Session Twenty-three
 "You've always been very helpful, when you're not sabotaging my plans."

	Sean and Duncan are going up a passageway with a Trump card from
Dworkin.  Sean feels large amounts of Trump energy pouring off the card. 
When he examines the energy, a large scaly demon-creature comes through. 
It's Sand/Paris.  Sean is dubious about his/her presence.

	Colin and Lilith, divesting themselves of all asbestos, talk in
Colin's quarters.

	Sean Trumps Alastair.  Someone redirects the contact to Paris. 
Sean and Duncan decide it would be prudent if Paris walked the Pattern. 
Paris does so (I think), and somehow ends up in the kitchen decorating
himself with food.

	Rasa, upon returning to Amber after her latest stint at
Shapeshifter's School, meets up with Gabriel in the hallway.  Rasa asks
how long she was gone, and learns that it was only 3-4 days, but "a lot
happened."  Lilith Trumps Gabriel, and Gabriel goes through.  Rasa Trumps
Colin and goes through to him, and thus Rasa and Gabriel are united again. 
Har.  Rasa notes the asbestos suit on the floor, but knows she's not lucky
enough that Colin and Lilith have actually become an item yet -- and not
for lack of her trying.  Not much gets said before a guard seeks out
Gabriel to tell him that there is a person in the kitchen smearing himself
with food, who won't leave.

	Gabriel, who doesn't want to deal with food-boy, Trumps Gerard,
who is very busy fending off pirates, and lets Gabriel in on The Big
Secret, that there is yet ANOTHER army marching on Amber.  Or rather, just
near it.

	In an unrelated incident, Ian's car gets totaled.  OK.  It was
only dented, but the game log doesn't feel that it's all that necessary to
get ALL the facts, as long as the gist comes through....

	Alastair works on finding out Colin's secret of gunpowder.

	Colin and Lilith question Rasa about what she's learned most
recently about shapeshifters, and can she by any chance tell who is one
and who is not?  She points out that she can tell if someone is a lesser
shapeshifter than she, but she has to hold onto their arm and shapeshift
with them for five minutes or so.  By that time, these uber-shapeshifters
would be on to her, though.  Colin agrees to hang spell-bounces on Rasa
and Lilith -- two apiece.

	Gabriel makes secret plans, and comes back to tell Rasa, Colin and
Lilith that he's leaving for a little while, and that Rasa is to stick
close to Lilith and Trump Gabriel if there's any trouble.  Then he takes
her aside and tells her to Trump him immediately if she hears a hunting
horn in the castle.  She's thinking "Hell yeah, 'cause a hunting horn
means Julian, and if he's got those dogs in the castle, and they crap on
the carpet..."  Actually, she thinks no such thing because Julian is dead,
and just admires Gabriel's studliness, and reminds herself that her oath
is to Lilith.

	Sean foolishly gets mindfucked by Farad.  That's all I wrote, but
I know that smarts, but since I *think* Sean Trumped Farad, I can only say
he was asking for it.

	Duncan, Paris and Alastair converse about Paris' obvious mental
problems, while Dworkin eggs Paris on and tries to get him to kill
Alastair.  He fails, much to Dworkin's dismay.

	Sean and Gabriel actually go off together to talk to the New Guy,
who happens to be leading the army that is dangerously close to Amber. 
Gabriel somehow conned Sean into being Trump Relay Man.

	Lilith sends Rasa on a scouting mission, not trusting Gabriel's
word on the matter, I guess... or could it be because Gabriel didn't tell
her it was being taken care of?  Rasa turns into a bird and flies off, and
sees a large tent city, but since no one is flying banners, she can't
identify them.  So she decides to take the main tent off its stakes and
see who gets pissed.  That was a poor move.  She crashes into the tent. 
Dmitri, the New Guy, Head of the Army Marching Near Amber, is not
impressed by birds, and shoots her with his crossbow.  And then shoots her
again.  She shapeshifts into herself with her new short, slinky dress, and
tries to look like she's just a bad pilot.

	Dmitri orders his sorcerers to take her out.  The spell bounce
goes off, and the sorcerer turns to stone.  The process is repeated with a
new sorcerer, and his hair catches on fire.  Bickering ensues, until Farad
shows up for whatever arcane reason.  Realizing that she is in distress,
Rasa places Dmitri between herself and Farad, so Farasa won't even think
of showing up.  Farad and Dmitri converse as Gabriel and Sean approach,
and Rasa attempts to Trump away.  Dmitri scatters her cards, but luckily
Lilith happens to Trump her at this moment.  Dmitri grabs Rasa as she goes
through.

	Alastair gets attacked by someone (presumably Paris), and is being
trapped by lava, until he Trumps out and returns to Amber.

	Lilith is a little weirded out, but tries to be regently towards
this Guy Who May Be Invading Amber.  Gabriel and Sean, having seen Rasa
before she disappeared with Dmitri, Trump her.  Dmitri is returned to his
troops, and Gabriel negotiates with Dmitri, who is just leading this group
of vagabonds through Shadow to a new homeland.  Gabriel happens to know
that Faradia is empty (the extra Shadow Farad accidentally created when he
was told to bring back Guilder and Florin RIGHT NOW OR YOU ARE IN REALLY
BIG TROUBLE, FARAD).  Gabriel Trumps Lilith and tells her to find Bill
Roth so that the entire Faradia/Dmitri's people thing can be resolved
quickly and legally, with a nice non- aggression treaty thrown in for good
measure.

	Colin transports Rasa and Lilith and Lilith's guards to Earth,
where they find Bill, who is on vacation.  So they travel further through
Earth to find Bill, and eventually, do, but not before Rasa is kidnapped
by an evil shapeshifter and tied up and locked in a bathroom on Shadow
Earth.

	Alastair, Paris and Duncan continue to revel in the insanity. 
There are sedatives being passed around like candy at one point.

	Gabriel gets the lowdown on Dmitri's life and times.  It's
discerned that he is of Pattern blood, and could be Julian or Caine's kid
-- if he's Julian's, he's going to hate Gabriel since Gabriel killed
Julian, even though they may be brothers... if he's Caine's, he's going to
hate Gabriel since Gabriel killed Bonaparte, who would have been his
brother -- but if that's the case, he'll also hate Farad, who is still
supposed to have killed Caine.  Farad is contacted at some point to turn
over Faradia.

	Bill Roth is acquired and brought to the tent city.  Lilith,
Colin, Gabriel, Sean, Rasa and Dmitri are all together now.  Rasa asks to
speak privately with Lilith, which is when that evil shapeshifter reveals
himself and attacks Lilith -- and escapes of course.  It is mentioned that
they ought to rescue Rasa.

	At the end of the Session:

	Lilith, Colin, Gabriel, Sean and Dmitri are in tent city trying to
figure out the next step.
	Rasa is locked up in a bathroom somewhere.
	Farad is.... setting up Faradia?
	Alastair and Duncan are dealing with the insane Paris, who killed
a tailor at some point, I think.
	Paris is not on this plane.