Darkness on the Edge of Town

The ongoing tale of William, Son of Ophelia of House Rebma, and of the Line of Barimen in the Courts of Chaos.

We start with a council of war. All those who have walked the Pattern are present. Will this be the equivalent of breakfast with grandmother each day?

We describe our journey to the tower and the matters therein. Of particular interest to Benedict are the questions and answers. Firstly their veracity? The elders each want to put in their opinions after the first answer is given but Havelock suggests we listen to all the answers and then evaluate. Surprisingly the elders shut up.

It appears that it is possible that Uncle Corwin had a book in mind when he came through before and the land may be shaped accordingly. Or maybe because he drew a new Pattern? Who knew that was possible? (No one seems to be particularly weirded out that he just drew another Pattern.)

Benedict speaks when the question on shortcuts comes up. He lets us know that we have the equivalent of 10 million miles to walk, at perhaps 20 miles a day. If we find no short cuts the family will be all that make it to Ygg after cannibalising our own soldiers. There is no useful large scale sources of fuel, water or food to be seen thus far.

(Horses names: William’s horse is Tellus and Rachael’s is Caelus)

I mention that Dara may have more knowledge of the power sources and ways around here but no one really listens until Havelock addresses a similar question to her. She dismisses the ways that the Chaots travel quickly though once she’s listened to. No spells (no power source), no Pattern (too fragile), no shapeshifting (too Amber), no Black Road (Amber broke it).

Benedict thinks we can’t leapfrog our way. We have to get to Ygg in as close to one leap as possible.

The family disperse and Sorashi and Constance go to speak to Hector of Zigo. Rachael, DeLambre and myself ride forward to work with the scouts, waiting for a break in the cloud to start aerial reconnaissance. Dirk arranges a company of Rangers to ride with us for company and warns us not to ride too far away from the main body. We carry our reality with us here, and it thins as we move from the centre.

Rachael has never left Chaos before, but her House came from elsewhere – a mythical realm of purity called Heaven. Hell is its dark reflection.

Reports start coming in of suicides – those who kill themselves directly or by riding into the distance. Rachael weeps at the news, and a darkness comes over me also, though deeper than the way I have reacted to the deaths of dearer companions in the past.

As we ride, 2 marines break rank. I intercept and tackle him to the ground. He’s screaming about tentacles and I take a few moments to bring him to his senses. Once he can speak he tells me that he saw sea monsters out in the flat land around us, despite no sight of water around. I look to DeLambre who has caught up with me and he too is troubled. “There is something unclean out there”, he says, “not Logrus.” We return the marine to my Uncle Caine and update him. He agrees that there are things out there and that he has some idea as to what. Benedict is updated and I am sent to take soundings from the officers.

Benedict calls an early lunch and I am summoned to a meeting. Havelock, Llewella and Fiona update us as to what is causing the moods through the army. He tells us that he spotted magical forces through the army and that it changed as Sand handed over the Pattern work to Llewella. That’s when the mood shifted from depression to primal fears. Benedict rules Sand and Llewella out of future Pattern wielding for the foreseeable future. Deirdre is next, and Benedict is confident that she can control herself sufficiently despite “being a woman”. My brief is again to keep information flowing to Benedict as to troop morale.

As I circle, the skies clear and Rachael and DeLambre take to the wing to scout – Sorashi being engaged leading her Axes. They see the two chaos forces to our flanks where they were previously, and manage to find one of Constance’s missing Ranger troops and guide them back to the main body.

Horn calls signal a problem with the wagon train towards the rear and the army halts, somewhat slowly. We are at rest and more extended than we would be when on the march. I can see Sorashi and her elephant heading towards the source of the stoppage.

By the time we get over there, there is a hole in the floor and the Abyss is below. Havelock looks over the edge as a wagon drifts and tumbles through the void. He calls for an arrow and a line then shoots. He strikes and curses, ready to climb down. I move to grab the line and Sorashi riffles through her trump deck but Benedict speaks, forbidding Havelock to follow after. It appears that a cart has gone through, bearing Delwin’s coffin. He is not willing to risk losing any other members of the family, even to recover the body.

Benedict calls for the Pattern wielding to finish; this is the psychic backwash from Deirdre and her experience. Then we realign away from the hole and I start dealing with the final third of the army so they don’t fall down into the Abyss.

Once the wagons are circled, and food is broken out, Benedict calls for a late night council of war.

I report on morale. In the morning, as Sand was at work, many of the troops were close to despair. Under Llewella, they were terrified, seeing hallucinations of the deep. But once the impetus stopped, the troops quickly recovered. Our bellwethers will be the Jasper Yeomanry – already shaken, we will see future effects there first I feel.

Deirdre apologises to Sand, but Havelock states that his cards say that at the end of the journey the coffin may be recoverable. We discuss whether we can continue to use those people who have caused issues today. Fiona wonders if the younger generation carry less psychic baggage.

Havelock has an update on this chaos shadow called an Age. We can forage there as it will be the size of a large shadow but cannot get all the troops there. The Age belongs to the House of Cyril back into the Courts and they may know if we enter.

Discussion continues as to the disposition of the scouts. There seems little point in sending them out to our flanks; they bring no information of value back at great risk to themselves. We are only to reconnoitre forwards along the golden road. The aerial force will be up as much as possible.

Sorashi will be the first to change shadow tomorrow. I suggest that Flora is assigned to watch over the Jasper Yeomanry again, as she knows them best and has the psyche to see if they are being affected, and that they will be among the first where effects will come visible. Benedict looks surprised – at my support for Flora or at the suggestion that she might have a use?

The night is quiet, though the troops shift like grains of sand on the beach. I speak with Benedict and he gives me leave to take my own force with Hector. I quickly assemble Constance, Havelock, Margrath and DeLambre, leaving Sorashi manipulating shadow, Darig commanding his troops, and Dirk in charge of the troops. Rachael will fly with Surpanakha, Sorashi’s demon.

Hector is to Part The Veil – a sorcerous spell which can get us close to Ygg. Havelock asks how long it will take to reset the spell to come back if Trump doesn’t work. We may be 4 or 5 hours there.

He gathers us in a circle and starts casting. There is a brief urge to raise Pattern, but we all resist. He babbles words of power and then speaks in Thari, ripping open the air between us and our destination.

I step through, quickly followed by Havelock. The others come though, with Hector last to tie the tear back together. We maintain good order, heading towards a grumbling, groaning sound that I assume is the head. We mention to Hector that Corwin said that the head had moved, and he remarks that we have therefore headed to the head rather than to Ygg. Constance starts manipulating Pattern in the tiniest of ways, far more gently than I could ever manage and the fog starts to dissipate. We are far closer to Amber then we were.

Soon we emerge at the top of hill to meet a giant, Grimm. Corwin freed him and he is hungry. He picks up a rock and, as we charge towards him, Constance causes him to drop it and DeLambre, Havelock and myself hit him hard. Constance makes him drop a second rock and then I stab him below the kilt. He groans, and Constance weaves faerie magic, summoning a bucket on his head. Havelock manoeuvres to stab Grimm in his arse and DeLambre summons the Logrus – it feels unclean, but I accept that it is better that he use all his powers to our cause than not.

Manacles appear around Grimms ankles, another gift from Faerie. I strike again in his bollocks. And then the giant stiffens, and walks off, controlled by DeLambre.

As the giant disappears Hector looks at me. “Lord William, will you introduce me to the Chaos Lord masquerading as your manservant?”

I snap back. “I don’t like your tone.”

He reconsiders.

“Will you introduce me to this person here?”

Still obviously angry, I say “he will introduce himself, if he wishes.” And DeLambre says “I am DeLambre, manservant to Lord William.” And he and I share a grin.

As Havelock trumps Benedict, Constance says to me “please do not speak to my father of what I did in this fight?” And I gesture with my thumb to DeLambre. “Don’t speak of what he did?” And we share another grin.

We head towards Order, seeking to reduce the fog as Constance manipulates shadow. We follow the giant who seems to be heading a similar way.

A red raven lands, head on one side. Havelock and Constance talk to it and it flies away towards Order again. We follow. We walk for another 4 hours and as Constance starts to flag, I offer to carry her on my back. Hector uses an extendable pole to probe the ground either side of the path to keep us on the straight.

As it approaches night, 6 red ravens flap towards us. Constance slides to the ground and we prepare to meet them. One of them ruffles its neck feathers and bows and Havelock and Constance return the gesture. We introduce ourselves and the bird speaks, asking us why we are here. We tell it we seek Ygg and it asks why. Some back and forth goes on and Havelock trumps Corwin, who is apparently in a battle. The raven he talked to is called Hugin. The ravens have been waiting since Corwin’s time. We are the lost tribe of Amber.

Julian trumps me and checks how things are going. We swap guarded pleasantries and he asks me to pass his regards to Constance. Reminded, I Trump Benedict – him I give detail of the fight with the giant, though not all the details. He tells me of the battle and congratulates us on our efforts. I thank him and we set our guards for the night.