Intersecting Trajectories

Marius and CE have been travelling for about three weeks with the former Brother Tomat.

After their hasty flight down the mountain, during which they met with no more pursuit, the trio was able to head toward the gate memorized by Tomat. Marius' exercise of his rusty Pattern skills helped to supply them. Tomat, it turns out, is also an experienced Shadow traveller and with his magics, their passage through the first natural gate between shadows was easy.

The second transit was more difficult. The Klybesians had stationed soldiers and attempted to surprise on Marius and Tomat. Between Marius' blade and Tomat's magic--which he was willing to use, as he had not been in the monastery--and CE's martial prowess, they were able to overcome the foe and pass through. And CE feasted.

Between the second and third transits, they were able to evade the agents of the Klybesians: some by ambush, some by secrecy, and once by virtue of Tomat mindwiping an agent. CE explained afterwards to Marius that it could have eaten the Klybesian's mind, but it did so out of Tomat's hearing.

When they came through the third transit, Marius and CE found themselves on a windswept plain. "The Plain of Towers," Tomat had explained, and led them off in the direction where he expected Signy to be. Several days of travel have led them to this tower, where plainsmen appear to be mopping up the remnants of an army of short, not-entirely-human creatures that Tomat calls Dvarts.

When he says, "The Plain of Towers," are there many towers? Are they in use? Are they built or seemingly made of the bones of the world?

[OOC: A general description of the Plain of Towers can be found here.]

"That's Weyland's tower," Tomat explains. "She should be here."

"I presume on the winning side?" Marius says, the smile warping his face as he attempts to make it a question rather than a statement.

"I don't know." Tomat puts a hand up to shield his eyes as he looks over the field. "That depends on whether she's within or without."

Marius takes that information and digests it in a method maybe not all that unlike his affine.

As they make their way along the edges of the battlefield, they come to a patch of bare rock. Out of it rises a squat creature, two or three feet tall. It seems to be composed entirely of rock. "Oh, hello," it says to Marius and Tomat. "Are you here to pay the price?"

Marius glances at Tomat. "What do you sell and what do you ask?" he queries the creature, looking at it curiously. Is there anything about it that Marius would consider making it made of magic (some sort of construct) versus a magical creature? Does CE seem unnerved by it?

CE's pale eyes look at it as a starving man might look at a steak--one that might bite back. It regards CE carefully.

Marius' lips curl into a slow smile.

"Oh, I do not sell anything. I guard the Tower. Only those who have paid the price may enter. Unless they are affiliated with Signy." The rock creature's pronunciation is a little too close to 'affinated' to be chance.

Marius seems to ignore the pronunciation, although the blink he gave might put the lie to that. "In a way I have...affiliation with her. She is, of repute, my sister, flesh and blood. Does she rule within the Tower?" he asks, carefully, neither moving forward nor releasing any ground.

The rock creature has no eyes, so it does not blink. As it speaks its mouth opens and closes, but there is no tongue and no teeth. "Oh, Blood. The Tower is your sister's father's. You were chiseled from the same stone?" It sounds as dubious as a rock person can sound.

Marius manages not to crack up laughing at the thought, mostly because he's trying to think his way around this with the minimum of blood...or, um, sandstone shed.

"I have no instructions regarding your passage, so you may pay, or you may claim the privilege of kinship with Signy and your spirit may pass into the tower if that is where it goes hereafter."

Marius considers. "An interesting choice, and certainly one I would like to deliberate amongst my companions. This price, is it in the metals of the earth, or something else? And may I have your name, so we know who receives this coin?" Metaphorical or not. Marius is guessing it's a challenge of some sort, so he's guessing it's not a matter of paying up, but if he knows the method, he might be able to bribe it.

Tomat leans in. "I have no idea who or whose that is, but I don't trust it. Can you kill it?"

Marius just smiles, neither yea or nay. He looks at Cloudeater speculatively, and is waiting for the rockman's answer. ("Oh, simple, we'll just go grab a Rockeater from Fantasia...")

"Oh, me? I am the Hob. Of the rock people. And for you, the price is small. I will collect the sweat from your brow."

C.E. leans in and says "Let me eat her, my Lord. I long for the taste of home."

"I did promise you a feast, my affine," Marius says. "An it harm you none, I would see you pleased."

C.E. screams and leaps.

[Marius] smiles at Tomat. "I have no doubt there will be repercussions. Still, although the sweat of my brow seems a small price, I would not have something else take what I have honestly earned."

Tomat nods gravely. "I doubt not that he would conjure with it to your harm, or use it as ransom for your behavior."

"Is that a common use amongst those with sorcery?" Marius asks conversationally, watching the fight. He looks somewhat concerned by the "fading in" business, but maintains optimism. If he can, by any method, strengthen Cloudeater in this, he will.

Pattern might weaken him, and Marius does not have other tools to hand. If Marius' will matters, than C.E. has it.

Exactly. Although Marius is determined to find Other Methods of interacting with his affine. He's determined to turn this into lemonade.

C.E. hits Hob like a sack of potatoes hitting a brick wall, but doesn't seem harmed. He visibly compresses and the two begin grappling. The rock man is forced over onto his back and tries to roll over. It looks to Marius and Tomat as if the edges of each combatant are beginning to blur. Hob and C.E. begin to sink into the rocky ground. A few seconds later, and both are out of sight.

"Is it empowered by the act of sacrifice? Or is it just the material from the individual that is important?" Hey, he's got theories on _everything._ Well, everything to do with Power.

"I don't know, Sir Marius. That thing was like nothing I have encountered or even read about, and I have an extensive scholarly background."

"Interesting," Marius says non-committally.

Walking towards Marius and Tomat, just at the edge of Marius' superior Amber vision, are two swordswomen. They are keeping some distance from each other, and if they have spotted you, they have only just done so. One of them looks somewhat familiar, but it's hard to tell in the moonlight.

Swordswomen. He points them out to Tomat. "I don't want to leave my man, but I suppose we can wander a little bit closer."

Tomat squints into the darknes where Marius is pointing, and doesn't say anything. He follows Marius.

Lilly steps out through the door and sees, about ten or twenty yards away, a young woman with a sword. From behind Lilly, Dagobert says "Signy."

As [Lilly] steps out of the Tower, she sees standing before her a lithe woman, sword unsheathed, but looking down at a rocky patch of ground. She seems to be edging away from that spot, and the sounds of battle can be heard in the background, though it sounds to be winding down. As the two people step out and approach, she glances up, and then resumes scanning the ground. "Red Fox Claws -- go take charge of the men, and finish off those Dvarts, and then get everyone over here."

Her eyes flick back to the woman. "That is, if you don't have more pressing commitments...."

Lilly looks to Red Fox Claws and gives a slow nod. Everything about her speaks of calm. Her passion is tempered with knowledge. Lilly knows when to act. Now is not the time. A promise is a promise. Red Fox Claws is free to return to the service of his Lady.

"No, Lady Signy. My obligation to Dame Lilly, Daughter of San Benedictus, is done now that I have left the tower. Unless you wish me to report on the meeting between her and your father?"

Dagobert turns to Lilly. "Thank you, Dame Lilly," he says, and goes to fulfill Signy's orders.

At this, one of Signy's eyebrows quirks up briefly, but she makes no further comment.

Turning her attention back to Signy, Lilly tries to suppress the amusement that is threatening to invade her otherwise serious expression. "Hob is in interesting fellow." she begins in soft tones, "More dangerous for the ideas he brings about then for his actions themselves, I believe. You can spend all day looking but you will only find him when the time is least convenient." Lilly finishes with a shrug. The rock people are a strange race, to say the least.

Signy continues to scan the ground, though some of the tension in her shoulders seems to be easing. "It sounds like you have some experience with these creatures. Have you fought them?" She continues to sweep the ground with her eyes as the tip of her sword begins to lower slightly. "Apparently their leader sent him to here, and I'd not face one of them again with the same lack of knowledge of them."

Faintly, she can be heard to mutter "And some day, Brother Tomat and I will need to discuss these 'pwca', and my lack of knowledge of them."

"Fought would perhaps be the wrong word," Lilly says in a thoughtful tone. "But I have faced their challenges. His race would seem immune to the type of physical attacks I prefer. They do seem to enjoy a battle of wits. And when all is said and done, they can be reasoned with, provided you are willing to pay the price." She doubts that is helpful. Still, it is all the knowledge she really has. Or, at least, all the knowledge she is willing to share. No point is admitting Hob routinely seems to get the better or her.

"What sorts of price do they demand? He mentioned a price, before our discussions turned...unfriendly." [Signy] seems unsatisfied with this answer, but slowly sheathes her sword.

Lilly hesitates briefly, "A part of the soul," she says. "Things that would otherwise seem extraneous but, to the one giving them, they are valuable. I can't really explain it better then that. To have some control over them, one must be willing to sacrifice."

At this, Signy frowns, and her gaze becomes slightly unfocused. "Then I wonder," she says quietly, "how much of your soul you would need to give up to be the king of those people....." From her tone, she does not appear to be contemplating her own kingship as much as that of another.

After a moment, Lilly does add, "Your father seems to command him well enough."

Signy snorts. "I suspect that whoever that person that controls Hob is, he owed my father for some work." She finally straightens up, and turns her gaze to Lilly. "Though I don't believe we've met. What brings you to my father's Tower?"

"I am know as Dame Lilly, Knight Commander of the Order of the Ruby," she says with just a hint of pride. "My business concerns my foster family. My foster father, Mallet, apprenticed under Weyland. Mallet suggested that your father might have some information I needed to compete a quest. I had no idea I was stepping into a battle zone."

Signy's frown deepens. "I do not believe that I have heard of a band called the 'Order of the Ruby' -- what Tower do you serve?" Signy looks around to see how far her horse has managed to wander, in the hopes that she doesn't have to make the trek back to the camp on foot. "I hope my father gave you useful information, though he doesn't tend to discuss much that I've found. He's more fond of threats and orders." Her lips quirk in a bitter smile.

"I serve no tower," Lilly says in a voice that is tempered with more patience then she is currently feeling. "My oath is to King Random, heir to King Oberon of Amber." A moment is spared to gauge Signy's reaction before the sword maiden continues on, "Your father knows of my true family and our history. He was able to give me a few pieces of a very elaborate puzzle. For that I am grateful." A gesture of the hands suggests Lilly expected no more and no less.

At the mention of Oberon, Signy's gaze whips back to Lilly, and she tenses slightly. "The king...Oberon? Hob said he was here at the order of the King of the rock people, Oberon...." Her tone changes, and sounds like that of a wild animal preparing itself for flight.

This news appears to interest Lilly. Interest but not surpirse. For now it is left alone as Lilly continues her train of thought.

"My father and I are not terribly good at communicating with one another either. Mine has a rather commanding presence too. Very set in his ways. Red Fox Claws tells me he is known as Benedictus in these parts." Lilly is watching Signy closely as she says the last.

Signy looks somewhat dubious at this. "Benedictus. Of the six-legged steed. And I suppose that you could take me to meet this legendary man?" Clearly, she is still troubled by the mention of Oberon.

"Perhaps," Lilly says. "He can be a bit difficult to track down. I can not promise anything today, that is certain. But in the future..." she shrugs. "Your father knows him. If I am not wrong, he has probably cast weapons for him. Evidently your father has told you little of his allies. Perhaps you should ask him about them." The art of diplomacy is slowly becoming lost to Lilly.

Signy's lips quirk in a tight, humorless smile. "Yes. The next time I run into him, perhaps I shall...."

Her horse clearly having gone well astray, Signy casts a glance back at the battle that Red Fox Claws went to. "I need to see to my men, and since you have whatever information it is that you wish from my father you doubtless wish to be off."

With the addition of Red Fox Claws, the battle tips finally to the heroes. Signy sees Red Fox Claws chasing down a few fleeing Dvarts. Her quick count suggests that her forces have suffered no more than a few casualties.

At this, Signy gives a brief, distracted nod of satisfaction.

"Your father wishes to speak with you," Lilly says, all hope of subtlety now put aside. "You have nothing to loose by doing this and perhaps much to gain." Certainly there could be more elaboration but chances were good that Signy's mind would fill in the blanks much more efficiently.

At this, Signy frowns. "Either you are mistaken, or my father was having a good joke at your expense. When we last spoke, it was none to gentle, and the intervening years have not softened anything." As she says this last part, her hand sweeps up to encompass the dying battle.

Lilly shrugs, "It is a chance you take. You have the upper hand now only because he allows it. By making the attempt at a diplomatic end, you have nothing to loose and all to gain." It is a bit of bravado. But only a bit. The Lord of the tower has mighty allies. It is just possible he is only entertaining this war because he does not wish to see his daughter lying dead on a battlefield.

Signy folds her arms in front of her. Though her face remains calm, a sneer creeps into her voice, and it drops into more of a musing aside as some of her thoughts inadvertantly come to the surface. "Yes, diplomacy. And it will probably see me locked up in his tower again, though this time for something of more substance then refusing to marry that foreign lordling, Madoc."

Lilly raises an eyebrow. That bit of trivia is perhaps the most interesting thing she has heard all day. Maybe it is time to get to know this woman better.

[Signy] shakes her head, and drops out of her reverie. "I'm afraid that my father has managed to fool you on that regard. He has his plans and goals, and usually manages to twist people to where he gets what he wants." It's pretty clear that diplomacy and going into Weyland's tower without a troop of her own men at her back are not high on Signy's plans, at least at this time.

"He truly wanted you to marry Madoc?" Lilly asks. People having plans and goals is far from interesting news. Everyone has an agenda. Every manipulates someone at some point. Lilly could never trust someone who claims otherwise. "I find that... interesting. Especially since I am here trying to gather some information I need concerning a member of his family." That is a good enough truth for these purposes, Lilly decides. Of course Signy can tell that Lilly is far from fond of the family. And that is putting it quite nicely.

Signy frowns at this. "I would assume so -- Father brought him out here, and he stayed for a week, though in the end" and here she smiles slightly mischeviously, "he left by himself." Signy shifts her weight from one foot to the other as she mulls Lilly's words over. "If Father was willing to marry me off to Madoc, can you trust what he's told you about his family?"

Lilly shrugs, "No one can be trusted. We simply have to decide what we are willing to gamble on." She falls silent, contemplating her own words. Is vengeance a good bet? Or were the stakes simply too high?

"Madoc is no friend. Not to me, nor to my family. Your father is on the periphery of the politics between our houses. My guess is, he has formed allegiances with both sides. A sort of business man's position, if you will. The question then is, will he gain more from giving me information or from warning Madoc of my quest? Either way, this can only end in confrontation." It is now Lilly's turn to look a bit mischievous. "And that suits me just fine."

Signy runs her hand through her hair distractedly. "Unfortunately, I know nothing of Madoc's house, and until you said it had not realized that there was another House." She begins to take steps back towards her men, not breaking off the conversation but providing Lilly the opportunity to either follow and continue, or to break it off herself and continue on her way. "Though he is a business man, and having seen him bargaining the services of his smithy, you can be sure that he drives a hard bargain, and gets more then he gives up in many cases."

Lilly is not certain she is done with this conversation. Signy might still prove to be interesting. She begins to follow.

"And in my case, what he gains by helping me could far exceed what he will gain my helping Dara." Lilly lets the name hang there for a moment, wondering if there will be a reaction.

Signy shrugs her shoulders slightly, a resigned look on her face. "Trust me. My father usually gets what he wants. Even in cases where his will is thwarted," and here she gestures again towards the troops making their way back to camp. "He manages to prevent others from getting theirs."

Lilly nods knowingly. Her own experience is close enough for understanding. After all, Benedict has made a habit not only of making defeats look intentional, but of gaining more from them then he ever looses.

A short distance away, near the edge of the area they can see by the moonlight, Lilly and Signy each see a familiar figure standing with a stranger. The two are talking. The troops are beyond, and heading further away.

Signy slows down, squinting at the figures in the distance. "What new surprise is this...."

The one is a complete stranger. The familiar one looks like Brother Tomat, her old teacher.

"My cousin Marius," Lilly says in a voice that is meant for her own ears. "Very interesting." She does not add the token, 'I wonder what he is doing here' but it is certainly implied.

Signy has no less surprise, but seems cautiously happy to see the group. "Brother Tomat. I've missed his advice -- I wonder, does he bring me help and counsel, or was he sent by my father....."

Marius and Tomat approach the two swordswomen.

"I do not recognize the hero with her, but the one on the left is your sister. The other is probably in her warband." Tomat's voice carries to Signy and Lilly.

Lilly only just manages not to snort.

Signy raises her voice slightly. "Brother Tomat! It's been some time -- did my father send you?" The last is in a slightly teasing tone, betraying a casual familiarity with him. If she heard his words, she does not yet give any indication of it.

"And yet," Marius says, "I recognize the other," he tells Tomat after Signy's call. He smiles. He glances over to see if there is any sign of Cloudeater, then raises a hand in something like a salute or a hail to Lilly. He doesn't want to go too far away from where he left CE, so he will let the girls decide to come to them.

With a return salute, Lilly quickens her pace slightly. She remains silent, listening to the banter. For now there is little point in interrupting.

Tomat smiles at Signy. To Signy, he seems as he always has been--a bit older, perhaps, but that's the way of the world. To Marius, he looks remarkably better-humored than he has yet. "No, Lady. And it is no longer Brother Tomat--I have parted ways with the Klybesians. And I have brought someone to meet you. This--" he gestures to Marius, "--is your brother, Sir Marius of Amber."

There is no sign of CE yet.

Signy frowns at this. "Parted ways? Why? You've always served your order and us admirably."

"Now I can serve you without interference from the Order," Tomat says.

Signy's look turns darker. "They were interfering with us?"

"They are most persistent," Marius says, his smile never faltering.

Marius (having left the robe behind in his travels) wears what is obviously travelling garb, made of the types of materials that are comfortable to wear for long periods of time without constant care, with a very good fit, as if he's used to long walks. (On the beach, and strawberry ice cream, and the novels of HP Lovecraft...no, wait, that's a playboy model, not Marius.) (Because he doesn't like ice cream.) (Erm.) His hair is dark, and he's got a bit of a hesitation beard. You know, where he's not sure how far he's going to grow it. (A few days of travel'll do that to you.) He wears a ring with a sparkle of red on it, a well-worn pack, some knives near his hands, a sword at his belt, and a waiting smile.

Signy turns to look at Marius, a look of guarded amazement on her face. Her clothing is clearly meant for action, worn and comfortable. Shoulder-length black hair is pulled back in a ponytail, giving her face a severe look. A plain sword hangs at her hip, a worn hilt showing that it has seen use. "Brother, Tomat? I do not recall Weyland engaging in any dalliances. Does that mean my mother is still around?" Faint hope tinges her voice at this last part.

Lilly still remains silent, listening to Signy and Brother Tomat. She hasn't yet found a point in interrupting.

Tomat gestures to Marius. "I believe that your brother can answer that question better than I can. I'd say we should find somewhere to sit and speak of her, but I mislike the length of time your man CE has been gone." That last is clearly directed to Marius.

Marius' expression does not change particularly, but maybe there's a tension in his jaw, and a steel to his gaze at Signy's question.

Signy glances over at an odd, rocky patch. "Yes, we may want to leave here. Father's found some new ally, and...it is much tougher then I initially thought. It shrugged off my initial attacks on it, and then disappeared, and I don't know if it plans on coming back...." A mischevious smile twitches the corners of her lips. "If the Order is no longer interfering, can you tell me about the 'Pwca', Tomat?"

Marius decides against saying anything because he doesn't like to get in the way of reunions. Not when he's got so much to say. He keeps looking at her, though, as if trying to fit her into some kind of taxonomy of the spirit, maybe.

Though still listening to the conversation between between Signy and Tomat, it is clear, at least to Marius, that Lilly has turned her attention towards him. More then likely it has something to do with the phrase, "your man CE". Patiently she runs her thumb across the inner band of her own ruby ring as she awaits something resembling useful information. For now though, she is content to let others speak.

As Lilly says nothing, Marius nods, and will lope back the few gentle strides to where CloudEater was left in the ground. He touches the ground almost reverently, as if he could lend a hand. He scans it with a scrutiny that Lilly might even term something warmer than "concern," if she recognizes it on Marius' face at all.

Tomat looks back at the spot where CE vanished into the rock with Hob. "If that's the rock creature we just encountered, it is a Chaosian of enough power that I'm surprised it's not a Lord of its own right. Now it is doing battle with the being CE. I expect only one of them to survive, by consuming the other. Anything I could tell you of what it was before won't necessarily be true of the new being."

Signy sighs. "I'm not sure what a 'Chaosian' is, but it would have been nice to know that before I picked a fight with it." She looks over at Tomat, and her eyes narrow slightly. "And you're ducking the question. What did your Order try to put you up to?"

She quickens her pace slightly, though not excessively so. "Still, even though they may not be of much help, I'd be happier facing whatever comes up with some men. If we hurry some, we should be back at camp quickly."

Marius and Lilly do not follow, and so Signy starts to pull away. Tomat glances back and notices that they're not moving. "Should we wait?" he asks Signy.

With an air of reluctance, Signy turns back towards Marius and Lilly. "So, we have Chaos on the one side, and Order on the other. What, Tomat, do I find myself tangled in?"

A line of worry forms across Lilly's brow. "That particular rock creature, is the holder of Daeon's blood," she says, expecting that only Marius will understand. "He is the creator of the fire lilies." Her voice is full of obvious concern.

Signy looks blankly at Lilly's words, clearly understanding nothing.

"Fire and earth!" Marius swears remarkably like a sailor. Because he knows there are women here, however, he bites the specifics back, merely thinking them loudly. "Will the blood of Order strengthen or weaken him in this fight?" he asks, not directed to anyone in particular.

"Come back to me, Sir Cloudeater," he murmurs to the earth. "We still have much to learn of each other and more journeys to make."

He remains crouched down for a few minutes. "Is this creature's master a power of any significance? Do we know?" he asks of the others. It might also sound like, "Would anyone miss him if we go hunting?"

Tomat answers Signy's question as they take the few steps back to Marius and Lilly. "The deeper mysteries of Order and Chaos are better known to the blood of Amber than to many of my former order." He gestures at Marius.

Signy looks questioningly at Tomat as they head back. "And you said that Marius and I are related? Does that mean that I am also of this blood?"

Tomat nods and answers Marius's question. "We'd have to know who its master was."

"I am afraid that is a question I can not answer," Lilly says softly. "I can only say that I first encountered the rock creatures on the return from Chaos." She looks to Signy and Tomat, "It is a bit of a long story but suffice it to say that a cousin and I had to bargain passage not only for ourselves, but for many others. I encountered Hob for a second time today but the Lord of the tower put an end to his games before a second sacrifice could be made."

Signy's manner becomes somewhat reserved. "In talking to Hob, he claimed he was here because his master had made a bargain with my father, and that his master was named 'Ohbrawn', or something like that." She glances at Tomat. "The name isn't one I recognize...."

At that Lilly's seems to become a bit lost in thought for a moment before leaning close to Marius. "Hob and his people believe blood, freely given, has great power." She lets the rest of her thought hang to see if Marius follows her logic.

"As do some sorcerors," Marius says, standing up. He says the name over in his head, trying not to make the connection. "Yet, the sweat of my brow would not have been freely given, but required for passage. A matter of commerce." He frowns. "But I suppose there is still the ritual of gift and reception, if with a guardian rather than merchant. Buying a pass to this land." He pauses. "The Lord of the tower is this Ohbrawn?" he asks Lilly. Saying it aloud, he repeats, "Oberon," softly. "Or is it..." he falters looking at Signy, "the father?"

Signy's voice betrays a slight impatience. "No. My father, Weyland the Smith, is in control of the tower. This...Oberon made some deal with my father to bring Hob here."

Marius does not bite his tongue, nor does he frown, but his expression goes blank again, as if he's withdrawing mentally from a path that's begging for his footprints.

He looks a little pale. "Tomat, know you of any rituals to call something to its master?" It's uncertain whether it would be oriented to Hob or CE.

Tomat shakes his head. "I've never had an affine, so I don't know how to call it back."

But at that moment, something emerges from the patch of rock where Marius is still standing. Formed of rock, it is the size and the shape of CE, with the face that once resembled Jovian and once also resembled Marius. "Oh, hello, My Lord. I have defeated the Hob and eaten it."

Signy manages to refrain from drawing her sword, though she tenses at the...thing's appearance.

I'll open my Third Eye, "just in case(tm)".

Formed of rock. Interesting. Still, it recognizes Marius. That might be a good thing. Or it might be a ploy. Lilly never particularly trusted CE. She is certainly not about to change that opinion.

"Good day," Lilly calls out to the rock thing. "Have you the memories of the Hob? Can you tell us to whom he owed his loyalties?" No point in turning to magic if a direct approach might work just as well.

Marius lets Lilly make the question. He's actually _not_ surprised at the changes. This is as it should be. He will have words with the new Eater once the question is answered.

The Eater turns to Lilly. "Oh, hello, Dame Lilly. I did not know you were here. The Hob was an affine of Oberon of the Rock people, who had bargained its services to Weyland Smith."

Signy leans towards Tomat. "What's an affine?" she murmurs.

"A vassal of a Lord of Chaos," Tomat explains equally quietly.

Signy's face creases in confusion. "But, I thought the blood of Amber was Order...?"

Order, Chaos, it's all in the way you look at it. Really, we need new terminology. Harmonic versus dischordant, maybe.

Marius says nothing, being busy listening.

Signy can see that this thing has some of the same kind of power as Hob did, and also other, related power. It's like it's two sorcerous beings made of clay that were molded together, and they're growing together as she watches.

As Signy scrutinizes the...being in front of her, a momentary flash of queasiness bordering on revulsion flits across her face, and her hand makes a clutching motion, almost as if drawing a weapon.

Lilly nods. "And where is your allegiance now placed?" Her voice is very calm. No point in making an enemy of this new being just yet. There would surely be time enough for that in the future.

Marius looks about to say something, but for the moment, he just stands tall, and unafraid.

"Oh, I do not know," the Eater says to Lilly. "Do you wish to obtain it?"

Lilly looks momentarily startled but quickly recovers. "For the Order of the Ruby, yes. For myself, no." Expectantly she looks toward Marius. One of them needs to take control of this thing. Or they need to kill it. The former option will probably prove to be easier. All the same, she can not stomach the idea of a personal affine.

Marius speaks up. "Do you wish to leave my service, HobEater?" he asks.

"Hob served Hoberon. CloudEater served Marius. We have no master. Do we need one?"

Tomat whispers to Signy, "Marius was both. I'm not sure what he is now."

The answer is, of course, "Richer for the experience." Or at least, that's what the player tells herself. [grinning]

"Perhaps not a master," Lilly suggests. "Perhaps a friend. The former speaks of servitude, but he latter speaks of trust. And trust, of course, if a valuable thing that should not be taken for granted." Despite still being mostly horrified, the sword maiden is slowly becoming increasingly intrigued by the situation. If nothing else, this could end up being an amazing opportunity to gain some important insight into Chaos.

Marius looks at Lilly. He appreciates where she stands, at least morally, but he doesn't agree with her. "Would you deny the strength of CloudEater's relationship with Order, and its part of your future self?" he adds. The tense may be odd, but it's heartfelt. "I would say you can continue that or similar relationship, or you may find yourself at odds with it."

Signy's gaze flicks warily back and forth as everyone speaks. For the moment, she seems content to sit back and listen.

[Does it look like a straight 50-50 merge between the two, or is one side "winning"?]

[Unclear. The nature of the transition is such that it's difficult to isolate the parent strains.]

The Eater looks at each of the four humans in turn. "It is the nature of things to be either lord, affine, or enemy. Which of these would you be?" it asks.

Tomat murmurs to Signy, "This thing has just gotten very dangerous."

Signy looks at the Eater as it makes its pronouncement, and a look of curiosity crosses her face that Tomat remembers as being a precursor to trouble more often than not. "What," she whispers to Tomat "would it take to be Lord to such a thing? Would you need to fight it?" She reflects for a moment, and then says even softer "And with lord, servant or enemy, there's not much neutral ground, is there?" though this seems more an observation than anything else.

"At least it didn't suggest we were food," Tomat murmurs in reply.

[Does it look like it's building up any sort of mystical power, or doing anything other then sorting out this merge?]

[Nope, just sorting out its innards, to the extent that Chaosians do that.]

If Lilly hears the whispered conversation, she is ignoring it. Her complete focus is on the creature before her.

"It may be our nature to be lord, affine, or enemy," replies in a steady voice. "But it is not our destiny. We, as a race, separate ourselves from plants and animals by striving to overcome our nature, by continually striving to be something more. I am, at times, lord, affine or enemy. And yet, I am also something more. I am an equal."

Lilly chances a glance towards Marius once again. "Sir Marius and I are equals. Our status is the same. We have mutual respect for one another. And we are friends. He is neither my enemy, nor my lord. But I am not bond to his service either. We can disagree and do things our separate ways." Outwardly, Lilly is managing to remain calm, even as her heart pounds in her chest.

The Eater says, "You two are affines of the Lord of the Red Rock. I saw you affinate yourselves."

["Dear affine. I never wanted a brother, boys are icky. Please feel free to eat him, as he is a dork and started this whole mess in the first place. And Mom liked him better."]

Signy glances at Tomat with a look of puzzlement over the Eater's statement, though she apparently decides that for now keeping quiet and paying attention is the better policy. Despite herself, she glances over at her new-found brother, curiosity as to how he will deal with his former servant on her face.

Lilly does the strangest thing of all, she smiles. This is almost starting to be fun, she decides.

"An affinity we choose. I am also enemy of Dara. And Lord to those who I commanded at the great battle of the Abyss. I am not defined by a single aspect, but by many." She lets the words hang between them, as she begins to try to anticipate the things next action.

"If you are affines, you do not choose," the Eater says.

Tomat is watching the interplay with a combination of fascination and revulsion. "The customs of Chaos are very different from ours," he whispers to Signy.

Signy frowns slightly at this. "So the Eater is right, and we are all of one side or another?" she mutters, a dark tone entering her voice. "Boss, or be bossed."

Lilly opens her stance ever so slightly, "The Lord of the Red Rock represents the seat of Order. The rules governing Order are different from the rules governing Chaos. I choose to swear an Oath to him because I believe he shall be a good and just King, not because I felt I had no choice. It may be a small difference, but it is a difference just the same.

"And though my services our now bound to the King's, I still stand here. Far from him. The actions I take this day, are separate from his will. He knows not what I plan, nor why. My objectives are of a personal nature right now." Slowly the well guarded emotions are working their way into Lilly's voice. She will not allow this thing, nor anyone of any power, to keep her from fulfilling what she now sees as her destiny.

Signy listens intently, but doesn't look to be convinced by Lilly's passion.

The Eater observes all four of the humans: Lilly's passion, Marius's silence, Signy's distaste and suspicion, and Tomat's fascinated disgust.

"I do not understand this. Perhaps I will understand this when I consume you."

Lilly does not wait for him to finish the sentence before going for her sword. Made of rock or not, this thing must die. And it must die NOW. On a normal human, the abdomen would be the place to strike. Since this is by no means a normal creature, however, Lilly is simply going to attempt to separate it's head from it's shoulders. That should, at the very least, slow it down.

As Lilly starts her move Signy spreads out to the side [I'm picturing Lilly as having been in front and center, talking to Eater, Marius close by her, and Signy behind and slightly to the right as you view Eater, and the tower off behind Eater to our left somewhere -- sound reasonable?], clearing Lilly. She raises one hand in a relaxed, casual manner, but her voice thunders and echoes oddly in a foreign tongue, and the rapid cadence betrays her tension. A fine silvery mist outlines the Eater. His form seems to almost flicker, superimposing a second image of himself.

[I'm using Transubstantiation, and seeing if I can rip apart the Hob elements from the Ce'e elements.]

Marius shakes his head, moving slower than Lilly, and moving backwards, as if to push ex-Brother Tomat out of the way. "So that's that," he says. His knives find his hands, but honestly, it's Order he wants to bring to the fray, trying to change the rules against his former affine. (He'd know better how to do that than I would.)

[Order of operations: Lilly, then Marius and Signy at the same time almost immediately afterwards, then Tomat.]

Lilly hauls back for a mighty blow, but her blade bounces off the Eater's thick stone this first time.

The Eater resists Signy's spell. She will need to continue to work the spell to get any effect at all on the creature. After a moment, Tomat joins his voice to hers, but against the creature they face, his power has no immediate effect. Something is interfering with her sorcery, and she's never encountered the like.

As Signy begins her chanting, Marius attempts to bring the Pattern to mind as if he were fighting the Black Road, which seems like the best initial approximation. Something is interfering with his use of the Pattern, reminding him of the terrible difficulties he had in using his power in Chaos.

The Eater reaches out to grab Lilly, but she eludes him. He moves to make a second grab at her.

[Card draws: Lilly - the Fool (upright)
Marius - the Lion (reversed)
Signy - Overlooking the Diamond (upright)

Nobody got Stab Your Cousin!]

Lilly is not surprised. Hob could not have been defeated by a sword blow. Still it was worth the try. Not one to back, she will continue to try to inflict pain. This time, she is aiming for the first open orifice, (OOC: Insert rude jokes here...) preferably, she would like to jam her sword through the roof of an open mouth. If the thing is not cooperating, however, she will simply try to insert the blade deep into it's cranium via the eye socket.

Signy's voice settles into an easy cadence, conjuring [Heh....] images of a marathon runner hitting their stride and settling in for the long haul. If she notices Tomat joining in with her, she gives no overt sign of noticing, though her glance strays over to the Tower, wondering if her father is watching this fight.

[For now, we'll continue the initial effort.]

[Without further instructions from Meera, who is hurt and can't type, Marius will be doing the same, which is going to leave you guys at cross purposes]

[Card draws: Lilly: The Usurper (upright) - which actually helps here
Marius: The Defender (upright)
Signy: Striking the Dragon's Tail (reversed) - also really good]

Lilly dodges the second grab and continues to move in and out, trying to insert her blade the Eater's orifices--mouth, eyes, nose, ears. She realizes after several flurries of blows that the Eater is made of rock and has no soft innards to cut into with her blade. Miraculously, her blade is undamaged, despite the fact that she's been trying to cut stone and striking hard enough to generate sparks now and again.

Marius and Signy and Tomat continue their conjurations, Marius shielding Tomat with his body.

Signy realizes that the thing that's interfering with whatever she's doing is what Marius is doing.

[As the player figured, but Marius is curious, now. His brain is thinking of Mandlebrot formulae (if not by that name) and wondering if you can induce probability manipulation in a reverse fashion for a scattershot effect. Again, not in those words exactly...]

[Duuno. Interesting idea. You can make a single event of some probabilty happen. Can you scale it up to a class of events, and can those events be each set to distinct values? Hmm. Answer Hazy, ask again later...]

The Eater gives up its slow and ineffectual attempts to get at Lilly and turns its attention to Marius and Tomat.

Marius growls.

No, really. It's a primal thing. He's frustrated because he sees that Lilly (whose skill at such things is legendary) is in itself thwarted by the nature of the beast, and his efforts to change the nature of the environment to perhaps give them an advantage are primitive at best. He's grasping at the idea of tools for this sort of event, but he doesn't have them, and he only has concepts to dissect the situation (and, eventually, the affine.)

Alright, words. He can do words. "Lilly, it's made of rock." That's actually sounding like, "Um, help? Plan B?" He directs words at the Eater. "This was always our communication breakdown. Understanding doesn't require ingestion." He'll continue shielding Tomat, but he'll let loose the Pattern energy since it isn't working for him.

The Pattern drops and the Eater starts to move a bit more freely.

Tomat says a word in a strange language, something that does comes easily to neither human tongues nor ears. In a moment he's handing Marius a pick-axe.

Marius laughs, the cackle serving as a thanks as well as an expression of amusement. He will whirl the pick-axe and take a fiercer, saner stance.

Sometimes life threatening distractions are helpful. This particular one keeps Lilly from saying something along the lines of, "Gee Marius, thanks. I hadn't quite realized that!"- In her most singsong voice, of course. Instead,she simply takes a step backwards and allows herself a moment to asses the situation.

How does one defeat rock? Heavy explosives would work, but that had other drawbacks. A chisel might eventually make a difference but they did not have the advantage of time. Water could have adverse effects but again nothing immediate. In fact the only thing that came to mind was an old game Mallet had tried to teach her once as a child. "Paper covers rock," she says out loud feeling ridiculous at once. The game had been stupid then and it made even less sense now.

Fine then. What they need is a sacrifice. "Call to your men," Lilly yells to Signy."We need backup. As much coverage as possible." Perhaps if it were to consume one of them, they could catch it at a moment of weakness. Or, at the very least, it would be combining with something made of flesh. Perhaps it would help.

Signy feels the pressure of the resistance to her spell drop, but still there's something keeping the spell from completing. [Michael: We need a more mechanical description of the spell. GraniteToQuesoBlanco is a valid transubstantiation, but we can't figure out the difficulty without something specific like that to determine how much you're changing the fundamental nature of the Eater].

If a rock creature can looked vexed, this one does. If a rock creature can look vaguely like Jovian, this one does. It's possible that it tried to do something and failed.

As the resistance drops, [Signy] glances over to Marius. "We were interfering with each other," she says, her voice sounding somewhat distant. "Try again, and I'll try to come up with something else."

Marius mulls that with his next step. He's willing to give it another try, but he's also ready with that pick-axe. He's got the kind of endurance that should suffice, the gritty "keep going" of earth.

[Signy] takes a deep breath, and chants something quickly under her breath, but a gust of wind whips up at that time and carries her words away. [GMs: Using Space to put my voice into the camp where it will be heard, and telling the men to come to the Tower ready for battle.] Her voice changes again, and becomes louder and stronger, as she gestures at the ground in front of Eater. [Grow -- make the plants try and entangle its feet/legs (and if I'm lucky, have them start cracking them with roots growing inward.]

[Space is a special effect here, so you can have that as a free action. Otherwise Grow would come off in the next posting round.]

Lilly returns to the fray. Now her aim is not to maim or injure, it is simply to keep the thing still and distracted. Marius has the better weapon right now. It is far better to aid his attempts then to keep pursuing her own paths.

[Card draws:
Marius: Autumn (upright)
Signy: The King (reversed)
Lilly: The Satyr (reversed)]

Lilly is able to hold the attention of the Eater as it chases her, trying to grab her, allowing Marius to get into position for a blow if he wants to take it. Meanwhile, Signy's spell takes hold and plants grow out of the rock and grasp the Eater, slowing it. Tomat joins her, supporting her spell.

"Oh, Clever clever," says the Eater. It starts pulling at its legs.

Marius is able to get into position for a serious strike from behind.

Signy's voice intensifies as the plants spring up around the Eaters legs. As the plants twine around, she continues her chant-like speech, telling the plants of trees that break through flagstones, and ivy that climbs and crumbles walls, and of roots that wrap around and crush stone beneath the earth.

[Continue to grow the stuff, and see if it can do a number on the stone (roots into the rock, etc.)]

Lilly is not sure she likes the Eater's tone. Still, this approach seems to be working. So, for now, she continues to try to keep the thing in place through distraction and sheer intensity of her own movements. Lilly will be careful to avoid Marius, however. Best to allow him a clear shot or four.

[Card draws;
Marius: The Eagle (upright)
Lilly: Drowning in Armor (reversed)
Signy: The Priestess (reversed)

Marius moves to tenderize the rock creature with some well-directed pickaxe action from behind as Lilly dodges the Eater's blows. She's able to keep it facing away from Marius and distracted, and even to dodge its attempt to break her blade.

The Eater's legs look like two ancient, vine covered pillars, and spiderweb-cracks start to appear in the surface. The creature seems to be pained. Even so, and even with Tomat's support, Signy realizes she's overextending herself in trying to break down the Eater with plants. She'll run out of energy before the Eater is done.

Marius, meanwhile, keeps burying the pickaxe in the Eater's back, causing sections of its upper body to crumble away. After several of these blows, the Eater says, "Oh, this is useless," and sinks into the stone beneath them.

The vines Signy had grown around its legs collapse in a heap.

Lilly back away from the spot of disappearance very slowly. She continues to scan the area. Hopefully, the term useless meant the thing had given up and they could take a moment to breathe. For the moment, she will remain silent. (That is because she knows that anything she might say is going to come out sounding rather like, "I told you so..." and that's a discussion that they simply do not need to have right now.)

As the Eater vanishes, Signy's voice stops, and the silence that follows seems almost oppressive. "It did this last time I fought it," Signy says, as she scans the ground where the Eater once stood with a distracted air. Her voice has a note of fatigue in it, and anyone looking at her as she speaks can see her swaying on her feet, her face pinched and drawn from her efforts. "I don't know if it will come back or not, though we may want to head towards the camp and see if we can meet the Band."

We will meet again, Lilly thinks to herself. Problems such as this simply did not dissolve. At someplace and at sometime, their paths will cross once more. She is sure of it.

[GMs: Scanning the ground with my Third Eye, as deeply and as long as I can given my current state.]

Signy's Third Eye does not sense any sorcerous stirring in the ground.

Brother Tomat moves to support Signy. "Lady Signy is right. We need to get somewhere safer."

"We could go to the tower," Lilly suggests. Her tone is light and though she lacks a smile, it could be perceived that she is joking. Or she is simply returning to an early argument in what for Lilly is a non-confrontational manner.

"I'd rather not the tower for the moment, for obvious reasons. My camp is within easy travel, and I can offer you what comforts we have for the night." Signy looks at Marius, before continuing. "I think that we still have much to discuss with each other....."

Marius nods, lifting the pickaxe. He twirls it with an easy movement, and passes it back to Tomat. "Much obliged," he says, casually. His body language, however, is anything but casual, more that, "Not Looking Around For the Demon With The Knife For His Back," kind of "I know it's there, it should know I'm here," impression.

Tomat accepts the pickaxe, but does not dismiss it from existence.

"Signy," he says. It's like he's tasting the name for a moment. "Yes, let's follow you there." He gives Lilly a look of apology, but it could have been as much for his previous "rock" comment as for stepping in some preexisting argument.

As they look toward the camp, all of them can see the warriors that Signy summoned are on their way. At this point, they'll make a fine escort back to the camp.

[Any spare horses? :)]

Coincidentally, they have four spare horses with them.

It's at this point that Marius receives a trump call.