I seem to have missed session 15

SESSION 16

POSSESSION IS NINE TENTHS OF THE LAW

If it weren't for Pale Brand's interest in me, and my interest in cutting his heart out and shoving it down his throat, I think I'd leave. Argannel... or Rebma--Llewella offered me sanctuary there. Definitely Rebma, if it comes to it. I'd rather not have my homeland trashed. Llewella thought about my Eric-possessing-Random theory. If true, she said, the link would grow stronger over time. Damn. She knows something about David.

Derek Trumped Benedict and got him to agree to come through to Rene's Nymphland home. He confirmed that Eric was inhabiting Random's body. I did my best to persuade him that Eric, as a dead man, had no rights, that each of us had a paramount right to our own bodies, and that our oaths to Random required us to evict the invader.

No. He had decided to resign his commission, but that was as far as he would go. I wanted to strangle him.Derek and Benedict talked about the dead guards and Chuft. Benedict claimed that Chuft was a greater threat to the stability of Amber than Eric! He advised Derek to keep his distance from her. Who in Hell is Chuft? A Chaosian, obviously, but... maybe his mother Cymnea?

Julian also confirmed Eric's possession. I let Llewella know that Benedict and Julian had confirmed the fact that Eric had stolen Random's body. She told me that they still couldn't find Vialle. The Patterns were still barred, which ruled out a Summoning. Derek was too exhausted to do a Logrus search.

Derek briefed Dara.

Derek felt a Trump contact but felt too weak to risk it. I lent him my handy ring (first rate psychic barrier, activated by rotating it 180 degrees ) to activate if necessary and backed him up; he let it happen. It was Caine, faintly. Derek pushed and Caine appeared in the rainbow shimmer, battered and bruised. Caine collapsed, Derek caught him. Derek said this was probably Caine, for real. Shit, now we have to hide him. Caine is such a jerk.

ideas:

- Dar Brennin might be able to let me Seek Vialle out. Interesting that she is so very important to Llew and Queen Moire.

- Hiding Caine. Rebma. Chaos--no. I don't trust Ancarath or the others quite that much. Caine's shadow prison.

- Ask Caine what he did with Chuft. Let him know just how interested Ben is in her... No. No friendly facts for Caine until he starts giving some.

- Brandoid... beats the hell out of me. Except that I've felt his mind a couple of times--I think it was his--and the Oak might be able to enable Seeking. Ouch. Not without Benedict or Dad beside me.

SESSION 17

Caine recoveed rapidly, becomming the uncle we so love. Rene's Summoning trick surprised him, apparently it is original. He said that Benedict bugging out was a good thing, and part of Ben's usual pattern.We went off to Camp Caine, though I had misgivings about going someplace I couldn't leave at will. Directly there through a cabana door with no magic or Trump--nice trick. Caine ran off upstairs. David and Tyndall showed up. They said that Corwin had taken them to Fiona's Gothic House of Ghouls; her taste in decor is unusual. Flora, Alix and Bob the Crow arrived.

Caine and Fiona came down the stairs. Caine did his jovial dominate-the-group routine. I talked to Fi--she hadn't been able to contact Dad. I told her I had, briefly, and he seemed to be stuck and wounded. Ideas:

- David as a Pattern Blank human shield. He didn't like the notion.

- Set Eric vs. Brand. How?

- simultaneous mental contacts and help/attack vs. Random/Eric

- help from the Courts or Corwin--Corwin is vulnerable to the Jewel AS IS DWORKIN

- use David to get at a Pattern

- find Martin, he might help contacting Random

Tyndall's mother is Deirdre.

SESSION 18

Caine popped Flora, Alix, Rene , David and me to Earth, in front of a fine oversized ranch- style house. Flora said it was hers and (CRACK!) went flying as she took a hit from a high calibre sniper rifle. I went smoothly into Combat Mode (thank you, Sensei Dad) and found the sniper on the ridge to my left. I teleported to the ridge behind and right of him. The sniper, human-looking and dressed like an American Secret Service agent, missed Renewith his next shot. I blew his head off with my wand.

Dave was at the door; Flora and Alix were in the bushes in front of the window; Rene was still in the open (who trained him?), pointing his shapeshifting weapon around; no more snipers in the area. I heard a vehicle come up the road behind and right of me and cast a thirty-meter-radius Razor Vortex centered on the road in front of the incoming car. Not my first choice against vehicles, but the best I had ready.

More enemies came out the front door. David dove away and was shot high in the thigh.. Rene zapped one with his laser. I hit another in the chest, then jumped and rolled towards the sniper's rifle. Rene got winged; lucky, considering.

The car came through the Vortex and crashed into a tree; its tires were shredded, there was blood leaking out the open rear windows and the lexan was scratched all to hell. Not bad. A shooter jumped out of the car to the left --Rene and Flora killed him. I took the one who ran right. The car blew up. Razored gas tank and laser fire?

Derek and Tyndall appeared just where we had. Tyndal jumped behind a tree, Derek followed and raised the Logrus. Flora ran into the house yelling "My scotch!". She returned a moment later with Alix in tow. No holes, no blood --Flora wasn't even dirty. Her Amber frock was slowly becomming a sun dress.

I tossed the rifle to Tyndall --she relaxed slightly --and joined the group. Derek was gathering the bodies with Logrus tendrils. David received first aid from Rene. The dead men all carried brand new IDs with the same address. On closer examination they were probably Weir --Eric's werewolf soldiers.

Flora said she didn't need the house any more, so Derek heaved the car (impressive) through the roof and followed with the corpses. Flora and Alix Trumped away in search of the Unicorn; Rene, David and Tyndall Trumped off to find Corwin.

I teleported Derek and myself to Argannel near the Oak. Derek was relieved to find we weren't in Arden. I renewed my spells and contacted Dar Brennin. I tried to get a bead on Martin --nothing ---and pushed it. At full power (branches rustling and the edges of the leaves glowing green-white) STILL nothing. OK: Vialle. A moment and... yes. Partially blocked by something. I got a fix on the location and teleported us nearby.

We were in a darkened room, the only light coming from the edges of a big, poorly hung wooden door. I put on a defensive shield and readied my wand; Derek raised the Logrus. We found no traps and no energy sources so Derek ripped the door off with tendrils.

We looked across a pleasant, unexceptional meadow to a road and a sunset-colored sky. I tossed a dagger through: nothing. Derek probed with tendrils and found that the shadow was barred. If the door was shut behind us, we might not be able to get out. After a bit of discussion, I entered and Derek kept a tendril on me. (I'd done that before and knew the trick of keeping my Pattern quiescent and the contact only mildly irritating.) I ran down the road a few miles and found a city. Walls, castle, big domed temple(?), shaggy guys on the walls (always take a spyglass), lots of wolves. Weir. Eric's dogboys. Just the sort of place he would stash Vialle.

More discussion with Derek. I hung an adjustable, no-Pattern, Logrus resistant Invisibility spell (I had to learn how to do that sort of thing when I was dating Ancarath Hendrake) and Derek Logrused me over the walls to a dark balcony. That proved to be at the edge of Derek's local range limit. I tried to Trump him to me and failed. Our apparent Trump contacts had been tendril-contact side effects. Teleporting didn't work either. He shapeshifted to sky colors and Logrused to me.

I went out and mugged passers-by for disguises, then extended the invisibility to cover him. (I prefer to have multiple layers of disguise.) Vialle seemed to be at the castle. Derek Logrused us there: I cast about and located her in a tower. Vialle urged us to flee with the vital information that Random was possessed by Eric. We broke it to her that such had become aparent to all. Derek ripped the bars off the window, I cast a huge Razor Vortex around the top floors of an official-looking building as a distraction, and Derek levitated us to the doorway. Derek dug up his clothes (hidden when he shapeshifted), I Trumped Fiona and we rode a wild weird interface to her.

Julian was there, much to Derek's delight.

SESSION 19

Back at Chez Caine (the Valkyrless Valhalla), Julian had joined the cabal and Vialle was made much of. We reported on our various quests.

Alix and Florimel had found and talked to the Unicorn. Our Ancestress felt for our plight but would not interfere. She had pulled the Jewel out of the Abyss because she knew Eric was inside it. Eric's and Random's conflict saddened her.

Rene had spoken with Corwin despite the impenetrable barrier around his Pattern. Corwin agreed to help to the extent he anything. Merlin was safe. Somehwere. (Among his Chaos kin, I supposed.) Corwin could communicate via "Yggsson" and Ygg. Corwin feared that Eric was more in command of the Jewel than anyone else had ever been, including Dworkin.

Fiona told us that Eric was only limited by ignorance of his full potential. Time was not on our side at all.

Rendell showed up, saying he had found the place on his own, that Orsha was the greatest tracker in all the worlds. I suggested he find Martin. Rendell took it as a challenge and left to do so.

We ate (I transformed part of a Viking-Norsky feast into a much more palatable Chinese one) and engaged in desultory conversation. Bed.

Derek woke me far too early by pulling the covers off with a Logrus tendril. There's nothing like Logrus an inch from your skin to start the day. Today might be a good day to die, but I'd rather sleep in.

Rendell was back with us for breakfast (I did five-star French this time. 'The condemned ate a hearty meal', and all that.), having failed. Not surprised, since I had failed despite Dar Brennin's backing. Caine called the stragglers in, Tyndall from the practice yard and Alix from poisoning her weapons by the fire.

We plotted. Rene's notion of somehow bringing Brand in was happily rejected. I didn't know WHAT Brand had become, let alone how to manipulate that twisted genius, and didn't think it would profit us to try.

We decided to split up into two groups. Julian, Caine, Gerard, Llewella, Rendell, Alix, and I would provide a big distraction with a frontal assault. (Not that we had any way to sneak in.)

Fiona, Vialle, Tyndall, Rene, David and Derek would go through Tir-na Nog'th and attack Eric and aid Random from the Pattern there. (Fiona was reasonably sure that it was only walking the Pattern that was deadly.) Derek would guard the stairs to Tir and warn them of clouds.

Caine took us to Arden. Eric's armies were ready and coordinated. Our scratch coalition of Rangers, Vikings, marines, Rebmans and so on were not. (I selfishly did not volunteer to sacrifice my Argannelan army. Mom would need them if I died.) We seemed to have a moderate numerical superiority.

The storm clouds gathered fast.

Just before the vanguards met I laid down the biggest CS gas attack I could on Eric's center. It helped, though the wind dispersed it FAST. I laid on a Defensive Shield.

Caine started shooting officers from a low hill. I did the same from a different hill, with Alix helping me out as bodyguard and arrow gleaner.

The first red lightning bolt hit half a mile away. Shit.

The WHOLE CASTLE was pulsing red. Shit. Shit. More lighting.I looked at Alix. "To the Castle?"

"We'd better do it fast."

"I'll try a teleport." Sarcastically: "It could work."

"If it doesn't, I'll fly us there. We could hardly be bigger targets."

I wasn't sure about that. The teleport didn't work.

Alix shifted into a "stormhawk", a giant raptor crackling with electricity and generating wild winds. Great. Just what I would have chosen for transport. I threw on another Defensive Shield. She grabbed me by the breastplate and launched off. We actually got most of the way to the Castle, dodging like crazy with erratic winds making it worse, before Eric hit us with a lightning bolt, a BIG one. Fortunately, Alix took most of the blast and Stormhawks are almost immune to electricity. Still, she was nearly stunned and staggered in the air. The lighning bolt cost me both Shields and a lot of hair, and a light toasting.

Alix' winds held us aloft. She took us down into an orchard outside the walls. I used my LAST Shield. Shit. Shit. Shit.

Someone tried to Trump me. I allowed it: Eric would not have noticed my resistance. Caine said, "Hey, that was neat! Bring me through."

I did that.

"Time to take a more direct hand."

"That was our idea," I agreed. "Do you have a way in?"

"Yes I do, and not too far from here."

"Let's go." We ran like hell, Alix (Alix-formed again) moaning a bit. Apparently the bolt had hurt more than I thought. More lightning missed us. Caine led us to a small gardener's hut, ushered us inside and yanked a hanging rake. The floor sank. "Isn't this keen?" he asked, grinning.

I had to smile back; he really did seem to be enjoying this. "You people have entirely too much time on your hands. Not that I'm complaining."

"This is true."

We reached bottom and made our way through a tunnel that ended in a wall inscribed with a complex design.

"I never completed the tunnell, but from here we can gather the others." Caine Trumped in Gerard, Flora, Julian and Llewella, making the tunnell crowded.

"Now!" We Trumped all together into the Great Hall. Eric (a red image surrounding Random's body) stood on the dais protected by a company of his troops.

Eric smiled. "NOW THAT I HAVE YOU ALL IN ONE PLACE, YOU CAN DIE."

What a dick.

Fiona was correct. Once Eric realized just how powerful he was, we were toast.

Our initial attacks affected him a little bit because he expected them to. Then he knew better. Apparently the Jewel can do anything the user can imagine, or the next thing to it. We all were hurt, Llewella got hurt the worst.

Suddenly, while killing us one at a time, his head blew up. Maybe from Caine's dagger, maybe not. The JEWEL blew up as well, nothing left but dust. Rene and David say that Random finally rose to the occasion and took Eric out from inside the Jewel. So was Random's body vulnerable for a second at that point, or did Random pull a fast one on us? I incline towards the latter since the destruction of the Jewel should cause an immediate cataclysm.

I think.

Afterwards, Flora went off and finked us out to Brand --I'm pretty sure. She left off helping Llewella (who was badly burned, and maybe helping, there was something not right with Llewella's wounds, but that could be a result of being inflicted by tht Jewel) Brand Trumped Gerard who informed us the murdering piece of shit was on his way.I grabbed Dad's sword before Rene could give it away to, say, Brand.

I'll take Llew to Queen Moire for hospitalization. Time to leave. Moire would probably give me sanctuary and if I can't contact Fiona, I'll take it. Maybe Alix can keep me informed. Flora's daughter should be relatively safe.

Oh, shit. I have to do something with my people at the house.

I'm not sure which prospect is worse: an omnipotent King, or facing Brand without Random.

My healing spell --magical first aid-- didn't do Llewella nearly as much good as it should have. Tyndall came over and helped me do what we could for her. I thought Llewella would want to be taken to Rebma. Maybe Rene had a Trump of Moire --I looked around; no Rene. Gerard announced that Brand was on him way. Shit! Brand was bound to take a dim view of Bleys' son. I Trumped Rene. He didn't have a Trump of Moire. I asked him to tell his mother Fiona I wanted to talk to her.

David joined us. I told them I wanted to get Llewella to Moire for treatment, so we had to find Llew's Trump deck. Searching a burn victim's clothing is not fun. Tyndall found it. And, yes there was one for Moire in some style I didn't recognize. David asked me to give him the one of him. Maybe Eric mind-slapped him. I told him no, I wasn't handing out Llewella's property. He gave it up.

Moire accepted the call. She was in armor like Llewella's and sounded impatient. I told her the news: Eric dead, Random maybe dead (both good things in her opinion) and Llewella badly burned. She told me to bring her sister through. I picked my aunt up carefully (she started whimpering) and stepped through. Doctors and healers swarmed over her within moments and confirmed what I'd told them, that the wounds were made with the Jewel of Judgement and were resistant to magic. They sedated her and did what they could with mundane medicine.

I told Moire about Brand but she already knew. Brand wasn't coming with an army or even an army of ghosts. He was striding across the sea as a mountain-high giant. Oh shit. She was not eager to find out what would happen to Rebma if Amber were to be destroyed. I told her I'd worked out a personal version of Fiona's Reality Enhancer, using an outside power source.

"As it happens, I'm wearing one now. Someone Trumped me without wearing a face."

"Why would Brand do so?"

"I don't know, but since my brother was torn in half I don't take chances."

Moire looked pensive and told me to wait a bit. She returned with a package. "I received a similar Trump call and was handed this. I've already looked at it."

I opened it and found a portion of a painting with part of the ornate, gilt frame. It showed me, complete with the facial scar I was going to carry for a time. A family portrait from Tir-na Nog'th? "Did you get any sense of who did this? I've had similar contacts, without gifts, but they were difinitely hostile."

"This felt hostile. I forgot about it with all that's going on. I wish I'd warned you."

"This? A serious stroke from Eric. I'm quite happy I did so well." Moire called a doctor over to see to my face. Topical anesthetic and some kind of waterproof cream.

We went to a study where I could show her the spell, easy to do with it up and running. Parting was cordial, I kissed her hand warmly. She was amused by my flirting.

I dropped by the house and dispersed my servants with big bonuses, just in case Brand took over for a while, rather than level the Castle and the City.

I lowered the shielding spell a bit and Trumped Alix. "What's up?"

"Benedict is back. Tyndall was invited to visit Fiona --who's now unconscious and on the way to the infirmary now."

"Fi's going to the infirmary? Shit!" There went my first choice of refuge. "Pull me through." Caine, Julian, Rene, Alix and I crowded the room. Fiona looked a bit bruised and bloody, but not too bad off on the surface. I left to seek out Benedict.When I found him, he actually wanted to see me.

"How surreptitiously can you channel power from Dar Brennin?"

"Reasonably so, if no big power surges are required."

He nodded: good. "Other sources are arranged for. Keep with the plan."

"The others duplicated Fiona's effect?"

"Of course."

"What plan?"

"It will be obvious to one of your perceptiveness and wisdom."

A compliment from Benedict?! Unless he meant: 'It will be obvious to everyone, even you.' No, I think I felt actual approval from him.

The family trooped in. All of it. Ikoma, Tashara, Merlin, Robin, Fiona (looking fine), Corwin, BLEYS and LLEWELLA! I walked over to Llewella saying, "You look great!" She turned and smiled as Fiona intercepted me.

"Come with me, Dolon. I'd like to hear your impressions," Fiona reached out and snagged her son, "--and Rene's, of the last events."

Bleys waved at me from across the room, but came no closer. He wasn't quite RIGHT. It hit me, then, that many of my relatives were disguised by illusions or were illusory constructs. I gave Fiona a questioning look. She smiled.

Benedict stood on the dais and instructed us to form a circle to execute a protective spell of Fiona's design ("with possible improvements by Dolon" yeesh) against Brand's coming attack. We assembled in a circle. Fiona started the spell and I began channelling in Dar Brennin's power. She smiled again. Derek brought up the Logrus and pumped THAT power in. Fiona's spell dealt with it with only mild turbulence. Fiona was doing the spell wrong. I glanced at her, she smiled. OK. I deliberately pushed the Oak's energies in that direction. I was fully plugged into the spell by then and could feel that the energies coming from 'Bleys' and 'Llewella' were Pattern-based but strange. The power rose into a crimson dome.

Kolvir shuddered, Fiona screamed and fell the center of the circle. I automatically started trying to shift the spell into the defensive pattern, then noticed that despite Fiona's plight the spell was steady, pouring power into --I felt it out-- illusion. 'Bleys' was starting to oppose my changes. I went back to supporting the illusions and 'Dad' settled down. Rene ran over to help Fiona and caught fire himself.

We began to die bloodily, crushed by falling masonry or glass or whatever. Alix started to siphon energy off Fiona; I used the spell-contact to tell her to quit. Derek began to erect a Logrus shield; I told him mentally (we were holding hands) "It's a fake: help power the illusion." He answered, "What?"

Tyndall nearly escaped via Trump but 'Bleys' stole it and "died". Gerard dove onto Tyndall and David to shield them from falling stones and glass.

The spell blew up and blasted me into the wall, blood splattering widely. I played dead. Everyone else 'died', too.The rumbling subsided. Black and White Brand walked in, surveying the damage and repeating over and over, "Amber is fallen, it's bloodline is deceased. All is as it should be." Something about Llewella caught his attention. He pushed some rubble out of the way. A voice shouted, "Murderer!". B&W Deirdre leaped into the room with her axe at the ready. Brand laughed nastily and swatted her into black and white dust. Laughed again, said, "My work is done," and dissolved into dust himself.

Silence. Llewella picked herself up, brushed at her gown and said, "Boy, am I tired," in Dworkin's voice. The room shifted and flowed; most of the damage was illusory. Gerard was the only one who was badly hurt. Ikoma, Tashara, Merlin and Corwin faded out. Bleys became Corwin. Benedict slapped Derek awake.

"Whose smartass idea was that?" asked Caine. Dworkin, Fiona and Corwin smiled. Ben might have flickered a grin as well.

Gerard groaned, "I thought this wasn't supposed to hurt. Are you two OK?"

David and Tyndall, bruised and battered, crawled out from underneath Gerard. David said, very seriously, "Thank you Uncle Gerard."

"You owe me a drink."

"You got it."

Corwin and Rene helped Dworkin and Fiona, both half-dead with fatigue, hobble out of the Great Hall.Benedict thanked Derek for his help. Derek tried to convince him to knock Caine on his ass. That got another flicker-smile.

I looked Gerard over. He had bruises and glass in him from head to toe. Best to remove the shards on site. I couldn't knock him out with neck pressure, his neck was too big and too strong. Eventually he said, "Never mind," and banged his head on the floor, twice. Ouch.

Florimel suggested and Aftermath Party.