The following is the campaign log for the thirteenth session of my
current
Amber Diceless RPG campaign, entitled A Horse Of Another Timbre. One of
my players keeps a log of the scenes, and another maintains a quote
list. As usual, I have combined them with a few extra notes of
my own after the fact. I post them here several months after, which
allows me to add in a few little clarifications without worrying too
much about spoiling future plotlines for my players.
------
The PCs are:
- Dalziel,
son of Prince Bleys of Amber. A scientist.
- Maarit, daughter of Princess Sand. An orphan with a magic pendulum.
- Medore,
nonbinary orphan of Princess Dierdre .
- Spinturnix,
(aka Nix), son of Prince Julian. Grew up in Forest Arden.
- David Weyreth
is a retired officer from the militaries of Amber.
- Abn Haram,
the human-shaped son of Lady Nykae of Chaos, and the long-dead Prince Osric of Amber.
Most
of
the NPCs are from the novels, such as the brooding-pack-of-literary-references known as Prince Corwin, his too-clever-for-anyone's-good sister Princess Fiona, or their brother King Random and his wife Queen Vialle.
There's
a few new NPCs as well, and in tonight's these include some people from a Kingdom in the Golden Circle known as Ladorn. Ladorn is a vassal state to Amber, benefiting from the extensive trade of Amber's universe-traversing navies. The Queen of Ladorn currently lives in the City of Amber, distant from her conniving Prince Regent. These characters were basically lifted from some other group's Amber campaign. A couple sessions in to my game, when the Question of David's family came up, David's player said he'd chose the name Weyreth from someone's list of the Great Houses of Amber. At the time he thought the list was canonical because it mentioned Lords Feldane and Chantris, which I had already name dropped in our campaign. Those two Lords are from the novels, they are the only non-family witnesses to Deirdre's demise at the end of book five. So he had this cool document he wanted to use, and I was already brewing a subplot with the Chantris's, so I just said sure, that document is now canon to our campaign. And then I started weaving in elements from it into the plot structure I'd already been building.
There's also this mysterious
black unicorn that keeps getting attacked by the standard white unicorn
that Amber reveres.
Setting the Scene: When last we saw our heroes: Dalziel and Medore were hiding a mysterious Black Unicorn. Fiona and Maarit were exploring a strange new world. Nix is poking around Forest Arden trying to find out what happened to his father. Abn Haram had barely survived a mysterious attack that boiled Amber bay and destroyed Bleys' fleet. David had foiled an attempted kidnapping or assassination against Queen Vialle.
Campaign log: 15 February 2021, turn by turn
Scene 1: David looks for a situation report
He gains a situation report from the troops he's been given. They report that a naval battle has started between Caine's fleet and Bleys' fleet. Some of the Amber fleet have attacked Caine but that isn't uniform. He leaves a standing order that sizeable forces are still not allowed into the City, but wounded troops may be brought.
The officers ask if the Queen is okay -- David reports that she is, but wants to keep her location secret. David seeks out the longest serving members of the group to ask questions about the inner workings of the castle, and about Ladorn. David sends out a couple runners:
1. to find Colonel Ladorn and return with his location. David would go to the location.
2. to get Queen Ladorn and request/demand her return to the castle "for her safety"
3. He sends an interrogator to find out what can be learned from the prisoner.
Runner 1 returns and reports that Colonel Ladorn has left the castle by way of the stables. The runner is sure the Colonel has left the building. David tells him to go around again and spread the word that the Colonel's been branded 'suspicious.'
One of the Colonel's Lieutenant's comes to David and mentions that there's something strange going on in the water, something mysterious causing ships--mostly Bleys' ships--to break apart and go under the water. He further reports that he witnessed the Colonial speaking with his ranger scouts. Three of the men are dead now and the fourth is being held -- turns out to be THE PRISONER DAVID HAS TAKEN. He also says he's the one who told the runner about the Colonel's trip to the stables; his Captain Redwyn also withheld information that makes him seem guilty too. David asks for a list of the soldiers under Redwyn's command.
4. Runner for is sent for Captain Redwyn.
Scene 2: Nix and the Rangers at the Fallen Camp
The rangers and Nix arrive at the fallen camp to find the soldiers there dead. They collect the id tags of the soldiers. They also get the log for the camp, which indicates that one of Eric's men, "Ludwik," had been a regular visitor but may have been a weir and gave information to the wolves. He prepares a note reporting that the camp has fallen. They find one living soldier, whom they bandage up and prepare to return to Amber.
Four of Julian's Hellhounds show up, three of them crazily chasing the fourth, wounded one. Nix uses his experience with commanding the dogs and calms them, getting the three healthy ones under control and then bringing the fourth one in. He sends the three healthy ones back to the kennels, bearing the note reporting the camp's condition. Then he bandages the fourth and brings it with them. They leave the camp to return to Amber with the bird circling overhead.
Scene 3: Medore and Dalziel healing with the Unicorn
The news is reporting that "the thing in the lake" has been killing people lately.
They head out on a road trip in a camper with a trailer to let the Unicorn heal in the trailer. They notice that no matter where they go, "the thing in the lake" is a threat that everyone knows. They believe "the Goose" protects them against the lake creature.
On this world's version of Coast to Coast with Art Bell, one of the reports about the people who encountered the thing indicates that there was a dispute over a goose flock among siblings. Medore calls in to suggest that maybe "Moose" would be just as good at protecting against the thing in the lake, sparking lively debate.
The Unicorn seems to be healing, but is also very well behaved all of a sudden. Even when they let her out to graze, she heads back to the trailer after a little while. Dalziel acquires a Goose at the gas station. Within the next couple days, she shows greater health and enthusiasm. She also only goes to the bathroom when she's out of sight of Medore.
Medore uses his card to call Corwin, who is standing on, and tying up, a Triton. Medore suggests that the black unicorn is connected to Medore's mother. He mentions the painting and talks it over with Corwin. Corwin cautions that there's danger in letting the unicorn go to the pattern (where it may die). (Corwin is with Random.) Corwin tries to ask if Medore is sure that the Unicorn is of the family.
Some Corwin Lines I Had Prepared:
Medore, remember what I told you the other night about the pit where a loved one used to be? You're teetering on the edge there, about to fall into the deep dark grief. You don't want the weight of a dead unicorn around your neck, albatross-like, to make climbing out again that much more difficult.
Four-legs and hooves are not meant to waltz the Pattern. I watched a stallion named Iago get spooked and step out onto it, and the Pattern consumed him. Random could confirm that - Iago was his best horse... And I'm a cold-hearted bastard for telling you to check that with him, given that Random's own kid sister died on a Pattern as well. Trust me it's a known danger, if you're not of Royal Blood, or you are but you've been recently leaking any of it, don't attempt the Pattern.
After that, he'll encourage Medore to go to Tir-na Nog'th instead.
The moon is friend for the lonesome to talk to. Sometimes, she more than listens, whispering back the things you'd failed to notice for yourself. If you go, and something you see in the silver plays into your confirmation bias, you can always have her walk the tracery written in the clouds.
You'll have visions there. I used to think they were bunk, but then I learned otherwise. Traditional thinking is this will render up three visions, though I imagine you might not be one who holds much to traditional thinking. There'll be a lot motion, colorless shades milling about in moonlight, but three times in the night things will suddenly come in to clarity, and you'll be able to see each other, but never touch. You are as ghost to them as they are to you.
Tradition also holds that you have multiple escape routes. Sometimes a cloud will pass over the moon, and cause it or a part of it to fade away for a while. My favorite trick is to have someone on a card-call all the while. Someone you can trust, so probably not family. Best is someone you made in shadow for just this purpose, though... well, they can't all be Ganelons. If you start sliding through the floor, you'll need to escape quickly, and you can't count on being able to hold a card while falling. So it has to be someone else, holding your card, and an open connection the whole time.
Corwin suggests that Medore talk to "the moon," Tier Na Nogth. Corwin
suggests that above the castle is a staircase to Amber's "reflection in
the sky" where the question in your mind will be answered by visions. He
offers advice about how to do it safely (using a spotter with a card,
"find" someone out in Shadow who can help). They then discuss how to get
Medore and Dalziel back home. They also consider whether to watch out
for the other Unicorn, who seems to hate the black unicorn. Corwin has
to go, as trouble is afoot.
Scene 4: Maarit 'a walkin' with Fiona
Maarit has invited Fiona to go with her while she raises an army. Fiona is under the impression that the army is being raised for Maarit, rather than for Medore. They pass through the crooked forest where Medore has his army hanging out. Maarit uses pattern to push them through the forest toward the army. It's a Lewis Carroll kind of world. She pushes toward a world where the underbrush looks like small, tightly weaved heather. Fiona remains relatively silent until Maarit is able to really get the world shifting into the place Medore's army is. They see a comet with twinkly lights, and then find themselves among bunkers and sci-fi army sentries. The stars get harder to see. A large convoy of trucks approaches from behind. Maarit manipulates the pattern and pushes the trucks into an accident(?).
Fiona asks if Maarit is interested in looking for her mother. Maarit says she also likes the idea of checking out what's behind the other doors on the landing they visited. Maarit says the time might be out of sync. She shares her birth story with Fi, after Fi asks her about her world. Maarit admits she doesn't know how they knew she was family. Fiona doesn't know either, and suggests its weird that Llewella and Gerard would have found her together, as they've never been particularly close.
Fiona notices that the world they're going to is slow, so she works to help Maarit get them there faster. Finally, they arrive at an army drilling and doing training. They begin mustering the army.
Scene 5: Abn Haram slumming it.
Abn had curled up under a blanket, aiming for an hour or so in a shack. After a half hour, someone ushers someone else into the shed, offering shelter to someone else. Abn Haram peeks out and spots a man in the Amber Navy uniform, sopping wet, with a bandage around his arm and a burn on the left side of his face.
Abn sneaks up behind the man, pulls his dagger, and menaces him silently. "Hello friend..." He lets the man sit down. The main is afraid of Abn Haram and expresses his admiration of the swordsmanship. Haram questions the man about his orders and plans. The man tells Haram what he can and feels better when Abn Haram puts his blade away. He says that they were in Heapania "5 days ago" and had to make speed for Amber, where they would participate in a show of force without battle.
You nearly killed me an hour ago. A fancy duelist's move that sent my sword wide, so I pulled my dagger as we slammed together, but you got under me somehow, and sent me over the rails. It was the finest piece of swordsmanship I'd ever seen, and I considered myself incredibly luck to have survived that, and the boiling bay that followed. Two escapes in one day. It's a sign, sir. I'm not fighting you, nor your fleet. My lady is helping me desert.
The man was so easy to defeat, Abn Haram doesn't even remember him. Just one of dozens he faced in combat that morning.
The man suggests the Chaos creatures are horrific. He says it's not appropriate to receive a delegation from Chaos. Abn Haram asks about the thing in the water -- the man describes it as lit up, with a horn like a narwhal. Haram learns the man's name, Lurie.
Abn Haram adopts an inconspicuous but NOT SKULKING mode of walking and heads up for the castle. People from both sides of the battle are in town but are keeping apart from one another. Abn Haram uses some subtle prodding to break out a fight among the Men of Averness (Bleys) and the Amber Marines (Amber), which spreads among the soldiers and along the beach.
Abn Haram heads up to the castle.
Scene 1b, 2b, 4b: David in the castle, Nix returns, Abn Haram arrives
David gets a list of the scouts and anything else the Lieutenant thinks was, in retrospect, suspicious. While the Lieutenant is gathering that info, David gets some of his service record.
He reads up on Captain Redwyn, learning that he was present in the wars against Chaos and has a solid but unexceptional record. Runner 4 returns with Captain Redwin, who salutes angrily. David offers Redwin food, then reminisces about something he saw during the Chaos war. Building bridges. The Captain has none of it, defends the other guy, makes snide remarks about David.
Runner 2 returns, having told them that Queen Ladorn was required, but left when he saw that there was a horse from the castle at the house. David dispatches a squad to find the Queen and, if she won't come, search the house for Colonel Ladorn.
Another runner returns from the harbor to report that many/most of Bleys' ships have sunk or retreated. Only a few ships in the harbor still fly the Amber flags.
David does a couple other things as well:
- Check on the status of the pattern
- Check on the staff guarding the dungeons
- Follow up on the list of VIPs in the castle
Medore, Dalziel, Maarit, Nix - reports on the comings and goings of these are part of it.
- he knows Nix is gone, thinks Medore and Dalziel and Maarit are safe in the castle
- upon a further inquiry, finds the others don't answer their door.
- David checks on the kitchen, and learns that Maarit and Fiona left through a Mystery Door, whose existence David laments.
Nix returns: The scene is chaotic and nervous. Nix learns of the battle, so he asks the Rangers to stay with him, sends the injured man to the infirmary and goes to Julian's wing to take the dog to the kennels. When the guards show up, Nix asks to be taken to David. They have a tet-a-tet, and David suggests that Nix can help figure out who did who and what they did. David asks Nix if he can help figure out what's up with the King.
Scene 5b: Abn Haram arrives at the Castle:
The front gate guard welcomes the him into the castle, but starts talking to other guards about him. One of the guards goes to report to David that Abn Haram is in the castle. David goes to investigate, and learns that Haram is in the castle somewhere.
Haram goes looking for the King and finds a steward, who reports that the King and nearly everyone has left. Haram is escorted to a courtyard where he finds Nix picking at David's food. They chat about the battle in the sea and about Julian and then Nix asks about Brute and learns she's healthy.
David arrives and asks about Haram's adventures; he offers the tale of his adventures, but cannot offer a description of the thing that was sinking the ships. David asks whether Haram has contact with Nykae. Haram says he's offering his help to defend the castle. David grimaces about it.
Scene 5c: Abn Haram in Chaos:
Abn Haram steps aside to receive contact with Sevran, who indicates that he's being stalked by the "Wyverns of Hendrake," which isn't likely to be too dangerous, so he wants help. Haram offers to help by getting in contact with Nykae. Sevran needs help, so Abn Haram tells them he needs to go, and yeets out of there with a tarot.
He arrives in the chaos ravine with Sevran to find a bunch of Wyverns and other winged creatures. Abn Haram tests out his laser gun and learns it does work here. The folks from Chaos approach frighteningly. Haram starts a frightening spell, conjuring up some sort of golem.
Nix steps over to a different corner and reaches out to Random. Random asks about the battle in the harbor just as Nix reports that the Queen has been attacked. The King tells Nix to accompany David on the trip to arrest the suspects. They go off to see the one who's already been detained.
Scene 4b: Fiona plays Cards
Fiona finds a place she can sit down and cast the family tarot. She does 3 different tableaus of cards, each in a very different formation, possibly from 3 different occult traditions. At each one she frowns briefly, scoops up the cards, and tries again in a different spread. Maarit sort of closes in slowly as this is going on, and only gets a real good look at the last formation. Maarit asks "Is something wrong?" and Fiona replies "Not wrong, exactly, but surprising, and that rarely happens to me." The third and final spread of cards has 4 family "face cards" in it: Bleys, Caine, Julian, and Osric, plus some of the non-Trump minor arcana from the deck.
Fiona talks about how she goes to a lot of trouble fixing other people's problems, and then says she's off to do so again. Maarit asks if she should check in with her after a certain amount of time, just to be safe. Fi says that's not necessary, she can take care of herself, but if you want to call me sometime just to be friendly, she'd like that. Fi stands up, adjusts her skirt, and find the nearest visual obstruction to disappear behind.
Scene 3B: Dalziel and Medore's acrobatics
After explaining the plan to a Unicorn that probably doesn't understand them, Dalziel uses the card of the Muster Field to reach Amber, and brings with him the cards for Medore and Oosland. He arrives in the city, where there's still some hieghtened level of alert and trouble at the docks. He heads up to the castle.
Guards at the castle gate say David was looking for him, and Dalziel tells them that he'll be in his own quarters, then in the library doing research, but will find the Major in a few hours or so when he's done.
He then walks part way to his quarters, before slipping out back and through the gardens toward the three steps to Tir-na Nog'th. The problem is that it's daylight still, making the moon not useful. So he finds a secluded spot near the stairs, and calls Medore. Brings Medore through, leaving the Unicorn briefly alone. Dalziel uses the Oosland card, and once beside the Unicorn again, calls Medore and gives them the Oosland card. This is a trust moment, as briefly Medore is in Amber, with no way to get to Oosland or the Unicorn.
Medore waits for dark and the moon to appear. Dalziel agrees to call every few hours in Oosland time, which is every 15 to 30 minutes in Amber. Umbra (Medore's Raven) arrives, actually flying from over by the stairs, as if Umbra knew what was going on. Umbra reports to Medore that it saw War and Magic and a Sea Monster in the bay.
Scene 4C: You and Whose Army?
Maarit calls Llewella. Llewella has updates from Rebmans who have fled from Rebma to Wellaswell. The initial invasion of Rebma was counter-attacked by Caine and Martin. Since Maarit has Medore's army all ready: Llewella trumps to the Muster Field. Maarit calls her again, and Llewella walks to the edge of town so they won't be seen as invaders. Maarit asks how Llewella found her in the first place. Llewella says that she had broken open Sand's diary, trying to find any clues to why Sand and Delwin never showed up during the Black Road War. She then clarifies that Gerard broke the lock on the diary with his "big meaty hands". Why do you ask?
Well, I recently met auntie Fiona, and --
Llewella cuts her off. "Fiona is dangerous."
"Like we all are?"
"No, Fiona is more so than most. I arrange my life so that she never has an excuse to call me. She's not as dangerous with a sword as most of our brothers, but you should assume she knows every form of magic and obscure esoteric power. She's also left a knife in a brother's kidney once. In hindsight, it was the right thing to do, but she did it under half a dozen noses and none of us had any idea it was her. Actually, I take that back, I've often suspected that Julian knew it was her, somehow, but I've never found a convenient moment to bring up the subject. Fiona's dangerous, and you should avoid her. Luckily, we have each other. We can watch each-other's backs. Just don't trust her."
A moment later, with Llewella at the edge of town, they begin passing troops through one by one.
Scene 5D: Never Wed A Hendrake Lass
Lord Sevran and Abn Haram negotiate with Gilva of House Hendrake, who has a terrifying form with 11 limbs, and is at the lead of a small army. Gilva is very accusatory, claiming Sevran made the rift, and that it's clearly martial in nature and thus endangers all of Chaos. Once the Amberites learn it exists, they'll make a preemptive strike against the courts. Abn Haram flusters her a bit, by pointing out that she sounds scared. She continues to accuse, and when they deny having created the rift, she then claims it for House Hendrake. Abn Haram then basically tricks her into accepting responsibility for the rift: it's House Hendrake's problem now, and all the courts will know it. She tells them they have 1 hour to vacate the headlands of the rift, or else she will remove them by force. No one really gets what they want. Sevran loses control of the Rift Headlands, but Gilva is left feeling manipulated and outclassed.
Sevran breaks camp, and he uses a card to go home to Moenways, bringing Abn Haram with him. There, he makes a single-use sketch of Gehenna for Abn Haram, who goes through. AH calls Sevran, who goes into Gehenna with equipment to make a card of it for AH's future use.
(Reference: "Never Wed A Hendrake Lass" is an in-universe canonical song in Merlin's saga)
Scene 3C: I Spy With Dalziel's Eye
While waiting with the Unicorn, Dalziel uses a mysterious new Power to spy on Amber. He sees the bay, and can tell something is "wrong" at and just below the surface of the water. Essentially, the energy-lattice that defines reality is different there than elsewhere in Amber. He's still a bit uncertain on what Magic, Pattern, Entropy, Tarot, etc look like via his remote viewing Power, so he's not really sure what it means, but his guts says it seems more like Family meddled there, then Chaos. He needs to do more research.
He rests a bit, checks on Medore's card, rests some more, and then remotely examines Faiella-Bionin, the stairs to Rebma. He sees that the stairs are basically energy "rails" with some sort of powerful magic (?) that runs the length of them, and that stepping off the rails midway would be dangerous. That much he more-or-less expected, but there's more. There's a little blip at the spot where he and the Unicorn appeared on the stairs the previous day, and he's not seen enough to know if its a permanent feature or just an after-effect that will wear away. There's something else/more at the base of the stairs / the gates of Rebma, it's a disrupted energy-lattice much like what he saw in the bay. This one fills the gates, and is terribly cold, with the corresponding physical space filled with ice. As he watches, it starts somehow leaching heat out of him via his Pattern Lens, making him shiver. He drops his remote view, and feels exhausted. He needs to take another rest.
The Quotes Of Chaos
Nix: Takes book from a fort full of dead men “I haven’t read that yet.”
Medore: Who are we to stop her
Corwin: That’s a loaded question
Abn Haram: I merely have your knife as a precaution.
Sailor to Abn Haram: You can’t stand up to those things. True Grotesques!
Abn Haram: "I'll remember you now." THIS SHOULD NOT MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER.
Abn Haram: “I abhor violence”
Colonel Redwin: “Your unit was wiped out almost to a man, wasn’t it sir?”
David: "It was a hard day, for some of us more than others."
Jeremy (David's Player): Low blow, man
Guard: Abn Haram who I earlier reported as in the dungeons has just entered the castle through one of the gates.
David: I see they have expanded the size of his cell…
Abn Haram: It’s a good thing I arrived when I did.
Llwella: “you understand she’s dangerous”
Maarit: “I understand she’s family”
Sevran: “The Amberites will see this thing that is clearly made only for war and they will attack us.”
Abn Haram: “Do you fear them so greatly?”
it occurs to me that if medore desired to invade amber this would be an amazing maneuver. getting someone else to secret her army in while separately smuggling herself to someplace well behind the castles defenses...
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