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In Arden, there is a Lady of Chaos, Erzebet Ashlurian, whose family was wiped out in the war with Amber, and who has been living in Arden since then, causing minor trouble to Julian, mainly harassing of Rangers, theft and the like - not enough to bring Julian himself onto the scene. This is partly because she wants revenge on Amber, and partly because she has nothing to return to.
Also in another part of Arden, a Chaos parasite, a nuisance in Chaos, has been reproducing and thriving, having unwittingly been carried there along the Black road. En masse these 'leeches' generate a psychic 'static' which block Trump use, and can, up close, bend other living things to their will.
Lady Erzebet has been aware of the 'leeches' for quite some time, but was unable to do anything useful with them. Recently, she finally learnt how to form Logrus tendrils into Logrus Servants (not quite the same as the ones in the book, but close), and started to use them as a military force against Julian and the Rangers (who she dislikes more than other Amberites because of what they did to her family in the war). They appear and disappear essentially out of nowhere. Theft of weapons from ambushed Rangers and/or caravans through Arden to arm tendril creatures?
These are the Chaos incursion Julian is looking for (he has "scented the stench of Chaos" at one of the ambush sites), but they are hard to track because of their seeming appearing and disappearing as they are created and un-created. A hard-to-follow trail to the 'leeches' has been laid to lure in, and thus capture/kill, lots of Rangers, leaving Arden open to an attack which she hopes will come from Chaos. She also intends to have her Logrus creatures fire from cover/hides at the controlled Rangers, killing as many as possible.
Meanwhile, Oswald Karm shoots an Arden tiger (a creature which is to normal tigers as Morgenstern is to normal horses), turning it into a maddened man-eater because of the broken, poisoned crossbow shaft embedded in its shoulder. Because of the 'Chaos incursion' Julian asks the PC's in to sort it out while he looks for the Chaosites. Traders through Arden are up in arms about the attacks, and want them stopped; Julian has this more important thing to do...
The PC's Trump to Julian's castle in Arden where they are briefed.
[JULIAN'S CASTLE - MAGIC : YES, TRUMP : YES]
The PC's perhaps see a caravan limping into the City?
Anyway, the PC's track the tiger to its lair (from the latest attack site, to which they are guided by a pair or Rangers (?), or in some other way), with difficulty. It's lair is a cave high up a cliff, in a non-magical part of Arden. Lots of bones scattered etc. are scattered around the cave mouth, and a hideous stench. The tiger senses the PC's coming, and attacks the character with the highest bad stuff. High Psyche and/or Warfare characters sense the tigers attack coming.
[TIGER'S LAIR - MAGIC : NO, TRUMP : YES]
Obviously the PC's will see the tigers wounds, and the arrow shaft it has embedded in its shoulder.
When badly injured, the tiger flees; it is easy to follow, but fast, and moving through Shadow. Normal horses are unwilling to follow it. PC's hopefully rush after it. The woods get darker, wetter and nastier.
[ARDEN IN GENERAL - MAGIC : STUFF DEPENDANT, TRUMP : YES]
The tiger had been to the 'leeches' swamp once, but escaped, carrying a couple of leeches with it. When it is running from the PC's, distracted by its injuries, the 'leeches' influence it into returning to the swamp, but it stops when it gets there, and fights to the death, rather than go back in. High-psyche characters can feel the 'leeches' aura as something strange about the tiger.
The swamp is Everglades-like - dark, dank, waterlogged, smelly etc. etc.
[EDGE OF THE SWAMP - MAGIC : YES, TRUMP : NO]
As they turn to leave from the Swamp, the PC's find themselves surrounded by forest animals of all kinds (controlled by the 'leeches' - perhaps a ragged Ranger or two as well?) which try and drive them into the swamp. They have the same strange aura as the tiger, but stronger. At this point the PC's are close enough to the 'leeches' for Trumps to be 'jammed' by them - there is an impression of swirling static when concentrating on the cards.
Examination of the tiger (if they get the chance), or the attacking animals, could reveal the 'leeches'.
If they go into the swamp, bad stuff characters trip and slip in the mud and slime a lot. The 'leeches' start sapping their will, lowest psyche and highest Bad Stuff first, possibly pulling towards the centre where the mass of leeches is. High Psyche and Good Stuff help. PC's notice; examination reveals 'leeches', which have been slipping on from in the slimy water, and which can be removed.
[THE SWAMP - MAGIC : YES, TRUMP : NO]
Depending on when the PC's get into the swamp, they find the mound of 'leeches', and because they are coming from the 'wrong' direction, also find the pre-arranged ambush positions as well. Depending on whether they come early or late, these may or may not be filled by Logrus Servants (which feel strange to high-psyche types, and may vanish if psychically disrupted).
Everyone may well be affected by the leeches as the mound of 'leeches' is approached...
The PC's can then help out Julian in some way, destroying the 'leeches' before the ambush or trying to get the Chaos lady or whatever. And of course, there's always Oswald Karm for later...
The PC's need to scatter or destroy the 'leeches', and find the strength of will to escape and stop Julian from leading the Rangers into a trap (especially if they get to the 'leeches' late), as well as stopping the Lady Ashlurian...
Psyche : 40 Shapeshifting : 35
Strength : 1 Logrus : 45
Endurance : 12 Partial Advanced Logrus : 15
Warfare : 40 [Enhanced Logrus Sensitivity ]
[Create/Shape Logrus Servants]
Good Stuff : +2
House Ashlurian Support : 3
Weapons : 6
[2 x Damage - 2]
[Alternate Form {Shortsword/Throwing Dagger} - 1]
[Named and Numbered {12 of them} x 2]
Normal Bow : -
Total Points : (40 + 1 + 12 + 40) + 35 + 45 + 15 + 2 + 3 + 6 = 200
This has been changed by her long years in Arden into a form better suited to it
Short-cropped mottled green and brown hair; dark, slightly mottled brown-on-brown skin; slightly pointed ears and small fangs; solid black eyes.
Attractive in a slightly weird way.
Brown dark green and black camouflaged, practical-looking clothes, some looking like modified Ranger garb.
Spider/praying mantis-like; armoured carapace; tilted 2-part torso; upper has two pairs of arms (with claw-tipped fingers); lower 4 pairs of long, spiked, spider-like legs, and a long spiky-club tipped tail. Head mantis-like, with large mandibles and lots of compound eyes, plus dagger-like horns.
It is iridescent blue-green with black tiger stripes; eyes are solid black.
An amoeba-like water elemental; useful for being stealthy in the swamp...
Various demons and Chaos creatures; many different Arden animals; Arden Rangers.
Her weapons have red-bronze blades, bronze cross-guards, black grips and ruby pommels. They are obviously lovingly cared for, and look out of place on Erzebet's less-than-immaculate and woodlands camouflaged person. They are usually worn on a bandoleer.
She knows lots of stealth, guerrilla and survival skills, honed by years of living in Arden, and has a 'nest' somewhere in Arden, with a trail from it to a contact point with people from Chaos (if she has a contact point, of course).
She really hates Amberites, and Julian and his Rangers in particular; this is mainly what has kept her in Arden - she could have returned to Chaos via Logrus at any time, after all.
Psyche : Chaos Resistant to Normal Weapons : 5 Strength : Chaos Extra Hard 'Inbuilt' Weapons : 5 Endurance : Unlimited Warfare : Chaos
Dull, with no imagination and little stealth abilities; dispellable if Psychically Disrupted, or by the touch of the Pattern.
Look like crudely formed eye-less black humanoids built out of a mass of twisted together Logrus tendrils.
It's 26 years after Patternfall, Random is King, and Amber is at peace. However, your uncle Julian is having a few problems in Arden. Caravans passing through parts of the forest are being destroyed to a man, and there are rumours of Chaos armies running wild through the woods. Your assistance in restoring order to Arden is requested by uncle Julian...
Characters should all be young (aged less than 50 or so) Amberites, based in or around Amber, built on 55 points, with Pattern for free. No statistic can go below Chaos. Maximum of 5 points Stuff either way and 10 points of contributions. No 4 point creature/item powers/abilities. No Conjuration - a 10 point "Empowerment" replaces it. Just so you know, no magic above Power Words works in Amber itself. No Advanced powers. Some sort of character description and background before the game would be appreciated. Also, note that I do not intend to run a separate game for each player - characters who can (and do!) co-operate to some extent would thus also be appreciated.