Incidents

It is sometime in the early summer that two very different expeditions set off from Amber, one by land, and one by sea.

The expedition by land is led by Paige, who is seeking the former trade nexus of Heerat, where she once lived. Accompanying her, with the permission of Gerard, is a caravan of Amber traders and some representatives of the settlers who plan to carve out homesteads in the rough land north of the city. The second group is being staked by the crown for herds of domestic animals -- sheep and goats -- that they can raise on the harsh terrain of the northern lands.

In the first shadow where Paige stops, she meets a tribe of nomads who herd sheep-like critters and takes note of her location so she can possibly come back this way and buy sheep. However, the caravan is attacked by bandits from the nomad tribe, who come claiming they want to trade but secretly plan to kill Paige and the caravan leader and take the money and trade goods. Paige intuits his plan and is able to keep the bandits from surprising her guards, preventing a massacre.

After that incident, Paige searches fruitlessly through several nearby shadows but is unable to find sheep-like critters acceptable to the settlers and goes on her way towards Heerat. Frustratingly, she is unable to find the city of her desire, but finds a similar city with a trade bazaar where the traders who accompany her are able to sell their goods. Paige is also able to purchase foods, such as olive oil, to take back to Amber. It occurs to her afterwards that she might have been able to find seed stock to bring back with her, but not at the time.

Paige searches in the nearby area to find more sheep and sheep-like critters, but it's kind of tough for her because she's not an expert shepherd, so she doesn't quite know what she's shifting for. After a couple of weeks, she gives up and takes the group back to a shadow near the bandit shepherd shadow and from there takes a small group to negotiate with some of the nomads. She pays more than she'd like and gets fewer sheep, but it's a starting point to find out whether the idea of raising them on the land to the north of the city is feasible at all. Then she returns home, covered not so much in glory as in, well ...

[Paige]
Sheep shit?

Paige comes back, convinced she can find Heerat, just perhaps not with a circus in tow. Next time out she'd like to go herself and find what she's looking for, then return to lead the caravan there, instead of using up resources leading a whole caravan on a wild goose chase. Yes it'll take longer, but she'll be able to move faster to find it and get back and then they'll know where they're going, hopefully, when she does have the caravan, so it might not be that big a difference time wise. She's fairly annoyed by the trading's realtive failure in her eyes, but doesn't dwell on it too long. She does seem more like the Paige that resided here when this all first began.

The expedition by sea is led by Jerod, in which he attempts to lay a path to a Shadow he knows. After some consultation with Gerard, it is decided that Jerod should attempt to lay a path to Bellum, which was one of the old Golden Circle shadows and one that Jerod has visited more than once in the past.

In some ways it's fortunate that Gerard was his instructor in the art, because Gerard is not a subtle man, and that means he can explain a method of laying a permanent path that's straightforward. On the other hand, laying a path by brute force is also exhausting, nasty work. Jerod wishes he had Martin's endurance, because it would make the job much easier.

The good news is, Jerod figures out how to lay the path in a series of hops, 16 to be exact. Based on experience, it'll take about 8 weeks to traverse the series of paths and get to Bellum. The bad news is, he's pretty sure the paths he's laid will last about a year, and he's not sure he can duplicate the feat. He's at the limit of his strength and pretty sure that if he laid a longer path -- one with more hops -- the thing would just fall apart. He thinks that if he took riskier hops -- ones with more danger of losing ships -- he could drop a similar path to 8 hops. It would still take everything he's got to do it.

It takes Jerod about six months to complete the path. Plus the two months to come home. He won't be back until into the new year.

It occurs to Jerod that there was a reason Dad and his brothers didn't lay so many permanent paths.

Based on Jerod's situation, does he think he's got a chance of teaching someone else to help with laying paths?

As well, since he's figuring that the path won't last more than a year, he's recommending to those handling the trading fleets to get as many ships out as possible and to turn them over as fast as possible when they return.

Reid and Brita become accustomed to the ways of Amber over time. They learn that the Sundering everyone keeps referring to is an earthquake that did major damage to the city and cut off most of the trade routes, so that only Royals can lead caravans and fleets in Shadow to trade. This is how most of the Pattern initiates spend their time these days -- helping Amber (a net food importer) feed herself and trying to rebuild the trade networks.

When they are in Amber, the young royals all have tasks they work on, as mentioned below. They also act as a council of advisers to Gerard, who sometimes acts on their advice and sometimes ignores it. The only member of the Royal family not involved in politics is Vialle, the foreign wife of Oberon's youngest son Random, who acts as the chatelaine of Castle Amber on a daily basis.

Cambina is in charge of the rebuilding of the city and of Castle Amber, specifically a tower that collapsed in the Sundering. (The tower is described as the family quarters, but it didn't serve that purpose in Reid's childhood.) She also was in charge of clearing the way to the Pattern, but loses heart for the work after finding her goals and reassigns the workers and the engineers.

Paige is interested in working closer with Cambina over the course of the upcoming year while she's in Amber. The Zen of Trump will be of major consideration, as will what a bastard that cousin Martin is...

Folly has limited official duties, but acts as the family's ambassador to the less fortunate of Amber. She organizes a lot of charity work among the ladies of Amber, but counterbalances that by organizing in the docksides. Gerard calls her cadres "Folly's army of good works" and they do seem to perform a lot of public service work, but it's clear that more conservative Amberites see them -- and Folly herself -- as a radical threat to society.

Paige will spend as much time with Folly as she always have, accompanying her outside the Castle more often than the last year, seemingly enjoying the company and getting out again after the last year of self-exile.

Jerod acts as sort of a prime minister for Gerard, putting his finger into a lot of pies. His biggest area of concern is the court and the ambassadors from the former Golden Circle (which consists of a somewhat different set of shadows than Reid remembers). He's the wheeler and dealer of the crowd.

[Paige]
That's an interesting idea. If we can't recapture all our era's GC Shadows, what about finding a few of Reid's?

Lucas is the premier voyager of the group -- he was the first to take a fleet out of Amber and has something of a reputation as a skilled trader. Somewhat surprisingly for a fellow who seems to be a citified fop, he acts as a spokesman for the interest of Garnath and was instrumental in setting up a program to export refugees from the city into the countryside by a mail-order bride/groom/adoption project.

Martin is the family's procurement chief. He negotiates agreements between various parties to get needed goods, most importantly handling timber negotiations with the Rangers in tandem with Solange so that ships can be built and repaired with wood from Arden. He is slowly relinquishing that job in favor of trading voyages, and spends very little time in Amber.

Paige is thrilled by the idea, and arranges her caravan trips, much preferred to the sea voyages, to coincide with the periods he is in residence within Amber.

Martin bears up under Paige's bitter disdain with good grace, offering no public comment (as usual).

He seems to have some sort of one-upsmanship going with Cambina; no one can quite tell what the object of it is, but she takes it quite seriously, and he treats it as a bit of a joke, even when she's 'ahead' in the game, as it were.

Ossian is a designer and architect, although he clearly works best when restrained by civil engineers. He designed a monument the dead of the Sundering (about 10,000), which is formally unveiled on the second anniversary of the Sundering. He also works with Vere at the harbor when needed. He is resolutely apolitical as far as most people can tell.

For Reid and Brita:
Ossian is short and of slender build. His hair is a bit too long and seems to have difficulties staying out of his eyes. You note his youth; he looks very young, not much older than 20 years, probably. He seems to prefer dressing in light blue and white. His movemnts more suggests a dancer than a warrior.

Soon you note that he seems to take much more pleasure in the jam sessions than in the poker nights, even if he attends to both.

Also he is obviously very artistically talented, especially his paintings are very good. Actually he offers to paint portraits of both Reid and Brita. "For the library in the first place."

Reid smiles at this and shows interest in seeing some of Ossian's work. Reid's eye for art is known to any who may have visited his quarters and seen his collection of landscapes adorning the walls.

Ossian gladly shows some of his latest pieces, and thanks for all comments. Then he asks Reid about his paintings. Ossian seems to be genuinely intrested in all kinds of art.

"Cousin Reid, did you paint trumps?"

Paige oversees the judicial system and acts as an arbiter herself on politically sensitive cases, including some of those related to the complex usury laws enacted since the Sundering. She seems to be under some kind of cloud socially, but the family ignores it.

[Paige]
As does Paige, seemingly.

Solange is an honorary captain in the Rangers, and acts as a liaison to them when in Amber. Under the current circumstances, the remaining Rangers are one of Amber's major lines of defense. As the Regent's daughter, she also acts as chatelaine of the castle on formal occasions.

Vere is in charge of the harbor and shipwrights. He makes sure Amber's trading fleet is in good repair. He's also something of a Renaissance man who provides expertise to the Regent (his father) on a variety of topics.

[anyone who feels like I missed anything in describing their duties, feel free to add it]

When they aren't working hard, the family relaxes by having a regular jam session in the library. A surprising number are accomplished musicians in a variety of styles. Martin runs an irregular poker game for his male cousins at his club, and Paige occasionally organizes a similar gathering for the ladies in Castle Amber. Brita will be pleased to hear some of her cousins also relax by sparring. ;)

So, who plays what? Let's see the musical roster:

Reid -- flute (primary); can figure out the changes to "Louie Louie" on any stringed instrument known to man.

Jerod - violin. He does not play often, though he does attend the sessions. Most of what he plays is reasonable and he's got some talent but some of his music is not energetic music...though none of it is depressing music either. He does tend to take a lot of notes...

Paige is passable in several different intruments, including coronet, lute, piano and sax, but not outstanding in any. She's there more for the social aspects and puts great passion into her music, evne if she catches the wrong note every once in a great while. She loves anything with a jazz, R&B or be-bop feel, and knows a good deal of Amber old trads and some from Shadow Earth, too. (Primarily Civil War Era) Her last visit "home" there she spent in the Haight, so she's greatly enamored by Folly's rock, even if it's not what she was hearing then

Vere prefers the grand piano, though for more intimate numbers he switches to the harp. He also plays bagpipe, but not in this context...

Lucas prefers leather and scented oils.

Oh, wait. Did I misunderstand the thread of this conversation?

Solange, who sings (alto) and has put some effort into learning bass guitar, has been trying to convince Vere that bagpipe would be Just The Thing on some of the old death-and-revenge ballads she's taught to Folly and encouraged her to arrange rock-and-roll style.

While it isn't exactly the kind of music they play back in the Isles, the themes are very much the same. Vere cannot deny his sister anything, so he'll be happy to join in if Folly wishes. The audience response should be gratifying; Vere has an almost supernatural talent at invoking emotions with his playing. Solange and Folly will probably get the impression that if he wished Vere could start or stop a riot with his music.

[You also have this impression about Folly, so in combination, Folly and Vere are frightening.]

"Please, Vere? Pleeeeease?" Folly's definitely in favor of bagpipes.

"Of course, Cousin. I will be happy to add my talents to yours. I am honoured that you wish me to do so."

Brita also enjoys hearing the bagpipe. It is a very stirring instrument. Noone, by the way, should ask Brita to play anything. She can pick out a tune on piano or guitar, but is not very good. She really enjoys listening though.

And in terms of instruments Folly plays -- anything she can get her hands on. More than anything, she's a singer, but she also plays a wide variety of stringed things, flute, piano, and anything percussive. She's been known to swipe wine glasses after dinner and play them, xylophone-like, at the jam session. Her preferred musical styles are rock and jazz, but really, she likes anything as long as it's interesting and well-executed.

Vere had never heard either rock or jazz before coming to Amber, but he has quickly come to enjoy them. Especially jazz, which suits his improvisational style of playing - it is a notable feature of Vere's style that he never plays a piece in exactly the same way twice. He is always throwing in slight modifications and alterations, and seems to take a special delight in suiting these to the feedback he's receiving from the audience and his fellow musicians.

Martin can play just about anything with strings, although Reid will figure out that his preference is rhythm guitar or stand-up bass, which also tells you something about his musical tastes. He has been known to play "Great Balls of Fire" on the piano in the library.

[Martin is also the sound man, although Reid won't figure that out until he goes somewhere with Martin that you can fix a light bulb with chewing gum and duct tape.]

Cambina plays the lyre and sings, and is intimately familiar with the trad tunes, especially the revenge ballads. She knows some trad tunes you've never heard of, for any value of 'you' in the group.

Another addition to the family band: Ossian plays the lute or the flute, and sometimes sings with his slightly hoarse tenor voice. He is a very good musician, with a taste for simplicity in the music; sometimes he just stays quiet. He also seems to be fond of strange harmonies, a slightly otherworldly tone in the music.

Now and then he puts down the instruments and starts dancing. Solo, or with whoever wants to join him.

I should like to note that Lucas does not partake in the "jam" sessions, but does occasionally sit in on them. He plays in infrequent poker games, but is a much bigger propenent of hazzard, or occasionally Truth or Dare.

Paige is more than happy to play "Shock the Cousins" with Lucas, and formally invites Brita to the Ladies Cards Night. She's thrilled to hear as much as she can of her Aunt Fi in some context other than teaching Paige the basics of her Pattern knowledge.

In the first half of the year, a few incidents occur that require Royal attention, and Gerard wants the council's advice on them.

- In defiance of Gerard's current edict to settle only on naturally open Arden land, a small group of settlers begin clearing a farmstead out of wooded land on the edge of Arden. When they refuse to stop, there is an armed struggle between the settlers and the Rangers who warn them they are violating the law. Several settlers are killed, as is a Ranger, and more on both sides are wounded, leaving everyone with hard feelings.

Since Lucas is involved in the "export" and homesteading program, as is Solange (if I remember my notes correctly), Jerod would assume they'd be the best persons to investigate on both sides and see what's up. If some kind of negotiation is required in order to deal with the situation (and Jerod assumes there would be), maybe Martin would be good for the neutral "third person"...he's done negotiations with the Rangers for timber and if he's as good at negotiating as he is at keeping a poker face, he should do reasonably well. (that's his suggestion).

Martin is in and out of Amber so much that he may not be the best judge; perhaps Paige, the legal expert, is a better alternative for the actual judgement part of the procedure.

[Jerod]
In retrospect, Paige would actually be a much better choice now that it is mentioned...she's had no significant contact with either side, even in negotiations, so she's totally impartial (from an appearance perspective at least). And since she's a legal expert, the recourse of law can be used to best benefit the situation (either falling back on the law to buttress a decision, or where needed to support the implementation of a new precedent).

Gerard does want to send Solange and Lucas to investigate immediately, and get the stories from the Rangers and the surviving settlers.

Solange will of course do so.

Lucas will of course go. He'll give his crew some spending money and some time off, and then sally forth to Garnath to do some investigating.

A few questions:

- Do either of you bring anyone else (e.g., Brita), along?

[Solange]
How well have the Rangers accepted Brita? How likely are the settlers to read her as an adversary?

The Rangers are pretty impressed with her fighting, but they take a while to really warm to a person, as Solange remembers. As for the settlers, hard to tell what they'll think, but they are not likely to take someone who has worked for the Rangers as a friend.

- Do you investigate together, or do you go about things separately?

Solange would like to have Lucas present when she discusses the matter with the Rangers, to help counteract any appearance that she's favoring their side of the story because of her connection with them. Having done that, it makes sense to go see the settlers together, for a similar appearance. If Lucas wants to talk to either group without her, she has no problem with there being separate meetings as well.

[GMs]
This is fine with me if it's fine with Lucas. Jeremy?

- How do you investigate beyond merely asking the survivors questions?

- What questions do you ask the survivors?

Lucas will pursue the investigation on his own. He'll looking to get a general feel for Garnath, as well as get a clear view of the facts.

How does he go about doing this?

- Do you summon a jury?

[Solange]
Now if THAT's not a trick question -- please, oh great GM, explain what the term "jury" denotes within the context of Amber common law.

- Do you summon an inquest of local men to provide evidence about the case (as opposed to just questioning the witnesses)?

[Lucas]
Um... I don't think I understand that...

Think of it as something like a modern grand jury and you won't be too far off. You'll swear in the local notables and they'll call the people who might have relevant evidence to testify.

[Solange]
Say, this brings up an interesting question. Since Amber has no state religion, nor does it have a dominant majority faith, what's the form of the official oaths that citizens take when, for example, swearing to tell the truth in court, or taking an oath of fealty, or an oath of office like a Naval captain's? Do the oaths reference a God? Or are they what would have been called "affirmations" in English law?

No, I am NOT doing this to suck up to the historian GMs. I am genuinely curious.

I wouldn't mind knowing what was in the marriage ceremony either.

Vere will defer to and support his sister's decision on how to handle this situation. His personal view is that the settlers were defying an edict of the Regent, and thus committing a criminal offense, and that the Ranger died in the defense of the Law of Amber. The Ranger should be honoured, and the settlers still living should be punished. In fact, he could well see a legal case to be made that the Ranger's killing amounts to a death occurring during the commission of a crime, and thus qualifies as murder.

Solange is very much in accord with Vere personally, but from a political standpoint thinks it would be better to downplay the "murder" aspect.

Before Solange can offer detailed recommendations on how best to punish the settlers, the player needs to know if these were authorized settlers who filed a proper homesteading claim for some available bit of land and then decided to annex some more acreage, or if these are people who DIDN'T have any sort of legitimate claim at all -- people who were either shut out of the claim process as the available parcels ran out, or people who never filed a claim at all. Solange has been running the Land Office at least as much as Lucas has, so she'd know these things.

Lucas doesn't personally set foot in the settlement office if he can avoid it; that's too much like work. ;)

In this case, the settler group is mixed -- a few original inhabitants of the general area, who have long felt the need to expand further into the forest reaches -- and some new homesteaders who have claims in the area but not to the reaches of Arden (nobody has claims there). The problem with the settlement records is that they are of necessity inexact, more like Domesday records than modern land survey records.

The Rangers have generally been very unhappy about the general closeness of some of the new settlements to Arden. They feel that the nearby settlements not only encourage the possible opening and clearing of Arden, but will result in the urbanization (or suburbanization) of Garnath, which they're not keen on either. Also, they are concerned that once Garnath is hunted out, Garnath hunters will start poaching in Arden. There has been some hunting in Arden, but it's all been by Royal (Regent) consent to date. They are concerned that the Regent not sanction more hunting.

Paige would be willing to look into the legal precedents concerning murder charges, but she personally agrees with Vere. And to make matters worse, Amber is offically still on a war footing, so such action could be all considered within the military court. That would only serve to further widen the rift, buit would most likely be the most expedient form of justice.

A number of the questions about the administration of justice, including the punishment for murder, are described separately. [Blake's supposition about codes of military justice are on target, FWIW.] If Paige has additional questions for Lorring, let me know what they are.

[Jerod]
This pre-supposes that there is a uniform code of military justice where the judiciary dispenses justice separately for military vs civilian personnel. Given the current monarchy system, it is unlikely that a military court would exist in the first place, let alone cover the trying of civilians. Most "military" justice was of a summary nature, administered by the officers in command in the name of the monarch. The differentiation of military vs civilian court systems tends (from the historical perspective of Earth) to be a somewhat more evolved form of democratic behaviour, due to the inherent differences between military personnel and civilians and the environments in which each are expected to operate.

Put simply - the people in question would face the King's (or in the case, the Regent's) justice...the nature of the punishment would be conditioned on whether the current situation was still considered a "war footing" by the judges trying the case. From a strict legal sense given the settlers were in violation of an edict they would likely be found guilty - any actions taken while in violation of that edict would simply add to the severity of their sentence.

That's the simple solution...:)...as for the repercussions...ah, that's another matter...

I think someone else (Solange?) has already asked for more details on the settlers. Folly also wants to know more of their story before passing judgement.

[Ossian]
"Hm. This sounds like a case of 'Might makes right.' Let's side with the rangers for the time being."

Martin just shakes his head at that.

- There are rumors of thefts in the Warehouse District, but no one reports the crime to the watch or the Royal Guard, and the details of what was stolen vary widely.

[Jerod]
These are rumors as opposed to actual reports? How are the rumors coming through? If there would appear to be some kind of organized theft ring going on, with the usual threats against people to keep quiet, methinks we need someone to go do some digging and see what's up.

Reid would take interest in doing some detective work. For the most part, he's going to stay close to Amber -- he was away far too long and really doesn't want to risk losing it again. Helping settle local disputes in town and getting to know the various establishments where musicians are welcome. Spending a fair amount of time in bars & clubs, networking with the local scene, he'll try establish some connections. When not in town or the castle, he spends some time in Garnath.

Gerard assigns Reid to look into the matter, since he seems to be interested. Gerard is concerned that because no one is reporting the thefts, the stolen goods must be part of some kind of criminal operation, possibly smuggling. He's worried that some of the merchants may try to parlay their money into extra political influence in a time of upheaval, and he has enough trouble on his hands.

Gerard also suggests that he talk to Paige about the incident involving a boat called "The Princess' Charge" -- she can fill him in on all the details, but Gerard wouldn't be surprised if any smuggling in Amber weren't somehow related to that business.

To Reid, raised on his mother's stories of the days when merchant clans had private armies, the merchants of Amber seem rather tame. Whether he says that to Gerard is his own business. ;)

The easiest way to start looking around in the dockside and warehouse district is to make yourself known to Folly's "army of good works", which would give you a lot of potential contacts.

Interesting. Vere will ask some discrete questions at the Naval to see if anyone there has heard anything about it. If not, he'll assume that it isn't a fleet matter, and leave it for someone else to deal with.

[Lucas]
Don't know, don't care.

Paige will keep her ear to the ground, having spent a good bit of time dealing with property issues with the warehouse district, but takes no direct action unless asked to.

Folly will talk to her contacts about it, to try to find out whether a response from the royals is needed or desired.

Ossian keeps eyes and ears open when he is down at the docks. He espcially takes a few beers with the captain of the last ship he travelled with, to hear the latest dockside gossip.

Last modified: 1 Jan 2002