Where is everyone?
Deirdre called for a meeting of all those who could still walk. Breann left Daelyn in Benedict's garden to spare her the tedium.
The persuers found themselves on the perimeter of the floating rock zone, some miles from the tower where Fiona had been imprisoned. They worked their way into the center, killed the guardian Glass Dragon and found the tower empty of Brand. No interesting gadgets or papers left behind, either. They returned to Amber after a bit of vandalism.
Breann and Lora rode off to fetch Lora's brother.
Ander slipped off to the Pattern room.
Quinn and Fiona walked down to the Pattern room to check out the Primal Pattern.
Theseus moped and worked on unsolvable puzzles.
Sander, urged on by Deirdre (for political reasons), convinced Daelyn to marry him in Amber and rushed about making preparations.
Ander walked the Pattern and told it to take him to Catherine.
Quinn and Fiona followed, trying to catch a bit of Ander's wake, and went to the Primal Pattern.
Sander and Daelyn were wed by a Unicorn Priest with Gerard, Julian, Deirdre, Flora, Vaughn and Kethos attending. Daelyn wore Sander's mother's wedding dress. The newlyweds drove off to their seaside mansion (Deirdre's gift) for the honeymoon.
Ander appeared in an oceanside mansion's library twenty feet from Prince Caine. Catherine walked into the room carrying a silver tray; she dropped it fainting. She recovered quickly and traded apologies with Ander. They had much to talk about...
Quinn and Fiona appeared at the Primal Pattern. Small island surrounded by cloudless sea-sky, the Pattern in glowing stone, not fire, a purple griffin chained at the entrance to a cave. Black spots and blotches on the Pattern, mostly near the center.
A hand on Quinn's shoulder, he jumped and turned to see a hinchbacked dwarf.
"Dworkin!" said Fiona.
"Lotta damage, lotta damage," said Dworkin, shaking his head.
Quinn tried cautiously to get some information out of Dworkin and found that the old man was insane. Dworkin watched an inoperable (so far as Quinn could tell) TV, drew a Trump of Quinn on a softball and then told him to Go Away. Just a moment-- GO AWAY. Quinn went.
Fiona told Quinn that he had not done too bad for a first meeting. Dworkin had always been eccentric, very, but in the last few years had become irrational. He sometimes visited her rooms. Yes, he was dangerous. He had taught Fiona, Bleys and Brand most of what they knew of Pattern, Trump and Magic.
Quinn suggested they search Oberon's rooms before Finndo arrived.
Where is everyone at the end?
Where is everyone?
Vaughn assured Emperor Norris that his daughter Daelyn was safe and healthy.
Sander and Daelyn did honeymoon things, again and again, with variations. The following morning Sander answered the door and found a carter with a load of wedding presents from the merchants and nobles of Amber City. The first of several loads. Sander was more popular than he had realized.
Daelyn showed an interest in learning to windsurf. Sander confused her with the notion that one put clothes on for watersports; in Aramyst people swim in the buff.
Breann and Lora camped in Arden and talked about Ander.
Quinn and Fiona returned to Castle Amber and went looking for Deirdre, or rather Quinn did and Fiona slipped away. Quinn told the regent what they had seen at the Primal Pattern, including Dworkin and his cave apartment. ("This is OK?" asked Deirdre.) Quinn and Fiona wanted to search Oberon's rooms for clues on how to repair the Pattern. Deirdre fetched the keys.
Lora asked Breann about her duties, her martial abilities, and her rankings of the rest of the family. Lora said she had concentrated on fire magic as the element her teacher was least comfortable with. She wanted some advantage, however slight, should it come to a conflict of interest. Lora showed Breann a picture of her teacher: 'Mr Frosty' or his twin. Breann told Lora about the 'Ander vs. Mr Frosty' bout; Lora was surprised that Ander was that formidable. Asked why Mr F had worked against Amber, Lora said he had been hired to do so.
Fiona took Theseus to examine the Primal Pattern. Just like that, "pop", they were there.
"If this were drawn, was it all drawn at once?" she asked. Theseus walked around it a few times, studying. "Not in one stroke, but in one session."
"Would we have to do it all at once?"
"It looks like one artist, one time..."
"Let's go back and ransack Oberon's rooms." Zap!
Zap! Fiona and Theseus appeared next to Deirdre and Quinn. Fiona mentioned having just been to the Primal Pattern and back. She wouldn't tell Quinn how she zapped around. Deirdre opened the royal suite and let them in. Huge fur-strewn bed, animal and monster heads on the walls, some books... they split up to search. Quinn Lensed around looking for magical traps; nothing. Lots of Jewel traces but nothing concentrated. The oldest journals dated from around the time of Osric's and Finndo's departure.
Daelyn picked up windsurfing fast. (Wait a minute: tough, lots of stamina, psychically resilient, heals fast --this girl could be an Amberite.)
Fiona found a picture of her and Theseus, together. Theseus found a many-pocketed valise and searched through it. He found OLD papers and a glowing globe, brightening. He tossed it away just before it exploded. The only ready vent was the open balcony, where Quinn was standing. Quinn was tossed outward to fall down the LONG sheer drop. He had enough time to use a defensive shield spell and shape it into a twenty foot diameter bubble, slowing his fall. He Trumped to Fiona before hitting the ground.
Daelyn fell off her board at the echoing noise of the explosion. Sander helped her up and then Trumped Gerard, who asked "What did you do?"
"Check the background. I'm not there."
Gerard pulled them through to the salle.
Breann and Lora arrived at a small village. Gavin's fosterers, the blacksmith and his wife, were puzzled to see Lora 'again', as 'she' had taken her brother away just hours ago. Lora started to panic and Breann began to fume.
When Theseus, scorched and bloodied, regained consciousness Fiona told him to "not do that". He then received a Trump call from Breann. She wanted a Trump of Anax, who she suspected of kidnapping Gavin. He gave her one, plus a TurboTrump (TM) of himself. Gerard and Sander entered Oberon's suite and inspected the devastation. They found Fiona petting Theseus with Deirdre and Quinn looking on; Theseus, Deirdre and Quinn were scorched, re-scorched in Deirdre's case.
"What WAS that?" asked Quinn.
"A shielded booby trap," Fiona replied.
"Leave it to me to find it," muttered Theseus. "Ander's son was kidnapped."
"A decree:" proclaimed Deirdre, "Find some good news."
Breann and Lora attempted to contact Anax. Blocked. Breann warned Lora and started them Hellriding after Anax and Gavin.
Julian hobbled into the royal suite. "I think I'll find someplace quieter to heal, like a war zone."
Anax caught Breann via Trump while she concentrated on her hellride, and froze her. "Why are you going to all this trouble for a Shadow child?" he asked.
"He's Ander's son."
"Oh, so you know about that."
"No hole will be deep enough when he finds out."
Pause. "Point." He cut the contact.
Fiona, Deirdre, Quinn, Theseus, Julian and Gerard examined the papers. They were in Old Thari, pre-Amber Thari, and none of them could do better than a half-assed translation. Quinn suggested he find a shadow where Old Thari was current and grab a translator or two. Julian was not willing to lend Morgenstern. Deirdre looked around for someone to send with Quinn. Her eye fell on Sander before he could escape.
"Sander..."
Quinn broke in (having instantly realized just how annoying a Daelyn-deprived Sander would be as a travelling companion), saying "No --he's on his honeymoon. Where's Kethos?" He gave the Breann Trump to Fiona and went looking for Kethos.
Breann Trumped Fiona and gave her the Anax Trump, asking her to Freeze him. She tried, but reported that Anax was with either Osric or Brand.
Breann and Lora rode on and soon found Gavin sleeping under a tree. After Lora woke him up he identified "aunt Breann" and passed her a note. It read: Thought it better to concede the chase than worry about you showing up in my bedroom sometime. -- Anax
Breann had Lora verify that Davin was Davin, then invited him to ride with her. After a bit she had him close his eyes...
And rode into the Great Hall of Amber Castle. Deirdre was there.
"Trumps of the stables, dammit." She stalked off.
Gavin peered around wide-eyed. "Where are we? Was that my gramma? She looks mean."
Breann couldn't lie. "Yes, she is."
Quinn found Kethos in the stables and explained the mission.
"I can't speak Old Thari, but I can read it." Kethos offered.
"Well, no offense, but we want someone we can control."
"Oh, a shadow guy you can kill."
"Or edit his memory."
Kethos agreed to go and recommended one of the horses. Quinn made friends with it.
Breann talked to Gavin about Ander and shapeshifters. Gavin was not immediately reassured.
Fiona took Theseus to her workroom in one of the caverns near the Pattern room. She told him that they had been under the influence of a glamour, that their lust-crazed behaviour was not natural. I had probably been placed on her while she was imprisoned. They had to get it off. Theseus' heart merged with his toes.
Fiona and Theseus, freshly bathed, saw Quinn and Kethos off. Quinn asked if Theseus thought Brand could trace people who were just carrying Trumps. Theseus thought not.
Sander and Daelyn sailed back to their house. Ander and Prince Caine knocked at their door.
Where is everyone at the end?
Where is everyone?
Quinn and Kethos agreed to avoid using or answering Trumps during their trip. They discussed anti-shapeshifter measures. Finndo had simply located his stronghold in a shadow where shapeshifting could not work. Kethos knew where they could get some shifter- hounds.
Caine's ship pulled into Sander's dock. Sander delayed carrying the sleeping Daelyn into the house. The meeting was strained. Caine tried to be affable, apologized for missing the wedding and asked about what Sander wanted in a wedding present. Sander wanted Caine to go away, immediately.
Ander was distracted from the proceedings by a Trump call from Breann. Breann and Ander discussed Daven, his abduction by Anax and Catherine's presence. They arranged to meet at Bloody Jasmine's that evening. They came up with an ID code: Describe Vaughn's tattoo. Caine was sailing for Amber before Ander finished talking to Breann.
Theseus was roped into setting up things for Finndo's arrival. In practice he was gofer for Flora, Fiona and Deirdre. Poor bastard.
Theseus woke Sander that night with a Trump call. A messenger had come from Aramyst: Emperor Norton had been poisoned but wasn't dead. Yet.
Quinn experimented with shadow shifting and found a good way to suppress their 'wake'. He found a suitable shadow with Thari-Old Thari translators and abducted three. He teleported them to the Great Hall and spooked Theseus with the sudden arrival of three strangers. Quinn touched Theseus with the Lens (he shuddered) and told him what was going on, then did the same with Deirdre, adding that he had another errand to run.
Sander woke Daelyn up and broke the news to her. They shipped off for Aramyst.
Deirdre and Fiona found the translators with Theseus in a sitting room. Fiona was especially respectful and kind to them, ordering a meal, explaining that they were in the realm of the angels and generally calming them after Quinn's high handed kidnapping. Caine, Ander and Catherine walked in. Deirdre was shocked (though Quinn had told her that he was probably alive) and Fiona drawled, "Hello, Caaiine." Ander introduced Catherine as Caine swept his sisters up the stairs.
Kethos sketched Ygg and did his best to make a word picture of the Tree and its location. (Kethos didn't do that mind-touch crap.) Quinn assembled another Teleport and scanned for an hour before he found the real Ygg. Ygg was a fountain of light in the Lens, with light-roots spreading out into Shadow. Quinn 'ported them to it.
Breann drafted Vaughn to supervise Davin's room painting project.
Ander took Catherine into Amber City and eventually met Breann at Bloody Jasmine's.
They talked about Davin's state of mind and activities, and of Anax' aborted kidnap. Catherine was upset to hear of Breann's threat to kill Anax. Ander said he owed Breann a debt for persuing Davin.
Breann initiated a visual mind touch with Ander: Why are you being nice to her? A: We still have a lot of things to get from her. B: Then why isn't there a sword at her throat? Kethos told Quinn that Ygg had been planted by Oberon to mark tha border with the Courts. The Courts, he said, were like Amber with three hundred more families. Quinn boggled quietly. Quinn tried Hellriding with no wake but soon grew tired and switched back. He told Kethos what he was doing. Kethos was intrigued from the tracking angle. Quinn admitted that he didn't know for sure that he could hide them from Osric or Brand, but that it was worth his best shot.
Theseus, Fiona, Caine, Flora and Deirdre ate lunch together. Theseus was furious with Caine for shooting him with a crossbow in Tir-na Nog'th/Ander's dream. If it really was Caine. Maybe it was: Caine apologized to Theseus for a possible misunderstanding in Tir-na Nog'th. Theseus walked out.
Catherine told Ander about Mr. Frosty --The Baron. The Baron always gave her the creeps, so she insisted that Davin's existance be a secret from him. Catherine hated sorcery.
Breann told Lora her mom wanted to see her. Lora did, but, looking around her room (now a sorceress' workshop) she decided to meet her somewhere else.
Lora and Catherine greeted each other with hugs and kisses and some tension. Lora marvelled at seeing her parents together with both breathing. Lora led Catherine off to find Victor (away from her room).
Breann inspected Davin's room. The kid had no talent and a fondness for bright colors. Davin was spotted but Vaughn was covered with many colored paint. Davin decided to see his father and mother.
"Houndland" was a desert wasteland. Kethos led them to a shack on a hill of packed dirt. Several rangy almost-horses were tied up outside, so they waited. Quinn hung another Teleport. Eventually the customers left, an odd lot of rail thin demi- and semi-humans with feathered wings and scales. The leader nodded at Kethos and eyed Quinn in passing. Kethos led them in to a weatherbeaten old man smoking a pipe.
Sander and Daelyn arrived in Aramyst, commandeered some horses and galloped to the palace.
Theseus made Trumps: Lora, Catherine.
Breann brought Davin, very shy, to see Ander and Catherine. Davin gave each of them a handful of paint. Neither took it well.
The hound master knew Kethos --in fact they had the same accent and speech patterns-- and was wary of Quinn. He was surprised to hear that Quinn was from Amber but, thinking quickly of future business opportunities, gave them his last three trained shifter hounds, while extolling the virtues of his many other breeds: conjuror-hounds, necromancer-hounds, mage-hounds, etc. Quinn accepted gratefully.
The hounds were Ugly: three-eyed, rat-tailed, batwing-eared (heat sensors, actually), excessively fanged three hundred pound rottweilers. Kethos dominated them completely with a glance. After discussion, Quinn teleported them to the large garden at Castle Amber, away from the stables (the horses might not like it and Morgenstern might Do Something) and the kennels (these hounds might eat the others).
Sander and Daelyn found that Emperor Norris had died within hours of the messenger leaving for Amber. They had delayed the funeral until Daelyn could arrive. Daelyn broke down in grief. The Chancellor informed Sander that the state funeral would be held that evening. After, Sander would be wanted for planning a war.
Ander read Anax' note to Breann. Davin tried to talk Ander into letting him paint his room, too. Ander and Breann discussed what to do with Catherine. Ander insisted on diplomacy, a concept alien to Breann.
The Hounds did NOT like teleporting. They howled and thrashed about beyond Kethos' ability to hold them. Quinn took one leash and narrowly avoided being Marmaduked about the grounds. Kethos dragged his two towards a tree big enough to tie them to. Quinn pulled and got nowhere. "C'mon, Pattern Boy, impress me!" Quinn grimly dug in and hauled his dog after Kethos. Once tied up, Kethos began calming them while Quinn went for Deirdre.
Fiona arrived early for a date with Theseus.
Later, Quinn Lensed his maternal great-great-great-grand niece Miriel, the Trump Artist, and convinced her to come to Amber and do some work. He also determined that he could Lens the Prime World and, therefore, Teleport to it. Breann hit him up for her Pattern Defense lesson, too.
Where is everyone at the end?
Where Is Everyone?
As they chained the shifterhounds up in their new kennel, Quinn consulted Kethos on how to make friends with them. Not likely, said Kethos. He recommended heavy chains at all times. Kethos noticed some movement out in Garnath and brought it to Quinn's attention: horsemen. Quinn used the Lens--Finndo and company, a day early. Kethos volunteered to ride out and delay them a bit while Quinn broke the news.
The Aramystan generals explained the situation to Sander, twice--something about his expression. The army assembled.
Ander practiced parental calm as he explained to Davin why the boy couldn't paint Dad's room, too, and while Lora and Catherine started to get on each other's nerves.
Breann traded barbs with Caine and learned only that Caine, too had been looking for Bleys and had not found him. She then visited Benedict in the infirmary and tried to mother him. Theseus and Fiona had a fine dinner at Mandolini's and attempted small talk. Fiona pulled him to the dance floor. Theseus floated off into near nirvana.
Quinn Trumped Deirdre: yes, he had the dogs--not very friendly--but the big news was that Finndo had 'just ridden out of Garnath; Kethos was slowing him but they had maybe had half an hour. Deirdre looked panicky for a second, recovered, nodded and signed off while shouting "Scudamore!" Quinn Trumped Fiona next.
Deirdre ran around the Castle telling kinfolk to get ready to meet Finndo. Ander and Davin, painted as dayglo Sioux warriors, needed a lot of cleanup.
Theseus' and Fiona's dancing grew increasingly heated.
"Come here," husked Fiona, pulling Theseus' face down to hers. Just before their lips touched, she frowned. "Wait. Quinn. What Is It?"
Quinn could see Theseus' face next to hers, his shirt bunched in her fist, both of them flushed; he winced.
"My apologies for interrupting. Finndo is twenty minutes from Castle Amber." Fiona nodded and Quinn broke the connection.
Theseus was in agony. "Quinn must die," he thought.
Fiona cursed under her breath, gathered up food and wine on a serving tray and stalked off to her carriage with Theseus at her heels. They scarfed it down on the way to the Castle. Fiona told Theseus not to worry, they would have a late supper. Theseus played with a Trump of Finndo and smiled, contemplating 'later'.
Breann annoyed Benedict with more mothering.
Assembled in the Great Hall: Deirdre, Benedict, Gerard, Julian, Florimel, Caine, Vaughn, Ander, Breann, Lora, Catherine, Davin and Quinn. Fiona and Theseus arrived. Ander made a brunch appointment with Fiona. Llewella came in on Fiona's Trump and made the round of introductions to Quinn and the Anderites. Breann asked after Random: he had six months left on house arrest in Rebma. Davin stared at the band covering Benedict's eye sockets, then at Llewella's hair; he whispered at Llewella--your hair is green, why is your hair green?
Theseus Trumped Finndo, who was walking through the courtyard and amused at his nephew's impatience.
Finndo walked in with Kethos and a dozen men following. Finndo was BIG. Powerful, with huge hard hands, wearing brick red and ash gray. He apologized for being early. Deirdre was formal, even regal. Llewelia - turned on the charm. Flora radiated charm at about 2000 watts. Finndo talked quietly with Benedict for a few minutes--NOBODY tried to overhear. Fiona was distracted, almost glazed. Lots of introductions: Finndo had met Caine, but not Gerard or Julian, let alone the younger generation. He told Breann that he had heard very good things about her. Finndo asked if the others had eaten--he was starving. Deirdre called for Scudamore (well-known to Finndo, apparently), who signalled for food to be brought to the dining room. They all trooped upstairs.
Quinn told Finndo that he was pleased to meet him again. Finndo looked puzzled. In the Hall of Mirrors... That was a dream--c'mere, I need to talk to you. Finndo threw an arm around Quinn, bruising him.
Theseus gave Ander TurboTrumps (TM) of Lora and Davin.
Sander and the Aramyst army found envoys from their enemies, who asked for a truce and offered some trubute to sweeten the deal. Sander rejected the truce and the tribute. His officers said that their over-proud, warlike enemies had never done any such thing before, The Aramyst forces pressed on and came in time to a battlefield. Their enemies had been slaughtered. Survivors said their attackers had demanded total surrender and been refused. The victorious army had left some casualties on the field. They looked like years-old corpses: Zombies. A messenger arrived from Aramyst with urgenL-tidings, A. strange army had surrounded the capitol, demanding surrender. Sander hurried the army back.
Dinner. Flora was all over Finndo. Vaughn was mortified. Finndo produced some toys for Davin. Quinn suggested to Kethos that they swing Finndo by the shifterhounds. Kethos agreed, saying that Finndo could help train them and if this was a fake Finndo... too bad for him. We'd make it part of a tour. Finndo turned on the rough avuncular charm.
Sander arrived with the army to find Aramyst City beseiged. He attacked. The enemy reactedfaster than Sander would have liked. He led the elite troops to attack the seige engines and attracted the attention of the enemy general, a wizard. Sander was knocked down by a bomb spell.
Sander hopped up and yelled "Is that the best you can--" BOOM! Knocked sprawling by a bigger blast. He spotted the general on a rise, surrounded by ice blue flames. Yep, old Baron Frosty himself.
"Outta My Way!" Sander began broken field running in the Baron's direction, dodging blasts and throwing found objects, mostly helmets and shields at him as he went. Baron Frosty easily parried the missiles. The Baron's guards closed on Sander and were bashed aside. They met. The Baron tried the ice-line effect, apparently hoping that Ander hadn't warned his cousins, and Sander, looking for it, dodged easily. They fenced and ended up corps-a-corps when Sander used the TurboTrump on his sword to take them instantly to a closet off the Great Hall in Amber. Sander took full advantage of surprise and the confined space to start beating the shit out of the Baron. BAMBAMBAMBAM and the Baron was knocked through the closet door to slide across the Hall. Sander leapt out and evaded a frostline attack.
Upstairs, the thuds and crashes began just as Fiona was about to kiss Theseus.
The Baron retreated frantically and Sander threw six hundred pound tables at him, hitting him every time until the mass of broken furniture started deflecting new arrivals. Sander dove in to get him as the Baron teleported out.
Fiona, Theseus and Breann arrived first of the family and marvelled at the wreckage. Sander kicked his way out of the tangle, cursing and furious. Quinn came in, looked around and brought up the Lens: no Trump residue, lots of magic, a teleport--actually two. One to the other side of the Hall and another from there to Garnath. No traces there. Deirdre ran in wearing a silk teddy and a robe, carrying an axe,-with a navel ring glinting in the lamplight. She surveyed the room and swore.
Sander said he had to get right back to Aramyst. Quinn offered to teleport him, Sander accepted and furnished him with a mental image of Aramyst City. They left. Theseus was VERY UPSET at being interrupted again.
Deirdre told Scudamore to Fix It. He decided it could wait till morning.
Everyone but Fiona and Theseus spontaneously decided to leave the Hall. She led him to a piled up section of carpet. "Take me Theseus."
Sander guarded Quinn (who would have been toast if the Baron had returned) while he worked out a Pattern-spell effect to exorcise two thirds of the zombies. Then Sander led the mop-up and Quinn returned to Amber. The Baron did not make an appearance to complain about how many bones Sander had broken.
Breann, while attempting to mother Benedict some more, noticed that he was echolocating.
Theseus told Fiona he loved her.
Where is everyone?
Where Is Everyone?
Theseus wandered around the castle in a funk after telling Fiona I LOVE YOU. He ducked away when he saw her in his room and fled. He ended up in Tir-na Nog'th where he went to sleep. Sucker.
Breann decided to make breakfast for Benedict. Evidently she thought she could take his mind off his blindness by providing another source of suffering. She chased the staff out of the kitchens and proceded with the demolition.
Theseus woke up hungry in his own room. He went to the dining room and joined Quinn and Flora for breakfast, or at least tried to--he was a ghost. Greyswandir was real though, so he managed to eat a little by touching the food with the sword. Messy. Quinn asked annoying questions. Fiona came in and had Theseus take his pulse. Tir-na Nog'th had set an hour before. Theseus attempted to possess a guard. No luck.
Quinn discussed the ongoing translation project with Fiona, mentioning that Kethos could read Old Tharl.
Sander woke up in Daelyn's study having fallen asleep doing paperwork at the desk. (Far away, Plague and Pestilence decided that it was time to get busy.) Daelyn brought him a big breakfast and questioned him about the zombies. Who were they? Where did they come from? Any ideas? Sander shrugged and shoveled it in. They were gone, so who cared? Daelyn worried they might return.
Breann eventually produced a fine plate of food and a devastated kitchen. She hosed herself off, changed clothes and delivered the breakfast to Benedict. He immediately connected that with the smell of smoke and the report that the kitchen had been shut down. Breann downplayed the mess in the kitchen and took his teasing in good spirit, teasing him right back.
Theseus Trumped home to VRMTNZ and witnessed some locals being trashed by the Flaw-spawned invaders. His friends were overjoyed to see him and freaked to find that he was insubstantial. They filled him in on events in VRMTNZ. The locals had proven ineffective against the invaders. The blackened zone had merged with the Maze surrounding the city. Theseus considered the situation and Trumped Julian. He convinced Julian that he was owed a favor for helping Uncle out of his coma. Julian agreed to send fifty Arden Rangers to VMRTNZ.
Quinn talked with Florimel and Fiona. Fiona approved of his idea to develop spells or special Trumps to detect the presence of their subjects--a good project for Quinn and Theseus to persue. Florimel said that she could handle the domestication of the shifterhounds, so maybe Davin would be safe and Scudamore the Castellan would not resign. Fiona also agreed to monitor him when he and Kethos swung Finndo by the shifterhounds--just in case.
Theseus spent the time waiting for Julian to contact him by killing Things from the Maze: a ghost with Greyswandir in his hand. Very effective.
Benedict accompanied the tour with Kethos, Quinn and Finndo, showing off his Japanese garden. The hounds didn't go off on Finndo, though they did not like it when he wrestled with them and showed the others (just Quinn, actually) how to control a hound by grabbing him behind the head.
Where is everyone?
Where Is Everyone?
Theseus brought Julian through to VMRTNZ with the agreed twenty stormhounds and thirty men. They made several sweeps through the Maze, killing every Flaw-creature in their path, then Julian returned to Amber.
Deirdre announced a banquet to be held that night with the local nobility. Breann tried to weasel out of attending.
Quinn introduced Miriel to Finndo, Kethos and the other people she was to make Trumps of. Later he zapped to Aretia for a wardrobe (twenty minutes with the autotailor), several cases of exotic liquor and a case of dopestics. He checked and found that the Flawcreatutes were still no match for warbots and energy weapons.
Sander tried to resist Deirdre's Trump call but received his and Daelyn's invitations/orders to the banquet anyway.
At the reception they mingled. Finndo's presence vied with Benedict's blindness as the hot topic for speculation. Gerard warned Sander to avoid Scudamore, the Steward, who was put out about two tons of kindling that used to be furniture. Quinn started a preliminary mistress-search among the gathered ladies. Ander, Catherine and Lora each kept an eye on Davin. Breann calmed her temper with one of Quinn's dopestics. Theseus managed to avoid revealing his insubstantiality.
Across the grounds, the shifterhounds started howling. Quinn and Kethos ran over to check on them but all were killed, shredded, before they could get there.
The Pattern started pulsing, as if to footsteps. Fiona Trumped Theseus and they disappeared. Quinn and Kethos ran back to the party and gathered Deirdre (wearing the Jewel of Judgement), Finndo and Breann. Quinn Lensed to the Primal Plane and shared the vision: the Primal Pattern glowing like a pulsing blue sun, someone walking it and two others watching. Quinn zapped them there.
Fiona told them that she thought it was Brand on the Pattern, carrying a gem of grea power, about two thirds done. Quick discussion about What To Do: Quinn with the Je, MIGHT be able to get Finndo to Brand before the end. Quinn asked if the Pattern block missile weapons--nobody knew. He produced a dagger and threw it across in an undisturbed arc. Theseus immediately threw a knife at Brand which bounced off of some barrier. No spell of defense could survive on the Pattern, but Fiona said that the Jewels protected their users. Quinn suggested Deirdre and Fiona help him divert or siphon off the other Jewel's defensive energies. Finndo was amazed that Quinn, not Fiona, was attuned to the Jewel. Breann, weaponless and hopping mad, Trumped to Amber. Finndo, also unweaponed, ran off to gather some rocks.
Breann, now skirtless (tossed onto the Grand Hall floor), Trumped to Theseus with Sander in tow. Finndo lobbed a thirty pound rock to Sander. As Sander wound up, Quinn, Deirdre and Fiona worried at Brand's protections. Sander's rock slowed and bounced away; Finndo's did no better. They wound up for coordinated throws. Fiona, straining hard to power their efforts, grunted something to Quinn about the translations. Finndo's rock slowed but Sander's, half a second later, did not; it hit. Brand staggered, teetered on one foot and Breann hit him in the forehead with a wristrocketed lead pellet.
Brand fell and hit with the sound of a monstrous glass bell shattering and continued his fall through the base of the Primal Pattern. Theseus vanished.
The Primal Pattern dissolved, revealing stars.
Fiona, not as stunned as the rest, said that this might not be TOTALLY a disaster but they must leave immediately. She directed Deirdre and Quinn to Amber's Pattern to reinforce it, to walk it. Quinn zapped out with Deirdre and Fiona took the others to Amber herself.
Theseus found himself in a silvery duplicate of Amber's courtyard. A court official found him and welcomed him back. Theseus was escorted inside to the packed Great Hall, where all the nobles and officers stood at attention. They indicated that his place was the throne.
Quinn and Deirdre Trumped into the main hallway among startled partygoers. Deirdre excused herself and ripped off most of her skirt, throwing it atop Breann's. She caught up with Quinn halfway down the stairs to the Pattern room. The Pattern was dim, a ghost of its normal self. Deirdre tossed the Jewel to Quinn, not realizing that he, too, was out of his depth. He led the walk, thinking bright, encouraging thoughts at the Pattern. He noticed that its design had slightly altered.
Sander found Daelyn staring and pointing into the sky with a crowd of others. Tir-na Nog'th was solid in the sky, not ghostly at all. Then it silently flew away, very fast, and was lost to sight.
Theseus looked out a window and saw clouds rushing by. Who was driving..? His official (chancellor?) "reminded" him that he was in the wrong place and took him quickly to the Pattern room.
Just after conquering the First Veit, Quinn was greeted by Dworkin's image, asking after the softball he had been given earlier. No, not on him: the image faded out. Quinn yelled at the guards clustered at the door. Go To My Room. Get The Ball--White, This Big. Bring It To Me. Now. The guards did a quick paper-scissors-stone; the loser ran grimly up the stair.
Theseus started walking a Pattern--considerably different from Amber's--for the first time. Opposition took the form of great winds.
Finndo and Liewella vanished in midsentence from the party. Sander exchanged cluelessness with Gerard. Huge roaring and crashing noises assaulted them as the fleet and the lower City were wrecked by a great slow wave that rose fifty to eighty feet before subsiding. Rebma had vanished.
Theseus made it through the Final Veil exhausted and sandblasted. He fell to his knees. Someone tapped him on the shoulder, he turned. A tall, thin blonde woman handed him a large diamond pendant and told him he should attune to it, now.
Quinn and Deirdre reached the center of Amber's Pattern, where a guard threw the softball to Quinn. Nothing. Dworkin didn't reappear. Quinn wasn't nearly as annoyed as the guard.
Sander rushed off to spearhead the rescue efforts, followed by Breann, Ander, Kethos, Vaughn, Caine and Julian. Sander worked until dawn.
The family (Deirdre, Caine, Flora, Gerard, Julian, Vaughn, Kethos, Quinn, Breann, Ander, Sander and Daelyn) met again at breakfast. Caine was dishevelled. Sander was exhausted; Daelyn had to repeatedly hold his head out of his food. Fiona explained that the ancient records had revealed that, contrary to what she had been taught, the Patterns of Amber, Rebma and Tir-na Nog'th--and another as well--existed independently prior to Dworkin's creation of the "Primal" Pattern. His Pattern was made to twist the others to conform to the Amber Pattern, bring them close to it and to bind them to his bloodline. Dworkin had based the Primal Pattern on Amber's, so Amber's was only slightly changed.
The Patterns corresponded to the classical elements: Amber for Earth, Rebma for Water, Tir-na Nog'th for Air and another, perhaps Finndo's twisted one (news to everyone but Kethos) for Fire. Each should have only a few Shadows clustered around them until their initiates made more. Finndo, Liewella and Theseus might have been called to the Patterns they were most closely associated with.
Where is everyone?
Log by Randy with a 'T'