A Horse Of Another Timbre #15

The following is the campaign log for the 15th 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.

You can also Start from Session #1 or just pick up at Session 14.

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 (though a few of them have some big surprises). A few are unique to the campaign, such as: 

• Sergeant Luvag, who was part of a failed attempt to kidnap or murder Queen Vialle.
• Jobber, who was recruited by Abn Haram in a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
  
• There's a mysterious Black Unicorn, that Medore has taken to the Pattern in Tir-na Nog'th because Medore has a crazy idea that somehow this Black Unicorn is their mother.
• Maarit's pendulum that she uses for dowsing/ouija magic starts to really feel in this session like it might be an NPC, not an impartial divination tool.

 Campaign log: 15 March 2021, turn by turn
Scene 1a: Nix interrogates the prisoner

Left by David to interrogate the prisoner Sgt Luvag, Nix begins the interrogation to learn why the guard had attacked the queen. In between punches by the guard helping him, Nix learns the guard's story:

•     he and his mates were told by a kitchen worker (lady, plain) that they overheard David plotting to kill the Queen
•     they rushed to the Queen's chambers where they saw David kill the guards outside her chamber
•     Inside they faced down David and ALL THE OTHER GUARDS WERE KILLED.
•     He insists he was trying to save Queen Vialle

Nix leaves (having the guard punch the prisoner a few times) and goes to rack a spell that will help with the interrogation.


Scene 2a: Abn Haram hellriding across the wasteland with Jobber and Steward

Jobber and Abn Haram drive across the wasteland in the 1906 Silver Ghost, rattling over the land paved in skulls. They leave behind the others following them, and Abn Haram uses entropy to undermine and manipulate Jobber's mind in the back seat, sucking him in, undermining his mind. The driver tastes the polluted rain falling on the car. Abn Haram has Steward drive on, leaving the other driver behind. They leave the land of the many skulls and roll into a terrain of fist-sized hunks of rock. They crest a hill and begin rumbling down a hill, causing a landslide and making it difficult for Steward to retain control of the car. Haram dislodges a stronger rock slide.

Under the landslide, a large bus-sized bug (like an ant-lion) emerges from the crater, right where they would have been if not for the landslide Abn Haram started. The bug menaces the vehicle. Abn Haram calls forth "entropy" and starts raising the discarded carapaces of the creature to attack the creature. Haram fires at the creature with his LazerMax Impirator™ and it rears back menacingly

Haram and his companions dive out of the car just before it is eaten by the monster. Jobber escapes smoothly but Steward is injured. Haram strikes the Creature a few times, wounding it and sending it into retreat. Haram uses entropy to drain the essence from the giant antlion and directs the energy into Steward. As they walk across the wasteland, Haram directs their journey to find a functioning but abandoned vehicle with corpses. Haram conjures mechanical soundness into the vehicle, then tries to heal Steward. They head off, with Steward driving once again.


Scene 3a: Medore, the Pattern, and the Unicorn

Medore pursues the Black Unicorn through the pattern of Tir-na Nog'th. It does a decent job but at one point, as it approaches a tight turn, it struggles and manifests a hand instead of a hoof while it staggers around on its back legs. Medore sees the unicorn struggling and transform into a dark form, but proceeds along the pattern.  As they struggle through the barriers and veils, they encounter different aspects of their memory and life. At one point, they find themselves in the city of their childhood (Ozmopolis).

Moving along the grand curve, Medore gains swiftly on the dark form, but it makes it to the final veil first. With each step, the form gains detail and "she" calls out that she's "Dierdre of Amber" and calls out to go through the veil. Medore pushes through the last veil. When Medore emerges, they see Dierdre standing at the center of the pattern, naked. Dierdre tells Medore to meet her in Ozmopolis near the Great and Powerful Oz. She vanishes and Medore follows.

They meet in front of the big face of Oz, but it's decrepit and disused and decaying. Dierdre is there, wearing Medore's coat and fashioning a skirt out of the curtains. They reunite and talk about how she was thought to be dead. Medore shares that Rebma has fallen, that [the wier] are loose in the woods, Uncle Caine has assembled some fleets, and some Chaosites have been around. She asks how long she's been out, and expresses doubt about Caine's motive.

Dierdre thinks (or starts to think) Oberon is still around. She shares some of the war stories, about how she stepped in against Brand, who used the gem and "encased her in rubies." Corwin overpowered Brand and redirected the magic. Then Caine shot Brand and Dierdre, and they fell into the abyss. Dierdre chopped up Brand and was rescued by a green-eyed white unicorn, who stole the jewel. Yikes.

Medore shares the theory they heard from Dalziel, and suggests to Dierdre that there might be multiple layers of patterns, and shares that they hadn't heard the tales of her death. They ask Dierdre to "double-check her memories against theirs." If there are multiple universes, perhaps this Dierdre is from a different dimension. They head out of the city to get food.


Scene 4a: Maarit on the Beach with Llewella

While Llewella takes some alone time, Maarit sets up a divination spot with her pendant.

    She asks the pendulum whether the various people in the line of succession for Rebma are alive or dead. Most are dead but Queen Psamathe is indicated as maybe alive. (When asked if she's dead the pendulum bounces between yes and other.)

•     Is the Queen's "body is present in Rebma." The pendulum makes no answer.
•     Has Martin been crowned King? Yes
•     Did he crown himself? Yes
•     Is Martin the reason she's not the Queen? Yes
•     Did he do her harm? No
•     Is there something for us to find at the Barnacle Gate? VERY STRONG YES
•     Is it still our best way in? VERY STRONG YES

Maarit tries to call Fiona Llewella, who doesn't make the trump connection.

Maarit hears splashing water and labored breathing, and goes over to investigate. The person who emerged from the water has watertight synthetic clothes and welcomes Llewella over, offering the good news that it seems like the Queen's not dead. Llewella reports that she can't see how the barnacle gate could be the solution.

GM's Clarification: Maarit tried calling Llewella, not Fiona. No answer, because Llewella was actively trying to transform from some sort of mermaid-selkie form back into human form. This was confusing to our record keeper because the only time she'd transformed before was at the tail-end of a session after Brendan had logged out. No one but Maarit knows Llewella can do this.

Llewella says that "What Martin's done can't be left unanswered." and suggests leaving Maarit's army on the beach to be ready to strike. Llewella realizes that maybe Martin has been planning all this for a long time and expresses sadness that he let her down. She suggests that maybe Martin had been making these plans for a long time.

•     Are members of the family responsible for Llewella's trouble? yes
•     Is Caine responsible? No answer
•     Pendant stops responding to any answers

The pendant starts to glow about as brightly as a candle. The light and heat from the pendulum grow -- it's as if it's caught on fire. Maarit tries to grab the pendant with her other hand and it hurts. Llewella tries to put water on it, but that doesn't work. Maarit drops the pendant and the flame bursts up, higher than Maarit's head while she sits on the ground.

Maarit stares deeply into the fire and can tell that something in the fire is watching her. Maarit stares into the fire and directs the force of her will into it. The fire explodes, sending up a pillar of flame. Maarit hears someone say "Never spy on me again or I'll kill you" and her hair is on fire. She rolls in the sand to put her hair out. The flame extinguishes, leaving a scorch mark with melted sand inside the circle.

Maarit asks Llewella which person is particularly aligned with Fire. Llewella suggests it could have been Brand (who's dead), or Bleys or Fiona, both of whom have hair the color of that fire. Could also have been Bleys' son. 

(And of course, it may also be Caine, given that he was the one she'd most recently asked the pendant about.)


Scene 5a: Dalziel and the Thomas the Think Tank

Dalziel had taken a long shadow walk to set up a think tank in his world.Physics he can wrap his head around.  Among his departments:

• - Department of Mechanical Cosmology, Arcane Wizardry, Divine Intervention, Practical Theology.
• - Will host the think tank at a University.
• - Experiment: test the influence of Amberites on Shadows. Viewed through "pattern lens" looks unreal.
• - Experiment: try to determine how much different Amberites have been in which Shadow
• - Experiment: what's the relationship between Amber visits and physical laws
• - Experiment: wants to test how objects can move through trumps
• - Experiment: sequence Amberite DNA, use other science to determine the laws of the multiverse
• - Practical solutions to questions of how the physics of Amber work

Tries to do this stuff by drawing on elements from a variety of shadows. Raises oodles of money. Also abandons a boy from the wasteland in another shadow.

Finds a message in a bottle. Dalziel notices that it's a real thing with pattern energy, so he opens it and finds the note "Dalziel is Summoned":

 He decides he has to ponder his response, so he's going to think about it, but not answer it immediately. Dalziel uses his pattern lens to look at the distance the bottle came and track its path through the distant worlds. He can see lots of Amber water, but can't really see where the Amber water came from, which Dalziel uses his soda bottle to collect.

After having a tasty meal, Dalziel decides to go back to his lab.


Scene 1b: Nix interrogates the prisoner, part 2

Nix racks Mind Touch over the next hour or so. He also instructs the castle stewards to gather all the women who work in the kitchen for a conversation.

As he finishes racking the spell, Fiona calls via Trump and reports that Julian was heavily bled, probably for a spell, by being nailed to a tree near a cottage (probably Amaranthe's cabin). Fiona is on her way there now. She asks Nix to tell Random to "put the world back the way it was" as it's getting dangerous out there. Nix says he will and asks Fiona to reach out when she arrives at the cabin so he can join her. Nix sends the steward to get a report from Librarian Dik about the Jewel, then he goes to the dungeon.

In the dungeon, he questions the maids and learns nothing from most of them, but Jinna the scullion tells him about the vandalized table cloth, Chef Wilhelm, and two possible conspirators -- Ystane Feldane and Baron Feldane. She also reveals that Fiona and Maarit found a door behind a tapestry, but it only opened for them. For the maids it's just a wall. Nix confirms that all the women who work in the castle are here.

Nix brings the women in and when the soldier lies to say the woman he talked to wasn't here, Nix casts Mind Touch and psychically attacks the soldier's mind. He breaks the soldier open and learns lots:

• - The soldier was recruited as part of Dierdre's army, but now works for the LeDorne family
• - Colonel LeDorne set up an elaborate plot to kill Queen Vialle and frame Queen Ladorne (see Countess LeDorne) for the murder, thus putting Consort Claudio LeDorne in charge when the Queen's arrested.
• - the soldier had been planning this attack for a year but this was the great opportunity
• - the Colonel had served under Eric and Gerard.
• - The soldier thought the Colonel was a puppet for someone else.
• - The colonel had a secret meeting in the stables with a bunch of merchants
• Nix left the soldier with a truth curse - he had to tell the truth about these events.

Finally, Nix learned a bit more about the Jewel. It's existed forever, and may have been used to draw the pattern. There's a book that explains how it works, and Eric and Oberon both had it.

GM's Note: The following is from a summary document that I put on the Roll20 to help the players keep the details straight on this subplot about really minor NPCs.

Names and links to the relevant characters in the failed plot to murder or kidnap Queen Vialle:

- Sgt Luvag is the surviving conspirator who tried to kidnap or murder Queen Vialle.

- Colonel LeDorne was his commanding officer, who left his post and went into the city. He is the cousin of Claudio LeDorne (the Prince-Consort of the Golden Circle Kingdom of LeDorne). When David sent troops to apprehend him, the Colonel resisted violently.

- Lt. d'Sark is the junior officer who says he saw the Colonel issuing secret orders to Sgt Luvag and the other (now dead) conspirators. He then allegedly saw the Colonel talking to Captain Redwyn before fleeing the building.
- Captain Redwyn is the officer that David questioned. He was clearly a little annoyed at being questioned, and wasn't about to rat out his commanding officer, who had not been charged with anything. So he sort of covered for the Colonel, but in more of a "I'm sure he had a very good reason for all this" sort of way.

- Countess LeDorne is the Queen of the Golden Circle Kingdom of LeDorne. Colonel LeDorne fled to her property in the City of Amber.
Interrogation by Psyche-Attack

The following details were revealed when Nix (Spinturnix) used a Mind-Touch spell and superior Psyche to break down Sgt Luvag's resistances.

- Sgt Luvag was from a place called the [Fields of Nelipor], where a warrior goddess (Deirdre) had raised an army. She marched them all the way to Chaos as Amber's counter-offensive in the second half of the Black Road War. Then she died, and none of her siblings were interested in returning her armies to their homeworlds. The only severance package any of those soldiers got was permission to desert in any of the nicer worlds they walked through. Luvag had never known anything but war, so he came all the way back, and enlisted in the Militaries of Amber.

- Claudio LeDorne has been plotting to steal his wife's kingdom and have her killed. He's been scheming with Colonel LeDorne to get Countess LeDorne overthrown. One of the crazier ideas they've had for a while was that if they could kidnap or murder Queen Vialle and leave a trail to the Countess, it would probably be enough to provoke Random to execute or imprison the Countess.

- Sgt Luvag had mentioned to Colonel LeDorne the notion that Random might engage in an eye-for-eye punishment, and execute the Countess's husband. Colonel LeDorne seemed to think this was unlikely. Sgt Luvag interpreted this to mean that Claudio LeDorne might not be the person actually calling the shots, he might be backed by some Prince of Amber.

- Colonel LeDorne served in King Eric's troops during the Brother's War and the first half of the Black Road War, and under Prince Gerard in the second half of the Black Road War.

- The plan to kidnap or murder Vialle and blame the Countess had been tossed around for 2 years, and they'd actually given up on it, because it seemed like there'd never be a real opportunity to do it. And then, the King marched half the army out the door, the units that remained behind were coincidentally missing most of their officers, and the Colonel had command of the castle. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to launch the plan they'd given up on!

- As far as Sgt Luvag knows there's no direct connection between the attack on Vialle and most of the other crazy plotlines going on right now. That said, he does know that Colonel LeDorne had a secret meeting in the stables with at least one member of the Royal Amber Merchantile Advisory Council a few mornings ago.

Scene 3b: Medore and Deirdre have Lunch

The following is the GM's recollection of the scenes after Brendan logged out for the night. I seem to have included some details that happened in 3a. Hopefully I wasn't repeating myself on the night of the game. ;)

Medore and Deirdre get food at a little cafe in Ozmopolis. The wizened old munchkin chef remembers them from years ago, and serves them their favorite dishes... even though it was Medore's childhood tastes. The waiter gets wound up... with a key, because he's a clockwork waiter.

Medore fills Deirdre in on everything that has happened recently in Amber. There are several revelatory moments, often punctuated by her slamming her hand on the table and spilling coffee. She's shocked to learn that Random is King, that Dworkin is her grandfather, and that all this invasion/triton/the weir/chaos/assassin/fleet crap has gone on in just 3 days since Medore first set foot in Amber! Just 3 Days! They talk extensively about which Amberites need to die. Caine for sure, because he sent Deirdre into the Abyss. Probably Random, too, if it turns out he was in cahoots with Brand or Caine, or if he sent the Unicorn to get the jewel but leave her to die in the Abyss. There's plenty of discussion that Brand may have been in league with Caine and/or Random... and a little talk that he may have been in leagure with Fiona or Bleys as well. Some or all of them may have previously conspired against Amber, but lately had a falling out. They discuss motives, and hypothetical conspiracies, and go around and around. Deirdre implies Oberon and Dworkin were abusive, and that Corwin protected her from that as a child, but has been kind of always a bit of a creeper himself.  They conclude that Rebma is a reflection of Amber, not the other way around. So this means that Amber was invaded BEFORE Rebma was. That may mean Random is bad guy who usurped the Throne. They also play with the notion that some of the Princes aren't really themselves, and discuss how to prove it.

Then Deirdre drops a big bombshell that even as a horse, she could tell the Unicorn appeared everytime she neared a staircase. The players all nod, yes, that's somehow tied to this [Grand Stair] thing that no one but Maarit and Fiona know anything about. Gavin realizes that if he'd tried to bring Deirdre through to Tir-na Nog'th just one room earlier (on the stairs) it would have ended in a disaster. Close one!

After lunch, they eat two slices of pie each.

Medore says they can trust Corwin, Dalziel, and Maarit, but Deirdre doesn't want any of them to know she's alive yet. They agree that Medore will tell everyone that the Black Unicorn failed to walk the Pattern because it's not Deirdre. Medore will go simulate having debauched themself for a few weeks to get over the disappointment, as a way to explain any flaws in their emotional state that might otherwise betray the lie.


Scene 4b: Maarit and Llewella plan some more, then disperse
The following is the GM's recollection of the scenes after Brendan logged out for the night. I seem to have included some details that happened in 4a, again.

On the beach, Maarit and Llewella further discuss who might have done that whammy. Caine is the most likely based on what question Maarit had just asked. Fiona and Dworkin are the most likely based on known wizardry and extra-sensory tricks. The 4th and 5th on the list are generally recognized as dead: Oberon and Brand. After that, it could be anyone. The traps and puzzles Llewella's been facing are awfully convenient at preventing her from gathering armies, so it seems likely the same person is involved in that and this current Rebma trouble. Which means family, since that's sophisticated shadow-manipulation and an understanding that there are rules to this game. (Per previous discussions: Always a way out of the traps if you're clever, no traps that spring fates worse than death.)

One thing to keep an eye out for is if there are any smoky or scorched rooms in the castle later tonight, as that might be a clue as to who the fire attack was.

Another interesting point is that we don't know how one would detect Maarit's pendant being used to scry on you. Maarit says it wasn't nearly this magical before she walked the Pattern, but that Random had examined it a few days ago and didn't feel particularly concerned about the thing. So, maybe Random is on that list, too. Is the Pendant like a tarot, in that anyone can feel it? Or is it more subtle and harder to notice? If so, does this mean that the firebomber was the person who made it, or at least the person who left it with baby Maarit? Was it meant to spy on Maarit for them, until she walked the Pattern with it and it came alive or reversed polarity or whatever? Do they need to do some Dalziel-level double-blind experiments to figure out how it works?

After lengthy discussion, they decide to leave the army on the beach. Maarit will tell Random about it, so he knows its not here to invade Amber. Llewella will swim out into Shadow, to raise an army that is capable of invading Rebma without survival gear. Like mermen commandos or something.

They have a touching (or manipulative?) moment of thanks from Llewella, and then part. Maarit gets out the King's card.

 

The Quotes of Chaos

Is it the habit in the Amber military to take orders from the Kitchen Staff. - Nyx

Abn Haram: Did you learn anything from that?

Jobber: “Don’t be a fuckup!”

"I think we have a long walk in our future" -- Abn Haram, after losing his car to an antlion

"In an effort to use all of my abilities in one scene, I would like to use my Pattern to come across another vehicle..." -- Ibid

 

"A ripple goes through its skin as if a pack of squirrels were wearing a horse costume." -Rolfe

"At that point, it's a pretty scary place. You're not even on the Pattern anymore, you're somewhere in your own mind." - GM 

"...which is a pretty scary place!" - Medore

“I’ll find a way to kill him. - Dierdre

You’ll have assistance - Medore

"I'd like to take a little time to think about how to respond. I don't particularly want to commit treason." - Dalziel in response to a summons from King Martin of Rebma.

Don’t be too hard on him. His sense of guilt has been helpful in all of this. -Medore about Corwin.

“I’ll sharpen the stakes for you, mother.”-Medore

About Tir na nog: “That place will mess with your head” -Dierdre

“It all seemed clear to me.” - Medore