AmberShadowOfADoubt:Session6

Session #6: Joining the War

We start off in the midst of shadow, a week and a half since the battle escaping from the Hollow Earth. The others are all gathered at the spot where Brand has just left. It starts by discussion of Hector's affair with Dara...

Lee: I swear to god. That's not like other species. That's particulates and solids.

Cynthia: Stick to your own type of matter.

Manfred: See, this just goes to show...

Janica: Yes?

Manfred: You shouldn't sleep with women.

They agree to go to Rebma, but Manfred says that he would like to stop off some place first. There is distrust of him, but Janica agrees to go with him -- they shadow-walk off to a shadow he calls Glamaria. Meanwhile, Federico, Alexandra, and Hector all travel by trump to Moire in Rebma.

Introducing Janica to Glamaria, Manfred brings her into the palace. They talk to Erol, Aide to the Executive Producer of the world. It is a shadow reminiscent of early Hollywood, and Manfred stalks in saying that there is a vital war for the cosmos. He announces that there is a casting list of 12 parts: Hector, Janica, Manfred, Federico, Alexandra, Eleanor, Lydia (Eleanor's assistant), Bleys, Brand, Dara Junior, Dara Senior, and Queen Moire.

Federico is in Rebma, where he joins in the Rebman army whose officer cadre is primarily women. He helps out, and is meanwhile seduced by a noblewoman general named Liriel. Amidst his affair and helping the war effort, he finds out that Lady Eleanor was talking to Princess Deirdre shortly before she vanished.

A Call from Brand

A few days after arriving in Rebma, Alexandra gets a trump call. It is from Brand, who seems cleaned up a bit. He explains that Eleanor may have been captured because she was associated with him. He suggests that it could have been the Bleys and Fiona cabal, or the Eric/Julian/Caine faction.

Brand: I know you wouldn't want to betray your own people. Your own... little friends. Eleanor and I assembled you to see what it would be like for Amberites to grow up out from under the heel of Oberon.

Brand: I hoped we offered you a better way. I'm glad you all pulled together over fighting these Nazis and sea creatures.

Alexandra: Yeah, and it's still threatening our shadow, and it still needs to be fought.

He notes that our Earth is trapped in the middle of the war, and says that he wants to help her, since he owes her a great debt. He then explains to her about the Jewel of Judgement, held by King Eric.

Hector's Seduction

Somewhere around this time, Hector gets a trump call from Dara Jr, appearing as her human self, a perky girl. She talks to him, seeking to draw him to the side of Chaos.

Hector: I thought of your station in life being naturally beneath me, but that you had a natural aristocracy.

Dara Junior: Now that you know that I am a princess of Chaos, does that change anything?

Hector: I thought of your station in life being naturally beneath me, but that you had a natural aristocracy.

Dara Junior: You could join the kingdoms of Chaos as easily.

Hector ponders his loyalty to Amber, but does note that Chaos is in an alliance with the creatures who are aiding the Nazis and invading his own world. He pontificates some about fighting for just cause...

Hector: Sacrifice is the glory of war ...

Dara Junior: and should it not be multiplied as much as possible?

Dara offers to take Hector on a tour of Chaos. He is put off by the description of the shifting reality of the place. It sounds undependable, but she says that she depends on people. She mentions that she had alliances with some Amberites, but that now with the curse her people were able to get to Amber on her own. She describes Amber as a roadblock which limits which Chaos can be.

Lee: They're just looking for lebensraum...

Hector says that we need standards and ideals.

Dara Junior: Could we not build a new utopia... together.

She hands her a trump of her, and he kisses her hand as she does so. She warns that the Helgrams have a "secret-seeker" keyed to Hector and Federico on Earth, which can with time always track their position.

Casting Call in Glamaria

Janica and Manfred begin auditioning people as parts for doubles of the others. They search for characteristic lines for people trying out for the parts of Hector, Federico, and the others. The results are bits like:

Hector: You should read my memoir, Thirty Years of Hunting in the Abyssinian Highlands.

Federico: That's no submarine, that's an armored suit!

While in Glamaria, Janica gets a call from Deirdre, who says that she's prepared to arrange an interview for her with King Eric.

Shortly thereafter, Manfred gets a trump call from Dara Junior, manifested as a tower of ash. She says that she's arranged a meeting with the Helgrams in a neutral spot, assured by Dara Senior and her relative Sawall. The Helgrams, Bodai and Aurel, were the diplomats. They are empowered to represent the leader, Koppany. Bodai is a red-skinned humanoid demon, while Aurel is a collection of lighted bubbles. He negotiates with them over how much they would want to cancel the blood debt and move the Black Road which recruits from their world.

Plans in Rebma

Back in Rebma, Federico trump-calls Lydia with a plan to take the claylike transformed soldiers to the U.S., where they would be shown as proof of Nazi evil experiments upon humans. He then arranges with Hector to get people who would dramatically recognize the transformed people. Hector is also contacted by Manfred, who had finished with his work in Glamaria and wanted to be pulled through to Rebma.

Bleys contacts Alexandra and tells her that his brother Brand is on the loose, and that he is dangerous and a skillful liar. He says that Brand caused a great deal of damage to the Pattern. Alexandra begins to sink into despair at this, trusting no one and sulking.

Janica then returns to Rebma from a visit to King Eric in Amber, where he had offered all of the company hospitality if they helped with the war effort. He explained that he needed time to research how to lift the curse, and wants help to reduce his distractions by the war. She comes back and later presents Hector to the king.

Meanwhile, Alexandra has gone into a deep funk. She refuses trump contacts, and stays locked inside her room in Rebma. Manfred camps outside her door for an hour, and chats with her about pushing themselves as the only ones with "proletarian values".

Meanwhile, Federico gives an inspired, rousing speech to the news reporters on the street about the terrible atrocities done by Nazi scientists on good, Christian men and women to change into super-soldiers. He tells the crowd about how these hideous monstrosities are ripping through and killing the good, god-fearing people of England and other freedom-loving places. He goes on at length, impressing all with his rousing speech -- then they are lead off to be off in some safe place arranged by Lydia.

After this, Federico returns to Rebma. Janica and Hector officially leave for Amber, while Manfred stays on and takes over helping out the war effort.