Signy heads out of the main hall as the Court starts to break up, and makes her way back to her room. She sits down at the desk, and pens quick notes to Ambrose, Brita and Garrett suggesting they meet in the courtyard in the morning to start out for their investigations of the chain.
After a page arrives to take the three notes and deliver them, she sits back down to pen a note to the castle steward, requesting six mounts and food for a few days worth of travel in the morning, and dispatches that with another page.
Finished with the notes, she sends one last page to visit Brother Tomat and Red Fox Claws, suggesting they meet her in the courtyard in the morning as well for a brief trip out of Xanadu, before turning in for the night.
Mid-morning finds Signy down in the courtyard, inspecting the six mounts and verifying that everything should be set for their trip.
Brita arrives, dressed in her usual long red jacket. She smiles and greets Signy with a cheerful hello. She seems enthusiastic about getting out away from the Palace. She walks up to a tall gray horse and proceeds to make friends with it.
Assuming that Signy told the stablehands who the mounts were for, they probably gave her a dark brown gelding of medium height. They might also have snickered when they did and warned her that he was a mischievous one. They were right.
Garrett grins as he approaches the group, but as he gets closer, they can see the grin is for the mischief-maker, not the people. "Bet!" he greets the horse fondly, ruffling his mane. "Ready for an adventure, boy?"
The horse snorts and makes to prance a little for Garrett's benefit.
Ambrose is the last to join them. He's carrying saddlebags, which appear to be heavily packed, with leatherwork in symbols unfamiliar to Signy and Garrett. Brita recognizes them as Uxmail work. He's dressed in linen and khaki, with tall boots that, while they aren't designed for riding, will suit well enough for it. "Our uncle says he will join us in a few minutes; he's taking care of something that I want to leave in our aunt's laboratory, if she'll permit." He smiles for Brita, but she can sense that something is worrying him.
Signy nods, but refrains from comment. She scans around one last time, before regretfully handing one of the mounts back to a groom with a slight sigh.
Still scratching the horse's mane, Garrett looks over at Ambrose's heavy load and back to his own bag, which was packed relatively lightly. "That's quite a load, Ambrose. Is there something more I should have brought?"
Ambrose shakes his head in the negative. "I'm carrying some things that I need to take into Shadow. Technology that won't last if I leave it here in Xanadu. It'll degrade in the presence of the Pattern, and I'm not finished with it."
"Uxmali code wheels," Bleys intones from across the courtyard. "Brother Brand liked his paperwork to be complicated. Fiona should have laboratory space that will do to hold them in stasis until we can find another suitable environment for their use."
[Red Fox Claws and Brother Tomat are present and preparing for their ride, but aren't doing anything notable, in case someone wants to talk to either of them.]
Brita mounts up and then sidles her horse over close to Ambrose as they start out. "How is Your Mother?" she asks, her eyes searching his face.
"I don't like to leave her, but there's nothing to be done for it. She's dying by inches; the only question is whether she has enough inches to last until I return. But I have to do this, if only so I can get the code wheels to a stable environment." Ambrose pats one of the boxes. "Too many of his secrets still need to be unraveled."
Brita nods understanding and gives him a small smile of support.
Once the horses are settled and the riders have mounted up, Bleys leads the group down the mountain and out of the influence of the Xanadu Pattern, to the point where he can shift shadow. To the family members, Bleys offers some lessons on how to try to shift as they distance themselves from the castle, and how to decide how far is far enough. Brita and Ambrose, being better prepared for advanced studies, pick up Bleys' meaning faster than Garrett. Signy finds Bleys comprehensible but it's been clear to her for a while that the redheads have their own language.
Garrett sticks close to Bleys and listens intently to every word, trying his best to link his uncle's theoretical applications to Martin's more practical instruction. Just because he's not a red-head doesn't mean he can't make an effort.
Bleys keeps giving Tomat the side-eye and Tomat looks vaguely terrified of Bleys. Red Fox Claws seems to like him.
Signy flashes Brother Tomat a slightly apologetic glance as she rides near her uncle to hear him talk along with Garrett.
After they've reached a distance that Bleys considers "far enough" but that none of the sorcerers present would agree (including, if Signy asks, Tomat), Bleys stops the group and Parts the Veil. Everyone except Red Fox Claws is familiar with the place on the other end; the devices in the garage make it the same place where they previously met under Fiona's aegis.
"It's best if we see to the horses ourselves," Bleys says as he swings his leg over to dismount. "I trust Fi's machines to feed them, but I find they do better if we do our own stabling."
Brita dismounts as well and follows the others to appropriate horse accommodations where she will unsaddle and brush down her mount.
Garrett takes care of his own mount as well. He is obviously well-versed in horse care. In fact, he offers to help anyone else who might not be so adept at it. He chats with Red Fox Claws as he's doing so. He grew to like the elder warrior while they traveled together after the Patternwalk and is happy to have him as a traveling companion once more.
Signy leads her mount over near Tomat and follows the lead of the others. She offers a reassuring smile. "They may not care for the Order," she observes in a quiet voice pitched solely to him. "But they're willing to let you come along on this trip."
"Either that or your Uncle is waiting for a place to dispose of me," Tomat says, making a wary joke of it.
Red Fox Claws is happy enough to talk to Garrett. He talks of the strangeness of Amber and Xanadu, so unlike the Plain of Towers.
Bleys, of course, is more than used to handling horses and caring for them. Tomat and Red Fox Claws have both spent enough time on the Plain that they're at least competent by Garrett's standards. The weak link in the group is, perhaps surprisingly, Ambrose, who is clearly willing to do the work with horses, but doesn't seem to have the experience the others have with care and feeding.
When the horses are settled, Bleys leads the group into an elevator where he uses codes and sorcery to gain access to the laboratory. The first order of business seems to be unloading what's in Ambrose's saddlebags. They're elaborate interlocking clockwork constructions that can be rotated in strange ways. All of them are covered in Uxmali symbols. For travelling they've been suspended in wire frames inside boxes to keep them from banging around. Bleys and Ambrose debate for a bit about the best conditions for them before installing them in one of the rooms of the lab. Red Fox Claws dismisses them as sorcerous business and displays little to no interest, but Tomat is fascinated by them and watches as Ambrose puts them into place.
While Ambrose is putting away the code wheels, Bleys pulls Garrett, Signy, and Brita aside, into a separate room. "There is news from Rebma, which some of you--" and he glances at Garrett "--may have already heard. Queen Khela of Rebma attempted the Pattern." He does not elaborate on the whys and wherefores of this. "She did not succeed." He pauses there, as if expecting protest or questions.
Garrett shakes his head slightly. He had not heard.
Signy blinks in surprise. "Do we know why she failed," she asks her Uncle. She pauses for a beat, before another thought forces its way out inadvertently. "How is Celina?"
"I didn't speak to Celina but she has a number of family members with her: Llewella and Brennan and Conner for a start, who have lined up behind her. I have not heard how Hannah and Meg reacted. We don't know why she failed yet. I have theories, but they're not the sort you can or should test," Bleys adds. He takes a moment, frowning, his handsome face thoughtful, before continuing, "The official word is that Khela gave her life to fix the damage done by Huon, much as Dad did. Celina is to be Queen; Conner means to support her." He adds that last with a glance at Brita.
When Conner's name was first mentioned, the tension that had been building in her shoulders at the news of Khela's death dissipates. Brita nods in acceptance of the glance or the news, her brows are furrowed in serious thought. Was she ever close enough to the Rebman Queen to Know? Was her scent like Da's or Lady Solace?
It's hard for Brita to remember. It's quite possible that Brita never dealt with Khela alone above the waterline, and that can confuse issues of blood-scent.
Garrett blows out a breath and runs his fingers wearily through his hair. The recent memory of his own walk colors his thoughts on the matter. "Have all the kings been notified? Do we know where they stand with regard to Celina or any policies toward Rebma?" He sighs heavily and adds, "And do we know when the service is to be?"
Signy's eyes narrow at the phrase "official word," thinking over the possible implications of that statement.
"Brennan said they'd talked to your father, Garrett, and I believe Celina meant to talk to hers. Everyone appears to be presenting a united front behind so far as I know. I talked to Brennan perhaps a watch after it happened; it's too early for any definite memorial plans. Enough people have my Trump that I'll be notified, but under the circumstances I'm unlikely to be welcome unless we're presenting a particular type of united front."
Bleys glances at Signy, takes in her expression and adds, "Both because of Huon and because of Llewella, Khela's mother. Llewella was born between my august self and my younger brother Brand while Dad was still married to my mother. There are bad feelings about that. It's hardly Llewella's fault but Mother is tempestuous and slow to forgive, and she could hardly bring herself to take Dad's straying out on him." He presses his lips together for a moment, as if he has more he might say on that subject.
After a pause, Garrett sighs heavily. "Well, I reckon there's naught to be done for it now. Not until we get called back anyway," he says, resigned. "Uncle, this place is reachable by trump, isn't it?"
Bleys nods in the affirmative. "And as long as I am here, I can be reached. I'm sure Brita has a card in the Trump booth." He looks at Signy and Garrett speculatively. "Do you?"
Signy shakes her head in the negative. "Who should I talk to about it? I know that someone in the Family makes it, but I'm not sure what else needs to be done."
She pauses, then gives Bleys a considering look. "And how would we go about getting Trumps of our own?" It's clear that she's considering how she would go about contacting others if the need arises.
"Folly and Paige have both sketched me, but I don't think anything has been finished yet," Garrett offers, then adds, "Not that I'm aware of anyway." He frowns at this, as if remembering something he needs to follow up on. Bleys probably knows why.
"I can Assist in Creating a Trump of Cousin Signy since Cousin Folly and Cousin Paige are at Work for His Highness," Brita smiles at Garret to take the formality out of the title. "Should we Proceed with Our Examination so we can Return to the Palace Quickly?" she ask Bleys.
Bleys nods. "If you are ready, we begin. Put the chain on the table, please."
Signy quickly reaches into an unobtrusive pouch at her belt, and pulls out the cloth-wrapped chain. She quickly flips the cloth open, and puts it down on a bench so that all can see the gleaming silver chain.
"Now, I assume you've all looked at this with your third sight. It's intriguing, in that it's visible in the way of real things or magic, but is in its natural form. Honestly I expected that the other would be the real form. If this is residual magic, it's quite powerful."
He turns to the non-magicians in the group. "Don't use your power over the pattern while we're here, by the way, that's what we came to avoid."
He turns back to the chain. "I think I should hold myself a bit in reserve. Would one of you ladies care to see what you can learn of it?"
Brita looks pointedly at the doorway through which Ambrose left; she'd prefer to give her sorcerous better first dibs. She turns back and arches a brow at Signy. She does open her third eye as she turns back to look at the chain. She is focusing on her memories of the metalwork lessons from the dwarves of Asgard - is this True Silver or something More? As she Looks, she asks, "Was Our Uncle's Silver Arm also as Real?"
If the chain were nothing special, it would not be visible, and yet it shines, silvery, in Brita's third sight. Some things long associated with a real person do that. Corwin would call it part of their legend.
Signy gives a distracted nod as she inhales deeply, and sends her self out towards the chain as she exhales. Her eyes unfocus slightly as she turns her Sight to the chain, Seeing the links and the metal, as she attempts to reach through the metal to touch something of the smith beind the forging of the links.
It's otherworldly, although not in the same way as Bleys' sword. What Signy can learn of it is that it was forged by a master smith, not quite an equal to her father, but talented. She also thinks that the chain was meant to become bigger under some circumstances. What triggers it is beyond her ken.
Not wanting to disturb the trained sorcerors, Garrett remains silent, but he does not retreat from the table. He heeds the instruction to avoid the pattern by envisioning a thick fog between himself and it - a fog which blocks its power. Over this blank tableau, he regards the chain anew, making a point to notice details he missed before. He does not understand the "third eye" terminology, but tries to imagine what it means and feels like in practical terms.
It's a simple but well-made silver chain, the kind a woman might wear with a pendant or a token on it. There is no clasp, but each end looks finished. Garrett thinks it would fit nicely around his neck.
Bleys coughs, breaking Garrett's train of thought. "As far as I can ascertain, the only sorcerers who saw his Silver Arm were Brand and Dara, so I've no useful reports of it."
Ambrose walks in at that moment. "I wouldn't ask Dara's advice lightly, if at all. At this point even if she told us, we couldn't believe her," he adds.
Signy shakes her head, an admiring tone in her voice. "Whomever the smith was that made this, they were very good." She pauses, continuing her scrutiny of the chain. "I think it's supposed to expand, somehow, but I can't seem to see how or why, just yet."
She shifts slightly, to get a different angle on the chain.
If Signy had third touch to go with her third sight, she could, she thinks, pull on it and make it change. The key is laying hands on the real astral chain, not the worldly representation of it.
Brita takes in what Signy has said and starts looking at the chain differently. She begins examining the chain as if it were flowing water. She looks for where the water - the power - flows. Where does it flow into the bigger chain of her memory. Where is the gate that lets the water - the power - flow into that larger form?
It seems to Brita more like this form is a dam than a gate. It might be possible to feed more energy into it and break the dam.
Bleys paces, but refrains from using his Third Eye. "Hmmm. If I were inclined to do so, I'd imagine a Principle of Topology for sorcerers who wished to do certain things that involved changing an object into another object. It would likely be a specialization from the Principle of Space, were I devising it for my own use, although it might derive from something like Borel's Principle of Dimensionality..." He trails off for a moment, then returns to the present. "It's clearly not an Optical Principle which would cause us to see the large chain instead of the small one, which was an early theory I had."
Ambrose nods. "It could be, and I would dearly love to learn that Principle one day. It might also be based on a Principle of Stasis or a Principle of Growth."
Bleys leans towards the chain. "No, I don't think it's growth. This is more like a necklace, it's got a different link-structure from the big one, from what I was told."
"Space, Dimensionality - Could This Necklace be a Link to Somewhere containing the Larger Chain?" Brita asks. "Do We Wish to Trigger This into its Other Form?" Brita continues examining the small chain visually.
Ambrose looks concerned.
Bleys considers for a moment. "Two responses to that. First, when you pull on a string, you often get a reaction on the other end of the string, which is connected to you. If we choose to do that, we should be ready for a response. And second, I would be loathe to pull something ... undesirable into my sister's labs."
Ambrose's frown grows and he glances at Brita. "Before you consider activating any of the chain's powers, be sure that the impulse is your own. Putting a glamour on an artifact to induce a subject to use an item to their detriment is the sort of thing my father would have done." His words are directed at her but certainly are loud enough for the others in the room to hear.
Bleys seems to ignore Ambrose. "So if we want to do so, we shall need to step outside."
Brita listens intently to Ambrose and seems introspective as Bleys tacks on his caveat. "The Impulse is Internal - a Desire to Know Who Caused the Scene We Witnessed." she glances at Garrett and Signy. "The Thought that it Might Draw the Owner or Creator Here is New.". She draws a knife and adds, "I am Ready, if Need Be, but I Still Feel we Must Know Fully What we are Dealing with."
Garrett remains silent during Bleys' and Ambrose's comments, but the intensity in his blue eyes as he listens reveals that he is not listening idly. He is planning a defense.
At Brita's comments, his posture shifts into one of readiness to draw his sword in case she plows ahead with the chain and stirs up something nasty. "If it's the same 'ghost woman' behind this that Solange saw, I've heard she has the ability to get inside your head. Be careful," Garrett warns.
Signy's eyes remain slightly unfocused as she scrutinizes the chain. Her arm lifts involuntarily a couple of times, reaching out as if to touch it before she remembers that it isn't one of her father's playthings.
"I think it's a touch thing, but I don't know if it's because of who's holding it, or who it's intended to hold." She falls silent for a moment, before resuming under her breath. "Maybe if I were to bind two chains together...." She trails off into silence.
With a slight start, she blinks and her eyes refocus on the here and now. "Uncle? Do you think the chain is meant for a certain kind of captor, or a certain kind of captive?"
Bleys shrugs. "There is only one way to be certain. I shall Part the Veil and we can step outside. That will, at least, keep us from breaking too much of Fi's labs."
Bleys reaches out a finger and drags it downward, opening a gash in space. Through it, a different place is visible, a distant place with a strange sky. It's not clear how far that place is from Fiona's labs, but it seems to be outside the base of a tower. "Ambrose, if you'd go first, to make sure there isn't anything unpleasant in the area before we send the Prince through."
"Of course," he says, and steps through the opening. After a quick look around, he sticks his head back through the gash in space and says that the place is deserted except for some floating rocks.
Bleys nods. "I shall have to go last, as it's my Parting. After you," he says, gesturing broadly with his arm.
Brita, knife still drawn, goes through next. She glances at Signy and points the knife at the chain by way of indicating she leaves that duty to her cousin. On the other side, she takes up a position opposite Ambrose around the slash in space, eyeing the floating rocks warily.
Garrett glances back at Signy to see if she has any objections to taking the chain. Assuming she doesn't, he steps up to the Parting and follows Brita through it, looking just a bit nervous at what is obviously high-level magic. His hand is on his sword, ready to draw if necessary. He too keeps a cautious eye on the floating rocks.
Signy doesn't immediately acknowledge Brita as she carefully collects the cloth that holds the chain and tucks it back away in its pouch, before striding through the rip in the world. She unconsciously mimics the prince, her hand also on the hilt of her sword.
Once through, she meets Brita's eyes briefly and gives a quick nod.
Bleys follows Signy through and nods to Ambrose, who closes the rift by running his finger along it, like a zipper.
The group stands on a hill, next to a ruined tower. Around the base of the tower, floating rocks orbit lazily. Some of them seem to be former parts of the tower, but most are smooth. "Must be the dormant season," says Bleys. "We are technically on the far side of the tree, but this enclave has been stable for some years. Hopefully our presence won't destabilize it. I chose this place because it should allow us to use stronger sorceries quickly, but still get back to relative safety relatively quickly. Just be careful of the gravity. It's normalized for living beings and can be oddly vectored otherwise." He points to the chain, "Now, who shall do the honors?"
Brita glances at the others and back to Bleys, "I am the Only One to have Touched the Silver Chain Before. Perhaps it would be Safest if I Try. Do You have a Suggestion of What Exactly to Try - How to Push it into its Other Form?"
Signy wordlessly pulls the cloth-wrapped chain out and hands it over to Brita.
"What should we be on the lookout for," she asks Bleys and Ambrose. "If this thing starts to do things we don't want, any ideas on how to quickly shut it down?"
Ambrose rattles off three options in quick succession. "Temporal Stasis is always useful, or severing its portions by Parting them from each other, or we could assault it with the Pattern. We should decide in advance what our first approach to the solution will be."
Bleys nods. "Magic, true magic, is an exercise in having the rules of the universe nullified, very specifically and very locally. Without knowing the principles involved, we can only prepare to shut anything down. I'm partial to moving the conditions of combat to a field more suited to our strengths, which in this case are both magical and physical. Since it is likely to be magically strong, I suggest a physical option. If I can rouse some of the flying stones below, they'll be perfect to push an adversary unfamiliar with the particulars of local terrain into." He speaks like a teacher, as if he's only missing his chalkboard and don's robe.
"That is my advice. Does anyone have another option?"
Brita shakes her head to the last question as she unwraps the chain again, still not touching it. "And the Question of How to Trigger the Reaction, Uncle? Could Different Triggers Lead us to Different Responses?"
"Perhaps, perhaps, " says Bleys, nodding. "But like a sword-pistol, it might not be very good at being either." Bleys looks at the chain. "Perhaps it works like your boat, Skidbladnir?"
[OOC: Rebman Sword-Pistol: http://www.ambroseantiques.com/swords/gregory.htm Also, Ambrose apparently deals antiques. I guess everyone needs a fallback career...]
Brita's brow furrows. She says slowly, "Ship Skidblandnir Responds to My Will." Brita starts to reach for the chain, then pauses and says, "Prepare Yourselves. I will Exert My Will on This Chain to be The Large Chain."
Garrett nods, indicating his readiness. By his stance, he seems prepared to react quickly to what might come next.
Bleys smooths his hair with his off-hand, smiles, and lifts the point of his blade in salute.
Ambrose holds his hands out in front of him, perhaps preparing some magical effect held in abeyance.
Signy keeps her Third Eye open, and her hand on the hilt of her sword.
Brita glances at each and notes their preparations. She nods firmly and says "Knowledge First, my safety Second" as she grasps the chain and lets the cloth fall away. She glances down at the delicate working for a moment, then mimes placing it around someone's neck, at a height reminiscent of Dara's, as she wills the larger chain into being to ensnare her enemy.
The Chain turns, and offers resistance, going taut in Brita's hand. One end seems fixed in space. The entirety of it becomes thicker, longer, and as it turns over, it's like it's unfolding from some fractal space. After a moment, the tension slackens, and the silver chain looks as it did near Tir, or as close as it can in this light.
Except that the other end is attached to a horse. A silvery stallion, glistening as if he had just come out of a river. Saddled and caprisoned, he looks ready for a tournament, including the mounted knight with the Rowan shield.
Garrett's blade is out defensively as soon as something shows up at the end of the chain, but he makes no move to engage.
The man moves as if he's made of water. "And whom may I thank for my rescue," he says, lifting his visor. His skin is also silver-white, and his features not-quite human.
"Travelers from a distant place," Garrett answers, thinking it best not to give names just yet. "Who are you and where were you held? And by whom?" He lowers his sword to a less threatening position, but does not put it away.
Brita does not glance at Garrett as he speaks first. She takes in the liquid form before her and makes a decision. "I am Brita, Godess of Pure Water, from Radiant Asgard."
Signy saw nothing she understood clearly. It was as if Brita had cast a spell. Her will changed the strand into the chain, clearly. What isn't clear is how or how it was made to do so.
As the man and horse makes their appearance, Signy starts to draw her sword, before holding up and allowing it to drop back into its scabbard with a faint hiss, though she doesn't release the hilt.
For the moment, she just watches the rider with her Third Eye, and allows the others to talk.
He nods to Brita. "I am Sir Firumbras, called Strong-Arm. A knight of the Court of King Karol. I know not this Radiantasgard. Is it far from Paris?"
Bleys smiles. "Paris is far from here, Sir Firumbras. How came you from there to here?"
The knight nods towards Bleys and the sword he wields. "I fought the King's enemies in many a battle, and was, in the end, betrayed by a woman and a magician, neither of whom I should have trusted. How long have I been ensorcelled?"
Garrett and Brita can tell that there is something Sir Firumbras is holding back. Perhaps he is just cautious, though.
"The length of time is hard to say," Garrett replies. "I have no reference for when the ensorcellment began. Were the woman and magician known to you? Or if not, can you describe them?"
Signy frowns slightly in thought. "Anything at all you can tell us would be helpful. How long you were held captive, how you were betrayed...."
Brita waits patiently for a response, still holding the chain. She begins to wonder about her thoughts as she brought forth the large chain. Might This One be a Tool Against Dara?
"Forgive me, friends," he says, dismounting. He is very tall. "I know little of what to say to you. Paris is the Capitol, and the Franks have united the Kingdom, so that only the Saxons hold out. Karol the Magnificent is King, and I serve his son and chief Paladin, Roland, as a Peer. My personal failings, young lord, " he says to Garrett, "are of consequence only to myself. Suffice it is to say that it was my failings that brought me low. If the bards sing of me, I am sure it will be of my foolishness."
He looks around, apparently oblivious to the flying rocks. "How far, then, is Paris? I must needs return."
Brita observes, "Regal Paris will be Much Different from when you were Imprisoned. King Corwin Rules now."
If Signy has any irritation at repeating herself, she doesn't show any signs. "Do you know how long you were held captive?"
The knight is not as skilled as hiding irritation. "As I asked you the selfsame question, it should be apparent that I know not. I have given you the only information that I can to help you, which is who and where I am from. Did you summon me from my captivity to ask me questions the answers to which I do not ken?" He points at Bleys. "You, sir. You bear the trappings of a Prince of Amber, far distant from my home, but which I visited in my youth. What is your purpose in this?"
Bleys nods. "You have a good eye to spot that from just the blade, sir. I, Prince Bleys, am here with my kinsmen to investigate a matter of magical art that affected our Queen. While I am not displeased that we have freed you, rest assured that we neither intended nor expected to do so."
"The Fact that Our Investigations have Freed you May mean a Tie Between what Befell Our Queen and Your Imprisonment. While Your Failings are Past, the Knowledge of Who Imprisoned You or How could Aid Us," Brita notes, her tone even and containing no judgement.
"And Sir, you said you visited Amber as a lad. Who brought you there? Do you recall? Was there some special occasion that prompted your visit? That might help us get a sense of the timeframe," Garrett asks helpfully.
Signy resists the urge to shake her head at the knight's stubbornness. It's clear that she has another question to ask, but holds her tongue for the moment.
[What about the knight's arms and armor? Anything stand out to Signy in terms of manufacture or damage?]
He looks at all the assembled Amberites and chooses to answer Garrett. "Young Lord of Amber, I can tell you little of the Pearl of Cities. I was a but a boy when I passed through, on my way from my home in The Land of Youth to the City of Light. It was the only place I have ever seen that rivaled Paris or Tirna. I recall the harbor full of ships, so many a boy could walk from one side to the other without getting wet, and scores and scores of flags on them, and a dozen languages at any time. We took road for Paris, where an Uncle of mine had arranged an appointment as a squire in the household of the Great Count, Roland, he who is King Karl's son."
He smiles apologetically. "Have you any water? I find I am without."
Brita immediately fishes out a small flask from one of her pockets. Others might carry spirits in such a vessel, but Brita's flask is filled with clear spring water. She offers it up to the knight, glances at Ambrose, Signy, and Garrett (and not her uncle) and moves to separate the chain from the horse. [how is it affixed? She does not wish to attempt to revert it while it is still connected to either horse or knight.]
He takes the water and thanks Brita. He drinks it rapidly.
The chain is attached to the bridle, like a lead. It comes free easily.
Signy frowns slightly at being ignored. "You also got to see 'Tirna'...?"
"Aye. I was born there," He looks puzzled. "You are from Amber, I thought? She is in your sky. All who even visit Amber can see my home."
"Misty Tir na Nog'th still Graces the Skies," Brita states absently as she unclasps the large chain from the bridle. Her attention focuses on willing the chain back into its diminutive form, its task complete.
The chain silently collapses, now a much smaller thing. The horse whinnies, but there is no other effect.
Sir Firumbras finishes the water and offers Brita back her container. "My thanks. Now, Amberites, having helped me from my mystical imprisonment, I am afraid I must further impose upon you to either send me or point me to my home." He puts his hand on his steed and smiles. "If it be much changed, than so be it, but duty to crown and King is not relieved by mere change."
"Uncle," Brita ignores the knight as she turns with the small chain in hand "How Could the Silver Chain have been Used in the Queen's Tableau and Not Freed This one Then?"
Signy keeps one ear tuned for her uncle's reply, but continues to focus on the knight. She gives him a slightly wistful look. "I've been in Amber a couple of times, but never when 'Tirna' is in the sky. I...just recently found I belonged to the Royal Family."
Bleys seems to be concentrating on something. To Sorcerers, it's pretty clear he's in the midst of some minor casting. "I'm not sure, Brita. Perhaps it was dampened by the location it was in, or perhaps they just didn't pull on it."
The knight stops and bows. "Your pardon, then, Lady. Tir naN'Ogth is my home, although I have not seen her since I was a boy. My family was new there, and ambitious, and I was squired out to a Prince in the distant Kingdom of Paris, because it was the best hope my family had for me. I am sure I am accounted a failure, or more likely nothing at all unless they have succeeded despite my absence. You should take it upon yourself to visit Tirna. it is called the Land of Youth for a reason, and is a very beautiful place full of noble and gracious people."
Bleys coughs, but does not interrupt.
Signy gives the knight an interested look. "Why would you be counted a failure? You endured your imprisonment, and kept the faith."
She gives a quick glance at Bleys and Ambrose before continuing. "I've heard tales of Tir na, but would be interested in hearing more about the land, if you can spare a moment."
[With the chain gone from the knight, does anything change Sorcerously? And from a smith's point of view, anything out of the ordinary with respect to his arms and armor?]
Sorcerously, he seems reasonably solid and with the chain gone, possibly mundane. He gear is quite old-fashioned, but excellently made and serviceable. It is not without flaws and seems most suited to mounted combat.
Brita, having folded the chain back into its cloth and tucked it into an inner pocket, looks expectantly at the knight awaiting his answer. She also believes there is a high probability that the prevailing air currents will pass past him and towards her, or at least she'll tweak them that way gently. [anything familiar about his scent?]
He smells like a human to Brita.
"Tirna is indeed a magical land, floating above the clouds, with skyships dealing in the cargo of the could-peoples of many lands. As a crossroads of so many paths, Tirna was the center of a vast trading empire, and her merchants are powerful and rich and the writ of our Queen, Maeve, is known and honored across many worlds.
"I hope to return at some point, and see how my kin fare. My uncle's family still lives there."
Whatever Bleys and Ambrose are up to, they're certainly not being very talkative about it.
Brita is ignoring the two sorcerers. She says, "Our Path will bring us Closer to Misty Tir na N'ogth Before Bright Paris. You are Welcome to Travel With us and we can Direct you on your Way Afterwards."
Signy nods at this. "Will you have to worry about the ones that betrayed you? They may not be too happy that you're released from your prison...."
He laughs. "I doubt they can fool me again. If you can take me to Tirna or Amber, I can find my way to Paris along the trade routes."
Bleys and Ambrose speak quietly, then Bleys looks up. "Sir Firumbras, you asked how long it had been since you were entrapped, and my nephew and I have been ascertaining that information. Without tools or instruments we have had some difficulty. You may well suspect it has been some time, as we are not the Princes of Amber with whom you may be familiar, and that is true. It seems to be on the order of millennia rather than centuries. Mayhap two thousand years."
The knight looks unsteady on his feet for a moment, and then pitches forward in a near-perfect swoon. Bleys catches him with a grunt before he can hit the ground. "That could've gone better," he says, laying the ancient knight on the ground.
With the knight down, Garrett moves to the horse. Some horses are attached enough to their masters that they react badly to their absence or distress. Not knowing this horse's temperament, Garrett stands ready to reassure the stallion and keep him under control. In doing so, he also looks the animal over to see if there's anything unusual about him.
The horse is caparisoned for war, but Garrett doesn't recognize the heraldry. The elements seem very old, though. He's seen similar in books.
Brita stares down at the knight. "Should we just Take him As he Is or Learn More About him Before Bringing him to Reality Xanadu?" She directs her question mainly at Bleys although she also glances at Garrett for his princely opinion.
Bleys looks at the stricken man. "Either might be of value, or he could be gifted into brother Corwin's care. I shall have to leave that choice to you, though. I must leave you, now that the experiment has been executed."
Brita nods to her Uncle, but turns to the others and asks, "Should we Send this Knight on to Uncle Corwin? Does anyone have a Trump of Our Uncle? If Not, we could Ask Uncle Bleys for the Use of His Before he Leaves. Otherwise, the Knight could Come with Us to Reality Xanadu."
"I'd prefer to send him to Paris," Garrett says, looking down at the fallen knight while still holding the horse's bridle. "He sounded like he might have some familiarity with it, or at least some version of it."
He looks up at Bleys. "I have trumps, so I can make the call if you need to leave, Uncle," he offers.
Signy looks doubtful. "So, if he's from Tir'na, does that mean he's a Moonrider?"
Bleys shakes his head in the negative. "I remember when the Moonriders first appeared; he's too old--from too long ago--for that. He predates your cousins Reid and Fletcher. Say instead that he's from the ancestral people from which both the Moonriders and the Knights of Altamar spring." He turns back to Garrett. "I believe your plan to take this Knight to Paris will be--most enlightening. For someone.
"I don't wish to leave you on this side of Ygg, and yet I am beginning to think delaying here is unwise." And indeed, to Brita's eyes, it seems that Bleys is not nervous, but wary, as if some change in local conditions too subtle for her to recognize has bothered him. "I do not think Sir Firumbras should wake here. Garrett, may I suggest that you and Brita contact Corwin?"
"Yes, sir," Garrett replies. He takes out his trumps, shuffles for Corwin's, and begins to concentrate.
[Nothing is immediately apparent to the Sorcerers, even with a glance by Third Eye.]
To Signy and Ambrose, Bleys adds, "Be ready to Part the Veil. It occurs to me that the Moonriders can travel too easily here. And we're too close to my mother's demesne for comfort." Ambrose winces and moves to put Sir Firumbras over his horse as the knight begins to stir a little. He brings the horse to stand by Brita, just in case.
Brita, noting the odd nervousness of her uncle, becomes more wary. She pulls out her trumps as well in case additional paths out are needed, but she waits for Garrett to make his contact.
Signy frowns, and her hand drops back to the hilt of her sword.
"Do you think we have anything to worry about from this magician or the woman that imprisoned him?" She pitches her voice lower, so that she doesn't interrupt Garrett. "How do you think that he fits in with everything?" She pauses for a beat, before her eyes widen slightly. "Could the woman and the magician be the other Robin and Random from when we rescued the Queen?"
"I think they're related but not necessarily in that way," Bleys says quietly, matching Signy's tone. "But I think in any case I want him in either Paris or Xanadu when he wakens."
Signy starts to focus the energies needed to rip apart the fabric of Shadow, suddenly feeling slightly naked without Brother Tomat and Red Fox Claws at her side.
Corwin accepts the contact at once. "Who is it?" he asks Garrett.
Ambrose gasps and when Signy and Brita, neither of whom is engaged in spellcraft or a Trump contact, looks at him, he gestures to the floating rocks. The pattern, such as it is, of their motion has been disturbed. Nothing is coming at the group, but the web is broken.
It occurs to the sorcerers, if it hadn't already, that the motions of the rocks must be some sort of elaborate system someone (Bleys?) imposed on this place. It can't be natural because it's ordered and yet they're on the far side of Ygg.
"Did you see what did that?" she asks Ambrose softly. Her eyes suddenly light up with an inhuman light as she focuses her eyes on where the disturbance is.
[Quick working of Space, to shorten the distance between here and there that light and sound have to travel.]
"Alarm System?" Brita asks as she scans the area away from the rocks and moves to contact Ambrose and be within reach of Garrett.
"Uncle? It's Garrett," the young prince says, a little more urgently than he planned. He's still too new at trump contact to divide his attention and look up, but he can hear the discussion in the background and doesn't like the way it's turning. "Signy, Brita, Ambrose and I are beyond Ygg and need a shortcut to someplace familiar. We have someone who says he's from The Paris of Old with us too. Can you bring us in?"
"Yes," Corwin says, and offers Garrett his hand. The contact wasn't great but gets a lot stronger when Corwin touches Garrett.
[Corwin will pull people through. PCs and NPCs going/being sent to Paris should get through now. Ambrose is with Sir Firumbras but will go wherever Brita is going for now. Bleys is not going to Corwin.]
While Garrett is making the connection to Corwin, Ambrose says, "Could be. If nothing else it's a guard system that shows interference writ large."
Bleys has Werewindle out and the sorcerers who are paying attention to him think he's looking around with his Third Eye, or doing some sort of snap scrying.
Brita reaches for Garrett, connecting Ambrose through her grasp on his arm. "Pass him Through," she says to Ambrose. "I am With You." leaving the decision of whether they stay or take the Paris path to Ambrose. "Cousin Signy?" she asks. "Which Path do You Take?"
Signy shakes her head negatively at going through to Paris. "I need to get back to the lab, and rejoin Tomat and Red Fox Claws," she says simply.
She stands ready to provide whatever assistance or cover might be needed to finish getting everyone through the Trump contact.
Between Brita and Ambrose, Sir Firumbras' horse, with Sir Firumbras still aboard, passes through the contact. "We're for Aunt Fiona's lab," Ambrose tells Garrett. "I have to see to the code wheels."
"Come through," Corwin tells Garrett. "Someone needs to tell me what's going on." He pulls Garrett through and the connection closes.
"Someone has this place under watch," Bleys says. "I don't have time to deal with it now, but you can't stay. The three of you need to get back to Fiona's, now."
"I can't take us that far," Ambrose protests.
Bleys scowls at him; Brita feels he doesn't entirely believe Ambrose. "Then go to Ygg and do the rest of the transit from there."
"Very well," Ambrose says, and tears a hole in Reality to Ygg, gesturing to Brita and Signy to step through.
Last modified: 29 October 2011