Session Twenty-seven
		 "Something weird this way comes."

	Gabriel takes a Trump call from Benedict.  He asks, "Should I
really distrust Colin?"  Benedict thinks so.  Benedict also brings up the
Orb, and says it ominously resembles an item Oberon secreted away in
Shadow -- along with about 7 or 8 other objects that Oberon found and
deemed too powerful to leave around for his kids.  Well, except for that
sword.  Which sword?  Why, the one you're carrying, Gabriel.  He thought
that was fine to leave for his descendants.  Oh.

	Lilith, Rasa and Colin are together in Lilith's quarters.  Duncan
comes in with a body-bag; inside it there is a Shadow of Lilith.  Whenever
she feels the shapeshifting change coming on, just stand near this Shadow
of yourself, and you'll be... yourself!

	Alastair speaks with Dmitri and Sean.  Dmitri asks for Trumps of
Gabriel and Rasa and Lilith, and any other people he doesn't have Trumps
of.  Sean is more than happy to supply them.

	Gabriel goes to sleep.

	Farad finds a nearly dead person who might be a sorcerer.  The
sorcerer is short and dark-haired.  It is learned that Farad doesn't have
all of his memories, or even some.  Farad casts a healing spell on the
nearly dead person, who breathes more deeply.  Farad notices that the
nearly dead guy is sporting some fine jewelry -- a big, shiny red jewel.
He also notices the nearly dead guy is significantly less dead now, and
seems to be healing himself, in fact.  Farad tries to awaken him when he
notices that the fabric of the Shadow is unraveling; he finds this odd,
because he didn't know he knew what Shadow was.  He ponders this a while,
and can't quite remember how to travel between Shadows.  He tries sorcery,
and realizes that he has lots of spells hung, including a traveling spell;
he picks up the guy and casts the traveling spell.  It leaves without
them.  He sighs, puts the guy down and begins to recast the spell.

	Paris is groveled at by various servants.  He goes and finishes
his special Trump, then travels to a high-tech Shadow and buys a hand-held
blender.  He then activates his special Trump and blends whatever is on
the other end.

	Lilith's Shadow in the body-bag twitches.  When this is
investigated, it is found that she is now dead, and her internal organs
look like they have been beaten with a hand- held blender.  Coincidence? 
Lilith is receiving a Trump contact, which Rasa helps her block.

	Suhuy Trumps Colin, comes through, and tells everyone that all the
shapeshifters who've been hanging around Lilith are probably infected.  He
tells them that it's caused by a rapidly mutating virus.  He gives Rasa a
preventative dose of some stuff, and gives Colin enough of the stuff to
pass out to everyone in the castle who might be a shapeshifter.  Colin
looks at Rasa, and gives it all to her.  She begins to hide the stuff on
her person and around the castle.  Suhuy tells the group that the virus is
very high-tech stuff, and says that he should no longer neglect the
high-tech part of his education.  He goes off to investigate.

	Gabriel finds Lilith and asks her what's going on.  She points out
the body-bag.  Gabriel studiously neither ignores Rasa, nor greets her too
warmly.

	Dmitri comes in search of Rasa.  She goes into the hall to talk to
him.  He tells her he wants to talk to Bleys, and asks if she could
arrange it.  She tells him she's nearly useless at getting a hold of her
dad, and that either Sean or Fiona can help him.  She asks why he wants to
see Bleys.  Dmitri thinks that Bleys knows how he walked the Pattern. 
Rasa entertains hope that she might have a brother.  Dmitri goes to see
Sean.

	Paris Trumps Sean.  Sean pulls him through and they talk to
Alastair.  Paris (accidentally on purpose?) Trumps Alastair into the
sewers (Middens, actually.  Running water in Castle Amber? 
Preposterous!).  Paris Trumps Alastair back out.  Dworkin appears to Paris
and reminds him that he really ought to kill Alastair.  Alastair goes to
clean up.  Paris accuses Dworkin of being a schizophrenic paranoid fantasy
of his own mind.  Dworkin is displeased and says he is trapped on an
astral plane because the re-drawing of the Pattern kind of left him out in
the cold.  Sean listens closely to Paris' side of the conversation.  To
prove he's really Dworkin, Dworkin tosses Sean into a void.  Sean notes
that the Trump contact came from Paris.  Alastair returns, finds Sean
missing and Trumps him.  Dworkin puts Alastair in the dungeons and Sean
back into the void.  They get out and try to take Paris to a high-tech
Shadow to sedate him and get him psychiatric help.  However, Paris'
shapeshifting won't allow any drugs to take effect, no matter how often
they shoot him up.  The shapeshifting disease has apparently taken effect
in Paris now, because he turns into Alastair.  Paris reroutes
(unconsciously) all the Trump calls to Alastair to him, believing he is
Alastair.

	Gabriel Trumps Sean and asks who tried to kill Lilith.  Sean says
it was probably Paris, via Trump.

	Alastair Trumps Colin for an anti-shapeshift drug.  Colin is happy
to do this thing for Alastair.  Alastair invades Paris' mind to make Paris
take the shapeshift negation drug.  Sean transports Alastair to Lilith and
Rasa for some reason...  This is where I was told to write "Three's
Company Episode" -- i.e., lots of problems because Paris thinks he's
Alastair, and looks a lot like him too.

	Farad gets another traveling spell together, picks up the guy with
the red bauble, and casts the spell.  This time it takes them with it, but
Farad can't control the other end.  They begin careening through Shadow at
a great rate.  Farad begins to doubt that they will survive stopping.

	Paris (looking like Al), Lilith, Rasa and Colin are together. 
Gabriel has just left.  Sean Trumps Lilith out of the room after telling
Paris that there is a shapeshifter running around Amber that looks just
like Lilith.  Rasa grabs Lilith before she totally disappears.  Rasa and
Lilith begin to walk back to her quarters, Lilith with Greyswandir drawn. 
Sean Trumps Rasa into the moat.  Lilith reacquires Rasa, and this time
they go to see Gabriel.

	Sebastian is attacking Alastair, and Sean comes to the rescue. 
Until the attack resumes.

	Gabriel decides to take things in hand, and tries to Trump Paris.

	Sean Trumps Gabriel away from Lilith and Rasa to have him come
save Alastair and Sean.  Sebastian tries to shoot Gabriel, who ducks and
rolls forward, then cuts apart Sebastian's weapon.  Sean blocks
Sebastian's Trump out, and Gabriel and Sebastian continue to fight until
Sebastian, using mysterious powers, disappears.  After the fight, Sean
returns Gabriel.

	Gabriel Trumps Colin, who has been talking to "Alastair" (Paris).
Colin knows he's in trouble when "Alastair" turns into "Colin" and all
Trump calls to Colin start going to Paris.  Sean opens up a three-way
Trump with Paris and Gabriel.  Gabriel goes through.

	Lilith and Rasa go to Lilith's quarters to discover two Colins and
one each of Gabriels, Seans and Alastairs.

	Dmitri tries to Trump Paris.  Since it doesn't work, he wanders
back into the castle.

	Farad arrives at Ygg and asks where Amber is.  Ygg tells him that
all roads go to Amber.

	Paris changes into Sean.  Colin and Lilith are both quite relieved.

	Alastair notes a disturbance in Shadow, and says, "Hey guys, let's
attack Mara."  Gabriel thinks this is a fine idea.  Everyone agrees to go
along.  Sean Trumps them near their target.

	Dmitri arrives at Lilith's quarters just after everyone leaves.

	The troupe has arrived in a forested area.  Sean Trumps Mara and
can't get through.  He Trumps one of her underlings and a vortex tries to
suck him up.  Gabriel pulls him back and calls to the forest, "Mara!  Come
out!"  Surprisingly, this doesn't work.  Sean and Paris, working together,
can Trump them all to a tear in Shadow and look through into the Shadow
where Mara actually is; they look, but can't actually see her.  This is
done a couple times.

	Lilith and Colin decide to hunker down, with Rasa to guard them,
and bring up Pattern energy to counter the vortices.  They'll be helpless,
except for Rasa.  Everyone else goes on to the next vantage point.  When
Alastair, Gabriel, Sean and Paris (looking like Sean) arrive, there are
several demons in the way.  Sean runs towards Mara.  Gabriel fights the
demons.  Alastair works on breaking through Mara's psychic defenses.  Sean
bounces off a glowing energy field, and Paris gets attacked by dragons.

	Sebastian sneaks up on Alastair and holds him at dagger point. 
Alastair attempts mental domination on his son, and Sebastian Trumps them
out.

	Paris turns into one of the dragons, foiling their plot to eat
him.  The two dragons that had been attacking him look very confused. 
Paris looks back at his party and waves in a friendly manner, and the
dragons commence to frolicking.

	Sean and Gabriel get vortex-blocked from actually attacking the
barrier that separates them from Mara.  When Gabriel asks, Mara admits
that she got the Orb from House Hadyn.

	Sebastian says he'll kill Alastair if Alastair tries to mentally
dominate him.  Someone Trumps in behind them both.  Alastair scans
Sebastian, and Sebastian objects.  Sebastian tells him that Dara brought
he and Mara back to life.  Sebastian gets attacked from behind and cut
with a knife.  It's Duncan who has Trumped in to save them!  Sebastian
disappears.

	Alastair says they need to get to Sean.  They Hellride towards the
Shadow disturbance and find Rasa.  Since Lilith and Colin are almost
exhausted and will have to stop soon, she agrees to take Alastair and
Duncan to the vortex-ridden area.  She suggests bringing Dmitri along. 
Coincidentally, he happens to Trump Lilith at this moment, and is happy to
join them.  True to form, Rasa shapeshifts to a bird and flies them in.

	Gabriel throws his sword at the force-field and the field pops. 
The explosion knocks Sean out.  Rasa appears, and Gabriel grabs her leg
and uses it to leap feet first at Mara.  Dmitri leaps off Rasa's back and
misses Mara, but hits the Orb.  He and the Orb disappear through a vortex. 
All the vortices disappear.  Rasa dive-bombs Mara and begins ripping her
apart.

	Lilith and Colin assert themselves and stabilize the Shadow. 
Alastair takes the head of Mara after asking Rasa's permission, but she
continues ripping the body to shreds.  (You can't resurrect something that
messed up.)

	Gabriel retrieves his sword.  They discover that Dmitri is
unreachable.  Lilith and Colin Trump Rasa and come through.  Alastair and
Rasa make an effort to Trump Dmitri, but it's too much for them even
combined, though Alastair thinks Dmitri is near Chaos.

	Dmitri floats around the Abyss with the Orb.  He begins probing it.

	Farad careens through Shadow at break-neck speeds, and of course,
ends up in the very Shadow everyone else is currently in.  Most of them
notice that Farad has the Jewel.  Alastair takes over Farad's mind easily,
and gives Gabriel and Lilith a hard time until eventually handing over the
Jewel.

	Sean wakes up with dragons licking his face and retreats with them
into Shadow to heal.

	Alastair admits (once Colin suspects and infects everyone else
with his suspicions) that he's controlling Farad.  That's OK, though,
Farad doesn't remember anything.  At all.  Alastair tells Duncan to take
Farad to the dungeons.  Colin and Lilith go home.  Lilith turns into
Colin.  Colin thinks "doh!"

	Gabriel, Alastair and Rasa go to Chaos to seek out Dmitri.

	Dmitri investigates the Orb and finds it's misty, dark, and
swirly, and there is a mental presence in its energies.  As he probes it
further, he feels the build-up of energy in it, and finds it easy to
destroy some rocks.  Over the course of the next few hours, he destroys a
lot of rocks, and some armies, and large chunks of Chaos.

	The Dmitri-hunting party, resting at Ygg, is informed by Alastair
that someone has activated the Orb in the Abyss.  They move in closer and
try to Trump Dmitri.  Dmitri feels the contact as "weird."  Alastair is
knocked unconscious.  Gabriel picks him up and they head for the Abyss via
Hellriding.

	Dmitri sees some Chaos troops nearby.  He summons a vortex and
sends them to a particularly nasty Shadow.

	Gabriel Trumps Dmitri, and survives it a bit better with his sword
to aid.  Gabriel promises to help expel the energy, and they all meet up
in the Abyss.  They move towards Chaos, and one of Dmitri's vortices gets
out of hand and begin making Chaos even more Chaotic.  Alastair makes
mental contact with Dmitri, and they begin a variety of attempts to shut
down the Orb.  Alastair and Dmitri end up going through a Chaos-aimed
vortex.  Gabriel and Rasa go through an Amber-aimed vortex, and contact
Lilith and Colin and ask them to dispel it.  They are not pleased to be
awakened, but they go through.

	Dmitri and Alastair fire up the Orb and make a vortex to end all
vortices.

	Farad is brought in to take care of all of this.  He is
victorious, and it is a relief to all when Chaos is no longer raining down
on Amber.  Literally.

	Gabriel says that when all of this is over, he's going on
vacation.  Rasa looks sad.  Colin point-blank asks Gabriel if he's taking
Rasa.  Gabriel asks Rasa if she wants to go on vacation with him.  She
nods.  Colin is pleased.  If only his woman would stay a woman....

	At the end of the session:

	I don't know where anyone is since I left early.