Game Log: Session V

December 31, 2000

We begin in media res...

In the Castle Amber, Sebastian finds Vialle in her chambers, where she rests briefly from her bed-side vigil at Random's side, still comatose from the effects of his encounter with the Decanter of Souls. Vialle agrees to come with him and see to the unconscious, wits-blasted librarian Rufus. Sebastian then goes and seeks out the still-deafened Gerard, who listens to the whole story as they go to the infirmary together. When they arrive, they learn that Vialle thinks the man's condition is beyond her empathic abilities. At this, Sebastian suggests that she seek assistance in this matter from the wise women of Rebma - such a move would be beneficial to all in several ways - from assisting in recovering the man's restoration, learning the identity of the conspirator, demonstrating to those of Rebma that the family of Amber is capable of compassion towards common folk, and extending an olive branch towards those who would help the ill and infirm. She agrees, while Sebastian seeks out a sorcerer of the Court to perform a divination to discern the type of enchantment laid upon the librarian. When these tasks are finished, he tries to raise his erstwhile friend and cousin Sedgewick via Trump, but finds that it is strangely blocked. At this, he then goes to sleep and resolves to attempt to contact him the next morning.

Back at her home, Sophia locks her door and reads her journal, then makes a pot of cocoa and takes it to Serenity, who has just awakened from her sleep. Sophia passes along to Serenity an amulet, crafted by Sedgewick. Serenity relates that she traveled to the place where the Rebman woman was murdered. She expresses her pain, and her weariness about the whole affair, explaining her personal history with the dead woman, a close friend. In her personal exposition, Serenity runs the gamut of distress—rounding grief, charging through anger, to slide home into pained apathy. Sophia is quick to chip in with occasional supporting comments and questions, but apparently doesn't get the part about "close" friends until it is spelled out to her. Serenity reveals that the two of them were lovers until five months ago (in her time-flow), while for the woman, her life went on for years, during which time she carried on. Time and Shadow separated them... The evening ends in a philosophical discussion, about how to proceed and what it might mean to the future of Amber and Rebma.

Newly returned to the motherland, Mallory travels to Rebma, seeking out Llewella. He complains bitterly to her about his enemies and the lengths they have gone to discredit and inconvenience him. His reputation in tatters in his home Shadow of Camellia and throughout the Golden Circle, he feels that it is the efforts of two specific villains. He knows little about them, save that one is dark-haired, the other fair. Mallory asks for her assistance in matters of vengeance and defense, and she offers to perform a divination for him, to learn who bedevils him, and to place a curse upon them. With this in motion, Mallory returns to Amber, where he goes to his home, broods for a while, and requests from his home Shadow more military strength to be gathered to be placed at his disposal. He sends a courier with a request for an audience with Prince Bleys, acting Regent of Amber in the time of Random's infirmity.

Night falls across Amber like so much dark soil kicked across the glowing embers of a campfire. Far too soon after, the sun creeps across the ocean, lighting the salty, sea-foamed chop ceiling of Rebma's sky. Above it, the golden, eternal city of Amber slowly stirs and stretches its towers in waking.

Feeling a rush of energy, Sebastian finds his squire Manfred asleep, still struggling to recover from the debauch two days prior. With a growing impatience at the number of significant people in his life who seem to be spending their time in sick-bed, he rousts the young noble and puts him to work at shield-and-mace practice. His sadistic impulses sated for the morning, Sebastian then sets off to speak to the engineers who are working on his new estate, offering some suggestions. On the walk from the site, he attempts again to Trump Sedgewick, but is met with a curious blockage, identical to that of the previous night's. He remembers that when he last spoke with his cousin, there was some mention of being incommunicado for a while, so he files the Trump away and resolves to wait another few days to check and see if Sedgewick is all right.

Upon waking, Mallory meets up with Sophia, who is not only playing host to Serenity, but also Benedict's other daughter Yijiao, who has somehow shown up. They breakfast together and compare childhood stories. They converse for a while about the current situation, during which time Sophia shows Mallory a rock of some magical significance. She then asks that he refrain from sending any more dwarves to her door - and complains of the odd, very large hunk of metal they had sent her. They all go to her workshop to look at the strange, big bit of metal- and gem-work, and Mallory expresses shock at the level of reverence they have shown her - the thing is made of the most valued alloys and costly gems in that kingdom. With this straightened out, Sophia tells Mallory of the situation with Julian. The breakfast club then begins to discuss Jolan's fate, and the restless nature of his departure. Mallory excuses himself, but strangely, manages to snag and rip his breeches on the way out of Sophia's workshop.

In a bit of a cold burn, Mallory then returns to the Castle, and garbs himself in his best armor. From here, he gets an audience with Bleys. They discuss the situation in the Golden Circle, and begin to make plans to act against the newly-formed Merchants Guild there. Mallory relates that he is certain that the Guild is a tool of highly-placed Chaosian agents within the Golden Circle Shadows, who are using the opportunity to instigate hostilities against Amber, and Mallory particularly. They propose sending in a team of infiltrators to investigate the matter.

Returning to his newly-discovered favorite place in the Great Library, Sebastian brings with him a gift basket of exotic foods, wines, and liqueurs for the staff of the Library, both to make up for the incident with the chess-piece, but also in sympathy for the comatose Rufus, and to curry their favor for future encounters. He thanks his mother for her charm lessons, in that they don't run him out of the library at the end of fireplace pokers. Sebastian then goes to the infirmary to check upon Rufus, where he encounters Vialle and a Rebman witch named Jenna.

As sea-witch goes to work, Sebastian realizes that this is something Sophia would find very interesting, and conveys an invitation (and Sophia, herself, via Trump) to the infirmary. Sophia does a divination of her own up in the library, and learns that the person who did this enchantment upon Rufus the librarian is familiar in some way, but not well-known. The power they wield is very old magic, not of Chaos, however. In all likelihood, it is someone of the blood of Amber. They were either possessed of rigid emotional control, or were somehow bereft of personal feeling.

Searching about, Sophia reveals that she needs a fresh piece of stone to place an imprint of the power in. Something which is new to the library and has no residual psychic enchantment. With a smile born of serendipity, Sebastian holds up the chess-piece which he replaced recently from his previous bit of casual destruction, which serves as a perfect vessel for the enchantment. He then slips into a magically-induced sleep, brought about by the psychic impression Sophia shared with him. Sophia places her imprint of the strange old power within the stone, and goes to speak with Bleys. She speaks with him about the situation involving Julian, and passes along a small gift of some sort.

Realizing that something is very wrong, Mallory manages to step into a mop bucket just after his meeting with Bleys. As he goes to change, he muses about the connection between Llewella's offer of a curse upon his enemies, and his current malady of ill-luck.

Continuing to speak with Bleys, Sophia informs him of the arrival of Yijiao, and tells him that she and Serenity have made plans to revisit Rebma and Arden soon. Bleys passes along a Trump of the Shadow Midsummer.

At eleven that day, Mallory, Sophia, and almost all of the family, save for Sebastian, go to the funeral of Julietta Pascal. The usual amount of quiet, conspiratorial conversations ensue, up to and through the service. During the eulogy, Sophia senses a magical presence watching them. She concentrates upon it, but is unable to get an identity or more information. During the service, Silas begins to cry openly, but is shushed by his father, Gerard. Mallory steps up and whispers something into Silas' ear.

After the eulogy is spoken, the mourners cast their flowers onto the grave, and begin to head off. Mallory rather emphatically snags Sophia by the arm with the intention of getting caught up on what all has been happening around the Castle. She tells Serenity and Yijiao that she will return back to the castle with Mallory, and the women should return in the carriage.

Mallory has walked down to the funeral, and so the two of them make the long trek back. Sophia tells him of the situation in Arden, and the two factions of forest witches, as well as the haunting being done by Jolan ... and his ability to impale Serenity with a spirit sword. He's also given a bit of info on why his ward may be just a smidge uneasy with him right now.

Once back at the cottage, Sophia asks Mallory and Yijiao if they both would like to accompany she and Serenity to Rebma. They agree, and the first stop (after changing into more appropriate clothing once there) is to see the Princess Llewella.

Deciding to get to the source of his problems, from his initial ambush in the mysterious proto-Amber Shadows, Sebastian garbs himself in his golden-scaled cloak, loads his marvelous steel repeating crossbow, and heads to the Pattern, to walk it and be transported to the location of the man who threatened and then defended him. While he'd rather take out the unseen sniper, he doesn't remember a face, so he'll have to content himself with the first man. On the way down to the Pattern Room, Sebastian runs into Bleys, who asks him if he's on his way to the funeral. Sebastian replies "Yes" and heads down to the Pattern. He sees that it's grown still stronger, pulsing with energy, and he begins to walk it.

Llewella has a chance to speak with Mallory a bit in private before the women arrive. Yijiao is introduced, and Serenity and her mother exchange tepid greetings. Sophia hugs Llewella warmly, and pulls the princess aside for a moment of private chatting. Llewella is told of their plans to speak with Meagwin's husband, and she gives them the address of the family's home. Serenity knows where it is, and is a willing guide. The women head out. Mallory stays behind to lunch with his aunt. The topic of luncheon conversation is Serenity, and Mallory and the princess exchange "opinions" on how Serenity's life needs to be managed. Llewella decides she's not hungry after all, and Mallory decides that he'll catch up with Sophia and company, despite looming catastrophe in his kingdom.

Meagwin's home is a small, modest stone construction. Serenity's knock is answered by a small boy of perhaps six years old, and Sophia asks if they may speak with his papa. The boy darts into a back room, calling for his father, and soon Meagwin's husband is there. Sophia tells him that they are there regarding the death of his wife. With a courtesy belying his reluctance, he invites them in. He and Sophia talk of what he wants ... of the future, of justice, of what he feels should be done. He wants whomever killed his wife to receive the justice which is due him. He repeats what Sophia has already heard from others in Rebma ... that nothing will happen, because the suspect is of "the Family." She assures him that if he wishes, there will be a trial. He assures her in return that he wishes. The group leaves soon after that, but not before Serenity speaks with the man a short while, and Sophia puts a blessing on the home.

Much subdued, the three women and Mallory head to the kelp forests, to seek out the witches. Serenity leads them through the maze of kelp, into colder, deeper, wilder waters. Eventually they reach a clearing, warmer from a central chimney of stone, around which sit two witches. Serenity looks towards Sophia, and Sophia sees that she's not going to get much help by way of introductions. As it is, they don't need any ... the witches know exactly who their visitors are, tracing the lines back through the matrilineal decent. Sophia asks them about the situation in Arden, and as was suspected, a split has occurred between the witches living there. Sophia asks if there is a way to contact any of the Elders within the more peaceful group, and she is told that the Initiate (Serenity) has the power to contact them. Serenity agrees, though the spell work will take the night to complete. Although Sophia would rather not leave her younger guest here, she knows that Serenity can take care of herself better than most realize ... better than Mallory realizes. He decides to stay, and places himself outside the cave where his ward will be working. Two of the witches also are there, making him a rather redundant fixture. He tells Sophia, "Don't even ask," when she queries him on what he thinks he's doing. With a tight shake of the head and thinned lips, Sophia leaves him to his guard duty. He stays, and Yijiao and Sophia return to Amber after gathering their belongings from the Palace.

In the early evening, the two women talk about Benedict, herself, and their life in China while sipping tea in front of the fire.

On the other side of Shadow, Sebastian steps into a crimson world of rock and hyper-real skies, all chasms, cliff-sides, and rocky plains. There are many strangely-formed stone towers, many bent over like animal tusks. He sees a mushroom-shaped rock formation, upon which is a plateau. On his way there, he encounters a strangely-formed cat-creature, which is quickly joined by other demon-cats. They attack him, and Sebastian dispatches them with some injury, and much rude violence. He is applauded, and whirls to see that his audience is none other than Caine. They speak, cautious and masking their anger, and Sebastian explains himself and pleads with Caine to assist him in seeking out his mystery assailant. Caine claims to be innocent of the assault, but he thinks that Corwin is the guilty one, and that the Jewel of Judgement is at work. Caine reveals that he is in this Shadow, near Chaos, where he is seeking out those who would do Amber ill. He is still angry and upset at the death of his son. Finally, Sebastian and Caine agree to an uneasy truce, and continue towards the mushroom rock, entering a dark cave-mouth at its base which should lead to the plateau, weapons readied for battle or betrayal