Game Logs: The Devil At Your Back

Session 1 - May 8, 2010

Andi B. – Jessica Asher
Ghenki – Random
Mike – Birdhead
Chris L. – Logrus, the Fourth
Leslie – Gizette
Chris C. – Meiko

Curtain Rises:

There has been a war between Rose and Ygg for 1,000 years, anywhere from political maneuvering to overt conflict. Both powers have developed over the millennium of strife. The Logrus has begun a recovery of its own, and Castle Amber finds itself in a state where its power is not so absolute. The Four Powers have Avatars – Logrus has (of course) the Logrus, Rose has Thomas, Pattern has Mourn, and Ygg has Durus.

Jessica Asher – A Rose-wielder on Shadow Earth. She helps supports Florimel’s desire to keep the Neutrality of Earth between Rose and Ygg, and has established there a very successful acting career. Still, she does her best to not cross or alienate Thomas. She is far too smart to get in his way, but is daring enough to offer her candid advice.

Birdhead – With the striking appearance of an Osiris-looking war god, Shadow has found a Master of Arms that knows both combat and restraint. Master of the Birdhead Armies, he has become a patron saint (if not god) to those practicing the profession of arms. Despite a firm foundation as the current Age’s Master Warrior, Birdhead is a force of neutrality across Shadow and stands against those that would force their will on others militarily… especially Rose and Ygg. There is bad blood between he and Thomas. Serious, yet charismatic and refreshingly open for a giant with a hawk’s head.

Meiko – A slave raised as a warrior in a Shadow of high technology, she has faced and overcome substantial odds on the fields of battle, but is as unknown in the Circles of Amber as she is of her heritage.

Random – Regained senses in House Candent a millennium ago, and wandered off into Shadow. He came back a different man, no longer seeming as flighty as he once was. He not only possesses a new degree of motivation, but the Jewel of Judgment as well. Openly loves Gizette for the patient support she gave him in the past, and expresses a deep dislike for Mourn, the previous holder of the Jewel of Judgment.

Logrus – The forth Logrus… A Shadow traveler, out to see and do whatever adventure he happens into. Many that remember the old Logrus and the Courts of Chaos don’t quite know what to make of this new Logrus.

Gizette – Maintains House Candent as a house another place of Neutrality. She is 3,000 years old, and is not quite so much “Amberite” as she used to be, so close to Chaos. She is open as a wielder of the Logrus (the Construct, not the incarnation), and has the “eccentric” mind that seems to come with it. She is tolerant of all beings, but is intolerant of Rose power… Rose wielders can visit after proper “sanitization”, but no Roses are allowed in the House Candent. She is slightly less hostile to Ygg, but does not approve of their games either.

Game Start +20 points for Game Start… We’ll wish we had more.

Jessica is at Earth, shooting “Prized Flames”, second to last episode for the season finale. The set and crew is energized.

Meiko is at a party with an exposition fight. She stands in the Circle of Sand, fighting the planet’s champion Valcor the Crusher. The rich merchants are endlessly amused. Keeping careful watch from the crowd, the Logrus is taking advantage of the wine and hors d’oeuvres. Random is in Amber with King Eric and Queen Carmen, settling down to a fine and relaxing dinner… for almost the space of 5 minutes.

Birdhead is training new warriors in an obscure Shadow, working them through their weapon katas with patience and skill.

Gizette is in House Candent, trying to fix Click-Clank… a hobby that has unfortunately not made much progress in the past millennia.

Almost as a herald of the maelstrom to come, Gizette feels a Trump call. To her complete surprise, it is from Lord Mandor, who departed with the rest of the Courts of Chaos a thousand years ago. Lord Mandor can barely be heard, but he says they are coming back... The Courts of Chaos are returning. He asks if the Logrus is still present, and warns that no one should be near it. To assist in minimizing the damage from the reintegration, Bleys begins a grand (and somewhat rushed) ritual to serve as a beacon. Gizette prepares the House for the storm, and tries to call the Logrus, via a Logrus Trump. Birdhead also finds himself getting a Trump call, whether he likes it or not… The force behind the call is enormous. He tries to resist by bringing the Pattern to mind, but it make the call even stronger. He switches to far more drastic measures, and stabs himself in the eye! It works to surprise the mysterious caller, and the force of the call wanes for a few critical moments. Birdhead Trumps to Random, trying to find some support against the other caller. After a short discussion between the two, Random agrees to help reinforce Birdhead’s besieged mind.

Random begs pardon from the King and Queen of Amber (before the soup course of dinner?!?), and brings Birdhead through the Trump. With the two in the same place, Birdhead is able to resist the Trump. Random introduces Birdhead to the Eric and Carmen. They recognize him as the god of warriors, leader of the Birdhead Army... There is more then a little nervousness, as they wonder if he is there to attack Castle Amber. As Birdhead assures them that he is not in Amber to wage war, Simon walks in, deciding he had better investigate what was preventing his Trump call to Birdhead.

Simon asks his question in person. He says that he needs Birdhead’s help to save his daughter, Meiko, from a Shadow of War in the Rose Shadows. He has already enlisted the aid of the Logrus, but he feels that more help will be needed to ensure a safe extraction. Simon gives Birdhead a Trump for the Logrus, who happens to be right where Meiko is.

Birdhead agrees, and asks in return to get a means to resist any unwanted Trump calls. Simon agrees the exchange, and promises to do what he can as soon as he is able.

Simon asks Random next, and Random agrees as well… but chooses to just ask for goodwill and a return of favor at a later date.

Jessica also gets a trump call in the middle of filming. She walks off the middle of the scene, and takes the call. The call is from Thomas.

Thomas says that there is a strong stench of chaos rising around the area of House Candent. He doesn’t know what is happening there, but he pushes his daughter Jessica to go investigate. She would be more accepted by Gizette and Bleys, and would probably have a better chance of getting information quickly and peaceably.

At the Circle of Sand with Meiko and Logrus, the battle with the champion has just started. Valcor is very good… one of the best she’s fought. Their whip swords crack in the air as they begin to circle. Valcor the Crusher is exhilarated and confident, calling out “I have studied every fight you’ve ever had… that’s recorded.” He immediately draws first blood as a demand that Meiko apply her full abilities to this fight.

The Logrus, observes the fight with calculation as he mingles in the crowd. To his surprise, he gets two trump calls at the same time. His callers are Random and Gizette. Random, being the gentleman, backs out until Gizette is through. The Logrus finds a quieter place in the room to take the call and still be able to observe the battle.

Gizette mentions quickly that the Courts of Chaos are returning, and lets him know that it might be good to be at House Candent. (Missed some of this conversation… fill in if someone remembers more!)

On the sands, Meiko notices an opening where she can hit Valcor solidly to the chest. She also realizes that the strike would require her to sacrifice a hit to her leg. She takes the opportunity to trade blows, spearing him through the lung and getting her femur broken.

The Logrus puts out some tentacles, suspecting that he may have to intervene. Curiously, he notices that Slave Master Ravous is watching his tendrils. He is not amused. The Logrus sends out a second set of tendrils, attempting to sneak them behind the Slave Master.

Meanwhile, Meiko braces against the pain, kicks the Champion off her sword with he good leg. Valcor goes flying to the wall, bleeding heavily. He stands, grins, and activates a pain suppressor. It looks to be a fight that could last hours.

The standoff between the Logrus and Ravous finally comes to a decision. Ravous begins to pull forth his blade, and the Logrus sees the blade has a curious but powerful Pattern etched in it. The Pattern blade has the Logrus carefully withdrawing his tendrils.

Random waits until he feels the Logrus and Gizette are done with their conversation (about halfway through the main course), then tries his Trump call to the Logrus.

The Logrus, out of the trump call with Gizette, accepts the new one. Random and the Logrus begin to discuss what is happening in the battle, and makes a point to mention the Pattern blade currently being held by Ravous. Birdhead immediately joins into the conversion at the mention of a Pattern blade. Logrus is surprised that Simon mentioned that Meiko is his daughter, as it used to seem to be a big secret… but is nonetheless happy for the possible assistance.

On the sands, Meiko uses her whip blade to cut down an ornamental brazier stand and knock its support brace into her reach. She binds the broken leg and activates her own pain suppression… one of the very few times she has had to for a long time. She beings to feel the fear and excitement of combat again, for the first time in years. The combat goes on, and she knows that it could take hours. She delves into her warrior heart, and begins to tap into her potential.

Logrus steps back further, pretending to be cowed by Ravous and his Pattern blade. Once out of site, he pulls Birdhead and Random in through the trump.

Logrus changes tactics, and begins to alter Shadow. He aims to change the Shadow to a reality where the slave bomb implanted in Meiko’s head cannot explode. He tells Random and Birdhead of his plan, and gives them the passcode “Ember”, in case there is a separation or if he doesn’t make it… The word will wake something up in Meiko, but he is worried about telling her the passcode until the bomb is disabled.

Birdhead tries to blend in to the enraptured crowd using a long, deep cloak that just happened to be brought by another 8-foot tall party-goer. He watches what is going on, sees the injuries, and notices that the fight will last a long time between these two equally matched combatants. He also sees Ravous handling a card… a Trump card.

Random goes through the crowd, trying to learn about Ravous and see if the man is anyone he has seen or heard about before. At this point he notices the Trump card Ravous is holding, and that it bears the image of Thomas.

As the Logrus rearranges Shadow to make the bomb “safe”, the Shadow appears to be actively resisting the Logrus’ attempts.

Birdhead notices that the Pattern blade is now out, and Ravous is focusing on the blade. Birdhead decides to take more drastic measures, and finds a fortuitous blastgun concealed in his borrowed cloak.

Meiko sees that Ravous has the blade out as well, and knows that this isn’t good. She also sees an 8 foot tall person, with a gun, and she knows that Ravous will be the target. She pauses the fight with a subtle nod to Valcor (who also notices the distractions). He holds long enough to allow her to act… he wants to fight her at her best, not distracted by outside events. Meiko grabs the heated bowl of the brazier she shattered and throws it at Ravous to block the blast, knock him down, and get him out of the way of any other blast.

The ploy does not work. The brazier does little to block the shot, and Meiko has to admit that trying to throw a blazing object to block the fire of a skilled shooter is pretty much a play to luck. But since she has now plausibly tried to give the Slave Master defense, she focuses back to the fight.

The blast from Birdhead finds its mark, and Ravous is hit in the arm. The wound isn’t nearly as bad as it should be, and it is now obvious that powerful shields are protecting Ravous.

As this drama is unfolding, Jessica makes her way to House Candent to investigate the cause of the Chaos disturbance. The House is in a strongly defensive stance, but Gizette welcomes Jessica into the House (and into areas that are hardened against Rose infestations). The observation room is still placed well enough to allow the gathering occupants (and their escorts) to see the events unfolding.

Jessica can see Bleys enacting an elaborate ritual. It seems to be a great beacon, and whatever it is drawing must be huge. Jessica staunchly refuses to give in to the persistent needling of Rose to leave some influence behind… She refuses to drop a single petal, knowing that it would kill any trust she had from Lady Gizette.

Jessica offers to help with the ritual. Bleys, not wanting to add the complication of an unknown factor with potentially dangerous motives, does not accept. The seeds of distrust sewn by Thomas have rooted too deeply in the past 1,000 years.

While in the middle of preparing House Candent and keeping interference away from Bleys, Gizette gets a trump from Fiona. To Gizette’s surprise, Fiona is more than a little irritated, and claims that the Logrus is interfering with her Shadow and her projects. She demands that Gizette “reins in her pet”. Gizette promises to talk with the Logrus immediately.

At this time, Logrus feels that the Pattern is locking this Shadow down. He senses that the fight on the sands will be over before he is able to affect the change, and the fight still promises to drag on for hours.

Birdhead takes a moment to analyze the effect of the shield from his shot at Ravous. He deduces that it is an interweaving pattern of mind and magic. With the power of impossible coincidence at his hand, he grabs a spear from the person next to him. He hurls the spear at Ravous with deadly accuracy, aiming for the crafted medallion that holds the shield together. Being designed to pierce magic, the spear strikes the enchanted jewelry and breaks the shield.

Random sees this barrier as well, and makes his own use of the chaotic battle. He quietly makes his way up to Ravous area, weighs carefully the objects Ravous has close at hand, and picks what must be the detonator for the slave bombs from Ravous pocket.

Ravous, sensing that the battle is now turning, unleashes the guards to kill the intruders, then turns and vanishes rather than face assault from three powerful entities.

Meiko feels her suspicion that whatever plans have been made by the man she knows as the Logrus are fully under way. She has to finish this soon. She strives to unlock the chains on her combat skill.

The battle on the sands begins to turn. With a sudden change to a cold calm, Meiko adjusts her footing and presses into a new assault on Valcor. The balance has shifted. To the trained eyes of the three rescuers, Meiko is now fighting with much greater skill. She will dismantle Valcor in a minute and a half.

With Ravous now fully distracted, the Logrus feels the resistance of the Shadow to his manipulation crumble. With urgency and adrenaline, the Logrus quickly ties reality to a state where the bomb in Meiko’s head will not detonate. The further he goes from this Shadow, the more likely it is that his changes will fail, but it is good enough to get to a place of safety. The Logrus has a plan…

Then the Logrus gets a trump he cannot refuse, being too closely tied to the powers of Chaos. Thankfully, it is Gizette. Gizette quickly informs the Logrus that Fiona called to complain about Gizette’s “pet” is messing around in her Shadow. It is a dangerous game the Logrus has entangled his tendrils in, and he should get out quickly.

Random gives the device he lifted from Ravous for a moment, then starts to blow the heads off the attacking slave guards.

Birdhead walks into the fray in the Circle of Sand, and disarms the pit fighters as if they were merely squabbling children. He advises Valcor, “though you are good, you will have the opportunity to improve and fight this battle another day.”

The Logrus sees that the opportunity won’t get any better. As the four gather, he trumps the four of them to House Candent.

Meiko, despite the years of training for the unexpected, is largely unprepared for the change in location. There is some stunned conversation where Meiko is convinced that she is not dead, the bomb in her head won’t go off, and that she free. Despite all this assurance, it is obvious that the others haven’t relaxed and there are even larger events in the works. Meiko allows herself to be swept along the flow of events, until she can learn what is happening. Something in the back of her mind struggles to jump forward.

The Logrus immediately tells Gizette about the danger that still exists in Meiko’s head. While the bomb is stable, it is unknown how long it will stay that way. Gizette handles the problem with routine efficiency. She guides Meiko to an examination table, expertly removes the bomb, and deals with the broken leg as well. While in the procedure of removing the bomb, she notes that there have been numerous barriers erected in Meiko’s mind. Gizette leaves them alone, but does let Meiko know that someone or something has been tinkering in her head.

Random and Birdhead watch for a moment, but sense that there are greater energies building elsewhere. They leave Gizette, the Logrus, and Meiko in the infirmary and are guided by the House Candent staff to the observation room, where many are gathering to watch events roll into Pattern like a tsunami.

In the observation room, they join Jessica to witness the return of the Lords of Chaos.

Jessica and Birdhead immediately recognize one another. They have met in the past on Shadow Earth, and have not come into any unfortunate conflicts. The Birdhead Army’s desire to protect neutrality between vying Powers fits well with Earth’s goal of remaining neutral in the war between Ygg and Rose.

The greeting is short, however. There is a rumble, and Bleys quickly tries to bring the ritual to conclusion. There is a rising surge of Chaos energy that inundates House Candent and begins to wash through Pattern. (The Logrus feels quite refreshed.)

Gizette starts to help Bleys handle the end of the Ritual, and her physical body slackens as her mind goes elsewhere. Meiko has little more to do then defend Gizette, still puzzled but feeling the tensions of the Shadow rise.

The Logrus also goes to help the Ritual, both guiding and freeing the energies of Chaos into the points of Reality where they seem to fit best. The castle begins to quake, knocking most witnesses to the floor. Pattern users feel ill at ease as their opposite, the Courts of Chaos, begins to reassert itself into Reality. House Candent is shaken to its foundations again, as it had been a millennia ago.

Jessica begins to mistrust the security of House Candent’s Shadow, and backs out of the Shadow to a distance polite enough to bring up her Rose defenses.

Courts of Chaos, like a ship of madness returning from unknown shores, is now reconnected. Before the rubble has finished falling, an army of demons begins to march from the Courts and into Shadow. They appear to be establishing the defensive perimeter around the Courts, but the demon army continues to build.

Gizette’s consciousness, overwhelmed by the power of Chaos flowing through her mind, begins to lose her connection to reality.

Meiko tries to revive Gizette, but sees that her spirit is not there to awaken. Gizette’s consciousness is guided back into her body by an exhausted but dedicated Bleys. She only revives when her mind is returned to her body, convinced that if she wants her chicken sandwich she will need the body to eat it. Behold the power of Chicken Sandwich.

The Logrus tries to take charge of the situation immediately. He trumps Mandor, and the “Logrus” requests a dinner meeting with representatives of the Courts of Chaos. Mandor, perplexed and wary about talking to something referring to itself as the Logrus, accepts the invitation.

Random and Jessica view the activities of the demon army with suspicion. There are far too many of them for just defending the Courts of Chaos. They also see the demons strike out through Shadow in three advancing columns with determined purpose. The pair follows the demon army, being led by demonic constructs that seem to pave the Dark Road ahead of the marching armies. (A whole lot happened while these two followed the demons and investigated their purpose… We need to fill this in.)

Birdhead also observes the troop movements and formulates his own suspicions. He asks Gizette if she knows the intentions of the marching army. Gizette doesn’t know, but cautions that “we shouldn’t jump to conclusions.”

Birdhead is not mollified. What he sees is an endless army, and that they intend to invade Shadow.

Heading back to the infirmary, the Logrus begins to talk to Meiko. He weighs her current mental state against the current state of Reality, and readily makes his decision. He lets her know that there is a bigger world then she is used to. He tells her that the vague dreams of which she has spoke were more than dreams. They were visions into the truth of Reality. The Logrus has her sit, then speaks the Thari word, “Ember”. The barriers in her mind come down, Meiko begins to uncompress what she has learned in dreams. Meiko takes the only logical choice of activities, and summarily passes to unconsciousness.

From the Shadows around House Candent, Birdhead begins to check on the advancing army. He sees that it is marching with well-defined goals, and does not let any obstacles stop it. Resistance is overwhelmed and obliterated. The destinations of the three advances are evident. They are headed toward the three seats of Power for Ygg, Rose, and Amber.

As Meiko begins to come to her senses, the Logrus begins to plan her attendance at the dinner. Gizette, on the other hand, sees that this may be too soon after Meiko’s unlocking. She offers another solution, where Meiko can watch from a private room where the representatives of the Courts of Chaos won’t observe her. Meiko desires to join the others at dinner, but can’t fail to see the intelligence in Gizette’s counsel. She accepts to attend from the private observation room.

Across the Shadows between the Courts of Chaos and their advancing armies, there are already telling differences in the advance. Marching toward Ygg, the demons don’t seem to mind the collateral damage of the Ygg’s Karmic Effect. The march to the Rose Throne goes slower when faced with Shadows where all inhabitants can be raised to an army, but the main forces of the Rose were divided and marching toward Amber. The demon army marching toward Amber has further to go, but sees fewer defenses raised against it.

At the House Candent dining room, the political stratagems begin.

Within the first few minutes of the conversation, Birdhead determines that the advancing army does not intend to observe the wishes of neutrality in any of the Shadows it crosses. He wastes no further time, declares war on the advancing Chaos forces. He will not stand by and allow a Shadow conquering army to march unopposed. The Chaos General Gilva Hendrake, is unsure of what faction Birdhead represents but welcomes the declaration of war unfazed.

Birdhead spent no further time at the dinner, but took the time to visit Meiko before heading into Shadow to gather his forces. Meiko again questions Birdhead directly if she was liberated from slavery to take part in the battle to come. He solemnly answers that the coming conflict is unrelated to her emancipation, and that her involvement in the battle is completely up to her. As her first decision as a free woman, Meiko pledges her sword to Birdhead to assist in turning back the Chaos Army and its subjugation of Shadow. Birdhead accepts her offer, offering back that she is released from her pledge at any time his decisions as general go counter to her sense of honor or fundamental beliefs. Before Birdhead rides into Shadow, Meiko takes the opportunity to see how real the gift she has been given is, and uses Ember to heal Birdhead’s ruined eye.

Lady Hendrake begins to make the intentions of the Courts of Chaos clear. She plans to continue her march into Shadow, conquer all she finds, and crush any resistance. She does not care of the relative strengths of the armies she faces. She will continue to march until her enemies can stop her. She intends to measure the influence of Chaos versus Pattern by the yardstick of military might, and if Chaos conquers few Shadows or all Shadow means little to her, but she will not stop until forced to fall back.

Against this threat, Birdhead gathers his forces. He begins to survey the strategies available to defeat Chaos. He sees that while he can stop any single prong of the Chaos advance, he cannot stop them all. To stop them all would require a concerted effort by all factions.

Meiko continues to observe the dinner, and does what she can to weigh the Chaotian General for anything that may be useful in the battles to come.

Through various subtle methods, Gizette and Bleys confer with Lord Mandor. He is not at all keen on the idea of marching the returned Courts of Chaos into war, and he is not alone in the Courts with this opposition. The military factions of the Courts, however, are firmly in control of the reins of power. Just killing the current General will not likely prevent the invasion. Chaotians have been promoting in their militaries through fratricide for a long time.

The Chaotian guests doubtlessly return the scrutiny, and weigh the commitment of the others there.

They are disappointed that House Candent does not offer greater support and assistance for their aims. How this will affect their relationship with House Candent remains to be seen.

They are also unsure of what to make of the person calling himself the Logrus. They have used Logrus all their lives, and have not seen it taking any solid form. If it had interests, goals or desires of its own they never manifested, much less embodied into a sentient being.

Gizette begins to ensure the House Candent will be able to retain at least some control over its destiny from the new warlike neighbor on its back doorstep. From the pools of chaotic potential on the grounds of House Candent, Gizette forms an army of creatures with the purpose of demon crippling. They begin to dismantle the demon forces in House Candent’s Shadow and the Shadows nearby. They do their job well, but their influence wanes the further they spread from the Shadow of their birth.

As the session comes to its conclusion, the column advances to the center of an unprepared Ygg quickly… and find themselves at the doorstep to Ygg.

Session 2 - May 22, 2010

Andi B. – Jessica Asher
Ghenki – Random
Mike – Birdhead
Chris L. – Logrus, the Fourth
Leslie – Gizette
Chris C. – Meiko

+20 XP at Game Start (“Wait… I DO know Advanced Pattern Mastery after all!”)

Recapped last session.

Lights… Camera… Action!

Jessica – Fighting Chaos war machine, Thomas is still preparing to attack Amber (or already there…). Meiko – At House Candent, waiting talk to Logrus. Random – Returning to House Candent Birdhead – Strategic planning to attack Chaos directly. He needs someone powerful in Chaos or Pattern for “Sorcery”… so he is returning to House Candent. Logrus – Talking to Meiko. Gizette – Done bringing the House to a stable state, and gaining information about what is going on in Chaos. (Finding the demon source.)

Meiko and Logrus talk about tactics for what must happen next. The Logus goes to Investigate what is going on at the Construct, and maybe get more information (or have it remove some power from the Lords of the Courts). They go off to find the others, and don’t have to seek long. Everyone is gathering at House Candent. Information on the State of the Shadows is exchanged, and discussion of what must happen next.

Thomas has taken Amber with incredible speed, and roses are again taking over. Gizette cannot trump Eric or Carmen… Birdhead is convinced to head into Ygg’s defense. Meiko and Random will help. Even Jessica decides to go with Ygg as well, putting off the defense of Rose temporarily. Gizette offers to help speed their trip to Ygg.

At Ygg, Gizette and the rest of the defenders see that the Demon army is hardly stopping until they hit the very last lines of Durus and his forces at the foot of Ygg… and they may not hold very long.

Birdhead and Meiko take the field as military leaders. Logrus takes the challenge of defeating the Chaotian Chaosrollers.

Random talks to Caine, and finagles some immunity from the Justice Field. He has some time to watch the fight unfold as Caine suspends the Justice Field from him.

Jessica takes command of Birdhead’s lead Legion. Meiko is given command of the rest army as a whole, so Birdhead can observe their respective skills at command and warfare.

Meiko decides the Chaosrollers are a key point in the battle. She immediately moves herself and the army to help the Logrus get to the Chaos constructs without disrupting Durus’ defense, or being slowed by the demons.

Random gets his immunity to Ygg from Caine, then makes all haste to Castle Amber. He finds the city gaining a carpet of roses. Thomas, Eric, and Carmen are not there. He goes to meet the demon army approaching Amber to see what mischief might be had at their expense, and decides to find that army’s trail from Ygg.

Gizzette, not one to involve in direct combat, travels Shadow until she leaves the Ygg influence, and goes into Shadow-breaking speed. She wrecks havoc on the demon army on her way back to House Candent, but more keep coming.

She checks up on Bleys, and finds he is going into the Courts with spies, so Gizzette begins to contact those in her Chaos Trump deck to find out where allegiances lie and if people she knew are alive. Most Courts folks she knows are supporting Hendrake. They are committed, as the attacking forces are including their sons and daughters. No insurance against betrayal quite like having the survival of their children invested in success.

Random, once back at Ygg as a starting point (since Ygg is the constant “half way there” point), then uses the Jewel of Judgment to start shredding Shadow along the demon army as he heads to the spearhead and Chaosrollers of the Amber attack. As Meiko and Logrus fight their way to the constructs, Meiko attacks one Steamroller with a photonic lance, and Logrus begins to tap Logrus tendrils into the other engine.

Birdhead notes that the Logrus will be stomped before he completes whatever he is doing. Birdhead dives to tackle Logrus out the way of the impending foot smash, keeping him among the three-dimensional.

Logrus puts all his focus into dominating his target… rewriting its very structure to be subordinate to him. They are defended against this sort of this attack, but the Logrus is confident that he can overwhelm it. He bolsters his will over chaos and his force of mental will, and dominates the construct even quicker.

Random finds that the army reinforcements are thinning through Shadows, and tries to find a new way to get to the head of the demon army advancing on Amber… it is a little slower to chase when there aren’t so many of them.

Meanwhile, Gizette learns about Lord Dorval through her own investigation. No one is sure where he came from out of Chaos, but he is a full Chaos Lord. He is very powerful, and is the one responsible for driving Hendrake into a frenzy.

Jessica and Meiko continue to attack the second Steamroller construct while the Logrus works on the first. With Jessica throwing down the Roses and Meiko’s martial prowess, they begin to dismantle the demon construct.

Jessica’s use of Rose, however, irritates Birdhead. He throws a spear at her and extracts a “warning kidney”. With a precision that only Birdhead could wield, Jessica is shocked to find one of her kidneys neatly removed.

By this time, the Logrus has full control of his construct. He sees the second construct falling, and stops it before it crushes Jessica, Meiko, or any of the friendly forces.

Jessica and Birdhead have a discussion, and he tells her not to use Rose here. He tells her to help with her sword, not with the corruption of the Rose. Jessica agrees with some irritation, noting that one of her greatest weapons to help defend Ygg is effectively tied behind her back. Jessica helps suppress her roses while Birdhead burns through the fragrant infestation, and she goes to just sword and sorcery.

Birdhead, Jessica, and Meiko continue the fight. Meiko uses Ember to fix Jessica’s kidney-related injury. When the mop up is complete, only 10% of the Birdhead Army was lost. Durus’ army, on the other hand, was devastated with over 50% casualties. Birdhead uses his forces to help Durus reconstitute his defenders.

Random changes tactics, and rides hard to Chaos on the back of a dragon. Even pulling from the power of the Jewel to bolster his speed, it has him quite drained by the time he arrives.

Gizette tries to get and audience with Lord Dorval. He grants her passage with little effort. As she goes through the hallway to the very heart of the Courts of Chaos, Bleys trumps Gizette with more than a bit of urgency and has her pull him through right away. Only one gateway was built he reports, and probably will not be hidden for long. All the spies are dead. Bleys makes his way to safer grounds, since his welcome is most likely exhausted for now.

In Courts, Gizette is taken to the throne room. She meets Dorval, and is surprised to see that he is Dworkin, Oberon’s Crazy Old Court Sorceror. Dworkin confirms that his strategy is to establish himself by warfare. Dworkin says he has his reasons for war that he doesn’t want to share. He asks for Gizette’s help in his campaign, but she declines.

Gizette asks if she can help ease the need for warfare. Dworkin supposes that it could be possible. He asks her to bring him Tokens of the three major Powers, and he “guarantees” he will not destroy them… Something like a Pattern Sword, or a branch of Ygg. He isn’t exactly sure what would represent Rose, but it would need to be more significant than just a flower.

Gizette’s past millennia his included the theme of preserving the family. She has misgivings about Dworkin’s intent, so she asks Dworkin if he wants to destroy or enslave the blood of Amber. Dworkin replies that he wants to “right an ancient wrong”. He doesn’t claim to want to destroy the blood of Amber, but to take the road with less bloodshed he would need the Token samples. He admits that the army is overkill, but part of his goal is revenge. The punishment of vengeance will be forgone if the samples are provided.

Gizette takes her leave of Dworkin and goes back to House Candent. She finds Random there, mostly recovered from his grueling ride. Gizette shares with him what she learned about Dworkin, his professed goals, and the offer he made to stop the war if Tokens are handed over.

At Ygg, Logrus deduces how to tell the machines destroy the roads they built. There is a long discussion between the Logrus, Birdhead, Jessica and Meiko to figure out how to best use the converted Chaosrollers to close the road. In the end, they are sent back along the path they came to destroy road they built.

Jessica then gets a trump call, and it is from Thomas. He wastes little time, and tries to influence her with Rose. Thomas wants Jessica to Rose Birdhead, but she resists (or tries to). It seems to be a losing battle.

The Logrus slaps Jessica gently to unconsciousness. Meiko brings her back as Thomas’ direct control is broken, and she begins to purge the Rose influences of her father.

Random and Gizette discuss theories. Random guesses that Dworkin is a brother who’s relation was concealed by Oberon. They also surmise that he is trying to get Oberon back, and Oberon’s death is the reason for the vengeful war. At about this time, all begin to head back toward House Candent again. Gizette and Random begin to unroll the information and their theories.

They reveal Lord Dorval as the one in charge of the Courts of Chaos. They also drop that he is family… Dworkin, Oberon’s Sorcerer. Dworkin wants to right an ancient wrong and is out for revenge. He also offered to stop his armies if he is provided with Token samples of the three Primary Powers that have developed across Shadow.

Some other questions arise, such as why did the demon army reinforcements slow down so much. Random said he was responsible. Could he do it again? “Sure, if I get a few more beers in me.”

There is a consensus to help stop the army toward Rose Throne, but when?

There is a gateway into the Courts of Chaos, but it would probably not be available for long. If an assault on the Courts to try and stem the source of the demon army is desired, it would require all the defenders to strike and strike soon. Rather then lose the opportunity, they decide assault the source of the Chaotian army.

The four that will spearhead the strike will be Birdhead, Jessica, the Logrus and Meiko. Random goes to talk to Dworkin as a “distraction”. Gizette will stay in contact with the Logrus, but stay in the House Candent infirmary to receive any casualties.

The strike team goes through concealed portal. At first, they travel quickly and quietly, going cloaked with the best equipment Shadow could provide. They soon find the demon generator, well defended by robots fully prepared for any attack. Birdhead sees they are well organized, and Birdhead and Meiko start looking for any vulnerability in their defenses and tactics that can be exploited.

Random, meanwhile, makes his way to an audience with Dworkin. Random tries to learn anything he can about Dworkin and his goals. Dworkin responds with his own questions, and asks if Random wants his father to live again. Random is told that Oberon didn’t want anyone to know Dworkin was family. Dworkin reveals that he is actually Oberon’s father, and Random’s grandfather.

Back at the infiltration and assault, the best option that comes to Birdhead and Meiko is to tunnel under the back wall and kill everything that moves in the room. They immediately begin to execute the plan.

The first opponents are angelic constructs of destruction. They unleash all the powers at their disposal, and so does the strike team. Rose and Warfare roll across the room in an orgy of destruction. Many explosions… Fun is had by all.

Dworkin feels the onslaught in his domain, and seems a bit angry. The conversation with Random begins to close down. Dworkin excuses Random from his presence, either willingly through the front door or unwillingly to the dungeons. Random persistently tries to find out who “mother” was, but Dworkin doesn’t want to “go there”. Sharing time is over. Random leaves while Dworkin goes to deal with the disturbance.

At the strike, Logrus gets close to the demon army generator, and feels that the power source below… about 100 floors down. He has an inkling that it needs a touch more uncontrolled Primal Chaos, and he happens to have a whole case full. Gizette tries to talk him out of it. She fails.

Logrus feels that there is a Logrus Master below, and that Logrus Master is aware of the meddling. The Logrus fakes summoning the Primal Chaos, but at the last second pulls himself down to where the power source and the Logrus Master is. The Logrus Master turns out to be Mandor. Logrus gives the surprised Mandor a punch, and the logrus battle between them begins.

A hundred stories up, in the main chamber, Lady Hendrake arrives. The fight comes up between the two Warfare masters in the room, Birdhead and Lady Hendrake. Jessica takes leave of this particular battle, and goes down to the generator’s power source to help the Logrus.

Down below, Logrus is engaging in combat. He feels he has an edge, but it would take too long to finish the battle. Gizette, watching from the back of the Logrus mind, sees the opportunity to turn the tide. She has Bleys powerfully trump Mandor. There is a brief opening as Mandor is distracted, and the Logrus has a chance to end the battle but it would involve killing Mandor. The Logrus chooses to kill Mandor with a giant tendril slap, then immediately sends the pieces to Gizette for reassembly and healing.

Jessica arrives just in time to see the messy end of the combat…. And does not interfere.

Gizette receives the malt-o-Mandor. She begins to pour him back together. Experienced with this level of catastrophic injury, she links his psyche with hers to begin the massive healing.

Jessica and Logrus examine the source of the demon creation. It still exudes demons. It is being powered by carefully tended Primal Chaos… that’s no longer being carefully tended. Logrus tries to mitigate the damage the loosened Chaos is causing. Jessica Roses the attacking demons, and begins some hot demon-on-demon battle action.

In the battle between Birdhead and Lady Hendrake, they continue to measure each other’s skills and boundaries. Lady Hendrake makes an deliberate opening for Birdhead to attack, but will be able to strike at Meiko if he takes the opportunity. Birdhead gives it a split second of consideration, then takes the opening while trusting in Meiko’s skill to mitigate the attack.

Lady Hendrake loses her leg, but she shoots a nano-edged blade through Meiko’s chest. Birdhead presses his attack after removing Hendrake’s leg. Meiko deals with a sword through her chest with more cool efficiency then one might expect. She handles the injury with some urgency however, and removes the blade and begins to mend with her own shapeshifting abilities augmented by Ember. Hendrake says “Interesting choice”, looking from Birdhead toward Meiko, and pulls herself out of combat before Birdhead kills her.

Random doesn’t leave the Courts of Chaos when leaves Dworkin, but sneaks back into Dworkin’s private chambers. He finds a few loose Trumps that he gives a new home in his personal deck, but nothing that seems immediately useful.

Random tries one of the place Trumps, and ends up in Avalon. Then he decides to return to House Candent.

At the demon generator, the power source is removed as the Logrus dispels the Primal Chaos. The gate is removed by Jessica, who ponders its usefulness when coupled with a different power source. Birdhead makes his way down to the power source room as well, through direct application of force against the intervening rock and dirt, then sets up the munitions to destroy the area. The Logrus pulls them to House Candent split seconds before the fireworks start.

Back in House Candent Mandor is coming together nicely under Gizette’s skilled hands. She finds herself host to the entire crew again as everyone makes their way back to House Candent’s Rose decontamination room.

Random mentions he found something intensely interesting. He doesn’t let the cat out of the bag until Gizette is there… Once she gets there, he shares that Dworkin is actually their Grandfather/Great-grandfather/Great-great-grandfather. He believes that Dworkin has the means by which Oberon could be brought back to life.

Gizette tells those gathered that Mandor’s family is being held to ensure his cooperation. Gizette wants to go and extract them. The question begins to arise, Mandor’s family or the Rose Throne first?

Gizette is advised that no matter what is decided first, she should move House Candent somewhere else. This area is likely to become less friendly or tolerant.

The session ends with the group deciding what should be done first.

Session 3 - June 12, 2010

Andi B. – Jessica Asher Ghenki – Random Chris L. – Logrus, the Fourth Leslie – Gizette Chris C. – Meiko

+20 XP at Game

Recapped last session.

The planning for what to do next begins.

Dworkin’s plan to bring back Oberon as if he were never gone seems ominous. Remove the last 3000 years? It seemed a bit extreme, but those who knew Dworkin couldn’t say that this was beyond his ability. The defenders begin to plan and reinforce their positions.

Birdhead immediately goes to defend key places he had obligations to guard.

Gizette, being needled from all sides to move House Candent to a safer location, relents. Gizette’s understanding of reality near the Courts of Chaos is vast, and she explains to the others that “moving” House Candent isn’t efficient or effective. She wants to create time and space between the House and the Courts of Chaos.

Gizette begins to organize the “move” that isn’t a move. Jessica helps with adding some raw power to Gizette’s effort. The Logrus moves the Construct, keeping its relative location to House Candent close (and making it a little more distant from the Courts). Meiko provides defense. Random goes to Amber to check on the Castle. Gizette spreads her consciousness through the House to handle the finesse of the Shadow manipulation.

Jessica goes outside to prepare her part of the ritual. Meiko notes an unorganized counter attack from the Courts, but it is not a huge concern and probably is just the Court’s “encouragement” to have Candent move along.

Random trumps to Amber. He finds Thomas in Castle Amber. Random questions why Thomas took Castle Amber, and Thomas asserts that the reasons are obvious. The time was right for his ascension to the throne. Random learns that Eric, Carmen, and Simon are not in Amber. They were allowed to leave, rather than have them slain like fleeing curs. Random asks to see the Pattern Room, and Thomas allows it. The Pattern is not infested with Roses yet, but it is likely just a matter of time.

As she makes her ritual preparations, Jessica receives a Trump call. She accepts it, and it is Birdhead. He says “Mindtaker, I feel as if I own you a warning…”. Birdhead will no longer be able to help Jessica defend the Rose Throne as he had previously offered. One could generally surmise that Birdhead would be assaulting the Rose Throne, and Thomas’ recent military moves are probably the motivation to his rescinded offer.

Jessica trumps back to Thomas. What she sees confirms that Birdhead is going to attack Rose forces. Thomas, sitting on the Throne in Amber, is likely the specific reason.

Soon, almost a day’s worth of distance is drawn between the Courts of Chaos and House Candent. Meiko determines that the House defenses are more then sufficient against the Chaos harassment, and her skills are not needed at the moment. She exercises one of the two options of military force since armies first marched… Wait vigilantly for something bad to happen.

Random begins to trump the various Amberites, to share information and determine allegiance. Random trumps Corwin. He tells Corwin that Dworkin is their grandfather. High school girl banter ensues… “Really?!? No way!!! Really!?!”. He reveals the discovery to Dierdre and Eric as well. More high school girl banter ensues. Then he reluctantly switches to the more serious questions.

Eric and Carmen are planning to retake Castle Amber. Random offers to help, and is Trumped to their location… a commander’s war camp.

Random tells his brothers and sister that Dworkin plans to bring back Oberon. Most are not too keen on that, and a short agreement is to take the Castle, kill Thomas, then kill Dworkin. Random begins to use big words on the assembled leaders, like “strategy” and “tactics”. He is greeted with the answer of “Full Frontal Attack” and a tiny side-dish of “Dirty Sneaky Surprises”. But Random isn’t sure that Corwin will be able to out-Rose Thomas, and that seems to be the greatest risk in their Grand Stratagem.

Random commits to help, but doesn’t take command of any of Corwin’s Rose forces. He notes that some of the forces have guns, but he has other ideas. A small strike team might be able to hit Thomas by surprise, and when he falls, Castle Amber will be theirs…

Back in Candent. The House is resettled in its new time-distance from Courts of Chaos.

Gizette gets herself back together, and begins her next key action in the conflict… Discover where the children of the Lords of Chaos are, and prepare to extract them. Dworkin wouldn’t want them all to die in first engagement, so they are likely spread throughout the columns.

Gizette goes to find out what she can about how the children are held from Mandor’s knitting mind. It is more then just a bomb… Their souls are bound to the marching columns. If they are extracted without releasing the bonds, their souls will be irrevocably obliterated. Even Gizette would be unable to bring them back. Gizette gets Bleys and a small capable team together and begins to move along the Demon Army column heading toward Amber. They seek any of the Chaos children to see if they can break the binding and get them free.

Meiko gets a strange feeling in the back of her mind… Her first trump call. She isn’t sure what to do… so she accepts the call. It is Fiona, who Meiko knows as her old Slavemaster, and Fiona “needs her help right now”. Meiko tries to block her out, but Fiona immediately assaults Meiko. Meiko is overpowered, and not in any gentle way. There is no concern for collateral damage.

The Logrus detects a tremendous Logrus expenditure. He expertly determines it is moving a small group of people across the metaverse… not to House Candent, further then Ygg. Perhaps Amber?

As he learns this, the Logrus finds Meiko having what appears to be a seizure. Jessica is tapping into the Trump to bolster Meiko’s defenses, and trying to negotiate with Fiona. Jessica points out that Meiko will be a useless husk the way Fiona is attacking, and offers her own aid instead. The compromise is accepted, but who knows what Fiona’s panicked attack has done to Meiko.

The Logrus tries to put Meiko back together, but finds her mind is now being reinforced from inside. Something else… something Not-Meiko, is taking up residence. The psyche parasite is using Meiko’s mental defenses to protect against the attempt to contact her mind. From what he can see, it will eventually overwhelm Meiko’s mind and replace it completely.

Meiko is now somewhat coherent and seems to be recovering, but not ready to allow another mental contact. She feels instinctually that any interference in her mind will be “bad”. Her rational mind, however, wants to accept the help. She knows that she will attack the Logrus as he tries to delve out the invader. She asks the Logrus to knock her out first. He does so (gently), and Logrus removes a seed of Fiona’s mind that would have eventually taken over Meiko. He puts it into one of Gizette’s Kline Bottles (keeps the Mind as Fresh as the day it was Removed!), and hides it.

Meiko eventually regains consciousness, and feels that the foreign control in her mind is gone.

Jessica, agreeing to help Fiona to preserve Meiko, is Trumped to Rose Castle. Julian and Fiona are there, with Birdhead and Dworkin crashing down the door. Julian is trying to reinforce the door, but having little luck. Jessica offers token assistance to Julian, and Julian is utterly slaughtered by Birdhead’s assault. The attack is paused, to allow for a surrender. Birdhead wants the Rose Sword that Fiona is carrying. Jessica immediately asks Birdhead why he allied with Dworkin.

Dworkin and Birdhead are working together because they have a common agreement. Dworkin just wants to bring his son back. He also promised to help Birdhead stop the warring forces of Rose and Ygg from cutting up Shadow, oppressing the free choices the Shadows in their wake.

Jessica resists this idea of bringing back Oberon, but can see that resistance here will only result in her (and Fiona’s) destruction. She points this out to Fiona, and reluctantly Fiona tosses Birdhead the Rose Sword.

Jessica waits for the Rose Sword to touch Birdhead’s hand, and quickly Roses Birdhead to stop Dworkin.

Birdhead turns and starts cutting Dworkin to pieces. Jessica and Fiona make a Trump escape to a Shadow safely distant from Birdhead and Dworkin.

At the assault to retake Castle Amber, the battle comes to the great deciding moment.

Random, Carmen, Eric, Corwin, and Deirdre pop into the throne room with Thomas.

He sees that there will be no talking or negotiations, so Thomas throws up three trump cards, and calls up Rose trees to assault the invaders. Random acts with inspired genius, and uses his Green Fairy to turn away one of the Trumps so Thomas can’t see the face. A dagger from each of his hands pins the other two to distant walls. Thomas is quite irritated.

Deirdre is touched by a rose bush, and Random points out that “Thomas is touching your woman” to Corwin.

Corwin throws a rose at Deirdre. The Rose Battle Royale is joined!

Carmen, Eric, and Random all rush Thomas. He tries to use his formidable power to form a Rose trump, and a face is beginning to form in the blooms before him. The three attackers plunge swords through Thomas’ chest. Random sees no options for niceties, and goes for a fatal strike. Thomas falls back on the throne, bleeding and dying.

Jessica gets a Rose trump. It is Thomas, panicking and in pain as his life drains away. Jessica decides that for all his power-grabbing, he is her father. She rescues him, pulling him through with her own Rose power as her father’s Power fades.

In Amber, the blood left behind is sucked into the Roses that make up the new Throne. The Roses, unbound from Thomas’ will, begin to take over the Castle, fed by Thomas’ life-blood.

Seeing that the battle is not yet over, Random tries to put it all back by walking the Pattern, using the Jewel of Judgment, to reassert reality.

At the Demon Army column, Bleys finds a way to release the Chaos Lord kids (using Leon as a test case) from the columns… Bleys puts the sorcery in Gizette’s mind, to ensure the knowledge won’t be lost. The couple triumphantly rescues a son of the Chaos Court from compulsory military service. They get back to House Candent just in time for the next drama.

Jessica trumps Gizette holding her dying father, trying to find someone to help save his life. Gizette accepts and pulls the pair into the House infirmary, but House Candent wants to kill him. Gizette tries to keep House Candent from slaying Thomas while she heals him. Unconscious and unable to hold back the Rose power built up within him, Rose begins to take over the House.

Jessica sees the damage her dying father continues to cause, and has a rose-power conversation. She tells him that he has to submit to this for now… survive… and get better. She starts to make headway when the Logrus starts to take drastic measures to save Gizette, the House, and Candent.

As the House reports to Gizette that it has been compromised, the Logrus tries to stop the take-over. He rips out the Rose influence from the House (including much of the infirmary) and transports Thomas and the infested mess outside House Candent.

Gizette refuses to give up on Thomas. She stretches her shapeshifting abilities to an extent she has never tried before. She splits in two and empowers her mind, sending part of her body and consciousness with Thomas to merge with him. The other part of Gizette stays in Candent to fight the Rose damage.

The Logrus dumps the contaminated infirmary and Thomas to the “back yard”, one Shadow away. The Logrus then begins to crush Thomas, stop his take over, and prevent it from threatening Gizette ever again. Gizette, merged with Thomas, begs, “Logey… stop”. She brings Pattern to mind and pushes the Logrus away. The Logrus relents and restrains Thomas instead of trying to hasten his demise.

In the damaged House Candent, Jessica is saved from the collapsing ceiling by Meiko. They try to figure out what is happening. Jessica tries apologize about her father and clearly wants to make things right. Meiko feels that Thomas doesn’t deserve to have a daughter like Jessica, and sees honor in Jessica’s desire to save him.

In Amber, Random knows that there can be no ambiguity in Thomas’ defeat, and uses his position at the center of the Pattern to find Thomas. He steps through and stabs Thomas in the head, expecting an attack by Thomas’ probable lieutenants. There are no lieutenants defending Thomas. Just the rapidly fading Thomas and the Logrus.

The Logrus see Thomas dying, and tries to separate Gizette from Thomas dying body before Thomas takes Gizette to the grave with him. With great reluctance, Gizette surrenders the dying Thomas. Jessica quickly makes a backup plan, and puts Thomas’ psyche in the Roses nearby, hoping to save at least the core of him. Gizette and the Logrus head back to House Candent. Random heads back to Amber to rest. Jessica heads to the Rose Throne with the bouquet that is her father.

Fiona trumps Gizette and tells her that Julian is dead. Birdhead and Dworkin had apparently come to an agreement. Jessica Rosed Birdhead to kill Dworkin. It’s a total mess. And as a more minor point, someone might want to check on Meiko’s mind. There might be something there that someone should take care of…

In Amber, Random checks the Castle. He sets up guards. Then he calls Corwin. Random tells Corwin that he and everyone he trusts of Amber blood should return to Amber Castle to keep it secure. Random also asks Corwin to not bring Rose influence into Amber. Corwin assures that the Rose will stay in the soldiers, not take over the city. Random isn’t so sure that the weed can be kept at bay so easily.

Jessica arrives at the Rose Throne. She checks on her father’s condition, and finds him somewhat intact. Thomas begins to cultivate a new body. She also notices that the Rose power is going out on its own without someone controlling. Jessica thinks she can keep the Roses controlled, and that she may have to take to the Rose Throne to make things right. She also learns the Rose Sword is heading toward to Amber. She trumps Eric. She finds them at a victory celebration party. Jessica is trumped through to the party in Amber.

Jessica tells Corwin that he should leave before Birdhead and his army arrives. Birdhead and Dworkin will take the Pattern blade Corwin bears, willingly or not. She also points out that there is probably nothing Corwin will be able to do to stop Birdhead in any direct confrontation. Corwin agrees and departs with Deirdre.

At House Candent, Gizette rests and checks on what Fiona might have done to Meiko. She finds Meiko practicing katas to calm the mind. They have perhaps their first lengthy conversation without immediate conflicts exploding or about to explode. Gizette learns that the Logrus has taken care of Fiona’s “gift”. They talk about how this new freedom seems not much different from Meiko’s prior life. Gizette also tries to warn Meiko about getting too close to the Logrus. His Nature is only a temporary incarnation. Meiko mulls over the message, discouraging her from getting too close to the Logrus. Gizette also provides Meiko with some guides to help her explore House Candent and see what paths might be out there other then war, and Meiko is definitely interested in seeing a change in her future.

Elsewhere in Candent, the Logrus is feeling a bit peckish and the usual fare around the House just won’t do. He wants to try something a bit more exotic, and decides to consume the part of Fiona’s mind she had planted in Meiko and learn some of what she knows.

In the various corners of Shadow, many conversations occur as the defenders rest briefly.

Random then calls together a meeting of the minds at Texorami. All the major parties are called together, from Amber, Rose, Ygg, and to some degree… the various positions of Chaos. Simon, Durus, Birdhead, and Dworkin are all present, as well as Random, Gizette, the Logrus, Jessica, and Meiko.

Dworkin reveals that he wants to put up a rift that could bring Oberon forward and put him in a new body. There is risk in the ritual. Reality could be destroyed. He goes over the specifics, describing how he does not seek to reel all of Shadow back 3,000 years but to bring Oberon to the current Reality. There are misgivings from most at the table about the risk.

Gizette’s opinion is asked, and she relays that she doesn’t trust Dworkin. He feels that the state of Shadow is trivial to Dworkin, who would sacrifice everything to get Oberon back. She doesn’t like that Oberon died, but thinks that the resurrection of Oberon is not worth the risk. Durus also didn’t like Oberon’s death, but agrees with Gizette’s assessment of the risk. Birdhead just wants Shadow to be free from the sway of the Powers held over their self-determination.

There is some discussion on the nature of the Powers, and Rose power is revealed to have been an instrument of the Unicorn.

The decision is reached. The Powers of Rose, Ygg, and Amber will not assist Dworkin with his plan. The meeting separates with the ominous shadow of the inevitable conflicts to come.

More discussion happens between the parties as the meeting breaks up and dinner is finished (by those that stay). The session concludes, with the persistent question, “What next?”

Session 4 - July 3, 2010

Andi B. – Jessica Asher Ghenki – Random Chris L. – Logrus, the Fourth Leslie – Gizette Chris C. – Meiko

+20 XP at Game Start.

Recapped last session.

The adventures resume at the end of the Texorami dinner party. Most stay after the dinner, but Gizette and Bleys head back to House Candent. They see to their rescued Chaotian, Leon, and check on the damage from Thomas’ brief visit to the Candent infirmary.

Random tries to figure out what Dworkin has already gathered for his four Tokens of Power, and how to sabotage the ritual.

The Logrus doesn’t know what he has to represent Chaos, but he’s sure Dworkin already has something. He appears to only need Pattern and Ygg, now.

There seems to be a number of options: to attack directly, to identify and steal his Chaos token, or have Jessica cut away the Rose Sword from the Power of the Rose. There is even an idea to sabotage a Pattern Blade from Corwin or Bleys, since they are the most likely Pattern Tokens.

After the strategies are put forth, Meiko has a brief moment to talk with her father. There is some apologizing from Simon, who regretted leaving Meiko in slavery as long as he did. He simply had not learned she existed until recently, and his Trump scrying had foretold that to take her place in the unfolding events, she must complete a Trial by Fire.

They also have some discussion of what is happening, and Simon agrees to see what he can learn of the ritual Dworkin put forth. He might be able to find out if there is a hidden purpose to the ritual beyond bringing back Oberon, perhaps see if safer alternatives might exist, and see what methods might exist to counter the ritual without destroying all Shadow.

Meiko agrees to Trump Simon soon, and warns her father that she won’t be accepting any Trump calls soon, after her brush with Fiona. She goes to House Candent when they part.

Jessica leaves Texorami and checks on the Rose Throne. Dad is sprouting well, but she wonders when it may be needful to prune him back. She investigates the location and status of the Demon Portal she requisitioned from the Courts of Chaos. Jessica is not entirely surprised to find the Portal is already back in operation and turning out Rose Demons. She tests her power to control the new army, and tries to direct it to help Ygg. They readily take her direction, but Jessica sees that they begin to spread uncontrolled wherever they go… they take her direction only as a justification to spread Rose influence.

Jessica realizes that the Rose Powers have become only more aggressive with Thomas’ fall, and that she must take the reins of Rose. She goes to the Rose Throne, settles into its symbolic power, and begins to assert her control. Thomas tells her to step away, but she tells him someone must take control since he isn’t able or willing… and she does so. Her father is in no condition to stop her.

Meanwhile, Random Trumps Corwin, and lets him in on the plan. He proposes, as a safety measure, to set traps upon Greyswandir in case it falls into Dworkin’s hands. Corwin agrees, and relays that he is immediately off to Simon to set the trap.

Random then Trumps Bleys. He finds Bleys and Gizette are in the midst of trying to fight the Rose in House Candent. They ask Random to help with an infestation of Rose in the labyrinthine basement of Candent, which is disturbing a major universal force (and Gizette’s strawberry preserves). Random readily agrees to the interesting task described.

They next Trump Jessica to get her help in controlling the Rose. She concedes that she has taken control of the Rose Throne in her father’s stead. Jessica is trying to get a leash around the Rose Demon army heading to “defend” Ygg, and the only way to control Rose right now seems to be seizing the core of its Power in one hand and a pair of pruning shears in the other. Gizette understands, and wishes Jessica a heart-felt “good luck with that”, then asks for Jessica’s help in Candent. Jessica agrees, and steps through the Trump to House Candent. She finds them using sorcery to stop Rose teleportation, and trying to stop the Rose infestation’s escape from a sealed vault deep in the basement.

The Logrus leaves Texorami and seeks out Durus to find what Dworkin would want to take as a token. Durus readily guesses that it might be the staff of Ygg, held by the high priest. They discuss the idea of weaving a trap into the staff to disrupt Dworkin’s plans if he should obtain it. Durus agrees, and sees to the preparations.

Then the Logrus trumps Gizette. Once Gizette knows he is at Ygg, she tells him that there is a Rose army heading to Ygg, and that Jessica is uprooting the rogue parts of the Rose Army that do not follow the spirit and intent of her command. She is aiming to defend… not invade. The Logrus decides it would be best to warn Durus about the Rose Army approaching Ygg to minimize the imminent conflict. After speaking with Durus, he goes to House Candent to help with the Rose containment already under way.

The plan at Candent leaps into action. Jessica goes with Random to the vault hoping to separate the Rose from the vault and its contents. The Logrus helps with the ritual, lending raw power and an odd affinity for sorcery he never displayed before, as if he had been studying and digesting Fiona’s sorcerous style. While heading to the vault, Random uses the Trump connection with Bleys to tell about the plan to booby-trap the Pattern Blades. Also part of the connection, Gizette refuses to allow anyone to tinker with Bleys’ blade (except her), and directs focus back on the infestation below.

With the pair standing at the vault, Gizette remotely unlocks the door for Jessica and Random, and they enter with confidence. Inside is a fully formed unicorn.

It lunges at Jessica, and she finds herself impaled on the beast’s horn… just barely able to keep the strike from being instantly fatal. Gizette, using her deep connection with House Candent to control its shape and form, grabs a hold of the Unicorn’s head. Jessica, despite the horn through her chest, gouges its eyes with her fingers and puts Roses directly in the Unicorn’s gaping eye sockets.

Seeing the mortal battle unfolding, The Logrus pulls himself to the vault and immediately assists. He gives the unicorn a hearty poke in the hindquarters with a Logrus tendril. It turns out it has been millennia since its last examination. Only aggressive treatment would work.

Not one to be caught standing on the sidelines, Random jumps on the Unicorn’s back and begins to stab the beast in the neck.

With the dangerous mix of great Powers attacking the Unicorn, a violent reaction is inevitable. The combatants are thrown back as reality explosively tears and flings them through Shadow.

Random recovers most quickly. He sees no Unicorn, but lots of desert.

Gizette is mostly within House Candent, but very disrupted, Her various shapeshifted extensions are rejecting each other, trying to force her apart.

The Logrus realizes that he is most likely going to die… The construct is ready to end its current incarnation and start the next one. The Logrus, however, is not ready to reincarnate… He uses an artifact and his advanced shapeshifting to reconstitute himself through the artifact without losing his current “self”. He finds that the artifact has WAY too much Order in it… more than an artifact of Chaos is expected to have. He reincarnates, but the unexpected nature of the Jewel of Wrath interferes with his efforts. While he is whole again, he may not be able to shapeshift any time soon. He sees that the Jewel is not just Logrus, but part Pattern and part Logrus.

Jessica regains consciousness, but is severely injured. She uses Rose to pull the knowledge and ability of shapeshifting into her being, using her father as a ready template. She begins to mend as quickly as she can.

Gizette tries to pull herself together. She has trouble keeping coherence, and contacts Bleys for help. He drops all that he is doing and pulls her scattered parts, as much as he can, to the infirmary.

Random grows bored with being in a desert almost right away. He uses the Jewel to get back to Candent. He is allowed passage and goes to the infirmary.

The Logrus, though weakened, tries to pull himself back to Candent. He finds he has enough command to use Logrus to pull himself back, and he takes that as a very good sign.

Jessica recovers enough to stand and resume the task at hand. She Trumps to Bleys, and asks for help to hunt the escaped Unicorn. Bleys quickly finds who is ready and close at hand, and sends through Random and Meiko. The three resume hunting.

The seeking is not long or difficult. They find the Unicorn prancing in a field of Roses. Its own Roses…

Jessica fires off a thorn arrow from her Rose bow. With her arrow in the field, Jessica begins to force her influence on the Unicorn’s Roses…

Meiko fires a volley from Ember’s photonic lance. As Meiko blows pieces off the Unicorn, Random takes all advantage of the distraction to cut the Unicorn’s throat.

This gives Jessica enough time to work. She feels immense power behind the Unicorn’s Roses and realizes that this aspect of the Unicorn is the one that created Rose Power. She forces herself to a new height of Rose mastery, opens a floodgate of Power, and dominates the Unicorn Roses. As she beats back the last resistance, she has yet another revelation… the constant whispering of the Roses was the Voice of the Rose Unicorn.

The battle over, Random retrieves the Unicorn’s horn (no sense in letting it fall into the wrong hands) and Trumps Corwin.

He finds that Dworkin and Birdhead just left Amber, having just taken Corwin’s sword. Random asks to be pulled to Amber, and Corwin obliges. He finds that Dworkin and Birdhead are not too far away, and they might be able to catch them. There are no guarantees that Corwin and Random would survive catching the pair, however…

Jessica and Meiko recover at the site of the Unicorn battle, burning what remains of the beast. Meiko helps Jessica to heal her injuries faster, since it is certain that the fighting is not done for the day.

In the present lull, Jessica decides all this fighting really sucks. Meiko, as would most good warriors across Shadow, agrees wholeheartedly. Jessica offers Meiko a visit Earth when things stop burning and exploding. Meiko accepts, secretly daring to suppose both of them would still be alive.

Back in Amber, Random tries to Trump Meiko with his latest information, but he is actively refused. He Trumps Jessica next, and she agrees to pull him through at his request. They discuss what to do next, since the battle at Ygg approaches like a storm on the horizon. Random hatches a cunning plot, and goes to talk with Lady Hendrake and negotiate to have her assault Birdhead. Jessica and Meiko go to fix the rebelling Rose Army and bring them under control before they reach Ygg.

Random Trumps Lady Hendrake, and expertly prepares the field of negotiation. Lady Hendrake is reluctant to help, and is initially puzzled that Random would even ask… until Random carefully lays bare the extent of Lord Dorvil’s plans. He reveals how Dorvil is more then he let on… that he is actually Dworkin, and how he planned to resurrect the archrival of the Courts, his son, King Oberon. Worse yet, he manipulated Lady Hendrake and the others at the Courts as a tool to his own end, against their own best interests. And, as the frosting on the Cake of Betrayal, Random reveals that Lord Dorvil, aka Dworkin, formed an alliance with Hendrake’s rival, Birdhead. Presented with this artistic quadruple-layer Dessert of Treachery, Lady Hendrake reluctantly agrees to ally with Random and his companions for the purpose of destroying Dworkin and Birdhead, but guarantees nothing beyond that.

Random talks with Meiko, letting her know the extent of his successful pact with Lady Hendrake. They both readily agree that she will need to be watched and her allegiance played carefully… she will assuredly betray them the moment she sees an advantage.

Then he trumps the Logrus. They discuss the alliance of convenience with Lady Hendrake, and that she is likely to help against Dworkin and Birdhead. Random also learns about the Staff of Ygg, and that the plan to trap it had been accepted.

Jessica seeks to learn more about how to destroy Dworkin from her connection with Rose. She discovers that the task is complicated by the fact that he is known as a pre-eminent user of all Powers. She then trumps to Gizette to share information. In the conversation, Mourne comes up. Jessica suspects that Mourne may need de-Rosing, but Gizette declines for now.

With this brought to mind, Gizette goes to the vault after the Trump with Jessica and pulls Mourne out of statis.

Once roused, Mourne finds that she feels better. Casually shedding the shape of Mourne, she turns into the Unicorn. It thanks Gizette for maintaining a bastion of Order in the Chaos, then trots out into Shadow.

At Ygg, the battle begins to form up. Jessica and Meiko arrive at the head of the Rose Demon army, and there is a respectful, if distrustful, talk with Durus over helping the defenses of Ygg. He reluctantly agrees, perhaps starting to believe that Jessica really does want to help and isn’t there as a disguised attempt to uproot Ygg. Jessica is not her father.

Random is the next to join, and says he can trump Lady Hendrake to the battle when necessary.

Inevitably, the Birdhead Army arrives, and initially the engagements go against the defenders. Meiko puts everything she knows into the confrontation, seeking to delay Birdhead’s army and exhaust them against the Ygg defenses. The battles become stalemates, then the attackers begin to be pushed back.

The next phase of the Birdhead assault begins. Using a mix of sorcery and technology, a fleet of airships are brought within sight of Ygg. Despite taking heavy losses the attacking airship push to drop bombs over Ygg and the defenders. Random taps into the amazing powers within the Jewel of Judgment to call up a storm of epic proportions. He uses the very winds of the storm to blow the airships and their bombs away from Ygg. Unfortunately, the airships had enough time to carry Birdhead and Dworkin into battle, and close to achieving their goal.

Meiko stretches her knowledge of warfare, tapping into everything she has ever learned, through implanted knowledge, experience, or innate instinct. When Birdhead drops from his exploding airship and into the fray as if every moment was part of his plan, he meets Meiko at the height of her fighting form. She greets him blade to blade, will to will. As Birdhead still pushes slowly forward, she asks Birdhead to withdraw. She tells him that she is ready to die on this field for this cause. He demands that she prove it.

When he finally cuts a branch from the tree of Ygg, Meiko cuts off the arm that reaches for it. The pair, perhaps still expecting the other to relent, strike each other through the heart.

Birdhead looks surprised, not expecting Meiko to have developed her skills to this level.

As the two feel life draining away, Meiko whispers as the din of battle fades, “I meet you in the Warriors’ final embrace.”

The battle between Birdhead and Meiko concludes, but the fight with Dworkin rages on. The Logrus gets a trump from Dworkin that tries to take him over, but the Logrus refuses to relent. He steels himself from the assault, willing to gently slap himself to unconsciousness if necessary.

Random ramps up the power of the storm, and lightning lances the sky and begins to assault Dworkin’s defenses. Dworkin seems to see that with Birdhead fallen and the others focused against him, the battle is too risky. He vanishes to Shadow unknown.

With the immediate threat over, the bodies of Birdhead and Meiko are whisked to House Candent and Gizette’s resuscitory prowess. The damage is severe enough to force a choice on Gizette to save one or the other, so she gives herself a little more time by putting Birdhead in statis. She starts work on Meiko. After Gizette and the Logrus begin, they find her condition easier to stabilize then one would normally expect, and are able to assist in a shockingly rapid recovery. Then they turn to Birdhead, who they stabilize but leave in statis rather then test how far he is willing to go in his quest to further Dworkin’s goals.

Jessica begins to examine the Rose Sword. She sees that Dworkin had woven remote sympathies into the sword, and that merely taking the sword from him physically will not stop him from using it in his ritual. Jessica focuses on severing the link to Rose on the Sword.

Logrus builds up a similar plan to cut Dworkin’s Chaos Token, his whip, from the Construct. The Logrus is willing to sacrifice his current incarnation, but succeeds in severing the whip from Construct without ending his present form.

Random tries to get middlemen to contact Dworkin to negotiate, but Dworkin isn’t talking to anyone. With the Staff of Ygg now at House Candent, as well as Tokens for all other Powers, a battle at House Candent looms in the near future.

Meiko works with Gizette to enhance the defenses of House Candent. Under Gizette’s supervision and direction the House is better prepared to eject parts of itself that become compromised without causing damage to the rest of Candent.

Gizette also works to get Leon to Chaos, safely and without risk of him just being re-recruited into Dorvil’s army. The secrets to breaking the binding to the army is shared, and will no doubt be adapted and used by the Noble Houses in Chaos to retrieve their drafted children.

Bonus Content: Player Quips!

In regards to Corwin’s Rose Bondage/Domination of Deirdre, which she seems to readily accept: “Rose me up, rose me down.”