Session 4.15 Index Session 4.17
Notes Taken by Samantha and Alastair Beadle.
The next 'turning', Julian and Benedict go off to patrol Chaos, Corwin and a young man return, entering the main control centre in the Citadel of Chaos with "Hi, Random! Who are these people?" The young man with him looks rather like Corwin, and turns out to be Merlin, Corwin's son. Caitlin can sense that Corwin has a Pattern sword.
He is introduced to us, and is brought up to speed on events.
He finds our description of this, particularly his part in future events, very interesting. He tells us that he intends to go and have a good look at his Pattern. "When all this is over."
That evening there is a feast, with lots of both Chaos and Amber food on offer. Llewella attempts to sit with Whippoorwill, but he avoids her until she gives up and sits elsewhere. Corwin, Martin, Merlin, Benedict and Florimel sit with Random. Fiona and Bleys sit with us.
Over dinner, Whippoorwill suggests that Corwin protect his Pattern with the same sort of 'worm defence obelisks' that are being erected around the Patterns at the Amber end of the universe.
Corwin thinks this is a good idea, and says he will talk to Gerard.
There is much discussion, catching up, getting aquatinted and general chit-chat over dinner and on into the evening. The exceptions to this are Caine and Julian, who sit at one end of the table and keep to themselves.
The next day, Godofos starts to draw a Trump Trap of the Abyss.
Whippoorwill goes off with Timandra to brief the Coteries on what has been agreed with Amber.
She explains to the remaining Coterie members the deal that she has made with the family of Amber to keep the Courts of Chaos together. She apologises to them all for her 'failings' up until this point but describes the agreement as the only way to maintain the Courts in anything like their current state.
The various Coterie members do not look happy, but one of the Coterie members, apparently the head of the Diviner Coterie, a middle-aged-looking woman with dark blue hair and bright, almost glowing, blue eyes in a long dark blue robe, speaks up and says that the plan is the only way for there ton continue to be a Courts of Chaos in any form.
After this, although there is some grumbling, the various Coteries do agree that the plan has some merit and arrange for the forming of a Constitutional Conference to determine the way forward.
Whippoorwill requests permission to attend as an observer, and this is granted.
Godofos finishes his Trump Trap of the Abyss.
With that done, he then begins research into creating a 'Hyper-Trump' which will allow travel directly from the Courts Of Chaos to Amber.
Caitlin quickly gets bored with all the politics that is occurring, and bored of the Family too. She leaves the Courts and walks off through shadow back towards Amber, using her Pattern powers to cause havoc in a huge swathe of shadow, creating a path of environmental disaster, war, riot, famine and disease as she effectively unleashes the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse on vast numbers of innocent shadows. Trillions die.
Well, everyone should have a hobby...
Back in Chaos, Jihx rejoins the Spaceshifters and continues to learn magic from them, as he had been doing on the journey here.
Godofos concludes that a Hyper-Trump may be possible, although the shattered shadows between Amber and Chaos would probably be the greatest obstacle to its functioning. He thinks that a normal super-Trump might work if they were not there...
In the Courts of Chaos, the Courts of Chaos Constitutional Conference (CCCC) begins, in one of the larger surviving rooms in the Citadel of Chaos.
Every human being in Chaos and of Chaos blood is invited to attend, Coterie members and Commoners alike. No Amberites are invited, but Whippoorwill attends anyway, and is let in without incident. Caine attempts to attend but is refused entry.
The CCCC starts with a speech by the Chief Priestess of the Serpent, Kaikara. She describes the reason for the conference and the options open to them - go back to the old Coterie system, change to a new political system, or something else.
The first parts of the conference continue for some time, often rambling and out of control.
Timandra asks Whippoorwill to assist, as from what he has said he knows more about these matters than anyone from Chaos.
He does what he can, suggesting speaking procedures, and the addition of clerks and stewards to assist in the debating process. He calls in some of his troops for these tasks, as they are independent of anyone here. He also suggests some voting procedures, which are eventually agreed to be 'one Chaosite, one vote', and various other ideas to help things run smoothly.
As the debating continues several interest groups emerge. Some want the Courts to go back to how they were, that is with the Coterie system in place, and perhaps some reforms to eliminate the corruption in it. Others, originating from and supported by many of the Commoners, want a permanent end to the Coterie system, and some more egalitarian system put in place instead. The remainder (who are the majority) appear content to sit back and see what the conference comes up with before they decide what their wishes are.
After much destruction has been wreaked across many shadows, Caitlin enters a shadow and finds Princess Fiona waiting there for her.
"What in the name of the Unicorn do you think you are doing, you lunatic?!?!" she demands.
Caitlin shrugs off her complaints and insists that she be allowed to do what she wishes. And this is what she wishes.
She then wanders off, ignoring Fiona.
Fiona follows her.
Caitlin soon finds a shadow very much like Derris, finds a cave there very much like her cave in Derris, and settles down for a rest.
Fiona follows her to the cave, then leaves.
After a while the Derris-like world is wracked by earthquakes, which are not of Caitlin's doing this time. The ground cracks open, and lava begins to spill out over the land.
Quite unperturbed by this, Caitlin jumps on the back of a nearby giant lizard and rides it off to another shadow.
In Chaos, after quite a lot of research, Godofos figures out a way to plug a Trump engine into a Trump card (or Gate), to give it extra power and turn it into a Hyper-Trump. His 'Trump capacitor' is re-useable, and different Trumps can be slotted in and out as required.
With this he manages to open a Trump all the way from the Courts of Chaos to the Amber Arrival Courtyard. This is still quite difficult - about as difficult as going to Ygg the normal way.
With his device complete, Godofos then uses it to Trump Gerard and when he takes the call tells him the news.
Apparently a couple of Amber months have passed in what was, to us, a week or so in the Courts. The defences against the Vadgaon worms are mostly complete, around all of the Patterns at the Amber end of the universe.
Godofos tells Gerard about Corwin's wish to protect his Pattern.
Gerard agrees to ask Moire and Lillian to make some more obelisks for Corwin.
Godofos and Gerard then discuss family matters.
Gerard is not surprised that Julian has taken a dislike to us - it appears that it is his habit to do this. He may well train his war-horse, Morgenstern, to dislike us too. Apparently Julian has a similar animosity towards Corwin, and has trained Morgenstern to dislike him.
And with news exchanged, Godofos cuts the Trump link.
Now feeling confident in his new magical abilities, Jihx goes out into shadow to try them out.
Quite quickly, he begins to come across shadows devastated in various ways (Caitlin's trail of devastation, although he does not know that it was her). Seeing how serious some of the problems these shadows are having are, he begins to use his various powers to mop up and help the situation.
He puts an end to the wars, famines and other man made disasters. For the natural disasters his only option is to evacuate the inhabitants to happier shadows nearby. They are all very grateful for his help.
After a while, becoming bored of being followed by Fiona, who keeps making nasty things happen to the shadows that Caitlin passes through, Caitlin uses her Trump of the tree of Ygg and travels to the midst of the fragmented shadows.
She then moves off through the fragmented shadows until she is some way from Ygg, and then begins joining them together into one shadow, and changing that new shadow into a large, hot desert.
At the CCCC several options are considered, including a full dictatorship, an elected dictatorship, representational participatory democracy, and the original Coterie system, with its corruption removed. Members of the Diviner Coterie are consulted all through this process.
As the conference continues, Whippoorwill goes off into shadow and returns with another twenty-three thousand troops, some of which are pressed into service supporting the conference.
The CCCC goes on for two months. Godofos and Jihx do wander in to see what is going on from time to time (as do some of the Elders) but are nowhere near as interested in what is going on as Whippoorwill, and so do not stay for too long.
While this is occurring, Godofos completes another Hyper-Trump. He also goes into shadow for a while and modifies his Trump deck, or at least his Trump Traps, so that they can change size from normal Trump card size up to the size of an advertising billboard, or anything in between.
Off in the zone of shattered shadow, Caitlin builds her desert with a white tower, much like her tower closer to Amber, but with a fountain outside of it, in it. The only other occupant of this new shadow appears to be a man on a donkey who wanders past the tower occasionally, fails to sell anything to Caitlin and wanders off again.
With this done, Caitlin then walls off the desert from the rest of the universe - for which the universe ought to be grateful!
Whippoorwill is in favour of the idea of an elected senate for the Courts of Chaos, and tells the conference this.
He gathers more and more support for this idea and in the end it is this system that is accepted by the Chaosites.
With the new form of government decided, Whippoorwill uses Godofos' Hyper-Trump device to travel to the Tunnel, where he once again recruits Mr Snide, the Senatorial Head Scribe, to draw up the new Chaos constitution.
Whippoorwill uses Godofos's Hyper-Trump to commute between the Tunnel and the Courts during this final phase.
When the new constitution is completed, the new Chaos Senate will have one hundred and ten elected members, roughly one for every hundred people in the Courts, an independent Judiciary, a Bill of Rights, a declaration of understanding of international law (between Chaos and Amber), and several controls designed to keep it in line with both Coterie and Commoner interests. The corruption in the Coterie system will also be removed.
With his Hyper-Trumps complete, Godofos uses one to contact Gerard, and passes a Hyper-Trump through to him.
He realises that the Hyper-Trump will not actually work in Amber, Trump Engines not working there, so it will have to be held a few shadow veils out, where Trump Engines start working fully. Damn.
He travels to such a shadow, finds s fortress and begins working to protect the Hyper-Trump device there. This he mainly does with Trump Traps, lining the walls of a fairly small Hyper-Trump chamber with large Trump Traps, facing both into the room, and out at the wall in case anyone tries to tunnel in. These will transport anyone not of the current Family of Amber back out to the entrance chamber.
In the zone of shattered shadow, Caitlin used her powers to merge more shadow fragments, and sets up a ring of tropical jungle around her desert. This she also walls of from the rest of the universe.
Unfortunately, she returns to her desert to find that a volcano, which seems to have erupted right under it, has consumed her tower. Wonder how that could have happened...
She leaves her desert and instead sets about systematically merging the remainder of the fractured shadows into just one.
Jihx attempts to Trump Caitlin to ask her if she knows what is causing the path of destruction through shadow. This takes quite a lot of effort, but she eventually accepts the call, and he asks the question.
Caitlin admits that it was her creating it, but remains unrepentant. She claims to have stopped now.
Jihx chides her sternly and cuts the link.
He then tells everyone else what she has done.
There is much exclaiming of, "Is she mad?" by various people, to which Jihx usually replies "Yes!".
Whippoorwill takes his army out into shadow to search for Caitlin, but after a subjective month has failed to find her, and so returns to Chaos.
And eventually the CCCC draws to a close. At the end of the conference Whippoorwill's constitution and associated paraphernalia are accepted by a large majority of the people of the Courts, with the approval of the Diviner Coterie, who accept that it is as good a way forward as any they could get.
The date for the first Senatorial elections is set for fourteen turnings time (roughly two weeks).
Each Coterie will have a senator, along with around a hundred commoner senators from a hundred new Commoner constituencies.
Further meetings between the Chaosites and Amberites agree that there will be an exchange of embassies between them.
Once this is decided, the Spaceshifters off to make an Embassy Way for us. We agree to this plan, and they shape a new set of sealed shadow fragments in the Courts which will be the Amber Embassy. The Embassy shadow consists of a beautiful mediaeval-type castle with a small village within its outer walls growing vegetables and so on for the inhabitants. The rest of the way includes rolling countryside, blue rivers and a hunting forest surrounding the castle.
Once the Way itself is made, Godofos constructs a Hyper-Trump room similar to the one he has made near Amber. In fact the 'room' is actually a separate shadow, with the same precautions as the Amber one. Although Trump works in the Hyper-Trump room is does not work in the rest of the Embassy.
Godofos sets things up so that people Trumping in to the Embassy arrive in a special Trump-active outside the castle gates, while those wanting to Trump out must find and enter the Trump room.
Magic and technology are also set to be low in this shadow, similar to their levels in Amber itself.
Some time after this King Random swings by to see how things are going.
We update him on the new status of the Courts of Chaos.
He appears pleased with this, particularly as it will put an end to the wars inside and outside of Amber which have, in the past, been caused by Chaos.
Whippoorwill chooses this time to suggest that similar constitutional reform in Amber may have similar effects on Amberite warmongering.
Jihx and Godofos groan at this, and Godofos wanders off.
Whippoorwill flatters King Random, suggesting that he will have more vision than Gerard in receiving this idea.
The King decides to "Give it some thought," but clearly has his doubts.
King Random then asks Whippoorwill if he has any suggestions for Ambassadors for the new Embassy.
Whippoorwill puts himself forward as a candidate.
Around this time we also notice that Corwin and Merlin appear to have departed the Courts on an unknown errand. Perhaps they are off to Corwin's Pattern, as Corwin said he wished to investigate it...
After a while Caitlin becomes bored with merging shadow fragments in the zone of shattered shadow. So she Trumps back to Amber.
Exiting the Arrival Courtyard, she find some breakfast - her usual meat and wine - when Gerard approaches to discuss the Courts of Chaos with her.
She tells him about Julian and Fiona's dislike of her, including the reasons why.
Gerard is less shocked about Caitlin's activities than Fiona, and calls Fiona a traitorous bitch, so it appears he has not forgiven her for her previous attacks on Amber just yet! He also mentions that she seems to rather regard shadow as her property, so Caitlin's messing about with it might not have gone down well with her...
He states that he has taken "some precautions" for the return of the Elders and asks for Caitlin's help with this later.
She agrees to assist him.
Not much later, Florimel enters the Chaos Amber Embassy and berates us on our taste in interior décor. With our grudging permission, she then proceeds to redecorate the castle in her own rather more chintzy taste.
Godofos follows her around, replacing a lot of her style with heavyset furniture and less fussy decorations. She is not pleased with this.
In the end a compromise is reached, where she has chintz in some places, but more sensible and functional decor is agreed upon for the public areas.
With that done, Godofos hands out Trumps of the Embassy entrance to the Amberites who are here, for which he is thanked.
Whippoorwill suggests that the Courts of Chaos have an Embassy in Amber.
Random agrees to this idea.
There is some discussion about where the best place would be. We suspect that the people of Amber would not particularly like Chaosites living in amongst them. After considering a site on Mount Kolvir, which is disliked because it might allow the Chaosites access to Tir-Na Nog'th (though Random says he is intending to post guards on the staircase, just in case).
In the end an island embassy, on one of the small islands a couple of miles offshore of Amber to the north, is proposed, and accepted.
Another couple of weeks pass and the Courts hold their elections.
By this point several political parties have formed, the largest two being the Isolationists and Progressives.
The former wish to return Chaos to its former state of Coterie control, and want to have nothing to do with Amber. The latter wish to move Chaos forward, and continue to good relations with Amber which have been built up in the last few weeks. Notable amongst the smaller parties is the Revenge party, whose agenda is pretty obvious; this party is led by Kersen, the Senator from the Farmers Coterie.
However, the Progressive party takes the majority of seats. Phew. Most of the Coterie Senators are in fact their representatives to the old Council of Coteries.
After the election, Random calls all of the Amberites together.
He states that as things are settling down in Chaos, and the unrest here has ceased, it is about time to return home. He declares his intention to leave Fiona and Caine as Chaos Ambassadors for the time being, but that this may change once the Chaos Embassy is complete, after which point Whippoorwill may return to take over.
He suggests that we all return together via the Hyper-Trump.
In Amber, Caitlin is relaxing. She intends to visit Tir-Na Nog'th when it appears with the full moon in a few days.
While she waits she Trumps off to The Hospital and visits Jim. He is much the same as before, apart from now being a metre tall egg.
She brings Jim back with her to Amber, and a servant is allocated to care for him. He is given a room in the Castle.
She belatedly checks with Gerard to see if this is all right, but he does not object.
The return to Amber is planned. The huge Amber army in Chaos is to be returned first, via Trump Gate to a point a few shadow veils away from Amber for logistical reasons. Whippoorwill's troops are to be dispersed into shadow (as he can retrieve them with the Pattern whenever he likes).
Random asks for a volunteer to announce our arrival in Amber before most of us come through.
Jihx steps forward to do this.
Everyone makes their goodbyes to the Chaosites that they know, in particular Whippoorwill to Alcina. She passes on her thanks and that of the Spaceshifter Coterie to the rest of the young Amberites.
In the meantime, in Amber, Caitlin has been 'pottering'. This includes rummaging around in the rooms of other Amberites, and going through their stuff.
With the aid of Godofos' Hyper-Trump device, Jihx arrives in the Amber Arrival Courtyard.
Once he is admitted, he goes to find Gerard, who is in the Throne Room with Vialle. He is quickly ushered over to Gerard, and once there announces that King Random and the Amberites will be arriving in Amber within the hour.
Gerard stands up, and states that he is going off to get ready.
Jihx asks what this involves.
"I plan to make most of them welcome," says Gerard ominously.
He sends a servant to summon Caitlin, who quickly joins them in the throne room.
Jihx asks Gerard who is not welcome.
"Bleys and Fiona," he says. "I intend to kill them."
Jihx expresses his distaste for this plan, but Gerard is not to be swayed. He asks for Jihx's word not to warn the other Elders of his plan, which Jihx reluctantly gives.
Even Vialle thinks it is "a little harsh", but does not intervene.
Gerard, Caitlin and Jihx leave the Throne Room and go to the armoury.
Whilst tooling up with a very large crossbow, which seems to have three separate prods and three separate bolts, Gerard states that he will not allow Random to be King.
Jihx asks what his alternative is.
Gerard umm's and ah's, but does not seem to have a plan.
Jihx suggests Whippoorwill's Amber republic plan.
Gerard swears, but then, in something of a change of heart, agrees to it!
The three of them set off to the Arrival Courtyard. Large numbers of Castle guards are visible moving into positions around the Arrival Courtyard. Jihx checks to see how alarmed they are at the concept of attacking members of the Royal Family, but they seem quite happy to follow Gerard's orders.
On the way, Jihx hangs back, then breaks his promise not to warn the Elders by quickly leaving Amber by Trumping to Godofos' Hyper-Trump fortress. From there he Hyper-Trumps Godofos.
In Chaos, the millions of Amber troops have been lined up on the plain by the edge of the Abyss. From there Godofos, with the aid of his Hyper-Trump device, has opened a Trump Gate from Chaos to a shadow close to the one where the Amber Hyper-Trump device is stored. He is now holding open the Gate while the soldiers to march through.
As he is doing this, he feels a Trump call coming on, and accepts it; he cannot check who is calling as he is concentrating on holding open the Gate.
It is Jihx, who passes on a warning about Gerard's intention to kill Bleys and Fiona, and his refusal to accept Random as King.
After a short discussion, they agree to warn off Bleys and Fiona, but not to warn Random of Gerard's plan to convert Amber to a democracy.
In Amber, Gerard leads Caitlin into the corridors around the Arrival Courtyard, and they peer out of the arrow slits into the courtyard below.
From there, Caitlin Trumps Moire to tell her of the impending return of the Elders.
Quite quickly, Moire takes the call, shuffling away her Trump deck.
Caitlin explains the situation, and she comes through and joins her and Gerard.
When Moire appears, dressed in the traditional skimpy Rebman style, but wrapped in a cloak, Gerard describes his plan to her. This includes knocking Random out with a club-headed crossbow bolt, something Jihx does not know about.
In Chaos, Godofos calls over Random while holding the Trump Gate open.
When he arrives, he passes on Jihx's warning about Bleys and Fiona.
Random looks quite surprised by this, but goes off and in turn warns Bleys and Fiona. Bleys appears to be particularly surprised by this news.
Random comes back and tells Godofos that Bleys has, for now, agreed to remain with Fiona in the Embassy in Chaos.
Some time later, all of the Amber troops have passed through the Trump Gate, and Godofos is more than a little relieved to be able to allow the Trump Gate to collapse after them.
All of the Amberites them assemble for the long-range Trump to the Amber Arrival Courtyard.
When everyone is ready, Godofos summons up his energy one last time, concentrates on the Hyper-Trump device, and opens a Hyper-Trump link to the Amber Arrival Courtyard.
From Godofos' Hyper-Trump shadow, near Amber, Jihx Trumps Moire to tell her what is going on.
When she takes the call, he is slightly surprised to see her already in Amber with Caitlin and Gerard already, but does not let this stop him from Trumping through to join them.
He kisses Moire gently on the cheek, and asks after her and the children. Apparently, Greta, Nuala, Eamon, Cassandra and Royce are all still out in shadow after having walked the Pattern in Rebma. Other than that, all appears well in the Rebma extended family.
Back in Chaos, Whippoorwill suggests that the most honoured warriors should lead the 'victory parade' through the Trump link to Amber, with those who did little (that is, us) at the rear. There is a little discussion of this, and then we agree on a formation consisting of Benedict, then Julian, Florimel, Random, Llewella, Martin, Whippoorwill and Godofos in that order (Godofos has to be last anyway, as he has to hold the Trump link open).
Each person steps through the Trump link in turn.
Nothing bad appears to happen to them during or after the transfer, so Godofos steps through the Trump link, which drops as he does so.
Gerard, Moire, Caitlin and Jihx watch the other Amberites appear in the courtyard below. Gerard begins to raise his crossbow ready to fire.
Jihx sees him doing this, and attempts to cast a spell to prevent Random from being hurt, an illusion, to make Random appear to be elsewhere than his true position. Unfortunately, his spell does not work well in Amber, and as Gerard fires, Random simply flickers briefly.
To those in the courtyard, there is a twang of an arrow, Random flickers briefly, then an arrow hits him in the forehead, and he falls to the ground.
Whippoorwill, who knows nothing of this, draws his weapon and takes a defensive position. Benedict moves to defend the fallen Random. Florimel gasps and hides behind Julian, who has drawn his sword and moved to defend Random with a scowl on his face, going back-to-back with Benedict. Llewella gasps and palms a Trump. Martin rushes over and falls to the ground beside his father, examining him to see how he is. Godofos whips out a dungeon Trump trap and enlarges it to its maximum size (a couple of metres in height).
As Godofos enlarges this, Gerard says "What's he...", then disappears into a purple Trump rainbow, along with many of the Arrival Courtyard guards. Moire, Jihx and Caitlin remain, seemingly unaffected by the Trap. Whoops...
"Don't look at the card!" Caitlin shouts to the guards. This seems to work, and fewer guards disappear now.
Caitlin then asks Moire what she is going to do.
She declares an intent to continue with the plan, that is, declare the Republic of Amber.
"Open the gates for the King of Amber!" Whippoorwill shouts from below.
"That man ith not the King," calls down Moire.
"How dare you go against the will of the Unicorn!" shouts Julian. "You will pay for that, traitoress!"
"Moire? Is that you?" asks Whippoorwill.
"Yeth," replies Morie. "Gerard has had to depart briefly. In his absence I will announce his decision to declare the Republic of Amber!"
"Still seems like a shabby way to great the heroes of the war against Chaos," shouts Whippoorwill. "Come, open the gates!"
"I think not," replies Moire. "Not yet."
Down below, the supporters of Random are vocal in their heckling of Moire as she speaks.
Whippoorwill asks her what she wants.
Moire says that she wants them to accept the Republic of Amber.
Whippoorwill asks her to accept the Republic of Rebma too, but she declines to do so.
An argument ensues.
While this goes on, Jihx Trumps Gerard.
When he gets through, Gerard seems to be in a dungeon cell, with lots of Castle Guards. He suggests that that was an accident rather than a deliberate hostile act, and brings Gerard back through the link.
Jihx then Trumps down into the Arrival Courtyard.
Random is on the floor with a dent in the forehead and a ball-headed arrow in the ground beside him.
As Jihx appears, the other Amberites turn and point swords and other weapons at him.
Jihx tells them that Gerard is serious in his declaration.
Shouting down from above, Gerard agrees with this.
Whippoorwill protests that all the Family have to agree.
Gerard says he hopes that everyone will discuss this as long as everyone makes assurances that they will not cause violence against each other.
Jihx agrees to this.
Whippoorwill agrees for twenty-four hours. In fact, everyone agrees except for Martin and Julian, who both pull out Trumps.
Julian says he will never accept a republic and Trumps away. From where he stands, Jihx can see that he is Trumping to what appears to be a castle in some woodland, and remembers that Julian was the Warden of Forest Arden.
Benedict agrees to a one-day cessation of violence, and with that Martin seems to change his mind and also agrees to stay.
Whippoorwill and Godofos suggest taking Random to The Hospital.
Benedict thinks it best that he stays. So he stays.
The gates out of the Arrival Courtyard are opened and guards sent in to carry Random out.
Jihx can sense that Martin is now carrying the Jewel of Judgement.
As the gates rumble open, it can be seen that outside the Arrival Courtyard are many guards, arranged as if ready for combat. However, they now seem to be standing down.
Whippoorwill suggests keeping Rebma out of the discussions.
Jihx is not happy with this idea.
Caitlin isn't interested in these discussions, and instead leaves the Castle and heads off to Rebma with Jim.
As we all head into the Castle, to the Main Hall for our meeting, Fiona and Bleys turn up in the Arrival Courtyard.
Gerard glares at them.
They ask what is going on, and are told about the Republic idea.
Fiona bursts out laughing, and when she stops, asks "No, really, what is happening?"
It takes a little time to convince her that this is a serious proposal.
In the Main Hall, everyone sits down for the discussion.
Jihx asks that Moire be allowed to attend as an observer.
Moire accepts this, but says she will provide assistance to Gerard should he wish it.
Whippoorwill tells everyone that he believes that it was his idea that started the trouble. He says that he thought that because of the recurring troubles of Amber that a change in the Monarchy would be best to avoid this in future. He talks about this at some length.
Gerard agrees that the idea was a Republic, but with a King elected every fifty years or so, rather than full democracy. "That's enough of a Republic for me," he says.
At this point, Vialle comes running in and when she sees Random goes over to Gerard and slaps him across the face, quite hard, and berates him for what he has done.
Gerard seems to barely feel the slap. He apologises to Vialle, but tells her that he could never allow Random to be the King of Amber.
Session 4.15 Index Session 4.17