A Horse Of Another Timbre, Log 22

     The following is the campaign log for the 22nd session of my current Amber Diceless RPG campaign, entitled A Horse Of Another Timbre. 

You might want to Start from Session #1 or check out the index of my Amber articles. 

Campaign log: 21 June 2021, turn by turn

I try to post these after a few months delay, so I can add GM's commentaries without spoiling surprises that come up in subsequent sessions. However, I'm currently like a year behind, so maybe I need to shotgun these out and/or give up on providing embellishments.  Details below the fold:

Scene 1: David in the library

Having sent a message to Abn Haram, would he even be hanging out with Maarit?  David worries that Abn Haram might have been trying to kill him, expresses that concern to Maarit. He tries to strategize where he can/should meet Abn Haram.

Scene 2: Abn Haram heads out on a pig hunt

Joined by Cadmus St. Rolfe and the remarkable horse Dictionary and his stalwart servants Petty (formerly Jobber) and Steward, Abn Haram leaves on expedition. After a brief discussion, Cadmus asks Abn Haram to draw a picture of the place where Brute was last seen, then prompts Dictionary to lead them to the pig. Haram consults his sword, Alsalakh, to see if Cadmus is being truthful. Cadmus harbors secret doubts and fears of Abn Haram, and doesn't want to leave the library right now.

Dictionary leads Haram and his entourage away, where they pass through a burnt-out library, past some farming communities. A forest appears on the horizon. Haram starts altering the worlds toward darker, more twisted worlds. Cadmus has to prod Dictionary a few times, and says he doesn't know what's wrong with her. Abn Haram wonders if perhaps Nix told Dictionary to abandon them out here.

Cadmus does some sort of mind-meld with Dictionary. She "tells" Cadmus that things are different since the storm, and make her feel nervous. She thinks someone is messing with the path in some way. Cadmus suggests giving it a night and hopefully "whatever is interfering with the path" will go away. Abn Haram asks Cadmus how the magic works and Cadmus suggests that he can provide helpful suggestions about magic books later, when they get back. Cadmus hopes he will seem useful so as not to be killed. Abn Haram does his best to convey that he feels Cadmus is useful.

Scene 3: Dalziel Wanders About

In an oddly-colored castle, it's hard not to wander here. He wanders around with the goal of making it back to Amber. He chats with Margolo, expresses his goal to get back to the universe (without looking through his fancy lens). Seeing what's going on in the Universe, Dalziel considers a variety of Cosmological Surgical Options. He wanders about the castle, and finds a variety of doors and rooms. He checks behind a door and finds giant casks of wine. 

 

What's happening to Dworkin's Universe, at least in part, is analogous to anaphylaxis or donor-organ rejection. It sounds like Dworkin's immune response is tearing himself apart. This of course raises the question of how is it manifesting, other than simply "Rebma is gone". Is there an impact happening elsewhere?

(Extending the analogy for extra credit: By this way of thinking, the Black Road War would have been more analogous to sepsis, a blood-borne poisoning of the body.)

What the patient needs is an emergency room visit, with either MRI/CT scans or possibly exploratory surgery to find the source of the problem, some cosmic equivalent of epinephrine to get the chemical process under control, and then probably a removal of the rejected foreign body. Corwinectomy does seem like it might be a viable solution, at least in theory. How to go about that is the tricky part.

Dalziel has the equivalent of an MRI or CAT scan via the Pattern Lens, so he can gather more information if he knows what part of the body to put under the scope. He's at best a qualified lab tech with the equivalent of a pre-med degree. He's not (yet) a trained cosmological surgeon.

Hypothetical treatment options may include:

• A) Rewrite Dworkin's Pattern to make it more accepting of coexistence with Corwin's.
  
• B) Rewrite Dworkin's Pattern to remove all connection to Corwin's.
  
• C) Rewrite Corwin's Pattern to make it more accepting of coexistence with Dworkin's.
  
• D) Rewrite Corwin's Pattern to remove all connection to Dworkin's.
• E) Separation of the two universes by application of Chaotic/Entropic/Abyssal forces. The nature of such things is beyond your area of expertise, so it's hard for you to know if that's the equivalent of surgical incision, or cauterization, or worst case like injecting the inflamed tissue with flesh-eating bacteria.
  
• F) It's possible there's some sort of magical / sorcerous solution that might be the analogous equivalent of epinephrine, or at least anesthetization. Sorcery is not Dalziel's field of expertise, either, so he'd need outside help to do it.
  
• G) Local strengthening of the point of connection via Pattern energy. This is probably the equivalent of applying bandages or stitches. This is the thing Dalziel feels he could do on his own, more easily than anything else on this list. But without prior experience he can't be certain that this will solve the problem. If it doesn't (or worse, if it hastens the immune response) this strengthening could also have the down-side of making it harder to later separate the two universes.
  
• H) Brute force separation of the two universes by application of Pattern manipulation at the point of connection. Effectively debriding the effected tissues by eliminating entire worlds. Dalziel understands theoretically he could destroy worlds with the pattern, but he's never actually used Pattern in such a destructive way before. He imagines it would be dangerously exhausting. Also, it would involve the literal destruction of entire worlds, so there's moral and ethical considerations.
  
• I) Place the patient into a medically induced coma for maximum chance that their body fixes itself. Monitor the sites of inflammation to see if they show signs of improving themselves.  How to render Dworkin unconscious is the tricky part in this. Dalziel definitely has the diagnostic tool (the Pattern Lens) to monitor/examine the damaged areas, but if the Patient is still ambulatory and unrestrained, you have to worry about them scratching at the irritation while you're there.
  

A-D would require the Jewel of Judgment.
C-F would require an outside specialist with Powers that Dalziel doesn't have.
F-I do not necessarily require the Jewel of Judgment, but would definitely be easier if you had access to that device.  It's possible the Rebman Jewel of Intuition could be used along the same lines if that's easier to get your hands


Going to and observing the "open wounds" with the Pattern Lens seems likely to be helpful in determining the correct course of action. Consulting a specialist may be helpful as well, but comes with the usual risks associated with trusting family (or powerful strangers).

After contemplating that giant wine supply, Dalziel decides to call Maarit through card.

Scene 4: Maarit Swings for the Fences

Using her pendulum in a Ouija board style, Maarit asks some questions

Things she learns:

• Random and Queen Vialle are not alive or dead, but "other"
• Random needs help, and is not in a place known to Maarit, and unreachable by any means she can devise.
• Maarit and David are probably needed to help him. 

Meanwhile, David is on a quest to find books about shadow-walking in the library. He gets some bureaucratic resistance from a page, but he bullies his way through.

Maarit gets a call from Dalziel. When they get a connection, it's fuzzy and strange. Maarit recognizes it as the psychadelic castle she's been to. She pulls Dalziel through the card to the library. They chat for a minute and then Dalziel gets a call from Bleys (Dalziel's dad), who is bathed in weird mood lighting.

Bleys asks (a bit rudely), "Random tells me you're into science, is that right?" 
Dalziel asks back, "Where are you, somewhere near Rebma?"
Bleys - "In the vicinity." Asks Dalziel to come that way to spyglass.

Dalziel lets Maarit know that he has to go help Bleys. Bleys pulls him through the card. They end up in a cave near where Rebma IS. Bleys reveals that the pattern works here, but it's heavily resisted.

Bleys is trying to keep someone alive, and Dalziel asks if the person injured was 'split.' Bleys seems particularly upset. A nurse comes out of the room, says she can't stop the bleeding. Bleys tries not to introduce them, but Dalziel defies him and talks to her anyway. Bleys says she's Elizabeth the veteranarian, but those are both clearly lies. He also tries to claim Dalziel's name is John, but Dalz got the truth out first.

Scene 5: Phone Phreaking with Medore 

After several hours, Medore has no answer from Random's card. Medore ponders missing people: Julian, Random, the Queen, Lord Hendon, many castle staff. They make an effort to keep track of the movement of Amberites and monitor the bureaucracy of the world. They are reporting on what they find by giving everything to Mom, and everything to Corwin except that which Mom told them to hold back.

In exploring the castle, Medore runs into Ginna the Maid. They flirt with her, but she flirts back. She asks what she can do for them. Medore advances the flirting to high heights. Then Ginna mentions that Chef Wilhelm is missing, and that one of the "Lords Feldane, maybe Ystane," met with the Chef several times in recent days.

Several of the officers who had been missing have come back now. A dozen or more of Julian's rangers have come in, looking rough, including an officer named Othel. Othel saw Julian get dragged away by a werewolf. Most of this information is given to Medore by Jinna the Scullion, and they arrange to meet up again when she's off duty.

Hearing this news, talks to Dierdre about different situations. She's gathering her guards to get into shape to help. She considers abandoning her world. She suggests that different worlds are more or less vulnerable. Lluwella would know about her world. She decides she'll hide her presence on the world she's been using, possibly even faking her own death and leaving a shadow body to suggest that it wasn't the real her in the first place. Just a shadow she'd cast by spending so many years here long ago.

Medore then goes to visit Corwin in person to let him know what's going on. Corwin says it's time to have a family meeting, and use multiple people all concentrating on the card at once. Medore shares with Corwin that the weir claimed to have captured Julian. Also asks about Ystane Feldane and his potential menace. Corwin shares the story of the political trouble from Feldane's kingdom - the failed marriage of Karm.

Corwin reflects on the idea that the Kingdom of Karm was using/orchestrating the failed wedding to stage the attack on Random. Medore: "A number of these threads come back to Caine. So either Caine is behind it, or we're meant to think he's behind it." Calling a family meeting will seem like a power play. Medore will call Maarit.

Scene 6: Nix on the move

Being sewn up by the medics, Nix is not well prepared for a sword fight, but otherwise he's fine. He makes a plan to move the hidden archive. He starts by asking the architect to find him a cheese vault or similar room that is large enough to hold the archive, and has only one door. Then he wipes the memory of that conversation out of the architect's mind.

Next, he receives a communication from [Godric the Grey], who tells him that his father's troops have been badly betrayed by Caine, and are standing their ground in the forest. Nix calls Fiona and asks her to send troops to help the Rangers. He also asks Fiona to have her guards leave the library. They seem to have taken quite a few books.

Nix takes two burly pages down to the archive and has them move all the books, shelf by shelf, through a shadow opening he makes between the hidden archive and the cheese vault. While they're doing that, Nix talks with Belle about the danger Cadmus seems to be in, and gives Belle permission to take a few men and go to Dictionary. She warns that David is far older than he appears to be, and David isn't his name. She says she can't tell Nix David's real name, because it's his True Name, and that would make an enemy of him. She says David's older than Nix, older than the Library, older than herself, and possibly older than Amber... and she says it in that order.

Nix calls Abn Haram and tells him that Belle is coming to help with Dictionary. They pretend to be friends.

Nix wipes the memories of the pages and sends them to bed. He then molds the stone from around the door to cover up the door and make it look like there's not a room there.  Then he goes to prepare for the journey to Forest Arden.

Finally, Nix and the pages get the last of the books moved through.

Scene 4b: David and Maarit seek out Bellantine

Maarit has now had three rapid discussions via Tarot. 2 with Dalziel, 1 with Medore.  She reminds David of things that her pendant had told her in the previous session: That they are here in the Library to interact with someone in charge of security here, but not the person who is officially in charge of security. They talk a bit, and think it might be the woman from the infirmary (Bellantine) who seemed to recognize David from somewhere.

They try to get an audience with Nix, but are given the run-around by staff.

They try to get an audience with Bellantine, and think the page Derin duPont St.Peter is giving him the run-around, but he actually returns, saying Belle is up in the cafeteria on floor 7, in some sort of meeting. Derin leads David there, and asks him a number of questions about his accent and origin. Derin also says that the King is dead, and that means it'll be less than a month before angry Amberite armies are marching through the Loupe, putting everything to the torch. David sends him away, and follows the signs to the cafeteria.

David finds Bellantine in the cafe, at a table with 6 others. They are dressed in traveling garb, wearing swords and glocks, and have knapsacks and backpacks nearby. Their conversation is jovial, not a meeting. David listens for a bit, and then approaches. David says he's looking for the person in charge of security, which is clearly her. She denies that. She says she and her friends are planning to go for a ride in the country, and are only armed in case the storm blew a manticore in. There just waiting on her horse being ready.

Despite Belle having told Nix that she's not very good at all this cloak and dagger business, her interactions with David suggest she fucking rocks this cloak and dagger business. David tries hard to get information out of her, and she leaks very little while managing to be conversational and not particularly evasive. Her men aren't quite as smooth, and when she says she's not in command of anyone, one of them snickers.

David wants to take her to meet with Maarit. She repeats the bit about her Horse, and sends one of the 6 men to go ask Armistaud in the stables if our horse is shoed yet.

She and David head downstairs, the other 5 guys following. Assuming any of what she says is true, it seems she grew up in the pastoral farming communities of the Loupe, which explains her accent, and was a classic small-town-girl makes-it-big story. She's been with the Loupe longer than Nix, but all the travel she does is why she's still young. She'll leave for a few months and come back to find decades have passed in the Loupe. She talks about how people often look like others in those travels, you stumble across somebody in a world that looks a lot like someone else you used to know, and find that they are the grandchild. That's what's going on here, clearly, she just thought she new David from somewhere. Have you ever been to Xandria? I used to coordinate with Xandria a lot in the past, we probably met somewhere in that. Just as they are reaching Maarit's suite, she asks "What are you?" He stumbles with an answer.

Maarit greets them, and Bellantine is all sweetness and deflection. She's mostly pulling it off, still gathering more intel than she's giving out. Maarit tells her that the universe indicated it wants Maarit and David here, to meet with the person who in charge of security, but is not official head of security. Belle just doesn't know who that could be, but has lots of questions about how Maarit wrings such information out of the universe. Maarit reveals her source is a form of divination, that the universe itself wants David and Maarit to meet this security person.

The 6th man returns from the stables, and says that Armistaud says "our friend from the stable is shoeing a particularly difficult horse, and will contact them when he's done". Belle tries to use this to leave and go help him out, but the 6th man things she misunderstood him and says something that cuts off her exit. "No, he didn't ask for help."

So Belle pivots now, and gets the conversation swung around so that Maarit will do her divination and Belle will try to provide context. They both sit down on the floor.

Scene 2b: Abn Haram calls Sevran, then Nykae

At night, when Cadmus is in a tent or something, Abn Haram calls Sevran. There's a discussion of politics and events in Chaos. Then Hendrakes had taken the Rift from them, but then the storm hit the Rift and wrecked them. They had to flee back to Chaos, and now are saying the storm may be headed to Chaos, and an Amber army might be right behind. Sevran thinks this will lead to war. He's frustrated that Nykae's troops aren't really taking his orders, and feels like House Moen will be caught up in the war whether it wants to or not. (He's against the war. The last one cost him both parents and other family.) He thinks that the solution is to give up his harem and forge a political marriage to another House. If he had pursued that course some time ago, he could have wed Belissa of Hendrake, but that's actually why the Hendrakes are being so pushy. Now, his best match is probably Tisifoni of Rinya. He asks if Abn Haram is open to a political marriage. Abn Haram describes himself as broken and flawed because he's not a shapeshifter. Sevran says that could actually make him more appealing to Gilva of Hendrake, or Ava of Uldain. Other possibilities include Tmer of Jesby, or Ollecta of Rinya (assuming Sevran doesn't wed her mother). Abn Haram's not excited at the prospect of marriage, but isn't against it either if it would be of benefit politically and he's not expected to be domestic and loving.

Next, Abn Haram calls Nykae. She's somewhere candlelit. She says she's in Relliadrior beyond a series of gates. The army she'd seen are porcine, and remind her of Brute who got separated from her before the gates. The army is 10,000 in number, big and strong, but not as fast or nimble as she likes. Still, a 10,000-man fearless army you didn't have to raise yourself would be useful. She's been told Osric is here, and he'll be calling on her once he's done meeting with his war council. She's hoping to get some tonight. ...and also broker an alliance.

When Abn Haram mentions that Steward is dead, Nykae tries to console him, but his reaction is basically "why should I care?" She flinches a bit at this. The out-of-character audience may rightly draw the impression that Abn Haram is much colder and more murderous than his mother.

Next session we'll start with the morning, with Abn Haram and company on the road again.

Scene 3b: Dalziel lenses, then goes fishing.

Dalziel tries to Pattern up some slightly different scuba gear than Bleys had for him, but is only somewhat successful. Pattern is resisted some here.

As he starts getting ready, he looks out with the Pattern Lens. The cave was built by dedicated application of Pattern manipulation. There's two hands at work. A recent one within the past few days, that's kind of crude, and a subtler craftier hand that worked it hundreds of years ago. This cave's moon pool opens up to the ocean a few miles from Rebma. He sends his Lens out to look for the city, and is just starting to get a view of it when he's interrupted by someone shouting his name from less than a foot away.

It's "Elizabeth" the Nurse. She's come back out, covered in blood, and has a number of follow-up questions for Dalziel. "You indicated you had seen someone who was split or broken? What's her name? Where is she? Was she split left-right or up-down? Which half?"

Both are trying to not give away anything that would be usable by the other, but just figure out if they have had the same patient. Dalz's patient was a strange woman, mysterious, split like a hotdog, and he had the right side. He left her in a bubble off a bubble off the side of the universe.

Not-Elizabeth slaps her hands together in joy, spraying blood droplets. At some point a single curl of red hair escapes her surgical cap. "How do we get to your half?"

Luckily, Dalziel has a card for the woman he left. Not-Elizabeth excitedly takes the card back into the other room and declares "Hold together just a little longer. You're not dying on my table."

For the record, during this entire exchange, there's no sight nor sound of Bleys.

Dalziel gets in the dive suit, and goes out the moon pool. The pressure feels like he's maybe 40 feet below the water, but the light above is diffuse like it's further. He covers a lot of ocean floor trying to find Rebma.

He finds a shipwreck instead, recent, Caine's men. He takes the man's sword, but leaves the body for the crustaceans.

He finds a shark... not just any old shark, a [Helicoprion]... they're a million years extinct in the shadow of Dalziel's birth. It circles, tries to eat him. He stabs it twice, gets a very minor wound on his sword arm, and the pressure suit helps keep it compressed. He decides to chase the shark a bit, but there's always a bigger fish. Actually, in this case 3 smaller sharks that take advantage of the helicoprion's injury.

He catches sight of the stairs to Rebma... but they're flat on the ocean floor, not descending. Between two of the lamps he sees Tritons and Rebmans negotiating, but still on alert. He avoids being seen, and figures out which way to Rebma. The city seems larger and fancier. There's no iceplug in the front gate, but are guards on it. He goes around the side to the tiny disused gate Maarit had told him about (and had in turn learned from Llewella). When he goes to wrench it open, there's an energetic pop. He's not sure if it was magic, or what, and wishes he'd looked at it with the Pattern Lens.

There are people inside the city, no obvious signs of war. He finds one that understands a bit of sign language, and they communicate roughly. They point him towards the palace, after he tells them he's royalty. Prince "Dalzul" maybe?