Amber DRPG - Setting Things Right IC

[Wiz]

Arthur

Arthur nods to Aurora, "And, I will tell you all about Rebma, since your last visit anyway." He watches to see how Aurora handles the newcomer.

[GamorreanHC]

Odo

"Aurora, well that is a lovely name. My name is Odo, Odo Norn. I assume my reputation precedes me." It hasn't.

"Well I've certainly ruffled some feathers coming in armed to the teeth and with back up," chuckles the man in purple. He speaks a certain glee in his voice. Something between exuberance and mania."Of course, I was only being prudent. Amber doesn't call on me except for two reasons: Fun and Trouble. And usually it's both. Seemed more likely that a mystery man crashing My Casino with an invitation to an unknown shadow to help a dead Elder Amberite is cause to be on elevated alert. Still I can't have my new friends thinking that I don't trust them. Tank, Twitch, stow the firearms, and pass me the Bismuth salts."

The man in purple tosses his overly large firearm to the large man, Tank apparently, who straps them to his back. Tank then produces a pink bottle from his coat pocket and gives it to the man in purple who takes a solid swig of it before tossing it back to the large one. The little one, Twitch, hesitates then slings his to the back as well. The whole time, his impossibly large smile doesn't change.

He extends a gloved hand.

OCC: If you take it, please post it and read the following:

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he shakes your hand vigorously. It's a firm handshake, but he's obviously not trying to wring your hand to test your strength.

If you want to wring his hand to test his strength, please include that in the post and read the following:

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Odo puts no resistance back. Either he's really weak, or he doesn't feel like showing off his real strength. Lacking resistance, this is probably inflicting a great deal of pain on him. His smile does not change.

[namo]

Aurora

"You misunderstand, Odo. I was merely concerned your firearms would not work" replies Aurora with a charming smile as she leans towards him and extends her hand. "Nobody in their right mind would seek to threaten us anyhow."

The vigorous shaking seems to surprise her very briefly.
If you are trained in courtly manners:

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Perhaps she was expecting a "baisemain" ? Or simply a more gentle handshake ?
Also, it is considered polite for people to take off their gloves when shaking hands.

But she firms her limp hand somehow as the corner of her mouth twitches imperceptibly. You notice a small ink stain on one of her fingers.

"You operate a casino ? You may have met Uncle Random then ?" Apparently the occasion does not call for a "His Highness".

[GamorreanHC]

Odo

Odo's expression still hasn't changed.

"Ha ho, Randy. Yes, I know Randy. We go way back, he and I. Used to play a lot of poker with him out in one of those shadows he was so fond of. We used to tear things up quite a bit," muses the manic man. "And then he had to go get himself all respectable, what with the marriage and the crown and all. We barely see each other these days. Ah well, good for him I suppose. Although if you run into him, let him know ol' Odo has an open table for him anytime he wants to relax a little."

Aurora:

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It occurs to you, with this additional information, that you may have heard Flora referring to an Odo as "that insufferable little hellion" when she thought no one was listening. The description certainly seems match.

[namo]

Aurora

"I need not be your messenger : you should really drop by Amber one of these days. I'm sure he'd value the visit of an old friend."

"And he may not have changed as much as you think" she adds, with a gleam in her eyes.

"If you don't mind my asking... how may one find your casino ? I am not especially interested in gambling, but my husband likes to indulge in it from time to time." She does carry a ring on her ring finger : it's a thin golden loop set with tiny emeralds.

"Ah, but forgive me ! I am forgetting my manners. Let me introduce you to those charming young lads" the last is said with a mischievous smile, but there is no mockery in it*. "This is Prince Arthur of Rebma, Owain, Bryce."

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If Owain & Bryce have titles (tied to Amber/the Golden Circle, not just any Shadow), insert them with the names - Aurora would likely know them.

* though you may feel differently if you have bad stuff...

[Wiz]

Arthur

Arthur nods, "Odo."

[Voshkod]

Bryce

"Bryce," he said to Odo. Suddenly the imp of the perverse, which seemed to usually have some hooks in Bryce, took over. "Bryce, son of Brand, late the fourth King of Amber, and our purported host."

[Wiz]

Arthur

Arthur looks startled, "Was there a coronation I missed in the histories? I don't remember Brand ever getting crowned... at least not officially."

[Voshkod]

Bryce

Bryce coughed. "Well, I've always felt the kingship of Amber was determined less by the Crown then by the Jewel of Judgment. And five men have worn that little bauble."

[namo]

Aurora

Six Aurora corrects mentally but outwardly she is simply listening to the conversation with interest.

"So you haven't been in touch with your father at all, Bryce, correct ? And then he calls you to him in the same fashion he calls us. Is this his usual way ?"

[Voshkod]

Bryce

"Allow me to break from the family mold for a moment and be honest," Bryce says with a wan smile. "He's been dead to me since he fell in Chaos, dragging Aunt Dierdre down with him. This is the first indication I've ever had he's alive. Which makes me wonder as to the veracity of it. Or at least as to any paternal feelings he may have."

[namo]

Aurora

She reaches out to touch Bryce's arm, briefly. While she is no admirer of Brand by any means - she voiced publicly her low opinion of his deeds - it seems that she empathizes with his losing a parent.

"Thank you for your honesty." She has a side glance for Arthur, noticing that he is watching her. "Perhaps we will meet an impersonator. Or perhaps your father just came back. If so perhaps the Abyss changed him..." She looks around, questing for ideas or rebuttals.

[Wiz]

Arthur

He nods, "It could be a shadow of Brand, or some kind of wierd abyssal form or reflection of him that nobody has ever heard of... after all, nobody returns from the abyss is the conventional wisdom. Or, somehow, it could be Brand. After all... the unicorn went in and retrieved the jewel... who is to say she didn't save Brand in the process. She is the family's heraldic patron."

[GamorreanHC]

Odo

The man with the impossible smiles begins to chuckle before letting out a bellyful of laughter. He gasps, "No one ever returns from the Abyss. Conventional wisdom. That's rich." The man snorts a little, wipes a tear from his eye, and then looks around. Seeing as how nobody else is finding this terribly amusing, he takes a moment to compose himself before continuing.

"Great serpent, man. What are they teaching you kids these days? Of course people return from the Abyss. It happens daily. Creatures from the Pit are born 'n' bred there. Heck, it's where the whole Working class lives. I should know, it's where I keep My Casino. Although I suppose good ol' Brand went into the deep end without a whole lot in the way of safety gear, and that's something I generally don't recommend for tourists. Still if he was alive, I'd expect him to have visited my establishment by now. A fair deal of his old allies are regulars. Bryce, you should visit. I'm sure you'd receive a warm welcome from some old War buddies of your dear ol' daddy."

[Wiz]

Arthur

Arthur raises a brow, "I'm sorry. Your brother was lost in the greatest desert in the world, and nobody returns from it. But wait, the edges of the desert are inhabited, oh, and a handful of very hardy nomads have crossed it from time to time..." He shakes his head, "Do you think I was referring to Brand falling in the shallow end? Perhaps into the slum where your casino is? Maybe we need to rescue Diedre from waiting tables for eternity!"

[Voshkod]

Bryce

"I think it is safe to say that Brand probably knew more about the Abyss then any other of our family. If anyone could have returned, it would have been him. And Odo, I'll take you up on that offer. It might be useful to find some of father's allies. If you have a trump, I'll take it."

He turned to Aurora. "I doubt the Abyss changed Brand," he said softly. "He was already living there in some way before he fell."

[namo]

Aurora

"So it's a casino with a view on the Abyss ? Hmm, I'm not sure Kyril would be interested anymore."

Control of the conversation has escaped her but there is little she can do it about it now, so she sits back and bides her time.

"From what I have heard, Trumps to places close to the Abyss are notoriously unreliable" she puts in in a neutral tone.

[Wiz]

Arthur

He smiles at Odo, "Sorry if I offended there, but you came off more than a little fatuous... seriously, I don't have detailed knowledge of the Abyss... it's hardly the most well studied phenomena from our side of reality. Obviously you know more about it, but don't act like other people are idiots because they lack your paticular expertise."

[Voshkod]

Bryce

"I'm beginning to think we were summoned here to kill each other," he said with a small laugh. "That's what usually happens when you get enough family members together, after all. Put us all in a carriage and, one blood-soaked ride later, only one of us will emerge."

[kc0bbq]

[OOC: Hey, look, it's me! I can actually get pages to load sometimes now, thanks to the upgrades/load balancing/whatever else the powers that be are doing. I'm reading through the thread now and will be actually posting soon.

Thanks for your patience and for soldiering on.]

[namo]

Aurora

"Gentlemen, please." There is an edge to her voice, something that may make you turn your head and look at her.

If you do:

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She smiles at you and arches an eyebrow.

[kc0bbq]

Shadow DeMerci - Port Celine, Coach Interior

The attendant knocks lightly on the frame of the coach's door. "I am sorry for the delay, m'lords, ladies. I was told to wait until precisely one o'clock." A bell tolls once in the distance, coming from the valley. "I must remain here, I have other duties to attend. The driver will bring you to your destination, the Chateau DeMerci du Lac. The ride will take most of an hour, but if you require refreshment you can find some here." The attendant opens a panel in the front which was concealing some wines and spirits, a coffee and tea service, and a selection of foods to match. He bows and steps out of the coach, closing the door as he goes.

There is a slight lurch as the horses start up the hill towards the archway. Passing through, the valley reveals itself. Up and down the valley are vineyards and farms. A pair of lakes, fed by a small mountain river, sit in the lowlands. On the far side of the valley is a keep of some sort, shrouded in mists.

The coach makes a turn from the main road down towards a large house between the lakes below.

If you activate any power in the valley:

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Your attention is immediately pulled towards a previously unnoticed stone circle among the vineyards higher in the valley. It's somewhat distracting, but with a little effort you can fight past it.

There is something happening within the circle, but it's not visible to the eye.

Through a lens:

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Hazy figures conduct some sort of ritual. Power of some sort billows out from the circle like clouds of steam.

[Voshkod]

Bryce

Bryce examines the refreshment options, opens a few bottles of wine and checks the aroma. "Well, this one doesn't seem to bad. Aurora, would you care for a glass? Anyone else?" He fills glasses for those that ask, then pours himself one. "Not bad, not at all."

[Wiz]

Arthur

Arthur shakes his head, "Nothing for me yet... I'd personally like to meet our host before I start accepting his hospitality."

[TroyXavier]

Alana

Alana sat quietly taking all the conversations in. Fools, she thought, unable to hold their tongues if they wanted. She shook her head no at the question as she debated whether these relatives were worth helping. Perhaps, they could be of use though. One lesson her father taught her was that even those you didn't like could be useful in the right situation. She cooled her heels hoping that this adventure would be worth her while.

[namo]

Aurora

She takes the time to welcome their newest arrival : "Alana, you too ! Welcome !"

Then she accepts Bryce's offer graciously : "Red wine for me, please."

[Wiz]

Arthur

Arthur nods politely to the lady who jumped into the coach just before it started up. "Alana."

[kc0bbq]

Shadow DeMerci - Chateau DeMerci du Lac - Arrival

The coach pulls through some half-open wrought iron gates and comes to a stop in front of a weathered mansion. The house has seen better days - the lawns look like they haven't seen any care for months, stone railings appear to have been smashed in places, and signs of a fight litter the grounds. A scattering of large bones poke up through the overgrown gardens below the carriage road.

There is a knock on the carriage door. A butler opens the door in silence - his throat is terribly scarred and his breathing a bit wheezy. He motions for you all to follow.

There is a somewhat empty feeling in the air, a bit like a hosiptal room where someone has recently died. The air is still. Despite the weather being comfortably warm, crossing a shadow leaves you feeling chilled.

The interior of the house does not suffer from the disrepair of the gardens outside. It is nicely kept and a bit showy, especially the grand staircase leading upwards. The butler leads you into a library just off the main foyer. Sitting at a desk in one corner is Brand. He is pale and sickly looking.

The butler closes the door.

Brand struggles a bit rising from his chair. "I would like to extend gratitude for your coming on such short notice. Please, sit. I wish I was in a condition to be a better host."

A drop of blood trails down from his sleeve dow the back of his hand.

[Voshkod]

Bryce

Bryce nods slightly. "Father. You're looking well." He pulls out seats for the ladies and then takes his own seat.

[TroyXavier]

Alana

Alana sat down without a word. She did not particularly trust any uncle of hers. They all seemed to be at each other's throats for various reasons and never seemed to get anything out of it. Her father played the game correctly and that was how she wanted to do it. She sat quietly and listened to what he had to say however. It could prove to be useful to her.