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Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 12:18 am Post subject: Scene 1 - Amber Castle, Sunset

Amber Castle’s main corridor is dark, lit only by the eerie sunset light that reflects from above. The afternoon rain has passed, but the tension and electricity can still be felt, as if suspended in the air of the wide corridor itself. You pass three light wells as you follow the two royal guards that came to fetch you. On the walls, you behold the portraits of Oberon’s progeny – at least the progeny that has graced Amber Castle of their presence.

The guards stop before the heavy oak doors that mark the entrance to the Throne Room and simply say, “Wait here.” They leave you here and you notice that the six royal guards usually posted before the carved doors have vacated, which gives you a chance to appreciate the exquisite carving of a rearing Unicorn. The oak itself was surely grown in Arden thousands of years ago. The sculptural masterpiece has lost none of its luster, as far as you can tell anyway.

In turn, all of you arrive. On cue, King Eric’s voice resonates beyond the doors: “Enter.”

As you enter the richly decorated throne room, adorned with a white marble bust of Oberon and one of Eric to your right, facing busts of Queens past to your left, you see King Eric seated comfortably on his throne at the back of the large room. The rear of the room is three steps higher than the room’s entrance, and to the right of the throne there are six green velvet seats, a heavy oak table with half a dozen maps laid out and four small wooden boxes in one of the corners. On the left of the throne, there is another table, smaller, with wines and liquors, glasses and a variety of finger food.

The King regards the lot of you with a stern look as you approach. As you walk to the foot of the steps, King Eric stands up and explains, “As all of you may have realized, the threat of the Black Road is increasing with every passing week. Our efforts to contain the damage have been successful thus far, but the Black Road itself has continued to extend and widen. Many worlds are affected by this and in the interest of Amber’s safety, we have worked relentlessly to protect Shadows of the Golden Circle.”

He looks at all of you, one by one, and continues his speech, “Many of my brothers are assisting in that endeavor successfully, but enemy troops are gathering in larger and larger numbers and according to our scouts, they are moving to detect and destroy Amber’s resources.” He pauses again briefly, “There is a Shadow called Greymoor, which sits outside of the Golden Circle and is linked to Begma by a forest shadow path – and now the Black Road. This Shadow’s inhabitants have successfully routed several major assaults and slowed troop movement of the enemy, which thus far has worked to protect Begma. What I wish from all of you is to establish a relationship with the rulers of Greymoor and offer our support in the war against a common enemy. If Lords Julian, Gerard and Caine are successful, Greymoor will become the last line of defense of the Golden Circle, by land. We wish to establish a force there, in time, before the enemy realizes Greymoor’s future significance. There is a part each of you must play in this and I need you to be secretive about our ultimate goal for Greymoor. There is a lot of information for me to share about Greymoor, so for now, make yourselves comfortable. It’s going to be a long night, so for now, familiarize yourselves with each other.”

On that note, he walks over to the table holding the hors-d'oeuvre and drinks and helps himself to a ruby-colored wine from a crystal decanter. Finally smiling, he looks at you all and asks, “Bayle’s best, anyone?”

Arden · Joined: 10 Apr 2008 Posts: 720 Location: Oklahoma

The tension suffusing the place seems to roll right over Rebecca. Her lazy saunter through the halls had been at total odds with the guards and the summons of the King. The jingle of her spurs echoed off the stone walls. Anyone that knew her well knows she doesn't use the vicious things on the horses she rode. She didn't need to. She just likes wearing them.

Rebecca had given Eric a jaunty salute from the brim of her off-white cowboy hat as she had entered. Then she went and slouched against a wall, thumbs tucked into the back pocket of her brown leather trousers as she listened to the briefing. She had lit up a cigarette about half way through and watched her father through a curling haze of blue-white smoke. She looked vaguely amused, and entirely relaxed despite the situation.

In the end, she pushes off the wall and approaches him. She gives the decanter of wine in his hand a good natured sneer and pours herself half a glass of whiskey into a crystal highball.

"Reckon I'll be needin' ta cancel my plans for the evenin', yeah?"

Finn · Joined: 10 Apr 2008 Posts: 124

Finn was not happy. He had been recalled from Arden, down near the front, and forced to leave a group of Rangers he was starting to think of as his men. He knew they were not, but he also knew that their chances of survival were greater when he was around to lead them. Julian simply could not be everywhere, and warriors of the Blood with a mind for strategy and tactics were not always in ready supply. When Julian called him into his tent, and sent him onto the castle, it was the first time that Finn, always respectful of his place in the chain of command, nearly refused an order.

He noticed a particular look in Julian's eye that told him his Uncle wasn't entirely happy with this turn of events either, and so he kept his mouth shut, gathered his gear, and headed up to the Castle. Along the way he had to explain it to Blake, who had been enjoying the near constant battle, and the meat he was able to get a taste of as a result. Finn had more than once been forced to keep Blake from taking a bite ouf of some beast that would surely have poisoned the tiger-horse.

Blake carried him with all speed to the Castle, and Finn was just changing into fresh clothes when the guards arrived to fetch him. He sniffed slightly at the summons, understanding what Julian must have known all along. He had time to pull on a pair of black jeans, his comfortable boots, a black shirt with golden embroidery at the sleeves and collar, and a black cowboy hat with a braided gold band that Rebecca had given him. Since he was going into the presence of the King, and he had not doubt this was official, he left his weapons in his room.

Finn followed the guards, his face expressionless as he went. His eyes grazed over the Familial statuary with a distinct lack of interest. He nodded when the others arrived, giving Faylinn a hug, and Rebecca an honest, if slight, smile. Then Eric called them inside, and anything he might of said was made to wait. He entered the room, his eyes flicking about, taking in the details, missing nothing. He noticed the six seats and the table laden with maps, and sighed slightly. Finn began to mentally put aside the battle he'd left, and began to prepare for whatever new strategy lay ahead. He raised an eyebrow, wondering briefly if whatever task lay ahead would require all six of the members of his Generation.

He listened to the King, and when he was done, quietly walked over to the table with the maps. "Tequila would be more soothing at this point." Finn tilted his hat back on his head a bit, and looked over the information on the table, giving it a quick scan.

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 7:48 am Post subject:

Eric chuckles quietly at Rebecca's sneer, then says "I'm afraid so, darling. I imagine that my company will do just as well as your prior plans."

Eric sips his own glass as he walks over to Finn, seemingly ignoring his request for a stiffer drink, leaving the others to partake in food and company before getting down to business.

Finn can see that among these maps, there is a very general one that depicts the lands of Greymoor. It is crude at best and lists a handful of regions and towns amidst symbols representing valleys and mountain ranges. Several places on this map are marked with keeps and fortified cities. Some are named, some are not.
If Finn could get more detailed information and knowledge of where the Black Road lay, a strategy could potentially be formulated, but with so many variables, things would become more uncertain.
There is, however, a very detailed map of Begma, listing port names and landmarks with great detail, as well as several sea charts depicting Shadow paths rendered at different scales and with a variety of annotations, that would lead from Amber's Northern sea out into Shadow, with Begma as the destination, it would seem.
Finn recognizes Gerard's talent: the sea charts were his.

During his study of the maps, Finn can feel Eric eying him, sizing him up perhaps.

Arkadios · Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Posts: 78 Location: Good old Yookay

A time for listening, for introspection, Kade hides a smirk as he waits outside for Eric to call them in aware that he has no accredited claim of blood.

Waiting like errant children, all together, Amberites though ye be!

He sits quietly listening to Eric’s words, glancing at the charts, then the order to socialize , Kade knows little of these five young bloods… an opportunity to learn then.

Kade stands and bows to the King and makes his way to get a drink.

“I always appreciate the red.” He says with a smile.

sandrayln · Joined: 10 Apr 2008 Posts: 244

Faylinn had been outside - to no one's surprise - when the guards came to find her. She had trailed after them, dribbling bits of mud and wet leaves from the damp hem of her black skirt the entire way; the trail of muddy barefoot prints only followed her for a dozen yards before tapering off. She'd chosen a leather bodice to go with the skirt, also black, and a gold necklace whose abstract, asymmetric curls suggested a waterfall cascading from her throat. Her dark hair was loose, slightly curled, damp but drying, and possibly tangled by the looks of it.

She smiled a bright smile for Finn and a slightly lesser one for everyone else as she arrived and collected her hug. When they were summoned inside, Fay followed the rest of the group; she listened to the King with curiosity, and a hint of interest at the mention of the forest path.

She moves to the table to collect a delicate glass of the red wine when Eric has finished, and then heads to the end of the larger table to examine the wooden boxes. She tucks the hand not holding the glass behind her back neatly as she does so.

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 6:35 am Post subject:

The wine turns out to be one of the most surprising. It has a pleasant bitterness to it that leaves the palate warm with walnut and just a hint of raspberry. It is quite possibly the best red wine one could find, and possibly the King's personal stash.

The boxes on the tables are shaped like bricks, only smaller and made of rosewood that has been varnished smooth. They are stacked neatly in two and there is a simplistic Unicorn design inlaid in pine wood on the top. Faylinn can see metal hinges and a clasp that are neatly hidden by the woodwork. They look large enough to each contain a deck of tarot.

Arden · Joined: 10 Apr 2008 Posts: 720 Location: Oklahoma

Finn · Joined: 10 Apr 2008 Posts: 124

The maps have Finn's attention once Eric opens the floor to socializing. He does not move them too much, not wishing to disorganize what the King might have laid out in a specific manner. He frowns slightly, considering the aforementioned Shadow path through a Forest and into Begma. The abacus of his strategical mind could almost be heard to click, as he traced the path with his finger. Finn shakes his head slightly, the motion bringing Faylinn into his periphery, as she examined the boxes he'd noticed upon entry to the room. He smiles slightly at the difference in what they found pertinent in the room.

Finn's eyes return to the maps. There's not enough here, He thinks. He considers Gerard's charts, and the other maps, and seems to be slowly putting together how things connect. Nor do we know enough about the players. He frowns at the rough map of Greymoor. Operational security. There's always something we're not told. He looks up at Eric, briefly, but decides to keep his questions to himself for the moment and returns to perusing the information on the table.

Finn looks up from the maps when Rebecca nudges him with her hip. He smiles at her, the expression reaching his eyes. "Thanks, " He answers her, accepting the glass of tequila as his other hand gives her a tip of his hat. "My favorite Princess gave it to me." He took a drink then, closing his eyes as the warmth spread, and then opening them again with a sigh. He chuckles softly, "Looks like we'll both be going back out this time." Finn catches her eye, smiles, and leans towards her to speak softly, "Think we can hide behind the tapestries?"

Arden · Joined: 10 Apr 2008 Posts: 720 Location: Oklahoma

"Ooooh, feelin' brave, are ya?" Rebecca laughed lowly. "Should prob'ly wait 'til Dad aint' watchin' ya quite so intent." She winks at from under her hat. "Remind me later to show ya the new chaps."

She gestures with her glass towards the maps. "Whatcha reckon?"

sandrayln · Joined: 10 Apr 2008 Posts: 244

Faylinn, her curiosity about the boxes satisfied for the moment, moved down the table to the group by the maps. She neatly settled into one of the chairs opposite where everyone was standing, choosing one that kept her shadow off the papers with such practiced deftness that it didn't look planned. Then she leaned forward slightly to join in the map examination, her head tipping slightly to one side.

tcurbo · Joined: 13 Apr 2008 Posts: 2

Preston finds an open chair leans back and relaxes. He looks up at the boxes, but doesnt move, except to run his fingers through his dark green hair. Nodding and opening his mouth as if some words of wisdom were to emerge, he stumbles and and says a profound... " ah....".
Quickly closes his mouth and clears his throat, coughs, and even sniffs his nose a little.
" Sorry.. allegries..." he says looking to no one....

Arkadios · Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Posts: 78 Location: Good old Yookay

A sip of the wine confirms its quality, Kade smiles appreciatively and makes a cursory bow to Eric. Stepping back he moves aside for anyone else requiring a drink then makes his way to study the charts.

Near to home isn’t it Arkadios, so very near!

Without looking up Kade inquires, “Has anyone visited this area? I have travelled within the Golden Circle but I can’t say I’ve been to this Greymoor.”

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 7:06 pm Post subject:

Upon closer inspection, the map of Greymoor bears such names as Katar, Dagmar and Almirior; together covering about two thirds of the map, with Katar at the south, Dagmar to the north and Almirior to the west. Assuming that the North on the Begma and Greymoor map coincide despite the Shadow path, one could assume that the first land they will visit will be somewhere southwest of Kathorn, where a plethora of fortified cities are separated by valleys and wooded areas. If only the map told how arduous the mountain paths were or how dense the forests are...

More city names appear here and there on the map, but they do not ring a bell with anyone at this time: Flarissa, Perg, Helt, all congregated east. There are unnamed symbols of towns and keeps within the three main regions and to the west of Katar.

The map's parchment has yellowed a long time ago and there are smears here and there. For all you know more time has passed and rendered this map obsolete. The borders depicted on there are also probably obsolete, unless it is a secular place that is unmoving.

Eric quietly backs away from the table and sits, away from everyone, where he can have a better vantage point from which he continues observing everyone. He eyes Daniel and Altair, gauging their reaction to the current situation.

Finn · Joined: 10 Apr 2008 Posts: 124