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Post by Hammett on May 3, 2021 16:44:33 GMT
[[OCC: At this point, with things so wide open, he'll do it with his whole deck (minus his own staff/crew (Conrad, Dalton, Pinky, etc...)). So, living and dead Elders, shadows that he still has gateways open to, and ones that he has closed off, all his allies, other players that he has cards for, and so on. He'll also power himself up with primal trump energy via his eye when doing it. Not sure if that will effect the reading or not, but he is still experimenting with that ability so he'll give it a shot.]]
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Post by Admin on May 4, 2021 5:59:54 GMT
[OOC: Sorry, not much time to post today. But here's a bit to hopefully tide you over until I can post the reading. Readings are very dangerous for the GM - whatever is posted can change the whole course of the campaign. It's gaming nitroglycerine!]
Hammett finds something very odd while shuffling his cards out for the reading. Three new cards not of his own design have appeared in the deck. One portrays a mansion on the edge of a cliff, another an figure in an expensive black suit and tie with immaculate white shirt. The person's skin is black and even through the painted image Hamm senses it is powdery like crushed coal. Most disconcerting is the person's eyes and mouth which sprout purple flame. The third shows ducts: an infinite depth of criss-crossing ducts, conduits, tubes in a multitude of colours and gauges, some spout steam, others drip oil, and a few spray a greenish liquid.
All three have a aura of menace emanating from them.
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Post by Hammett on May 4, 2021 7:06:32 GMT
[[OOC: No worries. The new trumps will distract Hammett for awhile. And, as the post below will show, there will be a few questions I'll need answered by you before, or even if, he does the trump reading.]]
"uh..." Hammett is quite surprised when he discovers the sinister trump cards mixed into his deck. He had never heard of anything like this before. He quickly shuffles them out of his deck and into their own stack, setting his own deck away from them as if they might be contaminated.
He then spreads the three cards out on the table before him and absentmindedly signals for another drink. This seemed like a three whisky problem at the very least.
The first thing he does is study them from a technical and artistic stand point. Do they have a symbol on the back of them or any other signature of who the artist might be? Then he studies the card stock and paints or inks used in the card's creation. As a well traveled and trained artist himself can he detect anything unique or special about the materials used in the cards?
After his initial inspection he puts up a mental defense, and begins to study the images themselves, just what they are depicting, he is very careful not to activate them, even accidently or minorly, hence the mental defense.
First he studies the mansion. Does he by any slim chance recognize it, or are there any details in the background that might give hint as to where it might be located, or in the style and design of the mansion itself (modern, victorian, gothic, human or shadow being, etc...)?
He then studies the card of ducts, tubes and conduits. Has he ever heard of such a place in rumors, legends, myths or campfire tales?
Another drink and he finally turns his attention to the card of the man. He didn't know who this man was, but he liked his taste in clothes. It didn't take much of a leap to assume this might be the sinister figure he picked up a mental impression of before, the one who had been corrupting his Wormwood doorways. It would be a heck of a coincidence if it wasn't, but he would need to be sure if he could. Thinking back to the impression he got from the cards before he put up his defenses and the psychic impression he had of the person who damaged his doorways, was there any similar impression(s) or overlap between the two of them?
Finally he sets the cards down and sits back and ponders how they ended up in his deck. It must have been sometime between when the guards in the castle took them from him, and when he recovered them in that shadow store. So either someone in the castle slipped them into his deck, or the stranger had found his deck before him, and added the cards himself.
If it was someone from the castle, it could be a trap, although not very likely, as only a fool would use unknown and menacing trumps like this, unless they knew it was someone who's curiosity over-road their better judgement, in which case it wasn't be such a bad trap to use against Hammett, as he was already tempted to use one of them.
Or maybe whoever put the cards in his deck did it as a was of secretly pointing Hammett in the right direction of where Amber's troubles laid?
But all that didn't seem as likely as the man in black putting the cards there himself. In which case they were an invitation. An invitation to come play...
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Post by Admin on May 5, 2021 6:00:53 GMT
Hammett has seen cards made in Amber with the Unicorn backing and from the Courts with the Serpent. Other cards made by degenerate, shadow versions of the Art have displayed many different backings depending on the moods, origins, and skills of the creators. All three of these have different backings: the mansion and man have a hatch mark pattern of different colours and directions, the duct card is backed by an Escher-like tiling of mountain peaks. These cards all feel like they were made by masters of the craft, not shadow versions of the power.
[ooc: while we're on the topic, what design does Hamm paint on the backs of his cards?]
The card stock and inks on each card are different with one seemingly done with magic markers, another in paint, the Ducts by woodblock print.
The mansion is of a gaudy 80s style of white tile, pale grey paint, and chrome railings and fixtures, something that a Valley Girl raised in The Galleria would approve of. The sky above is the pure blue of a tropical morning not unlike those he'd seen in Kasaba back in the good days before all the trouble, and there is a hint of water at the base of the cliff.
The image of the Ducts doesn't ring any bells. Certainly amid the infinity of shadows there must be a world completely filled with constructions as depicted in the card, maybe extending forever in every direction, an unending maze of tubes and conduits all leading nowhere and delivering their contents to no place. Or it could simply be the HVAC plant of some large building.
There is a similarity with the man and Hammett's impressions from the doors. The darkness for sure. The flame? Maybe with a slight shift in hue towards purple. The man carries a clipboard in one hand, a pencil tied to a piece of string connects to the board. behind hm are shadowy trees, mists below and constellations of stars above.
[ooc: if I could draw with any skill you might have a better idea of what the cards depict!]
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Post by Hammett on May 5, 2021 18:43:38 GMT
[[OCC: The image on the back of Hammett's trumps looks similar to this: ]]
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Post by Hammett on May 5, 2021 19:32:26 GMT
Hammett considers the card of the man some more, a clipboard and pencil on a string? Some sort of evil bureaucrat? But then I guess all bureaucrats are evil...
He really wanted to reach out to his old teacher, Fiona. She still knew more about trumps then Hammett did, and she might even have encountered cards like this before. She had always treated him well, the same as Gerard, but Hammett had no idea what pressure she might be under to comply with the wishes of Flora. She might be driven to bring Hammett into custody, she might even think that it would be for his own good. Heck, and if someone from the castle did slips these cards into his deck, then it would most likely have been her.
Not for the first, or certainly last, time Hammett cursed Leonil and his stupid experiment for not only killing Random and Vaille, but also for implicating Hammett in the aftermath. He pondered ways to try and prove his innocence in that event. Leonil's room at the castle would certainly have his research on the spell and possibly notes or a journal, but Hammett wasn't ready to go back to the castle and imprisonment again, plus Leonil's room would have been searched and all those possible documents studied already, and if there was any proof in them that Leonil acted alone, the elders would know that already, and since they still wanted to imprison him that was probably a dead end.
He contemplated trumping Dik to ask him to gather the books Hammett needed for his research from the great library, but he would hate to risk his old friend's freedom, and possibly life, that way.
The courts of chaos would most likely have a similar great library, but gaining access to that would also have its own risks and certainly costs.
There were so many moving pieces right now, he needed to pick one and finish or solve that, then move on to the next. All this blindly running around tugging at loose threads was getting him nowhere. It was time to cut some of the threads, or was it to sew them up? He wasn't very good with tailoring metaphors.
"Right!" He said out loud, to no one, Wormwood's had closed for the night awhile back, and most of the staff had faded back to their "homes". Time to go on the offensive.
He drew out Llwella's trump card and tried to contact her again, adding a little force from his eye to the connection. Not enough to annoy or force the connection like he did with Martin, but enough to overcome any natural or mystical barriers that might be preventing a connection being made. If she still didn't respond after this, then that was it was because it was her choice, in which case Hammett would consider the Martin situation as complete. If she didn't want his report then that was on her.
If no connection is made Hammett goes to bed to get some sleep so he can start tomorrow with renewed vigor. [[OCC: Just let me know.]]
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Post by Admin on May 7, 2021 7:01:30 GMT
#s://i~ibb~co/xqdCvzH/Llewella~jpg Hammett sees Llewella lounging on a couch, eating grapes and drinking from a glass of wine. A pair of sharks swim in lazy circles above her. "Ah, Hammett, you have our package secured and ready for delivery?" she asks.
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Post by Hammett on May 7, 2021 8:47:44 GMT
[[OCC: I always wondered how they ate and drank in Rebma. Wouldn't the wine (or any other drink) just mix with the salt water? And obviously they don't eat bread or any baked goods there?]]
"I am happy to report that Martin is alive and relatively safe. He knew of his father's death which has made him quite cautious of any family member, even me unfortunately. It did not help that those in the castle still consider me a suspect in King Random's death and that Martin still has friends back there. He was quite up-to-date on the current events in Amber at that time. But I was able to finally, well, I wouldn't go so far as to say convince him of my innocence, but to get him to at least talk and discuss options. Unfortunately he is currently unwilling to return home to Rebma or Amber. He seems to believe that his mother would try and force him to claim the throne in Amber, and he definitely does not want that. He wants to be just left alone, and made it quite clear that if I attempted to force him to return home there would be violence. I am handy with a sword, but I do not know that I could best him in combat, at least not without the risk of killing him in the process. Besides, as I told you before I left, I consider him a friend. I would not try and fight him to submission. The best I could manage is that he knows how to find me and or contact me if he needs help. My feeling is that he is going to remain in hiding until a new King, or, as I now hear it, Queen sits upon the throne, and then, maybe, he will return. I am sorry, but that is the best I can do for now. I might have had a better chance at convincing him if I wasn't still a suspect in his father's death, but at least we know he is safe, the Queen will be happy to hear that I am sure."
Hammett pauses, unsure if he should quickly move on to another topic of discussion or wait for a response. He had a feeling that his aunt wasn't going to be super happy with his report, but he still decides to wait for her to respond before going on.
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Post by Admin on May 9, 2021 20:23:13 GMT
#s://i~ibb~co/xqdCvzH/Llewella~jpg "Interesting. So you are reporting that you have not completed your assignment yet. I suggest that you double your efforts as events wait for no man. I understand your fear of violence but you are a man of great resourcefulness.
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Post by Hammett on May 9, 2021 23:54:04 GMT
[[OCC: I knew way back when that this would happen. So if you check the post where I made the vow to the Queen, you'll see that I have kept my word and vow to her. No where did I say that I would force Martin to return, only that I would find him and try and convince him to return. ]]
"Well, I do consider my assignment done. I first vowed to find Martin and tell him of his father, which I have done. I then vowed to do my best to convince him to return home to Rebma, which I did, but he wouldn't return no matter what I said or assurances I gave. Finally I vowed that if he decided to return I would do my best to get him safely back home. He has declined to return, but if and when he does decide to he knows how to reach me and that I will get him back home safely, or protect him until I can."
Hammett pauses to catch his breath and thoughts.
"As I said, this all would have been much easier if I wasn't accused of killing his father. He was almost ready to attack me when I found him, only our previous friendship gave him enough pause that I was able to give my side of the events, and even then he wasn't entirely convinced. Do you know why they still think I have something to do with the explosion? I informed both Benedict and Bleys of all the events that occurred, you yourself know the truth as you were monitoring what was happening when the explosion happened, and they must have had time by now to search through and investigate all of Leonil's research and his plans. Why am I still considered an enemy of the throne? When I tried to return to the Castle, I was arrested and confined without trial or any chance to explain things. So I had to leave there, which obviously probably annoyed them even more, but like you said, events wait for no man, and I couldn't afford to spend days, weeks or months sitting around an empty room waiting for someone to even ask me what had occurred."
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Post by Admin on May 12, 2021 9:40:39 GMT
#s://i~ibb~co/xqdCvzH/Llewella~jpg "I'm sure you are proud of the precision of your agreement. However, kings and queens are less inclined to submit to the intricacies of your legalistic interpretation of the instructions. But you will have to take the matter up with Moire when you see her next.
"Flora and I have never been on the best of terms to I don't think she listens to my advice. Now considering your guilt or innocence, you must admit to the oddness, the sheer wild coincidence of your being in the room when Random was killed and in the city when Gerard fell. The odds of that happening while you weren't involved are astronomical.
"Even so I don't think that they really do suspect you are involved, but on the off-chance you were then you are so low in importance that no one would object to your indeterminate detention for a little while."
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Post by Hammett on May 12, 2021 16:51:35 GMT
Hammett sighs, "I guess looking at it from that way it does seem bad. I've always been unusually lucky. The unusual part is that I often happen to be in the wrong place and the wrong time, the lucky part comes from always getting away unharmed." He motions to the scars on his face and his artificial eye, "For the most part."
"I still feel that Martin will eventually return, like I said, when there is a new ruler in Amber and he feels a target is off his back. The sooner that happens, the better chance there will be of his return home. Can I ask how Flora managed to get herself put in that position? Where did Benedict go? And what of Bleys? I felt for sure he would want the throne, like he has in the past."
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Post by Admin on May 13, 2021 3:49:54 GMT
#s://i~ibb~co/DDdDQ0K/trumps-of-amber-llewella-by-pulpaction-gal-d7ycufz-pre-jpg-token-ey-J0e-XAi-Oi-JKV1-Qi-LCJhb-Gci-Oi~jpg "Now Benedict is one of the family I do get along with. Not the most talkative of us but over the years I have learned to read him. And, of course, this time he did explain his reasoning.
"He had to go and only Flora, Bleys, Fiona, and myself were around. I have dual allegiance to Rebma so he took me off the table, Bleys attacked Amber in Force with They're both out of the running, Fiona conspired and helped create the Black Road so she's unfit too. That left only Flora with a clean scorecard.
"To be sure he didn't say that her position would be permanent or that he wasn't returning soon, but for now she's the boss to all of you surface dwellers.
"He also didn't say where he was going. Maybe to find his top choice for King or Queen?"
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Post by Hammett on May 13, 2021 15:48:07 GMT
"Well, laid out that way, it does seem she is a logical choice for the time being. I just hope she is up to the task of defending Amber from the various threats that seem to be closing in on it. At least until Benedict returns. I take it no one has followed up on the events in Kasaba yet? I have learned that this Lady Vada, the one who took control of Kasaba and killed Gerard, is indeed from the courts of chaos. But my friends there tell me she has always been a minor person of import there. They were surprised that she would attempt something so bold as this, especially since it obviously goes against the wishes of Merlin. But I also hear things are not going as well in the Courts for Merlin as could be hoped for. I feel compelled to avenge Gerard's death, and the the death's of many more of my friends from that world, but having already tangled with her forces I know that it would be suicide for me to go up against her alone right now. So I need to bid my time and figure out a plan. In the meantime, is there any other news or gossip I should be aware of? Any new threats or problems that need dealing with or investigated?"
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Post by Admin on May 15, 2021 3:13:10 GMT
"Deiga is falling apart with anarchist mobs roaming the streets killing everyone they see. That'll be an interesting situation to watch."
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