31-Aug-93 We take off in the ambulance going nowhere in particular while Calvin relates his story and we discuss our plans. He was riding into town to get the horses when a kid came up and mind zapped him into oblivion. The villain took him to the castle and entertained himself with a bit of beating and gloating. He hates all Amberites and will take vengeance. It was the same dude with the stripe in his hair. Cal says he tried to warn us about the trap but was too weak and we didn't hear him. Stripe slashed his armpits and groin, taking several pints of blood, then left him to die. When he ran out of the tower he was still in the stripe form, this may be his real shape. I suspect that Stripe may be a bitter son of brand born to a chaos wife or some other discontent son of amber with a grudge against the family. Cal woke up in the hospital somewhat pissed that we were not there to look after him, what does he expect, his daddy to come back and hold his hand? I ask Michel to contact Mandor to see if he knows Stripe or if there have been any developments in the courts. We travel to a new chateau to rest up some more, but as usual someone has to mickey with the shifting, Calvin decides that he wants to be a movie star. When we arrive Ingrid and Helga take our suicidal superstar to the green room for his own protection. I collar Michel and get him to contact Mandor, who knows nothing of the stripy dude. Plenty of shit has been going down in chaos over the succession of the twelfth quarter. It seems that several factions were ready to make their move in the bid for the throne. Taal son of Kal, a son of Daeglin and Karek who has engaged the services of Dalt are all front-runners. Michel asks some questions about my parentage and gives me a deck of 8 trump to peruse. Many of our theories about the actions of Stripe fall apart because I am not of amber. Michel suspects otherwise. He is to call me when Cal is healed if I don't call him first. I go to bid farewell to Lokerai and Cal only to have my departure delayed because Cal has a very nasty infection which is resisting all of Lokerai's attempts at curing. It does not appear to be magical in nature. Cal tries to bring the pattern to mind but it is a massive strain for him, he starts going into convulsions and at the final veil he momentarily turns putrescent before returning to his normal self. As his burst (how many times is that now?) stitches are retied he says that he saw the pattern had cracks in it as he walked. The pattern appears to have helped but not cured his illness as it is a nasty mutating thing working at a genetic level. I try some experiments on the cultures Lokerai has taken after he fill me in on his findings. Shifting shadow doesn't have any lasting effect and my best curative spell is swiftly overcome. I think that it is some sort of shape shift of chaos infection. We decide that the only thing that will save him is to walk the pattern. Lokerai calls Fiona to arrange for Call to walk the pattern and goes ahead to amber to take care of the details and bring Cal and Michel through when all is prepared. I enchant a time slow spell on Cal to arrest the progress of the infection so that he doesn't die before he gets to the pattern. Cal is in safe (sort of) hands. Finally I manage to get away form all this distraction and make the trip home so that I may ask my father what has happened recently. Akeem and Farilla are on a long pilgrimage, but when I check they are no longer in my home shadow. Kasreyn has not been seen for some time. I peruse the trump that Michel gave me. They are very old and in a different style than any other trump that I have seen. There are five men, I recognise Michel, Finndo, Osric and Benedict who are all much younger than in the other trump, and three women. I bear a slight resemblance to the young Finndo. I think of asking my father if he recognises any of the pictures but decide that I don't really want to know. We have a banquet and I catch up on the recent gossip. Out family has a new batch of Viking mercenaries that dad is ke en to try out on any profitable venture. The price on his head having been removed Samrel has been seen in the livery of both Akeem and Kasreyn. I must track him down to see what he knows and where his loyalties lie. Akeem is native to these parts but Kasreyn has only been in Arabia for around 40 years. Recently he has been dealing with the white men of the north. I suspect that these may be the tiger men so take my leave and go to investigate, but they are only Eskimos who seem in awe of any strangers. It may be that Kasreyn has dealings with the Eskimos but probably "north" lies in another shadow. Perhaps I shall have time to look further. It is about time for me to return so I give Michel a call. He is sorely wounded and Fiona is with him. She moves to attack me but I quickly cut the contact and go to a warmer shadow. It is now even more dangerous than normal to take trump calls, or even make them with shapechangers and Fionas out there. I will have to search on my own for a while. I think I will find my brother and see how he fares. [Lokerai spoke with Benedict shortly after he arrived in Amber then walked the pattern to assist Calvin while Michel stood guard. Several tigers attacked and Michel was seriously wounded. After completing the pattern Cal ported to his aid and threw a tiger onto the pattern where it vaporised sending a zorch through Lokerai who ported out before fainting. Cal managed to get Michel to a doctor.]

6-Sep-92 After the Eskimos it dawned on me that I had not been searching correctly, I had sought the white men of the north, which could easily be Eskimos. I should have been looking for the white men that Kasreyn has had dealings with. A short search quickly begins to take me way out of shadow. Since I don't have the time of the firepower for that kind of confrontation I turn back and begin to look for Samrel again. After a short while the shadows will no longer support my flying carpet to I take to horse. Some poor soul had conveniently died at an oasis leaving me a fully kitted mount. The journey begins to get nasty, going through some rather unpleasant shadows. I ask pathfinder to make the route a bit less dangerous and bend my own will to the driving to ensure a swift journey. After some time I see an old man sitting out in the middle of nowhere. Is this a plant or what. He warns me that I am travelling into great danger and that my friends are also in danger. I listen to his warnings but they do not alter my path, that is taken care of by some friendly master of pattern who warps my course back to the old man so that he can tell me that Michel is wounded. Evidently he forgot to tell me the first time around. After he assures me that there are no more messages that he has forgotten I move on, changing horses as required and eventually make camp. The next day I continue even though the way seems to head towards Amber. I refuse several trump calls in close succession - they may have been important but it is far too risky to answer them, especially since I am alone. Finally I reach Arden and as expected the forest guards stop me. Since they don't appear to be cat creatures I accept their invitation to share their camp until the major rides through in the morning. They have spare horses for messengers, and indeed one is sent off later that night. At 3am I am summoned to the major's tent. He is in Julian's confidence and I am to go to the main camp tomorrow to speak with Julian. I disguise myself slightly and ride off with the major the next morning. The main camp looks like a hospital compound with tents full of wounded guards and prisoners everywhere. In the middle an enclosure holds a group of white dudes who are bound around the throat so they can't shift. I remove most of my visible weapons for appearances sake and go to visit Julian. He said that Calvin led the most recent attack on Arden and describes the shoulder wound that he gave him. When I tell him that I came here trying to find a friend he leads me to a hospital tent where Samrel is lying nearly dead in one of the beds. He was one of the senior lieutenants leading the assault. I ask Julian for a few more details of recent events, Michel is still recovering in Amber, and ask him to leave so that I can speak with Samrel. He refuses so I touch Samrel and ask why he fights against Amber. He refuses to answer and gives a good impression of someone about to die. I give him my best healing spell, it seems to be about the only enchantment that I use these days - now I know how a D&D cleric feels, and leave him to rest. I go back to my tent and begin work on some more spells but only half an hour later a guard summons me to Julian's tent where he trumps Fiona and takes us to the castle. We are in a large room with a lot of nasty looking elder Amberites and Michel, Lokerai and Calvin. Needless to say we are piggy in the middle, with a chained Calvin as the centre piece. I am not all that surprised to find that he has the wound Julian mentioned, which Julian takes great pleasure in exposing. I get a brief update (as [above]) on the fight at the pattern and random asks for details of what has happened since then. For a royal audience this is remarkably devoid of pomp and ceremony. Not surprising since it is effectively a trial. I tell of the search for Samrel that bought me here, the only thing I have done recently which concerns them, in somewhat vague terms given the diverse audience. Lokerai does not admit to having done anything of note but Calvin seems to have been a very busy lad. He managed to get captured by the enemy, coerced into co-operation and ended up leading the enemy attack on Arden just as Julian said. The only mitigating circumstances are, he says, that he told Lokerai of the attack so that he could warn Amber and set a trap, and that he had to co-operate since they held his son. Had he argued his case well he might have been treated leniently, but in typical pig headed Calvin fashion he makes every word a challenge or an insult. This does not please anyone or gain any sympathy. God he's a stubborn ignorant fuckhead! Most of the elders retire to determine his fate, but Fiona, Martin and Selina remain. I do little in the hours wait except for half heartedly hassling Michel about his art. The decision is to cut off his left hand, a stupid punishment in my view, not that I am dumb enough to say it in those words. I suggest that since his mistake was one of youth and ignorance that he be cloistered in a place of learning to gain some wisdom. Either that or add exile to the sentence. After some debate Random decides that Julian shall have the privilege of cutting off his little finger, that he shall be tutored two hours a day by Queen Vialle and that a suitable wife shall be found to keep him under control. After Julian has heated the knife and made the cut Gerard releases Calvin. I ask Michel for more details on how the white guys attacked him at the pattern, he says they forced a trump contact, two minds in concert, one of which was probably magically enhanced, and sent through some tigers to attack. After being shown to our rooms I visit Michel to return his trump. He says he heard that the prisoner had been transferred to the castle, which saved me wasting time trying to reach Samrel back at the camp. He asks about the trump but I want to ignore the problem. I return to my room to study and sleep in until 12:00 the next day. Shortly thereafter I get a message from Michel to meet in the library at 3:00, then the stewards arrive to do the bath and manic ure etc. For this occasion I decide to dress in red, white and gold. Since I cannot find Julian to ask him about the prisoner I leave him a message and then go to the library. As usual we can come up with no worthwhile plans or information. The general consensus is that using trump is very dangerous (tell me something I don't know) and that it can be monitored so it is best to meet in person. Lokerai suggests that it may be possible to get the pattern to teleport him to the enemy, he will ask Fiona about this. Nobody seems to know if there is a way to stopping the enemy from watching and manipulating us through shadow. Since this discussion is going nowhere I leave and go looking for one of the princes to ask about Samrel. A guard captain suggests that I ask Gerard, after refusing his offer to wrestle he directs me to the veranda where Random, Benedict and Fiona are talking. This is an auspicious meeting as they were just about to send for me since their questioning of the prisoner has revealed many of my secrets. Both Samrel and i have the blood of Amber and after I make a comment about Benedict looking much different in his youth I think he knows that my father is probably Finndo. Samrel was contacted by the Master through Akeem and offered great power if he would fulfil his destiny and kill Julian, he has already walked a broken pattern and was made a lieutenant of Mentor, the commander of the last raid on Arden. Benedict knows of Pilax, it was a major enemy base that they have been building up long enough for it to cast its own shadows, but it has now been deserted. They ask about Drake but I have no more to add. Since they insist I leave to tell the others, although none of this information is really all that important. Michel is not in his room and the steward didn't see him leave. This causes a minor panic as guards and relatives are summoned. I see Lokerai coming out of a nearby room holding his head, lord only knows what he has been up to, so I get him to trump Michel. We go to his room and pull Michel t hrough, along with a startled looking Madelaine. Apparently he had taken an unauthorised excursion to rest and fool around. Needless to say he was greatly embarrassed when all the troupies arrived to find him with his paramour. I piss off to study in my room with a do not disturb warning nailed to the steward while the others go to dinner where Madelaine turns more than a few heads much to the annoyance of Florimel. Calvin has a private dinner with Vialle in a separate room.

11-Sep-92 In the morning I send another note to Julian asking to see Samrel. After asking the steward to send up breakfast and some buckets I begin working on some more spell development. Later the steward tells me that we have a lunch appointment with King Random, but that Lokerai didn't say exactly when. I tell him to come back when he knows the proper time, this he does- lunch at 1:00 in Random's quarters so I leave at 12:55 still in my work clothes, after all nobody said it was formal. The steward serves wine and we are having fish for lunch. Since I am the first to arrive Random kills time by showing me the magnificent views of Arden and over city Amber to the sea. We discuss seeing the prisoner, but Julian is already back in Arden (Privately to Random : Samrel is actually in the castle and Random wants to recognise us a s sons of Finndo, the scribes want some history. I think that Kasreyn and Drake are likely suspects. Selina is Caine's daughter.), and some tentative leads that I have before Michel and Lokerai burst in late and somewhat flustered. We wait for Calvin but he doesn't turn up so Random makes a trump call to fetch him and lunch is started without him. I tell Michel that I'll see him later about a plan I need to discuss with him. A while later Calvin finally arrives and lunch continues in silence. After dessert we take out drinks through to the room with the view and begin to talk. Calvin and his child, me and my past and Arden all seem to be connected with the attacks. In his usual blunt and ignorant manner Calvin asks if Michel is a member of the family. This is even more rude as Michel is in the room with us and should have been asked directly. Random sounds rather pissed at this lack of etiquette and answers "you may call him Lord". I mention the circumstances surrounding my first meeting with Michel and the fact that the manipulation seems to come from Amber. Random suggests that we are obviously key figures in this and should pursue the matter after the recognition and Cal's wedding. I fill in the King about Kal and Dalt and a few more details from the courts. He gives me permission to visit Julian in Arden but Calvin is confined to the castle until his wedding in 5 days. We are all invited. I intend to give him one of my silver-steel sculptures that I have been working on between spells - it is of a weeping child dressed in over large adults clothes. Calvin and Random retire to another room for a private conference so we take the opportunity to discuss my trump ideas. Michel thinks that Kasreyn would be difficult so we agree to start on Drake. I am miffed that Luke got involved in this discussion as I didn't really want him involved and things will probably filter back to his mother. Random returns and suggests that we sit in on Cal's lessons with Vialle at 6:00. I return to my room to study until the guard arrives to take me to Samrel. He is in a remote wing under heavy guard. Akeem was the intermediary between Samrel and the Master, they told him that I was selling out our father and hiding power from them. I tell him that he should ask Random for recognition and assure him that I will speak to the king on his behalf. I go and leave a message for Random with the chamberlain. On return to my room I get a message from the Prince of Taelonamy welcoming me to Amber. At 4:00 I go looking for Michel, a steward directs me towards the garden where I see Calvin asleep beside his wheelchair. I walk by quietly and find Michel and Madelaine asleep amongst the flowers with an occasional guard in the background. I wake him by wafting a rose under his nose and tell him of the imminent ceremony of recognition and of dinner with Vialle tonight. We kill some time talking in the garden before walking back, picking up Cal along the way. I end up pushing his wheelchair, god only knows why I continue to be nice to him. If I had had any sense I would have killed him long ago, there have been numerous opportunities. Perhaps I'm getting soft in my old age. We get suited p then trundle off to dinner. Michel manage s to have a private word with Vialle. When dinner is served Cal fails miserably as he tries to escort Vialle into the next room, he doesn't have the extra arm required to wheel himself and guide Vialle. After dinner she begins to give us a history of Amber and the Golden circle, the Patternfall war etc. Later we go down to the main dining room where I find Samrel seated beside the King. I go over to speak with them and when Random moves to speak with other guests I give Samrel the abbreviated low down on the Amberites that I know. Somehow we end up discussing sailing and since Samrel has never been to sea Random asks Gerard when the next ships are sailing.- a year or two at sea would probably allow him time to settle into Amber without being at the mercy of all of his scheming brethren. I give him a spare trump of me and instruct him how to use it later. Cal asks for a sax to do a bit of practice but this sparks off an impromptu concert as everyone piles into the music room to get down and boogie. The last of us die hards finally pack it in around 4am and sleep till lunch time. There is a little light banter over lunch and a smidgin of hassle directed Calvin's way as usual. I walk Samrel back to his room to tell him some more dirt on Cal and show him how to use the trump. I then wander by to see Michel about the trump, unfortunately Lokerai is already there. After a quick bit of trump scrying that indecisively determines Cal's wife to be a sheep we begin work on the trump and everything goes pretty well, especially since Luke has some hot tips - what's' the bet that mummy knows all our secrets already? We chat a while longer over coffee before preparing for dinner with Vialle. Cal is wearing a black armband in mourning for his wife (a bit late (or early) isn't it Cal?). We have a pleasant dinner and more instruction from Vialle, all of which is almost as interesting as her new lady in waiting, who looks a lot like Madelaine. Well I suppose that's one way of keeping all of the predatory princes at bay. After dinne r I spend a short while with the others downstairs before returning to my room for more study.

21-Sep-92 While I study Random, Lokerai, Martin and a few others disappear down into the city to watch a jazz band play. Calvin feels like going but is confined to the castle and the others have already left so he tries to contact Lokerai. Being a complete dick head he continues for 30 mins when Lokerai doesn't reply until Gerard snatches the card and tells him that after 30 mins there probably won't be an answer. He takes off into the garden feeling sorry for himself and eventually ends up in the kitchen looking for booze. He stays to drink and slum it with the kitchen staff. Michel wakes me for breakfast the next day and tells me of Calvin's exploits and the warning note pinned to his door with a dagger. At breakfast we somehow shift from discussing Calvin's little embarrassments to zero G sex until we find a scandalised Fiona looking on disapprovingly. We have a lunch appointment with Random at 1:00. Flora passes on the latest gossip about Calvin and his 3 scullery maids. After breakfast I go back with Michel to check on the trump and ask Michel about my ideas regarding trump comparison. While Lokerai goes to check on Calvin, who takes umbrage at being disturbed and slashes Luke's arm with his sword. Luke bleeds on the carpet a bit and then returns to his room to return Cal's trump favours of the last night. My, these children of Amber can be rather petty can't they? Cal, his humour not much improved by the constant pounding of Luke's trump, makes yet another cock up by ordering breakfast from the Lord Chamberlain, amongst other petty requests. Meanwhile Michel and I chat about the wedding tomorrow and our plans for Cal's stag party tonight, which will be a bit of a rush job as we almost forgot about it entirely. Michel says he can organise some girls. I set out to find some of the princes and enlist their aid. Eventually I find Gerard, who knows of a good place called The Shining Grove down on Ironmonger row. We will compare notes after lunch on the state of our preparations. Back to my room to make s ome spells in preparation for Cal's stag and to sort out some more experiments. I arrive just in time for lunch and (as usual) still in my work clothes. There is a pretty full compliment with Random, Benedict, Julian, Gerard, Fiona, Flora, Samrel Lokerai, Calvin and myself. Michel has cleaned up but there are still a few paint splatters on his boots. After a lunch on the patio Random informs us that the wedding is tomorrow at noon, Cal has chosen Gerard as best man and wants to visit Eric's tomb in the morning. This evening there will be a formal ceremony of annulment at 5:00 followed by the recognition at 7:00. We are to expect a visit from the tailors and the chamberlain to get us prepared for the ceremonies. I walk back to my rooms with Gerard and Samrel, who is now just down the hall. He intends to go sailing with Gerard for a year or two. I remind them both of the stag party then retire to study and wait for the tailors. They fill me in on the appropriate etiquette as the clothes are fitted. Julian is sponsoring Samrel, Gerard Calvin and Lokerai myself. A short speech will be required at the end of the ceremony. After dressing I arrive 15 mins early. There is already a considerable crowd, with Caleb and lots of top ambassadors. The marriage probably has considerable political implications. We are seated in a middle row with other young Amberites, between the elders and the ambassadors. Calvin arrives pissed as a newt and looks a bit shabby in his hurriedly prepared clothes. Fiona quickly leaves the room and Calvin perks up remarkably. The ceremony continues without a hitch but Random and Fiona are obviously annoyed as they refuse to shake Calvin's hand as they leave. Preparations are made for the next ceremony which is to be in the Royal assembly hall. We wait in an ante chamber and as usual Cal comes over and makes a nuisance of himself by asking tactless questions like how Samrel was wounded. Michel leaves, reassuring us that there are only 2500 people in the hall. We advance through the doors accompanied by our sponsors and blaring trumpets. Various oaths of fealty to serve the king, and protect Amber are sworn before Random who wields the jewel of judgement and knows truth. The postulants and their history are declared by our sponsors, mine and Cal's plainly and Samrel's with some embellishment courtesy of Julian. Cal was born 12 years ago, myself and Samrel around 1200. Random then approaches with Oberon's sword, we kneel and swear on the sword, which cuts Calvin slightly as Random withdraws it. Rise Samrel Prince of the Tonalt Airs, Harlequin Prince of the Westron Marches, Calvin prince of the Elviradon Marches. (Lokerai has Terradon). We then speak before the assembly, Calvin passably, I with more composure and Samrel with his usual straightforward honesty. Random then invites everyone to the wedding of Calvin and Anna Karenina, tomorrow at noon. Suddenly there is a scream and a crossbow man shoots at Random. There is a flurry of bodies with Samrel, Julian and Random landing in a pile. The crossbow man escapes around the corner but is soon found dead from poison and his own sword. Julian took the bolt to save Random, I help staunch the wound and use an enchantment to withdraw the bolt. The wound burns and may be poisoned so I enchant a healing spell which doesn't fully stop the poison. We take him to the hospital where Lokerai and Fiona analyse the poison, which is a particularly rare and subtle type that often causes insanity, and concoct an antidote. After getting all the relevant details I return to the party to assure Samrel and the others that Julian will be O.K. The celebrations continue. Michel and Samrel have got everything set up for the stag. Calvin is escorting Trina, a friend of Madelaines and ends up scheduling a duel with one of her suitors, fortunately this is just a set up to get him to the party. At the appointed time for the duel Calvin and I head down to the grove and bundle Calvin through the door with a drink in his hand. Calvin get kinky with the treble breasted whore from Eroticon 3 and then the party gets rolling. As a special favour to Cal I bring in the saxon slave Dad gave me. She is very popular but I rescue her from Cal and put her under Samrel's protection asap, then proceed to join in the fun. Later in the evening when Cal is virtually comatose a few of the usual stag night games are played.

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