Notes Taken by Samantha and Alastair Beadle.
Arun and Etienne can tell that the shadow where the base lies is not one where Sorcery will work; Etienne can tell that Empowerment will work here, however.
All the Trumps are handed over to Arun and he concentrates on the one of Jihx so he can remain in contact with us. Gil "casts the Trumps" to see the future and see if anything can help us. The reading implies (by showing mainly the characters), that "we will help ourselves".
Gil is in favour of attacking now rather than going to talk with them, but is over-ruled by the rest.
We walk towards the base below us. Dolf almost slips over on loose rocks and scree, but recovers. He then retells us the tale of the time he did slip and caused an avalanche which wiped out his neighbours.
After half an hour we reach the barbed wire fence that surrounds the base. It is about 8 metres tall, and is actually a double fence. The gates are actually double 'airlock' type gates, sealed off from the gap between the two fences.
There is talk that a flag of peace should be waved, but everyone thinks it should be a different colour so we give up on that idea. The guards in the nearby machine gun tower shout out to us, and we tell him that we are kin of Finndo and want to talk. The message is duly passed on by some means which is not readily apparent.
Guards begin to assemble inside the nearest gate.
After a time the guard on the tower shouts down that we are allowed in. There are about 200 troops by the gate at this point, arrayed in two groups, one on each side of the gate. They are in very smart black fascist-type uniforms (including jackboots), with scarlet insignia, iron grey buttons, Nazi-style helmets, submachine guns in their hands and daggers at their belts. We go in through the two gates (the outer one closing before the inner one opens), and between the two groups of soldiers, who look very professional. Dolf takes the p*** out of the soldiers by marching up and down, inspecting them and trying to chat to them. They ignore him. After a short time four 1930's-style armoured cars join the soldiers to escort us.
They soldiers form up into a 'U' shape around us as we are escorted off down a radial road. We pass warehouses, airship hangers, and mooring towers, plus assorted roads running round the circumference of the base. The march lasts about 15 minutes. It ends at a large parade ground, fronted by a large, undecorated mansion of dark stone. In front of it are two flagpoles, one flying the black Unicorn banner, the other the wolfs head banner. At the building we are met by some other guards in uniforms which differ from the others in having royal blue rather than scarlet insignia. Our escorts remain at the steps of the building and we are led inside.
A captain of the mansion guards leads us to a conference room panelled in dark wood. On the left several windows look out over the parade ground. Inside the room is a long table and at the head of the table a woman sits, straight backed (she is tall, athletic and beautiful with severe patrician features, flashing green eyes, pale skin, and black hair cut in a page boy style). She is dressed in a well-cut black uniform, with royal blue insignia, and carries a dagger and heavy pistol at her belt, along with several belt pouches. A flag with the wolf's head insignia seen on the lead airship is on the wall behind her. Two servants stand behind the doors through which we enter.
The woman says "Come in, cousins," and motions for us to sit down. Everyone sits except Gil who wanders around the room. Dolf asks for food and the woman sends the servants to get refreshments for everyone. The woman introduces herself as Lillian, Duchess of Beram and daughter of Finndo. We in turn identify ourselves. Gil wanders behind Lillian, looking at the flag; he can tell she is carrying a Trump deck, and that she is at the end of a Trump link at the moment. Lillian asks Gil to sit but he goes and sits in the middle of the table. The rest of us apologise for his behaviour.
Refreshments arrive and Dolf tucks in. The others sample what remains. Gil walks up and down the table, badly scratching its highly polished surface as he gets a drink for himself.
We then tell Lillian that Gerard has asked us to look into the attacks on the food convoys to Amber. We tell her who our parents were and that we are just trying to work out what is going on. We ask her if she knows anything about our parents. She tells us that she was told that Brand went mad and tried to destroy the Patterns of Amber to recreate the universe in his own image. The other Amberites went to the Courts of Chaos, with whom Brand was allied, to end his threat, and that of the Courts.
As to the convoys, she tells us that her father, Finndo, being the eldest son of Oberon, the previous King of Amber, feels he should be the next King. The attacks are a way of getting Gerard to allow him to be King, partly by impressing his strength on him and partly by weakening Amber against him.
Gil studies Lillian with the intention of doing a Trump card of her later.
Dolf and Gil behave badly, insulting Lillian and generally being rude to everyone. Lillian ignores their comments. Etienne apologises for their rudeness and continues to talk to Lillian about the current situation.
Etienne puts forward the idea of Finndo meeting Gerard to agree a plan before the people of Amber suffer too much from the lack of food in Amber. Lillian agrees to this, and says she will convey the idea to her father. We all get up to leave and the same captain escorts us out. Gil continues to be abusive (probably trying for an excuse to start a fight now) as Etienne drags him from the room.
As soon as we are out of the conference room, Gil pulls out a pad and begins a sketch of it. The captain clearly notices him doing this, so Gil soon puts his pad away again, to wait for later.
The same troop of guards escorts us back to the gate through which we entered. Again they provide a tight escort for us. Once we are through the gate and out of the base we use the Trump link to get back to Arun. Gil starts to sketch Lillian and the conference room properly this time.
We discuss what to do:
As we discuss, we see one of the airships leave its mooring and disappears into the cave/tunnel in the cliff face over the base. A second airship also leaves its mooring and takes up position hovering a kilometre or so above the camp. We then discuss ways of shooting down the airship. Etienne thinks that a large gun could do it.
Jihx is not in favour of any kind of agreement with Finndo, because of the destruction of the convoys and the associated loss of life for which he is responsible. He contacts Gerard and Trumps through to Amber.
Gerard seems quite pleased that we have found out so much, but he knows of no rules that lay down who is the rightful ruler of Amber. In fact a lot of Amber's recent history was caused by the lack of any such secession - Oberon vanished unexpectedly without leaving any hints as to who should be the next ruler. Gerard does reject Finndo's claim to the thrown because of his recent violent acts against, and endangering of, Amber. He does agree to a meeting with Finndo and will give us a scroll to confirm Finndo's safe passage to Amber for the talks.
From near the base, Etienne goes off into shadow in search of a cannon to shoot down airships.
Arun gets the scroll from Gerard via a Trump call from Jihx, who comes through to where we are. The scroll bears the seal of Amber, but is not actually sealed closed. Arun and Dolf go back to the camp to deliver it. They are escorted to see Lillian in much the same way as previously. She says she can take the scroll, and pass it to her father. She asks them to wait and goes out of the conference room. Dolf leers after her as she goes.
Jihx keeps watch on the airships. Gil continues to do his sketches. Caitlin decides to go for a walk.
Etienne reaches a world which has cannons and manages to buy one from a small army heading from one castle to another across a valley, with a large bag of gold she conveniently found earlier. She then goes to a world with an inn (the 'Horse and Cannon') to spend the night. The inn staff don't seem too worried by her arriving with a large artillery piece. The artillerymen she takes with her wibble at the shifting of shadow, and proceed to get very drunk.
Time passes. Jihx continues to keep watch. Caitlin, having wandered around the base some way, decides to climb the mountain which the base abuts onto. Gil continues to sketch, and comes to realise that the purple energies used by the airships could indicate that they are powered by Trump in some fashion.
In the conference room, Lillian returns after an hour or so. She says her father has agreed to the meeting. She holds out her hand and with a flash of a purple Trump rainbow, Finndo arrives. He is dressed in an immaculately-cut plain black uniform with a red sash, a large sword (the same as that in a picture from the library [which is the picture of Finndo from the Amber rulebook]), a dagger and a pistol.
Lillian introduces Finndo to Dolf and Arun, who give him the scroll. After reading it, Finndo agrees to the meeting and dictates a reply. Lillian acts as secretary (much to her obvious disgust). Dolf leers and winks at her, but she ignores and seems slightly revolted by him. Finndo clearly lords it over Dolf and Arun, who don't quite cower to him but don't show huge amounts of spine either. Eventually Finndo is done, and Dolf and Arun take the scroll and are escorted out of the base.
Etienne spends several hours at the inn enchanting the cannon to make it more effective and reliable. Finishing her work, she decides to test the cannon and, going a short way through shadow, finds a convenient village being attacked by an evil black airship. The gun is set up and the ship is destroyed in a single shot, crashing to the ground. It does unfortunately land on part of the village and kill dozens, but these things happen. The remaining villagers thank her for her help, and after basking in their adulation for a little while, Etienne leaves and makes her way back to us through shadow.
Arun takes Finndo's scroll back to Gerard. The meeting will take place the next morning. Gil and Jihx also go back to Amber. Caitlin prefers to stay and continue to climb the mountain (anything than go back and spend time with Gil). Dolf also stays to keep watch on the airships. After about six hours the ship keeping watch over the base is swapped with another and later a ship emerges from the tunnel in the mountainside and docks at a mast.
Gil searches the library of Amber, and then the Royal Apartments for a Trump of Finndo, but unfortunately finds nothing.
Etienne tries calling Gil but he resists the Trump (as he does not have one of her to identify the caller), and she gives up. She then calls Caitlin, who tells her she doesn't know what is going on as she is somewhere up the mountain. Etienne gives up on Trumping, and shadow shifts to a nearby oasis in a close shadow, where she leaves the cannon. She then goes to where Dolf is and he tells her that the others have gone back to Amber for the meeting. Dolf gets a mountain of food passed to him via the Trump cards while he and Etienne wait for something to happen.
As she waits Etienne thinks about empowering a cloak of invisibility, but doesn't, once she realises the length of time involved.
Time passes.
The next day. Dolf and Etienne return to Amber, but Caitlin decides to stay at the top of the mountain. She has a good view of the base from where she is, though she is not yet over the base.
In Amber, breakfast is had. At the appropriate time everyone assembles in the courtyard with twelve honour guards (dressed in the full green and gold regalia). Dolf, Etienne, Arun, Gil and Jihx are all there in their armour (all steel plate apart from Jihx's blue glass armour). At the appointed time, Finndo appears with his twelve honour guards, black uniformed troops like those at the base, armed with swords, daggers and pistols. Gil can tell that Finndo is in a Trump link with someone.
Gerard leads Finndo to a conference room and the two enter the room alone. Everyone else stays outside. The door seems too thick to allow any sound out of the room. After fifteen minutes raised voices begin to be heard from inside, followed about fifteen minutes later by a loud thump and a crash. Through the door, Gerard is heard to shout, "No, I will NOT!".
Before anyone outside can react, the door slams open and Finndo storms out. "Do not let it be said that I did not try," he growls. He then Trumps out with his honour guards in tow. Gerard too is very angry. He glares at the group waiting outside, who wisely do not hassle him at this time, and then stomps off with his honour guard. Inside the conference room the splintered remains of the conference table can be seen littering the floor...