September 24, 2000

A note from the Scribe: It is my first venture into the halls of Amber, and I was distressed to learn that the magnificent Lords and Ladies there are particularly secretive, as is their right and their wont. As such, my observations are at junctures limited by my inability to be in all places at all times, and if there is a focus on the doings of the Princeling Sebastian, it is due to his courtesy that he allowed me to be a silent observer in his activities over the period described in this manuscript, rather than any preference or judgment on his worth against that of his peers...

The second gathering of these redoubtable scions of Amber begins with the collective remembrance that Sebastian, the noble son of Florimel, arrived in Amber twenty years after the coming of the Dark, and ten years from the end of the war and the return of the Princes and Princesses of Amber to their rightful home.

Rolf and Sedgewick mused about their initial challenges to Sebastian - in fencing and in chess, both contests of which they emerged victorious.

A new day dawned in Amber, shortly after the wedding and the mysterious prophecy.

Sedgewick returned to Amber via Trump, checking his mail with the assistance of his redoubtable mail daemon. Amongst the normal items, there was a note from Jolan, inviting him to a gentleman's game of poker that very evening. This poker game seemed to have an unusual layer of secrecy about it, with his escort to the game table done via a messenger. Additionally, there was a curious absence of a postal chess move, and a notice from the customs department at the harbor that a mysterious parcel awaited him. Thus, Sedgewick left his home for the docks to claim his parcel, and then stopped in at the Provost's office to inquire as to the corpses of two slain women. He then expressed a wish to claim the bodies for a short time to perform a proper autopsy in a requisite amount of privacy.

Sophia greeted the day in her usual manner, then spent some time working on the artwork she had begun previously. She then sent a note to House Marton regarding a meeting, then embarked into the city of Amber.

Rolfe, likewise, began the day as he often does, his morning ablutions interrupted by the arrival of a courier bearing a notice, stamped with the Unicorn seal. It was a summons from House Malachi - a noble family particularly close to the Church of the Unicorn, famed for their scholarly bent and vast archives of historical materials of interest to the Church and the Royal House of Amber. Rolfe rode to their estate, where he met a representative from the House who told him that a heretofore earth-shrouded cellar had been discovered by a farmer while tilling new land. The cellar had been opened and had contained ancient parts of a manuscript, believed to have been penned by Dworkin himself, containing notes predating and describing the methodology of the creation of the Pattern. The script, an ancient one of Chaos, was being translated, when the manuscript disappeared from the heavily warded basement vault of Malachi.

Mallory spent the early part of the morning seeking out Bleys, Gerard, and Sophia, and perhaps Random. They then adjourned to a place beyond the earshot of this humble narrator.

Sebastian began the day with a rigorous bout of fencing practice, followed by a large breakfast with his squire, Manfred. He received in the mail a summons to the mysterious gentleman's poker session, as described before in Sedgewick's account. He then rode to the Castle Amber, to meet with Gerard, and ask him about the unusual poem and how he might proceed with the investigation Gerard had charged him with. He was asked to represent Gerard at the Unicorn inquest into the matter, to be held the next day. Various inquiries were made about the nature of Rebma, and some matter of Trumps.

Rolfe investigated the scene of missing manuscript, the magically-ensorcelled vault of Malachi. Using a lens formed from Pattern energy, he discovered traces of Chaos magic, and opened the safe to find it full of the "stench of Chaos." He Trumped back to Amber, seeking out Random. The King was not to be found, however, and Rolfe instead spoke to Bleys, who was acting as regent while Random was away. His account of the story pointed a stern finger at Chaos, expressing a desire to see harsh punishment meted upon them.

En route to the Castle Amber, Sebastian and Sedgewick met and walked some of the distance up the Grand Thoroughfare together, chatting idly. Fresh from the customs office with his mysterious parcel, Sedgewick excused himself and went into a room where he could be afforded some privacy and safety should the package prove explosive or similarly noxious. His precautions proved fruitless, as the item revealed was but a curiously shaped box of wood and brass, studded and bound. He placed it in his pouch and went to see Fiona.

Sebastian, meanwhile, had encountered Rolfe in the Castle halls. They spoke of the coming inquest, and Rolfe expressed some bewilderment that it was proceeding along so quickly. Sebastian asked what Mallory might know of the cryptic verse, and Rolfe then tried to initiate a combined Trump contact with Mallory. This met with little success, and a headache as a reward. Sebastian thanked him for his efforts and went to seek out his mother Flora. Before doing so, he asked Rolfe to assist him if need be in the matter of the mysterious card game. They parted. Later, on his own, Rolfe contacted Mallory, the subject of their conversation being the inquest. They made plans to dine together that evening. Mallory returned to the Castle and the sanctity of his quarters.

Sebastian's conversation with Flora was relatively fruitless - he informed her of the investigation he had been charged with, the mysterious poker invitation, and made several suppositions and hypotheses about the nature of Rebma. He then went to meet with Jolan, who, accompanied by Silas, was frequenting a low-rent cards house in a seedy section of the harbor district. Sedgewick arrived shortly thereafter, and had an argument about the presence of his familiar, a bird. He relented and stayed at the cards game, where the two of the sons of Amber lost against their younger siblings, but only due to Jolan's Trump-assisted cheating. After the game, Sedgewick and his air nymph had a long discussion about cheating, magic, and other matters of sorcery and ethics.

Rolfe and Mallory had dinner together and were shortly joined, via Trump, by Sophia. The main topic of the dinner of course was the coming inquest, but there was some considerable interest in the nature of the Unicorn and the vast amount of unicorn-centered theology.

All of our heroes parted and went to their private chambers for a night's sleep.

The next morning found Sedgewick, Rolfe, and Sebastian having breakfast in a somewhat staid restaurant in the temple district. Sedgewick was in his finery, Sebastian in his golden-scaled cloak, and Rolfe in his full war-gear, bedecked with Pattern traceries and emblazoned with rank and status. Sophia arrived late, and accompanied her noble cousins to the inquest chamber, where they met with Deacon Nestor, who would lead the investigation. Shortly before the matter began, Mallory arrived, being introduced as General, and accompanied with the Duchess Serenity, who bore a writ issued by Llewella, Princess of Rebma and Amber, who identified Serenity as her daughter, and an appointed representative of the sea witches, by whom she was raised. She testified as to the events of recent months, though she was not present for many of them. She claimed that the original sea witch who appeared at the wedding was possessed, for the purpose of delivering a message. The nature of the possessing force was mostly unknown to them, though wholly trusted, a fact which caused Rolfe some distress and alarm. Serenity went on to claim that the witches foresaw the Pattern-fall war, and that there were other prophecies of note which were to come to pass. She described the group as being a fraternity of midwives, seeresses, and other women who sought to escape lives of hardship and strife. In a way, their group were sea-druids. The inquisitor, Nestor, wished to know the secret source of their power, and Rolfe's involvement in the questioning increased and grew fairly emotional, though he did attempt at defusing a potential crisis. Serenity then left the inquest, claiming to be at the Church's disposal should they need her further.

When the discussion shifted to the nature of the sea witch powers and how they fit in with Unicorn theology, and whether or not the powers were evil or just different and potentially in conflict. Sophia began protesting, and asked the gathered theologians if they could sense the difference between good and evil, as she could take them to a place which held the power, and therefore revealed some of the nature of the power. Rolfe then decided that this could be construed as her claiming to have some infallible means, while she just asked if they could tell the difference. Rolfe became more agitated and urged Sophia to remain circumspect about her ability - as it made her a target of those who would do evil and remain cloaked in the guise of goodness. They continued the discussion for some time, and the subject of Tir-na Nog'th was brought up by Sebastian. Mallory left quickly thereafter.

After the inquest was officially disbanded, Sebastian and Sedgewick had lunch together, and then Sedgewick went off to his quarters in the city to conduct an autopsy.

Sebastian then spoke to Llewella, and warned her of the position of peril she may have placed her daughter in. He asked further secrets about the nature of Rebma, about the curious prophetic verse, and asked her for advice as to what he might do with the investigation. He then Trumped Sedgewick and inquired about Martin, being the Crown Prince of both Rebma and Amber, and made suggestions that Martin's destiny might be somehow tied with the prophecy. They spoke about the possibility of journeying up to Tir-na Nog'th, a place where visions and portents are the law of the land, to perhaps learn more of their future and the sea wife's verse.

Back in Amber, Rolfe and Sophia were visited by Dworkin, who appeared in Sophia's chambers. He was somewhat batty and unfocused, his sanity still somewhat in question. Fiona was drawn to his psychic presence and tried to speak with him. Sophia shooed her away, and then Dworkin entered a closet and vanished.

Sebastian then spoke to Martin himself about the notion that his role as double-heir made him a target, and showed him the verse and asked if he knew something of it. He warned him with an admonition to be careful.

The family then met for a general dinner - with attendees being Flora, the regent Bleys, Gerard, Florimel, Vialle, Martin, Serenity, Silas, and the noble heroes whose exploits are the focus of this manuscript.

This humble scribe then put his quill down and began to help himself to a corner of trencher dipped in gravy, so the outcome of that dinner conversation will go reported at a later date...