwhile, Fiona and Sophia sit at the cottage and discuss the day's happenings, the Family, and how things are going. A firm knock on the door announces Benedict ... with a sleeping Serenity in his arms. He brings her in, and exchanges a meaningful, none-too-pleased, tense look with Fiona ... one laden with past pain and loss ... she looks as if he had stolen something precious from her. Benedict takes Serenity up to her room, while Fiona and Sophia sit silently deep in their own thoughts. He doesn't stay long, and Sophia shows him out. She asks him to return in the morning, and he says, "Maybe." When she comes back to the main room, Fiona excuses herself to check on Serenity. Later, there is more quiet conversation, and Sophia gives Fiona the talisman made by she and Serenity. Fiona accepts it, and a little later on she takes her leave. It has been a very long day.

As the night deepens, Sedgewick's preparations are completed ... and he begins summoning the shade of Eric from the land of the dead. He asks the Prince for the answers to who is hunting him, and the dead who are rising. Eric won't/can't answer that. He does say, however, that Sedgewick's " ... dark side will destroy you." "I shall welcome many more with open arms [to the realm of the dead] ... and we shall have the Amber that was always meant to be ..." Sedgewick asks Eric if there is anything he can do for him ... and the Prince asks him to give a message to Rolfe for him; to tell him that he remembers him, and that "... his letters man very much to me." Sedgewick releases Eric's shade back unto his rest, and reestablishes the crypt.

He's trumped soon after that by Sophia who asks him to please help with her ghostly situation. He comes through to the cottage, and hears about Jolan. Using a couple of her gemstones, he fashions two amulets which should protect against Jolan's depredations. She thanks him, and he heads home.

Once again, full night has fallen in Amber.