Session Twenty-six 
	"Be careful what you wish for, because (the GM) may twist it."

	Gabriel returns to Amber to find that Claude is dead, and that
"F-a-r-a-d" is written beside him in blood.  Hm.  That could be a clue.

	Alastair scans the castle, and when he notices Rasa and Dmitri
nearing the Pattern, he heads for the Pattern room.  Duncan intercepts
him, but Alastair is a man with a plan, and Duncan ends up tagging along.

	Dmitri backs up and tries to catch his breath, as Rasa opens the
door to the Pattern room and conducts him in.  Alastair and Duncan arrive
before Rasa can question Dmitri about his reaction.

	Sean and Paris are "holding onto each other and spinning in a
zero-gravity void."  They're still fighting, see.  Remember last session
when they disappeared together?

	Dmitri admits to Alastair, Duncan and Rasa that he's had dreams
about the Pattern, and his memory extends only to fifty years in the past. 
Alastair suggests hypnosis to recover the lost memories; Rasa suggests
walking the Pattern, since it worked for Colin;  Dmitri suggests maybe as
you get older you forget things in the distant past.  Rasa and Alastair
are unconvinced that fifty years constitutes "distant past."  Alastair
gains permission from Dmitri to scan him, and discovers that not only does
he have the potential to walk the Pattern, he already has, in that past he
can't remember.

	Gabriel searches for clues to Claude's murder and arranges for his
burial before Trumping Farad.

	Colin is teaching Lilith further abuses of the Pattern (i.e.,
Pattern lens), when she sees Dmitri, Duncan, Alastair and Rasa standing in
the Pattern Room.

	Alastair and Rasa both avoid Trump contacts until Dmitri sets foot
on the Pattern and seems to be doing OK; this thwarts Lilith, who tried to
Trump them both to see what was going on.  She prepares to Pattern
teleport there when Alastair Trumps her to tell her that Dmitri is walking
the Pattern, which breaks her concentration.  Lilith and Colin come
through.  Lilith is not pleased that Rasa brought Dmitri to the Pattern
room without her permission.

	Gabriel reads the _Kama Sutra_ from the set of books his admirer
(who we all know to be Rasa) has given him, since it was the only one he
hadn't read before.  Then he Trumps Lilith.  For completely unrelated
reasons, we hope.  He goes through to them, and tells Lilith that it
appears Farad killed Claude after framing Alastair for Gerard's death. 
Gabriel thinks it's all very fishy.  Alastair once again tests to see who
in the room is really who they seem to be, as the group discusses a
variety of subjects.  Dmitri continues to walk the Pattern.  Alastair
tries to engage Rasa in a discussion about attending college.  Gabriel
acquires champagne, in case Dmitri makes it off the Pattern alive and they
want to celebrate.

	Farad has been captured by some Chaosites again.  They've nuked
his spells and gagged him, and the Pattern seems really far away.... but
fear not, for Farad escapes, though how is unclear.

	Gabriel and Lilith talk privately about the wisdom in making
Alastair a pet intelligence operative.  Gabriel argues against it.

	Dmitri reaches the Final Veil.  He remembers red-haired pople
underwater, and a Pattern underwater... when he reaches the center and
teleports to the group of people waiting at the edge, he tells them of his
memories, and they tell him he's remembering Rebma.

	Duncan Trumps Sean at this point and Sean comes through with
Paris.  Paris talks to Alastair about Dworkin and how Dworkin wants the
Pattern to be like it was before Colin and Lilith redrew it and made life
suck for him.

	Lilith, suddenly and quite involuntarily, shapeshifts into Dmitri,
who she had been standing close to.  No one is particularly comfortable
with this, and Rasa is given permission to scan her.  While Rasa is in
mental contact with Lilith, Paris tries to invade Lilith's mind.  Rasa and
Lilith are displeased, and combined, block him easily.  Rasa suggests
walking the Pattern, but Lilith doesn't like that idea, as it might make
the change more permanent.  After a moment, it is decided that going to
see Suhuy is a good idea.  Colin teleports Rasa and Lilith halfway to Ygg,
and then to Ygg, and stops and rests.  That's when Lilith shapeshifts into
Rasa.  Colin is relieved that she is at least a woman again.  They
continue on.

	Suhuy is interested in Lilith's problem.  He knocks her
unconscious and begins to probe her; eventually he wakes her up and gives
her a vial of stuff she is to drink after each of these shape changes. 
She has been implanted with a virus that makes her assume the forms of
those around her, and with each shape change, the antidote will be a
little more powerful.  She turns into Suhuy.  She takes a drink, and feels
a little more Lilithy.

	Alastair begins setting up an intelligence network; however, when
he senses a new disturbance around the Orb, he asks for volunteers to go
check it out.  Duncan, Sean and Alastair go with him to the ruins of
Random's castle near Chaos.  Mara and her orb are attacking Random
(Alastair supposes), though Sean's attempts to Trump Mara indicate that
she's dead.

	Rasa attempts to reveal to Gabriel that she is his admirer, but
initially the conversation seems to be about how he wants her to set up an
intelligence network for Lilith, instead of Alastair.  She is dubious as
to her qualifications, and eventually manages to say that a daughter of
Bleys is Gabriel's admirer.  A confusing conversation ensues.  Gabriel
brings up his wife, and says that he cares a great deal for the daughter
of Bleys, and looks upon her as a friend...  Rasa shrieks "The Just
Friends Speech!" and leaves in a hurry, after doffing her cloak to reveal
that she had been wearing only seven veils underneath (kinda one of those
"you see what you're missing?" type of gestures).  She flees to Colin and
Lilith for consolation.

	Unfortunately, Lilith has shapeshifted to Colin, and both of them
are only too happy to see Rasa wearing seven veils.  Lilith/Colin rather
scares Rasa, and Rasa is pleased when Lilith has to ignore her to take a
Trump contact... from Gabriel.  Lilith shapeshifts into Gabriel, and Rasa
screams and runs from the room.

	Sebastian attacks Alastair, while Sean does Trumpy things to
Sebastian.  Sebastian starts walking the Pattern, and all weapons tossed,
shot or thrown at him miss him completely, much to Duncan's dismay.

	After trying Bleys' Trump repeatedly, Gabriel Trumps Lilith (which
is when she turns into him).  Gabriel requires Lilith's assistance in
Trumping Bleys, but together they can't reach him.  She returns to her
quarters, and on the way assumes the shape of one of her guards.

	Rasa Trumps Colin and asks if Lilith is still there as Gabriel. 
Colin assures her that the coast is clear, and she goes through to him. 
They commiserate.  After all, Lilith is a guy half the time...  Lilith
returns.  Rasa is relieved to see her new form.

	Duncan hits Sebastian finally with a throwing dagger.  Sebastian
takes this opportunity to shimmer and appear to leave the Pattern.

	Paris Trumps Sean while Sean is locating Paris via Trump -- they
mess around some and disappear.

	Alastair brainrapes Duncan and Trumps Sean.  Sean asks Alastair to
come through and help him; Alastair finds he can't come through.

	Farad, having escaped Chaos, is heading towards more familiar
ground.

	Gabriel Trumps Rasa and asks her to ride into Shadow with him. 
She reluctantly accepts.  She seeks out a new cloak to cover what her
seven veils don't.  They ride out into Shadow.

	Dmitri goes to Rebma, and casts a spell so he can breathe water. 
The spell fails suddenly, and Dmitri holds his breath until he discovers
that his spell failed when it came in contact with Rebma's much larger
spell.

	Paris and Sean figure out that only people with higher Trump
abilities can exist in their private hell, and they only end up there when
Sean interferes with Paris' Trump.

	Dmitri continues on his way in Rebma.  Guards stop him and Trump
Lilith for a voucher, just in case he's a sneaky spy or assassin.

	Gabriel and Rasa stop near Ygg.  He leaves her and Hellrides off
to seek his wife, but only attains her grave;  Rasa grows her fingernails
longer while she waits.  Gabriel comes back, and essentially tells Rasa
that he didn't mean "let's just be friends," exactly, and besides, he
wouldn't want to mess around with Bleys' daughter without Bleys'
permission.  Rasa is dubious about the need for Bleys to know anything at
all about her, but Gabriel insists.  They fail in trying to Trump him,
until Rasa Trumps Sean and asks him to make the connection.  Bleys greets
them, and is not at all concerned about Rasa's sex life, or lack thereof,
or any step in between.  Rasa and Gabriel go to dinner.

	Alastair mindrapes Sean.  Sean tries to attack him, and nick his
face.  Alastair avoids this until Sean makes a verbal request, at which
point, Alastair allows him to draw blood.  Feeling better, Sean allows the
mindrape to continue.

	Dmitri acquires Trumps and tries Fiona's.  Fiona advises him to
see the hall of portraits if he really wants to know everyone's names. 
Dmitri does so, and finds that Bleys and Caine look familiar to him.

	Sean creates a Trump node to route all calls to Caine to him
instead.

	Dmitri Trumps Alastair...

	Rasa returns to Amber and bursts in to tell Colin and Lilith that
she kissed Gabriel.  Colin points out that she's sleeping alone tonight. 
She does not allow this to stymie her, and after changing into more
appropriate clothing, heads down to the waterfront to look for good
information network material.

	At the end of the session:

	Dmitri and Alastair had finished talking (I guess)
	Duncan is God-knows-where doing God-knows-what
	Rasa is down in the city
	Colin and Lilith are in her bedroom doing... God-knows-what again.
	Gabriel is in his room alone
	Farad is getting over his recent captivity
	Sean is getting over his recent mindrape
	Paris is God-knows... you get the picture that my notes weren't so
hot for the tail end of the session?