Editing Volume One: The Vampire of the Dungeons (section)

====<big>An Offer, Jurt's Stash and The Throne of Paragon</big>====


After some time in the Kingdom of Vulsara, where Realmer was unable to meet the new King Vance, he get a Trump contact
*'''Daniel Eric Van Campen Sr.'''
Realmer first tries to identify the type of Trump contact. If it is Amber is origin, he will try a trick Dworkin told him about once, and sort through the King Random Deck until he can tell who is calling... if he can.
*'''Michael James Watson'''
Its an amber trump and when you start narrowing it on a card you think it may be Jurt.
*'''Daniel Eric Van Campen Sr.'''
Realmer allows contact, cautiously.
*'''Michael James Watson'''
"Hey.. I've got company and they want to see you too. Care to come through?"
*'''Daniel Eric Van Campen Sr.'''
"Sure. Vulsara is a bit boring for my tastes; too much technology. Where are you? Who are you with and should I change my attire?"
*'''Michael James Watson'''
"Well, im in a cavern outside Diega. 10 to 1 amber. Its sort of a bolt hole of mine.. I was resting here and this fucking guy shows.. Its not a knives out thing but he wants to talk to both of us."
*'''Daniel Eric Van Campen Sr.'''
"I understand. Did he give a name? Would you mind describing him?" Realmer feels a bit paranoid and prepares for the worst.
*'''Michael James Watson'''
'He didn't give a name because i know who he is, and he is freaking me out. And he wants to speak to us both. I can't talk more on trump because of the bloody eavesdropping"
*'''Daniel Eric Van Campen Sr.'''
"Pull me through" Realmer says, his Bone Staff in hand with the Red Mandalay Stone temporarily mounted in the eye socket of a skull atop the staff.
*'''Michael James Watson'''
Stepping into a large cavern the fist noticeable thing is that the room is filled with gold. Gold art. Gold bar, piles of gold coins, chests and chests, some open filled with gems. A veritable dragon's hoard. Jurt is sitting in a gold throne though he looks awkward in it. Near him is a dark skinned man with blond hair in a brooks brothers suit, black and black shirt. He has a small round table with a crystal bottle of purple liquid and three glasses.
Jurt nods, "Realmer, This is Cadice Jesby. a Lord of Chaos. Cadice, This is Relmopator Barimen, a Lord of Amber. "
He nod, "Its a pleasure.. Now we can talk." Pours three glasses of the purple liquid. Sets two at the edges of the table
*'''Michael James Watson'''
"Lord Jurt, Lord Realmer...Well, Jurt would know, but your sir should, Im a broker of bets. A gambler by trade.. And a wager has been established in Chaos concerning you two. A fair fortune has been set in escrow to its completion and certain factors will pay off on various elements. The first element is occuring now"
*'''Daniel Eric Van Campen Sr.'''
Realmer is immediately intrigued and takes one of the glasses of purple liquid and holds it up and says, "I am more than happy to listen and drink. Are there any other chairs here, or should I Conjure my own?"
*'''Michael James Watson'''
he nods, a chair appears, "My pleasure. The first bet was if you would pick up a glass. " He picks up his and raises it, then drinks, raises it again. "To the patron Lords of Chaos"
*'''Michael James Watson'''
Jurt comes up and takes the drink. It is a smooth potent brew tasting of floral rose.
*'''Michael James Watson'''
Jesby pulls out two hockey pucks and puts them before each of you.
"These are obsidian discs. Inside each is a House Stone."
Jurt goes wide eyed. "ReallY?"
He nods, "Yes, Jesby is staking this game. Care to hear the terms? Or is a little treason to risky for such as you both?"
*'''Daniel Eric Van Campen Sr.'''
Realmer leans to Jurt and whispers, "Looks like a Dragon's Horde in here." Then turns to Jesby and says, "Explain what a House Stone is and for what House, then explain the terms." Though Realmer has lifted and snifted the glass, he did not drink.
*'''Michael James Watson'''
Jurt picks up the puck, examining it through a logrus lens
*'''Michael James Watson'''
Jesby"a House stone is needed to establish a formal House in Chaos. Break the puck before the Tomb of the Ancestors of Darkness and then place the stone before the throne of Swayvill in Theldane. Do these two things and a House is Created. It would only have one person but from such a seed great houses grow. No fealty is required, no blood is drawn. Once completed, the House is named, and from then on, its all politics. There are forces willing to gamble on many elements as this game proceeds. Win or lose. Among them is that Jurt must survive assassin's hired by his father. Bets are in place..Other stakes are active now as well. the next one is if you will claim the obsidian discs and participate in the game. This may take an Age in amber to resolve, but it begins when you each claim your disc and begin the path to create your house in Chaos."
He refills glasses.
*'''Daniel Eric Van Campen Sr.'''
Realmer smiles at Jesby and places the still full glass, untasted, back on the table and says, "I was already offered a House in Chaos; House Barimen. I refused it, I refuse this. So sorry you had to travel all this way. Well met and good bye."
Realmer turns to Jurt, "Do you want help getting rid of him, or do you have it under control?"
*'''Michael James Watson'''
Jurt picks up the disc, kisses it, "Its under control. Jesby, tell your people to establish me a line of credit. "
He nods, "Very well Lord Jurt. Lord Realmer, this disc waits in the Hall of Games of the House Jesby, It shall be there indefinitely. Good Luck, Lord Jurt. If you come to Chaos, you will have safe haven in House Jesby."
He stands, the table and bottles fading to smoke. He withdraws a trump and steps through it
*'''Daniel Eric Van Campen Sr.'''
Realmer just looks at Jurt, silently.
*'''Michael James Watson'''
Jurt steps back the the oddly angles throne and runs the disc over his fingers
*'''Michael James Watson'''
Jurt smiles, "Unexpected, but again not a surprise.. Chaosians will bet on anything. "
*'''Daniel Eric Van Campen Sr.'''
"Well, I rarely bet on anything, unless it is part of a strategy. I am not a fan of gambling, not in the traditional sense. As far as others betting on me or my actions or lack of actions, that is of no concern of mine. And I am not interested in the game presented or the reward offered. But it seems you're interested.... or you want them to think as much." Realmer says with a smile.
*'''Michael James Watson'''
"I have no interest in founding a house in chaos. However, great houses have stones like this to give to honored retainers. Sawall had none. Jesby just put two into the game. I may never use it, but i have it just in case. On never knows..."
*'''Michael James Watson'''
"You were noticing the gold? Yes, its a funny story. Shows in a way the lack of business acumen in Amberites and shadow walkers. Its so easy for them to amass a fortune in what every currency they desire that they forget how hard it is for everyone else. We are in the Treasure trove of Diarsa. This is a shadow a few shades from Diega. Its long been a bandits and raider's realm. Centuries i understand. It has a variety of shadow defenses that have caused even the best shadow walkers to only find echos of it. Brigands, orcs, blue dwarves, unemployed mercenaries, disavowed nobles, escaped prisoners and every kind of riffraff gets drawn to these shadows where they hideout while raiding the trade routes into Diega. They also have some ports where Pirates have long plagued the sea route of Amber and Diega from. Diega has called on Amber a lot over the centuries. Bleys says over the centuries he, Corwin, Eric, Flora, Caine and Gerard have all come and wiped out various incarnations or the brigands that get drawn here. I suppose its understandable i got here eventually, being both villain and hero. Yet no matter how many times they raided the place brigands always returned to people the land and they never found the great treasure of the assembled raiding"
Playing with the puck he goes on.
"So a couple years back i was shipping a rather large cargo of pure Trasidy Urala and the caravan, led by a business partner of mine named Adavan, and the raiders her hit it. Now they took it fairly close to Diaga and while i could have managed it on my own i tend to be messy and flashy and i didn't want that kind of attention on my essentially illegal importation of a controlled substance into Amber. So I contacted one of the cousins, Macsen, to help. He is of Trasidy and I played on his sense of righteousness and loyalty to his countryman of Trasidy. He had just left Benedict's finishing school. He volunteer and he and his squire, a remarkable woman came to see about it. You see, Macsen holds Wayfinder,one of the Red Gale blades that is a hell of a tracking device. When he got to them he called me. I got there and he not only had his squire helping him but friggin Dalt, his father, and a provincial from Adagalasck you probably know; someone named Trualta, called the Horse Lord. "
He conjures cigars, lighting one and inhaling the multicolored urala smoke.
"We used Wayfinder, found the brigands and followed them down a long tunnel, inadvertently shifting shadows. I called on Bleys for esoteric technical advice and he came through. As we finished off the rest of the brigands Bleys realized what we had done was find the secret entrance to the brigand's final hideaway in Diarsa. Bleys, Dalt, Trualta, Macsen and his squire went off to ravage the remaining brigands."
He makes sailing ships of smoke sail through multicolored rings in the air,
"They informed Random about the discovery of the tunnel, and sent off to Diega to take over the shadow. And they all essentially ignored the extraordinary hoard of treasure. I transferred it to a shadow i had and let them take over the shadow and its pathetic population of victims the brigands had serving them, Some for generations. The heroes got the glory and the accolades, restored order and freed the brigand's prisoners, and received the thanks of a grateful Diagan royal house and all their merchant guilds. I got the treasure and recovered my Urala. Fair deal. Adavan was delighted with the 2% of the treasure trove i gave him as a finder's fee. He after all, is a man of business."
*'''Daniel Eric Van Campen Sr.'''
"I rarely collected wealth of any kind except to pay for my magical endeavors. Though... I am fond of gemstones and jewelry; carries more value for the weight than most any precious metal or other currency I have come across."
Realmer lights up one of the cigars with a Cantrip, inhales deeply, and blows multi-colored smoke as he exhales, then continues.
"Once I learned the Amberite way to wealth, well, I collected many gems and jewels for the purpose of trade as I traveled through Shadow. I still have a few small stashes in Shadow and I always carry a small fortune in gems at all times."
"So, I don't know what you're up to next, but I have a few things I would like to do, before I Proceed with the King. Three or four of them you could accompany me on... and possibly help me with. And before long I must plan a night at Thin Whip's Place."
*'''Michael James Watson'''
"There are places in chaos that would make this treasure look like a piggy bank. Some lords are avaricious in the extreme. And there is some buying and selling in chaos. As one might gather, exchange rates are variable. But trade is handled differently there. The Lords of Chaos, even minor ones like myself, Despil, Vek & Shaz Far, have the same abilities to create wealth as Amberite shadow walkers. So the lure of gold is negligible. Still, its nice to have a place like this just for the art of it. Gaudy, to be sure, but interesting. And its amazing what you can find in a dragon's hoard. The brigands for a thousand year brought things here.. Who knows where this throne came from but When im sitting in it i can tell I am being lied to. Im going to instal it in my club someplace gaudy,"
*'''Daniel Eric Van Campen Sr.'''
"Well, yes; there is a certain aesthetic to an all gold hoard, to be sure."
Realmer looks over the Gold Hoard, noticing the different shades of 'gold', the polished bits versus the tarnished bits, visually picking out any items that are not purely gold.
"And I am familiar with Dragon's Hoards and the odd and surprising things that can be found within; I was personally involved in the slaying of two Dragons, at separate times of course. In both instances, there was more treasure than we could take so we all learned the Art of Looting a Hoard. Plus I was also turned into a Dra...."
Realmer trails off then turns away from looking at the hoard and looks purposefully at Jurt, one eyebrow raised.
"Wait.... you did just say that the Throne gives you the ability to detect lies? I recalled reading that a Stone of Paragon as well as a Shard of Paragon has the same property.... and you also just said you have no idea the origin of the Throne...."
Realmer focuses on the Throne trying to use his Imprint of Paragon to determine if the Throne is of Paragon in any way, or if the power is just a coincidence of similarity.
*'''Michael James Watson'''
 Jurt stands, looks at the throne.. Raising the sigil of the Logrus he stretches his hands in to visible tendrils. Running his hand through it.
The imprint of Paragon is new to Realmer and when he focuses it sends shooting pain piercing his brain left to right, back to front and as it leaves out the front of his head a symbol appears. It is quickly spinning counterclockwise and building up speed. The pain gone there is a sense of fractured and difficult to control power in the shimmering symbol before him.
Looking at Realmer in concern Jurt suddenly grimaces and the symbol appears before him as well. He seems to be applying his Psyche to control its rate of spin, to slow its wild advance down.


*'''Daniel Eric Van Campen Sr.'''
Realmer is used to pain and he breathes and focuses through it. When he sees/senses what Jurt is doing, he does the same, slows the spin of the Sigil with the force of his Psyche; he does not stop it instantly, as that could be dangerous and painful, he slows it down to a very slow spin, only stopping the spin if he feels it is correct, then looks through its center at the Throne.
*'''Michael James Watson'''
as the wheel slows there is a face in the center, a bald pale face man with the look of good humor, a slight surprised smile. Part of the sigil appears in front of him. He has a look of a young man but something in his eyes is an old soul.. the face lasts a few seconds before fading..
Through the sigil a tiny fragment of power rests deep within the base of the throne, in cased in solid pure gold. It pulses in the Paragon vision as if recognizing a friend..
Yet the sigil seems somehow potent, yet fractured, deadly an undependable. Willing but reluctant.. There is something about it that is unnerving to the esoteric magical senses of a sorcerer. Without trying Realmer identify 12 places for hanging major spells and as many as 20 for minor spells, but the shimmering of the sigil make him think they may no reliably hold them. There is a sense of other powers just out of reach of the wielder of the imprint.
*'''Michael James Watson'''
Jurt-"Well, ill be damned, and probably.. The Logrus sight didn't show that nugget in there but the paragon one does,...tricky"
*'''Daniel Eric Van Campen Sr.'''
"I wasn't sure if the Pattern Sight would see it either, not that I have tried, but I figured if there was a trace of Paragon on this Throne, the Sigil of Paragon would detect it. Did you notice that it seems there are missing powers of the Sigil? And that the Spell Slots seem to be a bit unstable? And did you see that face?"
*'''Michael James Watson'''
"I've seen that before. Woven Logrus, Broken Patterns, the Crumpled Sigil, Fractured Mal at Riess, several different abyssal sigils. Constructs not quite reliable or somehow damaged. It can be potent to hang spells on them but i wouldn't hang life and death ones. As for the face, i recognize it. a face out of legend with a portrait in the ancestral hall of Theldane; The Sage of Catala. He rules a realm floating in the deep reaches of the stuff of Chaos.. and... it is rumored that his realm is based on the largest surviving shard of Paragon.. and now he knows us. "
*'''Daniel Eric Van Campen Sr.'''
"Well.... I guess we should expect a message or invite from the Sage of Catala someday, or maybe an emissary. It seems of late that I am getting invited to participate in a variety of events and rituals based on power of one sort or another. Perhaps I should check my Astrological Chart and do a Tarot Reading for myself... and just maybe... visit an Oracle."
"I wonder if the Throne itself is of Paragon as well, or just the... Shard perhaps, within? Let's take a look."
Realmer focuses on the 'nugget' within to determine 1) If it is a Stone or a Shard, 2) If the 'nugget' is bound to the throne or can be removed and 3) If the Throne itself is of Paragon.
*'''Michael James Watson'''
The throne seems to have some kind of shielding to make it undetectably magical to nearly all sources.
Jurt purses his lips. "Hmmm that's interesting.. Ah, Realmer.. would you mind sitting on that thing for a second? I want to test something."
*'''Daniel Eric Van Campen Sr.'''
"Well.... only because I've seen you sitting in it already. Should I drop the Sigil or leave it up?"
Once Jurt answers Realmer will do as Jurt asks and sit on the throne.
*'''Michael James Watson'''
"Drop it.. no... raise another.. Amber or Adagalasck...."
Realmer raises a sign and sits.
J-"Well damn... that's something.. Ok, come look at me through the pattern and Adagalask lens and ill do it. "
Replacing places Jurt raises the Sigil of Chaos and Realmer can see it clear in all its writhing glory. When Jurt sits down the sigil appears gone. In fact Realmer can not sense any magic through either lens, as if jurt was a non-magical person with no imprint of any kind.
j_"I've the Logrus up.. Its locked, stocked and ready to rock. Now try the Paragon Lens.'
When he does he clearly sees the sigil of the Logrus as Jurt says.
j-"Cool huh? now i really want this at the club."
*'''Daniel Eric Van Campen Sr.'''
As Jurt requested, Realmer dropped the Paragon Sigil and brought up the Spiral first, then sat. While sitting he switched to the Pattern.
Once they switch places and Realmer learns what Jurt had discovered, he grins from ear to ear and says, "Absolutely fascinating. I can see why. But I wonder if the Shard within is powering the Throne or if the Power is part of the throne itself. Or maybe a combination of the two."
"I wonder what else in this Golden Hoard is of Paragon?"
Realmer raises and lowers both eyebrows repeatedly, then with the Sigil of Paragon before him, he begins scanning in a circle around him. He is not looking at anything specifically, but more over looking for Auras or feeling for a pull towards something or a sense of Paragon about something or an area.
*'''Michael James Watson'''
Among the piles of loose coins and gold plate, items,sculptures, and loose clutter are many gold braced boxes of rare woods. In them are signs of a large number of low order magical items and things that have residual magic showing that they may be more potent in different shadows. Among these are four that stand out. 2 are long identical boxes 3x3x5, holding tightly stacked items that have a strong magical signature of high order origins. One is a long narrow brown leather case with a signature of a pair of items inside. The last in a small long case in a wood that is smooth and has a two items inside of high order magic. All four cases are together, showing that jurt has clearly already examined them
*'''Daniel Eric Van Campen Sr.'''
"Looks like you have already found the magical goodies" Realmer says as he nods towards the stacked up crates.
"I wonder if a Spell might help us learn more about this Throne. Jurt, I'm gonna try a couple of things to see if I can learn more about our Mystery Throne."
Realmer knows that Magery (Warlock) works in this region of Shadow and is pretty sure Wizardry (D&D) does not, so he first tries a Low Order Magery Spell he has memorized called: View Past, which Realmer focuses on the Throne.
*'''Michael James Watson'''
View past looks into the recent past of the area cast. Realmer might see week into the past but nothing ancient and nothing out of the room
However, casting the spell anyway as part of a process he sees Jurt speaking over a trump while sitting in the throne. It looks like a very volatile conversation.
*'''Daniel Eric Van Campen Sr.'''
Even though Realmer is fairly confident that it will not work, he casts a Wizardry Spell: Legend Lore. If it does not work, he will try again with the Sigil of Paragon up and he will try to focus his spell casing through it.
*'''Michael James Watson'''
Placing a hand on the throne, after jurt vacates it, he starts the ritual.
Jurt goes over and muscles the large box of tightly packed item over to another table and fiddles with the lock..
A vision occurs of a massive red skinned dwarf sitting in the chair, sweaty, dripping with perspiration. Around him is forge fires and people working on many projects. The Dwarf stands and walks to greet several humans entering the smithy. they give him a box the size of a foot locker. He opens it, nods, closes it and waves. The men approach the throne and levitate it out of the chamber. Once gone, the dwarf laughs
Jurt has pulled a smaller box from the bigger one
*'''Daniel Eric Van Campen Sr.'''
If the Vision is completed, Realmer will look to the boxes Jurt has piled up to see if any match the one the red skinned dwarf was given, accounting for aging, of course. While he is looking over the crates and boxes, Realmer relates exactly what he saw to Jurt.
*'''Michael James Watson'''
Jurt pushes a small box over. none resemble the ones in the vision
j_"These are clever. Take one. I've heard of them. Gonna take them to the bar and figure out a way to cut down on kitchen problems. Each contains a dinner plate, salad plate, dessert plate, and a cup& saucer. Three times a day each one can fill. One never knows what will be on them except its food. As I understand it the longer a person owns them the closer they get to providing food to their racial preference. Wonder what they think Amberites like mostly. In my experience Amberites prefer alot. Though Vek is an Amberite and he was a prep chef in Hell i hear. Well, Hendrake Hall I mean. Man could end up with roast flank of centaur. Oh the saucers provide a snack try with each meal.. Funny high order magic to make.. Mandalayan i think, but i can't be sure."
*'''Daniel Eric Van Campen Sr.'''
"It absolutely sounds Mandalayan. I read something about Mandalay and it sounds identical to what you just told me about this Dinnerware. And I will take a set, thank you; save me from having to use a Spell or order and wait for food from the kitchens, Castle Amber or the Embassy in Adagalasck. And sounds like it might broaden my palate in the process."
Realmer stretches an outer pocket on his Robes, via Item Shape Shifting, and pushes the box in until it disappears. Jeff, the Robe, will move the box to one of the larger inner pockets and reform its outer pocket back to normal appearance.
"I'm going to try the Spell again, to see if I can learn more, but I'm going to try something a little different this time; academic curiosity. I won't be able to do this again until tomorrow at earliest... need to re-memorize the Spell. Perhaps I should invest the time into making this Spell a High Order Spell... might be more useful and more informative being based on a High Order Power."
Since the Spell worked on its own, this time Realmer will focus the Legend Lore Spell through the Sigil of Paragon hanging before him. He recalls that the Power of the Sigil of Paragon greatly boosts Low Order Magics; perhaps he can get another Vision, perhaps he can get more of the Story of the Throne.
*'''Michael James Watson'''
Holder of a shard, and initiated to it, is greatly boosted in using low order magic. Casting the Legend lore while holding to sigil of Paragon up causes the symbol to spin again quickly.
The vision come painfully. It shows the giant Dwarf holding a piece of rock with a tiny point emitting light. He walks to a forging table and pushes great power through a narrow beam into the shard and a short laser point comes from it. The view turns and shows 12 identical swords, differing only in their pommel. The blades each glow. He runs the inscribing tool over each. He walks to the throne, sinking his hand into the solid gold. Removing his hand, open, empty. He steps up into the throne and fades to sleep
A blinding pain drops the sigil of paragon and racks Realmer's psyche into submission.
Realmer wakes to the smell of coffee, Jurt kneeling next to him, "Realmer? Come on... wake up.. The effect is fading...Wake up..I've got Azcalan coffee ready for you."
*'''Daniel Eric Van Campen Sr.'''
Realmer takes the coffee and drinks slowly and carefully. He does not push himself, he takes his time to recover from the effects of pushing things too far. Once he feels better, and the coffee kicks in, he will then finally speak.
"I learned quite a bit on that one... combined with what I learned from the first I may have some answers. But first, how long have I been out?"
*'''Michael James Watson'''
"About an hour.. Hope you don't mind but i used a clean spell on you and your clothes.. Sort of... well, wouldn't want to go to court smelling like that."
*'''Daniel Eric Van Campen Sr.'''
"Thank you, Jurt, it was a painful Vision. I'm not surprised I made a mess of myself."
Realmer then relates the second Vision to Jurt, same as he did the first.
"I think the massive red skinned dwarf is the God Vulcan and the Swords I saw are the Swords of Power... or as they are better known as, the Blades of Red Gale. And as I am sure you saw, the Shard in this Throne was used by a God to inscribe Power into those Blades. I believe this Throne is a mighty Relic and bears more study... I'm not sure you should be displaying at Thin Whip's Place; I don't think it would be prudent. I am sure there is more to this Throne than what we have discovered thus far."
*'''Michael James Watson'''
jurt nods. "Perhaps.. But i certainly can't take it to the dungeon. At my place it will be plenty visible. all hours of the day. If there is a shard in it then it must be a tiny one. We can study it there. Close to Amber, not owned by Amber. And if they want the shard in it they will pay big. Right now I've got trouble. My brother is sore at me. Random is about to get a visit from his new brother in law and he will be escorting the new Ambassador to Amber from Chaos. And Random is going to be pissed purple when she gets there and this is all my fault.. Hmmm Red Gale blade..hmmmm that gives me an idea..."
He sips his coffee. "Of course, that beg the question how did it end up here? Who was sending it somewhere near enough fr Diasara raiders to grab it? How long has it been here?'
*'''Daniel Eric Van Campen Sr.'''
Realmer finishes his cup of coffee then looks for a pot to refill his cup. He also looks to see if there is anything to eat; he knows he needs to replenish his energy.
"Well, I wasn't suggesting you take it to Amber or give it to the King... I was just commenting that displaying it at your Club in plain sight might not be wise, but..." Realmer pauses a moment as he thinks, then continues. "But, you may be right about it being safe where it can be watched at all times... I was just concerned that some patron may recognize what it is and try to use it or take it... and, I believe, this Relic is too important and maybe too powerful to let go or let fall into the wrong hands."
"My other concerns about it being in or too close to Amber is that as we are researching it and experimenting with its powers, someone, or several someones, may very well sense those emanations of power and come looking. My other concern is that Low Order Magic does not function in Amber and thus far, it has been Low Order Spells that have given us the most information on this Throne. But, with a little time, I could craft a High Order Spell that would duplicate the effects of the Low Order Spells I have been using."
"As to your questions as to how it got here, how long, by whom and why... those may be answerable by way of more spell casting as well as some research in... well, I was going to say the Library in Castle Amber, but maybe we should research this outside of Amber for the time being; if either one of us goes into the Library looking for a tome on ancient gold thrones, Arloxedra will certainly become involved. Though his skills in Research and Magic are beyond reproach, I think it best to keep this between us for the time being. Maybe I can visit the Academy at Fantalin and use the Academy Library instead. I might attract some attention, me returning to the Academy, but better Aries than Arlo... Aries will be curious, but not like Arloxedra. But, this is your Relic and your decision to make; I am here to advise and research."
Realmer grins and winks at Jurt then looks to the Throne and wonders about it as well... Who was it made for? Where was it taken? And how DID it get here?
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*'''Michael James Watson'''
Jurt-"You make a good point. And echo a few I've thought since i found the thing."
He pulls out several plates from the dish bow and raps on them, filing the plate with an odd mixture of foods, Jurt picks up a cashew butter and sardine sandwich and sits back in the throne to nosh. A pasta dish looking reasonable normal fills a dinner plate
"There are plenty of sorcerers in Amber these days that might be able to feel us manipulating the forces. I know you and Arlo are not on the best of terms but my problem with him is that he is a direct channel to Random. But whats worse is that the new Ambassador to Amber is a world class badass sorcerer and a deeply evil bitch to boot. It going to be bad enough when i see her but having her feel me working the logrus and checking up on me would just suck.. Aries is more scholarly but he'll call Random too. So who do we trust? mandor and Fiona might be good but im not on good terms with them. Suhuy would just claim the thing.
"We need someone with high esoteric skills and who might not go directly to Random. I have a couple suggestions, though they are bound to piss off people across the board. One's name is Digan, called the Ruby Mage. He's director of Magical Services for CHAD. Hes been to my place several times and we have had some interesting talks. The other person is Nur al Din El Musifar, another Tosian, though he is not currently a member of CHAD. He is a Thrice Crowned Bard, and Archmage, and...well.. You know that Tosa/York bein in a shade of Amber react to the shadow systems as if they were Amber themselves and in that comparison his has become the High Lord of Chaos in his shade level. As such he is an object of mockery in Chaos. Its only fair to mention that Digan, though a Tosianm is an actual Lord of Chaos as I am though my understanding is that he is defroked having fought beside Tolknor at Patternfall. "
*'''Daniel Eric Van Campen Sr.'''
Realmer picks up the plate of pasta and a fork, finds a place to sit and tries a bite of the food before speaking.
"Well, my list of candidates is very short; my Cousins, Archmage Ninaaratres, the Titular Queen of Adagalasck, Mistress of the North Wind and her sister, Archmage Emiliesa, Mistress of the East Wind. Both are in Adagalasck, a Primal Realm with a powerful inscription."
Realmer pauses to take a few bites then continues.
"I also have a secure Shadow there, off of the North Stair. I am sure neither of them would run to Random, nor do I think their husbands would either, Julian and Caine, that is. In fact, if we make it seem esoteric enough, without mentioning too much, we might be able to avoid the involvement of Julian and Caine all together. And we may not even need to consult Emiliesa."
Realmer pauses again, taking a few more bites before continuing.
"My only other candidate would be my Grandfather; Dworkin. I am sure I could get him to leave Amber to consult or assist, but I cannot guarantee he won't tell Random or take the Throne for himself, for study or power, or both."
Realmer nods to himself then begins eating again.
*'''Michael James Watson'''
Jurt nods, "Dworkin....that's some big guns. i think he might just take it and tell us to go play with less dagerous toys. Digan owes me a few favors but the CHAD people, the leadership that is, creep me out a little. Lop came to my place once and he looked around like he was deciding how to redecorate it after he foreclosed. Of course my club has a crapton of the members every night. Got to love adventurers. Free with their gold, free with their powers, never learned how to adequately protect themselves from psyche probes. As for Nina.....That's interesting.. I'd like to meet her. There is considerable gossip about she and her sister. I understand Chaos is going to send an ambassador. would you call her or do you have a trump to your places there?"
*'''Daniel Eric Van Campen Sr.'''
"I agree with your assessment of Dworkin; and I'm sure he would lecture us like we were children before he left. I have had some dealings with CHAD and their leadership; I have a personal guard I hired from CHAD when I first got here, not realizing I had an assigned Elite following me around already. Any way, got CHAD working in parts of Adagalasck from time to time; they were quite helpful during the War with Hagalta and Tonacat's troops."
Realmer finishes his plate of pasta and pulls out two bottles from his Robe pocket: one large filled with clean water, the other small, filled with a Restorative Potion. He drinks the potion first, waits for about 10 seconds, then drinks the bottle of water as though he has not slaked his thirst in days or weeks.
"Nina... yes... I can contact her; I have a Trump of her, not from the King Random Deck, given to me by Julian... it has never failed when I have used it before. Plus I can contact her via the Spiral, like I did you, if needed. And since I don't know your Digan, even by reputation, but you know of Nina, at least by reputation, then perhaps she would be our better candidate... in my opinion. Shall I try to contact her now?"
Realmer is already reaching for her Trump, not the one in the Deck like the rest, but up his sleeve inside a special pocket just for holding a Trump card.
*'''Daniel Eric Van Campen Sr.'''
"Oh, and... I'm not sure saying Nina owes me favors is accurate, but I did awaken her from her long sleep, opened Adagalasck, returned her lover and husband to her, helped oust Hagalta and resolve a political matter that had been troubling Adagalasck for centuries. And she ended up being the Queen, Titular, of Adagalasck... all because I decided to go to Adagalasck to find my mother. So... I think we are on good terms at the very least."
*'''Michael James Watson'''
j-"Digan is a voluptuary. Reminds me of Mandor sometimes. Elegant. genteel, exquisite taste. Lots of food and dining magic. He has a great power where he never gets dirty. Pour buckets of blood on him and it slides of him and anything he own. Impressive.. A Tosian power I'm told. But he is a first class wizard and a powerful sorcerer. He leads the CHAD wizard's Corp. He has been attending Amber functions as a CHAD representative. He scares the nobles because he is a Chaos Lord of sorts but also a fan of Order. Everything can exist in Chaos, even devotes to Law. Call Nina"
*'''Michael James Watson'''
"Digan runs with two....companions? One is a talking cat with a fire trollstone of its own mounted in its forehead, covered by an illusion of fur, and he is a very potent low Order Mage. The other is a leprechaun girl who has apparently born two children for an old one named Cthulhu and lived to tell of it. The creature buffed her life forces up and imbued her with power to make her survive it but she is creepy as hell. Broken. Broken, crazy, a Madwand, and dangerous as an abyssal demon. Being around Digan calms her down thankfully"
*'''Daniel Eric Van Campen Sr.'''
Realmer, as he draws out his Trump of Nina, looks at Jurt and says, "Powerful companions, indeed. But I think we need less madness and more reason. I will call Nina."
Realmer focuses on the image of Nina on the Trump that Julian gave him, waiting for contact...
*'''Michael James Watson'''
the contact come swiftly
"Realmer! What a surprise.. I thought you would be off a wandering for a generation of men. What do I owe the pleasure to?"
*'''Daniel Eric Van Campen Sr.'''
"Ninaaratres, wonderful to see you in good spirits. I have a favor to ask; I am in need of one highly skilled in the Arcane Arts and equally knowledgeable in Arcane Lore... and, to be honest, someone who is unlikely to consult with King Random before, during or after our discussion. And though I trust very few, and those I do trust, I only barely trust, as is the case with all from Amber and Adagalasck... I feel that I can trust you more than most, and I was hoping we could keep this matter between us... and another I am involved with in this matter. Are you willing to keep confidence in this matter?"
*'''Michael James Watson'''
'I should consider myself complemented but im not certain. Will you come through or shall I? Its been an age of Amber since i left this realm. Might be time for it"
*'''Daniel Eric Van Campen Sr.'''
Realmer partially covers the Trump, not enough to break the contact, but enough to mute his conversation with Jurt.
"She said we could come through, but it really sounds like she would love to come here... she hasn't left her Realm in ages. Would it be acceptable to bring her here, Jurt? Saves us from having to move it."
*'''Michael James Watson'''
Jurt nods and taps the plates to refill with fresh food.
Nina steps through, looking around the gold filled room with a bit of surprise.
Nina nods to Realmer"Thanks you for inviting me.. This room is quite a sight. One rarely sees this much treasure in one place. I can smell the manipulation of forces..oh.. you are keeping company with a Lord of Chaos i see.. That is unexpected."
She raises a sign you are unfamiliar with. It writhes in red and black and feels oppressive and heavy in the air.
Jurt leaps to his feet and raises the the Sign of the Logrus
"Realmer!!!! She's an Abyssal Lord!!!!!!!!"
*'''Daniel Eric Van Campen Sr.'''
Realmer steps between the two of them, but does not raise any Sigil of Power, only his hands.
"So I have unusual acquaintances" he says to them both. "Now, if you could both please, drop your respective Sigils and relax so we can talk Magic over food and drinks. And if the fare the Plates provide is not adequate, I will gladly Conjure up some refreshments more to everyone's liking."
Realmer looks from one to the other, looking each in the eyes.
"Please, can we all get along?"
*'''Michael James Watson'''
Nina laughs..."To be honest i wasn't sure i cold raise it still. Emile and I spent very little time there as children before Oberon brought us to Amber."
*'''Daniel Eric Van Campen Sr.'''
"Well, in that case, let us enjoy an exquisite meal in equally exquisite surroundings. Jurt, if you don't mind, I'm going to temporarily requisition your hoard, but don't worry, when I dismiss the Spell, everything will go back exactly as it was."
Realmer cast a High Order Spell based upon a Low Order Spell from his past; Secure Shelter. It will take any and all available materials at hand and turn them into a shelter of Realmer's desire.
The gold treasure turns into walls around them, forming a large single room with walls of gold going from floor to ceiling with open windows in each wall. It also creates a round dining table and chairs, also made of gold, for the three of them to sit at. Any gems contained in the hoard would have been incorporated into a single 'stained glass' window. All of this occurs around the area of the Throne, with it now being off to one side of the 'dining room' with the gem window behind it.
Once the Secure Shelter Spell is complete, Realmer will cast another High Order Spell of his own creation; Resplendent Refreshments (think 'Mandor Level' meal). Fine porcelain tableware appears along with platinum flatware, then the food appears on platters in the middle of the golden table. Realmer includes a variety of popular Amber, Chaos and Adagalasck dishes... and his personal favorite; steak tartar. There is also an assortment of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and fine crystal glasses and goblets.
"There. Much better. Now, can we sit, eat and talk? That Throne over there is the object of of our discussion."
*'''Michael James Watson'''
Nina nods, "I thought as much. It emits high energy... "
Nina picks at the food looking at the throne. Jurt looks unamused for some reason.
Jurt asks, "Oberon brought you to Amber, after siring you and your sister? Your trumps, and the commentary on them, say you are Adask and she is fey. I gather that isn't true. "
Nina-"Young Lord, i sense your imprint of the Logrus is relatively new. Does Chaos pride itself on rudeness still? To answer your question I am racially Adask. My sister is fey. These races may be found in the Abyss and Oberon did so. Oberon created a sanctuary and brought our races out of the abyss. Stripped two whole levels of hell of its fodder and brought us to a land of our salvation. The Chaos Lords refused to preserve us out of their angst over the House Barimen. Oberon left our peoples in the sanctuary, along with our mothers, and took us to Amber.. There we knew love and betrayal. Oberon stole us from our loves, and sealed us in our sanctuary. He left many artifacts of hell there. and what he wrought..grew. Now, Rude Lord, you called me here for my expertise and got a lesson in history. You, are in my debt. Acknowledge that or i shall splash you in blood across these walls of gold."
*'''Daniel Eric Van Campen Sr.'''
"Jurt, I am pretty certain she could do it and just as certain I could not stop her. And... you were a little rude to my guest and, hopefully, our help with this matter. And Nina, there is no need to jump to threats... or promises of violence; I am sure Jurt meant no offense. And it was not he that called you here for your expertise, it was me. Jurt wanted to contact someone else, someone from the Courts that he knows; I convinced him to allow me to contact you instead. Nina, please retract your... threat. Jurt, please apologize. Please, both of you, do this for me, as a favor."
*'''Michael James Watson'''
Nina-"No.. i will not retract my threat. But i need not act on it. We all have our area of experience. I'm sure your companion is a skilled...juggler? Dragonslayer? " Standing, deliberately turning her back on Jurt she walks over toward the table of the strong items.. She runs her hands over them.
"Tell me, Realmer, what is my expertise worth? I assume you did not intend to pay for my service with these coin? "
*'''Daniel Eric Van Campen Sr.'''
"No, Cousin, this hoard is not mine to give; any part of it. And to offer to pay for your expertise with simple wealth, no matter how grand, would be an insult; I am certain you have considerable wealth of your own and, as with all Amberites, you could easily go find more if you so desired."
Realmer, who is still standing, picks up a porcelain cup and saucer, the cup is filled with a strong tea. Realmer takes his tea and walks over to the Throne that Jurt vacated when he jumped up at Nina's arrival. He has a seat, making himself comfortable. He holds the saucer in one hand and the cup in the other, he takes a sip and smiles.
"To be perfectly honest, Nina, I'm not sure what I could offer you that you do not already have. You possess Power, both actual and political, you bear multiple Imprints, you rule your own Stair, you are the Queen of Adagalasck, your Realm is unified, you have a husband you love that loves you in return, and I am sure you possess Magical Artifacts far beyond those I possess or could Craft. And I am certain you know more people of influence and power than I. And I am equally certain you know more people in general than I, so I am sure your sources of Information are far better than mine. I have spent most of my life in Shadows of little consequence to the Grand Scheme of Things and the rest of my time cloistered in the Dungeons of Amber doing research or in Adagalasck, most recently."
Realmer pauses for a moment and says, mostly to himself, "I really need to get out more." Then he focuses on Nina again.
"So, with that said, perhaps I should defer the question back to you, Nina, and ask; what is it that you want that you believe I could offer?"
*'''Michael James Watson'''
"You give me too much credit, young sir. I was Mistress of the North Wind because in the age of my isolation the realm had need of my powers and i rose to that role through the process of the need of the people. As did my sister among her people. Our realm was not of our creation but it was a refuge for our peoples and then it was a prison. I spent a few season in Amber, when my husband and his brother were young, then i was sealed in my tomb. while my name, and that of my sister, may be bandied about among the rulers of realms we have met few of them. While people are trickling in to Adagalask through the Jeweled Road, few leaders have come. "
Taking a bite of something to consider her words carefully.
"As for powers, I was born in the Abyss and I acquired certain initiations as a youth before Oberon rescued us. If you have never been in the Abyss it might be hard to understand that while horror is a staple of life there, life exists. It strives, it grow, it tries to care for itself. It is vast as Shadow and deep as Chaos and many things there would rock the thrones of Order and Chaos. But i did not become mighty among those there when i and my people left it.
"What i have learned from my time with my husband is far more then i had before. I have learned a a phrase. "A seat at the table and the ear of the king" You ask what you can offer that you have and I do not? I do not have the ear of the king, and i measure that you do. I do not have a seat at the council of powers, and i gather you do. Julian and Caine abandoning Amber undoubtedly has not endeared Random to me and mine. But a word from you might change that. He comes in force to my realm, invites us to travel with him to Chaos. Julian sees this as recognition, i see it as a threat. But perhaps a word in my defense from you would sway the king to recognize, rather then to conquer. I have not walked the Pattern of Amber in Amber. The one i walked was recently ripped from the abyss by a kinsman of ours and that is a king I do not know either. Your word might convince them to give me permission to assay them. "
Turning to Jurt, "And you, who fears me without reason, I smell the Courts of Chaos on you. I have never been to the courts but its denizens have raided the abyss for powers and made the hell realms worse. They seek the source of the abyss. They seek to steal the stones of power that fell to the depths and rest as rubble before the Tomb of the Ancestors of Darkness. They seek shards of the dead realms of Paragon and Calmir that they foolishly threw into the Abyss. I do not know if your word is worth anything in Amber, but i sense it is. So you can pay me for my services in that coin as well"
*'''Daniel Eric Van Campen Sr.'''
Realmer sips his tea and nods his head in consideration of all Nina has said. And since he is sitting on the Throne, he knows the truth or lies of her words. (Is Nina speaking truth?)
"Before I say more, I would like to hear from Jurt." Realmer turns towards him. "If the three of us are to work together, perhaps you should clear the air a bit. Why the hostility, Jurt? Will you be able to work with Nina?"
Realmer is also checking the truth of Jurt's words too, but I'm sure he is aware of that.
*'''Michael James Watson'''
Nina was telling the truth for the most part. Realmer gets a sense she was downplaying her powers but the chair does not seem to think that is exactly lying.
He gets a strong poke when she says to Jurt that he fears her without reason. There is a quiver of something, not an untruth, but possibly a deep truth when she mentions the dead realms of Paragon and Calmir.
Jurt looks at Realmer and puts his hand on the arm of the chair.
"Of course i can work with her. As for why the hostility? Realmer I have been around creatures of Chaos and creatures of the Abyss my whole life. There are a great many initiations in the Abyss, as in Shadow and Chaos, and there is always a reason to fear those with such imprints. However, to raise the sigil she raised one must seek the very depths to the place the symbol of the Abyss rests, near the Tomb of the Ancestor's of Darkness. There is a shortcut to the Tomb of the Ancestors of Darkness in King Random's deck. How he managed that is a trick worth knowing since the place itself has usually refused such magics. So one can get there quick if one has that deck. Everyone else, Chaosian or Abyssal, has to go the hard way; on foot. To do so one must be steeped in deep evil to persevere that far down. how she acquired that imprint is also information worth knowing. But, as you point out, we just need to work together. "
He pats the chair arm a couple time grinning at Realmer.
"As for you m'lady. If you can do what we hope you can, the information gained might be pay enough. But regardless, you'll have gained my respect for your powers and if asked, I shall favorably common on them. you mentioned something though..You say the shards of Paragon and Calmir were thrown into the abyss? this is not part of the legends in Chaos of those realms. Do you know legends of who threw them in?"
*'''Michael James Watson'''
She walks near the Throne, placing an hand on it. It seems to shimmer under realmer.
"Lords of Chaos of course. Creatures of deep woe who were mighty in the youth of all things. Lord Jurt, does it not seem strange to you, as a lord of infinite chaos, that there should be titles there that stratify ranks among those mighty and weak? Would not power be all that was required? Why calculate genealogies except to track powers? You know of course that in Chaos there are creatures of great might that not only have never heard of Amber but have never heard of the Courts of Chaos and its king, the High Lord. One of those beings at the end of all things came east ripping Chaos and a being of great might created Paragon to stop it. It existence offended powers of woe so greatly that they tried to tear it down. In those wars the great house of Chaos collated to do battle. Ancient monsters named Hendrake and Channicut and Helgram gathered followers and did war. becoming houses. In doing so, they became less chaotic, wouldn't you say? "
"In time the great consumer of chaos came against Paragon and broke it, scattering it, and it was itself stunned. So the surviving lords gathered the power they could, the scraps of Calmir and a thousand other constructs of power and sanctified the base of the abyss. In doing so they opened a rift to a place of non-existence that allowed existence.. a paradox, and they put the stunned creature into the place and sealed it within. Then those who were mightiest in powers and wickedness swore to keep the door closed and they established domains in the vat empty Abyss. Legends.. I know..but i never met but two of those ancient creatures, those first Abyssal Lords. One saw me through the refuse at the bottom to attain my imprint in hopes it could devour me or my sister. The other Oberon fought and slew to steal away two peoples.. But woe that they were, they keep the door yet. And the realm that stunned Entropy with its destruction was cast in crumbles.. And a sliver of the sigil of Paragon resides in this chair"
*'''Daniel Eric Van Campen Sr.'''
Realmer sips his tea as he listens to Nina's oration on the Abyss, the creation and destruction of Paragon and the early history of the Courts of Chaos... and he is intrigued to know more. He smiles at Nina's declaration of a Shard of Paragon residing within the Throne, then addresses her.
“Firstly, I believe you are now giving me too much credit, Dark Lady; for as far as me having 'the ear of the king' or 'a seat at the council of powers'... I would say that those two privileges are situational at best... after all, I have never been invited to a poker game.” Realmer chuckles quietly then continues. “But considering recent events, perhaps I give myself too little credit. Regardless, I will certainly speak with King Random on your behalf, as well as for your sister and your respective husbands, and I will broach the subject with him as soon as I am able, most likely right after we conclude our business dealings here. I will also do what I am able to get you, and your sister, permission to walk the Pattern in Amber before we take our Long Walk with the King of Amber... I have also been asked to accompany the Procession to Mandalay and Beyond... I believe that will be your best opportunity to get 'a seat at the table and the ear of the king'.”
Realmer takes a sip of his tea, swirling the warm liquid in his mouth, savoring the flavor before swallowing.
“I find your knowledge of the Early History of Creation fascinating and would love to hear more, but for now, two questions. The Being that shattered Paragon, was it the Being most know as The Serpent of Chaos? And the Being that created Paragon, do you know its name, perchance? And you are most certainly correct about the Throne containing a Shard of Paragon, but what else did you learn? And what else do you know about the history of this Throne?”
*'''Michael James Watson'''
She smiles, looks over Jurt with an appraising eye before turning to Realmer, hand on the throne's arm.
"The easy answer to your last question is that I've no idea where the throne comes from. I can feel echos of images but who or what they portray, i can't say. A warrior king, a man drenched in blood, a courtier in silks, a woman in chains. That's all i can say.. There is an oracle in the South stair that might be able to tell more. She is called the Blue Seer. She sees things that occurred around a person or thing. But she is fickle and mad.'
*'''Michael James Watson'''
"As for what else I learned, its that this Lord of Chaos of yours holds a secret of some power and i stole it from him. He may be angered with me but its for him to avange himself the theft or name the price for the knowledge. I can pay"
She smiles at Jurt.
*'''Michael James Watson'''
"as for the creature who broke Paragon.... no...it was not the Serpent. Nor the Unicorn. Nor any primal beast. It was an ancient thing come to being in the farthest reaches of Chaos, beyond the stuff of Chaos where other rules apply. Endless chaos fills all places but paradox are those things from beyond that. Things of formless shapes, like the shadow of the horse or the sound of the sparrow, forces of nature that exist only to fill their purpose.. From there comes the creature meant to end all things. That even the shadow of a horse must flee from. If it calls itself a name learning it would mean embracing it. So the Lords of chaos from the deep places called it Entropy. It rode across chaos and behind it the paradox of nothingness. it Entropy consumed all Chaos then nothing of chaos would remain. Its nature is nonexistence."
Jurt nods, "And it rests with the Ancestors of Darkness."
She looks to Jurt, "I doubt it rests. It devours or it fights those the Abyssal Lords have allowed to be placed in that place with it. Such as king Oberon , my father."
*'''Michael James Watson'''
As the First Swayvil said, "In the Dawn of Time, in the fullness of folly, by the foes of Entropy, in the darkest depth of the stuff of Chaos, was created the Paragon, to stand, and to fall, in the forces of fire."
"Before Paragon there was no time. It was all unchallenged Chaos and solidless form. Yet Entropy ate that. So Hariswiee the Just, a great creature of Chaos forged Paragon to stand in permanence against Entropy. When it was done, there was form, those it shapeshifted. There was time, and it passed. There was Law and there was Chaos. The creatures of the infinite formless void that took shapes as icons. They became because Law and Solid Form became. One of them was the Serpent, one the Unicorn, on the Bear, one the Phoenix, and numberless more. As each of them was slain their powers diminished in passing to another that had echoed their form.. I have felt them once i was freed to. And Once i was freed, the Phoenix was freed to Leave as well."
She walks toward Realmer, a slight glow about her..
"Lesser forms of infinite shapes took solid form though they fought it... They had names they could not escape....Swayvil, Channicut, Helgram, Marsaz, Freest, Jesby, Hendrake,Sawall, ancient creatures...others too... they bound others to them and created warbands and tried to tear down paragon to return to unchallanged Chaos.. Elsewhere.. Calmir was created as a place of law as well."
she sips..Jurt scowls, "This is all ancient heresy, woman"
"Heresy to what? The Serpent, wormwearer? No, these things happened and they were revered in the Abyss when i heard those tales. The Chaos creatures made war and great houses....but it was Entropy who crushed Paragon and broke it. Then stunned, a million Chaos creatures that called themselves lords dragged the stunned Entropy into the gash of nothingness he had created, pulled in hells of madness to fill it and pushed him into the tomb with their death curses. Now little things jump into that gash to retrieve trinkets and call themselves Pit Divers..Little things, like this Lord of Chaos"
*'''Daniel Eric Van Campen Sr.'''
During Nina's Early Chaos History Lesson, Realmer looked back and forth between Jurt and Nina, feeling the dislike between them growing... and his own caring about that matter diminishing to nothing. Jurt DID say he wanted to meet her and did say for Realmer to call her; guess he bit off more than he could chew, but that was not Realmer's problem, he was no longer going to come between them to 'keep the peace'... unless it was truly necessary.
"Entropy; how perfectly appropriate. And Hariswiee the Just.... I will not forget that name. And the Primal Creatures, as we know them, are but the First Shadow of their former selves... fascinating, yet somehow not unexpected." Realmer looks thoughtful for a moment then continues.
"I recall reading somewhere that Calmir is somehow tied to Adagalasck... but I couldn't find anything else on the matter. And as I recall, The Phoenix is considered the Primal Creature of Adagalasck..."
Realmer trails off and takes a moment to bring up the Sigil of the Spiral of the Four Winds and looks more closely at Nina and her 'glow', wondering if perhaps she IS The Phoenix or if The Phoenix is possessing her...
If the Spiral does not reveal anything, Realmer will switch to the Pattern, then finally, the Sigil of Paragon.
*'''Michael James Watson'''
Jurt-"I've not spent much time in the abyss, just the upper levels with a lot of empires and trade with Chaos and the black Zone.. But I've never heard that Entropy created the Abyss. So yes... Its heresy to the Serpent. I can't friggin believe I'm taking the canonical defense having turned by back on Chaos....But this is Abyssal heresy. " Jurt points his finger acusatorially.
Nina shrugs, "I was but a young girl of a thousand years when Oberon claimed me. My knowledge comes from the Abyssal Lord who taught me and raised me to my own status. That act summoned Oberon. My lord met him as a friend. So Oberon must know more then I. And Dworkin even more.. That the younger ones forgot his kinship is incredible.. Julian never suspected but Benedict, Osric, Finndo, they knew... And you know, wormwearer, that i am right. As for the primal beasts, Realmer, they are not... shadows per se.. they are echos.. they are pieces of infinite chaos, primal power of the universe. But when each is killed it finds one of their chose shape and enlarges them..Most primal beasts have gone through so many changes they are barely pale echos Julian's Morganstern is mighty but it is well over the hundredth to bear that potent power.. But i am a follower of one of the original beings..it has few peers. Serpent. Unicorn. Allaowa; called Otter. Lasua; the Cat. Masila; the Butterfly. Chanticleer the Rooster, and mine, the Phoenix.... Their deaths echo even into the depths of Adagalasck. I felt the Tiger die and the one reborn left Regor. I felt Bear so long ago. I felt Yggaras born as Yggdrasil died in the Abyss. I felt the Sparrow die and be reborn...and recently, i felt Regaoa the squirrel die and be reborn and have the red sword thrust upon it.. And your wormwearer friend knows where the new Regaoa is. I believe i have places to travel now that i am out of my realm...Thank you for the Summons Realmer, my friend. Come home sometime soon... Not too soon... I have a blade to find."
*'''Michael James Watson'''
She turns and steps away into shadow
*'''Michael James Watson'''
Jurt tucks his lip to the side and fishes out his urala pipe.
"Well....Isn't she just a darling monster..Reminds me of Grandma Maylon. A little around the eyes and a lot around the icy sharp tongue and the icy glass heart."
After a couple puffs he goes on.
"So Julian and Caine are married to Abyssal demons... that explains a lot. Not the least being why Oberon exiled them and imprisoned them. She said they lived there a thousand years so their mothers must have been Abyssals as well. Adask and Fey born of the Abyss. Oberon having friendly relations in the abyss is a curious thought. wonder if it was a land Dworkin showed him? I wonder what other kin of ours might have deeper roots there? .. ok... we know the throne has a shard. Good to know... Suddenly I want it out of this shadow...but where..."
He tries not to meet Realmer's eyes but eventually fails..
"Ok.. ok....yes, i knew about the squirrel.. the last Lord of Bursain was slain as apparently was his companion the Primal Squirrel.. He empowered a squirrel as he was dying and gave it the blade to keep it from his slayer.. After that.. i don't know..Look for squirrels i guess.."
"Suddenly this whole room seems unsafe..I'm going to clear this place out and take it elsewhere.. hmmm Ya know i wonder what a huge pit of gold and jewels would be like at Thin Whips as a sort of orgy playground?..Might appeal to them..."
*'''Daniel Eric Van Campen Sr.'''
Realmer chuckles as he dismisses his Secure Shelter Spell and watches as the Golden Dining Room about them turns back to the Golden Hoard then says:
"Yes, she certainly leaves a lasting impression. I'm sure if I spoke with my Grandfather he could tell me more about Oberon's friendly ties to the Adask and Fey and more about my Abyssal Cousins. Just another thing to do before leaving with King Random."
Realmer sighs then continues.
"A Golden Orgy Playground... sounds quite appealing. I am sure many of Thin Whip's patrons would love it. And overall, good idea to move all this stuff. But I still advise caution in storing or displaying the Throne too close to Amber. I do have a Personal Shadow that has restricted access and nobody but you, me and my companions know about it. We could store the Throne there and I will give you the 'access code' so you may enter and leave the Shadow at will. Also, within that Shadow, I have created a Shadow Pocket Vault to keep things safe, though it is currently empty... I will gladly give you access to it as well. And nobody knows about the Vault but me and now you."
"So... how long have you known about the Squirrel and the Red Sword? And why haven't you sought them out yourself?"
*'''Michael James Watson'''
Jurt raises the Logrus and starts fiddling with his spells. smoking casually on the urual.
"I'm going to hang a few material management spells. The first will send all the spending money to my vault at Gutsedvem. The magic stuff goes to Thin Whips.. The throne... I'll keep on me. I'm my own best security. No offense meant."
After a few moments he nods stands, lowers the Logrus..
"As for the Squirrel... I've known it died since it died. I saw the essence pass. It doesn't happen often..Those creatures are tough.. triple tough... But, depending on the primal beast, the people they associate with might get a lot of useful information and be let in on things they see, such as the passing of the essence to a new member."
He makes a hand pass and the throne spins and shrinks into a pocket on his coat, following his hand in. As he pulls his hand out a scaled creature comes up it, it is big bodied and resembles an armadillo the size of a house cat. The scales are colorful and it raises a thin snout with large scale hooded eyes to regard Realmer.
"This is Treziz the Pangolin. Trez... this is Relmopator.  A friend.. don't eat him yet."


*'''Michael James Watson'''


*'''Daniel Eric Van Campen Sr.'''
Realmer smiles and chuckles then says to Jurt, “I take no offense that you want to keep that Relic on your person, since you can. I do the same with my Jewel. As you said; 'I'm my own best security'.”
Realmer looks at the Pangolin, smiles and says, “Hello Treziz, this is Bob, my Familiar” Realmer indicates the Beholder hovering over his left shoulder. “Please, don't eat him either.”
Realmer looks into Bob's central eye intently and says, “Bob, this is Treziz. Give him no reason to eat you... and do not eat him either... unless in self-defense.”
Realmer turns back to Jurt and says, “So, you knew the Primal Squirrel before it perished? And this is how you now know of its... resurrection? Or are you a 'follower' of The Squirrel like Nina is a follower of The Phoenix?”
*'''Michael James Watson'''
"I am a follower of none of them, though i was raised to revere the serpent of course. I am a companion of one. Or its a companion of mine" He moves its hand, allowing it to climb around his arm, wrapping his scaled tail around his wrist, stretching out to sniff the air at Bob. Bob emits a sense of extreme discomfort at the creature.
"The beast was wounded, in danger, from a warrior and its own primal companion. The beast died in the arms of its longtime friend, the King of Bursain. He gave the squirrel his blade, the beast gave it its essence. Their passing was seen by all the other primal beasts. Treziz showed it to me at the time. Before that i only knew of Bursain as a minor squiggle among others cast about shadow. But death of any primal beast is a matter of importance. Many aspects of the new beast get lent to others of their kind across existence. If the new beast is aggressive for its kind its kind soon becomes more aggressive. Trez here is 300th or so of the line of his race, and as such is far from mighty among the Primal Beasts.. He is a shy thing, loving and kind, and not much of a fighter.. No teeth, small claws, not very fast. So not much more dangerous then non-primal versions of these black zone creatures.. But i came across it long ago and have been protecting it. But do not be deceived. If it chose to, it ha magics and shape shifting powers making it the equal of many demons of chaos. Not that the little sloth looks it.. "
The beast reaches toward Realmer with an outstretched paw.
*'''Daniel Eric Van Campen Sr.'''
Realmer pulls back slightly and says, "Perhaps, before we get too much closer, Trez should meet Kevin... wouldn't want him popping out of a pocket and getting himself eaten."
Realmer reaches inside Kevin's favorite pocket and pulls him out protectively.
"Kevin, this is Treziz, Jurt's friend; he is NOT a threat or play toy. Treziz, this is Kevin, my Pet; he is NOT food."
Once the Poodle and the Pangolin get acquainted enough to not attack or eat each other, Realmer will carefully extend his hand to Treziz.
*'''Michael James Watson'''
Treziz slowly crosses to Realmer's arm, sniffing at Kevin. Kevin looks poodle anxious at first then sniffs back.. Treziz twits around Realmer's arm and goes nose to nose with Kevin, reach a clawed paw to groom it. The two seem to be getting along.. Kevin squirms and leaps to the ground followed by Treziz. The two start scampering among the gold coins.
*'''Daniel Eric Van Campen Sr.'''
"Well, looks like they're getting on better than most of the family does."
Realmer pulls out his Bone Wand, shifting it to a Bone Pipe, he loads it and lights with a cantrip. He puffs for a bit, watching the two creatures at play amongst the gold, smiling openly, enjoying the moment. As he smokes, he muses aloud.
"Seems the list of things to do on my 'vacation' just keeps getting longer. But, at least I have the time to do them, or so it seems." He puffs a couple of times, then continues.
"I guess my best first course of action would be to go see my Grandfather; he could answer several questions I have about the family and advise me on Nina and Emilie _before_ I go see King Random on their behalf... and Julian and Caine's as well. And if I am to ask the King for permission for the Sisters to walk the Pattern, I will need to make sure I am not making a huge mistake. And I was hoping to walk the Pattern myself, before leaving... only I was hoping it could be the Primal Pattern this time... Grandfather said one day I would walk that Pattern, but so far King Random... and his advisors, have deemed in unnecessary for me to have that level of Imprint."
Realmer takes a couple more puffs as he silently watches the poodle and the Pangolin play.
"I was also hoping to find and talk with my Grandmother... but perhaps Grandfather would be a good advisor prior to that endeavor as well."
Realmer takes a deep draw and lets it out slowly, using a Cantrip to make the smoke looks like a Fire Elemental and Stone Elemental, as he knows them from his Adventuring days.
"And then there is this" he says through the smoke as he holds up the silver card given to him by a Dufiro. "Considering recent events in Chaos I will have to have an alternate place to offer for the Ritual... again, King Random's permission if I want it done on Kolvir in the Tombs. I wonder if they would like my personal Shadow, Adagaar, in Adagalasck off the North Stair..."
Realmer trails off, puffing on his pipe, watching the gold and the poodle and pangolin for a bit in silence.
*'''Michael James Watson'''
"May I?' reaching for the card..
*'''Daniel Eric Van Campen Sr.'''
Realmer hands it to Jurt.
*'''Michael James Watson'''
Taking the card and rolling it through several passes.
"The Dufiro are..interesting creatures. They collect things of no power just for the poetry of it. I've seen them turn down using a powerful Power Focus in favor for one that fit the metrics of some unknown music in their head. A place, a thing, need not add anything for to use it. I once contracted a Avasa of Rage to help me remember details of an event I was peripheral to just to see what I might have seen out of the corner of my eye while I was watching something else. I offered powers, use of my Logrus sight, sanctified blades.. items of note, most of which I owned. What he asked for was to be allowed to sing his life song from a tower in Sawall Way. There was no power to doing so, no profit. But, there was honor.. When he told his tale to the Masoja of Knowledge who wrote his Masoja Tome he could include that he had sung his life from the towers of a great house of chaos. Cost me nothing, gained me much, he went away pleased. One of the tomes i stole was a copy of his Masoja summoning tome he had sent me after his elevation.. One does not necessarily think of powers. If he gains nothing we might value by using a place like the Tombs, it may fit well in his poetry."
He flips the card expertly on the table beside you.
He raises the Logrus, taps the spell and the coins start flying into the portal to his vault in Gustevdem. Treziz and Kevin jump and roll among the moving coins, jewels, cups and treasure.
*'''Michael James Watson'''
"As for family business, i think that is your business. Now would be a good time for us to part for a time.. You know where to find me.."
He extends his hand, Treziz runs and jumps, running up and sliding into his pocket. Jurt leaves the hand out stretched
*'''Daniel Eric Van Campen Sr.'''
Realmer calls Kevin over, scoops him up and cradles him in his left arm. Realmer extends his right hand and grasps Jurt's extended hand and shakes it firmly.
"Until we see each other again, friend. I'm sure it won't be long."
*'''Michael James Watson'''
Jurt shakes, turns and funnels the remaining artifacts of magical nature into the next spell. Nodding, he steps through, leaving Realmer in an empty hall.
*'''Michael James Watson'''
and scene.,, start a new thread for your next post