Session 50: "This is unforeseen, so I will allow it."

	Orrin dines with Caitlin, Aelle and Kaedric.  Aelle's dressed in
Princess Leia mode, just like Caitlin.  Kaedric lucked out, and is wearing
a black robe, probably to cover all his bruises.  Caitlin asks Orrin who
killed Graham.  He claims it was one of the defenders of Avalon, who fell
not long after.  The meal continues in silence, until Kaedric asks who
died at the hands of Benedict, Caitlin and the Fire Pattern, in their
ill-fated attempts to initiate themselves to the various Jewels.  Orrin
looks amused, and says that while he regrets the deaths of his brothers,
it was perhaps the most expedient way of winnowing them out.  His brother,
Faine, is the one who died on the Fire Pattern.  He figures it's a sign of
his character that he can look past Caitlin killing his brother and take
her to wife.  Kaedric chokes on his food upon hearing this.  Caitlin looks
rather displeased.  The rest of the meal passes in silence, then Caitlin
is led back to the bedroom and chained to the bed.  There is now a writing
desk in the room, and Orrin sits down at it to work on his strategy. 
Caitlin watches him for a while, and then goes to sleep.

	Archi crawls into bed in the wee hours of the morning, and gets up
as soon as he is rested.  Laughter is feeding the children, and asks when
he's going to retrieve Benedict's body.  Whenever Kaedric returns. 
Laughter suggests that Melanie could do it, but Archi thinks she might not
be the best person to ask, given the whole Ty Dahl mess.  Laughter doesn't
think that will matter, since Benedict is dead.  Archi would rather wait
for Kaedric, since he should be back soon.  If only he knew.

	Claudio Trumps Mok, but can't get through.  He is more successful
with Sand, and goes through to speak with her.  He wants to know what
would happen if he walked the Pattern with his ring on.  Nothing out of
the ordinary.  Is the ring able to overcome Delwin?  In theory.  He wants
to go after Delwin again.  Sand suggests that going alone would be
foolish.  Does Claudio ever do anything that wouldn't be considered
foolish?

	Melanie locates Eve's body after about five hours.  She Trumps
them to it, Eve transfers bodies, and kicks the old one in the head. 
She's more than willing to just leave the old body there, so they return
to Amber at dawn.

	Caitlin is awakened by a small voice.  It sounds like Merlin.  He
says he'll see what he can do about her situation.  Caitlin opens her eyes
and sees a glowing ball, which begins summoning the Logrus.  Suddenly
Orrin hurtles over her head, grabs the ball, and they both disappear.  An
hour later, Jubal enters with a tray of food, looks around, and asks what
she did with Orrin.  She shrugs, and asks him to free her.  Can't.  Magic
chains.  She asks him to free Aelle and Kaedric, but he can't, for the
same reasons.  He does bring them to her room, though.  Kaedric figures he
can get them out of this Shadow with the Logrus, once they're free of the
chains.  It'll take him a while to break the chains, though.  Two hours
later, he smiles like he's understood something, and asks Aelle and
Caitlin pull on the chain, while he begins chanting.  This goes on for ten
minutes, and Caitlin's collar steadily heats up.  Just as it's beginning
to get painful for Caitlin, there is a spark, and Kaedric is knocked back
into the wall.  He slumps to the ground with a large burn on his chest. 
Aelle searches for his pulse, then says they should go on to plan B.  If
only they had one.  Orrin enters shortly after this, looks at Kaedric's
body, and observes that Kaedric bypassed the first three or four traps,
but tripped the fifth through seventh.  Oops.  He figures he'll have to
reprimand Jubal more strongly later, but right now he has an invasion to
see to.  He suggests that mother and daughter enjoy their final hours
together, and leaves.  It's dawn.

	Claudio asks Sand to Trump Mok, since he missed their usual
drinking meeting.  She tries, then tells him that she believes that Mok is
dead.  His body is outside of a barred Shadow.  Claudio Trumps Archi, and
asks to come through, then explains that he wants to walk the Pattern. 
Archi wants to know why.  Claudio tells him that someone killed Mok, and
he wants to have the Pattern teleport him to Mok's killer.  Archi tells
Claudio that what he's planning is stupid, and suggests he think about it
and then talk to him again this afternoon.  Archi leaves, and begins
deploying Amber's troops and setting up patrols.  Claudio observes this
and returns to Ixaxis to bitch to Sand.  He's mad that Archi won't let him
try his plan.  Sand says she will put him where he wants to go, but not
until his guard troop is ready.  Claudio asks to borrow some Ixaxins for
the job - nine troops and a sorcerer better than he is.  Sand agrees to
this, and gets the sorcerer while he's rounding up his troops.  He seeks
out Mazadan, and asks him for nine veterans.  They are gathered and meet
up with the sorceress, a woman named Marga, dressed all in gray.  Marga
suggests that they might want to do some recon before charging in. 
Claudio doesn't think this is necessary, since he wants to go to a Shadow
next to the barred one, but not the one that Mok is in.

	Melanie checks to see if Aelle's group has returned, and learns
that they have not.  She and Eve go down to breakfast.  During the meal,
Melanie's bracelet glows, and the words "Go deo agus a chaoidhche," which
means "Forever and Always" in Gaelic, appear.  She can't figure out how
this happened, so she Trumps Kaedric, since the bracelet was his gift to
her.  His Trump is blocked, so she tries the other rescue party members. 
Aelle and Sylvie's Trumps are blocked as well, and Mok is dead.  She
Trumps to Archi, who is up on the battlements, and fills him in.  He says
he already knows about Mok, and tells her of Benedict's death, which is
why he's not going anywhere.  If she insists on leaving, he suggests that
she tread lightly.  She says that she always does.

	Melanie Trumps Claudio, but he's in Ixaxis, so she can't get
through.  She Trumps to the entrance point for Ixaxis, and tries again,
but Claudio is wearing his ring, so she still can't get through.  She
contacts Sand instead.  Sand tells her that Claudio is down by the harbor. 
She teleports there, and explains that she would like to join him.  He is
confused, so she explains that she wants to investigate the whereabouts of
his brother and others that Mok was with.  What others?  She explains
about the rescue party.  He explains his plan, such as it is.

	As Archi walks down the hall, he notices someone sneaking up on
him, assassin- like.  He throws Song at them, but fortunately the sword
recognizes Laughter and stops.  She proceeds to knock Archi down and sit
on him.  Archi is quite pissed.  When he gets his temper under control, he
points out that her timing is terrible.  She points out that she'll always
have bad timing, but she did have her defense clothing spell up, so she
would have been safe.  He asks why she was trying to get his attention. 
She's curious about the new deployment of troops.  He explains that it's
just a heightened state of paranoia, due to Benedict's death.

	Aelle has Caitlin eat some of the drugged food, which knocks her
out.  This makes it easier for Aelle to shapeshift Caitlin's head out of
the shackle.  Apparently the chains only inhibit Aelle's ability to
shapeshift herself.  They head out of the room, which was at the top of a
tower, and descend the stairs.  The door at the bottom is locked, so they
bash it down.  They can't find any weapons, so they run out of the castle
and hide in the bushes.  They find the place where the cauldrons were, but
they have been destroyed.  Aelle says there's a way for them to leave,
even though Pattern and Trump are still blocked.  Apparently, certain
shapeshifters can shift through Shadow.  Aelle psychically relays how to
do this.  Caitlin asks if anyone else was with Aelle and Kaedric, besides
Mok.  Aelle admits that Sylvie was, but she really doesn't want to hang
around looking for her.  They slowly head towards Amber.

	Aelle and Caitlin encounter Claudio and Melanie soon after they
make it out of the Shadow.  Melanie asks where Kaedric and Sylvie are. 
Caitlin looks down at her feet, and explains that Sylvie is missing, and
Kaedric is dead.  While Melanie is dealing with this, her bracelet glows,
and she hears Kaedric's voice say "Not entirely."  No one else appears to
have noticed this, so Melanie decides that she's hearing things.  Caitlin
insists that they need to return to Amber, since Orrin is leading an army
of undead there.  Claudio has other plans.  Melanie insists on getting an
image of Orrin, which Caitlin gives her.  Melanie tries to trace Orrin
with Trump, but finds that it's being blocked from Chaos.  Caitlin insists
once more that they need to get to Amber immediately, so Melanie Trumps
Aelle and Caitlin to Archi, who is still being sat upon by Laughter.  How
undignified.  This is just not his day.

	Claudio explains to Melanie that he plans to join Orrin, claiming
to have hated Kaedric.  They both agree that Orrin probably knows of her
involvement with Kaedric, so this is not an option for her.  She will work
on whoever is blocking Trump from Chaos.  Claudio leaves in search of
Orrin's army.  Melanie writes a note detailing Claudio's plan, as well as
the assistance Orrin is receiving from Chaos.  Then she Trumps Archi and
hands the note through, without saying a word.

	There is an explosion in Amber, and the west wing (where Flora's
quarters, the kitchen, etc. are located) crumbles, along with the Kolvir
staircase.  Archi Trumps Corwin to let him know, then Trumps Bleys and
pulls him through.  He Trumps Gerard, who is at sea, and barely keeping
his footing.  Archi can see huge waves in the background, although the sky
is clear.  He tells Gerard what's happening in Amber.  Gerard asks what
happened to Rebma.  Archi doesn't know, and Trumps Martin next.  No
answer.  No answer from Vialle, either.  I've got a bad feeling about
this.

	Caitlin asks Fiona if she can remove Aelle's chains.  Fiona
examines them, and says it would take several hours, which they don't
have.  Caitlin asks to contact Benedict via the Trump he left with Archi. 
Archi explains that Benedict is dead, and gives her some troops to
command.

	Caitlin finds a Trump deck, and Trumps Ulysses, who was in his
quarters Trumping Sylvie when the explosion took out one of his walls. 
She wants to retrieve her swords, so he sends her to a nearby Shadow to
shift for them.

	Melanie returns the Ixaxins to Ixaxis, where she tells Sand that
Kaedric is dead, and an undead army is invading Amber.  She thinks that
together they can take out the Trump artist who is assisting Orrin. 
Kaedric's voice says that Delwin is behind this.  Melanie ignores this
again, until Sand seems to have heard the voice as well.  Sand determines
that Kaedric took a page from Delwin's book, and his spirit is currently
inhabiting Melanie's bracelet.  Melanie is just a little bit disturbed by
this.  Sand figures that the three of them should be able to handle
Delwin.

	Archi sends Laughter to check on the kids.  She Trumps him a few
minutes later, and tells him that they're fine.  They were with Mandor and
Beauty.  Archi goes to Mandor's quarters.

	Part of Sky's quarters is taken out in the explosion as well.  She
finds Archi, and is also given some troops to command.

	Claudio shifts Shadow towards Orrin, but finds himself riding in
circles.  He Trumps Sand.  No answer.  Dworkin.  No answer.  The Moor
begins to grow irritated.

	Melanie and Ulysses lose their Atherton imprint.  This hurts a
lot.  Archi also gets a headache, but it's not nearly as severe.  Melanie
suggests that Sand notify Archi of the Atherton Pattern's destruction.

	Claudio rides towards the Golden Circle.

	Sand Trumps Archi and tells him that Melanie says the Atherton
Pattern is gone, and the others are probably on their way out.  Archi
stations Bleys at the Primal Pattern, and mecha at the other Patterns. 
Ulysses checks and determines that the Amblerash and Helgram Patterns are
gone as well.

	After an hour or so, Melanie has recovered enough from losing her
Atherton imprint to go on.  Sand Trumps them to Chaos, and they appear in
a closet.  Sand leads the way, saying the place used to belong to the
Hendrakes.  She has Melanie Trump Orrin, and they are able to determine
that the block comes from the Abyss, near where Benedict's body was.  Sand
Trumps them to this location, and they can barely make out Benedict's
body.  Melanie suggests that Delwin may be in the body, since they aren't
completely sure that Benedict is dead.  Sand figures this is a good
possibility.  She has Melanie distract Delwin by Trumping Orrin and
pushing the contact for all it's worth, using the distraction to bring the
body over to them.  Then she summons the Taormin and tells Melanie to warn
Ulysses to "Be prepared."  Melanie Trumps Ulysses and does so.  Ulysses
swears, and throws a rock.  Sand proceeds to drain Ulysses of his living
Trump energy, and uses the power to imprison Delwin in the Taormin.

	Melanie Trumps Archi, and goes through to Amber with Sand and
Benedict.  She explains how Delwin was using Benedict, who is comatose,
but not dead.  Sand suggests that Archi get his best sorcerer.  Archi
Trumps Fiona, who comes through and examines Benedict.  She reluctantly
admits that she needs Mandor, since the spell involves shapeshifting, and
Trumps him.  He takes a look, and admits that he needs Fiona's help to
break it.  They have Beauty work as an intermediary between them, with
each of them holding one of her hands.  After about 20 minutes, Fiona says
"Watch out!" and Mandor and Beauty fall unconscious.  Fiona explains that
they've been sucked into the spell.  Melanie determines Orrin's location,
and finds that there is a field extending 30 feet around him, in which
Trump, sorcery and Pattern don't work.  She relays this to Archi, who is
content to let Orrin come to him.


Quotables:

"Are (Orrin's servants) all mindless drones?" -- Caitlin
"No, one of them is Jubal." -- GM
"Who is a mindless drone, correct?" -- Caitlin

"If we let (Melanie) believe she killed (Benedict), maybe she'll be
happy." -- Laughter to Archi

"Your arrival coincides with the dawn of day.  As opposed to the dawn of
night." -- GM to Melanie

"Does there have to be contact for psychic contact?" -- Caitlin to GM

"This is unforeseen, so I will allow it." -- Sand to Claudio