Session 4.16 Index Session 4.18
Notes Taken by Samantha and Alastair Beadle.
In the Main Hall of Amber, where we are meeting with the newly returned Elders regarding the future of Amber, Gerard calls over a servant, and orders food and drink for all.
He then looks to Whippoorwill for further expansion on his idea for a Republic of Amber.
Whippoorwill describes his views on Republic, adding that Gerard did not favour the idea in the least when it was first mooted.
Having listened to all of this, Benedict states that he has sworn allegiance to King Random, the Chosen of the Unicorn, and that he will not go along with a Republic unless King Random approves it.
All of the other Elders apart from Caine nod in agreement with this.
It is generally agreed that no further progress will be made in this discussion without Random, what with him being the King and all.
While we have been talking, Vialle has been tending to Random, trying to bring him around. She is muttering and passing her hands over him, clearly performing magic of some kind.
And indeed, after a little while Random begins to come around.
Meanwhile, Caitlin, who got bored and left before the start of the meeting with the Elders, is on her way to Rebma with Jim, who is in a small handcart.
Partway down the Royal Way, she changes her mind, and instead Trumps to The Hospital to return Jim there.
Upon arrival, she leaves Jim with the staff, stating that she will be back shortly. She then shifts shadow off on a quest to find the Unicorn of Amber!
Back in Amber, Whippoorwill challenges those who are loyal to King Random to state whether they believe that a Republic would end the kind of coup that Gerard has just performed, as well as similar coups such as Corwin invading to remove Eric, the redheads removing Oberon, Finndo trying to take over Amber, and so on.
After some talking back and forth, the opinion of the Elders is that, no, they do not want a republic.
As Bleys puts it, they want "strong leadership", and respect for the choice of the Unicorn of Amber.
King Random comes around during this conversation. He is somewhat dazed and confused but, assisted with the newly arrived wine and food, he gets up and takes his seat at the table.
"Sorry Random." says Gerard, "but Moire and I are of the opinion that you are not going to be King."
Benedict and the others reassert their support of him to King Random.
Whippoorwill describes his idea to Random. He is now referring to this as an 'Elected Monarchy', with elections for the position every fifty years or so.
Godofos asks what happens if, say, Random is elected King. If this happens then Gerard will still not be happy, and there may still be violence.
Whippoorwill argues that it may take time, but a working democratic constitution will turn the urge to fight for power into the urge to gain power through election.
Much to the surprise of the other elders, Random states that he is quite in favour of the idea!
Fiona in particular is not impressed. "But this overthrows the entire history of Amber!" she protests.
"Well, if I might be quite so bold," says Whippoorwill. "I happen to have a draft constitution prepared."
He excuses himself and he and Godofos go off to retrieve the original and make some copies for everyone.
The Elders go and talk quietly amongst themselves...
While they are away, Jihx goes off to discuss the situation with Moire. He is making the assumption that The Republic is now coming, and that being so, who will be King.
Moire says that she is dead set against Random, and instead favours Gerard. She also mentions the implications for Rebma with the inevitable pressure for it to adopt a similar system. Not to mention the fact that events in Amber are mirrored, to some extent, in Rebma, so if Amber adopts such a constitution, Rebma may inevitably follow suit.
They consider who might be included in the potential constituency, which includes all of those with Amber blood. There are quite a lot of them:
Off in shadow, talking with Godofos, Whippoorwill suggests that the noble houses of Amber also get votes of some kind.
Elsewhere, Caitlin has not as yet found the Unicorn of Amber, but she has found various types of 'normal' unicorn. She is collecting these, and is now sweeping through shadow at the head of a massive herd of unicorns.
In Amber, King Random, having discussed the situation with the other Elders, states that he wants to "think about it some more" and that he will "talk to you about it again tomorrow".
"But first I shall spend some time with my wife," he concludes. And he heads for the door, with Vialle on his arm.
Whippoorwill and Godofos Trump to The Tunnel, and once there travel to the Senate House, where Whippoorwill retrieves the latest draft of the Amber Constitution from Mr Snide.
With that done, they Trump off to get it copied, going to the shadow used earlier to obtain copies of Corwin's book. Upon arrival they head for the alchemist's shop which Godofos knows there. The proprietor, a spry old woman in a robe with a magician's wand at her belt, greets them from behind the counter as they enter.
At Godofos' request, the proprietor takes the draft constitution, waves her wands over it and speaks an enchantment. The papers fly into the air, spinning and tumbling and increasing in numbers, then fall to the counter in a neat stack of one hundred copies.
Godofos samples some delicacies that the shop has in stock. There is nothing new and spicy, but there are human eyes, so Godofos tries one, but does not like much - too bland. There are some ice salamander eyes, which have a cold taste, as well the same fire salamander eyes as he had before.
He takes a bag each of ice and fire salamander eyes, pays the proprietor the ten gold pieces the work has cost, and they leave.
They then Trump back, with their documentation, to the Amber Arrival Courtyard.
Just and Random and Vialle have reached the door, Whippoorwill and Godofos return.
Whippoorwill has the servants distribute copies of the Constitution, while Godofos distributes the salamander eyes.
All of the Elders accept copies of the Constitution, but only Bleys accepts the salamander eyes.
Random agrees to extend the twenty-four hour truce until the Constitution has been discussed further, and he has had a chance to read it. He then leaves with Vialle.
We examine the draft constitution. It contains a number of ideas:
One thing not included in the draft constitution are any limitations about who can be nominated.
The Elders and other returned from Chaos begin to drift off to peruse their copies of the draft Constitution.
When the returned Amberites have left, Gerard thanks Whippoorwill for his efforts.
Whippoorwill in return proclaims surprise at how well it went.
Gerard expresses cynicism regarding Random's apparent willingness to accept the system. He also suggests that Julian is off forming an army.
Whippoorwill decides to go off into shadow, to upgrade and increase the size of his own army, just in case. He Trumps to one of the shadows he knows, and begins to search.
In shadow, Whippoorwill quickly finds his army, camped among ruins in a Greek-style shadow. With it are a large number - around half a million - other troops. He recruits these other troops too.
Leaving his army, he then shifts off through shadow again, searching for a race of symbiotic beings, one of which is a large, stupid headless humanoid creature, with a pit in the top of its torso into which an egg-like creature fits, providing the humanoid thing with brainpower. He is doing this to find a body for Jim.
Elsewhere in shadow, Caitlin, having failed as yet to find the Unicorn of Amber, decides to take her herd of millions of multi-ethnic unicorns back to the Forest of Arden, and release them there, to liven the place up a bit.
The unicorns she has collected include normal-seeming ones, but also dog-sized carnivorous unicorns, and a few samples of her own new mount, a metallic green herbivorous unicorn the size of an elephant.
In Amber, Jihx Trumps his children, to see how they are and to pass on news of the impending changes in Amber, which some of them may have the opportunity to affect.
The younger children are not too interested in this, but the older ones are, and in general express their loyalty to their mother, and to him. They say they would vote for Moire, if Rebma adopted a constitution like that of Amber.
With that done, Jihx, Godofos and Whippoorwill retire to rest and read the Constitution.
In shadow, en-route to the Forest of Arden with her horde of unicorns, Caitlin spots a flash of purple Trump energy from a copse of trees close by.
She goes to investigate but is warned by a ping from her amulet that magic is being directed at her, but that it is protecting her.
Her amulet pings again as she approaches, and then suddenly a wall of twenty-foot high yellow-white flames surrounds her. This alarms her unicorn more than a little.
She shifts shadow, and the flames grow lower and lower, then disappear, leaving her alone on a plain. She moves off to one side and then shifts back to the original shadow, returning in a position away from the flames.
Although she looks she cannot see who is doing this; it is quite dark under the trees.
Then a lightening bolt flashes out from the trees and strikes the horn of her unicorn. Caitlin only feels a slight static charge from this, but her unicorn twitches and falls to the ground, dead. Not good.
Caitlin decides to find a nearby shadow suitable for her herd, and begins to head off through shadow.
As she does this she feels the start of a Trump contact. She resists, but it is strong, and she feels that it will eventually break through her defences. So instead she resists it by emanating Pattern around herself, cutting of Trump altogether, and she feels the contact fall away.
That done, she continues to shift off, and quickly finds a suitable nearby shadow into which she releases her charges.
Caitlin then Trumps back to Amber.
After being let out of the Arrival Courtyard, Caitlin heads for the stables, gets a horse, and rides out up Mount Kolvir, heading for the Primal Pattern.
Suddenly Caitlin is hit on the head with a blunt-headed crossbow bolt, knocking her off her mount and dazing her. She leaps towards some rocks for cover as more bolts reign down around her, hitting her in the arms and body.
As she runs she senses that someone is using the Pattern and when she gets to the rocks finds that they do not provide cover for her in the direction from which the arrows are coming.
She pulls out her Trump of the Arrival Courtyard and attempts to Trump back to Amber. Unfortunately, the link does not open up!
Then another crossbow bolt hits her in the head, and she falls unconscious...
Some time later, Whippoorwill, Godofos, Caitlin, Jihx and Gerard wake up. They are all chained to the wall of a circular stone-built room with heavy chains. The only light comes from four narrow arrow-slit windows in the walls.
Godofos, Jihx and Whippoorwill all have a bad taste in their mouths. Caitlin has a headache. We are all in our underwear, and none of our equipment or items are visible.
Godofos immediately starts trying to shapeshift his way out the manacles. Unfortunately the manacles adapt to his thinning wrists to restrain him, although there is a slight delay in their doing this.
He tries changing to his war form instead, as this is a faster process, and the chains fall to the floor as he turns into an armoured mini-tank.
Caitlin can sense that we are in a slow-time shadow, some way from Amber, where there is no magic and Trump is weak. The shadow itself is not very weak. There is a strangeness in the gravity here too, but nothing she can identify.
There is much consternation and anger at our situation.
Whippoorwill suggests that this looks like a treaty violation!
Godofos attempts to release the others using the cutting blades of his war form. However, the chains appear to be too strong, and he only scratches the surface.
Caitlin brings her probability manipulation to bear, making it likely that there are flaws in the metal right where Godofos is cutting. The Chain link shatters and falls to the ground. By this method Godofos frees everyone else from the wall, although they still have the cuffs of the manacles and length of chain hanging from each.
We look around. The room does not appear to have any exits, just the arrow-slit windows.
Peering out through these we can see that the tower is built on a small rise in the otherwise flat rocky ground. Around it for roughly mile in all directions orbit a huge number of rocks, of many different sizes. From below the window, at the base of the tower where we cannot see, comes a white glow.
Caitlin decides that as this is a tower there must be a hidden passage somewhere, and goes to look for it.
Whippoorwill attempts to use the Pattern to summon a woodstock bird of his desire, but no bird appears.
Instead, Jihx attempts to summon his white hawk. This appears to succeed, and his hawk flies down towards the tower. He uses his mental link to it and sends it spiralling down the tower to see what is there.
The tower appears to be tall and thin, with, from the windows, ten floors in it. At the bottom Jihx sees a giant glowing snake coiled around the tower. It is apparently made of glass, and is almost sixty feet in length. Its head has large glass fangs and a mane of glassy spikes. It seems to glows through its whole body, with no specific source of light.
As the hawk flies lower, the snake strikes up towards Jihx's hawk, catching it in its mouth. Jihx's link to it abruptly cuts off...
At this point, Gerard, Jihx and Whippoorwill all notice that they have pinpricks in their arms.
Jihx summons his hawk again, and it reappears out of the sky, looking not too happy with Jihx. On Caitlin's suggestion he sends it off to fetch his Trump deck.
Godofos starts to attack the walls of the cell with the blades and spikes of his war form. Whippoorwill assists in this. Unfortunately the stone of the walls appears very strong, and they are having little affect.
Caitlin's search for a secret passageway results in what appears to be a hatch. However she cannot work out how to open it.
Godofos attacks the sides of the hatch with his war form's buzz saws.
All the time, Gerard is pacing and muttering away, apparently cursing a number of his siblings.
Caitlin begins trying to manipulate the shadow to make it friendlier to us, and easier to escape from.
After a while Godofos, assisted by Gerard, opens up the hatch - actually just a large stone slab - into the secret passageway. They peer in and see that below us there is a room similar to the one we are in now, but slightly larger.
Despite Caitlin's manipulations there is nothing useful visible in the room below, just some empty manacles on the walls.
Whippoorwill drops down into the room.
Godofos changes back into human form and follows him.
At this point Jihx's hawk flaps back to the window, bringing his Trump deck with it. Jihx pulls out his Trump of Moire and attempts to contact her, but even though it is a superTrump of her, he does not get through. He tries the superTrump of the Courts of Chaos instead, but this does not work either.
As Caitlin concentrates on changing the shadow she senses that the whole structure of the place is booby trapped, very carefully balanced do that it will fall apart if someone attempts to tamper with it! She gives up on this idea...
Finally Jihx tries his superTrump of the Amber end of the Amber-Courts of Chaos Hyper-Trump link. Very, very slowly this opens up.
Nothing unusual is visible as we peer through the link to the other end. The fortress is there, and the guards are wandering about too.
We form a chain and all go through the Trump link, Caitlin and Jihx staying until last in order to maintain and secure the link.
The guards at the other end jump to attention as we appear, and also give us strange looks as we all appear in our underwear!
Godofos goes behind a bush and, using the Pattern, finds his equipment - sword/ring and armour. Behind another bush he finds his clothes, and puts them on.
The rest of us follow his lead. Everyone's important equipment is retrieved with the exception of Whippoorwill's Trump deck, which is not a part of his personal reality. Gerard retrieves armour, various weapons and his (formerly Finndo's) Pattern sword.
After a brief discussion we decide to go to The Hospital, as it provides us with some defence, particularly against Trump. The link quickly opens up, and we all go through.
From The Hospital, Jihx attempts to Trump Moire again, and this time he succeeds. We all join the link.
As the link opens up, Moire looks relieved to see Jihx, and the rest of us. She tells him that as far as she can tell Fiona, Bleys, Benedict and she thinks Florimel attempted to take her prisoner too, but she was able to foil this attempt due to being in Rebma at the time.
She tells us that about five days have passed since we vanished. Apparently Random has been crowned King while we have been away.
At this point, Godofos starts to feel something in the Trump link. The presence of another person. He suspects that the link is being tapped somehow.
We quickly drop the link and retreat into the Trump-protected areas of The Hospital.
Suddenly Gerard realises that the tower we were chained up in is the tower that Brand was imprisoned in, before Corwin had the entire Family Trump, and free, him. At which point Fiona stabbed him while no-one was looking...
Jihx suggests the possibility that the Unicorn that gave Random the Jewel of Judgement could have been an illusion of some kind.
Godofos says that it could not have been, as it brought the Jewel.
Suddenly Gerard suggests that the Unicorn was Brand, shapeshifted into the Unicorn. We point out that we saw Brand in Tir-Na Nog'th, so this is probably not the case.
Caitlin proposes several bizarre plans of action. These include planting clones of Drasil or the tree of Ygg around Amber, and drawing a new Pattern overlapping the Amber Pattern, in the hope that this will cause Amber problems. These are dismissed on the number of grounds, including the fact the no-one really knows how you go about drawing a Pattern, and that it might be a very bad thing to do.
Killing Julian, apparently just out of revenge, is also discussed. Imprisoning him in a cryogenic suspension chamber is considered a better option, both to avoid upsetting Gerard (who is his full brother) and also to avoid the possibility of a Blood Curse.
After more discussion we decide to go to Rebma and use it as a base of operations while we decide what to do. Also, we hope she tell use more about the happenings in Amber - Jihx certainly suspects she has some means of finding out this sort of information, perhaps by means of spies in Amber.
"I certainly have some spies in Rebma!" comments Gerard.
We Trump Moire, and when she takes the call, go through to her. She is in her office in Castle Rebma.
We ask her what she knows of the happenings in Castle Amber.
She tells us that the Elders are stabilising things in Amber, dealing with the ascension of King Random. She says she believes that Random is not an entirely willing participant in all of this, that Bleys and Fiona appear to be the ring leaders, with Julian being under Fiona's thumb, and the others going along on the basis that Random is the "rightfully chosen king".
Whippoorwill states that he is willing to swear allegiance to King Random, on the basis that he can still attack Bleys and Fiona to free Random from their influence, and that it will put him on the inside where he can do more good.
Godofos states his willingness to accept Random as well - on the basis that he is the best of the choices available.
Gerard and Moire are not impressed by this.
Godofos defends his choice by stating that the elders will never accept Gerard now. Perhaps a fair point.
Caitlin and Jihx decide to stay in Rebma, and be in Trump contact with those going to Amber in case they need a hasty exit.
That decided, Whippoorwill Trumps the Amber arrival courtyard, and when the link opens, steps through. He will bring Godofos through when the time is right.
Jihx then immediately opens a Trump to Whippoorwill, supported by Godofos and Caitlin, and once Whippoorwill takes the call, holds it open.
As he appears, the Arrival Courtyard guards tell Whippoorwill to stand where he is and prepare to be taken into custody, on the orders of the King.
Whippoorwill states his intention to declare allegiance to the King.
The guards seem to discuss this, then tell him to remain where he is, under their custody, while a message to that effect is sent to King Random.
After a short while, the Arrival Courtyard gates rumble open and Prince Benedict strides in with some guards.
"Yes?" he says. "You wish to swear loyalty to the King?"
Whippoorwill tells him that he is.
They discuss Whippoorwill's motivations for a while.
Benedict is sceptical, but Whippoorwill insists that he was always willing to swear loyalty to the king, however the King has come to the throne.
After some discussion, Benedict agrees to let Whippoorwill in, and escorts him, with a crossbow aimed at his back the whole time, into the castle and to the Throne Room.
Jihx, Godofos and Caitlin watch him through the Trump link as he goes.
Arriving at the Throne Room, a major-domo announces Whippoorwill to the room at large, and he enters, approaching the dais upon which the Throne sits along the red carpet.
Random is seated upon the throne, wearing the seven-pointed gold Crown of Amber. Vialle is seated next to him. Bleys and Fiona are standing to one side, one step down.
Whippoorwill stops at the bottom of the dais and states his intention to swear loyalty to Random, apologising for not being present at the coronation as he was "otherwise detained". He pointedly glances in the direction of Bleys and Fiona as he says this.
Whippoorwill formally swears allegiance to King Random and the rightful office of King in the State of Amber. He then offers his weapon - his large spiked mace - to King Random.
He accepts this, and thanks Whippoorwill.
The mace is then handed back to Whippoorwill via a servant.
Random asks about Whippoorwill's cousins.
Whippoorwill tells Random that he cannot say about the others allegiance. He says that he believes that they were like minded but that recent events may have changed their minds. He continues to say that he finds the manner of Random's coming to the throne regrettable.
Random agrees with this, looking at Bleys and Fiona as he speaks. They are as cool as a pair of cucumbers.
Whippoorwill asks for Random's leave to talk to his cousins to see if he can persuade them around to his way of thinking.
Random nods, and thanks him again.
Whippoorwill then leaves, backing from the throne, then turning and walking out of the Throne Room.
Some way off down the corridor, he converses with the others about what just happened through the Trump link. Godofos berates him for not bringing him through.
Jihx decides to go to Amber to declare his position.
Whippoorwill brings him through, then sends a guard to request an audience for Prince Jihx.
The Trump link to Whippoorwill is dropped, Whippoorwill now feeling relatively safe, and instead Caitlin and Godofos open a new link to Jihx.
With that done, Jihx and Whippoorwill head back towards the Throne Room, and upon arrival wait in the antechamber.
Quite quickly, Jihx and Whippoorwill are announced, and admitted.
Jihx walks forwards and bows enough for politeness, but not enough to indicate his subservience to the King.
He declares his respect for the position of King Random, but states that he disapproves strongly of the manner in which his coronation came about. As a result he cannot swear allegiance to the King until it has been resolved in a manner agreeable to all Amberites. He tells Random that he will reside in Castle Rebma in the meantime, but is available if Amber requires his services.
He then bows again, looks pointedly at Blaze and Fiona, who remain cool, and leaves.
And from outside the Throne Room, Jihx and Whippoorwill return through the Trump link to Rebma.
Session 4.16 Index Session 4.18