Another "gentleman's club" in the city of Amber.
The Thrush Pack
A group of young and radical artists in Amber gather at The Pidgeon, a
small, somewhat hip tavern, in the evenings. The more conservative in
the city refers to this group as "The Thrush Pack", or just "The
Pack". If someone ask the young artists, they would call themselves
"The Thrushes"
It is not like there is any former memberships in The Thrushes; you rather become gradually assimilated into the group. Attendance varies; some go there almost every night, some come more seldom. Both Ossian and Baron Kaliq are among the visitors. Even Barenthkov has made one or two appearances.
One of the more prominent "Thrushes" is the poet Adreano, a boisterous, extravagant and arrogant young man. Each night he presents The Pack with a new-written poem, often corresponding to recent political development.
There is some rivalry between the Thrush Pack and the Diogenes Club, largely ignored by the Diogenes. The rumor is that the package of walking sticks sent to the Diogenes club, was a prank from The Pack. (There was a message attached to the package: "These walking sticks are a gift to those of the Diogenes club who are fit enough to use them. If there are not enough such members, we suggest using the sticks as wall decoration, as memories of days gone by.") Although the Diogenes Club ignores the Pack, the members of The Red Mill see the Pack as a threat to their postition as the premier bohemian gathering.
Much for the talk at The Thrush is around politics, where the Pack takes a radical left-wing position. They support (in theory, mind you) Follys army of good works, and talks about the "suppressed people".
In the Barenthkov-Rein conflict the Pack is slightly pro-Barenthkov.
Many of the Krewes and clubs also participate in another Spring Festival custom: the Race. It's a relay race with teams of twenty. The 20 members of the relay team are split into two groups: 10 runners and 10 chuggers.
The chuggers, who start the race, drink a flagon of beer -- a full pint (a real Imperial pint, not these short pints they try to pass off in bars down here). When a chugger finishes, a runner for the team starts the traditional dockside course. By the time the runner makes it back, the next chugger is in place with a flagon of beer. As the runner comes in, the crowd chants "Thirty yards out, twenty yards out, suck! Suck! SUCK!".
The participating Krewes and clubs practice for the Race year-round, with "chug practices" held regularly by the rowdier groups. Sadly, the beer for actual chugging is warm and flat, so it goes down faster.
Those who can chug and run are called "iron men" and are widely admired.
Women of the middle and upper classes do not participate in the Race, but women of the lower classes sometimes do, generally as chuggers. If they are as fit and quick as the men, though, they may also run. Royals are generally observers, but may chug on occasion, there being a very hard limit to the speed with which you can open your throat and dump a pint of warm beer down it.
[There are no bicycles in Amber. And Martin is by definition not a frat boy.]
Paige dyes her hair brown, just for the festival and blends into one of the Krewes, making no great note of this year's festival, going masked and enjoying an evening of no responsibilities.
[GMs]
Reminder: Krewe is a year-round thing and you're in a Krewe from year to
year. You can't join at the last minute.
No, Paige understands, just isn't really discussing who she is within the Krewe this year. Low key revelry, if you will.
She's looking forward to a few land excursions again this year, hopefully getting leads toward Heerat, and of course a few sea voyages.
Baby Hope makes her public debut at an afternoon reception at the Castle. Everyone attends and gets to enjoy watching Lucas name Vialle Hope's guide-mother (changed my mind again on the name). Some ladies are clearly counting fingers between the date of the marriage and the time of Hope's arrival, but nothing public is said, and no one declines the invitation.
Paige attends on her best behavior, sweet even to Lady Vesper. She'll make small talk, but never once brings up the yellow book, unless asked about it (she loves the humor) and stays decidedly away from Court politics. ("I haven't really the sense for it, I've been told recently. A woman should learn to mind those things she can, not get airs above her station.")
Paige seems to delight in Hope, drawing picture books for her, with her as the star, featuring a purple-locked minstrel as the narrator once she adds some words.
Hope recognizes Paige and Folly in addition to Daddy and Mommy. (She's still very little, less than a year old!)
Sorry, bad grammar. Hope as the star, not Paige... and just because she can't read yet doesn't mean there shouldn't be Folly Geisel rhymes throughout...
_The Race Down the Stairs to Rebma_
One prince, two prince,
Lost prince, screwed prince...
[OK, that's just in the adult version...]
[Folly]
...or would it be
Red prince, black prince,
Dead prince, slack prince...?
Heap, the printer who recently made such a splash with the first edition of _A Guide To Financial Management for Ladies_, suffers a setback: there's a fire at his shop. A suspect is seen fleeing the burning building and the fire marshals suspect arson. They bring in a number of young men who match the suspect's descriptions for questioning. One of them is Ever.
Jerod is curious as to what Folly has to say concerning this.
"This is such a load of crap," Folly seethes. "In the first place, why the hell would Ever want to do such a stupid thing, unless he's got some personal beef with Heap that I don't know about? If he's pissed off about the book, he's done a damn good job of pretending otherwise, at least when I've talked to him. But then in the second place, even if he were pissed off at Heap, he wouldn't retaliate with something as destructive -- or, hell, as mundane -- as arson; it's just not his style."
Folly lets out a deep sigh and runs her fingers through her hair. "I'm sure it will all work out OK," she says. "As extraverted as Ever is, he's probably got a good alibi and a dozen people to back it up. The marshals are just doing their jobs; they'll figure out in no time that Ever's not their man. No worries." She sounds worried. She heads into town within a day of finding out about the questioning to make sure Ever is OK.
Martin accompanies Folly on this trip if she'll have him.
[Folly]
Definitely.
It would appear initially that Ever's was one of the "usual suspects" rounded up for questioning...given the situation, Jerod's curious as to what Folly finds out.
Paige will take personal note of this case as it works, speaking with Sir Archer as to Ever's involvement.
Assuming that Reid can track down Ever, perhaps through his master, he discusses the matter.
Ever is in custody, so he's easy to track down. He has an alibi, and he knows who Heap is because of the broadsheets and The Book, which he's talked about with Folly. But Ever's barely literate, and has little enough interest in books. He has no reason to burn down Heap's shop, and he's never struck Reid as the sort who makes trouble for pay.
He doesn't have any idea who burned down Heap's shop, either.
Ever is in lockup, as mentioned previously, but with the number of Royals who are coming to visit him, Sir Archer, the head of the watch, decides that it's time to release him on his own recognizance. Ever is told not to go out of town (as if!) and be available for questioning.
Paige notices that criminal cases that reach her court are being more actively defended than normal. She is also asked to recuse herself from certain civil cases. Many of the attorneys involved are friends of Sir Octave.
Unless there's good cause, Paige won't recuse herself immediately, but will talk to Jerod on it. Solange, too. If there's a reason she's missing or some aspect of the byplay of the Court then she'll wish their advice.
If Paige comes looking, Jerod's take on the situation is that Sir Octave is getting back at Paige (and the family) for Jerod's behaviour...it was inevitable that there would be repercussions...this is one of them. Jerod will tell Paige to do what she figures is best where the cases are concerned...and not back down from the fight that's being offered. Octave may not like what was done, but so long as things are done in a way that is at least "morally" upright, eventually Octave will settle down. (for the record - Jerod sees it as morally upright to screw the bad guys by bending, or even mutilating the rules - his rationale - he didn't screw a good person).
Vere by no means advocates escalating the conflict with the lawyers in Amber, but he will point out that if they are becoming stickier on the issue of recusal the obvious next step in the situation would be to institute a tougher set of legalistic ethics, and forbid advocates from representing a client if there is any conflict of interest. In as tightly knit a society as Amber, that would effectively prevent most of them from defending any of the more important personages of the city.
Jerod sees this as having value, but as a last resort. The other side of the coin is that in such a tight knit society, the impact could hurt the Crown just as much as they, and Jerod doesn't even want to think about the appeals that could be generated by this (and he's not a legal scholar...Paige would probably get a migraine thinking about it). Its a trump card to be played when all else fails (no pun intended)...:)
Baron Kaliq has found a new singer who is working in both the traditional style of Rein and the new style of Barenthkov. The Baron is soliciting members of his circle and notable musicians of all stripes to listen to her sing. Rein's partisans and Barenthkov's each seek to have Sandra sing only in their style.
Jerod finds out about this Sandra after a short time and goes to listen one evening. From that time forward, whenever duty permits, he makes the effort to listen to her sing. And he does not appear to favor her only when she sings for Barenthkov either.
Now and then Ossian also attends Sandra's concerts, he is not as obsessed with her as Jerod, though. :-) (I guess Folly accompanies Ossian at some of these occasions?)
Folly does accompany Ossian, afterwards discussing with him whether Sandra's voice seems better suited to Rein's or Barenthkov's style. She then composes (in her own style, of course) a haunting song -- for solo voice, accompanied by a single chime struck in a complex rhythmic pattern -- about a man who tries to divert a river so that it runs through his property but who drowns when the waters swell with the spring thaw. She sends the music to Sandra anonymously.
The new piece makes its appearance at the Thrush one night and is lauded by the Thrush Pack, who want to hear more music from the talented bard who wrote the tune. They particularly like the chime.
Folly submits new works from time to time, always anonymously. She makes a point to vary the moods, themes, and accompanying instruments from piece to piece so that the audiences will never know quite what to expect next.
Paige is interested in meeting her and still weighs in as a Rein partisan, even if she has learned to admire Barenthkov's music.
Reid gives a listen with passing interest, being not particularly impressed with either Kaliq nor Rein.
Lucas will attend some of the performances. Having not paid attention OOC to this sort of thing earlier, could someone give me a simple explanation of the different styles, and/or which Lucas would prefer?
[Ossian]
Thus spake the GM:s some time ago (from my email archives):
The great musical divide in the city is Barenthkov vs. Rein.
Barenthkov is a commoner and a musical innovator. He is in the city
now, retaining the title of Court Minstrel that he held under Eric
with the support of Jerod. Lord Rein, a traditionalist, is absent
with Benedict; if Corwin becomes King he will certainly unseat
Barenthkov as Court Minstrel. In Rein's absence, a number of his
students hold the fort for his musical style.
Including Paige, who masqueraded for a short bit during Eric's rein as his apprentice...
[Lucas]
Hmmm... sticky choice. I'll stick with whoever has a better reputation
with the ladies.
Gerard quietly funds some of the struggling Golden Circle ambassadors out of his personal moneys.
[Lucas]
Well!
Over the summer, Martin moves his regular poker and hazard games back to the Castle, even for evenings when he doesn't invite the ladies along for company. Some of you notice that while family friends such as Worth and Venesch still attend regularly, the rotating guests seem to stop attending.
[Lucas]
What's up with this?
Paige make most all the coed games, unless she's on voyages... She invites Michelle to a few games and some nights can be found teaching Liam the finer points of the game and the intricacies of Hazard. "Good foundation for any boy," she answers with a smirk to anyone who asks. "Wouldn't want him to be taken by some crook, not being aware of the games."
The Prince's Retreat reconstitutes its membership committee. Alain leClaire takes one of the open seats.
Paige is spending longer there of late, but not neglecting any of her duties to the Court, courts or Liam and her niece. She was seen having dinner with Worth here one night, and one a few weeks before then at the Naval.
There is a rumor in the temple quarter that one young Royal lords is a god incarnate, a prophet, or a seer. The identity of the favored Royal varied depending on who you talk to, however.
[Jerod]
Anyone in particular, or all of them?
[GMs]
Everybody.
Lucas encourages the belief that it is himself.
Ossian finds this intriguing and disguises himself as a sailor, and goes into the temple quarter, to discuss this with the loonies there. (I hope that there are a lot of strange preachers and madmen around the temple quarters...)
Ossian encounters a variety of men and women of different faiths, all of whom have different opinions on the idea of a Royal as a god/prophet/seer/whatever.
Perhaps the most interesting encounter for Ossian is the one in which an obviously-intoxicated celebrant tells him that the fellow who designed the Sundering monument is clearly an avatar of his deity. He goes into great detail about his theory, and finishes it off with, "That's Prince Jerod, and don't you forget it!"
Mmmm...just proves that guy is not only hammered, but obviously stoned as well...Jerod thinks that Vere needs to divert some of his naval resources to catching the drug runners...:)
Paige laughs at that idea. "Father's tried that before, in Shadow." Of course, she doesn't say it around Solange or Worth.
At some casual occasion a bit later Ossian mentions to his cousins: "If any of you want a sect dedicated to themselves, now is the time to start one."
Vere sighs.
Seeing as how all the Royals of Amber are of more or less the same blood anyway, Reid is amused that someone would put one above another.
In Arden, the bear that attacked the Milner family is tracked down and killed, but a Ranger dies in the hunt. After the funeral, his crown badge is found on Badger's grave, near Wind Grove.
Paige will find time to sketch the grave and the badge.
While Paige is there, Brita holds a memorial at Badger's grave for the fallen Rangers (Badger, Heath - the Ranger killed by the bear, and any Rangers who have died in the current war).
All the Rangers who can attend, do. Needle mentions afterwards that Prince Julian used to do the same thing for Rangers killed in service. Given the situation with Badger, it was probably wise to wait and combine it with Heath's memorial, especially with Lady Paige here and all, but people were a bit itchy about Badger not having one, he thinks.
No one mentioned such a custom to Brita until now.
Paige is honored to be part of the the service and thanks the Rangers for allowing her to be part of it.
Taking Paige aside later, Brita asks "What do you make of the placement of the crown badge on Badger's grave? It seems symbolic of something to me, but I could not decide if it was meant as a threat or as a way of protesting that Badger died for the crown. I felt that the memorial service might help soothe any hard feelings over Badger's death if the latter message was intended."
There is a thief active in the docksides, and the community watch is unable to catch him. Although he has not harmed anyone yet, he has robbed a number of homes, and the neighborhood is on high alert.
Paige will keep her ear to the ground on that.
Reid keeps his eyes and ears open, particularly in the late night walks home from the sessions in town.
He doesn't see any thiefly activities.
Are there any obvious common elements in the robberies, such as the types of items stolen, or the professions of people whose houses have been hit? Folly asks around in the community, looking for clues as to when and where the thief might strike next.
There's a reasonable commonality of profession, but not much more than one would expect in a reasonably homogenous working-class neighborhood. The thief takes mostly cash and small valuables like jewelry. He strikes in the evening, when people are likely to be in the pub or at a neighborhood meeting.
Martin, in his role as procurement guru, reports that he's finding some of the Garnath lords negotiate a little more sharply with him than they did over the last few years.
[Jerod]
Does Martin think they're just getting better at negotiating?...or is
there something else to it?
"I think they're a bit less ... well-disposed? ... towards the Regency than they were. Could be Octave -- he has friends -- but it could be repercussions from Wind Grove and the border incidents, too." Martin shrugs.
"Mmmm...well, negotiations work both ways." Jerod says. "Their level of disposition will adjust when it comes time for them to need something."
Lucas will look into this to see what's going on, working the Garnath mojo a bit more personally again.
Lucas doesn't find that people are less well-disposed towards him than they were, although of course, they're concerned about the Rangers and the number of refugees still interested in moving into Garnath and the border situation, etc.
Assuming Brita talks to both Jerod and Lucas about this (when they come out to Garnath), she will ask their advice on implementing a fee for Ranger protection for caravans. She does not want to imply to the Garnath lords that they _must_ pay or "risk attack," but she has been thinking that the Rangers can be more efficient sending more patrols through the forest and not always sticking to the roads. Besides, we could always use the money to help beef up the ranks.
Jerod would ask if the Garnath lords have been receiving Ranger protection for their caravans in the past, and if there actually is a risk of attack. If they have not been receiving the protection, or if there is no risk, then Jerod would think that implementing a fee probably wouldn't fly. If there is a risk, or if they've been receiving protection without paying, then implementing the fee would be more acceptable. It would still piss them off probably because they'd have to pay now, but with the right PR spin on it (which can be worked out), it can be made palatable, especially if its done on a voluntary basis (meaning its a fee you choose to have, not a tax you have to pay). And it's clear that the fee is returned via the Crown to the Rangers for recruitment, training, equipment, etc - so the books will need to be well maintained in case anyone complains.
"I do not believe that protection for the caravans was provided regularly before I implemented it after the troubles we had last year. With the Milner family getting mauled by the bear, I see the need for this kind of service, but am loath to strain the Ranger resources excessively by covering travellers who may not need our protection. The caravans seem less likely to run into trouble, as long as we continue to generally patrol the road through Arden and the borders for any bandit activity. I thought maybe I could implement a policy that if large caravan or trade convoys wanted Ranger protection, it would be provided at a nominal fee. For citizenry travelling through the forest without other forms of protection (like the Milners), the Ranger services would be provided free of charge."
"That would work...but it could get out of hand if we're not careful." Jerod says, concerning the individual protection of citizenry. "Given the border situation, we might want to do something like institute a border point check of some kind. Caravans are large...they're easy to detect so if they're coming through, the Rangers are going to know it. If they want protection, they can pay for it, just like you've indicated. We won't make it mandatory though. However, I'd also make sure that those merchants who send caravans through are advised that hiring private mercenaries to guard their caravans will be frowned on. I'm not sure about anyone else, but I won't sanction private armed troops for anyone."
"As for individuals or small groups...I think we might want to have them request permission to go through the border areas. I agree with protecting those who are coming through, just as you've suggested. But if we want to protect them, we'll need to know who's going in. This might address some of the Ranger issues by giving them the peace of mind to know who's going where. And if they're guarding these people, hopefully there's some more positive interaction than when they're intercepting trespassers." and Jerod smiles a little. "Everyone likes to be the good guy...including the Rangers."
Aunt Felicity reports that Darling, the widow of an officer under Eric who died in the burning of Garnath, is pregnant, but won't say who the father is. Darling's husband left her a small inheritance, which she uses to support musicians and artists by commissioning their works and taking lessons. She is acquainted with most of the major artistic figures in Amber, including Reid and Ossian.
Reid pays her a visit.
Reid can tell at once that she is with child, and some months along; she's the sort of woman who gets radiant when pregnant. She is happy to see Reid, as always, and talks of light things: music, art, and the like. It's a very normal visit, and she doesn't bring up the pregnancy unless Reid does.
Reid is invited to tea by Viscountess Wonder, who is curious to meet a son of the legendary Osric. The occasion is a lovely formal tea.
[Lucas]
Oh, Reid... so dashing.
Reid does his best to keep the Viscountess entertained while trying to adhere to the structure of a formal tea. He's all for others keeping ritual and ceremony, but sometimes gets confused himself as to the whys and wherefores when actually participating.
The Viscountess is something of an antiquary, and a friend of both Cambina, and, as it happens, Princess Fiona. (It comes up in conversation, but she's not name-dropping.)
Reid's formal manners are excessively formal by modern standards, of course, so he gets to relax pretty quickly. The Viscountess is easily entertained, and from her point of view the tea is a success. She would enjoy visiting with Reid regularly, if he is interested.
Last modified: 1 Jan 2002