Benedict went off into Shadow with Kharn and Hazard, and they played tanks and infantry for a while. Benedict revealed he had plans to retire as Lord Protector, and leave it all to Hazard or Slaine, and told Slaine to keep practising.
Niccolo was found stabbed in the kidney one morning by Jessica, who noted to her horror that there were burn marks in the floor and bed, and scratches on the door, like giant claw marks.
Jessica talked about magic with Fiona, having started shape-shifting randomly at nights, and thinking she was the one who had stabbed her own husband. Fiona decided that Julian would be just the bloke to know about magic and Chaos, and called him. She interrupted him in bed with a girl, and pulled him through without his armour on for once, as he couldn't find it. Leaving Jessica to gawp at his well-muscled body, he and Fiona talked for a while. Julian asked for a teleport spell back and Fiona refused. Julian set out on the long walk to Arden.
Slaine hired an assassin to kill off the Dark Elf that was hanging around with Myrra, and the contract involved a woman's body somewhere, according to rumour. Alive or dead is not specified.
Kharne, meanwhile, had decided not to stay around in Amber, and that he would be better needed elsewhere - he teleported to Myrra, who killed him. Tsk tsk.
Julian disappeared between Arden and Amber, and didn't answer his trump calls that night, even though most of the family was trying to get hold of him once the king realised he was missing.
Jessica woke up to find that she was Hazard. This sounds just as odd as it was. She managed to pick up on the Trump calls Hazard was making, and started shape-shifting into Hazard when she was asleep. She woke up a couple of times with Benedict, although she was rather pissed off that she woke in time to stop the pair getting into bed.
Jessica went through the Abyss to find Julian the morning he went missing, and found that he'd been stabbed in the left kidney, like Niccolo. She had a minor guilt trip over the fact that she had called him out and it might be her that had stabbed him.
Julian was installed in the infirmary, and Jessica had words with Hazard. Hazard told her that it might be her own - Hazard's - psyche - knowing her death was coming and trying to find a new body. Jessica left it a few days, and then informed Hazard it was getting better, when no new occurences happened. Then it started happening again. She was breaking in, accidentally, on Hazard's Trump calls, and staying in contact with Hazard for a while after the call ended. She saw Hazard calling a young man with darkish features and curly black hair, who may well come in useful as a GM prop later... And she saw her - felt her, psychically - making love to Benedict. She wanted to tell Hazard, but was afraid of retribution, and was enjoying Benedict's attentions, even if only second hand. Then, when Hazard was Trumped by Fiona, Fi noticed Jessica. All went dark for darling little Jess...
Slaine was looking after his home Shadow, and had found a batman/butler called Vespasian in one of Benedict's Shadows, to rule it as regent when Slaine was away. On Slaine's frequent visits to his fast-time Land, it seemed that he and his wife had another child, or were trying for one, each time he saw them. Their daughter was called Clotia after her mother, and the son was called Titus Slaine Vespasian.
Slaine took to hanging around Benedict, trying to learn. Possibly he was looking for an excuse to be near to Hazard, as he may or may not have been falling in love with her at this stage. This is not a survival move.
Meanwhile, out in Chaos, Elizabeth started a new character...They found Crowley and he slit his own wrists, then Benedict killed him. End of story. (Like, really...) As he died, he cursed each and every member of the family.
The people who had not disappeared in the fight - Brand, Bleys, Hazard - went back to Amber. Hazard was waiting there. Bronwyn was misbehaving while Moradin went out as an Ambassador on a trip into Shadow, and Hazard told her off for it. Bronnie got upset and morphed into a were-cat/wolf-thing. She ran into town and started acting ferally, and in the morning headed for the castle, knowing vaguely in her carnivourous mind that Fiona could help her. Fi teleported her out to Arden because the dragon-cats went for her immediately. Julian, unaware that the thing was Bronwyn, set out for Arden to hunt it down. Hazard called Julian and told him that it was probably Bronwyn, and he wasn't to kill it. Julian rescued her, immune in his white armour, and helped her change back, as she had no shape-shifting power herself. He had none, but did know a few spells for resuming true form.
Slaine, unaware of this drama and looking for ways to find more power, found himself in the Dream King's Castle, along with his friend Titus. Titus stepped off the safe path, to try and rescue his dead father, and Slaine got in the way of Titus's nemesis, thus creating one of his own. This started taunting him, and hasn't stopped yet.
Meanwhile, behind the scenes, somebody brought William back to life, incorporated into his sword, Lightning. He returned to the Amber, and was nearly hunted down by Julian. Zenith was given the task of taking the swrod back to Amber, and it nearly drove him mad by it's incessant humming. "Bim bim bim bim...." It had a tendancy to run around, except when other people were looking. Benedict got very sarcastic after a while, and told Zenith and Slaine to go out into Shadow and find a body to put William's consious mind back into.