Wang: "You thought they'd just let us walk in out like the wind?"
Jack: "Yeah, I thought that was your whole damn point!"
Wang and Jack Burton, Big Trouble in Little China

Between the Pattern of Amber and the Logrus of Chaos are the lesser powers:
broken patterns, the ravelled logrii, representations, designs, and wells.
Realms of power. Shards.
Amber defeated Chaos in the Patternfall War, but the battle continues.
Now the Shards begin to fall. The realm of Begma is no more.
Slowly the eyes of the other Shards begin to open.
Chiare prepares for battle, but most remain blind to the danger.
In Thule Clieto is dead, the king mourns, and listens.
A small band of heroes has returned to Kashfa.
They have found a fallen realm under the control of Amber, and have lost an ally.
An ally that they will defy Amber to save, but at what cost...?

Vance continues leading Dalt through the secret areas and unused passages of the castle, heading towards their ultimate goal - Caine.

You make your way through the passageways. Your path isn't easy. To avoid the crowded corridors and make it to Rinaldo's chamber will take almost half an hour. You'll emerge at a unicorn shrine just a short distance down.

Vance pauses just before reaching the shrine. "Let me spy the area, first. There is a chance, just a chance, that I might know the priest there."

Dalt says "This is your show, go right ahead."

Vance sneaks in through the side entrance, seeing if any priests are currently in the shrine.

Krinac to Vance: I take it you are going in advance to the chapel?

Vance to Krinac: Vance nods. "I'll check it out briefly, then head back if it's clear."

Krinac to Vance: The old priest isn't there, just a young one, who fortune smiling on you, can be easily taken from behind. Do you want him dead, unconscious, or captured?

Vance to Krinac: 'Unconscious - preferably without spilling blood in a Unicorn chapel. Tied up and gagged if that isn't feasible.'.

Krinac to Vance: Not only feasible, but accomplished.

Krinac to Vance: Ok, now what... advance upon Rinaldo's chamber?

Vance to Krinac: 'Okay. Get the others, bring them to the chapel, agree on an escape route to go to if things get shot to hell, and then peek at the doors to Rinaldo's chamber...see if there's guards there, and the like. Oh...has a general alarm been raised, yet?'.

Krinac to Vance: Hmm, I'll let you know for sure in a minute, but I think the alarm is going to be raised.

Vance to Krinac: 'Okay. We'll hole up for a moment, and try to be in a position to see if Caine emerges from Rinaldo's chambers.'.

You heard alarm bells going off earlier, but right now there doesn't appear to be any action around Rinaldo's chamber.

Vance checks from a safe vantage point from guards, and comments to Dalt, "Hmm. Caine might be elsewhere. Best thing to do would be to question a guard."

Krinac to Vance: There are two guards on the door to Rinaldo's chamber, but no others around presently.

Dalt grunts, "This is why I wanted Caine's position pinpointed before we started this mess. You promised to help me take Caine's head. Let's act."

Vance says quietly, "I'll take the far one with my crossbow. Make sure the other one stays alive to answer questions."

Vance waits for Dalt to get in position. He signals, and takes two steps to the left, emerging from behind the corner and firing a shot at the far guard's neck.

Krinac to Vance: Is Dalt supposed to shoot the other one with his gun, rush the guard, or wait for you? I'm confused as to the plan.

Vance to Krinac: 'Dalt should rush around the corner and knock the guy out. I'm assuming the distance isn't too far from the spot we've chosen.'.

Krinac to Vance: Dalt does so, droping the guard with one punch so he gasps for air, then securing him with a blood strangle that quickly drops him into unconsciousness.

Vance quickly picks up the other guard, handing the corpse over to Raz. He then works to remove evidence of the guard's fall. "We'll hide the body, and question the guard quietly. Hurry."

Dalt helps you do that quickly.

Vance then gets back to the hiding place with the others. "Raz, I believe this is your speciality."

Raz wastes no time and shoves a pin under a thumbnail. The guard startles awake screaming muffledly. Raz yanks the pin out, "Answer our questions." She gestures to Dalt who cautiously removes a hand from the guard's mouth.

Raz smiles as the guard nods with fear, "Ask your questions Vance."

You say "Where is Caine?"

The guard isn't Kashfan. In fact he wears green and black livery. He looks at you, and then hawks back to spit at you, but it is choked off by Dalt.

Raz smiles, "You were not listening." She takes her pin and begins to spin it underneath the man's fingernail.

Vance repeats, "Caine. Where is he?"

The man screams out, "He's behind the damned door."

Vance to Krinac: 'Er, wasn't Raz muffling his screams? Can she cut him off before he yells too much?'.

Krinac to Vance: That was muffled, it was audible despite the muffling because he was screaming, but it won't be audible far.

Vance glances to Dalt. "We've got all we're going to get from him." He nods to Raz, once, and then prepares his rifle as Raz finishes him off.

Raz kills him, and pulls out her rifle.

Dalt pulls out his pistol in one hand. He pulls the pin on a grenade, and places it in his other hand. "Ready."

Vance checks the corridor quickly. "This could be a trap. Remember our fallback route." He then leads the others to the chamber.

Vance to Krinac: Vance specifically avoids using any powers or magic, in case there are detection magics in the area.

Krinac to Vance: Going for the door now?

Vance to Krinac: 'Yes, before the guards are discovered missing.'.

Vance to Krinac: 'I take the guard's keys, if he has any.'.

Krinac to Vance: You rush out and open the door, and when you open the door, you break an active ward, and are immediately in mental combat.

Vance to Krinac: 'With a person?'.

Krinac to Vance: Oh yes, with a BP adept, one you only know slightly, Zarul.

Vance to Krinac: Vance frowns. "Is there a focus to the mental link, such as a portion of the door?"

Krinac to Vance: The ward was on the door, anyone crossing the door (presumably without a key phrase) enters battle with the Zarul (who must be nearby, probably on the other side). This kind of ward isn't used much. It requires you having someone dedicated to watching it.

Vance to Krinac: 'Basically, I'm wondering if there's something within reach I can touch with the gloves, to drain the power out of the link.'.

Vance freezes in his tracks as the door is opened, grimacing.

Krinac to Vance: Hmm, well, now that I think of it, the spell was on the BP, I suppose you could draw the flaw to the spell itself, but you are involved in the mindlink.

Vance to Krinac: Vance nods. "The spell's already been cast. What I want to do is try to drain the link that activates it partially before it takes full effect (the door)."

Krinac to Vance: Hmm. Ok, done.

Vance to Krinac: 'Then, I go full defensive in the link and try to twist out of the connection, while Dalt and Raz are free to commit mayhem (since I'm the one in the mindlink).'.

Vance to Krinac: 'At least I keep the sorceror occupied while Dalt and Raz use high-tech against whoever's in there.'.

Dalt and Raz rush past, emerging into Rinaldo's chamber. Vance is momentarily frozen. They find not Caine, but Jazeil, "I've been expecting you." There is a sudden explosion of noise. Dalt fires at Jazeil, as does Raz, and he is struck repeatedly, and then from above the room, in an opening in the ceiling, there is return gunfire. Before Vance's eyes, Raz and Dalt are turned hit repeatedly by automatic weapons fire.

Had Vance not been frozen by the mind attack... he would be dead now.

Vance to Krinac: 'Um...a grenade bounces around in the room...remember?'.

Bubbling blood, Dalt somehow manages to speak, "The weapons you have embraced, shall deal you the same fate as I, as they have saved Amber in Corwin's hand, so shall they doom it in others."

Krinac to Vance: A cold shiver passes down your spine. You have heard the death curse of a prince of Amber.

Vance to Krinac: Vance is rather surprised, since he didn't know ICly that Dalt was of the blood. "I do know that Dalt survived being stabbed by Benedict. How long would he have to live if I could get him to a safe point?"

Jazeil is still moving somehow, but the grenade bounces, landing at the feet of Zarul, the issue of the mind link is rendered moot, as fragments of grenade go everywhere.

Vance whips the rifle on his shoulder into his hands, and takes quick stock of the situation.

Krinac to Vance: You are only alive because of the fact that you are outside the room, and not inside the arc of the automatic weapons.

Vance to Krinac: 'Fair enough. Did all the weapon fire stop after the grenade blast?'.

Krinac to Vance: Yes, for now, but note the gunfire came from above, the grenade didn't take them out, you also hear the sound of running feet in the hallway now converging on your location.

Vance puts the rifle on his shoulder, whips out the Trump sketch of Kaisarah, and concentrates on the sketch. As he does so, he closes the door with a shove of his foot, and reaches to touch the closest part of Dalt's body.

Krinac to Vance: Dalt rushed inside, you would have to dive into the arc of fire.

Vance to Krinac: 'I thought he was blown back by the volley of bullets. Well, anyway, I want to take Dalt's body with me. If necessary, I'll grab for it just as Kaisarah is pulling me through. My forearm is bulletproof, effectively, and they may not be expecting it.'.

[Meanwhile...]

Krinac: "Sean has an opening, and drives his blade home into the face of one opponent."

Krinac: "One of the other opponents strikes out at Sean's outstreached arm, and catches his sword arm."

Sunfall rushes to help Ariadne, and it is two to two at the opening to the tunnel. Sunfall presses her opponeont, but Ariadne is losing ground. Fortunately no other guards can arrive.

Krinac: "More screams, echo from the prisoner's room."

Sunfall says "Here!" and tosses the staff to Ariadne.

Sean drops his weapon, and with his other hand grabs the extended arm of his opponent, he whirls stepping inside and flings him at the remaining soldier.

Krinac: "Shoulder throw for those of you who know some Judo."

Krinac: "Sunfall's opponent relied on his armor to turn a blow, and suddenly finds himself with a large gash across his chest. That severly hampers his fighting ability. Ariadne manages to hold her own but does little damage."

Krinac: "Sean's opponents are in a heap, but Sean is without a weapon."

Sunfall continues to work at her opponent, junaive in hand, with a staff on the floor next to her.

Suddenly, Sunfall emits a chilling howl that nearly deafens those near her. The sound, like none you have ever heard before, sounds like it came from something much larger than human.

Everyone except Sunfall is startled.

Sunfall lunges for her opponent.

Krinac: "Sean kicks a sword free from one of the guards, and goes on to pummel them both with kicks. One of them stays down, the other staggers to his feet, and charges Sean."

Sunfall's blow stabs through her opponent.

Sunfall thrusts the spasming corpse sideways at Ariadne's opponent.

Ariadne fights defensively, waiting for her opponent to overextend.

Krinac: "Ok, we go into accelerated mode.... Ariadne and Sunfall together make short work of the remaining amberite. Sunfall is then left fighting the mob trying to enter one at a time by the tunnel."

Krinac: "Sean ends up in a bear hug with the remaining unarmed guard. Eventually bones crack. Sean is still standing. The guard slumps."

Sunfall stands against the wall to the side of the tunnel, ready to stab at whatever gets stuck through.

Krinac: "That leaves Sunfall on guard, while Sean and Ariadne investigate what happened to Jeanette."

Sunfall brings Kaisarah through.

Krinac: "When they enter the prisioners room, they find a dead guard and Jeanette free."

Krinac: "Andra and Nayda are also present."

Someone didn't mess around. They are not manacled. The are sandwiched between two stones, the top one must weigh several hundred pounds. You see a winch to raise it, and it looks like it takes two men just to turn the winch. You also notice that a steady stream of water droplets falls upon their heads.

Krinac: "Andra is coherent, Nayda is gibbering."

Jeanette is currently engaged in trying to haul at the winch.

Krinac: "Kaisarah standing by Sunfall, suddenly stops and brings Vance across."

Sean moves to help Jeanette with the winch. "Hold on!"

Jeanette says "Hurry! And get ready to get us outta here!"

Krinac to Vance: You got Dalt, you also got shot in the process, you've taken two pullets to the chest, you may make one pose before you pass out.

Krinac: "Vance is bringing what must be the corpse of Dalt, it is riddled with bullet holes."

Vance has the body of Dalt grasped by one hand, and is bleeding from two wounds to the chest. He grimaces in pain, looks to the corpse, and says a single word, which most have never heard Vance say before. "Sorry..." He then collapses.

Krinac: "Vance has two marks in the back that are oozing blood. Bullet holes."

Jeanette moves over to Vance, leaving the winch to Sean and Sunfall, She kneels next to him, placing a hand over his chest. "He's dying... get them out of there, quickly."

Krinac: "Jeanette herself doesn't look too good, the whole side of her face is swollen, and one of her hands is hanging at an odd angle."

Krinac: "In short order Sean and Sunfall are able to free Andra and Nayda"

Jeanette reaches her wounded hand out to one of the guards. "Hurry," she says to Sean and Sunfall, then begins to chant softly, a glow gathering on the one hand, spreading to the other, and into Vance...

Krinac: "I'll assume Sunfall is transferring everyone across, Dalt, and Ariadne first, etc."

Krinac to Vance: You regain consciousness, feeling better, to the sound of Jeanette chanting over you.

Sean moves to Nayda, and whispers to her.

Vance gasps, "How...long...?" He struggles to rise.

Krinac: "Nayda is gibbering constantly, "Please, please I'll tell you anything now, just let me sleep, no more water, please, please, please.""

Allyna is bringing anyone through who will come.

Sean picks Nayda up, though awkwardly due to his injured arm. "Let's get out of here while we still can."

Krinac: "Sean and Nayda trump out."

Vance rises, with effort. He assesses the situation, looking for Kaisarah and Dalt's corpse.

Krinac to Vance: You feel better. You are not in fighting trim.

Jeanette says "Too long. Time to go, Vance."

Krinac: "Kaisarah is backing away from three heavily armored Amber marines."

Krinac: "Dalt's corpse is trumped out."

Vance, grimacing with pain, whips the assault rifle on his shoulder around to rest in his hands, and yells something in a foreign tongue to Kaisarah.

Vance to Krinac: 'The words are in ancient Kashfan, which I think he'd understand. "Left and down!"'.

Krinac: "Oops the GM forgot about that... umm, guards turn into swiss cheese."

Krinac: "your aim is a little off due to recoil, but that doesn't matter much."

Krinac: "Everyone clears out to Allyna."

Krinac: "good thing too, the sketch just burned out."

Vance immediately moves to Dalt's body as soon as he's through the connection, discarding the assault rifle in his hands as he kneels down next to it.

Krinac: "Umm, Vance staggers over to Dalt's body, and collapses near it."

Allyna pulls a card from her Image deck, and stares at it. After a moment, she reaches into the Image, and pulls out her wand, back to its original size. She slips it back into her belt, and then looks around, seeing if everyone's survived.

Sean looks at Allyna. "Where are we?"

Allyna says, "I didn't have a lot of time. We're probably very close to Kashfa."

Sean points at a collar welded around Nayda's neck. "We'd better get moving. And find a hacksaw or something."

Krinac: "Roll call, Dalt - dead, Vance - should be dead, Sean - arm injury & bruises, Sunfall - minor scrapes, Ariadne - bruises, Andra - bruises and collar, Nayda - collar & gibbering, Jeanette - Busted jaw, broken ribs, crushed hand, general full body damage"

Allyna says, "I can arrange for a hacksaw. Is Caine dead?"

Allyna gets out her sketchbook, and starts working on a picture.

Vance doesn't seem to be in the condition to answer that.

Krinac: "Oh yeah, Raz, missing in action"

Sean snorts. "Doubt it."

Krinac to Vance: You can talk and walk thanks to Jeanette, but not much else.

Vance to Krinac: Vance hmms? "I thought I collapsed?"

Krinac to Vance: You can't keep your feet very long, but I'll let you roleplay, just don't try to do anything physical.

Allyna says, "How are we going to move with all these corpses, and near-corpses?"

Vance slowly staggers to a sitting position, next to Dalt's corpse. He motions Kaisarah over.

Sean frowns. "Can you trump us anywhere? After we ditch the collars?"

Allyna snaps her gaze to Vance. "No! No more of your secret manipulations. You nearly got all of us killed."

Jeanette says "Do we need to move the corpses?"

Kaisarah goes over to sit by Vance.

Kaisarah asks, "Are you okay, my friend?"

Vance seems to be ignoring Allyna. However, he does speak in a normal voice to Kaisarah. "It was a trap. Dalt and Raz managed to kill the Hand, but the new Heart lives."

Jeanette says "Who are the Hand and the Heart, Vance?"

You say "The Hand...is unimportant. The Heart...is Caine."

Kaisarah says, "Then I must go back." He turns to Allyna, "Do you still have that magical drawing of my home?"

Vance reaches for Kaisarah's wrist. "Bide a moment. I have instructions."

Allyna says, "There are men in your home, Kaisarah! Are you planning to leap into your death?"

Sean frowns. "Then you'd better hurry, Vance. These collars are telling Caine right where we are."

Kaisarah pauses as if giving Allyna's suggest serious thought, "I will abide for now."

Krinac notes that each collar does have a large emerald set in it.

You say "Kaisarah...I need you to contact Dalt's forces. Tell them what happened. Then, get in touch with Silas, and have him contact Jasra. It's time we joined forces...the stakes are too high. Allyna will provide you a way back to us."

Allyna says, "I wonder what would happen if we throw the collars into the Cha--"

Jeanette says "Into what, Allyna?"

Allyna's eyes widen, suddenly. "What am I thinking!?"

Allyna says, "Nevermind. We shall return them to Caine's men."

Allyna says, "And then I will try to draw us another escape route."

Sean mutters. "Somebody get a hacksaw."

Vance closes his eyes, and takes a deep breath. "It will take time for me to recover my strength. I will delay my decision about Jidrash until after I question Dalt."

Kaisarah says, "I will do this, but where is my home from here? This is no place I know."

You say "Talk to the others, Kaisarah. I have faith that they will be able to assist you."

Vance to Krinac: 'Kaisarah may or may not realize that my comment about Jidrash is the decision whether or not to use the Dark Well against the city.'.

Andra says, "If we would lead the enemy to us, leave us and go."

Allyna tosses Kaiserah the sketch of his home. "Use it at your own risk. Or wait until we have the collars free."

Sean looks around for Reed.

Vance looks at Ariadne. "Come here, child."

Reed is would be doing what he could to help any wounded, even if he isn't a medical doctor.

Jeanette needs a real doctor.

Allyna sketches furiously.

Sean winces. "We're not leaving you here, Andra."

Allyna says, "We aren't going to leave you. That was Vance's plan. We didn't rescue you only to abandon you now."

You say "Ariadne, I need you to look at the collars for me. I am too weak to do so with my own powers. Tell me where the lines of force are."

Reed checks some instruments of his, and grins, "I think I can help"

Vance gestures Andra forward. "Someone get a knife. I suspect they are around the emerald, though I need confirmation."

Reed removes his pistol, makes some adjustments, and a narrow red beam comes out that slices through grass quite prettily making holes in the dirt.

Reed looks at Andra and says, "Hmm all in all I'd rather use a hacksaw, I'll do this if you like, but you'd have to hold still, and it might drip some molten metal."

Ariadne says, "I'll try."

Ariadne says, "I have the lens, what am I looking for?"

Vance looks to Reed. "Take care of Nayda, first. I'll have a look at Andra's collar."

Reed asks Sean to hold her, "If she twitches..." Reed points to the holes his device makes to illustrate his point."

Vance makes his way over to Andra, and grabs the collar with one hand. With the other, he points at the emerald. "Look for power manifestations around the emerald. Tell me if they grow stronger or weaker."

Ariadne says, "Stronger, and I don't see any hint of the flaw about them at all."

Allyna says, "If it's that risky, just WAIT a few more minutes..."

Sean nods, and takes careful hold of Nayda.

Krinac: "Allyna is putting the finishing touches on the sketch of a hacksaw."

Vance to Krinac: Vance is going to pull out a dagger, and try to pry the emerald free. But first, he'll use his gloves in combination with Ariadne's sight to drain the power, then pry at the appropriate points. It's a low-energy task, since the natural state of the gloves is one that absorbs energy.

Allyna produces a hacksaw.

Allyna reaches into the plane of her sketch, her arm seeming to melt into the picture. When she pulls her arm out of the picture, she holds a hacksaw in her hand.

Reed says, "I think I'd rather use that."

Vance pulls out a dagger, and holds it near the emerald. "What about now, Ariadne?"

Ariadne says, "Much less now"

Vance nods. "Show me where the weakest spots are, so I can pry this out."

Allyna hands Reed the Hacksaw. "The escape route might take longer. We could all dive into the Watery Flame, instead."

Krinac: "Vance and Ariadne manage to pry an emerald free."

Allyna moves to collect the emerald.

Sean hms. "If we can get the collars off, we can run them a merry chase while you sketch us an escape.

Vance says to Allyna. "Can you send this away? Somewhere we want our foes to be, preferably?"

Krinac: "Reed and Sean encounter tremendous resistance to the hacksaw's cutting, it is making progress, but very slowly, and the blade is dulling."

Jeanette says "/Not/ the Watery Flame, then."

Jeanette muses. "Back to the shop?"

Allyna considers. "Given time, I think I could send them somewhere it would be very nice to have our enemies, yes. I was just going to send them to the shop."

Vance looks over at Reed. "Bring her here...I'll remove the emerald." He then says to Kaisarah, "I assume nothing of value is left in the shop?"

Allyna says, "I need to examine the gems first, though."

Kaisarah says, "Nothing I cannot replace."

Vance frowns. "If they're tracking us, we don't have the time. Send them to the shop."

Allyna says, "I can examine the one you have while you free the other."

Krinac: "The hacksaw cuts through the collars like normal iron once the emerald is removed."

Allyna says, "That should be enough."

Vance motions for Ariadne to toss over the first emerald, and then he and Ariadne work on the other quickly.

Allyna clasps the emerald in her hands, examining it closely, but seeming more intent on feeling it than on looking at it.

Krinac: "Sean can I take care of that hand now? Jeanette, no offense, but you look awful, we need a real doctor, but I've got painkillers, and I'll do what I can."

Jeanette says "I think... I think I'm going to need a real doctor, Reed. And Vance should see one, too. The energy transfer will keep him going a little longer, but... I don't know how long it will last."

Sean nods to Reed.

Allyna says, "What would a 'real doctor' look like?"

Vance nods. "We need a place with a beneficial timeflow."

Jeanette says "And high medical technology."

Once Nayda's collar is off she calms down, and falls asleep.

You say "Or equivalent restorative magic."

Allyna says, "I'm not familiar with these things. Are they easy to show? I can draw things that cannot be seen, sometimes, but never if I do not understand what they are."

Vance hmms. "If I describe a place in sufficient detail, can you draw it?"

Allyna says, "A place you have been to?"

Vance nods. "Yes."

Reed examines some of his devices and sighs.

Jeanette says "We should get away from those tracers."

Sean looks at Reed, worried.

Allyna says, "I'd say yes... But I think that my range is limited, and what I cannot reach, I cannot draw simply from description... So I'll say instead, yes, if it is nearby. If it has a Broken Pattern, and you can describe that..?"

Reed says, "I hoped I could take us to my world from here, but unlike the laser that device isn't functioning here. Here let me take care of that arm."

Vance says, "Nearby..." He seems to be considering.

Krinac: "Both emeralds are removed."

Sean nods.

Allyna takes the emeralds, and reaches into the shop sketch. When she withdraws her hand, it is empty.

Reed treats Sean's hand, and then hands out painkillers to whoever wants one.

Allyna tears up the sketch, although it seems from the way she does it to be a mostly symbolic gesture.

You say "There is a place of beauty, known as the Pentacles of Light. The sun shines down brightly on a star-shaped arrangement of stones, each with an intricate set of rune-carvings..."

Jeanette takes a painkiller.

Allyna walks over to Vance, and sits down beside him with her sketchpad. She starts by drawing a circle, at the top of the page, and then some rocks. "Like so?"

Vance to Krinac: 'Arcadia. The ceremonial chamber of the Light Alfar. It has a hidden tunnel that leads down to the BP there, but the Pentacle is a place where meetings are held. There will be High Lords there, with the power of healing.'.

Vance starts dictating corrections to the sketch, and having Allyna add features.

Allyna's drawing is far more abstract than the hacksaw drawing. She doesn't worry that her rocks look more like drawings of rocks than like rocks, or that her sun is nothing more than a circle.

Krinac to Vance: It will become quickly apparent that it will take Allyna hours or more to complete this sketch.

Allyna says, "Describe the runes precisely. Such things are often meaningful."

Vance to Krinac: 'Actually, 'chamber' is a misnomer, since it is in the open.'.

Allyna tears off a piece of paper and breaks her charcoal in half. "Draw them for me, and then tell me where each one is placed."

Vance pauses, grimacing in pain. "This will take hours, Allyna. The rune carvings are hard to describe, and I'm beginning to tire."

Jeanette says "Is there a path leading directly there from here, Vance?"

Vance thinks for a moment. "Get us to a ship, Allyna. That's all. I will instruct Ariadne in how to traverse Shadow with the Watery Flame, and she can get us away from this place."

Allyna nods. "A ship..."

Jeanette says "You've seen ships."

Allyna says "With a crew?"

Andra says, "I can direct a ship as well, we need not depend on the child, excuse me Ari, young woman."

Vance frowns, and mutters something under his breath. "Unless it's something we can manage without a crew, yes."

Sean groans at the mention of another ship, but doesn't protest.

Allyna says "I certainly cannot draw loyalty. Perhaps I could draw... poverty?"

Jeanette says "Hang on, let me describe it."

Allyna turns to a blank page.

Reed groans along with Sean.

Vance nods. "I was unsure how you had handled your ordeal, Andra. My apologies."

Jeanette begins to describe a ship, a fine motor/sailing yacht that will require a minimal crew, and can be handled by those assembled here.

Allyna draws based on Jeanette's description, occasionally asking a question, or allowing Jeanette to correct a detail.

Andra says, "I expected much worse, based on how she (Nayda) was acting, but they just kept me awake, and poured water on my head. How bad can that be?"

Sean shakes his head. "It takes time, Andra, but it's relentless. I've seen this sort of thing before."

Vance smiles. "Indeed."

Jeanette describes a flag, a red cross over a white one on a blue field, to fly at the ship's stern.

Allyna says, "I heard once that they do something like that to people who wander around where they don't belong on Merkatya."

Vance to Krinac: 'Does Andra have any sorcerous training?'.

Jeanette says "Concentrate on the drawing, Allyna."

Allyna draws with charcoal, but she does seem to get across the _idea_ of red in her picture.

Krinac to Vance: She's highly ranked in the royal family, so of course she has had sorcerous training. And every priest has been trained in latin. The question is how much has she mastered?

You say "Andra, while Allyna is working, see what you can do to preserve Dalt's corpse. I have questions of it when I recover...and the sooner, the better."

Allyna says, "You're going to ask questions of a dead man?"

Vance to Krinac: 'Basically, a simple preservation spell.'.

Vance simply says, "Yes."

Jeanette adds certain details that would not be common in a ship seen by most of those here... a radio antenna, for example.

Andra frowns, "I'll do what I can... wait, I can do it, a simple stasis spell would slow it down. I'll get started."

Sean frowns, and talks to Reed quietly.

You say "I'll rest, in the meantime. I may not be Madrak, but I do have some skills in this area."

Allyna says, "Sean, did the one named Caine give you your Image of Rinaldo?"

Sean looks up. "No. I've never met Caine, so far as I know."

Andra begins chanting, those of you who are very proficient will note that Andra isn't doing this that easily.

Vance talks quietly with Ariadne.

Vance to Krinac: 'Daughter, I came very close to death, this time. If I should ever fall, there is something you must do.'.

Allyna says, "It's possible that Caine has walked the Broken Pattern in Kashfa prior to this takeover?"

Krinac to Vance: Ariadne says, "Don't speak of death, you cannot die, you've been chosen."

Vance to Krinac: 'You are also chosen, Ariadne. Chosen by me. If I fall, you will carry on my work.'.

Vance to Krinac: Vance draws Ariadne forward in a hug, and whispers in her ear. "The gloves I wear are the source of much of my power. If I fall...they are yours. In the coming days, I will do my best to prepare you for this."

Vance hugs Ariadne.

Ariadne returns the hug, her eyes are wet with tears.

Jeanette continues describing the boat for Allyna.

Vance releases Ariadne. "Shh. Luck has been with me, so far. I do not see her abandoning me now."

Allyna mutters, "A great deal of luck, and barely enough."

Allyna sketches at Jeanette's instructions.

Krinac: "Okay, talk is winding down. Allyna summons a ship, you board, and set sail."

Allyna is not bring the ship into the valley. Gonna bring the team to the ship.

Allyna won't let Vance board without swearing he won't ram it into a beach full of hostile soldiers, either.

Krinac: "Ok, you bring the team to the ship."

Jeanette describes a port behind the ship, as well, then.

Allyna says it jokingly, but will leave Vance behind if he doesn't swear.

Vance smiles at Allyna. "I will not be able to do such for at least a few days. You have that long, at least."

Krinac: "Jeanette needs her hand set in hours not days, or they'll have to break it all over again and reset it."

Sean looks at Jeanette's hand. "The druids made sure we all knew how to set a simple broken bone or two..."

Jeanette says "This isn't simple."