20 August 2000

After individual preludes roleplayed out in Cort's bedroom, Andy and Glynis set the time frame for the group at the midst of the Patternfall War. Benedict and the gang, including Malory, went off to take the fight to the front porch of Chaos while Sedgewick and Rolfe stayed behind to mind the homestead with Gérard.

Not long after the departure of the expiditionary force, a shadow storm encircled the kingdom of Amber, and dark things began to come out of Arden and the sea. For the next several years, Rolfe led the troops of Amber against the dark creatures coming out of the shadow storm while Sedgewick performed arcane rites to determine where the shadowstorm was coming from.

Meanwhile, Mallory was thinking, "So, that must be the Courts of Chaos up there ahead."

Soon, food began to run out in Amber, and Rolfe retasked the sorcerers under his control to the creation of food for the citizens of the kingdom. More years passed. More land was lost to the nasties. They had gradually adapted so that they no longer exploded colorfully when coming into contact with Rolfe's Pattern-Charged Disco Inferno.

Meanwhile, Mallory had killed his first Lord of Chaos.

Sedgewick continued his arcane examination of the forces coming at Amber, while Rolfe, having grown tired of losing every damn scout he sent out, led a scouting expidition on his own and discovered that there was a portal from which all sorts of nasty things were coming. With Sedgewick's assistance, and using himself as a battery, they were able to disrupt the portals, but discovered first that they were portable, and second that they eventually grew to resist the effect.

Meanwhile, the war was finished in Chaos, and Benedict was elbowing Mallory awake repeatedly through Oberon's funeral.

More years passed and Rolfe captured one of the more intelligent creatures for Sedgewick to interrogate. They learned that the creatures came from The Dark, and were there to destroy Amber, which had always been their sworn enemy for all time. Sedgewick developed a ward against the creatures, which eventually grew useless against them. More years passed.

Meanwhile, Mallory was having coffee the day after the funeral with a group of Hellmaids in the Palaza di Serpenti, telling them about one of his more memorable battles against the Snarf-beasts of Gor, when Benedict came and told him they were going to trump back to Amber.

After 30 years of strife, the forces of Amber had been beaten back until all that remained was the last bastion of defense: the City of Amber. They were fighting a losing battle. Rolfe received a trump call which he refused. Sedgewick received a trump call and fell back to accept. Bleys was alarmed to find out the city was under siege. He brought Amber's troops with him from the Courts of Chaos, plus all the really cool Amberites, and Mallory, and helped to defend the city. As troops poured in the shadow storm finally abated, and the remaining creatures slowly withered and died. Leaving Rolfe mentally scarred for life, Sedgewick morbidly curious, and Mallory wondering what was for lunch.