At the start of the session, the party tries to get organized:

Cyrus: "The first thing we need to determine is to what degree we will be ambushed."

The trouble, of course, is that people who put spy-rubies on bedposts and doorknockers are unlikely to let the Princes of Amber sneak out the back door:

Finndo: "There's no good route, so we'll take the overland straight route; they have already demonstrated they can watch us no matter what we do."
Cyrus: "We are all here."
Finndo: "Yep."

Bonding based on a lack of sorcerous talents:

Scott: "He's finding his education lacking in magic."
Shai: "Quit reading Sonnet's mind."

Observations on character:

Benedict: Actually, Benedict is brooding.
GM: "What a surprise. In a few centuries, perhaps Benedict will pass the mantle of brooding on to his younger brother Corwin."

How To Confuse A GM:

GM: "Everyone's actually getting a good night's sleep?"

Sonnet has her saddle carried up to her room when she retires for the night:

Finndo: "I guess she really misses Lucan."

In the middle of the night, Sybil accidentally prevents Benedict from catching a spy in the secret passage. In a rage, he hacks a ruby off a bedpost and hurls it out the window. It falls a long distance over the rocks. Everyone's responses on hearing this:

Finndo: "I would want to know, but that would be bad."
Osric: "No, I had a nice bubble bath and now I'm getting a good night's rest."
Cyrus: "I'm paranoid: I get my sword and I get up against the wall."

Cyrus, on the sound: "Well, at least it wasn't a body."
GM: "No, it didn't sound like a body. You know what a body sounds like."
Jarrod: "No squish."
Shai: "No wet thump."
Cyrus: "Oh. Then I put my sword away and go back to bed."

On sagging roofs that look at you and footpads in the walls:

Benedict: "I don't think I like this place."

On morning people:

Scott: "Benedict looks a little surly this morning."
Jarrod, in that special Jarrod-dry-way: "That's new."
Scott: "Not that this is that unusual..."

On thanks for hospitality and spies:

Benedict: "I assume we'll have a nice formal farewell?"
Finndo: "Well. We'll have a nice decent breakfast and maybe say goodbye... or maybe just leave."

For some strange reason, people search their personal items and the group's supplies before leaving Savoy. They find rubies which Benedict collects. Benedict stomps off to find a servant:

GM: The servant sort of shrinks as you come up to him.
Benedict: "Where is the Lady Ismerelda?"
Servant: "She's completing her morning - let's call them rituals, sir."

On practical considerations:

Cyrus: "You know those ten pound bags of grain you have for horses; you know how easy it is to plant something in one of those things?"
GM: "Yep. Got a sifter on you?"

The baths seem to be strangely relaxing. This would be worthy of comment, but there are problems with looking for signs of drug use in some people:

Cyrus, with a little shrug: "Finndo is always so cheerful."

On etiquette (and what to do about the fact that for all the party knows, the spy-rubies have been sewn into their clothes):

Benedict: "Check your personal belongings."
Finndo: "Oh, you mean for being spied on?"
Benedict: "Yes."
Finndo: "I'm planning on waiting till we leave. Terribly bad manners to do it now. You really should try the bratwurst."

Finndo: "You know, we could just buy new supplies with these rubies. We don't really need to, but I must admit I like the irony."

Sybil is not with everyone at breakfast:

Finndo: "Someone should go get her."
Cyrus: "Sonnet."
Finndo: "Sonnet, please be so kind as to investigate her rooms and perhaps investigate the balcony."
Sonnet (correctly): "She won't be in her rooms."
Finndo: "Yes, but she might notice you in them."

Sybil is glamoured to look like the roof; she is also still somewhat skittish after Benedict's display of his sword last night:

GM to Benedict: "Well, you've never quite seen retreating shingles, so - "
Jarrod: "But you are a scary man, you know."

Jarrod: "When you look at the roof, the roof also looks at you."

Sonnet, steering her: "Left left left LEFT - good morning! - LEFT, Melody... "

Learning about tastes that taste great together:

Finndo: "Try the mustard - but not with the strudel."
Sybil: "I promptly try the mustard with the strudel."
GM: "You shouldn't've done that. Maybe without the flaky stuff, you could get a kind of cherry mustard gestalt - but I'm thinking no."

The party is back to worrying about rubies hidden in god-awful places:

Sonnet (and her solution to this): "Sybil, listen to my skin."

GM: "You've got rubies in places you didn't want to know about."

And about half a day's ride out from the baronial castle:

GM: "Benedict's horse has new shoes."
Finndo, resignedly: "We will re-shoe the horse in the next town."

But that's not what happens. Benedict gathers the rubies and charges back towards Ismerelda:

GM to Osric: "Roll your observation."
Deborah: "Please notice your brother haring off in the wrong direction."

GM: "You are in a position to do something about Benedict."
Osric: "Allright, I am going to stop my hotheaded little brother."
GM: "Exactly how?"
Osric, looking dangerously thoughtful: "No, I've done the branch thing already..."

Finndo: "Osric, let him go. Ismerelda deserves a scare."
Sonnet: "But he's going by himself."
Finndo: "Oh, I would much rather face a dozen well-organized warriors than Benedict by himself and unhappy."

Cyrus: "Also, she will have some advanced warning."
GM: "There's this dot on my radar that just whipped around and DID THIS."

Finndo: "I think this is an opportunity to continue our search."
Osric: "You know, I can't listen to him [Finndo]. I'm going to mess it up so that he [Benedict] comes up behind us and passes us again."

GM: "Osric has this far off gleam in his eye, Benedict rounds a corner and disappears... and then there's hoof-beats behind you."
Finndo just looks at Osric.
GM to Benedict: "There's a group of people up ahead."
Benedict just goes purple.

On determination and learning curves:

GM to Benedict: "Finndo's trying not to look at you as you ride past. Osric looks bemused, as though he's curious what you're doing."
Benedict: "I wheel my horse and ride off again, using Pattern."

GM to Osric: "That gave you a headache; you aren't sure you want to do that again."
Osric: "That was just too fun, though." Pause. "I let him go this time."

Sonnet is not allright with this:

Sonnet: "We're going to town to shop? When the best thing for them to do is split the three brothers up and then overpower them, let's let him hare off on his own. That's allright; let's go shopping! Oh, I'm overstepping my bounds again; I do apologize; let's go shopping."
Finndo: "Sonnet, things are far more under control than they appear."
Sonnet: "What, did you put a magic leash on him to yank him back as soon as he gets to the castle?"
Osric: "If you like."
Finndo: "That's one way of putting it."
Sonnet, blinking: "Might be interesting to watch; let's go shopping."

Jarrod: "Pattern is hard; let's go shopping."

Meanwhile, Benedict has ridden hard back to Savoy to Express Himself:

Benedict: "I rein up in front of the gates - "
GM : "Which are closed -"
Benedict: "...and make my presence known."
Lydia: "He's still saying please?"

Guard: "Who goes?"
Benedict: "Prince Benedict! Open the gates!"
GM: "In a non-immediate way, they say 'Immediately, my lord', and then there's a pause." Pause. Helpfully, "The pause goes on."
Benedict: "Eventually, the gates are open."

And on not saying please with special emphasis:

Benedict: "Get me your ferrier RIGHT NOW. And PLEASE ask the LADY Ismerelda if she would be SO KIND as to GRACE me with her PRESENCE in the armory."
Steward: "I'm sorry, but the Lady Ismerelda is not in the castle at the moment."
Benedict: "Where is she?"
Steward: "I'm not entirely appraised of her whereabouts at the moment."
Benedict: "I see."
Steward, helpfully: "But the ferrier will be here in a moment."

GM: "The ferrier is brought before you. He looks just... pale."
Benedict: "Did you shoe my horse yesterday?"
Ferrier: "Yes?"
Benedict: "On whose orders?"
Ferrier: "It just seemed... like a very good idea, sir."
Benedict: "You will reshoe it again. And I'm going to watch you this time. RIGHT NOW."

Meanwhile, back at the Let's Go Shopping contingent:

Finndo inquires, conversationally: "So, do you think he's going to kill anyone?"

And at Savoy:

GM: "The guy's hands are shaking violently; you're not sure he's going to do a good job."
Benedict: "Calm down, man. I'm not going to kill you. Yet."
Ferrier: "Are you sure about that, sir?"

Benedict: "Actually, I'm going to get him to shoe him again - but that's later."

Steward: "Without being too presumptuous, may I venture that the man's initiative displeased you?"
Benedict: "Yes."
Steward, politely: "Shall I have him put to death?"
The ferrier quivers.
Benedict: "No. But I have a message for the Lady Ismerelda," and he throws the rubies at the steward's feet, "The next time she sees fit to reward us with gifts - shall I ever find any more such GIFTS in my belongings again -"
Lydia: "There will be blood tonight!"
Rob: "It will take me 17 men to level this castle! Finding 17 men will take me 20 minutes!"
Benedict: "You will not find me nearly so well disposed to you, this place, Lady Ismerelda and Savoy."
Steward, impressively calm: "I shall do my best to convey the words."

On after-dinner activities:

Cyrus: "Lady Sonnet, are you planning on being mugged again tonight?"
Sonnet: "Mugged?"
Cyrus: "Or, well, stalked, assaulted, or ..."
Sonnet: "Should I?"
Cyrus: "I don't know. It's up to you."
Sonnet: "It's been a while since I've been assaulted."

Finndo: "Lady Sonnet, if you do take it upon yourself to wander town, do inform us at the least of your location so that - well, in case we have to leave abruptly."
Sonnet: "Of course." She smiles sweetly.

Benedict strides in from his trip to Savoy, looking a little calmer. Finndo is in the common room, gambling and waiting up like a good big brother:

Finndo looks up from his winnings. "Feel better?"

Speculations on Lady Ismerelda's whereabouts:

Cyrus: "So if she left, where was she going?"
Finndo: "Secret witch coven? Kidnapped by druids, flew to the moon on her little witch broomstick?"

Sybil is starting to get depressed by the sameness of places (they've been to this particular inn before). She parks under Finndo's table to sulk:

Finndo: "Is something wrong, young lady?"
Sybil: "Too many ones."
Finndo: "Too many ones? As compared to too few ones?"
Sybil: "Yeess."
Jarrod: "You dumbass."

The consequences of stealing sandwiches and sitting on them:

GM to Sybil: "Be aware you are beginning to smell a lot like sandwich."

The consequences of, well, uhm:

GM to Osric: "You have concluded that having a normal evening involves not being around Sybil."

Finndo does a crossword: "Three letter word for impossible or incomprehensible: F A E."

The trouble with witnesses:

Sybil: "I remove the sandwich from my posterior and I am NOT quote-filing that."
Lydia: "Yes, you are."
Jarrod: "Give me the keyboard."
Deborah types obligingly.

Ferriers just don't have luck with Benedict:

Ferrier in town: "Good morning, sir."
Benedict: "Good morning. I need new shoes for my horse."
Ferrier: "Ah! Well, my profession being what it is -- uhm. Oh. I'll. I'll get right on that, sir. Sorry."

Breakfast shenanigans start out with Sybil looking like a rug under a table. The party sits down at that table to eat and some of them swing their feet, unwittingly kicking her. The third time, Sybil swats the offending leg:

GM to Osric: "Your foot gets swatted."
Osric: "I look under the table."
GM: "There's a rug. There aren't any other rugs under the other tables."
Osric, to the rug under the table, without hesitation: "Good morning, Sybil!"
Sybil: "Good morning!"
Finndo, politely: "Tea?" And he offers her a cup.

Sybil, looking like a rug, takes the teacup.
Cyrus, with a hangover, emerges to see this, takes one look, and goes back up the stairs.
Cyrus: "I stick my face in the basin and leave it there; I blow bubbles occasionally."

Rob: "Everyone seems peculiarly cheery this morning."
Lydia: "Not Cyrus."
Rob: "Cyrus is mobile before noon; that's cheery."

The consequences of ruby-hunting and narcotic bathwater:

Benedict: "Can you hear any singing?"
Sybil gestures to Sonnet and Osric, who do look relaxed: "No. Just - humming of contentment."
Cyrus: "I immediately conclude that they are sleeping together."
Finndo: "Yeah... I look at them."

GM to Sonnet and Osric: "Everyone seems to be looking at you oddly."
Sonnet checks her clothes, "What?"
Benedict, to Osric: "Cigar?"

How to get Sybil to bathe:

Sybil: "Can I find any abandoned tubs that aren't mortalized?"
Finndo: "I make arrangements for a tub to be brought up to an empty room, filled, and left there. Then I strongly encourage Sybil not to go there."
Sybil: "That works like a charm."

Sonnet is enjoying her tub:

Cyrus asks through the door: "Are you planning on being mugged, Lady Sonnet?"
Sonnet: "Have you tried these baths? They're wonderful."
Cyrus, who hasn't had one of the Special baths: "They seemed allright."
Sonnet: "No, I think I'll stay here and be accused of bedding Prince Osric."
Cyrus, politely: "Very well, Lady."

Benedict comes downstairs after the bath looking fresh, relaxed and ... not angry:

Lydia: "Cyrus thinks perhaps he's the one sleeping with Sonnet."
Sonnet to Benedict: "You're far more attractive anyway."

Sybil sings and her bathwater spirit sings back. Finndo can hear this:

Finndo checkmarks the air: "Don't want to know."
Cyrus checkmarks the air: "Need to drink more. "

Sonnet is so cheerful she goes to extra trouble with her appearance, braiding flowers in her hair:

Finndo, doing his crossword: "...'six letter word for absolutely baffled': Sonnet."

On directions (the party is going to Tanauril to search for the missing Baron of Savoy):

Finndo: "We ask the locals how to get to Tanauril."
The local: "We... try not to go into Tanauril, and so well... well, we haven't built any roads to there."
Jarrod: "Go down route 17 about 45 minutes to where the water tower used to be."
Rob: "Now when you see the big red sign, you've gone too far. Bout two miles back from that, you want to take a right."

Finndo: "Benedict, how comfortable do you feel about orienteering?"
Jarrod: "This way to sudden death."

On paranoia in Tanauril, where there are rumors of druids and human sacrifice:

GM to Cyrus: "You are absolutely convinced that you're being watched; you see absolutely no signs of it."
Jarrod: "Which just makes it worse."
GM: "In fact, it's like the trees are watching you."
Cyrus: "I was afraid of that."

Cyrus: "It's like the trees are watching us."
Sybil: "Well, yes. They're more aware." In response to his look, "You would be less aware if you weren't fed, either!"
Cyrus: "Well, what are they fed on?"
Sybil: "Well, I didn't ask them but I assume sunlight, water, tree food."
Osric, dryly: "Well, perhaps you should ask them in case it's the blood of the innocent."

Sonnet: "Who in the party would qualify as tree food?"
Osric: "My brother."
Sonnet: "Which one?"
Jarrod: "Osric is monumentally unenlightening about that."

The party walks into the local tavern in Tanauril:

GM: "There is a silence as you walk in; a brief one, as people notice you."
Jarrod: "The yuppie walks into a biker bar..."
GM: "Actually, it's not that silence. It's the 'heh'-take-notice silence. No one actually looks unfriendly."
Rob: "The goth walks into a happy raver bar..."

Sybil decides to introduce Sonnet to one of the fetish-adorned trees, so she leads Lady Sonnet off into the forest. The ever-paranoid Cyrus follows them secretively. On player tendencies:

Cyrus: "I stay back from them, but close enough to get to them - about fifty feet... in rescue range."
Scott: "I was just thinking that!"

It turns out that the tree assumes that the women are there to exchange Sonnet's blood for power. Sybil cuts the introduction off (offended by the idea of being asked for a gift on first introduction), whips around and tries to hustle Sonnet away from the tree:

Cyrus: "My dilemma is whether to squeeze the Lady Sybil or the Lady Sonnet for information or to let Finndo do it."
GM: "It's not the Lady Sybil."
Cyrus: "Right. It's just Sybil. I squeeze her for information."

Cyrus inadvertently reminds Sonnet a little too sharply of her father:

Shai to Cyrus: "Have you ever been watched like you're some strange animal about to get out of control?"
Cyrus: "Yes."
Shai: "You should recognize that feeling, then."

Between Cyrus and Finndo being intimidating, Sybil has bolted out the door of the tavern:

Finndo: "Sybil? Are you around here anywhere?"
Sybil: "No!"
GM: "A small bush says no."
Finndo: "Would you like a cookie?"
Sybil, as a small bush, petulantly: "No!"
GM to Finndo: "You've never quite seen a bush sulk, until now."

Sybil explains to Finndo and Cyrus that the trees seem to have an inclination to accept blood in return for strength. Finndo sends Cyrus into the tavern with a message:

Cyrus: "Finndo would like me to convey the following message: 'Please expect to have your throat slit in the night.'"
Benedict: "I assumed that when we came to this place."

Finndo explains about the trees, human sacrifice, blood and druids to Benedict:

Benedict: "See, and I didn't even have to ask."
Finndo: "I assume that travelers are a good source of blood."

Finndo explains the party's cover story to Sybil:

Finndo: "We are travelers exploring the north."
Sybil: "How do we explain that we are apparently very dumb?"
Finndo: "They assume that."
Sybil: "Oh."

Cyrus gambles to gather some information in the One Big Town (where the Baron resides):

GM to Cyrus: "You find out about the local faires, that Baron Sejak is in town (and rarely leaves it) and there is ABSOLUTELY no mention of druids."
Scott: "Gee."
Deborah: "Willickers."

There was an attempt on Finndo's life the previous night (someone tried remotely strangling him with a tree fetish), and he's a little surly:

Finndo: "My patience is at an end."
Sybil: "Why? What happened?"
Finndo: "We are at an actual real fort and now we will get either answers or a large fight and then we will burn this place to the ground."
Sybil: "Oh."

Osric: "Someone tries to kill you once and you get all impatient."
Finndo: "Twice."

On a Karm's reputation:

GM: "Sejak regards Lady Karm on the word Karm."
Sonnet curtsies.

The party has their audience with Baron Sejak. Finndo does much of the talking, and things proceed a touch bluntly:

Sejak: "So you're here."
Finndo: "Yes. And we need to talk. And I'm really about to start talking, so if there's anyone at all whom you would not have in earshot, I suggest you rectify that immediately."

And more bluntly:

Finndo: "I want to know why the druids tried to kill me twice."
Sejak looks left, right, at him. "I have no idea."
Finndo: "Understood. But I imagine that you're in a position to know more about what the druids are up to than anyone else."
Sejak: "You'd think that."
Finndo: "You'd think that, yes. But I am very close to taking personal offense."
Sejak: "Finndo. My Prince. I am, in my post here, effectively an agent of the Crown. There are people who have been here much longer than I. This is not something that sits well with them. I do what I can to make my peace, and then I look away."

And now we threaten to post troops:

Finndo: "Allright. How many men do you need?"
Sejak: "I don't understand what you mean."
Finndo: "If the problem is that the Representative of the Crown does not have sufficient men to keep the situation under control, then I'm sure the situation can be remedied."

Sejak: "I'd like my barony not to burn; I fear that might be necessary."
Finndo: "One might like to point out that an attack on a group of representatives of Amber - ignoring that they are Princes of the Realm - could be taken into account."

In case we somehow missed the tone:

Rob, muttering under his breath during a break: "...and if you do not think I could burn this pissant Barony down around you..."

Finndo explains the two attacks on his life to Sejak. Sejak is, as ever, sympathetically responsive:

Sejak: "Ah."
Finndo: "Yes. As such, I am perhaps a touch miffed."
Sejak: "I see."

Finndo: "Now, naturally, I have no desire to see your barony burn and I have no desire to see the north destabilized. But the Crown must be shown respect."
Sejak: "Yes, and I wish to show you that respect."
Finndo, politely: "And I do not doubt that."

In case we weren't already skittish and paranoid:

Finndo: "But if I cannot expect more from the woods than continued threats on my life, then I am obliged to do something about it."
Sejak: "I cannot stand in your way if you wish to do something about it."
Finndo: "I understand completely."
Sejak: "However, I have never seen a druid."
Finndo: "Interesting. Who has?"
Sejak: "No one has ever seen who hangs those fetishes you speak of."
Sybil: "Well, they're the trees' children."

Sejak: "Their voice is known to many people; I don't know how it becomes known, it simply is. If that voice turns against me, I will be dead in the month."
Finndo: "I see."
Sejak: "However, I can fail to obstruct you."

Just to be clear:

Finndo: "But again: a heavily armed, heavily magical sect that are intent on murdering Crown Princes - slightly nerve-wracking."

Sejak and Cyrus step aside to talk:

Sybil: "Should we go after him to make sure he doesn't kill Cyrus?"
Finndo: "If he kills Cyrus, we kill him and burn this entire place to the ground."
Sybil: "Oh."

Meanwhile (Cyrus' suspicion, I think, is that Ivan, the missing Baron (who is a minor), is to be sacrificed):

Cyrus: "We know about the boy."
Sejak: "Well, then you have your answer."

Cyrus: "Why him? Why not just someone else?"
Sejak: "As I know it, they stopped taking people from this place. Now they take travellers. Occasionally - very occasionally - they have specific requirements."

Cyrus: "You have not seen the druids work directly on your realm."
Sejak, pointedly: "I try not to go poking where I shouldn't."

And on the advantages of rank:

Sejak: "I treat with you because I know of your connection and because your title is not Prince."
Cyrus: "I see."
Sejak: "The druids are not happy about them being here."

Riding back from the audience, Osric notes something and veers off with no explanation:

Benedict: "No explanation? You just veer off?"
Osric: "Do you ask? Osric's not in the habit of offering information."
Finndo: "Finndo assumes Osric has a cunning plan and goes back to the tavern."

Benedict: "May I join you?"
Osric: "That was subtle."

Finndo tells Oberon where he is so Oberon will know if the druids kill the Prince. Oberon's response:

Oberon: "Why are you messing with those people?"
Finndo: "We think they have the boy."
Oberon: "I haven't built roads there for a reason."

The Amber parent response to attempts on a child's life is somewhat unique:

Finndo: "And they've tried to kill me twice."
Oberon: "I won't deny you your right but if it gets ugly, get out."

Finndo: "I don't suppose you could encourage Baron Rast and fifty thousand men?"
Oberon: "Not quickly."
Jarrod: "By Tuesday?"
Deborah: "By close of business?"

On how to tell the good from the bad trees:

Sonnet: "Judging from sheer perspective of sinisterness, one would assume that yes, the decorated ones are the blood fed ones."

Familial greetings:

Finndo: "Brothers! You're back!"
Osric: "Why yes."
Finndo: "Did anyone try to kill you?"
Osric: "Not yet. You?"

On dealing with trees, sinister and otherwise:

Cyrus: "Your presence disturbs the druids and the trees."
Finndo: "I should certainly fucking hope so."

Sybil: "We could give the tree its gift [blood] by taking it from someone else."
Cyrus: "So that's going to end up being my job, isn't it?"

Sybil: "Trees don't react very well to belting."
Cyrus: "There's always axes made out of cold iron."

This last, and an unfortunate experiment with a chainsaw brought from Shadow (which does not work), send Sybil skittering into hiding. She asks Sonnet to smack Cyrus for her:

Sonnet: "Sir Cyrus, may I hit you?"
Benedict: "Lady Sonnet, you have my permission."
Cyrus: "I must regretfully decline your generous offer Lady Sonnet."
GM to Benedict: "Disappointing, isn't it?"

On planning:

Sybil: "I can find you the oldest trees, but why can't we just leave?"

Sybil to Osric: "This is not a good idea."
Osric: "You're just now figuring that out?"

As it turns out, the party figures out that there is going to be some sort of wedding between the High Priest's daughter and what they assume will be the Baron of Savoy. They decide to wait until nightfall, which they do, and follow the whispers of the trees to the site of the ritual, which they do. What they see (in a round clearing in the woods, on a rounded flattened hilltop rise, in a circle of druids) is an altar on which is bound one sacrificial victim and which has before it two people being married. The party, watching this from cover below the rise, starts to dither and plan. However (and there are lots of howevers):

Cyrus to GM: "I was planning on running up there."
GM: "Right now?"
Cyrus: "Yeah."
GM: "That just warms the cockles of my cockles."
Lydia, hopefully: "Can I have a fudge point?"

The forest starts to seep tendrils of darkness which, as the party watches, slip over the rise. The tendrils sneak up on the druids and fasten upon them, and the party gets very confused about who is attacking whom for what reason:

GM to Osric: "This is the point where you should probably mention that you see Sir Cyrus stand up on the rise opposite you guys with his sword drawn."

GM to Cyrus: "You're surrounded by darkness and there are some choking druids and some non choking druids and there's now only two people to get to."
Cyrus: "I run to the alter, and I carve through anyone who gets in my way."
GM: "Ooooohkay, we are now in combat time."

Finndo calls home for help, waking his father:

Oberon, groggy: "Good evening."
Finndo: "How fast can you pass me guardsmen?"
Oberon, still groggy: "I'll call you back."

Sybil, seeing the tendrils and hearing a VERY loud call from the center of the forest, panics and tries to drag Sonnet away from the scene. Sonnet, ever her father's daughter, knocks the Fae out:

Deborah: "I tried to save her life, and she knocked me out."
Shai: "I didn't really want to do that, but - you know."

And more howevers:

GM: "You see the trees walk forward. They pull up their roots and THUNK THUNK sixty foot tall trees walk."
Finndo: "Oh, if only that chainsaw had worked."

Finndo calls home again:

Finndo: "FotherMucker, we don't have time for soldiers to get killed, we have sixty foot walking trees, do you know anything about this?"
Oberon: "No?"
Finndo: "Motherfuckier. We have inky darkness coming out of the trees, do you know anything about THAT?"
Oberon: "Sounds like witchcraft."
Finndo: "MotherFUCKER!"

On Cyrus' approach to combat (which involves launching himself and other people at the sixty foot walking trees):

GM: "See tree.bludgeon."

And more howevers, since the sacrificial victim is a girl who seems to have the Baron of Savoy's haircut and colors, and since the groom looks an awful lot like Sejak and the walking tree appears to be trying to punch the sacrifice who is not out cold and the shadows are strangling the druids who haven't fled and the party now has to contend with frightened druids, the High Priest, the victim, the bride and groom and the trees:

Osric: "Who Do I Not KILL?!"
Benedict: "Everyone and the boy on the altar?"

Finndo: "I am the princely bomber what bombs at midnight."

Sejak leapt forward to cut the sacrifice's throat just as Cyrus flings himself at the altar to stop him:

GM to Osric: "You pull up short because Lord Halibut has just belly flopped on the whole altar mess."

Cyrus to Sejak: "You lied to me. I hate it when people lie to me."

Once more on Dealing With Trees:

Finndo: "I'm getting the hell away from it: there is fire at its feet and arrows in it and there's something going on at the altar that needs to be sorted out."

Meanwhile:

Cyrus, at the altar: "MEDIC!"

Sybil comes back to consciousness with the realization that (to her perspective) the Land has just used her against her friends. Sybil has a small flaw in her character:

GM to Sybil: "You think you may have called up more salamanders than you can control."
Sybil, not penitently: "Oooh WELL!"

On getting a handle on the situation:

Osric: "Are there any good guys left?"
Cyrus: "Were there any good guys to start with?"

And after everything is said and done and Ivana, the Baron of Savoy (who is NOT a boy), has fled to her shadows and the magic of Savoy has been joined with the magic of the druids and Cyrus has killed the high priests and, well, yes:

Benedict: "We've been used."
Sybil, with the forest burning behind her due to the salamanders she cut loose: "Yes. I hate that." Pause. "But why and by whom?"

On life expectancy and recovery:

Sejak: "Month. Try a few days."

When you're a Jet:

Sonnet offers Cyrus an arm: "You look like shit."
Cyrus: "I don't take the arm."
Sonnet: "Don't worry; I won't tell Father."

Finndo decides to pay Savoy a visit and have another of those blunt conversations:

Finndo: "I need two killers of men."

One more lesson for Sybil:

Finndo: "I will teach them that Amber is not to be trifled with."
Sybil, disappointed: "Then you're using. It's just more using; it's just another form of it. You - "
Finndo: "Yes. But we're doing the using."
Sybil opens her mouth to object; she blinks, and does not.

Finndo trumps Cyrus and Benedict into Savoy, where they are met by guardsmen (and the Steward hiding behind two more guardsmen):

GM: "They don't look pleased to see you."
Jarrod: "Why isn't anyone ever pleased to see us?"

Finndo: "Your mistress should be returning shortly."
Steward: "Perhaps so."
Finndo, firmly: "No. She should be returning shortly."
Steward: "I'll see if that's her."

So it wasn't exactly the blood of the innocent:

Finndo: "I take it everything worked out to your satisfaction."
Ismerelda: "No."
Finndo: "And what do you find lacking?"
Ismerelda: "There were some choices made, choices made without my control, that I would not have made."

Finndo: "I continue to have very little concern with your internal politics, but should civil war result in Tanauril, Savoy will be considered the first response."
Benedict, softly: "Give me an excuse."
Ismerelda: "The boy will make whatever reparations you see as necessary."

Back in Tanauril, Finndo smoothes things over with Sonnet and Sybil, whose different responses reflect the benefits, once more, of a Karm upbringing:

Finndo: "Ladies, my apologies - "
Sonnet: "There is no need to apologize."
Sybil: "There is every reason to apologize."

Finndo calls Oberon to explain about the trees:

Finndo: "Here's the breakdown:"
Lydia: "Ismerelda, bitch. Daughter, future bitch."

Finndo: "The girl - boy - ran away on her own. We're not sure why. There's probably lots of reasons if you're growing up with Ismerelda..."

Finndo: "Powerful enough magics to happen as Ismerelda."
Oberon: "That or some of her bitches - I mean witches..."

Finndo: "So. Bad things happen. Trees walking -"
Oberon: "Trees walking?"
Finndo: "Trees walking, which pulped the high priest -"
Oberon: "Right."

Recapping the session:

Rob, about pointing out to the steward that two guards were not going to help him: "Look. You have a handful of guards and I have the second and third deadliest men in the kingdom."
Scott: "SECOND deadliest!?"

Lydia: "I'll tell you one thing that makes this campaign work for me: you do have the good Oh SHIT moments - information info info infomration OH FUCK."

Rob, on being a Prince of Amber: "I tell you what. You have your druids and I have my CALVIN KLEIN JEANS".