"Isn't there some sort of anti-Viagra (Gavin) can take?"

Saturday, February 17, 0

Ariana wakes up around noon to find the children already up and about. Jalana, Morgan and Shannon seem OK, if a bit quiet. She's told by Arabeth that Angelique stopped by earlier and inquired after her health. Mirelle visits with Devlin to make sure she's OK.

Lucien returns around one. Ariana hugs him and asks what happened. The wine was poisoned. Almost all of the nobility died. Beauty was killed, Felix lost his grandparents and cousins, but Isabeux survived. Ariana says she doesn't know what to do. He suggests she rest. Do the children know what happened? No, they didn't wake up until this morning. He assumes she did as well? Yes, before dawn. What has he been doing? Meeting with Nicholas and Fiona. He can't say about what. Is Vincent OK? Yes. Is Brand back in town? No. She explains that she had a dream about Brand returning. She also says she woke up once before this morning, when she was still in the Great Hall. She saw him healing people. Well, that happened, but she wasn't awake for it. Then why does she remember it? Why does she always think he'd know? Because he's over 2,000 years old. He only remembers things that interest him. She wishes she could have done something. He says there was nothing the healers could do. Those who were fated to die, did. She has trouble accepting this. Does he want her to move the children back to Middlecourt? No, he thinks they should be safe in Amber. What should she tell them about the poisoning? The truth. He thinks they should know the world is a dangerous place. He gets a Trump call and leaves.

Ariana spends some time with the children, but they seem relatively unaffected by what they've been through. None of them ask what happened, and Ariana doesn't bring the subject up.

Ariana asks Random if there's anything she can do to help. No, all that can be done now is bury all of the bodies. What about the children who lost their parents? They're being raised by relatives, or if there are no relatives, their estates will be given over to a Prince or Princess. But who will raise the children in that case? They don't know yet. She goes off into town to be alone for a while. The mood in town is very subdued.

Sunday, February 18, 0

Vincent begins teaching Whimsy Trump.

Ariana goes out to Deirdre's estates to visit with Maddy and Ishmael. She's relieved to learn that both Maddy and the baby are fine.

Ariana returns to town and discovers that the list of the dead has been posted. It's quite extensive. Ariana busies herself with working on the hospital the rest of the afternoon. That evening, she sends a note to Fiona asking to borrow any books she may have on ghosts.

Monday, February 19, 0

Several books on ghosts are delivered to Ariana. One of them is not so much a book as Fiona's notes on the subject. Fiona thinks that those of Amber blood are tied to the time and space that the Pattern exists in. She's encountered Oberon, Corwin and Sand in the castle. Their obvious common thread is that none of them died peacefully. In theory, if a ghost possessed a weak body, the ghost could use its own abilities as well as those of the body. Fiona's never actually seen this happen, though. There's nothing on what might happen to the possessed individual, how much control they would have versus the ghost, or how to get rid of the ghost. Ariana passes this information along to Lucien, who says he never could figure out Sand when she was alive. So he's not going to do anything? He's not sure he can, right now. Sand's mind was stronger than his. Ariana points out that together, their minds are stronger than hers. He counters that Sand was never stronger than Fiona, and she'll doubtless get around to looking into the matter at some point. Vincent appears to be behaving normally, but Ariana resolves to keep an eye on him.

Tuesday, February 20, 0

Gavin stops by looking for Lucien. He doesn't look quite like himself. Ariana says that Lucien is meeting with Nicholas and offers to pass on a message. He tells her there's a problem with the change. Is that why he looks different? It's reverting. Ariana passes this along to Lucien, who pays about as much attention to it as he did to her news about Vincent.

Wednesday, February 21, 0

Ariana learns that Felix is taking in his surviving Loretto relatives (Christopher, Philipe, Clare and Rose) while Ishmael will be raising the remaining orphans (Harold Chantris; Lucia, Leonora, Lily and Kees Solon; and Summer, Justina and Virgil William). She's delighted by the news, and stops by to congratulate Ishmael and Maddy. She suggest having his new wards play with her kids. He agrees, and says he intends to include the older boys with her boys' training. He's going to be hiring tutors for the whole bunch and invites Ariana's kids to join them. She talks to Maddy, who says she picked out the tutors herself, so Ariana is fine with that. Ariana asks Ishmael for permission to draw a Trump of an area near his estate, to make travel easier. He says anywhere on the road up is fine. Ariana fills Ishmael in on the Sand situation, so he can help watch for any odd behavior in Vincent.

Thursday, February 22, 0

The poisoning is officially blamed on Maris. She's to be hung, drawn and quartered on the 25th, as soon as the bodies are buried. Ariana looks sick at the news and asks to talk to Lucien. She says she's met Maris, and read her writings, and she can't believe Maris would do this. Maris never advocated violence. Lucien tells her to leave this topic alone. Maris has committed treason. For what she wrote? Yes, she advocated changing the Empire. So she would have died anyway? Yes. He tells her to trust him. She must not interfere in this. She asks if the real killer has been dealt with, but he insists that killer is Maris, and then says he cannot speak about it and leaves. This helps Ariana's mood not at all.

Friday, February 23 - Saturday, February 24, 0

Ariana passes the days before the execution stressing about it and not eating while she tries to think of something she can do. By the eve of the execution, she reluctantly admits that there's no way she can free Maris, and no way to even block her pain without drawing Nicholas' attention, since she would have to establish physical contact with Maris. Knowing this still doesn't stop her from feeling horribly guilty about allowing Maris to die for a crime she didn't commit, however.

Sunday, February 25, 0

Ishmael offers to let the children stay at his estate, far from the execution atmosphere. Ariana takes him up on this, and goes a step further herself, leaving Amber entirely and spending the day in Middlecourt. She remains there until evening, then goes through to Ishmael and spends the night with her children.

Monday, February 26, 0

Ariana spends most of the day sitting off by herself, acting rather withdrawn. Towards evening, Ishmael tells Ariana that he's been noticing Trump energy coming out of Vincent. While they're discussing this, Vincent walks in and insists he has to go into town. Ariana asks if it can wait, since it's getting late and everything will likely be closed. He needs to go now. Why? He just has to. She looks worried. He Trumps out. She Trumps into town after him. The shops are closing. She hears a shout and a crack, and then a cart comes barreling towards her. She leaps out of the way into the arms of a cloaked man. When she looks at his face, she sees it's Brand, with a beard. She emits a small scream and then faints. She comes to in an alley with Brand lightly tapping her face. He backs away as soon as she wakes up, and she quickly backs up against a wall. She asks if he knows who she is. Ariana. How does he know that? He was shown pictures of all of his relatives and told what he did to them. What is he doing in Amber? He's here to see Nicholas. That might not be wise right now. He has no choice. He had hoped to arrive in time to stop someone else from being punished for his crime, but he's too late. Then he was behind the poisoning? Via Irene. Why didn't Avalon warn them sooner? Because they all died when the Planes of Trump merged. Only Ona survived, and she would have killed herself, but Brand convinced her not to. Instead, she cloaked Avalon in the mists. All of this news makes Ariana rather pale.

Ariana asks if Brand has seen a twelve-year-old boy with red hair and pointed ears. Vincent? Yes. That's his other purpose here. Vincent has been chosen as one of the Avatars of Trump. There are two others, one of whom is Brand. She won't let him take Vincent away from her. He promises that he won't. Is Sand the third Avatar? No, why does she ask? Ariana explains her suspicion regarding Sand. Brand says they must find Vincent immediately and holds out a gloved hand. Ariana hesitates, then takes his hand. They appear in front of Vincent, who shrieks with rage. Ariana stops him from running away while Brand prevents him from Trumping out. Sand, speaking through Vincent, says she should be one of the three. Brand says she wasn't chosen. Chosen or not, she insists that she's earned her place. Ariana retorts, "By taking over your son?" Sand tells her to stay out of this. Ariana says Sand brought her into it when she involved Vincent. Brand tries to pull Sand's spirit out of Vincent, but her spirit is enmeshed with Vincent's. When Ariana sees his spirit start to leave too, she yells at Brand to stop. Brand calls Sand wicked to kill her own son. Like he should talk. Brand merges Sand's spirit with Vincent, who slumps unconscious. Ariana catches him and anxiously examines him, but he seems to be OK. When his eyes open, he says, "Mom," and Ariana hugs him. Is he OK? Yes. He appears to have completely recovered his vocal skills. Ariana asks if he can hear Sand. Vincent says his mind and hers are now one, but his personality is the surviving one. He stands and tells Brand that he's ready. Ariana asks what he's ready for. To become the second Avatar. Ariana looks accusingly at Brand, reminding him that he said he wouldn't take Vincent. Brand needs to take him to the Fount of Power, then he'll be returned. Ariana is afraid that will hurt him. Not since he is one of the chosen. Ariana asks if they can't wait until he's older. Vincent says he'll be fine. Ariana asks if she can go with them. Brand seems to confer with something, and then says she can come.

Brand Trumps them to the Fount, which freaks Ariana out since it seems to be on fire. She gives Vincent's hand a squeeze before he walks into it. The fire is absorbed into him and then he emerges. Ariana hugs him and checks to make sure he's OK, much to his embarrassment. Brand tells Ariana that, for what it's worth, he's truly sorry for what he did. She nods, and asks if he intends to speak to Grayson. If she'll allow it. She says she would not stop him from seeing his son. Vincent Trumps himself and Ariana back to Ishmael's place, then says, "This is so cool!" Ishmael notices that he's talking normally now. Vincent walks up to Morgan and starts talking to him, which freaks him out. Ishmael takes Vincent off to a corner to talk. Ariana goes off by herself and cries in relief.

Ariana returns home and finds her room filled with flowers. Obviously, Lucien was rather relieved by her decision regarding Maris. Ariana bursts into tears upon seeing them, since she's still feeling guilty. Lucien eventually returns, and she tells him of her day. She mentions that she still feels like she should have done something to help Maris. He assures her that there was nothing she could have done. She did the right thing and he's grateful for it. What does he think Nicholas would have done if she'd tried anything? Given Nicholas' mood, he would have imprisoned Ariana, or worse. Ariana figures she could have lived with imprisonment. Lucien says that while she might have lived with it, he and the children wouldn't have. The life of a commoner was not worth that. Ariana says she knows they need her, which is why she didn't do anything, but if she'd just had herself to think of, she wouldn't have held back. She's concerned that she's starting to change into someone she doesn't like. Lucien, of course, doesn't think she needs to worry about it. Ariana admits that she's surprised he left her free to try to save Maris, given how he felt about it. He admits that it was a very large gamble, and he's glad it paid off. What was he going to do if she'd actually tried anything? Stop her, and try to hide it from Nicholas. Ariana points out that by leaving when he did, he practically encouraged her to do something stupid. He says he's decided that very little he says will ultimately influence her, so it's time she learned things on her own. He can only hope that she makes the right decisions, but will do his best to stand by her either way. She disagrees that what he says doesn't influence her, pointing out that his asking her to trust him had a large effect on her final decision regarding Maris. It's also why she asks him so many questions all the time. She values his advice, even if she doesn't always do what he wants her to do. He tells her that advice often given and often ignored is discouraging. She points out that she did follow his advice this time, though. That should count for something. It's a start. She asks Lucien to hold her for a while, since she's still shaken by the day's events.

Tuesday, February 27, 0

Ariana Trumps Brand and offers to come with him when he finally decides to meet with Nicholas. She's hoping that will stop Nicholas from killing him outright, and feels she owes him at least that much for helping her with Vincent. Brand says he'll contact her when he's ready.

Gavin stops by carrying a baby girl with blond hair and blue eyes. He asks Ariana to confirm her relationship. Ariana takes the baby and asks how old she is. He doesn't know. Ah. Ariana confirms that the baby is in good health and checks her genetics. She notices that the baby seems needy, like she's not getting enough attention. She seems to be a couple of months old and is obviously Gavin's, but the other half appears to be demonic. Thankfully, that part is recessive. There is also shapeshifting potential present. Ariana gives the baby to Gavin and tells him what she's found, including the fact that the baby needs more attention. She offers to give him some books on caring for children to help. He guesses he'll have to name her now. Um, yes. He asks to see her husband. She brings him to Lucien, at which point he hands the baby back to her. Lucien shifts him to another form again and says that's only going to get worse. Can't he do anything else? Find a way to close the gate. He suggests talking to Alex. Gavin takes the child back and leaves.

Ariana asks Lucien if they're going back to Middlecourt. No, he's going to be staying in Amber. Why? Nicholas has asked him to do some work for him. What kind of work? Business. But he's retired. He can't refuse an order from the Emperor. Ariana storms out of the room, goes down to the training room, and begins breaking things.

Ariana gets a Trump call from Brand, who says he's ready. All right. He appears next to her and they begin heading to Nicholas' office. Nimue suddenly appears, shrieks, and throws a Pattern bolt at Brand, who runs away. Ariana reminds Nimue that Brand doesn't remember what he did. Nimue takes off after Brand. Ariana chases Nimue. Fiona and Whimsy appear and ask what's going on. Ariana says that Brand needs to speak to Nicholas and runs past them. Fiona Trumps Ariana and asks why. She feels Brand needs to reveal that himself. Fiona seems stunned that Ariana is willing to go that far for Brand. Vincent appears next to Ariana and holds out his hand. She takes it and they Trump next to Nimue just as she corners Brand. Ariana tells Nimue that she wouldn't be here with Brand if it wasn't important. This gives Vincent time to grab Brand's hand, so Nimue's next bolt is deflected. Fiona and Whimsy appear. Ariana asks Nimue to wait. Nimue says he may have raped Ariana and taken her child, but he killed her. Ariana says she hasn't forgotten this, and she hated him for that too. She turns suddenly as she senses the Orb, and Nicholas arrives a few seconds later, looking pissed with the Orb powered up. He tells Brand that he returns on pain of death. Brand pales and tells him that it's not that simple. He, Fiona and Vincent are the Avatars of Trump. Nicholas says there's one way to test this. He fires a bolt of Orb energy at Brand, narrowly missing Ariana, who moves to shield Vincent. Brand, Vincent and Fiona all smoke, but survive. Fiona says that about proves things nicely. Nicholas says it does, and it's the icing on the cake. He leaves, and Nimue vanishes shortly afterward. Fiona tells her daughters that she has to leave with Vincent and Brand. Whimsy nods. Alexandra bursts into tears. Fiona says she'll have more freedom than Suhuy. Ariana tries to reassure Alexandra of this as well, pointing out that her son is involved, too. The Triumvirate vanishes.

Ariana goes back to her quarters and fills Lucien in on what happened. She's still obviously upset about him coming out of retirement. Lucien says he's sorry but his hands are tied. Going against Nicholas would mean his head. Besides, it's more of a passive commission, not an active one. Basically, he's on retainer should the need arise. Ariana points out that Faerie isn't under Nicholas' rule. True, but he doesn't want to live there. With Nicholas controlling both realms, he has a chance to build something again. Like what, another house of assassins? Maybe. People will always be needed to keep the homelands safe. Who better to make it happen than someone who has trained half of the existing assassins? Ariana says that when he retired he told her it was something he'd been wanting to do for a long time, so she can't understand why he's changed his mind now. He has a fresh vision and a new world. Plus, she's constantly worrying about their safety. She doesn't think the last one is a good reason, since she'll worry more about him killing people again than she ever did about her own safety. And his being an assassin wouldn't have kept Vincent safe from Sand, anyway. In fact, coming out of retirement kept him too busy to even look into the matter. She had to get Brand's help to solve it. He says that was a poor choice, given the situation with Nicholas. What did he expect her to do, just leave Vincent at Brand's mercy? It's not like he was helping her at all with it. He explains that he was referring only to her placing herself between Nicholas and Brand, given that Brand was responsible for Beauty's death. As for Vincent, he's taken a more active role with these children than he has any in the past. Were he not busy helping both the Emperor and Fiona, he would have been there, and everything turned out fine in the end. Ariana says she thought he was criticizing her for trying to help Vincent, and it irritated her that he'd leave dealing with Vincent in her hands and then criticize what she did. She would have preferred not to be involved with the whole Brand/Nicholas scenario, but she felt she owed Brand a serious debt for what he did for Vincent. Lucien wishes she would have thought of another way to repay it. Hopefully, when Nicholas thinks back, he'll remember that she didn't try to stop him from blasting Brand, only Vincent. She suggests they move out of the castle, though. If they're living in town, she and Nicholas aren't likely to encounter each other, and that's probably for the best as far as both of them are concerned. Lucien agrees that this is a good idea.

Quotables:

"I think Alexandra's idea of a prestigious position is (spreading her legs)." -- Matthew R. to the group

"Elspeth is like a little Fiona." -- GM
"Only pleasant." -- Matthew R.

"There's a really pregnant lady on the front steps." -- GM
"Doesn't somebody else let her in?" -- Ishmael

"Meander. Hey, that's who we can get to explore Amber beyond Arden." -- Matt S.
"The blind guy?" -- Sean

"I'm pretending to be asleep." -- Gavin
"You hear an incantation." -- GM
"OK, now I'm up." -- Gavin

"Isn't there some sort of anti-Viagra (Gavin) can take?" -- Sean
"Yeah, Whimsy can pull her top off." -- Matthew R.

"Is everything all right?" -- Guards
"Not even remotely close." -- Gavin, the somewhat shredded

"Go slip (the baby) between Ariana's legs." -- Lisamarie, telling Gavin what to do with his demon child

"(Christopher) is a bitter little boy, right now." -- GM to Felix
"That's a good start for an Amberite." -- Lisamarie

"Bite me, you bed-hopping slut." -- Whimsy to Alexandra
"The sisterly love is just overwhelming." -- GM

"You have big hands with which to pat (Christopher's) back." -- GM to Felix
"Don't pat too hard, they're fragile at that age." -- Lisamarie

"You got Jack, you get everything you slimy bitch." -- Whimsy
"You threw his ring in the privy." -- Alexandra
"And he gave it back, you just don't understand how to play hard to get." -- Whimsy

"You're getting a Trump call." -- GM
"Who is it?" -- Ariana
"It's Brand." -- GM
"I take it." -- Ariana
"Bet you never thought you'd be saying that in this game." -- Sean

"Outrageous Fortune"
Game Logs for Sessions 1-115 | Character Logs for Sessions 116+

All text on this page is © 1998 by Kris Fazzari, with the exception of the attributed quotes.

Last modified on December 15, 1998 by Kris Fazzari.