Session 78:  "Please don't make me pregnant."

	The war in Chaos continues.  Graham is staying close to Alora. 
Sorcery still works.  Claudio contacts Graham via sorcery.  Claudio arms
himself and leads his group.  Claudio attempts to obtain a flying dragon. 
He is successful.  He is part of the spearhead of the mission.  He looks
for leaders to attack.  They retreat from him.  Claudio is unconcerned
about being cut off and surrounded.  He rallies his men to join in the
charge.  He cannot cast spells in this area.

	Melanie observes Claudio's movement.  Melanie tries to contact
Alora with magic.  This fails, as does Trump. Alora is forward of the line
of attack.  Alora's bodyguards are with her.  There is no sign of Kaedric
and Melanie's bodyguards.

	The enemy is attempting to cut Claudio off.  Claudio turns his
battalion to the left.  He begins to lose men.  He arcs back to his own
line.  He loses 40 men before returning to his own line.  This takes four
or five hours.  At this point, the entire enemy army retreats.  Claudio
charges.

	Melanie is still able to observe the melee.  It seems illogical
that they are retreating at this point.  The maneuver looks like a stall. 
She checks on Kaedric.  He is still asleep.  Kaedric looks like he will be
asleep for awhile.

	The army is retreating into Shadow.  The order is given not to
pursue.  Claudio finds Alora and Graham.  They have dispatched spies to
follow the retreating army.  Claudio suggests cleaning out Wickling.  This
earns him a look.  Claudio explains to Alora his misgivings about
Wickling.  She catches the fact that he believes Wickling has already
committed crimes against the crown.

	Melanie contacts Alora through sorcery.  Alora is shocked that
Melanie is alive.  Alora wants an explanation.  Melanie provides part of
the story.  The King has not been found yet.  Alora looks fine.

	Alora wants to accompany Claudio into Thelbane.  They wait for the
second sortie.  There are many casualties.  One of the defenders put up a
sorcerous block.  Dakota appears, looking like he has been part of the
battle.  He says that the King is dead.  Dakota says the body is lying in
state.  Claudio asks who put up the sorcery block.  Dakota says that it
was Lady Lisandra Atherton.  The name is familiar to Claudio.  The lady is
summoned and sorcery is returned to partial power.  Claudio sets up
magical protections, after some small difficulty with laser pistols. 
Claudio stays close to Alora.

	Melanie senses that the sorcery barrier has gone down.  She looks
for Swayvill in Thelbane.  Swayvill is not in his office.  She tries the
audience chamber.  There are people talking and no sign of Swayvill.  She
checks the main hall and discovers his body.  Swayvill has been
decapitated and nearly cleaved in two.  Some of the enemy casualties are
wearing Halybard insignia.  Melanie naps.

	Morning in Amber.  Killian, Ragnar, and Mok are at breakfast.  Ian
is at breakfast.  Mok talks to Ragnar about Chaos.  Ian gives Mok a
disgusted look.  Ragnar says Amberites are weak.  Killian disagrees.  Ian
is introduced to the three.  Ragnar admits to being kicked out of Chaos. 
Mok wants to know why.  Mok wants to know why Trump stopped working.  Mok
wants to go see his girlfriend.  Mok explains why he's in trouble with his
girlfriend.  Ian says he's not allowed to date Shadows.  Ian drops that
Ragnar is sleeping with Sand.  Mok wants to fix the broken Trump.  Ragnar
suggests that he have a second helping of eggs, instead.

	Killian asks Gerard about fixing the broken Trump.  Gerard says
it's because the Pattern is in flux.  Mok wants to know what is making
Pattern fluctuate.  Gerard says it is whatever is making Trump fluctuate. 
Fiona is missing.  Gerard says that Bleys is trapped upstairs.  Gerard
suggests that Mok not fiddle with it.  Gerard also says that doing so
knocked the Crown Prince out.  Mok wants Gerard to help him look for
Fiona.  Killian volunteers.  Gerard says the two of them should go, then.

	Ragnar asks Gerard who is looking after Ian, and suggests that
someone should be.  Ragnar is volunteered.  Gerard will pay him to
baby-sit.  Ragnar also asks Gerard for information on the double-ax. 
Gerard will trade him the information if Ragnar watches Ian.

	Ulysses wakes up.  Beauty dumps more ice in and there is a knock
at the door.  It is Sand.  She has come to check on his health.  She will
turn off his living Trump for a bit.  His other choice is slowly burning
up.  He wants to know why it is happening.  Sand's theory:  Somebody tried
something very silly.  Small pieces of the Jewel are missing.  These are
powerful if used properly.  She doesn't know what has been done, but is
pretty sure that the shards are involved.  That is the reason why Trumps
aren't working.  He agrees to have the living Trump turned off.  This may
have been done on purpose.  What do you gain by turning off Trump and
disrupting the powers?  She tells him that Fiona is missing and Bleys is
trapped in a spell.

	Trump does not work at all, everything else works a little bit. 
Only the Jewel has enough power to effect the powers.  Two pieces are
missing.  Ulysses doesn't understand how it could affect everything this
much.  Perhaps they've gone to the plane of Trump.  Could they get there
through the Strangeways?  No.  Sand tells him that Archimedes has knocked
himself out trying to free Bleys.  Ulysses feels much better when his
Trump is turned off.

	Archimedes awakes with amnesia (his time is running two weeks
after he arrived on the great plains).  The room is medieval.  The
coverlet is covered with a large layer of dust.  His hair has grown to
nearly his knees.  He cuts his hair and explores the house.  He takes the
sword that was in the room with him.  He heads outside.  He sees a woman
and three children.  He heads over.  The youngest child hides behind the
woman.  One of the children says the sleeping man is awake.  Archimedes
questions this.  Laughter tries to explain Archimedes thinks she's crazy. 
She says he has been asleep for four years, and says that he has amnesia. 
He talks to Beatrice.  He asks what has been happening for four years. 
Laughter has been building armies.  They Hellride for Amber.

	Killian grabs a page.  He asks to be taken to Fiona's room.  Mok
goes with him.  Killian asks the page if he has a key.  Killian kicks open
Fiona's door and knocks them both out.  Mok is awakened by Ian.

	They decide not to set any more spells off.  Ragnar and Ian
confirm that this is a good idea.  The page is alive.  Killian asks if the
page will set the alarms off.  Mok runs away.  Ragnar asks what Killian is
planning.  Ragnar tries to convince Mok to be shaped into Fiona.  Ragnar
summons a page to take the wounded page to the infirmary.  Mok slowly
returns from down the hall.  They discuss entomology.  Ragnar suggests
they check the castle laundry for Fiona's discarded clothes.  They head
there.  No pages answer their summons.

	Back in Chaos, Alora and Claudio cannot awaken Melanie and
Kaedric.  Alora takes Claudio upstairs.  Kaedric looks wounded.  Claudio
asks for an advanced shapeshifter that can be trusted.  Alora suggests
Melanie's midwife.  Kimberly, the midwife, arrives.  Kimberly
investigates.  She stops, then continues.  She says they have both been
wounded, to some extent.  Kaedric has been more severely wounded. 
Kimberly makes everyone else leave besides Claudio and Alora.  Kaedric is
carrying a child, as is Melanie.  They are both a couple of months along. 
Kimberly heals Kaedric's wounds.  Claudio heads out.  He avoids Graham. 
Claudio heads to the edge of the Abyss.  The temple is abandoned.  Claudio
sheds his blood and addresses the Abyss.  He wants to know why.  He is
attempting to prank the Serpent.

	Archimedes arrives in Amber.  He sets Alaric down.  Laughter heads
in and calls for Ulysses.  She wakes Ulysses up.  Ulysses suggests
Archimedes walk the Pattern.  She says its in flux.  He suggests she find
the two missing shards.  She wants to know what he knows, and how.

	Archimedes arrives.  Laughter is talking a blond man.  He is told
that this is Ulysses.  Ulysses is to explain while Laughter gets
breakfast.  Ulysses does nothing to ease the confusion.  Ulysses tells him
the story, i.e., what he's missing.  Laughter returns with breakfast. 
Ulysses spends the next few hours telling Archimedes what he's missing. 
Archimedes has no memory of the events, and no emotions tied to them. 
Ulysses again suggests finding the shards.  Laughter goes to Archimedes'
office.  Archimedes wanders and runs into Mok, Killian, Ragnar and Ian. 
Ian thinks he's free of Ragnar.  The others note that Archimedes isn't
quite right.  Archimedes takes Ian to see Random.  The others head to the
armory, then head for the laundry.  They look for Fiona's clothes.  Ragnar
leaves to find Gerard.  Mok looks for Benedict.

	Benedict does not appear to be in his office, and the page
abandons Mok.  Mok looks for Benedict's room.  There is no answer to his
knock.  He listens at the door.  There is something in the room.  He calls
Benedict's name.  There is no answer.  Mok goes to the armory.

	Killian finds Laughter in Archimedes' office.  Laughter eventually
notices him.  Killian wants to know what is wrong with Archimedes.  He
insists that there is something wrong.  She tells Killian that Archimedes
has lost his memory.  Killian asks if Archimedes remembers her marriage. 
She says no.  Killian goes to the armory.

	Archimedes gets some information out of Ian, then takes Ian to
Random.  Archimedes and Random discuss the missing shards.  Ulysses will
try to pull the information out of Archimedes' head, since Benedict left
to look for Fiona.  (Benedict is the only other one who knows where
Dworkin is.  They need information on the shards.)  Ulysses tries to find
the memories.  Ulysses forces Archimedes to walk the Pattern in his mind. 
Some of the memories come back, all except for Laughter.  Archimedes also
doesn't remember Ian.  He does remember Alora.  He retrieves the Jewel
from Laughter.

	Ian is missing.  Archimedes asks the pages where he went.  He was
on his way to the Pattern room.  Archimedes teleports down there.  He
tries to contact Kaedric, then Melanie, and finally Alora.  He fills her
in.  They decide that Ian should return home.  Archimedes tells Ian this.

	Ian returns to Kaedric, which puts him right next to Melanie. 
Kaedric stirs and wakes.  He asks after the children.  The children are
okay.  Melanie sends Ian out.  She then tells him that Swayvill is dead. 
They are both hungry.  Melanie determines that she is pregnant, then eats. 
They discuss what they are going to say.  She asks him what he remembers. 
He doesn't remember the Serpent.  Melanie says she doesn't either.

	There is a presence in Claudio's mind.  "Who summoned me?" it
asks.  Claudio sees it rising it out of the Abyss, but he cannot move. 
Claudio asks it not to make him pregnant.  It begins to twine around him. 
Its tongue flicks up his leg.  The tongue flicks around his face and then
it bites him.

	Alora comes back without Ian.  She is looking at her parents
oddly.  They are all in denial.

	Ragnar speaks with Gerard.  Gerard asks after Ian.  Ragnar says
Archimedes reclaimed him.  The double-ax symbol belongs to the underworld
in Amber.  The leader goes by "my lady," or Dimita.  Gerard thinks she is
more than a Shadow.  Gerard doesn't have any more detailed information. 
Ragnar believes that she tried to poison him.  They discuss the prisoner
that was brought in.  Gerard points out that the prisoner might not have
been following Ragnar.  Ragnar contemplates suicide, as Gerard was more
clever than he.  Ragnar goes to visit the prisoner.  She is uncooperative. 
She'll sell him the person she was following for her freedom.

	Ragnar finds Random.  He tells Random of the Chaosite's request. 
She has committed no real crime.  If Ragnar will share the information,
Random will go along with it.  Random gives him the paperwork.  Ragnar
returns to the dungeon to work out the details with the prisoner.  They
banter.  She doesn't trust Ragnar.  Terms are agreed to.  She says that
she was assigned by the Head of House to watch the minions of a certain
crime boss in Amber.  Coincidentally, it was easier for her to track
Ragnar tracking her target.  One of his forms has been flooded with
fluorescence.  She was not told the reason for Chaos' interest in the
crime lord.  Ragnar interrupted her before she was able to find much out. 
Ragnar releases her.

	Mok and Killian meet in the armory.  They can't scrounge up any
elders to go with them.  Archimedes gets in contact with Mok and tells
them not to go after Fiona, as Benedict went out earlier.  Archimedes
wants to take them to Atlantis instead, and goes to get Random's approval.

	Alora returns to Melanie.  They discuss Ian.  Alora relinquishes
the regency to Kaedric and kneels before him.  Kaedric discovers that he
is no longer 'alone' physically.  Melanie asks Alora what she's hiding. 
Alora does not want to say.  Melanie tries to force it out of her.  Alora
mentions Kimberly and her diagnosis on both of them.  Kaedric is not
looking at either of them.  Claudio, Kimberly and Alora know.  Alora says
that Claudio went to the edge of the Abyss.  Melanie checks on Claudio and
teleports him back.  He is bleeding from his shoulder.  Alora tries to
heal Claudio.  He wakes up in pain.  His wounds won't close.  Claudio
blurts out that Kaedric and Melanie are pregnant.  Claudio wonders if
anyone can check to see if he's pregnant.  Melanie can't.  Claudio will
wait.  In 12 hours he will know for sure.  He is feeling hungry.  Kaedric
is feeling ill at the comedy involved in the conversation.

	Back in Amber, Ulysses is becoming transparent and glowing.