Players and Characters:

Lydia ........ Cyrus
Shai ........ Sonnet
Scott ........ Benedict
Jarrod ....... Osric
Rob ........ Finndo
Deborah ...... Sybil
Fred ........ GM

Stat line up:

-2 Poor
-1 Mediocre
0 Average
1 Fair
2 Good
3 Great
4 Superb
5 Epic
6 Legendary
7 Legendary +1
etc.

Session 14: "A Fire in the Mind"

The previous session was an advancement session, spent in diverse ways.

So. A recap:

Osric spent the five years researching the Before Time, playing chess by mail with Tarraign and working on his skill with the Pattern.
Benedict married Alyra, solidified his power base in the north, improved the City Guard and improved his skill with his power with Piero's help.
Finndo ran Amber for five years, started a new Renaissance in the kingdom, brought jeans and industrial decadence to Tanauril, and solidified his influence.
Sybil became Finndo's ward, studied at the Academy under Tarraign and became a lady of the Court; she worked on her elementalism.
Sonnet became Finndo's secretary, attended Ninja High School, achieved inner peace and got her adolescence back.
Cyrus attended to his wife, became a Merchant Prince in the Southern Isles with Finndo's blessing, and built a new life conveniently ignoring the absence of his daughter.
Oberon stayed locked up in his room. Yes, for five years.
Cymnea is still at large, along with Kipwyn and Quinn, and has not been heard from.

This session opens 5 years after the end of session 12.

Oh, did we do that?

GM: "Osric, whatcha been doin' lately?"
Jarrod: "What did we leave off with?"
GM: "We left off with war in the outer kingdoms, lack of war with us, but war among the Outer Kingdoms due to the Ghenesh situation - basically the consequences of your visit have compounded over five years."

The expansionist and the pragmatist:

GM: "It's currently a civil warring federation of -"
Jarrod: "It's Afghanistan!"
Lydia: "We could take it over!"
GM: "That's a lot of sand and is it really worth it?"

Dodge!

Osric: "There were two significant - well. One, Osric was researching the time before and secondly, he was playing chess by mail with Tarraign."
GM: "Right. Scott, I believe I'm going to be starting you."

Information Dump:

GM to Benedict: "Having returned to Homewood but we want to talk through some of the stuff prior to that. Checking in with the city guard, by this point Greaves is solidly in control although there is the occasional move, countermove play he has to engage to enforce that. You wanted to find out stuff about the time of the founding; a lot of the information there that has been recovered and put into books and so forth is unfortunately stuff you've either heard colloquially or already knew through other means. Oberon appeared on several fronts at once; there were multiple accounts of him being two places at the same time, so on and so forth. A lot of this you would chalk up to poor lines of communication among the rather fractured kingdoms he was arrayed against and his ability to travel shadow. You also know that the pattern of the war was this tightening spiral around Kolvir. This is probably because Kolvir was what he was after but he wanted to secure everything around it first and furthermore you know you can't shift shadow that close so he was making use of his advantage where he could first. Certain kingdoms that should not have fallen easily according to the historians _fell_, largely because he was able to say Army Here. You know that there are several lords of Andros that have not been heard from in some time; there's a particular swath of Andros south of Alta Verde that got terraformed by a geomancer that Oberon brought along."
Scott: "Is she still around?"
GM: "It's rumored that all of them are still around but many of them are abiding by the not interfering with subjects rule and have not been at court. Your instincts tell you that these are the junior Rasts and Pieros that were brought along; the outsiders. But you've been establishing yourself as Prince of the North. We're going to open with you having returned to Homewood fairly recently."

'Again' => 'Very small biscuit':

GM: Osric, you've been saddled with an even more difficult task, namely the Before Time. You can find out a lot of information about stuff that doesn't have to do with Nod in the Before Time, but oh my god a lot of it is inconsequential and petty; these were bickering smaller kingdoms that were ignored, to some extent, because this was a small, fertile area that lay to the east of a oh my god large desert. And it seems like the Lords of Kolvirsgaard were, again, people who kept to themselves so there's not all that much information out there and, again, a lot of the information out there could have been destroyed because, again, a lot of it was in Kolvirsgaard and, again, Kolvirsgaard got _dismantled_.

Once burned, twice shy:

Scott: "Are you talking to Osrat again?"
Jarrod: "What? No. Uh." Grins, "No."
Rob: "Truuuust."
Jarrod: "At least not yet."

Using what's handed to you:

GM to Osric: "It's nightfall; you are in one of the lesser libraries that isn't part of the Academy because you've spent a lot of time there and you've found the out of the way places. You've making your eyes bleed lately with histories of things you don't care about -"
Rob: "And you've encountered the throne sponsored scribes. The scribes are based on the idea that Amber's library is really lame; scribes are being paid to copy books all over the kingdom and bring them to castle Amber."
Shai: "Library of Congress."
GM: "Finndo, since he was told to run the kingdom, has kicked off a renaissance around the kingdom."

Notice the 'oh hell' comes from Benedict's player, not Osric's:

GM to Osric: "You've decided to take a break; perhaps having a glass of wine. And you have a sense come upon you that your brother Benedict is in jeopardy."
Osric: "What else is new?"
GM: "This is a more immediate threat kind of thing."
Scott: "Oh hell."

Help! Help! Would ya help me if I gave you a cookie...?

Osric: "In the sense of immediate physical peril, or...?"
GM: "Could be."
Scott: "Your brother needs you!"
GM: "It's like a mother waking up at 3 am because her kid has been in an accident. You haven't heard from him in a while, though."

Customer Service Lesson #2 in Getting Them Off Your Back: 'Make them feel you care, even if you don't.'

Rob: "Here's the question. What has Benedict been doing about the things the Northern Lords want passed on to the Throne?"
Scott: "They get passed on - messengers, letters."
Rob: "Okay."
GM: "That has certainly kept the Far Lords from going ape shit."

Tanauril was the barony with the unfortunate druids where two attempts were made on Finndo's life. Revenge is best served cold, with an attractive garnish and a sense of irony:

Rob to Scott: "You do get the sense that Finndo has been extending tendrils into the economy into Savoy. And Tanauril. Jeans and other luxuries are going into Tanauril; civilization is becoming available... cheap."

Benedict is at his lodge in Homewood, with reduced by still present staff about, with his wife, Alyra, who remains happy. He's settled by the fire with a book when he receives the trump call. Who knew Osric was Jewish?

Benedict: "Yes?"
Osric: "You never call anymore."

Three words that go great together: brother oh shit.

Benedict: "Osric! Brother."
GM: "Benedict, roll alertness."
Scott: "Oh shit."

The first thing you do is assign blame:

Scott: "THANKS!"
Jarrod: "What?"

_Really_ busy, apparently:

GM: "You're vaguely aware of a knock at the door but some staff person will take care of it."
Benedict: "I've been busy."
Osric: "Doing what?"
Benedict: "The north."
Osric: "You're... doing the north."
Lydia: "All of it at once?"
Benedict: "Keeping it together."
GM: "Tell me, have you ever done Marseilles?"

Would you care for a taste of paranoia?

Benedict: "Keeping everybody happy."
Osric: "Are you alone?"
Benedict: "There was a knock at the door just now, but -"
Rob: "You're never alone, not in here."
Osric: "Have your sword ready?"

The GM steps out briefly while Osric and Benedict speak. A slice of life from the game:

GM: "Give me an update."
Deborah: "Osric is making Benedict paranoid but Ben's not cluing yet, and Rob's mocking them."

The risks of working for Amberites:

Benedict: "You know, if Osric's saying that, that's a cue to stand up and -"
Rob: "Scare the servants."
GM: "And about that time is when the sword comes through the other side skewers the servant in the head."

Accustomed to the finer things in life:

Scott: "Do you have battle music yet?"

No, to FEET!

GM: "The door is kicked down and Kipwyn strides in."
Osric: "Oh yes. That would be that, then."
Benedict bellows: "TO ARMS!"

Bare is back without brother:

Osric: "You could leave." He holds a hand out. "Just sayin' -"
GM to Benedict: "You know Alyra is upstairs somewhere."
Osric: "Perhaps I should stop bothering you, then."
Benedict: "Are you coming or not?"
Osric looks resigned: "Sure."

Peanut gallery critique:

GM: "Osric, you come through."
Kipwyn looks around the room, gets his sword out of the head: "Ah. Two. Excellent." He's got two swords, both equal length, pretty heavy.
Benedict: "To ARMS!"
Deborah: "That's what you say? That's a no shit kinda moment, okay?"
Scott: "In case anyone else hasn't heard."
Deborah: "Oh."

We have people for that violence stuff:

GM: "I sense, strangely, that Benedict is already in a clash of arms with Kipwyn the likes of which will be resolved shortly, but what are you doing, Osric?"
Osric: "Wait and see because, you know, not my thing."

Anybody want to guess that they got the same outcomes again?

GM: "Osric assumed a posture of observation. Roll three times, Scott."
Scott: "Legendary +1, Epic, Legendary +3."
GM: "Allright. Goes like this: It appears that he was expecting to be the one doing the advancing so when you charged in, took him off guard; you got in a few strikes but they were deflected by the armor he's wearing; he nearly got you but you stepped back."

Not the way they usually say it:

Kipwyn: "You're Benedict, then."
Benedict: "Cousin."
Kipwyn: "Uncle!" And he charges.

Too Much Thinking:

GM: "His swords have more weight and he's been pressing the advantage with this quite a bit; you've had to do some maneuvering to keep your hands from going numb with the force of parrying. This has put you at a bit of a disadvantage, but - Osric, for you this is like two guys come together with a blurring of swords and no one seems to be bleeding as yet."
Osric: "Loook, Preeeetty."
GM: "Kipwyn's force has managed to drive Benedict back into the room, and he's been taking advantage of having two swords to Benedict's one. Are you doing anything, Osric?"
Osric: "Thinking about which thing."

Competition's a bitch:

Scott: "I can keep em off! I'm the deadliest swordsman in Amber, no matter what anyone says!"
Jarrod: "Second deadliest."
Lydia: "Third deadliest, now."

When the odds are nudged against you aka Why Amber Princes Really Are That Scary:

Osric: "Osric's concentrating, and Kipwyn might just step on that bad board n the floor."

Dude! That's not okay!

GM: "Kipwyn continues to drive Benedict back for a bit and you're playing with him, jumping back, kicking a chair to the side, making use of the terrain as much as you can, he chops through the fricking chair -"
Benedict: "That was my favorite chair!"
Jarrod: "There goes your anger."

And the setup unfolds:

GM: "Kipwyn keeps coming. He manages to do a small injury; Osric, you think you've arranged that and then you think you've seen someone drop to the ground just outside of the doorway that Kipwyn came through; you aren't sure what or who they are. "
Osric: "Is there any way out other than that door?"
GM: "There might be up."
Deborah: "Where the women are."
GM, meaning the one Kipwyn came through: "That was the external door."

HEY! That's cheating!

Osric: "I'm going to duck around into the next room."
GM: "Osric through whatever means goes away. And finally you manage to bat a sword aside, step aside, he comes forward, something gives underneath him and you lunge. You get between the plating; it goes in with some depth, through the ribcage - I assume you're going for a kill. And his face falls slack. He looks at you for a moment, looks down at the sword in his chest. "Very instructive. But perhaps you've noticed, I'm already dead." And he knocks the blade down and it seems to pass through him."
Scott: "Fuck."
Jarrod, apologetically: "I can't help you with that."

Swearing, apparently:

GM: "Osric, what are you doing?"
Jarrod: "Right, then!"
Scott: "God! Dammit!"
Osric: "I'm trying to see who that is - going out the window."

Just trying to help!

Deborah: "But Scott, we know how to kill people who are already dead."
Scott looks at her.
Deborah: "We get a cart -"

Why does plan b always seem to be the same thing?

Scott: "Plan B."
Lydia: "Running!"

Affection:

Jarrod: "I had the plan B up front but no no no can't do that!"
Scott: "Wife in house!"
Jarrod: "So get her and then come through!"
Scott: "No time! But I'm glad you're here!"

It's amazing what one touch of a hot stove can do to you:

GM to Osric, describing the person Osric saw slip past the door: "You're out and about. It appears to be someone with a bow."
Lydia: "Oh shit."
Jarrod: "Not her again."

A Differing Sense of Drama:

Kipwyn: "Benedict, perhaps I should go less easy on you!"
GM: "He comes in with something that by all rights should have you but you're better. What do you say?"
Deborah and Lydia: "Fuck you!"
Benedict: "That's easy? Ha!"

On predictability:

Benedict: "I'm setting up an unravel but that's going to take time."
Shai: "You haven't thought of running?"
Scott: "Who me?"
Jarrod to Shai: "That's not going to happen."
Scott: "I run INTO things, not - well. I'm not Cyrus."
GM: "Okay. That's the moment you break away and try to summon something up."

Worshiping your personal deity:

Osric: "Is she preparing to fire?"
GM: "Yes. Well, you don't know if she's a she -"
Jarrod: "It's fricking Wendra, come on!"
GM: "It's dark, you're in the forest, and the only light is from inside."
Lydia: "Paranoia demands that it be Wendra."

It's like having Catbert for a GM:

GM: "Osric?"
Jarrod: "Yeah."
GM bounces happily.
Jarrod sighs.

Ever notice that the women are more bloodthirsty then the men?

GM: "What are you doing about Auntie Wendra? If that is Auntie Wendra."
Osric: "I think -"
Deborah: "Just kill the bitch."
Osric: "That's her old trusty bow, isn't it?"
GM: "Yes, probably."
Osric: "Maybe it's just a little too old; maybe she's pulling a little too hard."
Lydia: "I think of Wendra as having one of these complex compound bows with a laser sight."

Uppity little thing, isn't she?

GM: "Several things happen. Benedict manages to spread Kipwyn's swords, keep him off balance long enough that he's able to put some distance, comes back, draws some darkness from within him and this wave shoots out from him at Kipwyn. Osric, you try to make this happen, comes in a second too late, toong! the shot that you just now realized has come from the door was aimed at Kipwyn and goes right through him and hits you, Benedict, in the shoulder, so you kind of go wide, but a good part of this wave slams into him and he rockets back, screaming, in fact through the wall, ghosting through it, and in the reverb from that shot the bowstring goes twang!"
Osric: "I duck back around the corner."
GM: "Actually, before you do that, the person who shot the bow shrieks; it's Alyra!"
Deborah: "Go Alyra!"
Kipwyn: "We'll continue this later." And he's gone.

Flag on the play:

GM: "Except you, Benedict, think Alyra is still upstairs."
Benedict: "Upstairs!"
GM: "You manage to get into your bedroom and the window's open and the curtain's flapping -"
Rob: "It was a distraction; they came to take her!"
GM: "In fact, that's your worst fear."
Scott: "*NO* HELPING!"

Honey, how was I supposed to know the guy was already dead?

Osric: "I'll go around the front to her."
GM: "She is busily trying to restring her bow; she's swearing like a sailor. The volume and versatility indicates that she spent some time around coarse men - rangers! And possibly Benedict."
Benedict: "Come downstairs; call the rangers."
GM: "You come downstairs, surging towards the front door, you see Alyra - her hood has fallen back - holding a bow with the string dangling, looking back as Osric approaches."
Benedict: "You allright?"
Alyra, wide-eyed: "Sorry!""
Benedict: "Unfortunately he's dead already."
Alyra: "I'll get someone!"

Hunting... accidents:

Benedict: "Send two rangers to go with her and make sure she's okay and somebody's with her. And I'm going to sit down and ow."
GM: "There are plenty of people around who know how to fix arrow wounds."
Jarrod: "Imagine that happens now and again."

Our new mantra, after You Dumbass:

Benedict: "Thank you."
Osric: "For what?"
Deborah: "Floor boards and bowstrings."
Shai: "He sent Kipwyn after you - it's all a great plot!"
Jarrod: "NOOOOO - everyone say it with me now - HELPING!"

Saner living through abstinence:

GM: "Finndo, you had an appointment on your calendar this evening."
Finndo: "Did I?"
GM: "Yeah. But first I must ask you, is Sonnet back in town?"
Finndo: "Probably but only in the vaguest of senses."
GM: "Sonnet, where are you knowing that Selm has an appointment with Finndo?"
Shai: "You know, files have to go to a warehouse in the city - a FAR warehouse in the city."
Lydia: "Those D batteries work!"
Shai: "Meditation. It's all meditation."

When you have to qualify an answer to this question aka 'Around you, I have to know the plural for apocalypse':

Osric: "Does that happen a lot?"
Benedict: "What in particular?"
Osric: "Shades from beyond the grave coming to kill you, that sort of thing?"
Benedict: "No, first time. Well - no, not /from/ the grave per se - no, first time."

Well, that's worrisome:

Osric: "Expect he'll be back."
Benedict: "Thank you for the warning; remind me to keep you handy."
Osric: "I am always at your service, brother."

Some truths should just be accepted on faith with no contemplation:

Shai: "Sonnet attributes her mystical ninja powers to sexual frustration."
Lydia: "Wow, I did not need to know that."
Scott: "That - that -"
Jarrod: "If you think about that anymore, blood will SHOOT out your nose!"

Play what you know:

Benedict: "What have you been doing?"
Osric: "Reading the most boring texts known to man."

The appointment for Finndo turns out to be Selm. So, on a scale of 1 to 10, how do you feel about treason?

Selm leans back: "This is actually about a single question."
Finndo: "I'm sure it will be an absolutely simple one."
Selm: "Perhaps. The question I have for you, Finndo, is whether you are more your father's man or the Kingdom's."
Finndo: "It is fortunately not a question I've had to think about as I've never seen a time when it would make a difference."

'Think you that I could love my own winding-sheet? Princes cannot like their own children, those that should succeed
unto them' - Queen Elizabeth I, on the subject of succession:

Selm: "He has not been himself lately."
Finndo: "In fairness, he has his secrets. I trust that whatever he's involved in is important, and things have continued to run smoothly."
Selm: "Yes, but there's a reason for that, isn't there?"

So that's why Oberon never says anything useful:

Finndo: "I work under the assumption that this is worked into many people's calculations. You have a concern."
Selm: "I have a concern. The concern is whether to bring you in on a confidence and you've been noncommittal."
Finndo: "It comes with the job."

'Honor thy father':

Selm: "I understand, but I wanted to give you a second chance."
Finndo: "Frankly, occasionally, he just needs a good swift kick in the ass."

Selm has, over the last several years, been 'mapping' everyone of importance - military maneuvers with Osric, sparring with Benedict and Cyrus, training with Sonnet. Selm plans ahead - way, way _way_ ahead:

Selm: "Ah. Well, that is an answer." And he falls silent.
GM: "This enters into a moment of quiet contemplation; this is a little weird for you because normally Selm already has it all planned out. So, two options: one, he's pausing for dramatic effect in which case, why bother, it's you, or two, it's significant, and he's checking his plan.
Selm nods: "Then I'll tell you this: "Your uncle left a thought in my mind when he last visited here. It spoke to my past before your birth. I think he means to put me on a path to complicate your lives."
Finndo: "Yes."
Selm: "I think you've noticed what I've been doing the last couple years."
Finndo: "Yes."
Selm: "This creates an appearance."
Finndo: "I am pleased."
Selm: "So, given that, I am inclined to follow that path and see where it leads."

Selm came to the appointment with dinner on a cart. Selm is also setting up the Kingdom. 'You beautiful, beautiful fucked up man.'

Selm: "But it might give us an advantage and the crucial part is that you leave Oberon out of it; I need someone to understand but it needs to not be him. Don't worry about me; I'll accept the consequences but I think the Kingdom will be better off if his reactions are genuine. You, on the other hand, I expect to be quite capable of the ruse."
Finndo: "Anything I need to do or is this play by ear?"
Selm: "I can't reveal that."
Finndo: "Play by ear then."
Selm: "A bit of research might reveal this."
Finndo: "Interesting."

Dinner no longer sitting well with you, Finndo?

Selm: "Ah. When the time is right, express my regrets to the Lady Sonnet in regards to our training. Enjoy the dinner."
Finndo: "Finndo has lost his appetite."
Deborah: "Make sure it's not poisoned."
GM: "And Benedict trumps you."

The one person Selm did not test was Sybil, who was apparently not part of the plan or the concern. Being philosophical:

Jarrod: "We are a hedge."
Deborah and Scott: "We are a thermonuclear hedge."
Jarrod: "But we are a hedge."

Don't call me sir; I work for a living, boy!

Finndo to Benedict: "What happened to your arm?"
Benedict: "We had a visit from Kipwyn."
Finndo: "Interesting."
Benedict: "Vacation's over."
Finndo: "For some of us, it never began."

Can't you wave your magic make it go wand?

Benedict: "Oh no, I'm sorry, the vacation from them is over. I got a killing blow in on him; he didn't die."
Finndo: "He is a ghost. Does Osric know bout this and has he given thought to how to kill a ghost of that place?"
Jarrod: "Oh, sure, in my spare time."

Diplomacy is looking unworried when your brother says 'my wife shot me':

Benedict: "I'll ask him, since he's sitting next to me."
Finndo: "I see you are at home; is Alyra allright?"
Benedict: "Fortunately; she's the one who gave me this injury."
Finndo: "I see."

Family greetings:

Benedict: "It was a spot on shot on Kipwyn; unfortunately, it went right through."
Finndo: "Things are getting to the point where it might be wise to pay a visit to the castle."
Benedict: "Perhaps; I'll consider it. Regards to father, yadda yadda."
Finndo: "Love to our sister and good day."

The questions of life that plague a person:

Benedict: "So. How do we kill a dead person?"
Deborah: "We always come back to this question!"
Shai: "Bring them back to life and kill them again! Fortunately, I'm not there."
Lydia: "We know that Piero does interesting things with the border between death of life."
GM: "Actually, Osric, her answer does occur to you."

Some people get Too Much Glee out of their dark creations of evil:

Lydia: "We also know that he's been able to make undead."
GM: "Some of you know."
Lydia, with enthusiasm: "VENGEANCE!"

And Family Resemblances:

Benedict: "On the positive side of things, my special talent does affect him, though I don't know if it will - hmmm, there's an interesting thought."
Osric: "You're beginning to talk like Finndo again; could you please form a complete sentence?"
Rob: "Yes, but that's talking like Osric; Finndo speaks in complete sentences, they're just not useful complete sentences. "

QA: it's not just to extend project deadlines anymore:

Osric: "I have some thoughts."
Benedict: "That's a start. A very good start. Care to share them?"
Osric: "I have to test them first?"

At least he's predictable (damn hobbits):

Osric: "I'll talk to Piero."
Benedict: "I suppose he'd be one to ask."
Benedict: "Benedict broods."

Osric's future as a Director of Marketing and Sales seems assured:

Osric: "I suppose I'll be drinking alone, then. Give me a few weeks to think about it."
Benedict: "The only problem is we may not have a few weeks."
Osric waves a hand, "Details, brother."

Men coping, brothers bonding:

Scott: "And then they both brood."
Jarrod; "Yeah. The brandy sits there; they both brood."

Never say the women aren't helpful:

Shai: "Alyra goes to bed early."
Deborah: "And pray for d batteries."

The Very G Rated Amber Campaign:

Benedict: "Benedict checks in on Alyra -"
Shai: "They have separate rooms?"
Scott makes the Xie gesture at Shai: "Blah blah bleh-blah."
Deborah: "It's a fifties movie; they shove the twin beds together once a week."

Hey, be proud of your accomplishments! (running now. Bye.)

Scott: "Once a week -!"
Deborah and Lydia: "You're doing better than Cyrus! "
Deborah, proudly: "Cyrus is up to once every two weeks!"

However you make your marriage work:

Benedict sighs, "I actually praise Alyra."
Deborah: "Thank you for shooting me in the shoulder, dear."

Leave him with a kingdom and he takes out an FDR approach:

Finndo: "Oh, and Finndo is offering a bounty for precise nautical maps."
Jarrod: "What are you, running a New Deal?"
Finndo: "Of a sort."

Bad Idea Jeans:

Jarrod: "1930s Amber."
Rob: "Prohibition Amber."
Deborah: "Brother, can you spare a trump?"
Everyone groans.
Lydia: "What a great name for a game!"

The Unflappable, Unsinkable GM:

GM: "Where are we?"
Scott: "Osric and Benedict are staring at untouched brandy, brooding."
GM: "Excellent! We'll pick up with Cyrus and Sonnet."

Sonnet and Cyrus meet up. Sonnet is now Finndo's terrifyingly competent secretary. Ever have nightmares that you were trapped on a boat with a terrifyingly competent, cheerful secretary? You may now:

Sonnet: "Hi!"
Cyrus: "Lady Sonnet!"
Sonnet: "Yes."
GM: "She got here awful quick."
Shai: "And she looks cheerful."
Cyrus: "Lovely to see you as always."

It's not paranoia: it's a mild sense of caution!

Sonnet: "And did you remember a present for your wife?"
Cyrus: "What?"
Sonnet: "A present." She offers a bag.
Cyrus: "I take the bag, warily."
Shai, a bit drily: "It's a strand of pearls."

Never say he doesn't have pattern recognition:

Sonnet: "Are you way back to the castle?"
Cyrus; "I hadn't planned on it."
Sonnet: "Finndo's in residence. Benedict has been; Osric is out and about."
Cyrus: "And that's such a compelling reason to return."

Sybil, during her stint at Court, set up a sort of intelligence relay of air elementals for Finndo. That's the breeze talking to him - one of her elementals. That aside, it's time for the rare Unsupervised Night On The Product:

GM: "A breeze stirs in your room, Finndo, and whispers, "Ship." And you know what that means."
Finndo: "Excellent. I send a note to Cyrus' townhouse welcoming him back and inviting him to dinner tomorrow night."
Cyrus: "My wife isn't here! I can drink! I have an entire 24 hours to drink! And visit the Hand."

Finndo set several people up as Merchant Princes - Lucan, Cyrus, the Hand. The Crown has many, many interests, some of them legal:

Finndo: "You know how you got to be a legitimate merchant prince? So did he [the Hand]!"
Deborah: "The largesse just pours."
Finndo: "He's a legitimate business man!"
Jarrod: "Where have I heard that before?"

Every job has its perks, if you just look for them:

Finndo: "I arrange to spar with Sonnet before breakfast."
Sonnet: "I get to beat up my boss!"
Finndo: "Which you do, because you're just better than he is."

He said it. We didn't:

Finndo: "You know, I'm feeling more and more like Lex Luthor, with the martial arts with beautiful women."

Housekeeping the Ninja way:

GM to Sonnet: "When you return to your room, you find one of Selm's masks lying on the bed."
Sonnet: "Silver?"
GM: "Yes."
Sonnet: "Just a mask?"
GM: "Yes. You've seen him wear it a number of times."
Sonnet: "I search the room."
GM: "Thoroughly; you dismantle the room but nothing's been touched, you're reasonably sure - still a niggling of doubt. But."
Sonnet: "The mask goes on the dresser facing the bed."

Slow cooking frogs and players:

Scott notices the first level connection on his sheet To The Dark Powers.
Scott: "You know, that's not really a bad thing."
GM, melodiously: "Please. Feel free to use that. Whenever you like."
Rob: "The dark powers are always willing to help."
Shai: "Operators are standing by: believe me later, pay me now!"

There's a difference?

Finndo: "Dinner. A pleasant dinner, see how the family's doing. Not a state dinner."

Definitions in need of work: 'social':

Finndo: "No business; talking to Cyrus, seeing how the Isles are going -"
Cyrus: "So this is completely social, no war coming up or invasion?"
Finndo: "No, absolutely social - oh, Kipwyn attacked Benedict the other night, but they seem well adjusted -"

And this is reassuring in what way?

Cyrus: "Does Kipwyn show up for routine duels?"
Finndo: "I didn't get any details, but for the moment I imagine he and Osric are scheming."

On Amber Marriages:

Finndo: "Also Alyra shot him with an arrow, but I imagine there's a story behind that."
Cyrus: "Kipwyn?"
Finndo: "Benedict."
Cyrus: "Oh. Actually, that seems quite natural."

Those years at court prove useful for something afterall:

Sybil: "Sybil is cheerful and chatty and gracious and cordial and seems to have been eaten by a pod person."
Cyrus: "My paranoia only increases."
Osric: "Turn my back for five minutes... "

There's that self destructive streak:

Cyrus: "A war would be convenient in some ways."
Finndo: "Looking for an opportunity to let some of that pent up aggression?"
Cyrus: "It keeps you in shape."

Sexists:

Cyrus: "Scribing seems a very appropriate activity for a young lady of the court."
Sonnet: "This earns you a look."
Sybil looks at him flatly
GM: "This earns you a pair of looks, apparently."

The Osric Persona:

Jarrod's t-shirt: "We're all challenged and refreshed by your unique point of view."

Osric and Benedict have, indeed, been scheming. Osric went into Shadow to seek legendary swords for Benedict to play with; the idea is to impart some of Benedict's power to a blade without destroying the blade itself. When you have to do a job, enjoy it:

GM: "Osric's back. And he's got a cart with him."
Osric: "With a big red bow on it."
GM: "Literally a big red bow?"
Osric: "Yeah. What the hell. Actually a blue bow."
Benedict: "It's the little touches that make me so fond of you, brother."
Osric: "Enough for you to experiment with, I expect."

Pervy hobbit-fancier:

GM to Cyrus: "You find on your bed a black lacquered mask."
Cyrus: "How sweet."
GM: "It's Selm's."
Cyrus: "That's just the wrong message."

Oh, THAT message! Oh dear:

GM: "You don't know about the Sonnet part."
Cyrus: "Oh no. Selm is the one who does the married women!"
Deborah: "Oh no!"
Cyrus: "I don't want to think about the mask; I want to fall over!"
GM: "So you push it off the bed. Clatter."

Benedict and Osric, having imbued several of the swords with Benedict's unraveling power, set out to spar with the swords to see which one cannot be broken by conventional use once it's bearing the entropic power. With friends like these, who needs his own words:

Benedict: "We're going to spar with Osric and hone -"
Shai to Jarrod: "And he's going to whup your ass."
Benedict: "No, not really, he's just -"
Rob: "And irradiate it with dark power."
Benedict: "Yes. And see how long it takes the other sword."

Reassuring words:

Jarrod: "Well, if Corwin could do it, and he's a dumbass -"

Educating maternal grandparents on the application of a vacuum to gestating chicken fetuses:

Benedict: "You heard about the commotion we heard last night?"
Logan: "Yep."
Benedict: "Finndo has suggested that perhaps I and my wife should head to the castle for a time. How are things here and can they stand my departure for a time?"
Logan, drily: "We're fine."
Jarrod laughs. "Bap!"
Scott: "Ben's been working hard!"
Jarrod: "Yes, but we were _fine_ before you came along..."

It's just not Scott's afternoon:

Logan: "Sure he's not trying to drive you there?"
Benedict: "No, don't think so, not in this case. He actually sounded concerned."
Rob: "Finndo is not the he he meant."

You Don't Say:

Scott: "What? Mm. Right. That's entirely possible. As to why he struck and why he struck now: it's obvious, it's part of some plan on their part."
Deborah busts out laughing.
Jarrod looks flatly at Scott.
Scott: "SHUSH! Benedict is master of the obvious."
Jarrod taps his nose.

Mmmm. Management:

Benedict: "Though she did well last night."
Logan: "These things happen. Look, I'm not sure it's entirely the right thing, but I understand you're trying to make a decision based on very little information."
Benedict: "I will keep in touch."
Logan: "Do."

We're *helpful*:

Benedict: "They're taking the long way. It'll be an entourage type thing because they're taking his special boys with him -"
Deborah: "His what?! No wonder she shot him!"
Scott Looks pained.
Lydia: "Cyrus can loan some of those to him!"

So that's how it is in that family:

GM: "You sure you want to hellride your wife -"
Scott: "Yeah." Pause. "No, wait -"
GM: "Not hellride /her/. Subject your wife to -"
Scott: "Only in an emergency."

How do you cope with the man from your past? Sublimation, sublimation, sublimation:

Shai: "Sonnet goes and does everything that's on the list of things that need to be done and she'll spend two hours meditating instead of one this morning!"

A little Too Much Courtesy:

Finndo: "Arrange rooms for the rangers, make sure that Ben's bed is replaced by a larger one - "
GM: "What?"
Deborah: "For his wife. Very tactful."

Subtext behind making Alyra feel special:

Shai: "Everything in the room has been replaced except for a certain dresser."
Deborah: "Oh /Shai/!"
Scott: "Benedict approves of that because it means she still cares."

The Franklin Planner for the Ninja:

Shai is checking things off in the air.
Jarrod looks quizzical.
Shai: "This is Sonnet going around with a clipboard."
Rob: "Actually, you know what? You've been in Shadow: you have a Franklin Planner! Actually, you've got the Franklin Planner with, instead of the business card holders, the shuriken holders."

Some things are just understood:

GM to Osric: "Finndo's gone and prepared again."
Osric, sounding resigned: "Well, yeah."

"Does this come naturally or did you .. attend some special martial arts class for the philosophically inclined?" Marcus to Lennier, Babylon5, "Grey 17 is Missing"

Shai: "I live to serve. I serve to live."
Jarrod: "She's got this Lennier thing going now."
Scott: "I was just thinking that."

When the GM cannot restrain himself:

Rob: "Lunch is arranged at one."
GM: "You do actually need to tell Finndo what you actually tell him."
Jarrod: "Osric is three minutes late."
Benedict: "It all started with a trump from Osric who mentioned I might need to draw my sword; there was a knock to the door."
GM starts giggling.
Benedict: "Kipwyn burst through the door, skewering the servant; I pulled Osric through the contact."

Handwaving with a straight face:

Finndo: "How was he armed and armored?"
Benedict: "Kipwyn?" He blinks. "Blah."
Finndo: "Very well."
Benedict: "Two swords, and yes we fought."

Reluctant admission (third deadliest!):

Finndo: "How good was he?"
Benedict: "I'm better. He's very good, but I'm better, not by much."
Finndo: "But he's in your weight class."
Benedict: "Yes, he could be considered that."

There is no polite way to say 'so how come you're not dead':

Finndo: "And the killing blow?"
Benedict: "I set him up and delivered the killing blow and his face went slack - "
Finndo: "And not so much. And I must ask, brother, if he was immune to your blows, I'm wondering why... I'm wondering why you're still standing. "
Benedict stares.
Osric: "What a wonderful thing to come in on."
Finndo: "If he could not be killed -"

Hey, he TRIED to say it nicely!

Benedict: "Do you have a dagger upon you?"
Finndo flips one up and hands it over.
GM: "What're you doing to it?"
Benedict: "I'm imbuing it."
Finndo: "That is Ominously Bad."

A Chinese Emperor's birthday present:

Benedict: "I look for a vase and I throw it at the vase."
GM: "Okay, here's what happens, Finndo. The knife goes through the vase like it was tissue; it pins one of the flowers in it through the stone to the wall. The flower begins to wilt, and then bits of dust start flaking away from the stone around the blade before it falls out, leaving a much larger hole than the blade in the wall."
Osric: "I really wish you wouldn't do that when I walk in."

The first step is acknowledging the truth! You can say it! Come out of the closet!

Finndo: "So you did this to him."
Benedict: "Yes, I struck at him -"
Finndo: "So you used your Blah at him -"
GM: "Oh, come on! You can say it! I know you don't want to say "_my Darkness_", but - "
Benedict, stiffly: "He screamed, went through the wall, returned and said we could continue in some other time."

Disappointment:

Finndo: "How did he depart?"
Benedict: "He just went up. Flitting."
Finndo: "Oh."

Eliminating elements (and darkness always flits by moonlight; don't you know that?)

Finndo: "Let us go sit for lunch. Intriguing. This raises an interesting question of how fast he can travel."
Benedict: "Or simply appear at will in certain places."
Finndo: "Was this after nightfall?"
Benedict: "Yes."

Jarrod has a PhD. Using what you know:

Osric comes in; he drops on the table in front of Finndo the equivalent of the Oxford English Dictionary - WHAM! "You have no idea what you owe me."
Finndo: "I take it I'm in for a stimulating read."
Osric, with vast satisfaction: "Oh yes."
Finndo: "Is it hidden or a lot of triviality?"
Osric: "The second one."
Finndo: "Well, let me know what you need to collect. I very much appreciate this."
GM: "What was this thing?"
Finndo: "It was his research notes."
GM: "Five hundred pages of a whole lot of saying noting."

The rivalries never change:

Finndo: "I believe Lady Sonnet and Lady Sybil will be delighted to see you and Cyrus might even smile. His ship is in."
Benedict: "Damn."
Finndo: "Let's go in to lunch."

On avoiding Benedict:

Shai: "Sonnet is /late/. Deliberately. There's lots of things she needs to do that will delay her getting to lunch but she will get there ... eventually."

On modesty:

Finndo: "I have a question for you, brother. You have some facility with the trick in the basement."
Osric: "Some, yes."

Benedict and Sybil speak briefly at lunch. Sybil has been spending time as Finndo's ward, and it's starting to show:

Benedict: "You realize you're starting to sound like him [Finndo]."
Sybil: "Do you realize the company I've been keeping?"
Benedict: "I'm sorry."
Sybil: "Sympathy should always be cherished."
Benedict: "Stop. Talking. Like. Him."
Sybil spreads her hands apologetically.
Benedict: "Or at least be sincere."
Sybil: "I'm always sincere!"

Planning ahead:

Shai: "When Sonnet arrives, the first thing she sees is the vase - and immediately leaves. Doesn't look at anyone in the room."
Jarrod: "And comes back with a stonemason."
Shai: "Yes. And a vase and some flowers. And the only deaf stonemason in the castle."
Lydia: "Didn't we wall up all the stonemasons at one point in time?"
Rob: "No, that's why we brought in foreign ones."

Cyrus reveals that a mask was left on his bed. _Really_ starting to show:

Sybil: "Oh how fascinating. Several girls will be disappointed, my lord."
Osric to Benedict: "Amazing the difference a few years will make."

Careful what you ask for:

Finndo: "Yes?"
Sybil: "Pardon, my Prince?"
Finndo: "I thought you wanted my attention."
Sybil: "Oh, no. I try to avoid that, my lord."
Benedict: "Doesn't help, does it?"
Sybil: "Never does. Something about undivided attention..."

Making a Strong Impression:

Finndo: "Undivided, yes. I remember the last time I had undivided attention for anything."
Sybil smiles brightly: "And how old were you, my lord?"
Osric looks at Finndo: "Really does make a difference."
Benedict: "Yes."

It can't hurt:

Finndo grabs Osric aside later: "You are correct; you have done a great service and I have something small which may be of use to you." He pulls out a thick heavy envelope; feels like it has cards in it. "Open this next time you have to go to Tir, one you get up there."
Lydia: "And a little note that says, "Enjoy the trip down."

Benedict and Alyra make it to their quarters, which have been done up to welcome husband and wife. Small mysteries are easier to accept:

GM: "Ben, the room has been more or less completely rearranged. Only the dresser is a familiar item. But this is your room; everything's in your colors. So it takes you a while to notice the gold mask laying on your pillow. "
Alyra: "What's that? Looks like one of Baron Selm's."
Benedict: "It is."
Alyra: "How curious."
Benedict: "There were discussions at lunch about masks."
Alyra: "Yes, there were."
Benedict: "And even Lady Sonnet had mentioned something about a silver mask."
Alyra: "The question was odd, wasn't it?"
Benedict: "So Lord Cyrus has a black one, Lady Sonnet has a silver one - I get a gold one."
Alyra: "Yes. Maybe it's one of his games."
Benedict: "Well, obviously, he's trying to tell us something in some roundabout method."
Deborah: "Thinks he's Osric for a day."
Benedict: "I'm sure explanations at some point will be forthcoming."
Alyra: "We won't worry about it, then."
Benedict: "Possibly years down the road."

What it takes to win approval with this crowd:

Benedict: "Three masks over a short time; I'm thinking we'll see something sooner."
Alyra: "Hm. Shall I go looking around?"
Shai and Deborah laugh, "Oh, I LIKE Alyra!"
GM: "And she goes back into the hall; her eyes twinkle."

Marital advice:

Benedict thinks to himself, "What have I wrought?"
Deborah to Scott, "This is why you beat your women and chain them."

Cyrus has decided to interpret Selm's mask-leaving as a possible innuendo towards Cyrus's wife (we think). Return postage on Messages:

Cyrus: "I'm going to leave Selm a warning of his own."
GM: "Tell me about this warning."
Cyrus: "I'm going to break into his quarters and leave a black dagger on his bed. I'm cautious about this because I'm sure he's left protections."
GM: "As you pick his lock, you notice a poison needle trap in it. You sidestep it neatly and you open the door -"
Cyrus: "I take the needle and put it in something non breakable."
GM: "Crossing the room to the bed and putting the dagger on the pillow; he's not in here; it's not fraught with peril."

Don't lead the horse to poisoned water:

Cyrus: "Does the room look recently used?"
GM: "No. Not for a while."
Shai: "It's amazing; he can sleep in other women's beds!"
Jarrod: "Yeah, cause that's something you want Cyrus thinking about."

When the GM gives up on your luck, it's Not Good:

Lydia rolls badly.
GM: "Okay, you're in a cosmic /sink/."

The Love and Romance Problems of the Paranoid:

GM: "Osric, that evening, on your bed is a blue mask."
Osric: "Yeah. Time to rig the bed with explosives."
Shai: "Boy. No wonder you don't get many dates."
Rob, falsetto: "Oh, this is such a won - BOOM!" Bass Osric imitation: 'Crrrap.'"
Scott: "Oh did Osric's bed blow up? That's the third time this week!"

Enthusiasm:

Scott: You do get a note, Finndo: "Two words: gold mask."
Rob: "Oh goody."

Alimony suits the Amber way:

GM: "And the next morning, Ben, you're woken early by a guardsman."
Benedict: "Yes?"
Guard: "Would you come with me, sir."
Benedict: "Benedict goes!"
GM: "This is o-dark thirty. You're led down the family hallway towards the King's chambers and there on the door as yet undisturbed is a red mask with a knife through the forehead, stuck in the door."

Ruse or no ruse?

Deborah: "Uh, yeah, check on Oberon."
Benedict: "Is he in there?"
Guardsman: "He appears not to have been disturbed by the noise that would have resulted from such a decent knife."
Benedict: "Check the knife; is it in there firmly?"
GM: "There is a letter behind it."
Shai: "You have a friend who can open letters."
GM: "This is true; there are three friends who can open letters on the sly. It's your call."
Benedict: "I open it."
GM: "Allright. It's addressed to Oberon with no salutation, no title: 'I have recently become aware of the circumstances of a certain accident from my youth; I know who I am and I will have what is mine. - Selm.'"

And then a little helping of extra, lest I feel unloved:

Benedict: "Fold the letter back up neatly, slide it back in the envelope."
Guardsman: "Do you need anything sir?"
Benedict: "I have all that I require."

He's right:

Deborah stares at the GM.
GM laughs at Deborah: "You just gave me the 'you're tarnishing my hero' look."

And he has a point:

GM to Osric: "Oh my god it's early, why is someone knocking? Who has the supreme discourtesy to be knocking at this hour?"
Rob: "Well, that narrows it down to Cyrus or Benedict."

Well, that's one way to wake up:

Osric: "Osric will put himself relatively together and not make any hurry about it."
Benedict: "He always was such a not morning person."
Osric: "You will open the door and you will see the glint of a dagger first."
Benedict: "And you'll see Benedict, with actually the amused -"

Just want to know if the gift was appreciated:

Shai: "Are you wearing the pointy hat?"
Jarrod: "No."

It's all in how you look at it:

Benedict: "You might be interested in this."
Osric: "It had better be good."
Lydia: "Or very very bad."

Common forms of paranoia (since it was possible the mask was a scrying effect):

Benedict lays down on the table dagger, mask with a hole in it, letter with a hole in it: "That was found on Father's door this morning." Offers him the letter.
Osric: "Osric will read it, since it's already open."
Benedict: "Did you, ah, get a mask?"
Osric points to the one fixed to the wall with a dagger through the eye.

Phrasing the correct question:

Benedict: "Any thoughts?"
Osric says nothing.
Benedict: "Any thoughts that you care to verbalize?"
Osric: "A, officer thinking."
Lydia: "Benedict's learning."

The requisite 'non you dumbass' moment:

Osric: "Always thought he was a bit better than he had a right to be."
Benedict: "Well, here's my question: is he Nod's or is he Father's?"
Osric: "That's a very good question."
Lydia and Shai: "And we're glad you asked it."

I need a better I.D., sir:

Benedict: "I'm going to go wake up our esteemed brother."
Osric: "Which one was that, again?"

On Pessimism:

Benedict raps on Finndo's door, hard: "Got something to show you!"
Finndo: "Oh how delightful. How far down the line am I?"
Benedict: "You would be the fifth one to know this."
Finndo: "Right; it's so good to know these things."
Jarrod: "I think he's bitter!"

Autopilot covering the bases for Amber:

Benedict: "Although the guards who found this have been told they didn't."
Finndo: "Very well."

Stating the obvious:

Benedict gives him dagger, mask, letter.
Finndo: "Check the insignia."
GM: "That was Selm's."
Benedict gives him the letter: "That was on father's door."
Finndo: "When was it found?"
Benedict: "An hour ago."
Finndo: "Does Father know yet?"
Benedict: "No."
Finndo: "I would suggest that was a priority."

The most tactful way to say 'and how did you not do your job THIS time?':

Finndo to Guard, "I am obliged to ask, since this is the area you guard, how it managed to get there."
Guard: "... yes."
Finndo: "So it just appeared there."
Guard, apologetically: "We are not always by the door."

The ultimate not-a-morning person:

Finndo: "Finndo raps on the door [Oberon's] with his cane."
GM: "No answer."
Finndo: "Finndo raps VERY LOUDLY on the door with his cane."
GM: "You think you hear something inside, but it's still a good minute before the door is opened very marginally."

Well, bully for you:

Finndo: "Father? Are you well?"
GM: "Silence."
Finndo: "There was a knife embedded in your door, so this is the start of the sharing."
Oberon: "I'm fine."
Finndo: "I see."

Next thought:

Finndo: "Try to peer past him, make sure there's no one behind him with a knife."
GM: "Doesn't appear to be."

Ever get the feeling you're kind of on your own?

Finndo: "The dagger was Selm's; it was through this mask, and accompanied by a delightful note."
Oberon snatches the note: "Hm." Crumples it, tosses it aside. "Heir to Andros. Fix it." Slams the door.

Taking happiness where you can:

Jarrod: "Oh, I'm so glad I'm not the eldest."

Selm was written up by Lydia. Sonnet's mother is a princess of Andros; if Selm is the Heir to Andros, then he and Sonnet are related. Sister is not the word that worries her; think closer to 'Uncle':

Shai: "Oh SHIT!" She slams her forehead repeatedly on the table.
Jarrod: "Oh shit, it's your sister!"
Shai: "Well, no."
Lydia, happily: "Been waiting for that one."

A man can look, can't he?

Finndo: "Looks like it's time for research. I have a few hours of sleep left before Lady Sonnet shows up to beat me badly, so -"
Benedict: "Where do you usually work out?"
Finndo: "Lower gymnasium."
Deborah to Scott: "That was badly behaved."

Sit up! Beg! Gooood BOY!

Finndo: "Finndo goes to get what little sleep can still be salvaged."
Osric to Benedict: "Breakfast, then?"
GM to Rob: "Oh, right, that was duty, wasn't it? Tosses him a fudge point."

Nice to have fans:

Shai: "Dawn comes, Sonnet wakes up, goes to beat Finndo's ass."
Scott: "Benedict's there!"

Hey, the basics are important!

GM to Benedict: "Osric's technique has improved."
Jarrod blinks at him.
GM to Jarrod: "Legendary +1. He can tell by the way you hold the sword. "
Jarrod: "It's got leather wrapped around the hilt!"

Finndo and Sonnet have regular morning workouts, as they are the only two people in the castle who do unarmed combat (that we know about). Today, they have an audience: Benedict to watch Sonnet, Osric to watch everyone and Sybil to bring Finndo coffee and report in. Morning greetings in Castle Amber:

Benedict: "Good morning, Lady Sonnet!"
Sonnet: "Good morning!"
Rob: "And Finndo swarms in with his valet."
Shai: "And Sonnet gets off her hands and flips over."
GM to Benedict: "Oh God, she's got good balance and athletics."
Finndo tosses his cane to his valet and strips down to the waist.
GM: "They're facing off unarmed. They are evenly matched this morning; completely different style. Sonnet is all over the board in terms of martial arts that she's able to do. "
Rob: "After they're warmed up, the conversation begins, because this is when the briefing begins."
Osric: "And that's when you get the sour look."
GM: "Finndo has an unusual style; there's a lot of footwork; he can pull off some unusual kicks. He manages to test her guard, but oh dear lord she's good. She's really good."

The morning briefing:

Finndo: "We have a new priority."
Sonnet: "We do."
Finndo: "Clear the books."
Sonnet: "Oh really."
GM: "She nods, arches over the wall, lands behind him and sweeps out his feet from under him."
Osric folds his arms and glowers sourly.
Sonnet: "Like that, or something more subtle?"

NOW it's getting a bit much?

Finndo: "Something more subtle. Look into his youth."
GM: "She does a spinning kick; she actually gets some air, more than she should."
Sonnet: "His youth?"
Finndo: "Yes, I want to know about the accident that led to the letter," and he snaps his fingers.
Jarrod: "This is getting a bit much, isn't it?"

Cheating:

Finndo gets in a bit close and remarks as they get in to the press point: "He is the heir to Andros."
GM to Finndo: "Roll; you have an advantage."
Shai: "And she lands on her ass."

My work here is done:

Sonnet: "That's disgusting!"
Finndo: "Not the word I would have - ohhh! Yes, I suppose that it is!"
Sonnet: "Right!"
Finndo: "I suppose that's enough for today, then."

Being Thoughtful:

Sybil, mildly: "My prince, I thought you would need coffee." Pause. Very drily, "And a shirt."
Osric: "/Well/, then."

You get what you pay for:

Osric, quietly: "Perhaps sending her to court wasn't the best of ideas."
Sybil: "Well, I could hardly have disagreed, could I have, my lord?"

Every woman has her price:

Finndo: "Sybil, see me at 9."
Sybil, hopefully: "Does this imply that I will be freed from Court for the day?"
Finndo: "We shall see."
Sybil looks at him pleadingly.
GM laughs out loud, "He's just going to dangle that one over you, isn't he?"
Jarrod dangles a carrot in front of Deborah's nose.

Continuing to hope for violence:

Finndo: "Cyrus! I have a job for you!"
Cyrus: "Does it involve a war? I was about to be headed back to the Isles."

Looking on the bright side, redux:

Finndo: "Selm's mask giving spree culminated with one on Oberon's door with a knife through it."
Cyrus: "I rather thought it would be through someone's head."

Going against convention:

Cyrus: "I see. Doesn't this strike you as being rather an odd way to go about plotting against the kingdom? One does not usually leave a note."
Finndo: "Yes. However, this is Selm."
Cyrus: "So he has a plan."
Finndo: "That would be my assumption."

Finndo arranges for Sonnet and Sybil to travel to Aikekodu, the Karm home castle, to interview Barn Karm. They will be going with Rast's company, but to get there, they need an escort. Why babysitters are paid:

Finndo: "Lady Sonnet needs to be interviewing her father."
Cyrus: "Oh, naturally. And the ladies cannot travel unescorted: it would be very dangerous."
Deborah: "For whom?"

Trying to explain but summing up instead:

Deborah: "She does that, tho. That's the Finndo Sybil relationship."
Jarrod: "Cycles of sass and pain."

As it turns out, everyone but Finndo rides out. Cyrus shadow-walks. Those inconvenient delusions run smack dab into the face of Osric-imposed reality. Having the stronger hand has its advantages:

GM to Osric: "Oh dear god, Cyrus is valiantly trying to get to Roseywood."
Osric: "Uhm. _No_."

Putting the broken-ness in perspective:

GM: "You ride into Rosewood; the trees have roses on them, hence their name. They're in unusually full blossom for this time of year and in the distance you hear several people singing. And as you get closer in, dear god, these people are singing about how much they love their job. There's this happy chorus line of farmers working the field."
Benedict: "What is he doing?"
Osric: "He's shadowwalking, brother."
GM: "Actually, no. He's stopped, as if he's done."
Benedict: "Not much frightens me. THIS frightens me."

_Really_ in perspective. When the Fae thinks it's broken, it's Not Good:

Sybil to Sonnet: "How fucked up is this?"
Sonnet: "I haven't been here in a while but it wasn't like this."

Bad kitty. No catnip.

Osric: "I thought it instructive to let you see. Cyrus?"
Cyrus: "Yes. We can ride on now; everything's in order here."
Osric: "No. We discussed this, at length."

The sound of harmonized desperation:

Cyrus: "Onwards to Karm!"
Rob: "Unfortunately if you don't leave the shadow, you're going to Singing Karm."
Rob bellows out, singing, in a very deep, dark bass: "LORD of KAAAAAARM. Lord of DAAAAARKNESS."
Benedict, somewhere between pained, stern and pleading: "This was extremely instructive; now make it stop."

It's always good to have a little help from your friends:

Deborah spreads her hands to the GM: "I can't add to this."
Jarrod: "It's important to have a little horror every now and then."
Deborah: "But apparently Jarrod can."

Small delusional neurosis issue:

Osric: "Cyrus."
Cyrus: "Did you want to rest here a bit?"
Osric: "Oh god no. Remember what I said about those particular mountains over there, not quite right."
Cyrus, honestly puzzled: "No."
Osric: "Oh hell. Never mind."
The GM plucks a mask off his mantlepiece and dances about with it clasped to his face.

With a helping of vast amounts of denial:

Osric: "I think I'll take the lead from here."
GM: "Are you going to shadow-walk so he doesn't notice?"
Osric: "He needs to know this isn't right."
GM to Cyrus: "He's shadow-shifting; must be to save time!"

Scott overload, how-to:

Rob: "Actually I fear the musical Rast. I'm picturing Tevyah in plate mail."
Deborah: "How would that go? ~If I had a Wendra...~"
GM: "I'm a giant TeaPOT!"
Scott lets out a cry of anguish that's suspiciously akin to a scream.

Over my dead body:

Rob: "Bran Brasil, Bran Brasil, gigantic and vulnerable, Bran Brasil! Where we slay everyone we meet!"
GM: "If I thought we could pull off, I'd have a musical."

Sadly, the idea is appealing, and Lydia and Fred promptly derail to start talking about an ACNW Thursday night game of Singing Amber, whose premise is being stuck in Roseywood with the happy singing indigenous people. (No, I don't make this stuff up. Why do you ask?) Desperately trying to deflect the thought process:

Fred: "We would have to warn people. 'Do not sign up if you cannot sing because you WILL be required to sing.'"
Deborah: "Stop. That's too much evil. Stop before a seed plants in your brain."
Rob: "I have no problems not having that restriction -"
Fred just grins at Deborah.

To understand the justice of the captivity of the savage, you must witness his savagery - or, if that doesn't seem odd to you, his Issues:

Benedict: "Cyrus is a broken, broken man -"
Osric: "Yes, but it was important that you see that."
Benedict: "Things fall into place."
Osric: "You understand that now."

Affinities:

GM: "You ride up to the observatory halfway up Eagle's Peak. To Osric, this mountain feels BAD. REALLY BAD. There's something in it."
Rob: "And it wants to hatch!"
GM: "You get to the gate."
Scott: "And Benedict now has the 'now it's my turn to show Osric some things' expression."
GM: "There's a narrow walkway and a kind of bubbling oily something beneath that walkway. Ooooh, that feels bad."
Deborah: "In the land of Mordor, where the shadows lie..."

On limits, even for Osric:

GM: "Shlooooooooop plop. Frog from the waist up, man from the waist down, rises out of the blorg. "You... return.""
Benedict: "I'm here to see the master."
GM: "Shop shop hisssosph. Another one comes out from the recesses of the converatory."
Scott: "Welcome to my world."
Jarrod: "Do you actually say that? I'd actually edge away from you at that point."
Scott: "No."

When dubious, sound sage or enthusiastic:

Osric: "I understand now."
Lydia: "Frog podlings!"

Temper, temper:

GM: "Bloop bloop bloop three more of them shpoonk shpoonk shpoonk. "The master does not wish to be disturbed.""
Benedict: "It is relatively important that we speak with him."
GM: "It just stands there staring at you for a while until you realize it has no reason to respond to that. In fact it has three clones of itself standing behind it, also -"
Benedict: "You can tell Benedict is actually tempted to cut his way through here, but it probably wouldn't be wise."

On skepticism, earned:

GM, encouraging in that all but chittering way: "You could always unravel them."
Jarrod: "No helping from you either!"
Jarrod, drily, and GM, innocently: "I am merely offering options."
Jarrod: "Riiiiight."

These are my friends. I just want to point that out:

GM makes frog faces at Scott.
Scott looks resigned.

Oh, _temptation_:

Rob: "Random experimentation: Finndo's going to run a test to see if Oberon is actually reading what he's signing."
GM: "No. "
Rob: "Interesting."
Deborah: "/Really/?"
GM: "He is occasionally late. In signing what he's not reading."

On qualifiers and fine print:

Jarrod: "Osric will help you with whatever you choose to do."
Benedict takes a step forward.
Osric: "Except perhaps that."

Perspective is a funny thing:

GM: "The thing starts to lengthen and gain in height and reforms into a likeness of Piero. "Sons of Oberon, why are you here?"
Benedict: "There's a little matter you may have some experience in that we wish your input on."
Piero: "Go on."
Benedict: "You have heard that Kipwyn is returned from the city of the dead."
Piero: "Oh yes. How's he doing?"
Benedict: "He's dead."
Piero: "Good."

Normal Person to Sorceror translator, please:

Benedict: "But otherwise quite well."
Piero: "Yes, that makes sense."
Osric winces.

We could've told us that!

Benedict: "It was apparent during our scuffle that the abilities I gained do have some effect upon him."
Piero: "Good."
Benedict: "However, to what extent is not clear. Is there a way to make him go away again, for good?"
Piero: "He is tethered but not by the cord of life. Change the cord or snip it."

The trouble with creative minions:

Benedict: "Do you know what he is tethered to?"
Piero: "I haven't had the opportunity to study the matter."
Benedict: "They probably don't want you to study him either."
Piero, cheerfully: "Oh I expect not."

Annnnd square one looks like:

Benedict: "Hrm. Is there any suggestion you have on how to go about finding out what he's tethered to?"
Piero: "Talk to your mother."
Benedict: "So that was her doing?"
Piero: "I wouldn't suppose but I imagine she's a wonderful place to start."
Benedict: "Well, unfortunately, she's not going to be very cooperative."
Piero: "Nor would any of the other sources of information."
Benedict: "True. True. If you have any other ideas, let me know."

Pattern Recognition a Valuable Skill:

Piero: "I'll work on something."
Benedict: "Thank you. And thank you for seeing me."
Deborah: "Okay, the last time Piero HELPED without any guidelines -"
Jarrod: "Yes, I was thinking of saying "TELL US before you do anything.""
Shai: "VENGEANCE!"

Some people are easy to keep happy:

Lydia, happily, 'Tar podlings!'

On Piero:

Osric: "As unsettling as Cyrus's issues."
Lydia: "His are pinker!"

Meanwhile, the ladies ride to Karm. Pragmatic taken to a fault:

GM: "You arrive in Aikekodu; the castle is run in a businesslike fashion; all the windows are extremely far from the ground if there are any."
Sybil: "Extremely defensible."
GM: "It's not quite carved from the mountain, like Bran Brasil is, but - "
Rob: "Andros knew how to build castles."
GM: "Yes. And built several. Sonnet is of course recognized; the Baron is summoned."

Now that's taking it in stride:

Karm: "Daughter, it's been some time."
Sonnet: "Yes, Father."
Karm: "I see you've brought friends."
Sonnet: "Yes. Have you time to talk?"
Karm: "Is there trouble?"
Sonnet: "Yes."
Karm: "I see."

And the next question is:

Karm: "Are you fleeing it?"
Sonnet: "Not exactly. I have to ask you about something about which you may already know."

Taking things in stride as an _art-form_:

Sonnet: "This was delivered to the King." She hands over the note Selm left on Oberon's door.
Karm: "Ah."
Sybil: "It was delivered by means of a knife, though a mask, upon the King's door."
Sonnet: "I have been asked to investigate the individual's background."
Karm: "Why come to me?"
Sonnet: "You're the first one on the list."

Spin, bluntly delivered:

Karm: "I know only that Selm was born to man in the field who found a wife during the campaign."
Sonnet: "So he would claim Andros by being born to an Androsian peasant."
Karm: "I see no such claim in this letter."
Sonnet: "No. This message was delivered to the King."
Karm: "The ruse has been successful as far as I'm concerned."
Sonnet: "It would explain some things... certain, unhealthy interests."

Dismissal, how to:

Cyrus: "What exactly is "his", Lady Sonnet?"
Sonnet: "His claim is Andros. Apparently you were not privy to the same conversations we were."
Karm: "That's all I have for you."

The last time Karm saw Cyrus, Cyrus was avoiding the fight in the street around Benedict while Karm was out there bellowing death at them. Unfortunate opinions from Knights:

Karm: "I am glad to see that there is no fight you're avoiding, Sir Cyrus."
Cyrus glares.
Jarrod: "Does he ever not?"

On Karm or Cyrus or, well, lots of things in this game:

Jarrod: "It's not so much brokenness as it is land mines."

The party debates going to Bran Brasil and see if there's more information to be had on Selm in the library. On comfort:

Cyrus: "I like Rast."
Cyrus: "Rast likes me."
Sybil, dry: "A very good position for you, Sir Cyrus."

Rast is a big, big guy who effectively wears an iron woodstove for armor when he goes into battle. He keeps the impregnable fortress of Bran Brasil for Oberon. Rast tends to bellow when he talks. Rast tends to accidentally squash small villages when he walks. Well, allright, not really, but:

Rast: "RAST IS PLEASED TO SEE YOU. CYRUS, HOW YOU DOING?"
Cyrus: "I'm fine."
Rast delivers an affectionate whack on the shoulderblades.
Cyrus: "I was fine."
Rast: "GOOD TO SEE YOU. BRAN BRAZIL IS *HONORED* TO HAVE YOU HERE!"

Size as a disadvantage:

Benedict to Rast: "Spar later?"
Sybil: "Are you /mad/?"
Rast, delighted: "YES."
Sybil: "Benedict, I know you're extremely skilled, but the man is the size of eight people!"
Benedict: "And?"
Sybil: "I'm impressed. I'm impressed from a distance, but I'm impressed."
Benedict: "Rast is one of the few people who can provide a challenge."
Sybil: "I just worry about the walls around you."
GM imitating Rast: "*Snap*! OOPS."

Sonnet checks in with Finndo. Rob came up with Rast. I worry about Rast from time to time:

Sonnet to Finndo: "We're in Bran Brasil researching the genealogies; Sybil suggested the libraries at the Academy; I'm not sure what condition the books here will be in."
Rob: "Given Rast's activities, the books are largely undisturbed."
Rast: "Books? Books are for women!"
Rob: "Fortunately you do need to entertain the women!"
Rast: "So I have books!"
Rob: "Notice they are in stacks!"
Rast: "My future wife will have plenty to read!"

Euphemisms and Innuendo:

Finndo: "I strongly recommend being a demure thing around Rast; his interest in women is largely dependent upon their -"
Jarrod: "Squishyness?"
Deborah: "Fortitude?"
Finndo: "Fitness. "
Sonnet: "Ah Yes. So I will; I'm not sure I could... accommodate him.
GM: "Get /out/ of my mind."

Typical senior management directive:

Cyrus: "What did he mean by 'fix it'? Fix it by elimination?"
Jarrod: "Read my mind and go do it!"

Finndo asks Osric to make sure that Rast understands that Selm is to be discouraged from too much creativity and tracked if Rast should see him. The trouble with this request is the translation to Rast Speak:

Rast: "PRINCE!"
Osric, discarding ways of putting it, "Oh that's too subtle."
Osric: "It seems Selm's gone missing; if you should happen to hear from him or see him, do let me know, will you>"
Rast: "YES!"
Osric: "Thank you. Small words, clear..."

Finndo drops by the Academy to check out the library there, as well, and ask Tarraign for advice. Bad, bad, bad pun:

GM to Finndo: "You blip over to the Academy, go over to Tarraign's offices, the door is slightly ajar."
Finndo: "Peer in, knock."
GM: "No answer."
Finndo: "Walk in, hello?"
GM: "He is sitting in the corner, facing a chessboard."
Finndo: "I walk in, "Lord Tarraign?""
GM: "He does not respond."
Finndo: "Flip out the deck, extra illumination. Walk over to the chessboard."
GM: "He's sitting there, staring at it. "
Finndo: "I wave my hand in front of his face."
GM: "No response."
Finndo: "Check for breath, check for pulse."
GM: "He's warm. No breath, no pulse. Roll observation."
Finndo: "Great."
GM: "He's been checkmated."

Indicative responses to stimuli:

GM: "You do notice one other thing; there's a stack of letters."
Finndo: "Get to that in a moment; Finndo sweeps up the letters."
GM: "Roll cartomancy."
Finndo: "Epic."
GM: "This is a very complex spell. It's not keyed to you, so the bindings don't - but. It was through the game."
Deborah: "How do you break it?"
Lydia: "My paranoia was accurate!"

It's always the last place you look:

Finndo: "I'm going to bust out my trump of Tarraign and see if I can break through."
GM: "No."
Finndo: "Unfortunately, Quinn can set these things up in a sustained way."
GM: "You're certain he's not dead but he could well be not resident."
Finndo: "The issue is where would he be put?"

Large, unambitious families:

Finndo: "Finndo starts deconstructing the game."
GM: "It took a long damn time; the letters date back to prior to the discovery of Sybil."
Finndo: "I begin calling staff. I want Tarraign the younger."
GM: "Which?"
Finndo: "His eldest son, whoever is most senior after him. "
GM: "The guys spends some time working out who that is, because Tarraign has many many kids and grandkids."

We all need challenges to overcome:

GM, to the puzzled looks at the idea of Tarraign being prolific, "Hey, he can read in bed."
Deborah: "Okay, that would be insulting. Put the book down, dear, for FIVE MINUTES!"
Shai: "If she makes him lose his place -"
GM: "Just one more page, dear -"
Deborah: "Talk about reasons for the wife on top."

Tarraign's heir is summoned and Finndo explains what has befallen Tarraign. Coping:

Tarraign Jr: "Very unfortunate!"
Finndo: "It seems it was laid on him over some period of time; I believe you will want to know that a number of his responsibilities will have to be taken up."
Tarraign Jr: "I am ready."

I'd like to speak to a manager who is not you right now:

Finndo to the servant: "How did these letters come?"
Servant: "Lord Tarraign maintains many correspondence games."
Finndo: "This correspondence has been going on for many years; I need to know how these letters came and from where."
Servant, vaguely: "Through the mail?"
Finndo: "How did they get delivered?"
Servant: "Through the place where the mail comes."
Finndo: "Right. Go get me the man who's in charge of all that."

A more clueful fellow in charge of the mail room is summoned. So much for hope:

Finndo: "I need to know how these get here."
Servant: "You know, I was wondering how the same thing."

The right sorcerer for the right job:

Finndo: "Sadly, Piero's expertise is not the sort I want to bring to bear."
Jarrod: "He always was too creative."
Deborah: "The undead mail carrier system."
Jarrod: "Give me his brain and I'll tell you-"
Fred, imitating Piero grasping someone's skull: "I'll have to get it out first."

On Standards:

Finndo: "I'll trump Ismerelda."
Deborah: "Wow, we are desperate."
Finndo to Ismerelda: "I have found a matter outside of my expertise and inside yours." He brings her through.

Tarraign /loathed/ Ismerelda. Just loathed her. For a good reason:

Finndo: "We are inside Lord Tarraign's offices."
Ismerelda: "That would explain why I've never seen it before."
Finndo: "Yes."
Lydia: "Here is this nice ruby pendant I'll leave here."

Such a good kid, gone a wee bit awry:

Finndo: "Please observe his status." He explains the spell.
Ismerelda: "Oh. Subtle."
Jarrod: "I love my family."

This is your brain. This is your brain on drugs...

Finndo: "My concern is where Tarraign would be."
Ismerelda: "That is hard to say; he has doubtless been placed in something. That something could be destroyed."
Finndo: "Though I doubt that if one could have this man's mind on hand, it would be something to waste."

Did we say DESPERATE? I believe we did.

Ismerelda: "So there is something to hope for." She picks up each chess piece, "He is not there. May I cut him?"
Finndo: "Only a little. He is old."
Ismerelda: "Fascinating. His blood does not flow."
Finndo: "Interesting. He is in stasis?"
Ismerelda: "Yes. "
Finndo: "They have been thorough."
Ismerelda: "They?"
Finndo: "I believe this has been worked by the children of Nod."
Ismerelda: "This doesn't feel like your mother."
Finndo: "No." He shuts the door and sits down. "I believe this to be Quinn's work."

Gee, thanks:

Ismerelda: "Hrm. Ah. It has been rumored he'd [Quinn] been in part of Ildros or some sort."
Finndo: "I have seen some evidence of that sort in the past and it is in keeping - I have found myself dealing with a similar trap."
Ismerelda: "A simpler one, I imagine."

Family of power, intrigues and secrets - sounds familiar:

Finndo: "Yes. Oh, unquestionably. That raises a question; since our recent troubles with the children of Nod, we've been looking into them and their history, not something of great concern before this. It occurred to me that you, as one of the more aware on certain matters, might have some more insight into this."
Ismerelda: "Nod's family kept to itself."
Finndo: "So I keep hearing."

On honesty:

Ismerelda: "There is much I wish to know."
Finndo: "Ah."
Ismerelda: "For ... well. Power responds to power, and I knew they had it."

There were three daughters of Nod: the Queen, Cymnea, the Archer, Wendra, and the youngest, Dulcea. Cymnea married Oberon for necessity; Wendra remained in mourning for the last century or so, never forgiving Oberon the death of her siblings, but Dulcea was young when her family fell and she thought Oberon was just the most wonderful, charming, thoughtful fellow. The selling of relatives is starting to be a relatively unfortunate trend:

Finndo: "Indeed. How useful would the blood of one of Nod's children be to you?"
Ismerelda: "It might depend on the child."
Finndo: "Sadly, the one we have available is the least useful of the four."
Ismerelda: "Ah, the unmentioned one. How is she?"
Finndo: "In the country and quite delusional."

Your conscience is the little voice you ignore:

Deborah: "Are you INSANE?"
Rob looks at her flatly.
Deborah: "Not there. Right. You're /insane/."

What it takes to curl Ismerelda's toes:

Ismerelda: "Ah. She was young and never instructed; when her father was last available to her, she, I believe, was not on good footing with her other siblings. I might be able to make use of it but then again, it may be an injury for no gain."
Finndo: "Then let me turn to another question, in that one who has returned no longer has blood pulsing through his veins."
Ismerelda: "Oh!"
Finndo: "Yes. Kipwyn's ghost is at large."
Ismerelda: "Is it!"
Finndo: "Yes."

On courtship:

Shai: "She likes you!"
Rob: "You don't understand. At the end of this conversation, he will give her the names of three old guard nobles who are teetering on the edge of bankruptcy through debt - to Finndo. And give her the notes."
Deborah: "Making friends - "
Shai and Deborah: " - and influencing people"
Rob: "It is GOOD to be Finndo's friend."

Wait. It's bad for us if they have her but not good for us if we have her?

Ismerelda: "It would be very bad if they had access to her. Very bad."

Ismerelda and Finndo, following up the lead, trump to the gardens where Dulcea is held. Dulcea was put under a spell that convinced her that she was Cymnea - a rather insipid, vapid version of Cymnea, but Cymnea all the same. At some point, eventually, Finndo's stomach _has_ to turn. Doesn't it?

Dulcea stands up, says: "Son!"
Finndo: "Mother!"
Dulcea's brows knit as she sees Ismerelda: "And a friend."
Finndo: "Lady Ismerelda, this is my mother, Cymnea. Lady Ismerelda is a physician. How have you been feeling?"
Dulcea: "Quite well."
Finndo: "Finndo makes small talk, allowing Ismerelda to take this in as she sees fit."
GM: "A few minutes pass. Ismerelda steps away, saying, 'My prince, if I may have a moment."
Finndo: "Of course. Mother, if you will excuse us."

You can't get there from here:

Ismerelda: "She may be your best hope where Kipwyn is concerned."
Finndo: "Elaborate."
Ismerelda: "His bloodline - blood of his bloodline - might be used to strip his ghostness from him."
Finndo: "Ah. To return him more fully to life to strip him of it."
Ismerelda: "Yes."

Let's redefine 'difficult':

Finndo: "How difficult would this be?"
Ismerelda: "Oh quite difficult I assure you. I don't know how Dulcea would fare."
Deborah: "Not a problem."
Finndo: "I admit that my sympathy for her is not great at the moment."

Gee, that's comforting:

Finndo: "Would Kipwyn be on attendance?"
Ismerelda: "Yes."
Finndo: "For how long?"
Ismerelda: "I'd have a lot of friends on hand."

Providing temptation:

Finndo: "Inform the guard we're bringing Dulcea to the castle and we're going to put her in a GODDAMN SECURE CELL. Having done that, provide Lady Savoy with some of the more useful letters of of Savoy that he has accumulated."
Ismerelda, pleased: "Why, thank you."
Finndo: "All in the interests of smooth transitions."
Jarrod: "I'm tempted to have them devalue their currencies - oh if only I knew."

On Admiration and Planning:

GM: "What are you doing from there?"
Rob: "Fuckin' A."
Scott: "Wow. Nice. We're so hosed, but nice."

On patience, losing of:

Finndo: "We're going to see Dad now."
GM: "He doesn't answer."
Finndo: "Open the GODDAMN DOOR, Dad!"
GM: "The door is opened."

And clean up this room!

Finndo: "They took Tarraign." He storms in.
GM: "Dear God, the room is a mess. He has not been letting people in here for a while."
Finndo: "You know, I was going to throw these down dramatically but there isn't a clear space to put them on. What have you been doing?"
Oberon: "Working. Tell me bout Tarraign."

So tell us how you really feel, Dad:

Finndo: "Complicated spell working through moves of chess; they took Tarraign."
Oberon: "Ah. It's not them. Sit down."
Finndo sits.
Oberon leans over the back of one chair, is quiet a moment, and picks up the chair and slams it into the wall and keeps beating it into the wall until it splinters.

It's all relative:

Rob: "That's actually the beginning of a good conversation with Dad."

Oh boy:

GM: "Oberon starts pacing. That's when you realize Oberon isn't just angry, he's scared."
Rob and Jarrod: "Oh, that's just what we need."

There's always some bad seed in the neighborhood:

Oberon: "Best minds go away first; that's so he can test you. I once had a brother; his name is Malachai. Together we made our way through what we call shadow, before we really had the option of - uh -"
Finndo: "You had some other means."
Oberon: "Tiring, very difficult work, and we were very few. There were others, certainly, but I and my brother were the people who walked between places. We learned of a sorcerer who was constructing an artifact to make passage between worlds easier for those who were attuned to it; his name was Dworkin. As we became aware of it, it became clear that he wasn't trying to make it easier, he was trying to knock down boundaries between them."
Jarrod: "That'll knock down property values!"

Lydia's beloved 'Oh Shit' moment (and then some):

Oberon: "So we tried to stop him, and we did so, but in the process Malachai died, I lost much of my power, and he hid it somehow in the worlds."
Finndo: "Here."
Oberon: "Yes. In the mountain. What drew me away five years ago was a sign that Dworkin had escaped because we hadn't quite been able to kill him. As I pursued him, it wasn't clear whether it was a trap that was merely your mother -"
Jarrod: "Okay, that scares me, when Mother is just 'merely'."

Blind panic not so much good for calm and foresight:

Oberon: "He's attacking my minds and trying to make it more difficult to get help; he'll go after Piero next and then you lot and then Selm - you need to look after Piero."
Finndo: "That can be arranged. What are you doing?"
Oberon: "What do you mean?"

Understatement One:

Finndo: "Stop and take a deep breath. Look around this room."
Oberon: "Yes."
Finndo: "Observe your behavior over the last several years."
Oberon: "Kind of weird, yes. Been busy."

Work with me here, Dad:

Finndo, slowly: "You may have a plan, or you may be going insane."
Oberon, agreeably: "Huh. I'll buy that."
Lydia: "Two valid options. Definitely."
Finndo, gently: "I'm hoping it's the former."

Understatement Two:

Oberon, distracted: "Plan. Yes."
Finndo draws the word out: "... Yeesss."
Lydia: "Although evidence suggests the latter."

It's like radioing home for aid for an SOS only to realize that that home is the source of the original SOS:

Finndo: "So I was hoping you might elaborate on what your plan is so I might know there is one."
Oberon squints at him.
Finndo: "Because if minds are what he's after, you are also a target."
Oberon waves that aside: "Oh, he'll save me for last."
Finndo: "But he could just drive you mad first."
Oberon agrees: "Yes!"

Adjusting:

Finndo: "I take it he's that bad?"
Oberon: "Yes."
Finndo: "Then perhaps I'd like to know more about your plan so I do not run in fear."

Because he's _smart_?

Oberon: "I have a mission I'm going to send you on if we can make it through the next few weeks. He has locked down Tarraign - there's something, there's something on its way - why would he go after Tarraign?"

Driving that 'oh shit' moment home:

Finndo: "Would he ally with the children of Nod?"
Oberon: "Soon as enslave them as ally with them."

Reaching for straws:

Finndo: "I see. Kipwyn's ghost is at large. It attacked Benedict last week."
Oberon: "Could be. Could be. I've been trying to locate him. It's time consuming. I sleep one day out of three."
Finndo: "I can bring in amphetamines from Shadow."
Jarrod: "That's what we need: Dad on crystal meth!"

Trust No One:

Finndo: "So we need to protect Piero."
Oberon: "And anyone else. Yourselves. Yourselves. Anyone who could be called an ally is at risk; he'll turn us against each other; he'll divide us; he'll arrange circumstances."

Stating the obvious:

Finndo: "Allright, father. I'll go attend to some things - and arrange food up here."
Oberon: "Food. FOOD!"
Finndo: "Food. Yes."
Oberon: "Huh. Food. That explains the headache."

No one's answering their door of late for some reason:

Finndo: "The next thing I do is trump Piero."
GM: "No answer."
Finndo: "I push."
GM: "It hurts."
Finndo: "I shunt, and I push."

Arrogance, not just a family issue anymore:

Piero comes into focus: "Why. Are you here?"
Finndo: "Because you are in grave danger."
Piero: "I take that as a given."
Finndo: "You are in graver danger than usual."
Piero: "I doubt it."
Finndo: "Apparently the delightful person responsible for the firetrap has taken Tarraign and is coming after you next."
Piero: "Let him."
Finndo: "You are confident."
Piero: "I was not struck down by the trap."
Finndo: "That is true. Very well, I thought a warning was in order."
Piero: "It's taken."
Finndo: "Understood."

Uppity critters:

GM: "As the contact drops you get the sense of him turning and shouting at something."
Finndo: "Right."
Lydia: "Bad podling! Bad!"

The Optimist and the Realist:

Deborah: "Okay, this is almost overwhelming."
Jarrod: "Skip the almost."
Deborah: "I'm not sure we can handle this."
Jarrod to everyone: "Who here's for running?"
Hands go up around the room.

Meanwhile, completely unaware of the impending disaster, Cyrus is still investigating Selm. Rast has long had a romantic interest in Wendra due to her physical size (she'd bear him good, strong sons):

Cyrus: "I encourage Rast to talk about Selm."
GM: "Interesting. With some effort you manage to get out of Rast that the time you guys went off to fix issues was not the first such mission for Rast. He and Selm actually spend a fair amount of time around each other occasionally doing things for the Crown that the Crown doesn't seem to want to put his sons on. But, granted Rast is not a particularly loquacious or detailed man, you come to realize that he has managed to spend quite a lot of time around Selm without getting to know the man."
Cyrus: "They go out and kill things together."
GM: "Right. He has many stories about that."

So hard to find a good woman:

Cyrus: "I don't suppose he has stories about the children of Nod."
GM: "Wendra. "
Rob: "He's annoyed because she was turned and was good breeding stock."

So much for that avenue:

GM: "That's the sum total of what he has to say - as for Nod, we came, we saw, we kicked his butt."
Cyrus: "Where does Rast come from?"
Rast: "What kind of question is that? Came form Oberon's army, same as everyone else!"
Cyrus: "Surely you had a childhood?"
Rast: "Don't remember that."

You win some, you don't win some:

Cyrus: "I try to get Rast to talk about the early beginning of the campaign."
GM: "Primarily he keeps trying to start with stories about how it was a long march."
Cyrus: "Who was with him at the beginning?"
Rast: "The others - there was Piero, there were Morn and Claire - Claire was very pretty - there were company men. And, uh, we went through various places recruiting and I saw the campaign started."
Lydia: "Aaaaaarg."
Scott: "No information for you."

Simplicity is its own reward:

Lydia: "Well, the big occasion is that Oberon came out of Shadow and therefore these places were Shadow but it doesn't explain where - begins with a long march - I direct line of questioning into how Oberon moved his armies."
Rast: "He went; we followed."

On assumptions:

Lydia: "I need to talk to someone smarter than Rast."
GM: "Interesting conclusion."

Ask a question, get an answer:

Cyrus: "Did Oberon ever split his forces?"
Rast: "Sure."
Cyrus: "How did those forces move without him?"
Rast: "They marched."
Scott: "They walked."

Consolation:

Lydia looks flatly at the GM.
GM laughs: "You feeling allright?"
Scott: "Maybe you should start the drinking."
Cyrus: "Good idea. I drink with Rast."

On honesty (genetic, apparently):

GM: "Finndo, about this time you get a trump call."
Finndo: "Yes?"
Benedict: "You allright?"
Finndo: "Oh no. Not at all."

Degrees of coping:

Benedict: "Should I ask about it?"
Finndo: "Not yet. "
Benedict: "Okay."
Finndo: "Let me just say two things. One: Something is probably coming after Piero."
Benedict: "Number Two?"
Finndo: "Actually there are three things. Number two, it's already gotten Tarraign."
Benedict: "Oh shit."
Finndo: "And number three, there are few things as humbling as realizing there's always a bigger fish."

'Great' => &^*#$%%^!

Benedict: "Great."
Finndo: "Exactly my thought."
Jarrod: "OH, I thought it was rather different."

Dworkin's traditional element is fire - which we have evidence of from his use of fire in the dreams in Tir and in the trap. Scrambling for backup:

Finndo: "Is Sybil with you?"
Benedict: "Yes."
Finndo: "It would be helpful if you would have her put resources at Piero's disposal - and not of fire."

So. That's what it takes to bring family truly together:

Finndo: "I am trying to find out more."
Benedict: "Allright."
Finndo: "And I will brief you all when I have the chance."
Benedict: "Allright. It sounds like you have much more interesting information than I do: Kipwyn is tethered."
Finndo: "Yes, I know."
Benedict: "I will get Sybil on that now. If you need anything -"
Finndo: "Right. Say hello to everyone for me."
Benedict: "Good luck."

Getting the precise measurement of that sense of doom:

Finndo: "Knock-knock. Dad? Exactly how powerful were you?"
Oberon: "Huh?"
Finndo: "Before."
Oberon: "It's not like we have a yardstick for this sort of thing."
Finndo: "Guesstimate."
Oberon: "Huh. Brought Piero along as backup."
Finndo: "Great. That's what I needed to know."

Scott: "You know, when the GM starts to look tentative..."

GM: "You're riding back, Finndo is startled out of his plan session when the landscape outside goes red, he brings up his protection, looks out the window, sees a tower at its peak glowing bright red painful to look at, that shoots out to the north into the heart of Arden; a that time, while Benedict tries to trump Finndo, Sybil screams and Osric gets a trump call and Piero is flying /west/, crying about fire beyond the sky."

Post game quotes:

Not so much the fuckage as the raping:

Rob: "And oh, the fuckage."

Breaking it down to action items:

Deborah: "Okay, we don't have time to research - now with the kicking of the ass and/or the running!"

Summing it up neatly:

Scott: "When Quinn and Cymnea become the minor villains that we don't worry about..."

Why she is the gracious hostess:

Rob: "Ow. Ow. My ASS."
Christie: "So rotisserie chicken, or are there other suggestions for dinner?"
Deborah: "You speak as if we think."
Rob: "We are all still going ow my ass. Ow. Ass."
Christie doesn't even blink, "I was thinking of something relatively quick..."

What gave her that impression, I wonder?

Lydia: "Frankly, I don't see the children of Nod being particularly warm fuzzy people!"

"Being omnipotent does not make for 'plays well with others'" (Q, STNG):

Rob: "Being immortal can put swagger in a man's step."

We keep TRYING to get him to stop thinking, but nothing works:

Rob: "Think about this. Dad and Malachai, old gods, wandering around the universe. Not the only ones doing it. So this Dworkin guy makes the Pattern - makes it - and they /beat/ him. Mostly. Now with Dad and Malachai floating around that means there could just as easily be more of them, floating around, doing something."