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Session notes: 04-14-06
Caution - these are not official session notes! They reflect Tyler's point of view only. The land is well maintained, the peasants are prosperous, or at least not living in squalor. The roads are outstanding, maintained either with excellent labor or possibly sorcery. Megumi has very little information about the infrastructure, but there is doubtless a guild of engineers or something similar that would have that sort of information. Very likely it is part of some royal family member's bailiwick. Miss Behata, Princess Lewella's personal Secretary is a high ranking member of the Companion's guild, as well as an unacknowledged member of the Royal family. She has walked the pattern. As has the head of the Guild, Lady Magda. Totally unofficial rumor is that she's a daughter of Oberon. Another concern is Trump. Where could I practice what I've learned from Merlin? And who else could teach me more? We discuss options. Megumi reiterates the caution that I need to learn the Pattern in order avoid vanishing mysteriously. I reply that I full intend to, but that he gave the impression it was a trust which I needed to earn. I intend to support Martin in any way I can. I have sympathy for his desire to defend those whom he considers "his people." My experience with refugees may be useful. The city has all of the more smelly and unsocial industries located outside the walls. Our arrival involves a check of paperwork at the gates. It helps that we're in the coach of the Rebman embassy. We are registered as Megumi and associate. The official entry of the Companion's guild is a large building fronting an enclosed campus. There are a number of teenagers with potential as bodyguards and core trustees training in the courtyards. The guild runs all of the orphanages in the city, so it can choose the cream of their crop. Slavery in Amber is illegal. Unwanted children can be left with the Guild, which means that it's also, in some ways, a royal monopoly on fanatically loyal providers of skilled trades and labor. We present at the Administrative desk, asking about a favor for Prince Martin. This gets us bumped to Lady Lucasta. There is a rumor about her as well, similar to that about Magda. She is dressed in red, with long, braided brown hair. There are tell-tale signs that her grey hair has begun to grow back in with its natural brown color, indicating that she's either much younger than she appears, or simply doesn't show her age. We present some of the facts regarding Val's disappearance and I provide a sketch of Val, with particular attention to his facial features. I also provide some information about his affliction - the hallucinations and proclamations of monkey-shoelessness may be identifiable. In addition, he had been following some vision of the ghost of a dark-haired, bearded man. Tyler expresses his interest in what is possible with current civil engineering technology. The guild provides Tyler with a guide, Clemmet, a former stoneworker who was injured in the war. No discussion of which war. It's assumed that everyone knows. He retrained as an engineer, and is currently between projects. He's an older man who looks 50-ish, but according to his file he's actually around 150. Tyler goes into the whole in-depth analysis of public works that he loves so much. Magic is used for a lot of the high-end construction, but there are very few home-grown sorcerers. Apart from members of the royal family, of course. I get some references to various family members. Most of the publicly known members of the family don't do a lot. Members of the guild who are suspected... that's different. The real exceptions are Eric's children, and Benedict's grandson Mortimer. He's his grandfather's right-hand man, administrative assistant, and all-around aide. There are fascinating knacks and gaps in the current state-of-the-art. Sewer and water are above and beyond anything else, but medical technology is in poor shape. There are practically no natively trained doctors, but there are some off-shadow trained physicians. There are some local healers and herbalists, mostly associated with the Church of the Unicorn. There's some overlap and rivalry from the Companion's Guild and the Church. The orphanages were part of the Church until the Guild was founded, and there's still some bad feeling about that. After the tour, a message is waiting at the Rebman embassy. Wu Fang is preparing to take one of our new friends on a long journey, and is interested in company. Are we interested in going along? Megumi interprets this as Ohanzee having taken the "run like hell" option, and that means that there is very little time for Tyler to walk the pattern. Megumi can get me into the Pattern room in Rebma without much difficulty, and after a briefing on what needs to be done (walking, knowing where the turns and resistances are) and what must be avoided (stopping, stepping off, bleeding on the pattern) I hand over any unnecessary gear and start walking. The plan is to walk the pattern and head to Megumi, and after recovering from the strain, to seek out Wu Fang and his ship. Which means, after all the exhaustion of the pattern, we've now got to climb all those bloody stairs. I request the local equivalent of, what is it called... Gatoraide? Strange little notes on things: I don't want to grow up, I'm an Amberite kid! You're the hub of the hubub, bub! -EOF- |
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