Unedited Session Notes

• 2003: February 11, 18, 25, March 4, 11, 18, 25, April 8, 15, 22, 29, May 6, 13, 20, 27, June 3,

Unedited Session Notes

The following session notes are just a direct dump, unedited and messy. The contain everything I happened to note down including things my character, Bergen, can not possibly know As I reorganize this into Session Notes and Bergen's journal I'll try to make it clear which information is public knowledge and which isn't.

February 11, 2003

Agnes - Finished doing forms with sword. Breakfast with Benedict. Benedict been out patrolling.

Allasandra wakes to hear Agnes practicing with sword. Allasandra goes about doing her hair, prepares or the morning, and heads to breakfast.

Me, I'm learning to play dragon tiles with 108 cards. It proves to be resistant to cheating, but I persist. Move up to high stakes. Cheat to win, then cheat to give to loser nice guy. While cheating briefly notice feeling of shadow shifting as I move. Stops when I stop, resumes when I move again. Then fades away. Odd Get caught, flee with nice guy. Mom calls, wants me to come to dinner party.

Kenji. Heading to meeting. Almost run over by car in tunnel in parking ramp, shifts awayto avoid. Shifts back. Calls on cell his assistant (Yamaka?) to get security tapes to see what happened. A big buick with spikes fades in, waits a second, then accelerates toward Kenji. Apparently his meeting with someone who said he was Kenji's uncle. Left because of commitments, used Kenji's elevator, but shadow walked away.

Agnes explores the castle after breakfast. Goes to see Random in his office, apparently she was never formally presented. Random likes the excuse to take a break. They get acquanted and chat.

Allas goes about morning, gets trump contact from Random. Random has Allas show Agnes around.

Me, I steal a horse, Or try to, but the guy I ran with is the stable boy. Doh. I walk away and shift to find some wild horses. I mount one and after some time convince it I'm friendly. We shadow walk on.

Kenji.feels the same odd shadow shift while driving, and it passes as he heads to his apartment. He starts to cook and finds an unexpected unicorn origami in his wok. He looks around and doesn't find anyone. He unfolds it, it says "We must talk, Bleys." It bursts into flames. Kenji and his assistant get in his car and head to Amber.

Agnes and Allas wander the grounds. They chat. Allas mentions that Random is having a family dinner in a few nights. Agnes, "Have you ever been up to the roof?" "No, why would I?" "To see outside." "That's what windows are for."

I head back, score a three piece suit and a hummer and head toward amber.

Agnes is trump contacted by her father, Bleys. He's battered, chained up and asks for help. He doesn't know where he is. She lets him pull her to him. She sends per polymorphing belt-cat to invesigate. A group of men with swords and torches approach. The belt turns into a sword and she waits for them. She slays the first man to enter easily. The remaining size sound the alarm, but are quickly slain. Bleys is proud of his daughter. She unlocks him. She fights her wait out, slaying indescriminately. They get outside and reach a drawbridge out of a castle. Agnes admits being unable to walk shadow, Bleys is surprised, Fortunately Agnes picked up a Trump deck in Amber. Bleys calls Random and after a brief discussion Random pulls the two of them through.

On the road I run across two people in suits on horseback, just like me. I meet for the first time Kenji and his assistant Yamuka. We chat, he's into serious business, so most of the ride to Amber is quiet.

(??) Allas gets her dress fitted and in the process is upstaged by someone with ride hair.

Agnes heads out to the armory. She asks the armorer to train with her, for a bit of a challenge she seeks a new weapon. The armorer pulls out a weapn Agnes has never seen. After a moment she figures out how assault rifles and guns in general work.

After a while Agnes runs into her father again. He has an important announcement when people get together. Random has decreed that as soon as possible everyone should get together.

Kenji sends his assistant to get two pistols from the armory if possible. Kenji himself heads to the library to get a trump deck. In the process he runs into his father.

The staff isn't able to clean my outfit in time for the moved forward dinner. The servants fetch me a motley outfit, it looks alot like what Random would wear. Oh well.

Most of the family is present. Merlin, Corwin, Haakon, Arethu, Fiona, and Bleys are missing. Everyone is seated quickly except Random, Martin, and Kenji. The only seats are Random's and a seat to either side of Random's. Kenji takes the seat to Random's right, Martin to the left. I notice Caine apparently tryring to trump someone during dinner.

We eat. After dessert Random is surprised Bleys is missing. Kenji hands over a trump deck to Random when Random asks for a deck. Random and Agnes try to contact him but fail. The card is oddly not-cold. Caine isn't sure it's a real Trump.

Agnes heads to her father's room to get him. No one answers, so she kicks the locked door open. Inside is her father on the floor, bloody and without a pulse. There is no visible wound, the blood is coming from his nose and ears. Agnes heads back and alerts Random. Random and Agnes head off to investigate. Kenji follows. Random sends Kenji back to get the rest of the family. Kenji returns and fetches us.

Upon returning Anges notices a fresh stab wound to the heart that wasn't there before. The family begins poking around the room. Caine is interested in an autopsy, but Gerard is against it.

Benedict enters the room, looks around, and leaves. Agnes follows and questions him. He just wanted to get a view before people tamper with it. He returns to his meal.

While ransacking the room it looks like Caine may have palmed a trump. Odd. I check the deck but notice nothing missing. Only the elder generation are represented, Bleys card is still in there.

Eventually most of the family wanders off, leaving myself, Allas, Agnes, and Kenji. Agnes describes the circumstances when she found her father. I suggest one could visit that place and look for clues. Agnes admits to not having walked the pattern. Her belt briefly talks. She leaves the room for a moment and returns, announcing that she can probably make it back. We decide to head back and investigate. We agree to regroup in an hour and half after preparing.

We meet. I leave a note for Random "Me and the gang (Allasandra, Agnes, and Kenji) have gone looking for clues. Jinkies! -- Bergen". We mount up and follow after Agnes. The terrain becomes swamplike. As we consider the situation a number of giant hostile looking lizards approach. I lead us a shadow away to avoid them. I suggest I lead the party to a similar setting based on Agnes' description, then let her lead. The resulting trip is much easier. We come to a castle. It's being sieged by men in red and silver and defended by men in blue and silver. Agnes thinks it's the right place. Agnes is pretty sure that the men in blue are losing and the drawbridge will fall soon. Agnes and Kenji charge in, we follow. Kenji lays into the red army. The rest of us head to the drawbridge. Kenji gets trapped fighting on foot, I head back and fetch Kenji and Yamaka. We approach the now down drawbridge. Pitch is dropped from above and the front rank of red soldiers fall briefly back. We head in, some of us a singed by pitch as we run through.

Anges disarms a soldier who looks to be in charge (killing a few more soldiers in the process). She drags him off and questions him as the red army begins moving in. With some guidance from our prisoner we retreat deeper into the castle. Kicking open a door we see a rainbow-hazy effect of a person that separates and disappears. Whoever it was trumped out.

I block the door behind us. We search the room but don't find much of note. Kenji notices an ornate origama box. As the soldiers start pounding on the door we try to shift shadow away.

As we're trying three soldiers in red and white burst in. They prove to be extremely difficult opponents. Kenji has his assistant distract his opponent then snaps his neck. Kenji's assistent gets stabed by the soldier but doesn't seem injurd. Anges defeats her opponent after a tough fight. My opponent is better than me, I fight defensively until Kenji comes to help me. These opponents were much tougher than the ones we left behind.

In the confusion our prisoner was killed.

Allas mentions that we're in a golden circle shadow. [[ Allas' private info: Blue = atwater, Red = Bluerose, both are golden circle kingdoms]]

February 18, 2003

The night of the feast, Haakon was in his room at Castle Amber reading an early history of Amber.

Haakon heads to the evening's feast when he gets a Trump contact. It's his father, Caine. Caine has a bad feeling about tonight and suggests Haakon not attend dinner.

Arethu heads to see his mother, Fiona. He happens to hear a noise down the cooridor and sees Agnes enter Bleys' room. A moment later Agnes leaves quickly. Arethu heads into Bleys' room to check things out and sees the body. In Bleys' hand is Arethu's card. Arethu takes the card and retreats to his room where he contacts his monther by Trump. The Trump is inscribed on the bottom of one of his boxes. He admits that he killed Bleys. Fiona is incredulous, Arethu thinks he may have "liquified his mind". Someone, presumably Bleys, pushed into Arethu's mind, possibly by Trump. Arethu pushed back, perhaps too hard. Fiona suggests Arethu try to blend in with the family.

The next morning Haakon and Arethu bump into each other in the kitchen.

The rest of us have decided to head back to Amber to get breakfast and wait for the red army to relax before we return to question them. We Trump back to the city gates. We head to the kitchen and bump into our cousins. We discuss the murder last night.

We have a brief discussion about Martin and Kenji's awkwardness about seating arrangements next to their father, Random. Bergen asks why it matters who sat on what side and learn that it suggests that Kenji is the primary heir. Kenji is surprised by this, he hadn't understood the symbolism when he took the seat to the right.

Arethu asks where the library is. This is surprising, since he lives in Amber. He mentions knowing where the beach is. We head to the library to check into Atwater and Bluerose.

I stumble across an interesting book on a number of gambling card games. Someone with flowing handwriting has added a number of interesting marginal notes. I pocket it. I also find a book on Bluerose.

Apparently Bluerose and Atwater have been hostile to each other for a while. They used to be allies, mostly by Oberon's will. They have competing exports. A daughter of Bluerose was given a political marriage to Atwater, then died of a sudden and mysterious sickness. Atwater offered another marriage to another Bluerose daughter, it was accepted, and then the second daughter died.

Haakan heads to Bleys' room. The door is locked, Haakon wills to see the inside. The body is gone, some blood stains the floor. The room looks mildly ransacked. He then concentrates and watches the library. He senses Arethu's room. he faintly senses old Trump, and an odd grey power. A box was tossed on to the bed.

Arethu notices a paper folding book. When he pulls it out, a thin knife falls out of the book . I carefully pick it up with a hankerchief. Arethu is interested in holding it get a psychic impression off it. I'm against the idea because it might traint any evidence. Kenji picks up the knife and gives it to Arethu.

Arethu picks up impressions off the knife. Confusion, curiousity, resentment. Oh, that's Kenji. After a moment he detects prideful, daring, happy, worried. After a moment he gets a sense of Bleys, probably the owner. Arethu lets us know.

Allasandra arrives and senses it. At this point the knife is tainted and she primarily gets a sense of concentration from Arethu. She also gets a sense of fear, apprehension, confusion, and almost panic. Allasandra lets us know only of the concentration.

For lack of a better plan we decide to head back to the Atwater castle to investigate. Arethu isn't interested in shifting shadow there, he proposed drawing a trump and trumping there. Agnes describes the scene, Arethu draws apparently randomly on a page torn out of a book. He then folds it up and the image forms. We trump through.

Nearby is a bunch of briefly surprised soldiers. One of the soldiers challenges us to "Halt!" I tell him to take us to his commandering officer. We're lead into the castle. we're lead to a room to wait in. Haakon is already there, brow furrowed, apparently waiting himself. Unknown to us, he is sensing the area.

After a moment he responds. Haakon overheard us over breakfast. He walked the pattern and willed himself to the castle where Bleys was held prisoner.

Caine enters, dressed in red. "You youngsters weren't supposed to know about this." Apparently Random decided to end the feud. This was the capital of Atwater. He specifically wants to talk to Haakon later. After we mention that Bleys was there previously, he indicates that he is going to interrogate some prisoners. He refuses to let us watch.

Allasandra, Kenji, and Arethu head back to Amber through a Trump. Agnes, Haakon, and myself stay behind.

Haakon concentrates. Agnes pokes him and asks what he is doing. He's irritated she interrupted him. He explains that he is trying to find out what is being asked, but needs to concentrate. We agree to leave him be if he'll tell us what he finds.

While concentrating (to himself), he witnesses the questioning, but gets little. Nearby in a guards room he finds Bleys' sword, clothing in Bleys' colors, and an evelope sealed with a unicorn addressed to Random. Suddenly Haakon disappears. Unknown to us, he's teleported to in front of Allasandra's room. He tells Allasandra to let Agnes know about Bleys' belongings. Simultaneously I contact Haakon with a Trump borrowed from Agnes, I'm ticked he disappeared. He asks me to tell Agnes the same thing. Simuntaneously Allansandra Trumps Agnes with the information. Haakon says we should contact him in a few hours after he has had a chance to rest. Agnes and I head to the basement to the guard room. It's locked. Agnes puts her belt under the door and talks to it. In a moment the evelope appears and Agnes retreives her belt. The envelope is addressed to Random in Bleys' handwriting. She stuffs it down her shirt. We head out. We're confronted by guards that order us to halt and send for Caine. Agnes convinces the guard to let us leave. As we walk away Caine arrives and shouts for the guards to stop us. Agnes pulls out her Amber city gates Trump and we leave.

We bump into Kenji. We decide to leave the area quickly (Caine may have the same Trump we do). We head off to get some tasty fish at a little place off Murder Alley. Surprisingly, Arethu is there. He complains of having had a busy day and being laughed at.

As we eat, Agnes gets a Trump call from Allasandra. Agnes summarizes the situation and asks Agnes to not tell Caine where we are. We discuss the situation.

Agnes calls Allasandra again. Agnes spoke to Random. The war was being planned for a long time. After a moment Allasandra is pulled through to join us. Agnes calls Haakon, a half hour or so later he arrives. Arethu, frustrated at our secrecy, heads back to the castle.

Agnes opens the letter and reads it.

My dear brother Random.

There have been a number of things going on that need to be called to your attention. Unfortunately we will shortly be indesposed to returning to the castle and will need you to contact me as soon as you can.

Your loving brother, Bleys.

We're no richer in clues. We discuss various possibilities. Was Bleys placed in the castle about to fall, or was the castle attacked because Bleys was present? Where was Fiona during dinner, especially given that her son makes paper boxes similar to the one we saw in the castle? Allasandra is pretty sure Bleys is still alive.

Agnes notices blank space on the letter. There is also a faint scent of lemons. holding it near a flame reveals a secret message.

R.

Remember our childhood. [Weird squiggles]

B.

Agnes contacts Random. Agnes insists it's important, Random comes through. Apparently he was talking with Caine. Doh!

Agnes hands the letter Random, he Reads it, "Dear Random--" and there is a phumph, a rainbow glow, and Random disappears. Agnes tries to Trump him, but fails to contact anything. Allasandra tries and feels like she is pushing against a spring.

Kenji points out that since Random just left Caine, came to us, then disappeared, and we're the last people to be seen him. This looks bad.

It's suggested that making the knowledge that Random is missing might cause a great deal of problems, possibly even a throne war.

Possible choices: contacting fiona, full disclosure, stategic retreat, partial disclosure to some people, using the pattern to find or go to Random.

February 25, 2003

Allasandra suggests that we find a shadow Random to buy us some time. The shadow Random can explain that he is leaving for a while then disappear.

Gerard happens to enter the bar and chats with the bartender. Kenji heads up to get another drink to look nonchalant. Gerard is a bit surprised, the typical clientel is sailors. Gerard buys Kenji a drink. They make some idle conversation before Gerard notices the group. He heads over to join us.

He notices that we were scheming and is a bit irritated. He mentions that scheming is a family tradition. He also pointedly mentions that patricide is also something of a family tradition. Irritated he leaves.

As Gerard leaves, Agnes gets a Trump call. From Agnes' side of the conversation it sounds like Caine. Agnes denies taking the letter.

Kenji points out that Caine will soon learn of our involvement. The bartender knows that Random met with us here but didn't leave. He may have seen Random trump out.

Allasandra gets a Trump contact and heads off to respond.

The bartender stops by and collects our empties. He asks after Random and mentions that Gerard was also asking after Random. Crud, this isn't going well.

As we debate Allasandra returns. She was contacted by Arethu. Arethu thinks someone outside of the family is blocking Random's Trump; and Random wants to contact people back. Arethu suggested that we don't trust Caine and that his mother, Fiona, may be able to help.

On a whim I borrow Kenji's deck and do a casting. Bleys is reversed in the center. The rest is junk.

Kenji announces his plan, he's going to hell-ride to Random. Finally, something active to do. Sitting around talking has already lost us Random. After some quick discussion we decide that I'll join him, Haakon and Agnes will check for clues on Bleys, and Allasandra will check the family for information. Kenji and I head off.

As we ride through the forest Arden we hear a hunting horn. I hope it's not for us. Then we hear the dogs. After a moment we see them following us. Kenji and I ride on, but the blasted dogs catch up and surround us. Oh, crap.

Haakon scrys the library. Fiona is there. She turns to peer at the scrying entity. Haakon pull back, but is afraid she saw him. He receives a Trump contact; Haakon uses his focused Pattern to try and block the contact. The other end continues pushing.

Allasandra riffles through her Trump deck. Random's card is still blocked. Corwin's carries a sense of uncrossable distance.

We stop for the dogs. Julian arrives as I badmouth his dogs. Oops. He knows we saw Random last and word is already out that Random is missing. Apparently Random missed a meeting. Kenji gives a lame excuse that he was taking me racing on his home shadow. Gaah, he should have let me talk. Oh well.

Julian suggests that we should stay near Amber given that Kenji has the strongest claim on the throne. He may be needed to execute business in Random's absense. Again Kenji learns that his seating choice was significant. After revealing to us facts we already know, he lets us go, but warns us to stay near.

By chance Allasandra happens to retry Corwin's trump. She faintly senses Arethu, then makes connection with Corwin. He's wearing along beard and carrying a walking stick. He's surprised that she has contacted him across the Barrier. He is a bit surprised to discover that Flora has a daughter. He brings her through and they talk.

Corwin explains that they are on the mountain of Calas in a shadow cast by Corwin's Pattern. Allasandra brings Corwin in part up to the speed, introducing him to the younger generation. She tells him all of the key details of our story.

Corwin offers to let Allasandra stay in his shadows. He mentions that there is a loca Castle Amber, or a close equivalent. He seems to appreciate the news, but doesn't seem interested in following up on it.

Haakon continues to block the force, only after a half hour does it let up. Haakon is a bit surprised that the contact started at full force immediately.

Haakon and Agnes attempt to sneak to the library. Agnes tries to contact Allasandra, but discovers that Allasandra is hard to contact.

With "there isn't much i can do about it." and "I'm sure it will be interesting," Corwin indicates that he is not interested in helping. He points out that he travels back and forth using the two Patterns, but fears that not being of his blood she may not be able to walk his Pattern.

Kenji and I reach the edge of Amber and begin hellriding toward Random.

Agnes heads into the library first. Fiona is still there, she quickly tucks something into her skirts to conceal it. They make some light conversation, then Agnes searches the library. It looks like any books on Trumps are missing.

As Haakon waits outside the library he bumps into Caine. They are both evasive about what information they have collected. Haakon slips and mentions that Random is missing and that we know that Random was speaking with Caine just before. Learning that Agnes pulled Random from him, Caine is very interested in our activities.

Agnes starts to leave, but hears Caine outside. She browses the library in hopes of finding a secret passage out. In desperation she Trumps out to the front of the castle.

Unfortunately Haakon implied that he was heading into the library, much like Caine was. Caine opens the door into the library and offers to let Haakon in first.

Kenji and I ride for about ten hours without reaching Random. Our horses are tired. Kenji tries approaching some nearby horse sized lizards to ride them, one swallows him an he tears himself out. We take a detour to fetch fresh horses.

Corwin leads Allasandra to an Amber-like castle. It lacks a sea. A shadow of his pattern is in the basement. They discuss the problem of heading back. Corwin reiterats his concern that his Pattern may destroy Allasandara as she isn't of his blood. Corwin mentions that his Trumps have never worked. Allasandra mentions the oddness with her contact to Corwin. It's possible that one could travel through Chaos, but it would be difficult.

Haakon heads in with Caine. Caine heads to the main reading area where Fiona is, Haakcon heads off in a different direction, backs out of the library as he hears Fiona and Caine discuss that Haakon is nearby. Haakon fends off a Trump contact. A bit later he runs into Agnes who is irritated he rejected her contact.

March 4, 2003

Agnes and Haakon go to crypt look for Bleys. Behind non-dusty door, and unused casket. Open it, it blows up, badly burning Haakon. Also a psychic alarm. Fiona runs down, looks around, concentrates. Agnes KOs Haakontohopefully protect him from Fiona.

Arethu probes female someone by trump, they're not answering. Probes Allas, she's far away. Tries Agnes ...

Kenji and I continue to hellride. Things get weirder than usual. Gravity flucutions and the like. Our horses start the freak. We're nearer to Chaos than Amber. We stop at a relatively safe location and talk.

Fiona finishes her focusing. She starts looking around. Agnes Trumps to the Amber city gates with the unconcious Haakon.

Allas explores Corwin's castle, looks at Corwin's Pattern. Corwin asks if Allas has the Jewel of Judgement, suggesting that it might be able to get her back to Amber. Corwin has a possible way to get her out, but wants Allas to bring the Jewel of Judgement to him for a week. Allas would have to promise on the blood of Oberon. Corwin says he wants to use it to study him own pattern. When she agrees, Corwin explains that his son, Merlin, is in the Courts of Chaos and probably reachable by Trump. Merlin could bring Allas to the Courts, from there she could return.

I suggest we talk to the rest of the gang, find out what time it is in Amber, get a promise to let us know when our Julian imposed deadline is up, and see if they can delay us. Kenji fails to contact Allas. He then contacts the burned Haakon and Agnes who is carrying him. They're looking for a fast-time hospital, but let us know that we've been gone for about twelve hours. They'll try to contact us in another twelve Amber hours if possible. Kenji tries Arethu.

Arethu heads to the beach. He meets a man in a cloak. The man is someone he regularly meets. They talk, he provides Arethu with encouragement.

Allas calls Merlin. She introduces herself to him and explains her problem. Merlin wants to be brought through. He wants to find the connection to Chaos himself and is having problems from the Chaos side. She pulls him through. Merlin wants to see his father.

Arethu starts to try and form a bridge to contact Allasandra, but is interrupted by Kenji. Arethu slightly blocks the call to stop Kenji from seeing his location. Arethu senses three psychic presences, Bergen, Kenji, and something unknown, ancient, powerful, and wise.

Kenji and Arethu talk. Arethu asks about Kenji's emotional state. Kenji asks to be contacted in twelve hours. Arethu tells Kenji that we're being followed by something powerful.

Agnes heads off a bit and asks Seraphim (her catbelt) to lead them to a fast-time shadow with a hospital. Agnes knocks Haakon out to spare him the pain. Agnes heads into town to get a horse. She knocks out a stableboy and steals a horse.

Merlin and Corwin meet, embrace, and chat.

Kenji and I ride on. We notice two wyverns following us through shadow.

Arethu restacks his boxes and finds the letter to Random. Looking at it, he recognizes it as a Trump trap, keyed off something specific, perhaps a person.. Arethu doesn't know who created it. Arethu tries to don the psyche of Bleys to trick it, but fails. Arethu isn't sure he can do it.

Kenji and I ride on, looking for some cover from the wyverns. We find a cave. It dead ends. We dismount and prepare for a possible fight. We hear something big land outside. A wyvern head pokes itself in, "What have we here." It wants to know who we are, and it knows that we are children of Oberon. The beast squeezes in, shrinking to fit. It hints at a threat. They want to know what we're doing so close to Chaos. Apparently they're Chaos people. Kenji says we're on a diplomatic mission. GAAAAAH. They offer to take us to the courts. I head to Kenji (who is cowering in the back). I bluff for a while while Kenji riffles through his deck.

Kenji contacts Arethu who pulls him through. The shapeshifters attack me, I defend myself. A few moments later Kenji contacts me and pulls me through.

We're on the beach by the caves near the Castle. Unfortunately Kenji's assistant is still behind us. Kenji is a bit put out by this. I point out that it's a problem that we don't have a Trump for her. Arethu suggests that he could create a Trump for her, but he's tired. Kenji heads off and talks to Arethu.

Agnes heads through Arden. Haakon is quickly recovering. He doesn't really need a hospital. Almost twelve hours have passed, she calls Kenji .

Kenji gets Agnes' time warning. We discover that Arethu can hear their conversation. Odd.

Merlin puts his hand around around Allasandra. She feels a bungie jumping feel, and is pulled with him to Chaos. He'll pull them through Chaos.

I grumble at Kenji about his terrible lies Arethu gets a very faint contact from Allasandra. They talk, but it's too weak to pull her through. Arethu mentons that she is in Chaos.

Merlin gives Allas a token, a beautiful bracelet. He heads off for a bit. He returns. Good news: there is a path. Bad news: It's through the Logrus. Good news: ultimately she's descended from Chaos and can theoretically walk it herself. Bad news: she might die. Good news: if she succeeds, she would get Logrus powers. He confirmed that this is an option by walking the Logrus himself. Merlin suggests Allas get some sleep first.

Allasandra tries to contact Arethu again. They get a minimal connection. They talk. Allasandra learns Arethu has the letter. The connection isn't strong enough to bring her back. For lack of a better plan they consider how to contact or fake Random. Allas describes Random to Arethu.

Agnes and Haakon head to an inn in shadow to rest for the night. The next day Haakon is feeling okay. They Trump back to Amber and sneak into the catacombs. The cask has been closed again.

Kenji and I head to the Castle and rest.

Haakon brings up the Pattern to study the cask. There are multiple strong layers of magic about it. There is Pattern, perhaps Trump, and something cold that might be Logrus.

Kenji has a dream. He is standing on a cliff over a river of fire. Kenji's father is on the cliff and topples forward into the fire. Kenji tries to stop him, but is too slow, but realizes that he is too slow because of reluctance. The same happens with Yamuka, Martin, Bergin. Allasandra heads up, Kenji reaches to her, she puts his hand back down and steps back into the fire. He wakes and heads for a bath.

Agnes calls Kenji (in the bath) for advice. She thinks Yamuka might be immune to the trap.

Arethu, in the library, finishes his sketch of Yamuka. When he tries it, it looks like a white raven. He brings the bird through.

Kenji gets another contact while in the bath. It's Arethu. Kenji confirms that the raven is Yamuka, he heads to see Arethu.

Arethu focuses on the letter, but fails to contact Random. Kenji sees Arethu put something (the letter) away quickly when Kenji arrives. The bird turns into Yamuka at Kenji's request.

I wake up, take a bath, and shave. It's been a long day.

Agnes notices that the letter is missing. Agnes contacts Arethu by Trump. Arethu takes the call, blocking all visual contact. Agnes wants some information about Trumps and the letter.

During the call, Arethu realizes that Agnes is looking for the king and casually mentions that he call tell her where the King is.

Arethu asks Kenji for information on the king.

I head to the library to get a Trump to call someone, but it turns out that everyone but Allasandra is there. I suggest getting Allasandra. Arethu says she must stay where she is. She is near the King and in Chaos he says. I see.

Kenji tells Yamuka that the rest of our group are under her protection.

Agnes wants Yamuka to open Bleys crypt. She explains that there are traps on it, in part triggered by pattern. This trap seriously injured Haakon. Perhaps Yamuka, not being an Amberite, might not activate it.

Arethu contacts someone (dad)? Discusses the trap of Random, wants to trigger trap himself to go to the King. Other person says Brand wrote a book on exactly this.

Arethu contacts Allas and talks.

Agnes suggests that someone keep a Trump connection open in a safe place while the rest open the casket. I grab a Trump deck from the library and wait in my room.

I get a Trump call. It's Fiona. She asks about Random's disappearance. I only give public information, yes apparently we were the last to see him, yes he Trumped out, no I don't know if he intended to Trump out or not. She notices Kenji trying to call me. She considers calling Kenji, I say sure.

Fiona calls Kenji. Kenji is honest about where the they are and what they're doing. He blames things on Agnes.

I try to contact Agnes and Kenji, they block me, but I eventually get through to Kenji. As I connect, there is a burst of fire. Apparently they set off the trap. I pull a badly burned Haakon and Kenji through. I help put them out.

Agnes is barely burned and Yamuka is fine. Inside the casket is a burned corpse. There is a charred carving. It looks a trump to a world of fire and molten. Agnes asks Seraphim if she could pass through. Seraphim points out that while Agnes is wearing her, she is same. Agnes heads through. Her Trump deck is on fire, and she can't Trump back. She walks off, Seraphim slowly shifts them away, eventually leading to normal. They head off for clothes.

Allasandra hangs around Merlin's newly summoned mansion.

March 11, 2003

Kenji and I head down to look for Yamuka. Fiona is there questioning Yamuka without gain. Yamuka is completely unscathed. Fiona is irritated. She learns that Haakon and Agnes were there as well, and that Agnes was the instigatgor. She dismisses us. We head off for a snack.

Agnes finds some clothes in Shadow and heads home. She encounters a man in armor while passing through a ravine. The man tells her to not pass this way and addresses her as "child of Amber." He insists that she take another path and laughs ambigiously at her questions about why.

Kenji asks Yamuka what happened.; Apparently Agnes entered the cask, then disappeared. Inside was a charred corpse. There was a carvving of fire on the wall. Agnes touched the carving and disappeared in a rainbow effect. Kenji calls up Agnes.

Allas calls Arethu. He says,"I am coming," then contact ends.

Arethu contact Kenji by Trump. "Agnes has the answer to finding your father." Then the connection ends.

Arethu contacts Agnes. He gives her a paper box. "Take it, it will take you to Bleys's killer." He then breaks the connection. The box has a sketch of a shore.

Haakon joins us in the kitchen. He is mostly healed.

Agnes Trumps through the strange Trump. She arrives thigh high in water near the caves in Amber. There are two open paper boxes floating in the water.

Kenji reaches Agnes and learns of her situation. She looks at the boxes.

In one is written something. As she reads it, Agnes and Kenji (still in contact by Trump) disappear.

It reads:

Arch-Prince Kenji and Yamaka
Agnes, Bergen and Haakon

I have the answers. I cannot stay.

Arethu.

The two find themselves in a completely dark location. They find each other. The earth is loamy.

Allasandra meets up with Merelin. He summons breakfast. After the meal, he mentions that she seems reluctant to take the Logrus. Merlin is needed back at the Courts soon, if he leaves, he won't be available to help her take the Logrus. Allasandra mentions that she is looking for Random, who is missing. She explains that she hopes that Fiona's son can help bring her back. Merlin is planning on leaving in the afternoon, she doesn't have long. She can stay there indefinately if she wants.

Kenji and Agnes find a chair and a table. On the table are some parchments, inks, paints, a lamp, and other things. There is a book of matches, they light the lamp. The table is in the middle of nothing, surrounded by the grey earth. On the parchment is written random looking squiggles, similar to the ones on the letter to Random.

There are several trump sketches. One of green plain, one of a tree, and one of an orderly bedroom. Kenji starts riffling through his deck in the new light.

I reach Kenji by Trump.

Agnes uses the beach sketch to Trump to the beach. She grabs the box Trump.

As we wait, we see a chair in the darkness hit Kenji from behind. The Trump contact breaks.

Fiona calls Agnes. Agnes denies having been involved in the exhumation, claiming to only have headed down afterward.

I grab Agnes and explain what happened. She no has the box Trump.

Kenji strikes up conversation with the mysterious man who hit him with a chair. He is weilding a rapier. He is lanky and bald. The mysterious man repeatedly references this as his home and insists Kenji leaves. When Kenji fails to leave quickly enough, the man concentrates, something strong and invisible grabs him. The man announces that he has made travel arrangments for Kenji and Kenji gets a sudden sense of speed.

Allas notices that Gerard's Trump doesn't feel active. She tries other people without reaching anyone.

Kenji feels a sudden pain, then darkness.

There is a sudden crack sound.

Caine checks by Trump with Haakon to see what happened and confirm that Haakon is okay. He expected that given our actions we might be at the center. Caine suggests that Haakon check on people, Flora is as well.

Haakon contacts Flora, they agree to split up the castle to search. Haakon and I head around checking on people.

Agnes notices Caine and Julian outside preparing to check on things.

When we knock on Allasandra's door, we notice that it's ajar. We see a booted leg.

Kenji is on the back side of Mount Colivar in a small crater. Agnes just arrived.

Haakon closes the door. I open it. It's Gerard, blood comes out of his eyes, ears, and nose. The blood is dry. Haakon and I aren't too good at medicine. I call my Mom and pull her through. Flora suggests we search the room. On a table is a bloody stilleto and a bloody Trump of Bleys.

Agnes contacts me, I pull her and the shaken Kenji through to the hallway. Kenji heads off to recover.

Flora mentions that the blade is one of Allasandra's. I notice the gem on the pommel would match Allasandra's eyes. Mom asks me to find out what happened before everyone assumes that her daughter is a murderer.

I check the rest of the room over. The only odd things is that the bed is unmade. Also, while the knife and the card are bloody, there is no blood on the table. I grab a bag, put the knife and trump into it, and head out. Haakon heads off to check on other people.

I hide the bag in my room and try to contact Allasandra. I fail. Agnes contacts me, she wants to head to the grey place and check things out. I suggest collecting the gang. Agnes decides that she could use some sleep.

Merlin wants an answer from Allasandra. She isn't sure what she wants. Merlin suggests someone else who could help. He is going to swing by anyway. He takes her to a giant tree. Merlin addresses it as "Bearer of the worlds," apparently Corwin and Merlin planted the tree. It speaks back. She asks where she is, the tree replies that they are at the exact center between Chaos and Pattern. Allasandra and the tree talk, not much is gained. She comes to the conclusion that she needs to be able to move. Merlin speaks with Yg along for a while. Merlin takes them to...

I head to breakfast. Lots of people are there. Fiona and Gerard are missing.

...the Logris. It's in a cave. Merlin warns her that she will be bombarded with random senses and parts of her personality warring. She must follow the ringing bell no matter what. The bell will be at the center. When she reaches the center, she will be insane for a while. She heads in.

The scooby gang gets together. Kenji explains briefly what happened. We decide that Agnes and I will head to the mysterious man's place while Kenji and Haakon remain behind as support. We get two lanterns for light.

Allasandra finishes the Logrus. She seeks a Shadow near Amber and pulls herself toward it. She arrives, but a dwarf speaking an unknown language with a weapon attacks her. She fights him off and shadow shifts on.

Agnes reads the letter again. Nothing happens. Crud.

Allasandra calls me. I head out to her. She is covered in blood, a dead child is nearby. She mentions that she walked the Logrus and might be a little insane. I lead her to a nearby waterfall Her clothing is stained, but she cleans herself. I head off to get her some clothes.

Agnes calls and asks what is up. I explain that everything is okay. I ask to speak to Haakon. I ask him to get something from Allasandra's room. He heads there, finding overdone clothes. Two of the dressers lead to a hallway of mirrors. He is confused. He gives me two ballgowns. I bring them back to Allasandra.

Allasandra is hallucinating. She thinks I'm Gerard and thinks she is still bleeding.

I speak with her. She's clearly nuts, for a while she thinks I'm Gerard. She claims that she was in Chaos, then suddenly in her room in Amber. Gerard entered, accused her of killing Bleys, waves around a bloody knife, said the family agreed and he was here to execute her. She pushed back and fears she destroyed his mind. She was then suddenly back in Chaos.

March 18, 2003

Arethu trumps somewhere dark. He calls Allasandra by memory. At Bergen's recommendation, she resisits it. Distacted by her own insanity, Arethu connects. he pokes around in her mind, but she resists. Arethu blocks me. Arethu asks Allasandra to come through to him, bringing Bergen. I contact Arethu, but he tells me to leave him alone and breaks the contact. Concerned and unaware of the situation, I knock out Allasandra to protect her from a possible attack.

I take Allasandra toward a hood. With a hood I can ensure that she can't walk into a dangerous shadow with hallucinating. I come across three goon splitting some loot. I leave Allasandra behind an head toward them. After they threaten me and I threatenthem, I buy their sack off them and head back to get Allasandra.

Allasandra awakes to the kiss of Merlin. He says he'll be invisible to protect himself from those in Amber who don't like him. He wants to take her back to Amber to protect her while she's under the influence of the Logrus. She doesn't like the idea. He suggests they head to Ygg, the tree. He asks if she has been to Ygg. Merlin is insistent that they go now. He eventually convinces her to go. He writes Ygg in the ground as a message for Allasandra's missing brother. He pulls her to Ygg.

I return, she is gone. I call Allasandra but get Arethu. He wants light. He says that Allasandra is safe. I hang up and get some torches I call Arethu.

Arethu contacts Allasandra. They talk. He wants to bring her through. Allasandra mentions that someone is with her. Merlin complains that she shouldn't tell anyone of him since Fiona and others want him dead. Telling Fiona's son about him is a bad idea.

I contact Arethu. He surprises me and pulls me through. I'm on a flagstone stone that extends as far as the torch-light. He explains that we are where the Trump Trap leads. I explain our previous experiment with the trap. Arethu explains that the trap only works in thigh deep water, that way we can leave it behind and it will dissolve, stopping anyone from following.

Arethu gets a call from Allasandra. We learn that she is somewhere with "a cousin" she is unwilling to name. He pulls her through.

Arethu notices that Allasandra is acting as through a fourth person is there. (Merlin, who may be Allasandra's hallucination.)

Arethu asks aloud why Bleys would want Random here.

I ask Arethu to keep an eye on Allasandra. I try walking toward Random. I feel like I'm heading toward Random, but not making progress, not actually shifting shadow. I _can_ shift toward Amber. I head back to Arethu and Allasandra.

Arethu and Allasandra talk. He mentions that he copied the Trump Trap so he could use it.

I return. Arethu collapses. I pile up his boxes so we can grab him and the boxes quickly if we need to run. Allasandra mentions that she can use the Logrus to pull herself to things or things to her. That's how she summoned the strawberry milkshake before, how she arrived where I found her. She suggests she may be able to pull us to Random.

Arethu comes to. He explains that he tried to hold this entire place in his head, but failed. He doesn't know whose place this is.

He tries to contact Random and gets blocked by something. It might be Random himself.

Arethu wants to open Allasandra's mind and ensure that she is sane. I argue against. It's clear that Arethu knows something about Allasandra's hurting someone. It becomes clear to both me and Arethu that someone is lurking behind Arethu. Allasandra decides to let him in.

The someone behind Arethu is who Allasandra sees as Merlin.

Arethu reaches in, and is suddenly trapped mentally.

The something is Logrus. Allasandra thinks it comes from Merlin. She tries to use Logrus to beat Merlin's defense back. Merlin argues (by Logrus contact) that Arethu can't be allowed in. Merlin claims that the exposure might drive Arethu mad or kill Allasandra.

During an earlier contact, Arethu got a brief sense of someone bleeding out of eyes and nose.

I swing around, looking for the invisible person Allasandra seems to think is there. Arethu gets lifted above the ground. I think it might be Allasandra herself doing this, I consider braining her. but try to distract her with a Trump contact. Arethu is dropped.

Allasandra talks to Arethu through a trump.

I tale Allasandra aside and tell her to not admit to anything for any reason. She's been too loose lipped in admitting things or at least hinting at them. I tell her to only confide in myself and Mom. She's concerned that Mom may have been in on the agreement for Gerard to kill her. I mention that the dagger and Trump are in my room. She mentions that after blasting Gerard someone opened the door and blasted her. She woke up back in Chaos.

Arethu does a Trump reading with his boxes. He is seeking a path forward to Random. In the center of the problem is Bleys. The forces against are Arethu. The past in Random, the present is Allasandra, and the future is Amber reversed.

Arethu wants to go to chaos. Allasandra agrees.

After some probing I learn the plan. She will try to pull herself to Chaos. She will pull Arethu to him. Arethu will look for the King while there. Allasandra can leave from there.

While she probes chaos, we check for the table. We don't find it. After a few hours Allasandra disappears.

Allasandra arrives near the Abyss. She calls Merlin to ask for a place to stay. He says he won't be there, but he'll send someone to get her. A moment later Merlin arrives and says he'll take her himself. (Hallucination) He says he's not well liked here either. She arrives at Merlin's home.

Allasandra contacts Arethu. He says to contact him when she arrives at the home. Arethu wants me to stay behind to bridge our cousins here, but not yet. We talk, he mentions that he overheard some things. I explain that things are complicated and Allasandra may have been frames and he shouldn't spread any information. Allasandra contacts him and pulls him through.

I try to contact the rest of the gang, but fail. I wander off a bit in shadow and again, but fail again. I try to contact Allasandra. She thinks she would only be safe in Chaos or at Yg. I agree to go to Yg with her. She's surprised that I can't contact the family. It looks like she is consulting someone else and suggests that I might be too far from Amber. She suggests I get closer to Amber and try again. She want to stay to help Arethu. She is acting suspiciously.

She is consulting via Logrus the invisible Merlin who might be a figment of her imagination.

I contact Arethu, warn him that she is acting oddly and asking him to watch her while I contact the rest of the gang. He agrees. I hellride toward Amber.

Allasandra calls Merlin (the invisible one leaves). She says that Arethu wants to visit the Courts (Merlin learns that Arethu is there). He gives directions on how to go there and arrange an appoint. Being a princeling of Amber, Arethu can probably get an appointment within the day. At Arethu's request, she asks if he'll be safe, Merlin says Arethu will be. Against at Arethu's request, she asks about two cousins being attacked near Chaos, he doesn't know anything about it. She asks about some clothing for herself, Merlin suggests getting some from such and such a location.

Allasandra gets the suggested dress. They look around for something for Arethu, but don't find anything.

Arethu follows the given directions (he snooped Allasandra's call). He comes to the indicated bridge and meets the bridgekeeper, a demon-like being. The bridgekeeper takes the bridge to the palace of the Courts of Chaos. The doorman, upon being told that is it business for The Crown, allows him in.

March 25, 2003

I reach Kenji.

Allasandra tells her life story to someone.

I talk with Kenji and the gang. We don't have much of an idea how to proceed. Agnes is interested in confronting a knight who blocked her way back to Amber from Shadow. They collect horses, contact me again, and I pull them through.

I get call from mother, wants to pull me through, my sister. I ask for a brief delay.

Kenji calls, I pull the gang through. I call my mom and she pulls me through. My sister is there. She says that she was not there by choice. Mom heads off for supplies (and to avoid hearing anything incriminating). Apparently Arethu got in trouble, Merlin told her and said she should leave. She lost her Trump deck. Merlin let her use his deck. She contacted mom and went home. Mom knows about the Gerard incident.

The gang finds the black knight. Agnes and the knight have a mighty battle. It appears that the knight has a slight edge. After a bit they pull back and talk. The knight says that he is the guardian and there of his own free will. He appears to have a grudge against Amber. He knows that the group are Amberites, and that Kenji is chairman of a corporation.

Allasandra tries to contact Arethu. There is too much distance and perhaps something blocking.

Kenji talks to the knight. They wrestle. Haakon brings up the Pattern and studies the knight. He is real and has the Pattern. After a bit they break away. Kenji asks what he guards, the knight replies that he guards a precious stone.

Haakon scans ahead using the Pattern. There is a box canyon. On a pedastool is a fist sized red stone. It has Trump, Pattern, and some sort of other magical energy.

Kenji asks if the knight is guarding the Jewel of Judgement. "I said precious, not priceless."

Haakon disappears. The knight, angered, attacks. Haakon uses the Trump to move to the stone. He examines it. The knight comes running, sword out. Kenji and Agnes give chase. Haakon hides behind the pedastool. Haakon takes a slight injury before Agnes and Kenji arrive. The two distact the knight.

Agnes asks for a new deck. I give her the one I picked up a bit ago and head to the library. I run into Fiona, who pointedly mentions that our little gang has been going through decks rather quickly.

Caine arrives at Flora's room. He asks aloud for Flora and says he has news of Gerard's death. Allasandra admits to being there. She says she is waiting for her mother. Gerard isn't happy to see here. Flora apparently told him that Allasandra was to be gone for a while. Allasandra explains that she was trapped with Corwin in Corwin's Pattern on the far side of Chaos. Caine wants to take Allasandra to see Fiona. Allasandra refuses, she is supposed to wait for her mother. Caine agrees to wait for a few minutes.

The fight continues. Haakon weasels out of the canyon. Kenji and Agnes fight a holding pattern. Kenji takes a hit to grab the knight and Agnes caves in his helmet. The knight is knocked out. The group flees, taking the gem. They retreat through the Amber city gate card. People around are a bit surprised.

I arrive back to find Caine. He insists on leaving with Allasandra. I contact mom, she is completely unhelpful, "Well, I loved your sister." She apparently expects me to resolve things. I head after the leaving Caine and Allasandra.

Kenji contacts Yamuka by sketch Trump and the three are pulled to the castle.

I ask Caine what is going on. Apparently they are planning on interrogating Allasandra.

Fiona arrives in the kitchen. She sighs and tells a servant to fetch medical supplies.

Fiona is missing. Caine leaves, frustrated. Allasandra is considering turning herself in to Fiona. Allasandra gets a call. She says it's not Fiona and asks that I not knock her out.

Allasandra gets contacted by Merlin. He is in the castle. Merlin thinks she should not turn herself in.

Before leaving, after having tended Kenji, Fiona mentions that Gerard has been killed, much like Bleys.

We head to Allasandra's room to get her some less formal clothes. She asks why that's what I got her, I mention that Haakon found her magical hallway closets confusing. We bump into the gang. Haakon describes the hall of mirrors, She is suprised, but doesn't find the hall in her closets. We decide to head out to shadow. Kenji is injured and Haakon is bloody.

Someone knocks on the door, we trump to the front gate of the city. Someone nearby is putting up a sign, "See scions of Amber appear here." We head off. I check on the cost of passage. Unfortunately I'm out of money. Allasandra pulls out a pouch of gems from no where. She also pulls out some cloaks to obscure the more famous party membes (herself, Haakon, and Kenji). I sell the gems, collect the group, and we board. Soon thereafter the trip begins.

I suggest that we may be able to join together to block a Trump call. A quick test suggests that it would work. This is good, I'm concerned about getting contacted by the family.

Allasandra and I learn about the knight and the stone. Agnes examines the stone.

Agnes sees pattern, trump, and something weird and non-Logrusy in it. She thinks it's unlikely to be magic.

We talk. Allasandra hypothosises that the odd energy on the rock is the same energy that is blocking Random's Trump.

Allasandra suggests she can get us into Shadow faster.

Taking a full day, Allasandra uses Logrus to seek Yg.

Allasandra pulls us out to the tree with Logrus. That was different. Allasandra learns about Kenji's being thrown through shadow into Mount Kolvir. Allasandra identifies it at Logrus. Allasandra is bothered that the mysterious man might have both major powers of Logrus and Trump.

Allasandra contacts Merlin. She asks who else can use both powers. Merlin says himself, Dworkin, and some Lords of Chaos. Oh, and Brand, but he's very dead. From Merlin she discovers that Arethu has mysteriously disappeared.

Yamuka turns into a raven at Kenji's request. Everyone is surprised. Agnes turns her belt into a cat and addresses it as Sara. Everyone is silly.

I suggest we could try to decrypt the letter. Unfortunately Arethu has it. Allasandra offers to reach through Logrus to get it.

Agnes asks her cat what the stone is, the cat says it has no idea.

Allasandra pulls back the wrong letter.

Allasandra and Agnes want to go back to the empty room. Allasandra pulls us some torches and matches. Allasandra seeks out the empty room plane. While we wait, Kenji relaxes, Agnes pratices forms, I relax, and Haakon meditates.

Haakon uses the Pattern to scout the location where the knight was. He is gone.

Eventually Allasandra finds it. We get pulled through. The ground is stone. Agnes is confused, she was sure there was earth.

Allasandra is unable to locate the table using Logrus. Kenji leads us through Shadow He heads for the loam, but nothing changes. I try to lead us to another shadow, but fail.

Haakon brings up the Pattern to study the situation. Allasandra pulls up the Logrus and searches for a nearby Shadow. Haakon doesn't find anything else in the Shadow, and hecan tell that Pattern is dampened here.

Haakon lets us know that there is absolutely nothing else in the Shadow.

Allasandra pulls us to a nearby Shadow. We confirm that we can shadow shift. Kenji leads us toward the table. After a bit we arrive on the greyish loam. In the distance we see a light. The man who clocked Kenji is sitting at the table watching us approach. On the table are papers and the three Trumps. Agnes talks to the fellow. He's not eager to help us, but not overtly hostile. We ask about the trump trap and our missing friend. Kenji admits that the person we're looking for is his father, Random. He will answer our questions for now, but wants us gone. Allasandra gives him the box, he admits that it leads here.

Allasandra identifies the tree trump on the table as Yg. The bedroom is Brand's according to the stranger, he says he likes to watch it sometimes

After our polite questioning, I start getting a bit aggressive. He lifts me and Kenji by the Logrus. I apologise. He sets me down.

Haakon uses the Pattern to look around. Haakon examines the man. He has Logrus and Pattern. A mile distant is a grave marked Deidre.

Allasandra suggests we could leave using his Trumps. He offers the Trump drawing of plains. Interesting...

Haakon has problems trying to reach other Shadows.

We head through. The mysterious man keeps Kenji, promising to "send him along." After a moment Kenji lands at high speed.

Allasandra thinks the man is Brand. Haakon mentions that the grave of Deidre was there.

April 8, 2003

It's near harvest time, this looks like a cultivated field, but it's not in rows.

Arethu is dragged before a tribunal. He is charged with the murder of a Chaos Lord.

Allasandra wants to speak with me alone.

Arethu admits that Random is missing and that Arethu thinks that Random is in Chaos.

As we're talking, Agnes notices some people surrounding us. Four men in camoflage with assault rifles appear and command us to freeze and hold up our hands.

Allasandra uses Logrus to raise the four men from the ground.

From the trees, men shout, "Look out, they're gods! Get the war witch."

Agnes and Kenji head toward the men in the trees.

A woman in camoflauge filled with the same energy from the rock (Haakon notices) steps out. Haakon teleports behind her, but is repulsed by some sort of force.

She blasts us with something, knocking us down. The group continues moving forward, the witch starts magically coating the three with goo.

Allasandra and I crawl away. Allasandra bumps into a soldier.

Agnes and Kenji tear out of the muck, but are surrounded by soldiers. Agnes pulls her sword and attacks. She kills two before getting trapped in an invisible bubble by the war witch.

A bullhorn type voice cuts through the air, "Scion of Amber, we mean you no harm." An older battle hardened man approaches. He calls for a momentary truce and has the witch drop the bubble. He identifies himself as Sergent Kinjorn. This is his unit, they were patrolling. This is "kinda" a war zone.

At Allasandra's questioning, the war witch talks. The witch, Savneeah has met Fiona (or someone claiming to be Fiona), this world has especially powerful magic. Only virginal women can weild it.

Allasandra gets a Trump call from Fiona. Fiona wants to know where Allasandra is. Fiona pushes around the edges of Allasandra's mind. Fiona is a bit surprised and unnerved when Allasandra admits being on an unknown shadow that Fiona has visited before. After some discussion and mental poking by Fiona, Allasandra brings Fiona through.

When Fiona arrives, the natives all kneel down.

Fiona insists that the group leaves. Agnes and Haakon wander off through shadow. Fiona drags the rest of us back to Castle Amber's Foyer nearly instantly (without visible use of Trump. Interesting).

Haakon is placed in some sort of shapeshifter holding cell.

Agnes tries to head back to the shadow, but things go bizarrely fast and she ends up back in Amber.

I talk to Haakon. Allasandra isn't interested in going back. I ask Haakon to head back and check out the Shadow.

Agnes calls Haakon to get pulled back from Amber.

LAST SESSION: Kenji contacted Fiona and ratted us out.

Merlin calls Allasandra. Arethu is in the cells of justice. He's accused of killing a Lady of Chaos. The Tribunal has sentenced him to death, but were oddly nice and gave him a quick death.

Allasandra describes the situation to Kenji and I.

Haakon and Agnes arrive back in the Shadow. The people there refer to the two as both gods and Amberites. They are abuzz at Fiona's recent appearance.

We argue a bit. I and Allasandra are in favor of telling Fiona. Kenji is against it.

Merlin calls back. He's at the cells. He suggest we hurry. The three of us Trump through. The cell is made up of interleaved stone teeth. Kenji pushes some of the teeth aside, then breaks some of the teeth. There is a deep voices scream and the teeth open. We grab Arethu and Trump back to Agnes (who Allasandra connected to). Arethu calls his mom and pulls Kenji, Allasandra and myself through to the library. Kenji takes Arethu to his room to get new clothes. Allasandra and I talk to a very perturbed Fiona. She insists we never visit that shadow again, insisting that we do some because she says so. Allasandra tells Fiona much of what happened to her.

Arethu explains what happened and that Chaos now knows that the King is missing. That's why they would kill him quickly.

Arethu calls Agnes. He insists that she continue following the path, but also insists that Fiona is not involved.

Arethu explains what happened to him. He was accused of killing someone called Sand. He told the Courts that Random is missing, hoping that they would want to avoid another throne war.

I make a wisecrack, I take Arethu's hand when he offers it, suddenly I feel shoved aside. Without any control I head to the (fortunately empty) throne room and sing the Teapot song (with motions). Then I'm released. Hmm, note to self, don't touch Arethu.

Agnes and Haakon head back to the Shadow. Agnes asks the war witch what was going on. Fiona has apparently coming for a year working on a project.

Arethu says that his mother, the woman who raised him, was murdered. He was on the beach, it started to rain, he heard his mother cry out. He headed home and she was dead of stab wounds. He views this woman as his mother. He only came to Amber a few years ago whe he was thirteen. He blames himself for his mother's death, he thinks he could have saved her with his overwhelming pysche.

Arethu says it's important to find the King. He thinks Agnzes will only seek the King if she thinks she is seeking her father's killer. He hints that he no longer believes that this is true. Allasandra suggests that Arethu might know where the killer is. His reaction is unusually slow, perhaps she is right.

Arethu suddenly admits to being involved! Apparently Bleys contacted Arethu and pushed hard. Arethu had never pushed back. It sounds like he tried to defend himself and accidentally fried Bleys' brain. Oh my.

Arethu thinks he and Allasandra can break trough the shield around Random, but they'll need to be closer. We'll need to be closer, and it needs to be kept secret. Arethu heads off.

Allasandra and I chat. She wants to leave Amber, not immediately, but soon. We chat. I learn that he first Shadow jump was to Paris because mom had spoken so much of it.

Agnes questions her belt to see if it has any other forms. She doesn't find any. It doesn't remember who made it or who had it before Bleys.

April 15, 2003

(I missed this session. These notes are courtesy of Michael Zenke.)

Kenji and Allasandra wake at castle Amber. Kenji and Yamika are in their quarters, they go down to the kitchen for breakfast, Yamika makes eggs. Allasandra has a terrible nightmare involving being smothered by the Logrus. She wakes with a scream, and discovers that Bergen is gone. She heads down to breakfast.

Hakkon and Agnes find horses in the War Witch world, walk a few shadows over, and then return to War Witch world to gain access to the WW encampment. There, they find boxes to use as Trump Deck boxes that will not explode burn (ammo boxes).

In discussing what to do, H and Ag decide that they should try and go find the letter to Random. The decide reinforcements are needed.

K and Alla discuss her nightmare, and decide that they should go looking for Bergen. First, K pulls B's trump and attempts to contact him. No luck. Alla tries and finds that the connection is "loose and shifty, constantly moving".

H and Ag contact K and Alla, and pull them through to the War Witch shadow. They discuss the situation, and it is decided that Alla should attempt to practice reaching the letter with the Logrus by reaching for other things. She tries, and fails, both in practice and when she actually reaches for the letter.

Frustrated, Alla trumps Merlin. His response: "Things are getting weird." Someone has tipped the Chaos Lords off to Random's absence, and there are grumblings about making a move on Amber. Alla pulls Merlin through.

There is endless discussion about what should be done, while Merlin, Kenji, and Yamika look on. The argument swings between an attempt to loot the place where the letter is held by force, and Hakkon using Pattern to look for it and then steal it.

Alla gets a light trump contact from Bergen. When she tries to solidify it, it disappears.

Agnes gets a very very strong trump contact, and when she resists, it almost pulps her brain. Allasandra moves to assist her, and when she does, the contact withdraws. As the contact fades, Ag thinks she may have heard a voice saying her name. It might be Bleys'.

Merlin realizes that, with the shifty nature of Chaos, the building where the letter is should be within sight of his manor within a half hour. Everyone but Ag returns to Merlin's manse so that Hakkon can search out the letter and retrieve it.

In the meantime, Allasandra fills in Merlin on what's been happening.

Ag is practicing her forms, and hears someone coming. She pulls a fade into the woods, and observes Fiona walking past her. She appears to be talking to someone via trump. "They found the decoy.....the real one is in Corwin's grave."

The building housing the letter comes into view from Merlin's manse, and Hakkon scrys into it. Finding the letter, he bamphs over into the building, snags the letter and Arethu's boxes. He trumps Kenji, and is pulled through to the manse.

In an effort to get away from Chaos, fast, Allasandra logrus-teleports us to Yig.

Hakkon contacts Agnes, just moments after Fiona walks from view. Agnes is pulled through to Yig.

After Agnes fills the krewe in about Fiona, Hakkon Pattern-Scrys the War Witch shadow, and sees Fiona's Pattern lense doing the same. He withdraws before he can be seen. Then he sends the Pattern lense into the catacombs of Amber to look for Corwin's tomb. No such beast. Annoyed, Hakkon decides to get a snack, and bamphs himself to the Amber kitchen, much to our surprise.

After a quick bite, Hakkon calls Allasandra.

Allasandra excepts a trump contact, thinking it's Hakkon, and it turns out to be Fiona.

Fiona is very upset, and tells her to stay put.

Of course, the krewe is dumb, and has Hakkon pull the bunch through to Amber.

Allasandra informs the krewe that Corwin's tomb is out back of Mt. Kolviir, and they trek out to the tomb.Agnes makes preperations to open the tomb. Yamika and Kenji stand slightly back, and Allasandra and Hakkon bravely move to the other side of the mountain.As Agnes turns to open the door, she sees that Chair Guy is sitting in front of the door. He says he is here to protect us from ourselves. Agnes is very polite, as Kenji stands there growling. She requests he translate the runes on the Random letter for us. He states that they are essentially a death threat of some kind. Agnes does not believe him.When she makes it apparent that she will not leave, Chair Guy attacks with the logrus. Agnes handily keeps herself unmolested with the help of her sword, while Kenji is battered back by a sheild.Agnes and Chair Guy fight, and Agnes reaches in to grab him by the throat. CG break's Ag's mind so that she thinks he's her best friend. When CG's throat is grabbed the sheild (but not the tendrils) go down, and Kenji rushes in. Yamika is grabbed by a tendril and tossed of the mountain. Undaunted, Yamika begins to climb back up. Agnes, CG's new best friend, beats on Kenji in an attempt to keep him safe.At this point, Allasandra returns, wondering what is up and hearing noises. Kenji cries out to Allasandra to bind the two of them with her logrus. CG becomes very interested in Allasandra.Kenji rolls out of range of Agnes and CG. As they talk, Kenji moves around back of the tomb, and attempts to leap onto CG from behind. As he does, CG catches him mid-air with a tendril, and flicks him over the edge of the cliff. Doing this breaks his hold over Agnes, and she slices the tendril as Kenji goes flying over her head. Kenji scrabbles at the edge of the cliff to hold on, and Allasandra picks him up and sets him back on the cliff.Hakkon finally returns just in time to see...CG dashes past Agnes, grabs Allasandra in his tendrils, and leaps off the cliff. He disapears in mid-air, leaving gravity and momentum to do the rest. Allasandra plummets into the chasm.Agnes, brave like bull, smart like firetruck, leaps off the cliff after Allasandra.

Allasandra snakes out a tendril, and grabs onto the cliff face. Momentum continues to swing her out and down, and she slams hard into the cliff, far down the rock face. The logrus disintegrates and she is caught by one arm in some branches, literally holding on by her tendons.

Agnes slams full force into the ground. Her skin is unpunctured, but most of her insides are turned into a mealy goo.

Hakkon and Kenji at this point are looking over the side of the cliff. Hakkon appears to be formulating a plan, and Kenji heads back to the tomb, and opens it.

Kenji opens the sarcophagus he finds inside, and lying on top of a dried and dessicated corpse, is another corpse. It is Allasandra. She appears to have been killed via a stab wound to her chest, but there is dried blood in her ears as well. He drags the corpse from the tomb.

Kenji returns to the cliff face, where Hakkon is pulling up the Pattern. Kenji pulls out his trump deck, and pulls Agnes and Allasandra up to the cliff top as gently as possible.

Ignoring Allasandra's requests to know what he found in the tomb, Kenji wraps the corpse in his cloak and slings the body over his shoulder.

Yamika makes it to the top of the cliff, dusty but unharmed.

Hakkon uses the Pattern to teleport the five of them to a Hospital in the War Witch Shadow, where Allasandra and Agnes get magical medical attention.

Kenji brings the body down to the morgue, and requests an autopsy on the corpse.

April 22, 2003

(I missed this session. These notes are courtesy of Katharine Giacomini.)

Arethu woke up someplace dark and saw a bald man who showed sadness and regret, but then disappeared.

Anges and Allasandra were healed in the hospital. Anges was healed completely, but they were unable to heal Allasandra's arm.

Haakon finds an empty closet and uses the pattern to go to the library in Amber where he grabs a trump deck and then heads to the kitchen for a snack.

Anges goes to thank her doctors and finds Fiona. She heads to the morgue (so does Fiona). She and Kenji confer about what to do.

Arethu has cookies with the woman next door.

Allasandra talks to Yamika and then calls Kenji (who brushes her off) and then Arethu. Arethu pulls her through his trump to a restaurant.

Kenji gets a call from Floramel who is trying to account for everyone. He mentions that Allasandra was injured, but lies and says it was just a trip, and Flora gets worried.

Allasandra gets a call from Floramel who is worried. She assures her that the injury wasn't serious and she is fine. Arethu instructs her to ask Flora not to account for the two of them, and she does so. Flora is confused. Then he enters the conversation and mentions to Flora that Chaos is about to attack Amber. Floramel gets worried. Allasandra asks Flora to contact her if she hears from Bergen.

Anges and Kenji sneak into the morgue and find that Fiona, the body and the report about it are gone.

Allasandra calls Kenji and is finally told about the body. She thinks she may have been it when it died, but doesn't explain that to Kenji or Anges and they are confused. Arethu has a theory.

Much discussion ensues and for some reason it is decided that the group should pay a visit to the bald man on the empty shadow. Using the trump Arethu made originally, everyone goes there. The conversation with the bald man (surprisingly) doesn't end up with anyone getting hurt, although it doesn't go well either. He doesn't like Fiona and mentions that she is nosy. He also claims that he hasn't left his shadow since last the group saw him there (which is odd, since he has been seen elsewhere since). He can't explain what is going on and claims that he doesn't care. Allasandra and Arethu take the group to Arethu's shadow (which he asks everyone never to return to).

More discussion ensues and finally Allasandra trumps Martin in the hopes that he knows where the Jewel of Judgment is. He is mildly annoyed by the call. Kenji talks to him. He says he has no idea where the jewel is. Arethu then tries to get into his head to find the information. Allasandra eventually starts to help him. Martin does not want them to get the information, but they work to get it. Finally they discover that the jewel is in Random's private chamber in a guarded secret compartment of some kind. And then Martin's brain seems to melt. Arethu and Allasandra are both quite shaken. Allasandra tries to trump Martin again, but the trump no longer works.

It is decided that Kenji and Haakon will go to Amber to find the jewel, Anges and Allasandra will go back to Fiona's shadow to look for clues and Arethu will stay behind in "trump reserve" to pull anyone out if they need it and to provide general support. He will also continue looking for Bergen.

April 29, 2003

(I missed this session. These notes are courtesy of Ben Davenport. The "I" in question is Haakon)

Agnes trumps me and suggests that I go check out Brand's room. I mention that I don't have to break in to take a look. Through the Pattern lens, the door looks like it's got all sorts of horrible evil on it, so I go through a wall. Which explodes in my brain. I pass out after the evil courses through me and explodes deep in my organs. I wake up; there's cherry-smell and blood-smell and sharp daggers of light. I try to sleep more, and it doesn't really work all the time with the pain and the injuries and stuff. Kenji keeps watch , sorta. He pretty much meditates with Yamika or something, and stays out of trouble. Allasandra and Agnes ride into Amber, and meet a guy new in town who's selling tickets to the "Scions of Amber appear here covered in blood" place. They go to the gates, and eventually find their way to my room. Agnes apologizes for making me explode and stuff. I'm feeling better, and while Agnes and Allasandra go to rifle through Random's stuff, I bring up the pattern to search for Fiona (always good to know where she is - in the library of course, this time reading about shapechanging), the knight, and to keep watch on the two young women invading the king's private chambers. Martin is apparently not dead; he trumps Kenji and they chat or something; sounds like Martin's suspicious that Kenji was involved in his near-life-experience. Agnes and I go exploring the path between the front-gate guy and the gates of Castle Amber proper, on the odd chance Sir Knight wandered off the path. Meanwhile Allasandra has cornered a servant in the kitchen and has a long and involved but going nowhere conversation. Allasandra finally bites the damn bullet and grabs her hand, discovering all: she's convinced that Allasandra and Bergen are having sex, and fancies herself a good judge of that sort of thing; she plans to tell her friends it's happened. The mind-raping incident freaks the servant out, and when Allasandra makes like she's going to do it again, the poor wench flees. Agnes goes and questions the gate guard to see if he's seen the guy whom we think came through there; he describes the guy and then says he hasn't seen him. The guy there tries to claim he's the only guy working there, but we find another guy, who also claims he hasn't seen anyone other than Julian in armor. We pretty much retreat to the kitchen in (more) defeat.

May 6, 2003

(I missed this session. These notes are courtesy of Ben Davenport. The "I" in question is Haakon)

We wake up. Allasandra calls Arethu; she's got something frivolous or something to ask him. He talks to her anyway, making Aaron grumpy. She starts seeming panicked; Arethu asks if she wants to come through; she says yes; he reaches for her, but the contact seems to go wacky. His memorized trump of her disappears too. Wacky, huh? Agnes gets up and goes to the armory and fetches a pair of gloves and a concealable club. Then she comes to find Haakon. Meanwhile, Arethu calls her; she tries to resist but he says hi anyway. They talk; Arethu warns her about saying stuff because people can overhear; they talk about other stuff, he wants her to try to find her father, which she doesn't think she can do; she reports that they went Knight-tracking instead. Agnes comes by to tell me that Allasandra is in trouble or something; she heads off to find her. I grab my deck and follow, guarding the door while Agnes searches her room. She trumps Arethu or something, relays that he wants his boxes. I go get his stuff from my room and trump him with the bag o' crap that's his. Arethu reiterates the thing about trumps not being secure; we go to his beach and talk there because there shouldn't be people watching there. We try to convince him that Fiona's not his mother. It doesn't seem to work. We finally decide that we'll take Arethu to his mom's magic shadow thingy. I bring up the pattern while Arethu talks to good ol' Mom. They sort of dance around the subject of Arethu not believing quite so strongly that Fiona's his mom. He questions his birth; why it took her 13 years to find him; etc. Fiona becomes suspicious of him and tries to attack his brain. He starts thrashing around; Agnes fans out her trump deck at him, but he whacks it out of the way, and grabs her instead. They're getting crushed or something. I decide that maybe the Pattern isn't what we need now, and get Arethu's trump, then Agnes' trump. Then my trump. We all join in and make Fiona go away.

We go to Atwater but are turned away at the gates. I bring up the pattern to find the lord so we can teleport in and have Arethu grab the guy and take control of his mind. It's the knight. Agnes explains this. Arethu: "<shows a trump> Julian?" I teleport us behind the knight and we attack him. Only it doesn't so much work. He punches Arethu and warns Agnes off with his sword. The guy with the sword says he can't take off his helmet. Agnes asks if he'd collapse into dust or something. Oddly enough, yes, he replies. He says he's not Brand, because he didn't die from an arrow and falling into the Abyss. He wants us to talk to Corwin, whom he thinks is trying to help. He asks us to tell Corwin he's "a jewel among princes" - he becomes 2D and fades out. A guy comes in looking for the lord. Artehu says the lady is in charge now. He accepts this, and goes to get the guy on the parapet. He comes in; Arethu has him promoted to a general, after he's done being a bodyguard. We decide that attacking Fiona isn't going to work without Allasandra. We contact Corwin at the behest of Sir Knight. Corwin claims not to have heard from anyone but us, and doesn't know who Allasandra is. He says the Jewel stole Eric's essence, and that's what "a jewel among princes" means. We talk about stuff. Arethu goes on and on about stuff. He says he killed Bleys. There's a pause. A pause in which Agnes just might stab Arethu. But then he keeps talking and it's kinda OK. He talks about how we can all make our minds look like someone else's with enough practice, and he more or less explains how he killed Bleys. We decide to go downstairs to the dungeons since it's not really safe here upstairs. Arethu convinces our new general that he's royalty, and now the lord of the castle. We head downstairs, decide to ambush Fiona, but can't find her. She's not in the library, she's not in her room, she's not in her shadow, she's not in this shadow, she's not in any of the shadows between. We kinda give up, but take Arethu to his mom's shadow to poke around or something. That's the end of today.

May 13, 2003

I wake in darkness. A voice: who is there? Ground is thick dry straw on stone. There is a wall nearby. The voice asks again, wants to know if I'm awake. I helpfully reply "me." I head toward the voice, find a door in a wall. We agree to trade my identify for who brought me here (he doesn't know where we are). He's surprised I'm Bergen. Apparently Fiona brought me here. He offers me _why_ is was brought, thinks I can't guess. The voice is very faintly familiar. My deck is missing. I still have my holdout, it's a knife. The door is heavy hard wood. There is a small slot with bars near the top and a food door near the bottom. He wants to know what's going on in Amber. Can also offer me how to get out. I offer public info on Amber status for why fiona me. He knows of Bleys killing, I tell Allasandra visit to Corwin in own shadows. Offer Gerard's death, get back: The cell I have once belonged to one of my uncles. There are two trump pictures on walls and maybe matches in latrene. I offer to help out, he says people will free him when necessary. I don't think voice is dworkin. He removes his name from the barginny table. Use found matches with knife. Light a straw torch. Trumps covered. Uncover carefully. One is of unknown office, one of lighthouse at ????. Go to lighthouse.

party somewhere? Have jewel of judgement?? Drop off Arethu in war witch world.

Kenji awakens somewhere, tied up with metal cord. Yamika is defending him.

Yamika vs metal. Sees rapier strike Yamika. Yamika collapses. Women with long flaming red hair, green eyes, wicked grin. Better build (strength) than Fiona. She waits while Kenji snaps cord. She gestures to Kenji, "come here". He leaps at her, an invisible shield blocks her. An invisible tentacle (logrus) moves in. Kenji leaps away and looks around, in his room. Flees through bedroom and out window. As he is about to hit ground, Logrus (?) tentacle grabs him, drags through reality, hands in forest gently. Sees chairguy briefly then CG leaves. Looks like forest arden.

allasandra wakes. Calls me.

Allasandra calls me, pulls me through. She pulls us to Shadow Earth southern france. We talk. I tell her what I know. She briefs me: She got thrown off a mountain by "Sir", chairguy. He jumped off mountain while holding her and then disappeared. Her arm still stiff (was broken). Found Allasandra's dead body. Fiona been yelling a lot, Julian says she shouldn't leave palace. Found own body in Corwin's crypt. (Kenji or Haakon found.) Someone melted her brain and stabbed her. She says I've been gone for a few days. Based on beard (and lack of waste), I think it's only been overnight.

Kenji call's Allasandra. We're pulled through to near war witch world. They are surprised. Apparently Arethu says he got a panicked trump call from Allasandra, was cut off, then his memorized trump of her disappeared! Allasandra doesn't know anything about this.

We learn of Yamika's being hit. We learn of Kenji's close call. We walk a bit, find a lake. I wash off. Haakon disappears.

haakon heads off to use pattern lens to search the dungeons (will take awhile, shadow -> Amber.)

Chairguy claims he never threw Kenji into the mountain. Two chairguys?

Haakon head by lens toward Witch Word. There is a Pattern/Magic barrier.

Warned to not touch chairguy, can do "stuff".

Agnes wanders off to find Haakon. Kenji calls Agnes.

Haakon mentally reaches the dungeons. Agnes reaches Haakon, takes Kenji's call. Haakon teleports to the dungeons, pulling Agnes with him. Kenji feels pulled through, then suddenly let go.

Kenji goes 2D, then vanishes (not fades like normal).

Allasandra calls Kenji, but fails. His card isn't cold. Allasandra calls Agnes. We note that this is a way to make someone appear dead! (dead card). Agnes pulls us through to the dungeon.

We're at dungeon entrance. There is a guard. We head in. He says there aren't any prisoners. He shows the group Corwin's cell.

There's mold on the walls over the Trumps. I brush them off. The cell looks right, but the mold over the trumps, th esection of ground I cleared isn't clear. No burned hay. But the latrine seems about right freshness.

Allasandra and I go through to the office. It's dusty, some things are missing. I look around. There is a trump deck of my parent's entire generation. Bleys and Gerard's are still dead. Random's has a block and feels avoidant. I leave deck there.

Allasandra mentions that the last time she saw Corwin, he was packing.

Agnes notices the Kenji's trump has changed. Instead of standing he is at a desk.

Kenji is in some office. Sees a window open in air and Agnes through it. Agnes sees Kenji through the card, the card echos his motions, but can't make "trump contact".

Kenji apparently in some small office, doors don't open. Can't find paper. Unable to talk, Kenji and Agnes have problems communicating. Finally come to writing in breath on the shared window pane. Odd.

Other room is empty bedroom. We take tunnel out. Come to primal pattern.

There is a sword stuck in the ground near the beginning of the pattern. Carved in the ground is "Here stood Oberon in testiment to his love of Amber." The carving is a bit crude. The sword feels enchanted with pattern. The crossguard has a unicorn. The pommel has a small copy of the crown of Amber around it.

Kenji attempts to smash the window with his hands, then the chair. Neither the window nor the chair break.

Allasandra wants to test if she can pull an Amberite using Logrus. She wants to pull Random, first wants to just touch someone with Logrus. First test, mom.

Agnes calls me. Apparently Kenji is trapped in Agnes's personal Kenji card. Something to do with being pulled through pattern and trump and being left there.

Haakon heads to see Caine. Caine quickly closes a puts in a drawer a book. Haakon wants advice on Trumps. Since Caine once made his Trump dead, looking for help. Says made someone else's Trump dead.

Caine doesn't apparently understand how Haakon walked the Pattern without being at a Pattern. Caine tries to understand what happened, he's really confused. He understands that Haakon and Agnes were at the center of the pattern (but Agnes didn't walk it), they were teleporting somewhere and pulled Kenji through the Trump. He pulled Kenji through partway, then let go. Now Kenji is in Agnes's Kenji Card.

Agnes meets up with Caine and Haakon. He asks to see the card. She shows him, he grabs for it, she pulls away.

Allasandra's attempt fails. She gets a faint sense that the Pattern is laughing at her.

Dworkin's deck has him in it. We call him. Bergen is it, and-- bamph, contact ends. I retry alone, nothing.

Haakon walks The Pattern effortlessly.

Allasandra and I try walking away toward Dworkin.

Haakon pokes around at various solutions without effect.

I call Agnes. We head through to join her (in the library). (Before we go, I ask Allasandra to grab Dworkin's card, just in case. She grabs the entire deck.) We learn that Kenji is trapped in a Trump.

Haakon contacts someone and asks for help on Kenji. Sounds like Dworkin. Dworkin tries to lead Haakon to the solution himself. Refers to Haakon as "the most promising of the current batch." When Haakon suggests that you imbue something with pattern by walking the pattern, Dworkin tells him to go away. Haakon takes the card, walks to the middle of the Pattern, and calls Kenji successfully. Kenji takes the call. Haakon teleports away, but loses the contact.

Allasandra pulls us to a nearby stable. She thinks we're in the Golden Circle. I'm not keen on stealing a horse so near Amber. She pulls us further away. We grab two horses out of a barn. We hellride toward Dworkin.

Haakon rewalks the pattern and successfully contacts Kenji. Haakon hands Kenji an Agnes card. Kenji uses the card to call Agnes and escapes.

Our ride leads to the forest Arden. Feh. At Allasandra's suggestion I try to contact Dworkin. We get in touch with the gang and learn that Kenji is free.

Kenji socks Haakon in the jaw, breaking his jaw and knocking him out. Kenji goes to bed.

May 20, 2003

Arethu (on war witch world) gets Trump from Allasandra. Can't decern emotional state (odd). Takes call. She wants his boxes, he says he doesn't have them. She wants him to come through. Allasandra seems odd. Perhaps it's not Allasandra. She confirms that he doesn't have his boxes and closes the connection.

Arethu is hiding in bushes. A group of commandos with rifles surround him and order him to come out (Arethu has never see a rifle before).

In the forest Allasandra and I discuss where to go. I hear a voice in the bushes, "if you're quiet, you can overhear them." I charge him and surprise him. I hear others fleeing. It's the guy who has been selling tickets at the gate to see scions of Amber. He's scared. Apparently he's been leading tours to see Amber's royalty ride by. He gets warned off, most strictly by Allasandra. A bit later Kenji rides up.

We call Agnes, she pulls us to Amber. We learn that Arethu needs rescuing? We also learn that Agnes has a plan to kidnap Fiona to get answers. Haakon brings up the Pattern in his mind and transports us to a shadow nearby war witch world. We try to head toward war witch world, but are blocked.

Arethu iin a bouncing metal box? Asks someone if they are war witches, one voice confirms. They pulling hiim somewhere, Contacts Agnes.

Arethu conacts Agnes by Trump. "Get me now." When she reaches for him, the contact is broken.

Arethu is strapped into a chair.

Allasandra looks at the block with Logrus. It's a shifting interwoven space of grey and blue. Occasionally there is a small gap.

Allasandra gets contacted by Kenji. Yamika is there? (We've heard she was dead.) Allasandra pulls them to us.

Arethu contacts Agnes. He's in a moving box. (Dark?) The war witches aren't using magic on him.

Allasandra announces that she is going through the barriar, she thinks she magic cat sword Serephim can get us through.

Arethu: bright lights, a distorted woman's voice, "That's enough speaking with your friends, Arethu." The connection to Allasandra breaks. "Do you have any parents?" "Yes." "Who are they Arethu?" "My mother's name is Fiona. Of Amber." "Who is your father?" "I assume... I have none." "Is that what you really think about your mother and father?" "It's a complicated question." Feels a needle go into the back of his neck. It goes dark.

We head onward. Serephim announces we arrive. Haakon and Allasandra are missing. We can't trump them.

Arethu comes to. He is in a trance. He can tell that he is in a compliant state. "Do you know who your mother is, Arethu?" "Yes." He tries to contact Agnes, but is blocked. "My mother was stabbed and my other mother took me home." "Which one is your real mother?" "The one who made me." "Which?" "The one who took me home is who made me."

Agnes tries to contact Arethu, she gets a weird contact. He's drugged and in a bright room. She connects us, we can't talk to him, but we can listen.

"You are not sure, are you?" "I, just, uh, know now.." ... "i'm not real, I'm a construct, made by my mother." He expresses a certainty. Thinks this is why she doesn't care about him, she can make another. She let him get lost for thirteen years. When asked if someone else taught him anything, tells of the mysterious man. Don't know name. Has cloak and scarf. Not allowed to draw him (the man says so). Meets him on beach sometimes. Met after a year in Amber. He taught Arethu how to draw Trump over two years. He taught Arethu how to look at them and memorize them. Was once able to draw a place only heard about. "You are powerful. Maybe too powerful." He believes that Fiona is his mother, but he has no father since Fiona made him with her magic. Discuss the man in the empty shadow, thinks we think he's brand.

Agnes tries to grab him at my suggestion, the connection breaks. We reconnect.

"Have you ever met a woman named Sandorel." "No, they said I killed someone by the name of Sand." Denies he did, does admit he killed Bleys's double. Also admits to having killed Martin while looking for jewel of judgement. Was looking for it for Allasandra for Corwin so he can study his pattern. Admits to being able to control Corwin remotely and bridge the pattern gap. Voice is very concerned that Arethu is too powerful.. Naturally he won't remember any of this, but will suffer greatly first, in about five minutes.

Agnes heads back and grabs Kenji and Allasandra.

Arethu feels pain, a ripping feeling. Vomits,

Haakon searches for Amberites on the Shadow using Pattern. There are two besides us. They are seventy miles away in a tall windowless concrete structure in a city. The entirety of the 24th floor is covered with war witch magic.

Haakon lets us know. We touch him, we appear in a stairwell. There is war witch magic below us. Fortunately I have a machine pistol Excellllent. A security camera is there. Drat.

We head to the door, Agnes quickly closes it just before it gets hit with a blast of gun fire. I spray the door with my gun, we hear them fall back. Kenji opens the door, there is a fireball. Yamika blokes the blast, Allasandra's dress is singed. We head in. There is a war witch, I waste her.

We reach a T intersection. There are guards on both sides. Agnes charges one way, I lay down suppressive fire down the other. Down the other hall Agnes does mad kung fu across the wall and lays mighty waste into the soldiers.

Agnes reaches a door whose door was ripped of its hinges. The wall across is dented, a solider lies nearby, apparently crushed by the door. There is massive carnage. A naked Arethu is curled up in the corner. Agnes reaches for him. Suddenly Arethu's arm is in her stomach! He has sharp nails that just pierce, it hurts like hell. Arethu comes to. We fall back to Arethu's location. They throw a flashbang. Someone hits Allasandra. I return fire and drop a few. I drag Allasandra into a side room. Kenji rams the door into the frame. Arethu aks why Allasandra wanted his boxes. He touches her, then says that she is not Allasandra.

The soldiers outside start working out a plan as I listen to them. As they prepare to start, I lay down some suppresive fire through the wall.

Agnes kicks out the door and spreads death outside. Arethu emands a window. I shoot out a section, Kenji punches it out. Arethu concentrates and his back melts. I supress some people approaching. Arethu forms gliding wings. He takes Allasandra out the window. His wings extend. There is a screaming outside. His right wing breaks and he spins downward. They slam into the ground. Allasandra's head is spinning from the impact. Arethu's leg is also broken.

The rest of us charge down the stairs. Halfway down Agnes stops me, grabs my arm and fires two bursts into the ground. We pass two dead war witches. Outside soldiers are circled around a car on which is the chunk of wall on top of which is Arethu and Allasandra. Kenji KOs the surprised soldiers. Kenji GTA's a nearby minivan. Kenji hellrides away. The city fades away. Our pursuit follows. Agnes trumps us to the Amber gate. We fall to the ground.

We arrive to applause. Our dear friend the salesman is there. Kenji grabs our friends and demands 15% for each of us. He gives Kenji a wad of money. Agnes contacts Flora. Allasandra is pushed through, Arethu tags along.

Flora is irritated and demands that Arethu leave. Arethu says that he no longer is interested in listening to elders. They've tortured and tried to kill him. Flora gives Allasandra something to put her to sleep so Flora can remove the button. Arethu tells Allasandra that he told Her everything. She returns in a moment from Benedict.

We reconvene in the kitchen. We head to Arethu's room. Kenji bumps into Benedict. "Have you seen Arethu." when asked by "I need to hold him for questioning and may ned to kill him." Benedict feels that Arethu may be a threat to Amber, but refuses to elaborate. Benedict seems worried. We reconvene to Benedict.

Arethu says that Sandorel may have been two Arethu killed. Sandorel would have been a chaosite shapeshifter masked as Bleys. Arethu suggests that if Fiona attacks us to concentrate on our own card. We decide to go after Fiona. We touch Arethu, he trumps Fiona. We're blocked.

May 27, 2003

We rest for the night.

Allasandra seeks out the head of household and discusses getting servants again (she had dismissed them?). On her way back to her room, she encounters her mother, Flora. Flora inquires after Allasandra's injury. Flora tells Allasandra that there is a formal court tomorrow night. Allasandra asks how to do this given that Random is missing. Flora says we have the next best thing, requests that Allasandra prepare Kenji. It's not sure what is prepared, there is a surprise of some sort planned, Flora doesn't appear to know what.

We meet up in the kitchens as we grab breakfast. Agnes convinces Haakon to go hellriding toward Bleys.

Agnes heads to? Talks to someone who faintly knows who she is and Allasandra. Merlin. Talking by trump during the hellride (following Haakon). Discuss Sandorel (she)'s death and connection to Arethu.. She (who?) unofficial part of Bleys, Brand, Fiona brood. Self banished to chaos, thrived there. Was ace in hole for amber invasion (easier to lead troops by shadow walking than Trump or Logrus). Sandorel neer walked pattern, killed heading to the pattern to walk it.

Kenji and Allasandra discuss handling the court session. Kenji refuses to sit on the throne. Allasandra says its his problem.

Benedict meets with Kenji. He pushes Kenji

Allasandra and I talk. She's concerned that she's found her own dead body as well as people having conversations with her that she doesn't remember Apparently Corwin doesn't remember her, according to Arethu?

Mom calls Allasandra, is sad that I'm getting non-Amber appareal, but esigned. Reminds Allasandra to tell cousins of this evenings stuff.

We ask Kenji to pull us back after shopping. Kenji mentions that Benedict stops by, apparently Benedict said that having Kenji on the throne for a brief while might not be the worst thing to happen to Amber. Allasandra heads off to prepare. Kenji and I play some cards to kill time. We get dinner.

Agnes calls Kenji. Doesn't know quite where they offer. Offer to "resciue" Kenji.

Haakon spies on dinner through the Trump. People start to head to the throne room after dinner. Kenji notices that Caine, Julian, and some minor nobles seem hopeful when they see that Kenji looks uncomfortable and uncertain. I suggest to Kenji to make whatever he decides to do appear to have been planned for years. We head into the throne room. Almost everyone looks at Kenji. The throne sits, empty, hungry. Some people stand, but not all.

Kenji heads toward the throne. He gives a speech. "Cousins, Aunts, uncles, honored nobles," Thanks for honor of talking. There with great reluctance. In best intrest of the kingdom that I take this seat Caine and Julian glance at each other. My father is missing, and not dead. Been looking for Random, will continue to do so. "It is not mine, I am merely keeping it warm for him." Takes his seat. There is muted applause.

There is one order of business, someone wants to present themselves to the throne. A cloaked and cowled tall man walks in.

Haakon senses Pattern on the man.

He steps up to the throne, stands a respectful distance away. "I wish to present myself to the regent of Amber." "My name is Gerard, scion of Amber." The man pulls back his cowl to reveal Gerard. (I notice that Flora and Benedict subtly do a survey of the room reactions.) Where he was is a matter for private discussion.

Benedict closes the session, Kenji marches out. I head after them, they head to the library. At my suggestion, Kenji notes that Gerard's card is live again. He heads in and flops down. He says he was recuperating in a Shadow. Had been terribly wounded. Doesn't remember much. Was investigating an intruder, caught someone in Allasandra's room. Was female, had red hair, no sword. Attacked him mentally. Woke up in hospital being tendedby Fiona. Kenji thinks he's met this woman once, this woman killed his assistant once. Got back some days ago.

Haakon, through the Pattern, sees Fiona magic on Gerard.

Leave Gerard some time to relax I hang around to listen in, but Benedict discourages me because I might irritate the my aunts and uncles. I have no idea why, but I leave at his suggestion. Odd.

Haakon senses another pattern lens in the room, they both sense each other. Fiona appears in the room and glares at him.

Kenji discusses the circumstances of Yamika's death after my question. Killed by a red-haired woman with a katana. Woman attempted to assault Kenji in his chambers. Trapped Kenji in iron bands that held hiim long enough for her to kill Yamika. Kenji only awoke at end. After killing Yamika, she just lept out the window.

We decide to pull together the scoopy gang to talk about the clues. Well pull Allasandra, Haakon, and Agnes into Kenji's room.

Agnes and Haakon tried to hellride toward Bleys and ended up in the forest Arden.

Allasandra wants to go to the primal pattern to try and find Dworkin. She's interested in shadow shifting from Mount Colvir.

Haakon mentions at Agnes's insitance that he spoke with someone that Agnes thinks was Dworkin. He said some non-specific things. "He spoke about the reciprical application of forces." He looked like Dworkin's trump.

Agnes says that the black knight is Eric. Eric is presumed dead. The knight is Eric's ghost and is bound t the armor. The ghost doesn't know who it is, but told them to tell Corwin something, Corwin identified him. Corwin thinks that the Jewel of Judgement may have consumed Eric.

We learn that Corwin doesn't remember who Allasandra is.

Agnes learned some things about shapeshifting. Anyone who knows the Logrus is first a master shapeshifter. Shapeshifters revert to base form after death.

We check for spies when I get paranoid.

Agnes also learned that Sandorel is, er, was a daughter of Oberon. I ask about finding a picture.

Allasandra heads off briefly and returns with a card of Sandarel. The card is not active.

I call Dworkin, he's a bit disappointed we're not figuring it out outselves and breaks contact to deal with something else before answering my questions about Sandorel and Random.

We discuss various things pointlessly. I suggest looking at the Random's block through a Pattern lens. Haakon isn't keen on the idea. I learn the Haakon met Dworkin by walking the Pattern and asking to be taken to the person with the answers. We decide that Haakon will try to Pattern jump to the block. He seems the block as a mix of Pattern, Magic, and Trump. (Allasandra is actually doing the attemped Trump).

Agnes mentions that Kenji's card is infused with trump from Haakon's attempts to free Kenji. So is Random's. Getting Random's card enchanted magically (war witch world?) might allow the trump to break through.

Haakon bamfs us to a shadow off of war witch world (Fionaville).

Haakon and Agnes head into war witch world. Kenji, Allasandra and myself trump back to Amber. Our dear friend is there. We head to the Pattern. Kenji and I grab lanterns.

Allasandra is stopped by troops. She asks for "Savniah", Savniah comes and vouches for them. There is apparently an APB for us. Hehehehehe. Savniah is willing to infuse it with magic.

Kenji walks the pattern.

Kenji tries to bamf to the barrier, it fails. He tries to bamf to Random and poof.

Agnes and Haakon leave war witch world. They attempt to Trump Random.-

Arethu's letter to Agnes:

I propose the following to be true:

1. The Bleys I killed is identical to Sandorel.

2. Sandorel is identical to Sand.

3. Sand is a Lady of Chaos.

Before continuing I will note that the last words Sandorel said before she died was "Fiona". My attachment inspired my silence.

When I said I did not kill Sand, the Royal Lords of Chaos said I was lying. According to Merlin, they are never wrong.

Remember that knife found in the paper-folding book? The knife was owned by Bleys and only had his impressions on it.

4. Bleys stabbed Sandorel to make sure the imposter was dead.

Remember what I said about shape shifters and their ability to mimic other’s forms and minds?

5. The only elders, in my estimation, not compromised are Random, Bleys, Florimel, and Benedict. Julian and Caine are maybes.

6. The only cousins, in my estimation, not compromised are Haakon, you, Merlin and myself. Allessandra is a maybe.

It may be the case that my mother is not my mother but instead like Sandorel, a Scion of Chaos. This would explain her attitude towards her creation.

Set yourself to one of these tasks:

7. Find out all you can about Sandorel. Merlin can find this information. Merlin will help Allessandra.

8. Find my mother.

9. Take a census of who is alive or dead, who is compromised or not.

I suggest 7.

You may want to burn this when you are through.

Arethu's letter to Allasandra:

Allessandra, Don't look so sad,
There's another part to play.
Don't look so sad,
Save it for a rainy day.

June 3, 2003

Agnes and Haakon reach Random. He's surprised they reached him. Agnes introduces herself. He doesn't seem keen on returning. He is protecting himself from an assassin. Concerned that she might be the assassin. "I do have one question, though," an the connection breaks.

Arrives somewhere dark. Hears "What is--hmmm," someone surprised. Random grabs him. Random attacks, they have a brief fight, Kenji eventually pins Random against the wall. This seems to convince Random of who he is.

I try to trump Kenji. I get the same block that is blocking Random.

Random explains that he is trying to keep himself safe. This is the safest place to be. It's a cell in Amber. Time is a bit weird, so he doesn't need to eat often. The note lead him "someplace else" where he had interesting adventures. Working with Fiona. Not sure how to get out, expected Fiona to handle.

Haakon gets a headache.

Agnes calls Arethu, they talk briefly. There is an earthquake where Agnes and Haakon is. Haakon walks away to another shadow, Agnes follows. The earthquake subsides, then returns. Arethu pulls them through. They arrive at Merlin's place. Haakon's headache gets worse, it feels like it's heading toward his eyes.

Allasandra and I had off. She wants to find Benedict. We reach the top of the stairs, open the door, and... arrive in the pattern room. Odd.

Random says that Fiona left something of her room here. Kenji heads off to see Fiona. Random follows (erg?). We learn that the entire place is inside a red sphere. Random learns that the group got the sphere which was guarded by Eric (who should be dead).

Merlin's home has an earthquake. Haakon's headache moves back toward the middle.

Allasandra and I try the stairs again. Back to the Pattern room again. Gack. We decide to walk the pattern. Allasandra wants to see Dworkin. I'll pass.

Random and Kenji arrive (unexpectedly) in the Pattern room.

Agnes trumps to the city gates. The crowd applauds.

Allasandra reaches the center.

Allasandra bamphs to Dworkin, but arrives on a dark staircase.

Random is confused to arrive in the Pattern room, he expected to arrive elsewhere. They head to Corwin's cell to use the Trumps on the walls.

Agnes arrives at the castle. People are running around, but without purpose.

Kenji and Random arrive. There are two brushed off Trumps and some ashes on the floor.

Haakon's headache continues to move around. Agnes tries to trump people, but the cards aren't cold.

Allasandra climbs the stairs, opens a door, and is back in the Pattern room. She wanders around the dungeons lost.

Haakon's headache starts taking a known shape.

I finish the pattern and have no idea where to go.

Random and Kenji decide to take the lighthouse trump. It's not cold. Random knows that the ashes are from Bergen (was he my jailmate?). Random is leary of taking the Dworkin's office trump (which does work). The head back to the Pattern and run into Allasandra. They are all confused as to why they end up back at the Pattern. Allasandra points out that the red sphere is in Kenji's possession. Random is surprised, no one understands what it means.

Agnes heads down to the dungeons, there is a red wall.

After much thought, I decide to try to bamph to the red haired woman. I end up on the Pattern stairs. Hmmm.

After discussion with Agnes, Arthu sketches the shadow next to War Witch world and steps through. He pulls Agnes and Haakon to him through trump. They are going to get a witch to enchant something or them. They head into war witch world. The look for a witch.

I wander around. The pattern room loops. Feh. I find the dungeon. The lighthouse trump is dead, I trump to Dworkin's office. I try trumping people. Haakon's, Allasandra's, and Arethu's trumps are blocked. I reach Kenji. I pull them to me.

Only the Trumps of myself, Kenji, Allasandra, Random work. Oh, and Llewella. Llewella's card is live, but blocked.

We head out to the primal pattern. The plateau has the primal pattern. and downhillis another primal pattern. Ditto uphill. Interesting. Random thinks my walking the pattern is a bad idea. Random throws a rock on one pattern, it doesn't appear on the local pattern.

Agnes, Arethu, and Haakon are fired on. Arethu falls. The soldiers threaten Arethu as a hostage. When Agnes fails to back down, they shoot her, but the bullets bounce off (go super Agnes). She heads to Arethu. Something grey slams her to the ground out of nowhere. Haakon flees through the forest and runs into another squad.

Agnes dodges magical spheres. The second squad handcuffs Haakon. Agnes deals death to the squads and rescues Haakon.

Kenji, Allasandra, Random, and I discuss potentional plans. They don't have any. Random and Allasandra are way too deeply bothered that they don't understand things.

Haakon and Agnes head to Rebma Llewellyn meets them. Llewellyn also can't contact anyone. There have been earthquakes. They head to her pattern. Llewellyn briefly faints. She is slightly transparent, then disappears. They reach the pattern. It's wrong, smaller than it should be. It's been erased from the beginning. Haakon realizes that his headache corresponds to the missing part.

Allasandra tries to reach rthe Logrus, but can't contact it at all.

Random mentions that the letter took him to great perial. The letter took him to a gigantic mesa.

Haakon steps of the path. I doesn't feel like much of a pattern. He arrives at the middle. The feeling of power is missing. He fails to bamph. He walks backward across it.

We try to hellride away. We don't go anywhere. Allasandra tries to pull up a "Pattern Lens", apparently Haakkon says any of us can.

Haakon and Agnes head to Tir na Nog. The moon rises and the staircase appears. They head up. They are challenged by a ghostly Bleys. Other ghostly family members arrive, including Dworkin, the gang, and Agnes and Haakon. The group appears to be gathering for a banquet. The ghostly forms don't seem to react to the two. They head to the Pattern. It is also truncated.

Having no other ideas, I walk one of the patterns. I end up on the staircase again. Feh.

Kenji starts the pattern. The stone feels heavy. He heads to the center, the stone feels heavier and heavier.