Tome IV:
Return to Amber
In preparing to return to Amber, I had to make a number of menial arrangements. I formally retired from my position as head of the Channard Institute and arranged a suitable replacement. I put the house up for sale, and liquidated most of my assets, trading it all in for gold and silver, which I knew would be appropriate for Amber currency. And then there was all the packing...funny how sorcery can enable one to fit so much in so small a bag.Quynn was somewhat surprised by my announcement that we were returned to Amber to remain for an indefinite period of time. That word again. He agreed to help, but asked me to wait a bit...there were arrangements he wished to make. I assumed this to mean that he ascertaining whether or not the King would allow my presence near Amber. Eventually he contacted me again, and used his magic to bring us to Amber city.
I suppose I was originally anticipating a room in Castle Amber...foolish thought, really. Instead Quynn had procured for us a rather sumptuous houseboat in Amber City. Cassilda seemed to like it, but I myself was rather uncomfortable with the idea of a house that could sink. Quynn was very distracted as we met; apparently there was some kind of unrest in Castle Amber. Quel surprise. Cassilda invited him to come visit us again...soon. Quynn seemed quite flustered with her flirtation; I was amused. He did agree to take in a performance with us some time soon, saying that he would be back in a few days (we saw him again a month later). And then we began to unpack.
Several hours later we set aside our labors momentarily; it was nearly noon and we were both hungry. And so we set out to exchange some of my gold for traditional currency, picked up something to eat from one of the street vendors, and began to look for some place where we might buy clothing. I inquired where the royal family usually purchased clothing, and was directed towards Marta the Dressmaker, whose shop featured a crown logo over its door. As I entered I noticed a very familiar style to the dress she was working on...it was very like one I had seen worn by Talia. I ignored the unpleasant memories that name brought up and made arrangements with Marta to get clothing for myself and Cassilda. And then we returned to our little boat.
I had been discussing with Cassilda the idea of how to contact my mother, a topic that had been plaguing my conscience as of late. She agreed that contacting her personally would be foolish, but suggested I set up some kind of venue by which we could exchange letters. That said, I drafted a short, simple letter to Kianne, and then used my puzzle box to journey to the Labyrinth. There I summoned a demon to deliver the letter, and had Channard make arrangements for a more regular mailing service. Quite naturally I explained to him the dangers of the situation, and suggested he be very careful setting this all up...and that he keep me ignorant of all but the final details. That done, I returned home.
From this point on, I'll abandon the first-person for a bit, as the campaign time went into fast forward, the GM wanting to propel us to a point one year later. What follows is a rather brief synopsis of what Konrad became involved in over the course of that year.
The next day brought many surprises for Konrad. It began, simply enough, with a series of mundane tasks. His first errand was to procure seasonal passes to several of the finer theatres in Amber City, as well as obtain seasonal passes. It was his intent to attend some kind of performance that evening, and in that he was fortunate, as the next-to-last showing of a well-reviewed opera was to be performed.
He also stopped by Marta's to retrieve some of his clothing, bought some small items of furniture at the market, and began looking into housing on land, a process that would continue over the next year. He also made inquiries into beginning volunteer work with a local physician, finding one who ran a clinic that provided free services for the poor of Amber City. Lastly, to make his already busy day even more hectic, Konrad made arrangements to begin taking fencing and archery lessons.
That night, he and Cassilda were surprised to note Talia in attendance at the performance. She beckoned them both over to the royal box, and so they sat and talked a while. And for the first time, Konrad had a pleasant conversation with Talia, discussing all manner of matters, from the state of family relations in Amber to theatre to Nicholas' health. All in all it surprised him to have such pleasant interaction with him...the changes in her were all too noticeable, and he found himself wondering if somehow exposure to Ambre had somehow stabilized her.
Over the next few days, Konrad wrote a number of letters. Talia had as much told him all that could be found in the Castle Amber library on Osric, a topic he had undertaken to research, and he had gathered from the librarian there (with whom he had begun corresponding) that the only remaining sources of information on Osric lied with Benedict's writings, which were kept under lock and key by Commander Clarissa. And so he wrote her a simple letter, informing her (and thus the King) of his presence in Amber City, and requesting her assistance in the matter of his research into his grandfather.
He also contacted Chadwick via his 'com-link' to briefly explain that he had decided to forgoe the rescue of Dara until such time as he was more certain of the situation and his own motivations. Chadwick had been re-assigned to the Golden Circle by the King and was busy there with his own duties, so this was not amiss to him.
Nearly a month after his return to Amber, Konrad learned of the upcoming celebration for the birth of the new heir, and wrote Talia inquiring about an invitation. Her response was to tell him that, 'she was told that his presence would be inadvisable at this time'. Although angry over this latest snub, he later learned that the celebration was primarily a close family affair, and so he did not begrudge their exclusion of him. The heir's name, by the way, is Alexander.
Konrad's tale continues in Tome V: The Year of Quietude.