Chaos In Amber IC

[Ninjaman]

Markus takes the trump, taking note of its size. "A bit on the large side." He says and packs it away as he nods. "Let's."

[Daimbert]

Markus and Syresia

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The two of you start off down the black road, in the opposite direction of Hector.

OOC: I'm pausing here for a bit in case either or both of you want to talk to each other now that no one else is around.

Hector

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You and Ganelon start down the black road. As you traverse it, you get the same sense that you had when you went seeking Syresia: your path seems to be guided through Shadow, no matter what you do. Eventually, the road takes you to a strange Shadow. It is lit a bright as day, and yet there doesn't seem to be a sun. It is stark, and yet with shifting colours. Fiery, with the ground varying from warm to extremely hot, with smoke, jets of flame, and nasty-smelling gasses escaping from the ground. But its most striking feature was the fact that it had rocks gliding across the surface like sailboats, in some sort of complicated pattern.

In the distance, you can see a tower stretching towards the sky.

"Not exactly a pleasant place, is it?" Ganelon remarks.

[Ninjaman]

Markus remains completely silent unless Syresia addresses him.

[Thokk_Smash]

Spoiler: Hector

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Hector surveys the desolate landscape with impassive eyes. "Certainly not someplace I'd like to call home," he murmurs in response.

Eyeing the gouts of flame and obviously-scalding bits of sand, he strokes a bracelet on his wrist. "I do believe some transportation may be useful," he says as he takes off the bracelet and rattles off a phrase in a strange language. Seconds later, the bracelet morphs and grows into a wide-winged roc. Hector strokes the bird's plumage for a moment before swinging onto its back. "Well, hop on, Ganelon," he says with a grin. "Oh, and I'd consider it a boon if you should keep from mentioning Hugh here to Markus or Syresia; or any of my siblings, to be thorough. I can trust you on that, can I not, Ganelon?"

He looks down on Ganelon with a smile that would seem to be friendly--though deep down, there is a promise of retribution should Ganelon betray his expectations.

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Just as a reminder, Hugh has Engine Speed, Amber Stamina, and is Able to Sing and Speak.

[Kyrinthic]

Sorry, I don't really say anything until we come across something interesting. I'm more curious about the destination than I am chatty.

[Daimbert]

Hector

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Ganelon nods. It's hard for you to read his reaction, as it seems to be a mix of sarcastic amusement with a hint of something that looks like approval. At any rate, you're pretty sure that he's telling the truth about not revealing the roc to the others.

He gets on and the two of you take to the sky. From above, things don't look much different, although it is much easier to see the patterns of the orbits the rocks are making around each other.

Markus and Syresia

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The two of you walk along the black road for some time in silence. Suddenly, from seemingly out of nowhere a group of three metal balls appear spinning around you. Before you can react, they start to spin and generate a sandstorm that blocks your vision for a time. When that subsides, you discover that the two of you have involuntary moved a short distance from each other. You also notice that your way is blocked by two men.

"Ho, what have we here?" one, dressed in armour and carrying a sword exclaims.

"It looks like a group of Amberites, Borel," the other, a man with long white hair dressed entirely in black, with metal balls orbiting around him. "But they seem to be going the wrong way. Shall we correct them?"

"Aye, let us set their path aright, Mandor. T'is the neighbourly thing to do!"

At that, Borel draws his sword and charges Markus. "I have heard much of your prowess, " he says. "I would have rathered test my mettle against Cassandra, but if what I have heard is correct you should present an interesting challenge."

Meanwhile, some of Mandor's balls move from their orbit towards Syresia, conveniently aligning themselves in a way to separate her from Markus. "Ah, the newly found Princess. Let's see what you've learned in that far away Shadow you hail from, "Mandor says.

[Kyrinthic]

As the sandstorm whirls to life, Syresia slides a trump into her hand and takes a defensive stance, searching the dust for dangers.

Once the dust settles and the trap is clear, she reaches into the card she had been holding, sliding forth a thins, translucent bladed sword, a multicolored shine flickers down its length. Once armed, she maintains a defensive stance, trying to keep her eyes on all three metal spheres, as well as the two men.

As she prepares, she replies to the approaching man, "you seem quite well informed about us, perhaps you might return the favor and give us your name?"

[Ninjaman]

Markus was surprised as the sandstorm appeared, but as he stood before one of the men he could only muster a smirk on his face. He draws his blade and blocks the first blow thrown at him. "Challenge implies you have any chance of actually winning." he says as he riposte at his attacker's leg.

[Thokk_Smash]

Spoiler: Hector

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Hector directs Hugh to fly closer to the stone spire. He remains alert to keep his friend and mount from being struck by the gouts of fire. In addition, he looks at the rocks' orbits to suss out any patterns it may have.

"I don't suppose any of this is familiar to you, Ganelon?" he asks, more to make conversation than anything else.

[Daimbert]

Hector

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You notice some regularities to the patterns. First, the larger rocks move faster than the smaller ones. Second, the larger rocks orbit the smaller ones, in cycles within cycles, with none of them ever still.

"I'm afraid I'm completely at a loss, "Ganelon replies.

Markus

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Borel steps back from your attack, and then holds ready for your next move. "I had also heard about your confidence. Some would call it arrogance. Let us see if your fighting matches your boasting!"

Syresia

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Mandor's balls still hover and circle in the air around you. "Yes, I suppose that we haven't been formally introduced. My name is Mandor. More than that you'll have to figure out on your own. And I am still anxious to test the extent of your abilities ... as you are likely curious about mine."

[Kyrinthic]

Syresia continues to hold her defensive stance, trying to continue the conversation even as she watches the other man attack Markus. "I would say I am far more interested in your motives than your abilities, why are you making random attacks here? What is your goal, it may be possible to resolve diplomatically after all.."

While she speaks, she carefully studies Mandor's face, trying to lock the image into her mind for later use, and watching him closely to help gauge his reaction to her comment certainly doenst hurt.

[Ninjaman]

"This might come as a shock to you but I don't put much importance in what adjectives random ruffians may use to describe me." He says and faints at Borel's leg before redirecting his sword to cut at his adversary's hand, or arm if his hand was too well protected by his sword's hilt.

[Thokk_Smash]

Spoiler: Hector

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Hector simply nods at Ganelon's response. He tries to make sense of the rocks' orbits below, and as he does he urges Hugh to fly closer to the obelisk rising in the distance.

[Daimbert]

Syresia

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Mandor puts on a fake pout. "Can we not do both?", he says.

"For the first part, you assume this is random. Hasn't your time in Amber taught you to be suspicious of seemingly random events?

"And as for the second ... "

He gestures towards the floating balls and says a word you don't catch, and suddenly a bolt of lightning strikes close enough to you to shower you with dirt and rocks, but not enough to really hurt you.

Markus

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Borel reacts quickly, turning his hand aside, but he's a little surprised anyway. He steps back into a more defensive stance, and replies, laughing , "Random ruffian?!? You wound me, sir, with your words ... though it would be more impressive if you did it with your blade, methinks!"

Hector

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The tower itself is not particularly impressive ... but you ARE impressed by the creature coiled up around its base. It has a snake body as big around as a barrel, with a head sort of like a massive claw hammer, but kind of tapered to the snout end. Eyes of a very pale green. And it is as clear as glass, with very faint, fine lines seeming to indicate scales. Whatever flowed in its veins is reasonably clear as well. You can look right into it and see its organs -- opaque or cloudy as the case may be. It also has a dense mane, like bristles of glass, about the head and collaring the gullet.

You can also see into its stomach. There's a partly digested man in it.

[Kyrinthic]

Syresia sighs as she replies, "Of course its not random, that is a figure of speech, the question was what is your goal?"

She the gestures at the scorched dirt, "But I assume that is your answer to the diplomatic option?" she asks as she talks a measured lunge at the offending sphere while maintaining her defensive stance.

[Ninjaman]

"Is you ego so inflated you would think I know you?" Markus says as he takes note that his attacker has not made any offensive move yet. Markus throws a blow at his opponent's head, he then throws one from the other side. He then throws a faint at his leg only to step forward left of his opponent and grab his sword arm with his free hand. If successful he would turn his blade into a thrust for the throat, if not he would pull his blade back to defend himself.

[Thokk_Smash]

Spoiler: Hector

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Hector eyes the crystal serpent with fascination. With a few nudges of his knees he leads Hugh a bit closer. He stops Hugh close enough to shout, but far enough that he can pull back if it starts to attack.

"Ho, there!" he calls to the serpent. "Can you speak? What's this tower about?"

[Daimbert]

Syresia

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The sphere zips out of range, and hovers there. "A physical response. Interesting, " Mandor comments.

He then replies, "I'm afraid that my goal is one of those things that you need to figure out for yourself, although I'm willing to answer questions about it if you can come up with the right ones. And that little demonstration was simply my way of trying to include 'Testing your abilities' in the mix. I'm a little disappointed at your reaction to that; after all, you gained more information from my little demonstration than I did from your response."

Markus

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Borel doesn't fall for the feint, and takes a cut at your neck, which you parry. He replies, "A true warrior should be able to tell from their opponent's moves and stance what they are. If your senses are telling you that I am a ruffian, then they are sorely underdeveloped."

Hector

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The snake immediately moves to attack as soon as you come to its attention. It doesn't look like it's capable or at least interested in talking.

[Kyrinthic]

Syresia Smirks, "I dont think I have a problem with your disappointment, as it turns out." She responds, calmly flippant on the outside, internally she is far less confidant, trying to assess what he is looking for, this confrontation is clearly not accidental, and despite her affinity for trumps, he holds all the cards right now.

Unsure of what to expect, but taking into consideration the man's last words, she takes a deep breath and brings to mind her image of herself, focusing on the trump to create a defense from the less physical attack she expects to come, while keeping her sword ready for more physical threats should her expectations prove incorrect.

After a moment to ready herself, she adds, "Of course you are still adeptly dodging the question, what is the purpose of these odd paths?"

[Ninjaman]

Markus snickers and lunges at Borel, thrusting at his right thigh. "If there is one thing a true warrior would know it is that martial prowess does not make a soldier. Honour, loyalty, dignity does. Anyone assaulting travelers down the road is no warrior, he is merely a ruffian."

[Thokk_Smash]

Spoiler: Hector

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Hector expertly guides Hugh to rise away from the crystalline serpent. Well, nothing he hadn't expected. He directs Hugh to dance comfortably out of reach of the serpent as he looks over the large stone tower for any signs of an entrance or reason the serpent would be here.

[Daimbert]

Syresia

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Mandor looks carefully at you for a while, and then comments, "Defensive. Interesting. Although I think I've been offensive enough for the moment.

"To answer your question, the purpose of a path is to connect two places, facilitating travel. What is of interest when considering a path, then, is what two places the path connects."

Markus

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Borel sidesteps the attack, and replies with a slash at your side. "But you are not simple travellers, are you? Given your rather prominent nature, it should only be expected that others will want to test themselves against you, if such a contest can be arranged honourably."

Hector

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As you look, you see an entrance to the tower ... which happens to be right behind the snake-like monster you've just come across. "Interesting guard dog, " Ganelon comments.

[Ninjaman]

Markus parries the slash aside and swings at Borel's sword arm. "I never used the word simple. A traveling prince is still a traveler. And you did not challenge me honorably."

[Thokk_Smash]

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"Indeed," Hector agrees absently as he observes the beast. He draws Grayswandir and directs Hugh to edge closer to the beast. With subtle guidance from Hector's knees, Hugh goes slower than normal, letting the beast almost catch him before just "barely" getting out of the way. When the beast's head is over-extended, Hector directs Hugh to speed closer so he can bring his sword down heavily on its neck. Hugh takes to the air before the beast can brings its maw around to bite.

[Kyrinthic]

Syresia scowls slightly, "Really? I can see you enjoy the sound of your own voice and all, but being all pendantic with the answer really isnt making any of this go smoother."

While she speaks, she cautiously moves to circle around him, so that Mandor would not be able to see both her and the conflict between Marcus and Borel, maintaining her defenses.

Continuing, she adds "So lets try to make this clear enough for you. You are using this pathway to send attacks, both magical and physical, to this specific location that is allied with Amber. We are investigating this issue and you attacked us, knowing who we are. So the more specific question is, why are you building these paths to attack us? Is there a potential of a diplomatic solution, or only a military response?"

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Sorry for the lateness, I went to write it a week ago, but the forums imploded or something.

[Daimbert]

Syresia

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Mandor notes your move with interest, but makes no attempt to counter it. "You won't get far in the tangled halls of Amber if you expect everyone to give away all of their secrets. You need to be able to put the pieces together yourself, and then be able to ask the right questions when you have someone who is somewhat willing to answer them. But here are some for free, for whatever its worth.

"The war has been going on since the beginning of time; it's not likely to really end any time soon. And you don't have to build a path to be able to follow it, as you yourself undoubtedly know. As for the purpose of our attacking you, a careful examination of what we have said would reveal that to you."

Markus

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Borel replies as he parries your attack and then defends, waiting for your next move or for an opening, "While a formal challenge would have been preferable, circumstances and our purpose didn't allow for that. Still, you were given plenty of time to raise your defenses. However, if you feel that this is truly dishonourable and would prefer to end this duel, I am willing to consider it."

Hector

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The hit is true, and the blade bites into its neck, and the creature screams in pain and rage, but its return attack misses as you dodge out of range. However, it doesn't look like it was enough to kill the creature;
it is bleeding, but still seems relatively mobile.

[Ninjaman]

"Consider all you want, I doubt you'd be able to." Markus says before moving in close, blocking Borel's line of attack with his own blade as he delivers a punch towards his opponent's face.

[Thokk_Smash]

Spoiler: Hector

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"Hrmm, I suppose if one hit could finish it then it wouldn't be much of a guardian," Hector muses with a click of his tongue.

Instead of going in for another strike, Hector directs Hugh to begin to circle the tower. He keeps a sharp eye on the serpent's movements as he makes one loop around, then two, then three; remaining close enough to strike at but far enough away to easily dodge. He is interested to see if the snake would wrap itself around the tower, and thus shorten the length it can extend. He also makes note of the size of the entranceway, and whether it is open or not.

[Kyrinthic]

Syresia can tell she is woefully under-informed, but her best course seems to be to cover that ignorance and keep the man talking, he sure likes to talk, and if he is talking, he is not attacking. "Perhaps I should not expect answers, but there is little cost in asking, after all you seem far more personable than I would expect from an advanced scout, even if your partner is more aggressive. You may say the war is unending, but any given front can still aspire to diplomacy and reason."

"As for my actions, I feel little need to push offensively. The less else I do, the less I reveal after all. I am still mostly unknown, even in Amber, so no matter the skill of your spies there, there is only so much you can know about me" She adds, all she has to do is maintain his attention and her defenses until Markus can finish his fight is her hope. Her new position should make it hard for Mandor to help the other one without her being able to react.

[Daimbert]

Markus

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The punch connects, but Borel quickly spins away and throws a shoulder block at your shoulder, staggering you back a bit and giving him some space. "It seems your vaunted ability to misinterpret what people are saying is no rumour. Very well; we will fight on." But he drops back into a defensive stance again and waits for you to make a move.

Syresia

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A brief moment of frustration crosses Mandor's face, but he quickly recovers is urbane demeanor. "You make many assumptions, and thus assume that you know answers that you do not know. Again, the right questions are far more important than the wrong answers."

He makes no move to change your positions, and seems utterly unconcerned about that or, in fact, the fight itself.

Hector

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Even though angered and in pain, the snake will not move far away from the door, almost as if it was under a compulsion to stay there. The door is not open, but does not appear to be locked, and contains double doors each about four feet wide.