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TonyLB · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 494

"I'll stop fighting back when you stop starting things," April mutters. Then, more brightly "I don't have a face or name to put with the torturer ... yet. I'd bet dollars to donuts that they're inside Windborne, and associated with this broken pattern. The trap seemed meant to snare adepts when they shadow-walked back for a visit."

Ian · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 521 Location: South Carolina

Ian decides it is safer to ignore April's muttering but resolves to get to the bottom of what has caused her to become so aggressive suddenly. He has a feeling Amber is involved.

"We met a naked guy named Feather. He's our servant right now." He smiles at Flora. "Speaking of which, we should consider returning to Windborne. Our hosts might be expecting us. Of course, I'd like to examine King Tut's tomb here, too."

TonyLB · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 494

"I wouldn't sweat it," April says. "Found a similar setup in the trap where these folks were waiting to die. They've developed a whole little culture of their own, complete with burial rites. I'll ask 'em some questions, but they're not too talkative about their pasts."

"So ... you have a plan of some sort?"

Ian · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 521 Location: South Carolina

"Yes, but we're going to need Eric's approval...and Daniel's."

"We have three fighting forces in this area.

1. Your refugees.
2. The Ashelt family and their guards.
3. The Bird People.

The refugees have nothing, so they should be okay with whatever we come up with. They would guard the area around the caves, and we would help them build a city in this area.

The Ashelt family gets to keep Windborne Keep, but must swear fealty to Er...to Amber. They have enemies in Chaos, which is part of the reason they are so far away.

The bird people want one tower. Well hell, I'll build them a rookery myself if we can sign them up.

However, two sacrifices have to be made.

Daniel has to give up Windborne, and since he hasn't been here, he might go for that and April, you have to marry the leader of the bird people."

TonyLB · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 494

April rolls her eyes.

"Ha. Ha." she deadpans.

"Am I to assume, then, that the Ashelts don't know what they're sitting on?"

Ian · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 521 Location: South Carolina

He nods, laughing. "Yeah, pretty much. They're still mapping out the surrounding area. Elishu'hur or whatever the hell his name is is the captain of the guard or something. I almost feel like he's...not the Ashelt's creature, entirely, but I could be wrong. They're geeks April. Nice people caught in a bad real estate deal from this jerkoff Hendrake guy. At first I thought I would just kill them and be done with it but...they...well, they didn't ask for this. They're innocent."

He laughs. "Or I'm a clueless buffoon. Take your pick. I think the wife is a vampire, too."

He turns and looks at Flora. "No need to answer now, but we need to be able to speak for both Eric and Daniel in this. Eric needs to accept everyone living in Windborne as his vassal, with the Ashelts kind of in charge, and Daniel loses his home. I think that would avoid all the combat we want to avoid."

"If either of you see any flaws in my plan, now is the time to tell me."

TonyLB · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 494

"I can accept the deal on Eric's behalf," April says easily, "but first I want to know how much you want Amber committed to protecting these people."

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Tue Sep 02, 2008 4:30 am Post subject:

Flora nods at Ian and adds, "Daniel has had to take Windborne back from usurpers before and if he needs to do it again when this mess has been dealt with, perhaps you will agree to help him, Ian..."

...

"In the meantime", she turns to April, "I believe you're on the right track. If we could suggest to the Ashelt to let the bird folk take the north tower in exchange for protection of these lands, we may have all of our bases covered. From what I can tell, the Ashelt family does not seem to visit much of the outside. We need to make sure that neither parties find out the nature of what this cave holds."

Flora turns to Ian again, "Do you really think involving a fealty to Eric will be necessary here? If we do ask they will know there is something here worth looking into and I would prefer they don't invest any time researching the lands further than they have. What do you think?" She leans into his personal space just a little, enough for April to notice the comfort level the both of them seem to share.
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Ian · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 521 Location: South Carolina

"Let me be clear on the Ashelts. They seem like innocent people who are in the eye of the storm. Eventually, something is going to happen to make their lives more miserable than they were when they had their troubles, whatever they were. I am not going to help anyone kill them. I find it distasteful to join people for dinner and then slaughter them, unless they are trying to slaughter me."

He looks at April oddly for a moment, then shakes his head. "The only thing I thought fealty would do would be to protect them from anyone who knows the least thing about Amber."

He chuckles. "Case in point, if someone went after April, they might kill her Shadow-earth boyfriend, because it wouldn't upset anyone other than April and me. But if April were dating Eric's son, nobody is going to F around with that because who wants the wrath of Amber upon them?"

"But since I have absented myself from court enough to know zip about political machinations and Machiavellian plotting, I will defer to those who know better. And please don't take that as an insult. I'm nowhere near that full of myself that I won't take good advice."

"Maybe we should just bring the mountain down. Give these poor bastards a proper and permanent burial, and then we could really just leave. And talk to the bird people."

He looks at Flora and smirks. "If I knew I actually had to think on this mission..."

He turns to April suddenly. "Tell me about your refugees. Do they need anything immediately? Should we relocate them in Shadow? And do they have any idea who exactly trapped them."

Then back to Flora. "I met two of the bird people at the bottom of the ramp back there. If they have any power perception whatsoever, they probably know about the broken Pattern."

TonyLB · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 494

"Gawd, Ian, slow down, wouldja?" April says after his long spill of statements and questions. "You act like you're trying to bury the stuff you just said by pinging Flora and I both with questions."

She sighs. "I don't want to kill anybody either, dinner or no. But ... look, Ian, you're acting like you think everything's going to work out just fine, no matter what we do here. When in doubt, appeal to the almight reputation of Amber as ass-kicker, or pull a company of troops from our unlimited resources, or just collapse a mountain on an invaluable artifact, because we don't need it."

She shakes her head. "I wish there was that much backup, but there's not. What we do here matters. Nobody is coming to help us, and nobody's going to shrug it off if we walk away from this opportunity. Amber will lose this war if we, personally, don't do something to turn the tide."

Ian · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 521 Location: South Carolina

"Amber is going to lose this war if we don't...did Eric fill you in on the complete strategic picture? Is there more going on that we should know?"

"Who is this artifact invaluble to? Not to Amber. We already have one. Three, if you count Tir-na-N'ogth and Rebma. This is much more valuable to someone who cannot get their hands on one of ours. If we take it out of play, we're no worse off than we were before, and we have eliminated a threat to Amber."

TonyLB · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 494

"I don't think so," April says flatly. "The three we have burn anyone but blood relations to crispy-fried onions. That limits the number of shadow-walking allies we can possibly have ... unless we want to start an intensive breeding program, which is NOT happening."

"I think this one," she gestures, "can let people outside our blood-line walk in shadows, in a limited way. Hence, invaluable."

Ian · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 521 Location: South Carolina

"Since when would we trust anyone outside the family to be an ally with our greatest power?"

"Did Eric say if he was opposed to or in favor of denying its use to everyone?"

"Intensive Breeding Program. The unfortunate side-effect of passion." He mock-shudders, but smiles.

TonyLB · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 494

"I didn't ask whether Eric intended to use it ... but in his place I sure as heck would," April replies. "So sad, we have to trust allies with the ability to traverse shadow ... but since our enemies clearly already have it, that seems a little bit of a 'barn door, horse' situation."

Ian · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 521 Location: South Carolina

"Shit. Do you know what the worst part of this is? There are probably more of them somewhere."

He puts his head in his hands.

"So we need to get some Shadow-allies, who we are assuming to be allies to guard this and not nose around."

He looks back at Flora.

"I think we should take first things first and go back and talk to the Ashelts. In fact. I'm going to come clean with them, and go alone. If they get really pissed off and manage to kill me, you two do what's in Amber's best interests. If I know them, though, I don't think they'll react that poorly. I think they'll be cool about it."

"Then the bird people and Lord Ashelt can sit down and become non-aggressive neigbors at worst, allies and friends at best. While I'm gone, can you get the refugees to guard the broken Pattern?"

"Or does someone have a better idea?"