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Post by Brian on Apr 23, 2023 23:29:13 GMT
"Yes: But in our family metaphysical imbalances involve politics and family bullshit. If the multiverse is imbalanced someone gains, and some one loses. And the people gambling to get ahead on those changes of power are usually related to Cody and I." There is a tone of anger with what comes next. "And while that happens on a score of worlds the pull and push of those powers kills people. Drives men to do things they know to be wrong in order to survive."
The anger backs off for a moment. "The people who should have all the power seem to be playing the waiting game....or seem desperate to find things out. The Queen of Rebma seems to be several steps ahead of the rest. I'm tired of chasing my own tail. I want to find out who the secret players are and how to put things back right."
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Post by Cody D'Avalon on Apr 24, 2023 2:16:10 GMT
Eugenia squeezes Brian's bicep, "Hmmm, sounds like Cody had the right idea. Coming to Rebma first instead of going directly to Amber. Although, the Ambassador in Ghera wasn't very friendly. So there might not be the nicest welcoming committee waiting for us here. I only hope his Mermaid Cousin got his message."
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Post by Brian on Apr 24, 2023 3:01:33 GMT
I laugh a little bit "Yeah....I like Lor but....that may not have happened right.But I have an invitation." I look over Eugenia and smirk. " I can fill Cody in on the finer details in Amber. He knows Lor....that's interesting."I then turn to Eugenia "So....I am married. That's not a red light message, but it is a yellow light message. My wife is a very complicated woman."
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Post by Cody D'Avalon on Apr 24, 2023 3:17:55 GMT
Eugenia blushes, "Oh, I know. Just some friendly flirting. Castles and Wizards are fun to visit.... But I don't want to be domesticated. Yet. And I don't want to mess up anyone else's domesticated bliss."
She looks out at the water. "Looks like they've made the deep dive. I'm not exactly looking forward to this near-death-drowning-experience."
She looks doe-eyed at Brian as they walk into the water.
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Post by Brian on Apr 24, 2023 3:22:03 GMT
"Good" I smile "I don't want my wife to get the idea in her head to kill you." I make my way down the path of the stair.
Water is magic, and we will be able to breath it.
I preceded down the stair....hoping the guards aren't going to be a pain in the ass to go to the city.
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Post by Cody D'Avalon on Apr 24, 2023 3:58:55 GMT
"Maybe drowning isn't the worst option."
As they walk down the stairs together Eugenia feels the odd sensation of having less bouyancy than usual which keeps her feet on the stair treads instead of floating.
Head submerged, she blows out her breath and sucks in the Rebma 'air' with a look of panic in her eyes, which passes as quickly as it came.
"Whew! Who ever dreamed up this place was a psychopath."
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Post by Brian on Apr 24, 2023 4:03:03 GMT
"Its not as terrifying as being suffocated by the vacuum of space." I smile and press my way down the stairs "Or being poisoned. It's uncomfortable but you get used to it."
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Post by Cody D'Avalon on Apr 25, 2023 15:14:55 GMT
Eugenia, "Funny thing about that. Holding your breath builds up Carbon Dioxide which is painful and causes your lungs to spasm. Take away the Carbon Dioxide and it's not so bad. Sucking in water is painful and makes it all worse. Suffocating in space is more pleasant, if that's conceivable. Sucking in hard Vacuum isn't as bad as water. Hypoxia causes euphoria. As long as there's no Carbon Dioxide building up, it's not so bad. You get giddy and then pass out."
Through the murky waters they can see the bulk of the big Puffer Fish further down the stairs.
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Post by Brian on Apr 25, 2023 15:42:22 GMT
I laugh a bit " Maybe it was the magic that kept the Air on the moon that made it feel different when it happened to me."
I look at her seriously " Its the fact your mind knows this shouldn't work that's the real problem.....working with magic helps with that a little "
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Post by Cody D'Avalon on Apr 25, 2023 19:34:25 GMT
Eugenia, "Yes, we're on a steep learning curve with Cody. Imagine: Taking an unmodified Puffer, not just into the Flux, but through it into the; I don't know what that was. Something much wilder than the Flux. To wind up here."
The pair walk down Failla-Boinin to where the big fish is waiting.
Cody and crew are waiting on the steps. Holding a rope attached to a harness around the Puffer.
"Hey, Brian. Long time no see. Jessup gives Brian a hug.
Cody clasps Brian's hand, "You obviously know Gene and Jessup. This is the rest of my crew. Reggie is our Ichthyologist."
Reggie steps forward and shakes Brian's hand. As tall as Brian but built like a scarecrow. Reggie says, "Nice to finally meet you. The girls have mentioned you on more than one occasion."
"And our Pilot, Deek. From Ghera."
Deek shakes Brian's hand and gives a nod.
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Post by Brian on Apr 25, 2023 20:52:02 GMT
I return the greetings and pull Cody into a pound hug on his handshake.
" This is a mess. But I'm glad your in the mix now. Do we debrief on your ship before we go into Rebma proper? A lot of things are going on. The storms in shadow have made a mess of a lot of things. I'll give you what I know, you give me what you know, and we try to figure this all out?"
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Post by Cody D'Avalon on Apr 25, 2023 22:18:51 GMT
Cody looks at Brian wondering what's been going on. "The Storms reach all the way into the Abyss. It's been a rough ride getting here."
"I think you can talk freely unless there's something classified."
"As eager as we are to enter Rebma proper. We all need to rest first, so we can do Station keeping here for a while."
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Post by Brian on Apr 25, 2023 23:13:31 GMT
" All the way into the Abyss." I whistle for a moment.
I lead everyone back into the ship to talk.
I start with the players in the Drama, starting with those in our generation of the game.
I start with a description of Eivor: "She has been an able servant to Flora who is currently Regent of Amber. Benedict vacated the Regency shortly after I left Amber the first time."
I describe Calvera "He's a mad man....very haughty and he runs the navies of Amber in the wake of the death of Gerard."
I describe Ovid: "I met him on an interesting world. We did a Death Race. "
I describe Ryland "Good Soldier. Sharp man. Didn't get to fight in a proper battle with him."
I describe Edward " Seems like a decent man. He was more quiet...also a shame I didn't get to fight with him either. He, Ryland, and I were involved in an incident with Sand. The incident lead to Dalt's apparent death."
I describe Princess Lorelei "I met her on the boat trip with Eivor to Diega.....which was brought to near ruin. The first place where I saw the trend of Class War. Overturning the rulers....Arrogant and haughty people of power being punished by the chaotic chain of events."
I describe Dirk "Pirate man. Before my journey to Amber, he helped me out of the Water."
I describe Maeve: Both as I last saw her, and as I saw her the first time. "She also blew unto the shores of Ayalos. She like Eivor were assigned a task by Flora. More on that in a moment."
I describe Xu: "Competent and capable warrior. Sadly didn't get to be in the battle with him, Ryland, Edward, and Eivor. Eivor sent me to work with Kat. I suspected Leonil would be in the castle at the heart of it all. He wasn't. Since I found out later that Eivor's kin were leading the chaos army taking the city I can't say she didn't send me there to minimize her running afoul of kinsmen."
I describe Derek "Son of Fiona....I met him at a party. Didn't have much chance to talk to him. I don't know which piece of the conflict he is chasing after."
I describe Edmund "He is a son of Julian, and he seems to be operating with some sort of alien power."
I describe Leonil, as I last saw him " He blew up Castle Amber. He has Prince Dorian, son of Gerard, under his mental command. Or at least that's how he was the last time I saw him. His parentage is unknown."
I describe Dorian as I last saw him "Son of Gerard. Went out seeking Vengeance....He nearly killed me under the direction of Leonil. Had an interested third party not drug me from the battlefield I'd likely be dead. "
I smile and describe Hammett "The Bartender, He is believed to have been a confederate with Leonil. It seemed too obvious to me....Flora protested to much when I accused her of keeping the criminal charges over his head as a 'Motivation." I take a long deep breath. "In addition to that he was based Adjacently to the shadow where Gerard was killed. I shadow named Kasba which is near Kasfa. How the Chaosians were operating so close to Amber proper is a matter I have a lot of questions on. There were two Chaosian forces operating there. His status with the family is unclear.....but he seems one of us. Dalt was hanging about the Bartender but he seemed to be working for someone else at the time. Flora also seemed put off when I suggested Dalt was working for her."
I describe Kat. As I describe Kat there is a sourness and sadness to my voice. "Princess Katerina. She went to liberate her home of Eshanta. Two Chaosian armies were there. One under the Jesby and one under the direction of the King's brother. A X Factor was in her castle. His name is Coy. He was in Amber in the aftermath of Gerard's death and we were seeking a trail of him when we went to Diega. Based on what I know...which sadly isn't a lot....he seems responsible for the fall of Eshanta and Diega. In Diega he lead to an entire mob of people attacking me. And in Eshanta guards who were operating under his direction nearly killed me. I had Mandor patch me up in Diega. The Church of the Unicorn helped me out the second time Coy's actions lead to be bleeding out.....and I got made a saint for my trouble. Kat sent me back to Amber the third time....It helped keep me alive. I hope she's still alive. I suspect that she is kin to us. Especially with Sand's interest. Kat like myself and Hammett doesn't know whom her parents are and how she connects to all of this."
I describe Dante "An artist who lived in a world with its own Shadow of Kolvir. He just arrived in Amber."
I take a deep breath and describe Dio. "And sweet Dio. I had met her before but I had forgotten her. Someone or something has afflicted my memories. The pattern in Kolvir brought back some of them.....but only a few bits. Weird emotional impulses have also bubbled up here and there. But I remember Dio when I was a boy. She came to me in my dreams....or I came to her in hers? It's hard to say. I saw her a few more times. I met her first, then Maeve, then Dirk, then you, then Dante, then Ovid, then Eivor, then Loreli, then Kat, then Dio. I believe I met Xu at the party Flora threw. I met Ryland and Edward via Sand's machinations. Sand kept Dio as a slave....but that was to put me into a situation where we couldn't take her with us to the battle proper. I don't know if Sand knew her keeping Dio as a slave would be something I would find offense at. Dalt brought Dio to Sand at what seemed to be the cost of his life. Joining Gerard and Random as dead kinsmen. Possibly Julian as well. Dio suspects she has one of his organs inside her." I laugh. "Flora is convinced Dio is an assassin. She assigned Eivor to monitor her, and later Maeve seemed to be her keeper. She was very close with Lorelei and Dirk as well. I would have to imagine she might have found more people in Dreams."
I pause to give Cody and his crew time to digest.
"Benedict left Amber sometime between my meeting him and going to Diega. Fiona had been working for him....then she and Bleys seemed to be going about their own business once Flora came to power. Julian is missing and presumed dead. Random and Vialle are believed to be dead but well....it was an explosion. No bodies were ever found. Gerard's body had been in the water for months. Rinaldo is leading the Rangers, Calvera commands the navy, and Flora is the regent. Flora is going through a gentrification process in Garnath.I am presuming this is her means of controlling the nobles. The people are hungry and on the edge of an uprising. Because food production is decimated by the storms and the ability to ship food into Amber has been crippled. Also, Garnath is reputed to have some sort of taint in it. There is a civil war in the church. My sainthood seems to have caused controversy in that. They had a violent riot in the streets. Flora seems to be allied with a faction in the church....but I don't know which one. I would gather that would be her plan to control the poor. In Kasba the forces of Chaos recovered an Artifact. I would gather they likely did in Eshanta as well. I thought that would be in the castle....seems I was in error in my hunch. But the people who have knowledge of such things don't seem to be in Amber....nor are any books that would give me a good lead on where to seek out information. Which is why I'm surfing with you down to Rebma." I pull out a flask frowning that I cannot drink of it before continuing. "The Queen of Rebma was involved somehow in the incident in Kasba. As is the Chantriss family.....of which Dorian of Amber was a member and the Paramour of Gerard was as well. The ship we went into Diega on had some sort of Rebman secrets before the port got nearly destroyed. Calvera left the scene before the chaos occurred in the city. We have people working on the Food problem in Amber. I was looking to see what sort of information from Amber still has a reflection here in Rebma before going back out into shadow to seek information on an artifact to stop the storms....as well as seeing what the artifacts are that the forces of Chaos are seeking out."
I look at Cody with a smirk " By the way how much time has it been for you since you last saw me?" letting him put his cards on the table
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Post by Cody D'Avalon on Apr 26, 2023 3:21:13 GMT
Cody follows along as best as he can but there's so many new names and places that it's difficult to keep up. There's a few shocks.
"We've been cooped up inside the Puffer for a while. Let's just seat ourselves out here on the steps."
"That is a lot to digest. Now I know how my crew feels when I tell them about my life in the Courts and in the Abyss."
"By comparison, I've literally been living under a rock."
"Dio? Dionisia? She's my Angel. I met her and she taught me how to ShapeShift. I would say that she was raised in a Convent, but in reality she was held hostage and tortured there. I heard that there was a big turnover there. I am so happy to hear that she made it out of that cesspool. Absolutely insane to think she's an assassin. No offense but if anyone deserves to be sainted, it's her."
"Dirk Lorca? His family is like the Bayles here in Amber. Wine makers. He's known as a playboy. Sailng around in Shadow. Swashbuckling and breaking hearts. When he's not rolling around in a cat form soliciting belly rubs."
Cody rolls his eyes when he describes Dirk.
"I mean, I haven't actually met the man, but that's the reputation."
"It's funny. I haven't actually met Lorelei in person. Sort of. It's hard to explain. She was sleeping and dreaming of being in an Octopus's Garden. A Kraken's Garden. I was diving the Pit and followed a shipwreck down into her dream. Then, when I got home and went to bed, I dreamed that I was with her again in Rebma where she gave me the grand tour. And with the weirdness of the Abyss, only hours had passed for me and years had passed for her between those two meetings."
"I just hope she's home now that I'm actually here in the flesh."
"The only other one I've met is Maeve. I didn't know she was involved in any Amber business. I found her digging through the Library Stacks in the Seminary. Like me, she was doing research on the Powers that form the multiverse. Tracing back legend, myths and historical documents. We shared some theories."
"It almost sounds like the multiverse is clearing out the deadwood. Getting rid of the elders to make room for the next generation."
"That's extremely disconcerting to me. With everyone running in different directions and possibly - likely - at odds with each other."
"Not that I am a fan of her, or her choices, but it had appeared that things were settled under Random. Now it's getting out of hand again."
"Well, now, let me tell you about my journey."
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Post by Cody D'Avalon on Apr 26, 2023 5:54:07 GMT
The crew are exhausted from the long journey and one by one they doze off to sleep as Brian and Cody talk. They tied off the Puffer's leash to one of the lamp posts along the stairs. Even the Puffer is sleeping.
"Pit-Diving is getting rough with the Shadow Storms. The Abyss just isn't producing or providing anything of value and a lot of Divers aren't surviving the depths."
"I came out of the Pit one day and heard that someone was looking for me. When they caught up with me, I thought that they might be an agent for one of the local Wizards or Logrus Masters wanting to hire me to find something in the Abyss. I get commissions like that from time to time."
"But I was preoccupied with the idea of petitioning Thelbane to do something about the Storms..."
"So, anyway, this guy catches up with me and takes me for a coach ride. Presumably to meet up with his master."
"That's when things went sideways. We were attacked and the coach we were in got hit and knocked through the air."
"They, whoever 'they' are, are apparently after me."
"I made a run for it and took a crossbow bolt in the chest. Ended up in a blind alley with a choice between two doors. The one I chose had Princess Fiona waiting behind it. She was looking rather smug. She said she made a bet with Merlin that I would choose her door. Rather suspiciously."
"So anyway, she tells me that 'unknown factions' from both Amber and Chaos are both 'out to get me' and 'want to protect me'. And any-which-way, I needed to bug-out. So I did."
"Now, I don't trust her as far as I can throw her, but I wasn't in a position to take her on, and so I have to give her the benefit of the doubt. As to whether she set the whole thing up or if there actually are factions that are out to get me; I don't know. I've avoided the politics but I accept the possibility."
"Fiona asked if I would go to Amber where I belonged and who I knew in Amber and its precincts. I told her about Lorelei. She got creepy, like I'd consider incest with my own cousin."
"But I figured that I should come to Rebma first, where I will hopefully find Lorelei. It would be better than showing up in Amber completely cold and unknown."
"That's another thing. M-unit had told me that I was kept and raised in secret to keep me out of the politics. However, Fiona insisted that I was known to everyone here. Always had been. Which makes me wonder."
"She also insinuated that my Sire may be a Chaosite. Maybe even a Lorca..."
"I digress..."
"With the Storms affecting the Abyss, I couldn't make the journey in one shot. I had a couple of pitstops along the way."
"On one stop I paid a visit to Venerable Ygg. I asked the wise old tree if it had any insight into the Shadow Storms. The only valuable information I got from its ability to observe Reality and Shadow from the center of things is that Amber is Waxing and The Courts are Waning. Hard to assess that."
"On another Shadow I encountered Ghostwheel. It wants to be called 'Ghost'. Quite an amazing artifact, er, entity. Maybe even a new Power... So, anyway, I asked it if I could apprentice with it to learn more about the Powers but it wanted devotion and worship which is more than I am willing to pay. It bought me lunch and gave me some ominous warning about my Powers, then disappeared. After that, I had a somewhat surreal experience with the locals before I made another hasty retreat."
"I got the idea along the way that I didn't want to show up here empty handed. So I stopped by Station to get the Puffer and bring my crew along."
"Normally, there would be a command cabin strapped up top by its head and a gondola suspended below. The upper air bladders would be inflated and in the right atmosphere whey would be like hot air balloons that can float it through the air. The lower ballast bladders can be filled with cargo."
"In my home Shadow they are even capable of space flight."
"However. I didn't think it would be possible to fly a fully rigged Puffer through the Abyss without the Abyss obliterating half the rigging. Also technology that works in one Shadow is often useless in the next. It's the biggest living thing that I have ever moved in and out of the Abyss."
"So it's a naked fish and we rode most of the way inside one of the air bladders which are basically slimy flesh caves. Not exactly Ambassador class accommodations."
"It's carrying a big Breeder's Clutch of offspring in its marsupial pouch. So the Rebmans can have a full fleet of Puffers to sail/swim cargo when they all hatch and grow."
"If the Shadow Storms continue, the Puffers may be better for shipping goods than surface floating boats."
"I'm hoping the gift to Rebma will ingraciate me to Queen Moire."
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