AmberShadowOfADoubt:Session5

Session #5: The Wrath of Chaos

Federico: Being in the company of a lovely lady and a large number of claylike refugees.

The last session in the aftermath of the bloody fight out from the Hollow Earth. Federico was deep in a strange shadow with the remnants of his people, transformed into zombies -- while the others are in London. Janica has contacted each of the others to warn them off from trusting Manfred.

Janica and Hector, who trumped from London to Moire in Rebma. They arrived with her in an undersea tent close to a battlefield where the Rebmans were fighting the creatures of the Black Road. Janica offered to help, but Hector was still badly wounded. They discussed some things, updating Moire on the situation with Chaos and how the Black Road was recruiting soldiers from their Earth. Moire still had no news on Eleanor/Llewella.

Manfred then received a trump call from Dara Jr., telling him that the Helgram family wanted retribution from General Casadr -- the leader whom Hector (?) had killed during the fight out from the Hollow Earth. He then contacted the others to warn them of this. They were suspicious but took it in.

Meanwhile, Alexandra trumped to Federico in the distant Shadow where Fiona had taken him. There they discussed things. Manfred contacted Federico by trump, who talked to him warily. He passed through some caviar to Federico, but left unsuspecting. She then contacted Janica to get back, only to find that all four of them were now outside of London. Thus, their only connection back would be through Manfred. Rather than risk that, they opted to shadow-walk back.

Janica: Wait, we're not in London. We're in Rebma. Where are you?

During this time, Manfred began on a plan to stop the shipments of people to the Hollow Earth. Through his powers, he obtained a priceless gem which he claimed to have found hidden in the British Museum (presumably stowed there to keep it from the Nazi invaders). Using this, he arranged a meeting with the puppet Prime Minister in Dover. Having been naturally stripped of weapons for the meeting, he went to the bathroom at the last minute and pulled in weapons. Going in to see the PM, he surprised him and silently killed the two guards in the room with them. He forced him to take a mildly drugged draught, and then informed him that it was deadly poison -- threatened to only give him the antidote if the PM stopped the shipments of people to the North Sea, gave him a commendation, and arranged for him to get a submarine trip. He ended this by smashing the windows, which drew in the guards as he appeared to chase a fictitious would-be assassin out the windows. Backed by the cowed PM, he was credited with saving the PM's life.

He got back to London from this trip the next day, as the others were getting there from a long walk through Shadow. They all got together in a drawing room to jointly call Manfred and confront him with their suspicions of him. Janica was the most vocal in her distrust, but Federico also pointed out that he was consorting with the enemy. Manfred mocked him in reply,

Manfred: I thought for sure you'd noticed, but this (taps chest) is a symbol of the Nazi party. I've been consorting with the enemy for years.

However, they pressed that he knew what they meant. Manfred said that he remained opposed to the Nazis and all those who aided him, including the squids -- but that he was unaligned and trusted no one in the larger cosmic struggle.

As they were arguing, though, Hector and Manfred both received trump contacts. Manfred's was from Dara Jr, while Hector's was from Dara Sr -- whom he had apparently known as a mortal woman in Africa. Both of them said privately that the Helgrams had released the primal chaos, offering to pull Hector/Manfred out of there. Both refused, and the wall across from them dissolved into nothing. They ran from the building, with reality dissolving right behind them. Outside were grey, obscured soldiers who shot at them as they escaped. Manfred fired back while someone (?) lead a walk into Shadow to escape. The attackers followed them through Shadow, morphing as the realities changed. However, eventually they found a place to rest.

While resting there, suddenly Alexandra got a trump contact from Brand. He said that he needed her help and asked her to pull him through. She did so, and he arrived, bedraggled and half-naked in a dirty loincloth. Everyone took an interest in him, and at first he asked for help. However, when they suggested about safe places where they could take him, he got nervous. Manfred had offered a shadow, while Janica obliquely suggested Rebma. Shortly after, he shifted colors into a rainbow as if contacted by a trump and disappeared more quickly than anyone could react.

Manfred then offered to take the others to a neutral shadow he knew. However, Janica still viewed him with distrust and suggested Rebma instead. They agreed to go there.