Chapter 111:  "There's a gaping hole where none should be, and it's not
just the plot, this time."

August 15, 2994

	Ronan successfully finishes training his squad with 40 of the 45
men that he started out with.  They've been on Arrakis for a month.  Ronan
talks to Malcolm about getting him into Chaos and back out.  He wants to
avenge an insult Zane made against someone in the family.  OK.  Malcolm
tells Ronan to get them as far as the Logrus barrier, then he'll get them
through it.  Just as Malcolm warns that they're getting close to the
barrier, they are hit by an earthquake which lasts for 12 minutes.  In the
middle of the quake, there's a big crack, and a gaping chasm opens up five
feet away from them and continues to widen.  A couple of men fall over the
edge.  When the rumbling stops, the chasm stretches to the right and left
as far as they can see, and the other side is no longer visible.  The
bottom is a swirling mass of black, gray and silver.  Malcolm tells Ronan
that the mass is Primal Chaos.  Plus, the Logrus is gone, and Trumps
aren't working.  Joy.

	Felix tells more stories to Ona's children in the morning.  Blake
asks what happened to Nicholas' parents.  Well, Ahab died along with the
Serpent and the Unicorn, and the Queen was in mourning, then Brand decided
to take advantage...and she's dead too.  Clarissa gives him a warning
look, and he asks for food.  While they're getting it, Clarissa tells him
that Blake's trying get information on her to get her in trouble.  They
get hit by the earthquake.  Clarissa says, "Oh sweet Unicorn, no!" and
takes off for Ona's house.  Felix follows.  The Feyans begin to gather
there as well.  Theories about the cause of the earthquake are banded
about.  The most prominent include:  the Logrus being destroyed, the plane
of magic being destroyed, the plane of Trump being destroyed, or Zane
getting his hands on all of the stones of power.  Ona enters the room and
announces that the Darkness is upon them.  Chaos and Amber have been
severed, and magic has been destroyed.  Everyone heads for the plateau. 
It's a goodly climb, much like heading up from the Pattern room in Kolvir. 
The Primal Pattern looks fine.  They spent an hour observing it before Ona
announces that although the Pattern's power is decreased, it will return. 
Benedict asks if they can get back to Amber.  Yes.  Benedict is heading
back, then.  Bart and Felix opt to do likewise.  Felix asks Clarissa if
there's a way to get back that doesn't involve going through Capillaria. 
Not now.  Under normal circumstances, the Hall of Mirrors will work.

	Gavin wakes up to someone patting his cheek.  He's in great pain.
He sees a blond, petite woman, dressed as a man.  Behind her, he sees
another woman.  She's tall, dark-haired, and nearly transparent.  He
assumes he's delirious and passes out again.

	Vixen finds Eric up on the battlements surveying the damage.  He's
not sure what cataclysmic event caused this, but it can't be good.  Vixen
is not happy to learn that she won't be able to leave Amber.  Is there
anyone she can kill?  Whoever did this, but Eric doesn't know who that is.
He's going to Arden to coordinate the relief effort with Julian.  Vixen
doesn't want to ride.  Horses get nervous around her, you see.  Eric shows
her how to mentally command the horse not to be bothered.  She's still
never ridden before, so she opts to ride behind him.  Eric rides quickly
to Arden, and is met by Julian on Morgenstern.  They begin discussing how
to ration out the existing supplies.  Vixen is given a troop of rangers to
help establish a supply line.

	Random and Tamaryn begin conjuring medical supplies.

	Alex helps out sort of numbly, doing what people ask.  Caitt stays
with him.

	Ariana begins tending the survivors of the tsunami.  She drafts
Lucien to help as well, much to his dismay.

	Ronan tries shifting Shadow.  Nothing happens.  They see someone
approaching along the edge of the chasm.  Ronan takes 15 men, including
Jamie and Arion, and heads for the figure.  It appears to be a red-headed
man with a sword, wearing green clothes.  He stops and waits for them.  He
looks like he's been in a fight.  He has lots of blood on his shirt, but
it doesn't appear to be his.  He also has an emerald ring with a shooting
star carved into it.  Ronan observes that he's a bit far from home.  Where
did he come from?  He was on his way to Amber, and had just passed Ygg,
when the earthquake hit.  Ronan asks him to state his intentions.  He's
returning to Amber to talk to the King.  Ronan says he's the Captain of
the King's Guard.  In that case, he's the one Brand needs to see.  Ronan
offers to let him ride with them.  Brand points out that they won't be
going anywhere until the Pattern comes back up.  They walk/ride for a bit
to get away from the chasm.  When they stop, Brand cleans his sword off.
Ronan notices that it's a fine weapon.  Brand hands it to him.  The
balance is perfect, and it has an edge on it the likes of which Ronan has
never seen.  Ronan asks what happened to Brand.  He ran into some
Chaosites.  Ronan hangs onto the sword and mentions that he's privy to
Benedict and his information.  Brand guesses this means that he's in
trouble, then.  Yep.  Brand says he has important information for Eric.
Nicholas and his party are on the other side of the chasm, and they're
probably dead by now.  Ronan wants to go there anyway, since it's his duty
to protect the King.  Brand says he's wasting his time.  He also says they
shouldn't dally too long, since Brand has something that will help Eric
keep the throne in the power-struggle that is likely to ensue.  Ronan says
that since Brand is an enemy of the state, he'll have to surrender or be
killed.  Since they're going the same way, that's fine.  Actually, Ronan
is going after Nicholas.  In that case, Brand can't go with them.  He asks
for his sword back, and Ronan finds himself handing it back against his
will.  He gives the signal to form up the men into a power wedge to Jaime,
who misses it.  When Ronan gives the order verbally, Jaime asks why he
didn't just give the signal.  Brand looks amused.

	Ariana gets a Trump call from Jalana, who happily reports that
Trumps are working.  She wants to know if Ariana's coming home tonight.
Ariana says she'll try to be back before they go to bed.  She notices that
faerie magic is growing stronger.  She tells Lucien that Trumps are
working.  He proceeds to begin Trumping people.  She checks her house in
town and finds that it survived the tsunami, although the bottom floor is
somewhat waterlogged.

	Alex helps Lucretia move her stuff to the castle.  Her house is
also waterlogged.

	Eric and Vixen return to the castle for dinner.  Ariana and Lucien
do likewise.  Flora's at dinner, which hasn't happened for a while.  She's
six months pregnant.  Alexandra, Beauty, Corbin, Bleys, Tamaryn and her
kids, Swiss Family Laughter, Eris, Lyss and her kids, Mirelle, Devlin,
Random, Vialle, Vaughn, Isabeux and her kids are also present for the
meal.  Eric announces that Trump are working, so he's going to start
rounding up the family members that are reachable.  There will be a family
meeting at eight in the Great Hall.

	Felix is mobbed by bull pops wanting his advice as they go through
Capillaria.  Felix says nothing, and wishes his hell was over.  Benedict
and Bart choose not to comment.  They are Trumped by Eric when they reach
Rebma and told about the meeting.

	Ronan splits his men into three distinct wedges.  He give the
order for his men to move, and gets a Trump call.  He ignores it, but it
presses.  Ronan finally answers it, looking rather pissed off.  Random
tells him about the meeting.  Ronan asks if he'd like Brand there as well.
Random offers him an escape route.  Ronan refuses.  Random keeps the
contact open, just in case Ronan changes his mind.  When Ronan looks up,
his men are lined up behind Brand.  Brand waves and starts heading towards
Amber.  Ronan charges Brand.  His men clear out of the way.  Brand barely
gets his sword out in time.  Ronan manages to cut his chest before Brand
blocks him.  Ronan's sword is broken.  Brand manages to convince Ronan
that the chasm will still be there if he wants to come back later to look
for Nicholas.  Random mumbles that he hates it when Brand is logical.
Ronan agrees to escort Brand back to Amber.  He tries Nicholas' card, but
it doesn't even grow cold.  The begin slowly making their way back to
Amber.  Ronan Trumps Eric and explains that Brand is with him.  Eric
doesn't want Ronan traveling with Brand.  He warns that Brand can monitor
Trump.  He also tells Ronan to be careful and not to anger Brand.  Ronan
says it's too late for that.

	Alex, Alexandra, Ariana, Arthur, Benedict, Bart, Bleys, Driscoll,
Eric, Eris, Felix, Flora, Foster, Gerard, Julian, Laughter, Llewella,
Lyss, Martin, Meander, Merlin, Random, Shard and Vixen attend the family
meeting.  Shard is wearing sunglasses, since the sun is still up.  Eric
announces that Ronan is bringing Brand in.  Then Eric gets a Trump call,
and pulls through Ona and Clarissa.  Benedict introduces them to the group
as the Queen and a princess of Avalon.  Ona says that they are here to
explain what they believe has happened.  Eric states what damage has been
done, then Ona tells the story of Avalon.  She is Oberon's twin sister.
When they were young, Oberon decided to create a battlework to protect the
Primal Pattern.  This was Amber.  No one in Amber was to know of Avalon.
This was all Oberon's idea, and while he lived, they honored it, but no
longer.  The Pattern should recover this night.  They believe that Chaos
and Amber have been severed by a large chasm that runs around the
perimeter where Ygg used to be.  They think this was done through the
destruction of Ygg.  Magic, as everyone knows it, has ceased to exist.
Alex asks what their relationship with Faerie is now.  Ona says that
Avalon has always had a good relationship with Faerie, however Faerie has
closed its borders right now.  The destruction of Shadow is to Faerie's
benefit, because it gives them room to grow.  Since Faerie is between
Shadow, they are the only ones who might be able cross the chasm.  Ariana
asks why Ygg's destruction caused the end of magic.  Because it's the
fastener.  When it snapped, the plane of magic was destroyed.  Meander
looks shaken at the news of the destruction of his world.

	A map is produced and laid across a table.  Benedict, Eric and Ona
gather around it to plot strategy.  Some people leave.  Felix goes to see
his family.  Vixen talks to Alex.

	Ariana approaches Ona and explains that she has a faerie body
right now.  She offers to try and find out what's going on, once faerie
magic is stronger.  Ona is much appreciative.  She thinks Faerie is
probably divided over how to deal with the situation.

	Alex checks and sees that the Tir is faintly visible.

	Ariana tells Vixen that she's related to Ona's branch of the
family.  Then she writes Eric a note explaining Brand's involvement in
Nimue's death, just in case Bleys hasn't told him.

	Felix asks Isabeux what's bothering her.  Bart gave her some
interesting news.  Apparently, she can walk the Pattern.  Her mother is a
descendant of Osric's.  So her brothers and sisters can walk it too?  Yep.
Basically, all of House Orsola is descended from Osric, so all of them can
walk the Pattern.  Bart's talking to them.  He wants lots of people to
walk the Pattern.

	Ariana notices that Shard doesn't seem able to see or hear her.
She pokes him with her scabbard.  Before she can react, she is slammed to
the ground hard enough to break her clavicle.  Ow.  Shard looks around
frantically for what he felt.  Ariana returns to her quarters and has
Lucien heal her.  He asks how it happened.  She explains.  He says that
vampires can't see faeries.  She knows this now.  She tells him about the
meeting.  He doesn't think going to Faerie is a good idea at the moment,
since they don't know what the situation there is.  Ariana points out that
her body is there.  Lucien thinks it's a moot point right now.  Ariana
isn't happy about Brand returning to Amber.  She coats one of her daggers
with poison and spends much of the night working out to adjust to her new
body.

	Felix's kids ask where their presents are.  Why are they expecting
gifts?  Because their mother always brings them some when she's away.
Tamaryn takes Felix into another room and conjures him some hard candies.
Felix gives them to the kids and gives Tamaryn a look.  Foster tells Felix
that his family is heading to a fast time Shadow again.

	Vixen sharpens her sword and plays with her other sharp, pointy
things.  Then she goes to sleep.  Eric comes in very early in the morning.

	Gavin wakes up again.  He's lying on a straw mattress and his
bones are set.  The blond woman enters the room and asks if he's in pain.
Yes.  She gives him something to drink for the pain.  Gavin enjoys the
view.  He learns that his right arm is broken between the elbow and the
wrist, his left leg is broken between the hip and the knee, and he has
between 3-5 broken ribs.  The woman says her name is Maris.  She tells
Gavin that most of the waterfront is gone.  It's about 9:00 at night.  He
stares at her breasts some more.  She says he won't be in any shape to do
that for a couple of nights to come.  He falls asleep while she feeds him
broth.

	Ronan and his men camp for the night.  Brand builds a fire and
does Trump readings for a while.  Ronan stays awake and watches him.  The
night passes uneventfully, and they continue on towards Amber in the
morning.

August 16, 2994

	Gavin wakes up to a repetitive sound.  It's a printing press. 
After a bit, Maris comes in wiping her inky hands on her apron.  She
offers him breakfast and gives him a pamphlet to read.  It has Ronan's
symbol on it.  He reads it, and finds that they're trying to put together
a parliament.  She asks if he's been in Amber long.  No.  Well, in that
case, what does he think about the ideas in the pamphlet?  He doesn't
usually get involved in politics, but he has seen this before.  She asks
for details, and begins taking notes, only letting up when he begins to
tire.  He tries to contact Angel, but she's out of range.

	Swiss Family Laughter is not at breakfast.  Bridget is also
absent.  Pattern is back on line.  Faerie magic is still slowly increasing
in strength.  Ariana tells Felix about the efforts going on in town to
help the injured, then finds Bridget and tells her that she's descended
from Ona's side of the family.  Bridget seems uninterested in this.

	Alex quizzes Caitt about the status of faerie magic and asks how
it works.  She begins teaching him.

	Vixen coats her weapons with poison and works out for a while.

	Gavin tries and fails to reach Angel again.  Then he tries to work
out a bit.  Owie.  Maris comes in with lunch and another pamphlet, which
incorporates his ideas.  His symbol is also on the cover.  There is a
rally in the next room a short while later.

	Ariana and Felix work in the infirmary in town.  Lucien opts to
stick with Ariana, given her current mood.  Ariana asks if anyone has seen
Gavin, but they haven't.

	Ronan and co. arrive at Arden.  Jaime pipes a tune that Laughter's
army will recognize.  They answer back, as does Julian's hunting horn.
Julian arrives on Morgenstern.  There's obviously no love lost between
Julian and Brand.  They make Brand precede them into Amber.

	Brand enters the dining room during dinner, partway through the
first course.  Ariana and Felix both turn pale.  Brand briefly misses a
beat when he sees Clarissa, who glares at him.  Brand tells Eric that he
has something he will be able to make use of in his new role as King of
Amber.  Of course, with this gift comes the news that Nicholas is trapped
in Chaos and most likely dead by now.  And he knows this, how?  Because he
noticed Nicholas' progress through Shadow, since Nicholas was wearing the
Jewel, and he decided to observe.  Nicholas was ambushed by Zane's people,
who also severed Ygg a foot above its roots.  Brand managed to save the
Jewel, but couldn't save Nicholas since he was rushing Zane.  In light of
his efforts, he'd like this to factor in against those who would fight
against him.  While Eric considers this, Vixen and Ariana both throw
daggers at Brand, Vixen aiming to kill, Ariana to castrate him.  Eric
blocks Vixen's attack, while Benedict blocks Ariana's and flips the dagger
back into the table by her plate.  Ronan asks permission to go back to the
chasm.  Ona explains that it can't be crossed without the aid of Faerie.
Benedict approaches Brand and gives him a stern look.  He says Brand may
have bought some time for now, but he will be watched.  This seems to get
through to Brand.  He sits down to eat.  Ariana and Vixen leave.  The rest
of the meal is rather tense.  Rinaldo bursts in looking like he has
something to say, sees Brand, and takes his seat rather sheepishly.

	Ariana and Vixen go to the battlements and bitch about Brand for a
while.

	Ronan dismisses his troops, then talks to Malcolm.  Malcolm
doesn't have a way to get across the chasm, either.  Ronan gets a new
sword from the armory, then goes drinking.  While he's in town, he finds
the new pamphlets.  He goes to the building where the press is located.
It looks deserted and no one answers the door.  Ronan goes in a window,
but there's no one there.  Ronan explores, and sees a light go out
underneath the door to the basement.  Bruce sniffs and says he smells the
same ink that was on the pamphlets.  Ronan and Bruce go down the stairs.
Ronan can make out the corner of a bed and a cast.  Gavin says hello and
asks if Ronan would mind helping him out of there.  Bruce laughs at him.
Ronan asks how Gavin got there.  Maris found him.  He doesn't know where
she is now.  They hear someone enter the building and then pause.  Ronan
tells her to come on down.  Maris descends with a light source.  Ronan
tells her he noticed some changes in her pamphlets.  Yes, Gavin outlined
the natural progression of some things that she hadn't thought of.  Gavin
denies saying anything.  Maris says that he's shy.  Ronan suggests that
Gavin get back to the castle.  Maris isn't sure he should be moved.  Ronan
asks what happened to him, and learns about the tsunami.

	Ronan Trumps Ariana and notices that she's peeved.  He explains
that he's found Gavin, and that he's injured.  Ariana explains to Vixen
where she's going and comes through to examine Gavin.  She compliments
Maris on her work and says they could use her skill at the city infirmary.
She thinks Gavin can be moved safely on a stretcher.  Bruce asks why
Ariana doesn't conjure one.  She says she can't right now.  Bruce notices
that she smells strange, and says that she's not Ariana.  Ariana insists
that she is, pointing out that the Trump did reach her, after all, and she
has Ariana's sword.  Ronan looks dubious.  Ariana says she can explain,
but not here.  They begin putting together a stretcher.

	Gerard heads back out to the fleet.  Felix notices that Tamaryn
looks thoughtful.  She says she's trying to plot a safe course of action.
She teases Felix for a while.  Felix asks how long Laughter's family will
be away.  Until Elspeth is 15.  Felix is afraid the kids will have trouble
adjusting to this, remembering how much Vivienne hated it when Nicholas
went away and aged.  True, but they'll still have Ariana's kids to play
with.  Felix says all but one.  Felix fills Tamaryn in on the trip to
Avalon.  She says her mother never told her about it.

	Alex continues learning faerie magic.

	Vixen goes to her empty brothel and curls up in a ball.  Torment
gets unhappy, causing Vixen to jump to her feet, stab the wall, then put
her back to it.  The rug makes a quick exit.  She throws a throwing star
at it, and scores, but it gets away under the door.  She beats a hasty
retreat and Trumps Ariana.  Ariana pulls her through.  Vixen explains what
happened.  Ariana learns about the assassination attempts.  Eric Trumps
Vixen and asks where she is.  She isn't sure.  He brings all of them
through.  Gavin catches a glimpse of the dark-haired woman again as he
goes through the Trump.  Eric is disturbed to learn about the attack on
Vixen.  Ariana and Ronan carry Gavin to the infirmary.

	Eric explains to Vixen why attacking Brand was a bad idea, because
they were in front of everyone, including several factions.  If Brand had
died, Gerard would have objected.  And his mother and great-grandmother
were there as well.  If Brand had attacked, then it would have been OK.
Vixen thinks this is bullshit.  She asks what he wants from her, then.  Be
careful, and don't get herself killed.  Maybe Eric will luck out and
they'll haul Brand's ass back to Avalon.  Vixen suggests that if he's
treading political water, it might be best for her to disappear for a
while.  He says he won't stop her if that's what she wants, and asks if
she wants his company, since he wouldn't mind a bit of time to think
things through.  She points out that she'll still be a liability to him
when they return.  He has larger liabilities than her.  And when it comes
right down to it, he doesn't want to lose her for that long.

	Ronan, not having slept for days, crashes hard.

	Ariana oversees the placing of Gavin's limbs into casts, then goes
back to her quarters and puts her kids to bed.  Lucien tells her that
Brand was turned over to Ona and Clarissa to watch.  Ariana comments that
this should work about as well as the methods used the previous two times.
Lucien jokes that Brand will kill them all, then.  Ariana gets mad, packs
a bag and starts heading into town.  Then she returns and asks if he knew
about the assassination attempts on Vixen.  He did.  She explains that the
assassin was wounded in the latest attack.  Lucien says he should be able
to identify the assassin by his blood, so they go to the brothel.  Once
Lucien absorbs the blood, he determines that the assassin is Lugyr, a
great-to-some-degree nephew of his.  He's good.  He'll keep trying until
he succeeds, Vixen kills him, or whoever hired him pays him again to stop.
They think Lucretia is a likely suspect for the one who hired Lugyr.
Ariana is still nervous about staying in the castle while Brand is there,
so Lucien suggests the family spend the night in her house in town.

	Eric and Vixen decide to pass two years in Shadow.  Vixen sends
Eric to Ariana for an infertility spell.  Ariana says she can't do that at
the moment, allowing Eric to think that this is due to the problems with
magic.  Eric returns to Vixen.  Ariana moves her family out of the castle.


Quotables:

"Malcolm has no reason to not do this, I hope." -- Eric Braun to the group

"Oh come on, I'm an assassin, take me with you!" -- Vixen to Ronan

"The ground starts to shake furiously." -- GM
"I look for worms." -- Ronan

"Why is (Primal Chaos) here?" -- Ronan
"Uh, something happened, sir?" -- Malcolm

"(Kimdyl) didn't die (when I kicked her in the head), and she wasn't Queen
then, so it wasn't wrong." -- Felix to the group

"And Felix is blindly babbling on, because he does that." -- Liam to the
group

"Felix is learning more about the universe than he ever needed to know."
-- Liam to the group

"I don't think (the brothel) has a basement.  If it does, then it's wet."
-- Vixen to GM
"No, you have a new Rebma room." -- Liam

"What caused the last earthquake?" -- Vixen
"The death of our gods." -- Eric
"I'm going to stop asking questions." -- Vixen

"I'm not being very helpful." -- Alex to GM
"But then again, when are you?" -- Liam

"There's a gaping hole where none should be, and it's not just the plot,
this time." -- Eric Braun to the group

"(Ronan) thinks Brand is tapping his mind, so he keeps changing it every
few minutes." -- Kris
"He goes to the Laughter school of tactics." -- Eric Braun

"Nicholas, and his entire party, are on the other side of the chasm." --
Brand
"That's where we're going, then." -- Ronan

"What do you want!" -- Ronan
"Uh, *you* Trumped *me*." -- Eric

"(Julian's) a jerk, but at least he has style." -- Ronan to GM

"My warriors do *not* eat ice cream." -- Ronan to GM

"Donal gives me that same look when he doesn't want to eat Brussels
sprouts." -- Tamaryn
"Donal's a fool for passing up food." -- Felix

"The bun is in the oven, but the oven isn't on." -- George to the group,
referring to the fact that Ariana's pregnant body is in stasis

"I guess you can't have your Caitt and demon too." -- George to the group

"That's right, you were gone when the couch stabbed me." -- Vixen to
Ariana

"I made the carpet bleed." -- Vixen to Eric