TheEducationOfEderynSmithThe Education of Ederyn Smith(Continued from Kingly Commands II) Noys puts a hand on Ederyn's arm. "What our cousin is trying to say, if you think the Fire Pattern is real and a good idea, we should get you up to speed on matters before you walk the Pattern, or else we do it afterwards. Either way, we'll take you to a shadow where we can get you the education you need. I'll be there with you the entire time. Promise." Daniel has stopped reading his history text and is watching and listening in rapt attention. "This is the place where time runs faster than here?" Ederyn says. "Yes" Noys says. Ederyn crosses his arms over his chest and frowns thoughtfully, staring at the end of a nearby bookcase. He has to admit to himself that his resistance to the idea stems mainly from already feeling rushed and overwhelmed - a situation that isn't likely to be much improved by walking the Pattern. Or even by waiting until tomorrow morning. "I suppose there's no reason not to go now," he says slowly. "Then we go now." Noys says without hesitation. She looks at Lorius expectantly. "Fine by me." he shrugs. "Mom made me a trump, so no nauseating teleportation spells." He reaches into a pocket and starts looking through a trump deck. "If I understand, Ederyn." Daniel says, looking over at Ederyn. "I will see you soon, but you will not see me for days, weeks, months? There will not even be time to tell the Weir before you return?" "That's what I expect," Ederyn replies. After a slight pause, he adds, "I think that all anyone needs to know is that we were in the library and left again." "Then that is what I will say, lest anyone ask. It is all that I truly know." The Ambassador smiles. "Your shadow chose well in sending you here." Noys says, agreeing. "Here we are. Locus Minerva." Lorius says. He holds up a card of a city of a landscape with a massive greywracke mountain wall behind a large, expansive building of glass and stone. He then concentrates on the card, and extends his hand out. "Come, brother." Noys says gently. The architecture in the card puzzles Ederyn, but he takes his sister's hand and allows her and Lorius to bring him through the Trump. And with the hand of his sister, and Lorius leading the way, the library of Castle Amber gives way to an land covered with a blue-grey sky. The chill of Amber's early spring, and seasons that Ederyn expects has given way to something a little warmer, warm enough that coats are unnecessary. The sun, too, coming out from behind a cloud, doesn't look right. It seems a tad too small, and too bright as compared to the suns Ederyn has seen. "Locus Minerva." Lorius says, as if reciting a story. "Largest of a group of high arcanomagically developed city states in this shadow." He starts walking along the road they have exited toward the glass and metal city, maybe a half mile away. The road itself is made of some sort of stone that is unfamiliar to Ederyn. His senses tell him it definitely IS stone, and that the graywracke cliff is an enormous reservoir of mana infused stone. "We'll get you two siblings an apartment, access privileges, and enough information to keep Ederyn's mind busy for weeks and weeks, local time." "Are you changing the speed of the shadow?" Noys says. "Already done." Lorius says. "As much as it can be done, to the limits of my ability." "We'll start with basic literacy." Noys says to Ederyn. "Keep the technology low, to start, and then ramp things up as you learn. This place isn't as advanced as some of the places cousin Martin likes to favor, but its a reflection of some of them, isn't it, Lorius?" "I think its unlikely Martin is going to stumble through here." Lorius says. "Could happen. I've heard of some of the places he likes to go to, and they aren't far away, shadow speaking. That's something that will be on the program too, Ederyn. Lots of shadow theory. No substitute for when you are using the Pattern itself, of course. Questions? The only reason why we're walking is to let you acclimate rather than, say, dropping you in the commons without forewarning." "Thank you," Ederyn says, guessing at what Lorius means. "I have missed walking," he adds. All those ships, he reflects, and those wealthy Montenegrans never seemed to walk anywhere if they could help it. After a moment more of looking around, he asks, "Is Thari the language here?" "Thari is the primary language here, both spoken and written." Lorius says. "It would not do for you to have to learn an additional language unnecessarily, although Latin is a common second language here and signs are in both. It's a useful language to learn anyway." "We should teach him the alphabet of Chaos, too." Noys suggests. Lorius waves a hand. "You'll have plenty of time for syllabus decisions in the days ahead." The walk to the city is not, in the end, a long one, ten minutes of walking at a moderate pace is enough to allow the steel and glass buildings to be reached. These buildings are easily the tallest Ederyn has ever seen, the smallest at least twice as tall as Castle Amber, and many much taller. Lorius and Noys slow their steps, as if encouraging and allowing Ederyn to gawk. And gawk he does, unable to imagine how such things could be built and stay standing. He wants to study them more closely, but reluctantly decides that can wait till later. Between most of the buildings are glass and metal connections. Ederyn can see that there are figures, people, walking through them. There are many more people walking through them, in fact, than on the streets where he walks with Lorius and Noys. There are some people, nearly all of them with oversized eyeglasses. Some give Ederyn a second and third glances with puzzlement, one tapping his eyeglasses several times, and a few give Lorius and Noys looks of surprise (and obvious respect). He returns those glances with puzzlement of his own, and finally asks his companions, "What are those spectacles they're wearing?" "Oh, those are Spectos" Lorius says. "You know how you can use your arcane abilities to see and sense the arcane flows and powers around you, Ederyn? Those glasses give the wearer the ability to use a datanet connection to see information on the world around them. I've uploaded information and images on most of the family here, that's why they can see who me and Noys are. They don't know you yet, and you aren't going to show up in a datanet feed. So, people are a bit confused as to who you are. You have no prior presence here." Ederyn assumes that "uploaded" and "datanet" (and the reasons why a datanet needs to be fed) will become clear with time. Throughout the city are tall poles connected by a slender metal rail. This forms a circuit that snakes through the city, and into and through some of the buildings. "No personal ground vehicles are allowed within the city limits of Locus Minerva." Noys says. Everyone gets around town by means of the Via Caelestis. And the skyways to walk between buildings." Ederyn can figure out "skyways" easily enough, but - "Via Caelestis?" "The train." Noys points. Coming along the metal rail in the distance and approaching is a long, slender metal and glass vehicle of some kind, zipping along. "Lorius, we could head to the apartment on it, if Ederyn was tired of walking." Noys says. "Give him a quick tour of the city before you drop us off. We're going to be here for a bit." "What say you, cousin?" Lorius says to Ederyn. "You've missed walking, but you haven't ridden one of these before. Not exactly a ship or a carriage, either." "Ah," Ederyn temporizes, staring at the suspended vehicle. He actually quite likes heights - if, he realizes now, he's standing on a mountain. "I think I'd rather stay on the ground," he finally says. The train quickly (and with only a low hum) passes overhead, and finally passes out of sight, into one of the buildings. Lorius shrugs. "You ARE a child of Earth. No matter. I'm sure that Noys will get you to try the train while you are here, just so that you are comfy with technology. Let's keep walking." Lorius remains quiet for a long bit, allowing Ederyn to absorb the sights and sounds of the city. More people are passed by, many of them with those same strange spectacles, and with similar reactions. There are a few buildings that don't fit the glass and metal paradigm, including a gabled and pointed building of stone, and one of a reddish-pink stone that looks like a miniature castle. "That's the City Hall" Noys says to Ederyn. "It looks a bit like Castle Amber. It's five sided and four stories tall, anyway." "You know, Lorius." Noys says. "I don't think that Ederyn knows that most of the family has no idea we have such common interests. Half of them think I am infatuated with you and you believe I haven't the sense of an ostrich. They don't know that we have things like this, or other projects." "Oh, I think your brother can keep THAT secret." Lorius says. "Can't you, Ederyn?" The smith interrupts his contemplation of the way all the buildings' glass catches the sunlight. "If that's what you want," he says agreeably. "I think the secret is about played out." Noys says. "But the perception was around for many years." Noys says. "I found it useful protective coloration, and it allowed Lorius and I to collaborate on projects." "Like Locus Minerva." Lorius says grandly. "Your sister designed the politics and social structures here, stuff I know little about. I went for the nuts and bolts, which I am better at." Lorius stops at the entrance to one of the glass-sided buildings. Noys stops a moment later and smiles. "Here we are, Ederyn. Fourteen hundred Unicorn Way. Home sweet home. We probably should get inside quickly. A flashmob might form, since we've already been seen." Noys says. "I don't think Ederyn is ready to be a celebrity just yet." Lorius grins. He turns to Ederyn "While Noys and I could have arranged it so that we ran the city and own tons of property unbeknownst to anyone, the high tech, high information environment here would have meant the deception would have not lasted long, and we'd draw ire for being secretive. So, instead ... we deliberately play that up. You'd have seen it in action if we had taken the Via Celestis. We have the rest of the royal family set up as celebrities too. It's useful for tracking purposes if we ever get unexpected visitors from family here. "I even have Aura set up as such, in case she ever visits." Lorius adds confidentially with a grin. "Although she's hedonistic enough to love the, ah, attention." "I am not," Ederyn says firmly. (OOC: Ah, the dry and parsimonious Ederyn strikes again. Let's roll forward) "Right, so we won't do that." Lorius says, looking at Noys. "Not until and when he's ready." "My brother will have other concerns." Noys says. She leads Lorius and Ederyn through a door made of glass into the building. The inside is a wide open space dominated by a hanging sculpture of metal, iron from the way it tugs at Ederyn. Noys deliberately leads her brother and Lorius under it, and to a small room whose door is opened by a flat button, and open with a chiming sound. This room is only large enough to hold 4 or 5 people, and there is nothing in the room at all except a glass pane and more buttons. The buttons all have writing on them. "Noys" Noys says aloud. There is a pause. A voice says. "Accepted". A moment later, the doors close and there is a sensation of upward movement. Having expected something odd, Ederyn takes this more or less in stride. This movement is mercifully brief and ends with the doors opening, revealing a room with a view of the remainder of the city and the mountain. The room itself is an open plan of chairs, amorphous black objects sitting on the floor, and a desk, chair and an unrecognizable machine of some kind with a piece of glass suspended some sort of arm of metal. There are open doorways in nearly every direction save the view outside. "Home sweet home." Noys says. "Go ahead, take a look around." she urges Ederyn. The palette of the room is mostly a very striking monochrome, black, white and greys, but the greys tend to be either very dark or very light. There are accents and highlights in a single, striking shade of red as well. He moves slowly out into the room, pausing to examine one of the amorphous black objects. "Bean bag style chairs" Lorius says. "You sit in them." The 'bean bag style chair' is pliable, in some ways like a ball of dough. As if to emphasize, Lorius drops himself onto one of them to watch Ederyn's self-guided tour from that perch. Noys remains standing, watching her brother. The glass-machine-thing gets a more cursory (and entirely uncomprehending) look, and then Ederyn moves on to peer through each of the doorways in turn. The first doorway reveals a short corridor leading to three more doorways. Through each of them, Ederyn can see what appear to be bedrooms. The other doorways reveal a bathroom, only vaguely recognizable versus the ones he has seen on his travels, and a large room with strange black and white metal objects along with a large sink. "Kitchen." Noys says. He looks at her and then back at the room - not disbelieving, but unable to imagine how that could be a kitchen. The last doorway opens up into a completely empty room with white walls and a black floor that is strangely pliant, almost rubbery. "Exercise and workout room." Noys says. "Once you are comfy with the technology,brother, I'll show you how to make virtual opponents. Even Lorius has been known to spar. And lose." "I do *not*" Lorius protests. "Except the time you got mad, unleashed an elemental bolt, and half melted the wall." Noys says with a smile. Ederyn looks at Lorius with interest, brows slightly raised, at the news that his cousin has a temper. The smith wanders back toward the middle of the front room. "What's next?" he asks Noys. "What's next is probably computer lessons for you so you can start learning everything else." Lorius says, rocking back and forth. "And me getting back to the Castle and covering for you, although it's not going to be much time from their perspective." Noys turns to Ederyn. "Getting you comfy with the technology is the next step. We'll take it nice and easy to start, rather than trying a Direct Whisper Brain Projection or anything else. Besides, you're a sorcerer. I have to imagine you have mental wards built, right?" "He'd better" Lorius says, standing up. "Or else you need to add that to the lessons, Noys." "I have such defense, but I have not needed it very often," Ederyn admits. "That's important to know" Noys says. "If I had tried some of the more intrusive technology to get you plugged into the computer network here, your defenses would have reacted badly." "I'm pleased your arcane education has some basics and isn't just raw power." Lorius says. "See you sibs in a few weeks." He waves, and then disappears into the elevator and is gone. "Now, let's teach you how to use a computer." Over the next half hour, Noys seats Ederyn in front of the strange device he had noted earlier. With the aid of a small device she tells him to put into his ear, and a bit of work on her part, the computer is soon responding to his voice commands, and speaking responses into his ear. Focusing on things on the screen, with some practice, allows Ederyn to access and control the flow of information. With a "practice encyclopedia" he can look at a picture of a bird, and the computer responds by sending a stream of verbal information, hear bird calls, and there is plenty of (as yet) unreadable text on the bird in two languages. "And now we begin your real education, brother." Noys says. The starting point, of course, is literacy. Memorizing the Thari alphabet is a trivial task for Ederyn; soon he is working through a basic children's literacy program, gaining the necessary experience with how the letter combinations work in practice and achieving (according to the program's scoring method) a surprising level of fluency in a rather short time. After several hours of this, he abruptly switches back to the encyclopedia program and begins asking it, verbally, for entries on individual words. Noys' suggestion that he try a "dictionary" instead works much better, however, as he apparently is working through a list of unusual or complex words that he has kept in his head - including "computer," "intrusive," and "workout," among many others. He studies the spelling that appears on the screen, and then clicks for the machine to read out the definitions. Then he switches back to the reading program. It seems likely that he might carry on for hours more. Noys stops Ederyn after an hour more of reading. She insists on breaks for Ederyn, to rest his eyes, to allow him to use a toilet, and most importantly to eat and sleep. Noys can and does know how to cook, producing something she calls "carbonara" for dinner. Carbonara appears to be long thin noodles coated with cheese, and bits of bacon. After dinner, Noys insists on Ederyn getting eight hours of sleep and brooks no dissent. Ederyn learns that Noys works out every morning after breakfast with a "hologram" sparring partner. Noys explains it uses force fields to simulate the feel of fighting a real opponent, and Ederyn can see Noys perform a complicated dance of fighting moves against her opponent. The "hologram" even falls down when Noys manages to sweep its legs. And then after that, it's back to Ederyn's education. By mid-morning, the literacy program advances him to its third level. (It undoubtedly helps that he already has a large vocabulary, at least by local juvenile standards.) He watches the cheerful animation that announces this achievement, then pushes back from the computer screen and rubs his temples. Then he gets up and walks over to the window to stare broodingly out over the city. Today he's wearing local clothing that Noys acquired for him somehow - plain trousers, and a short-sleeved, surprisingly thin white shirt that exhibits the way that many years of hard work have sculpted his arms and torso. After a moment he starts pacing back and forth, and then he abruptly asks, "Is there a way to the roof?" It transpires that the building has an open observation deck, and once on it he paces along its edge for a while, enjoying the sunlight and the wind in his hair. The place still doesn't feel like home, or like Amber, but this is more comfortable than the too-warm and sterile apartment. He says to himself, muttering in his native language, "You're a fool." No, he answers himself, just stubborn. "That thing has more learning in it than all of Norwend knows, I'd guess, and you're not happy?" He sighs, crossing his arms over his chest. It's all too fast. "As it was in the realm of the svartalfár?" There's no quick answer to that. He paces some more, forcing himself to look at the internal resistance he's been pushing through. It's been a long, long time since those years with the alfár. A long time in which nearly everything he did was his own choice; when he explored, at his own pace, the principles and techniques of his discipline. Learning things that, he now suspects, could have been explained by these people in five minutes of narrated video, with background music. Well. He also didn't have the advantages of these people, did he? No books, no computers, only the verbal teachings of a handful of experts. Some of whom, he's sure, were careful to limit what they taught him. Or in the case of the master of the nafnr - passed on as much as he could in a short time. Well, then. So he doesn't like feeling like a raw apprentice again, learning the simplest techniques from a man with a lifetime of experience behind him. He's known men who carried around baseless resentments, and few of them were worth knowing. This is an opportunity, a realm - multiple realms - of change and new things, which he thought he wanted, didn't he, when the chance to leave Norwend finally arrived? Resisting and resenting it all is ridiculous. It's time to stop that. He takes a deep breath of the fresh air, eyes closed, and lets it out again. Easier to say than to do, of course. But sometimes the work itself is as important as its results. He returns to Noys with a smile, and to the learning with an energy that - more often than not - makes his previous efforts seem dull and slothful. "I guess you just needed some fresh air." Noys observes, as Ederyn's efforts continue to impress. A couple of days of this pattern, and Ederyn's computer time starts with something new. The computer asks him to answer a series of questions, perform a series of tasks to get back to his main literacy and learning program. "Problem solving and assessment." Noys says reassuringly. The questions are not difficult at first, but get progressively harder for Ederyn, focusing on reasoning and mathematics as opposed to straight up literacy. The questions are tailored to (mostly) the written vocabulary that Ederyn has grasped to date. It begins to seem like a challenge, even as the limitations of his nearly nonexistent mathematical education become devastatingly clear. He persists, working to follow the concepts introduced by the questions, discerning several ways in which the questions (especially the math-based ones) build upon each other, but a bit hampered at times by cultural assumptions that make no sense to him. "No worries." Noys says, ending the test. "We'll assess you again in the days and weeks ahead. The range of subjects are going to broaden out now that you're getting literate. It's going to be a hub and spoke model of education. We'll hold off on additional languages, though, for a bit. You'd just confuse people if you start sending them letters written in a mixture of Thari, Latin, Pravic, and Sindarin." "I'll have to learn to write, first," Ederyn replies with good humor. "That is coming." Noys agrees. The next time Ederyn tackles the computer, there are new options and choices for Ederyn to explore. The language and literacy remain core, but there are branches out from that inviting Ederyn to learn the basics of logic (and mathematics), rhetoric, and the history of Amber. It turns out that advanced elements of each of these subunits are further unlocked the more the core grammar module (as it is now rechristened) is completed. "I never thought of language as full of rules," he remarks over lunch, taken out on the observation deck at his request. "Even though using the nafnr has a lot of rules much like them. My teacher of those," he adds idly, "believed that learning to read ordinary runes would interfere with using the nafnr." "These Nafnr are the elements of the sorcery you use?" Noys asks. "That's right. There is Earth, and Fire, and the Names. The nafnr are a different kind of thing, I'm sure you know, but I have worked with all of them for a long time." In mid-afternoon of that day, he finally adds his own physical workout to his routine. It consists of a series of exercises with his sword, carried on until he feels like he's done some actual physical work. He refuses the option of using the hologram sparring function in favor of giving most of his time to the academic subjects. These, he continues tearing through at a pace that he clearly has no idea is surprising. Grammar, logic, and mathematics in particular seem to intrigue him; rhetoric, much less so, and he seems to be turning to the history information as a break from the other topics as much as to learn what's there. The history subprogram is a multimedia program, not only flat text, but images, including animated ones, and sound. A voice, male, with an accent similar to Dagny's, starts speaking. (Voice played by Neil DeGrasse Tyson) "In the beginning, there was nothing. Literally Nothing. Now, Nothing is an extremely interesting thing. Because nothing is not something that is stable, or can last forever. Even when time has no meaning, nothing doesn't last forever." With animations and graphics, what was billed as the history of Amber turns out to be a history first of the universe itself. The information suggests that the entire cosmos arose by accident out of nothing, and once it existed, started to expand, shadows forming and falling. Most of these graphics appear to be representations, paintings, rather than taken from life. Noys wanders over at this point. "Ah, the history module." she says. "Lorius insisted on it being comprehensive. So it starts at the beginning of what we know." she says. "What we know about the Courts of Chaos, the creation of the Pattern and more before you ever get to Amber." "You should have the vocabulary to understand most of it at this stage." Noys says. "Concepts you've already learned can be accessed and looked up if you get yourself into an obscure part." "Good," he replies, turning his attention back to the story unrolling before him. The voice with the same accent as Dagny guides Ederyn for the next couple of days. With graphical representations of time (a timeline, Ederyn learns), pictures and other things, Ederyn learns that the current theory runs something like this: The universe formed, possibly by accident. Said accident in Primal Chaos (a term very similar to some of what he learned in Norwend) led to the rise of various shadows, and beings within those shadows. Civilizations, Empires rose, fell and rose again, as shadows formed, merged, and were destroyed over and over again. This apparently ended with the coming of the Serpent to a crack in space and time (although a crack to where, the program does not know). A group of refugees, called the Thari, had been driven there. The Thari strongly remind Ederyn of the alfar, from the pictorial representations. These Thari aligned themselves with the Serpent and created the Courts of Chaos. With that power, they ruled thousands of years, until a rogue noble House called Barimen discovered another being emerging from that Abyss. A being they would follow, as their ancestors had followed and still followed the Serpent. A Unicorn. Ederyn nods to himself, interested to find out how this version of the story compares to the one told him by the Chaosian. Dworkin, his son Oberon and a few followers met with the Unicorn and learned the ways of its power. We still don't know." Ederyn can hear the impatience and frustration in the narrator's voice, or perhaps imagines it "just what dread things that the Unicorn, Dworkin and son spoke of. We do know that it spurred them to precipitous action. "Thus Dworkin and Oberon acted, along with their followers and allies, to trick, attack, and maim the Serpent, taking one of its Eyes as an artifact of power. We call it the Jewel of Judgement. "Dworkin and his allies fled into the wilds of the unformed universe, and found a place where Dworkin, with instructions from the Unicorn, created a Primal Power that would be proof against the Logrus with the aid of that Eye." "Today we call what he drew the Primal Pattern. This Pattern immediately cast three reflections in three worlds bound as one. The Pattern in Tir Na Nogth, the Pattern in what would one day be called Rebma, and the Pattern most familiar today. A graphic at this point, rotating on the screen, shows a sphere inside of which depicts the Primal Pattern engraved on a flat sheet of rock. Three lines from this sphere lead to three more ... a ghostly looking sphere and Pattern, a Pattern underwater, and the Pattern that Ederyn has already met. "Dworkin, Oberon, his new wife Cymnea, and their friends and allies raised up the Castle Amber on the mountain above the Pattern, founded the city, and began to populate and grow their new world. Several times the forces of Chaos, in armies mighty and deep, sought to destroy the nascent Kingdom. And every time, they were turned back." "Eventually, the forces of Chaos stopped their attacks, and relative peace from that direction prevailed. The matters of the Kingdom of Amber turned to domestic and nearby shadow politics..." "Heady stuff, isn't it?" Noys says. "Lorius says this is the most updated stuff he, his siblings and mother have been able to figure out." "Maybe if I find a Fire Pattern it will need updating," Ederyn says. By this time, his facility in speaking Thari has definitely improved, but his accent has not. "As you can see, it is not in the current paradigm." Noys speaks toward the computer, bringing up a definition of the word. "However, the paradigm may be incomplete or wrong. That's the nature of inquiry." "You're going to wind up speaking Thari with a Norwendian accent." Noys says. "I think getting rid of your accent is going to be the work of decades. But, then, I can hear the accent in the voice of anyone not raised in Amber. Even Pollux, diplomat that he is, has half of an Antiochan accent, which annoys him whenever I point it out. But you haven't gotten to local shadow geography yet." "The program from here goes mainly through the Amber Family, although there are side modules to explore history in more depth. Stuff Lorius borrowed from his sister, mainly. You'll soon have access to capsule histories of the major shadows around Amber, too, and the shadows each of the Amberites come from." "As far as that is concerned." Noys says. "Lorius asked me to ask you, once your facility with Thari is up to par, we'd like you to narrate a small section on Norwend. Since, well, a Prince of Amber is from there." "I will think about what to say," Ederyn agrees. As he continues through the more recent history material, he is now looking for what it has to say about the events leading up to the scene he retroactively witnessed in the Throne Room, and afterward. There are a couple of thousand (!) years of history, according to the timeline Ederyn has at his disposal. But after a little work, and his increasing familiarity with the technology, he finds it: The Crowning of Eric I of Amber. The events leading up to the scene, from what Ederyn learns, stem from the increasing disappearances of Oberon, former King of Amber. Gone for longer and longer periods, and finally not returning at all, the governance of Amber came into question. The major candidate for heir, Corwin, had disappeared. (A sidebar explains that it was later revealed this was Eric's doing). The Amber Royal family split into factions, and Eric led one. He was able to make himself as the de facto ruler of Amber, and in beating off an attack by the suddenly-returned Corwin (another sidebar suggests this was partly the doing of Brand) along with Bleys, decided he had to become King in fact as well as name. And so Eric crowned himself, and banished a blinded Corwin to the dungeons. Corwin managed to escape somehow, and returned with yet another army. In the meantime, however, Amber faced a different threat that Eric was the point man on to deal with: The Chaosians and the Black Road. The Chaosians at one point managed to build a shadow-spanning roadway all the way to Kolvir. The history explains they gained knowledge from Fiona, Bleys and Brand in order to do this, as well as damage to the Pattern caused by Brand. In any event, a besieging army of Chaosians that seemed poised to take Amber was turned by the arrival of Corwin and wonder weapons: guns. In the fighting, though, the King of Amber, Eric, fell in battle. And so ended the life of Eric of Amber, and so began the de facto rule of Corwin. Ederyn stares out the window for a while, thinking about all he's learned about Eric up to this point, before going to to see how things got from Corwin being in charge to Random. A soft rain begins to fall as Ederyn stares out the window at the Minerva cityscape. There is no thunder or lightning, just a rain that starts gentle and slowly becoming more and more insistent, until it is a solid shower of rain. The rain is a background noise to Ederyn's explorations of what the history calls "The Patternfall War." The module for this section appears to contain a wealth of information, with links, sidebars, and something labeled as "interviews" with Lorius and Noys. In the mainline, Ederyn learns that Corwin taking over Amber never led to his full kingship, as the threat from Chaos was joined by an attempt by Prince Brand to remake the entire universe to his will and design. The Primal Pattern was revealed, and revealed to have been damaged by Brand. Oberon was revealed to have been disguising himself as an old friend of Corwin's for some time. While Oberon remained behind to repair the damaged Pattern (ultimately dying in the attempt), most of the rest of the Royal Family moved to prosecute and finish the War with Chaos. Brand's attempts to remake the universe with the Jewel of Judgement finally ended with his presumed death, falling into the Abyss at the edge of Chaos, taking an unwilling Princess Deirdre with him. A change in the music then heralds the next bit, describing how the Unicorn emerged from the Abyss, with the Jewel that Brand had fallen into the Abyss with. The unicorn brought the jewel to Random, and this marked that he was the choice of the Unicorn to be the next King. Corwin did not contest this judgement, and the Princes and Princesses of Amber first consolidated a treaty with Chaos, and then returned home for Random to begin his rule. In the meantime, the module explains, Gerard remained in Amber as regent, Noys was brought into the Castle and named a Princess, and was instrumental in aiding Gerard during his short-handed reign, along with Gerard's two sons, and a few other children of Amber who did not join their parents in the War. Having learned the basics of what he needs to know about Amber, Ederyn turns his attention more completely to the other parts of the teaching program, especially the mathematics sections. And then, along some pathway of question-and-answer, he discovers the wonders of chemistry - a formal structure for understanding many of the things he already knows. Vastly more interesting than the Golden Circle shadows, or even grammar. "I should have expected you would fall for science." Noys says, strolling up to the intent Ederyn with a long sandwich on a plate. She's ordered them before, when not feeling like cooking. "Bahn me," they're called. "Chemistry, I see?" Noys peers at Ederyn learning about balancing equations for reactions. "Unlocked when you learned enough mathematics." she says approvingly. "Once you get enough through two of the sciences" Noys says "then you'll be able to learn some theories of magic, shadow and cosmology. Lorius and I felt that anyone going through this program should learn most of the quadrivium before tacking esoteric subjects. Given your abilities, brother, you might like to try physics, maybe geology as your next science once you master Chemistry." She studies him. "'Course, if you like Organic chemistry enough, there is biology, but you'll start with mostly natural science biology, rather than anything with real rigor. While the rules of chemistry are very similar in most shadows, the rules of biology are definitely and definitively not." "I should probably learn some biology, at least," Ederyn replies thoughtfully, having looked up the term when the teaching program explained 'science.' Then he smiles. "Though I'd prefer physics." "I thought you would." Noys says. "The physics mostly concentrates on the Newtonian-Einsteinian paradigms. If you get too far away from them, you can't have life as we know it anyway. There is some radical physics theories, though. There is a bunch of astronomy, too, since Lorius loves his space science. When the weather turns dry and clear, I'll take you to the observatory. I understand his personal shadow has an even more impressive night sky, though." Ederyn gestures to the formulae on the screen and adds, "A lot of this is familiar, except I didn't know words for it. And the structures for thinking about it all - I learned things when I needed to know them for a task, mostly. This more complete knowing about it - knowledge - that will help with my work." His face shines with enthusiasm. "You really think that this scientific background will aid you in your elemental based sorcery?" Noys says, confusion across her face. "I suppose it's an unexpected bonus, but if Lorius expected this to be of use to you in that regard, he certainly did NOT tell me." she says. "But then you were talking such shop more to him than to me." "It's easier to use my sorcery to do things that elements already want to do," Ederyn explains. "It takes different techniques to get them to do unusual things. Chemistry is helping me understand why some things are unusual, and some aren't, and it should help me work out better ways to get the results I want. I think." "It's easier to follow and enhance exothermic reactions and knowing what endothermic reactions are possible but require energy inputs would be useful if you know the reaction is possible even if its not favored." She considers this and nods. "But come, brother, its time to decide what we want for dinner ..." The next morning, when Ederyn logs onto the computer, a message comes up. "Lesson Access disabled." Noys is soon at Ederyn's side at the computer. "I thought" Noys says. "It was time for some non-computer learning. Your brain needs time to process and assimilate the knowledge you have learned the last few days, anyway. So I am declaring a one day moratorium on learning anything new, and instead, we'll explore the city, letting your interests and curiosity and questions guide us." "You might have warned me," Ederyn gripes. Noys regards her brother, bemused. But then he smiles, stands up, and gives her a hug. "I can't tell you how much this means to me," he says, standing back with his hands on her shoulders. "Not just the learning, but having family I can feel close to." "Likewise" Noys says. "We're children of Eric. It's a strange position to be within our family. And you've lived alone, I gather, for a long time, and had it even harder, unaware of this." "Yes," Ederyn sighs. "But that's the past, now," he says decisively, letting her go. "The other thing I am curious about, although Lorius will be furious he is not here." Noys adds "is this connection to the Pattern you have. Can you, in fact, shadow shift. I don't think you read all of Corwin's Tale, did you?" "No, just the parts that were quoted in the main narrative," Ederyn replies, looking thoughtful. "I think," he says then, "I may have changed Norwend a little, or part of it. One of the places I lived ... I used to believe it felt different because I loved it, but now I've been to Amber. I might have made this place I'm thinking of a little more 'Real' than it was." "We're going to have to get you into the Shadow and Reality Theory modules." Noys says. "The common consensus among family is that members of our family spending time in a shadow, even without having walked the Pattern, changes it. And is noticeable. Our cousin Minh was found that way by Uncle Bleys. "But I was thinking of something a little more direct and nothing to do with reading. None of that today! "I want to get you to try to shadow shift," she says after a pregnant pause. "There is evidence Amberites without a Pattern Imprint can to a limited extent, but from what you told me, brother, you might have something of an imprint now, which is even more reason to experiment. I'll be with you all the way. No worries." "All right," he says. "How is it done?" "We probably should get out of the apartment, so that we have some room to maneuver." Noys says briskly. "Street level and then we'll begin in earnest. I'll explain on the way." On the way down to the street, Noys launches into a thumbnail description. "The basics of shadow shifting run on desire and motion," Noys says. "You have to have a vector of relative motion, and you have to visualize changes that you desire. It's easiest for beginners to do this when dealing with situations where they can more easily believe that the change will exist, and by doing so, make them real. Accumulate changes, and you change the shadow you are in." Noys waits until they are downstairs, outside, standing on one of the quiet street corners, the busyness of the city still on the monorails. "Right. So this is what you do" she points to the next intersection. "Around that corner is going to be something you visualize must be there. You have to believe it will be. Concentrate on the fact of its existence. But don't tell me what it is, I don't want to subconsciously do it for you. We'll walk together, turn the corner and see if it's there. "Understand?" "Yes." Really, it sounds no different in principle than manipulating his Elements. He fixes in his mind that what he wants to / will see is a large urn planted with blue and yellow flowers sitting outside one of the shops, and starts walking. Noys follows alongside Ederyn, the eagerness in her steps, the anticipation on her face effusive, expressive and ebullient. She and Ederyn make it to the corner, turn the corner... And there it is. Although it's some sort of gadget store, having nothing to do with flowers, and, really, Ederyn has not seen flowers elsewhere in the city, but it's there. A large urn, just as he pictured it, planted with bunches of daffodils and violets. Noys practically dances up to it. "This is what you did!" she did. "You made this happen and placed this here." He smiles in response to her delight. "Now if you ask me if you changed the world we were in, or if we are in another world now, the answer to that at this point is yes." she says with a smile. "Hmm," he says thoughtfully. "If I changed the world we were in, then it is now another world, yes? Because this urn is not something I created; it has been here for much longer than I have wanted it to be here, though it also is only here because I thought of it." "Either way we are in another world." Noys agrees. "Either we stand in a new world, or we stand in the same world, now changed by what you did. At the small level, these two are interchangable ideas. As you accumulate changes or go for larger-scale effects, then the latter interpretation falls away and you are moving between worlds. "When you try this trick in a shadow barred to the Pattern." Noys says "It turns out that shifting changes is extremely difficult but not impossible, suggesting you could indeed be changing the shadow but not moving out of it. "I understand that even Amberites without the Pattern at all can do this much, if they but know." Noys says. "If they but know," Ederyn repeats in a low voice. "There are likely children of our male relations scattered throughout shadow, unaware of who and what they are, and thus unless by accident, never doing this much. Or discounting it as coincidence or something else. "So, now that you do know, brother, How about we increase the scale a bit?" "All right," he says. "Shall I add trees?" "Trees," Noys says with a nod. "I suppose the glass and steel landscape is rather severe by your standards. Let's keep walking, keep making turns, and see if you can't add some foliage to the city as we go. This should push us out of the original shadow, if you can manage it." She gives a grin. "It looks like winter all the time, to me," Ederyn says as the start off. Then he concentrates. In Montenegro he saw a few streets that had trees planted in the midst of the pavement; that seems like a reasonable step here. Spruces would be a nice evergreen choice ... first one, in a little island of dirt in the pavement, then more around the next corner ... Bit by bit, Ederyn's desires come to fruition. The first corner has a lone spruce tree, standing proud in its isolation in a bounded patch of dirt that Ederyn has not seen anywhere in the city to date. The next corner round, the trees begin to become more common. And more common still as Ederyn continues this push. Noys continues to encourage Ederyn, walking, asking about the trees and their presence in Norwend. This process continues until they reach a major street. This street now has an long, thin, island, bounded by a sidewalk on each side. In the middle, in neat rows are trees. Evergreens, some young, some tall enough that they are nearly as tall as the monorail track above them. A glance down a side street shows nearly as many trees on smaller streets as well. Not all of them have turned out to be spruce trees, there are a number of pines, firs and even a single silver birch tree. Ederyn looks very pleased by this result. "I think your contact with the Pattern mentally has had lasting impact." Noys says. "I don't think anyone without at least a partial imprint could have carried us so specifically into shadow." He looks around more carefully, trying to pick out other things that might suggest they're really in a different shadow now. "How can you tell?" "Stray details that you didn't intend will be evident." Noys explains. "Things changed that you didn't specifically wish to add to a shadow will be there, or things absent. At that point, you cannot say that you are editing a shadow, not through basic manipulation of the Pattern. At that point, you have distinctly left a shadow entirely. I'll bet, for instance, this city is NOT called Minerva." Noys explains." "It's easy to see with things and people with high levels of reality. While copies of them will likely be in your new shadow." Noys says. "They will only be copies and close reflections." "Shall we see what else is different about this alternate shadow, or did you wish to try and return to Locus Minerva?" Noys asks. "Praise be to the Huntress!" calls a cassock-dressed man walking down the meridian of the street, weaving through the trees as he does so. "Let's observe," Ederyn says, watching the man. As Ederyn watches, along with his sister, the cassock-dressed man continues his progress through the trees. The Praises to this Huntress are interspersed with what Ederyn might think of as recitations from an Edda. "She is Pale of Hair and She is Sharp of Eye" "She is Guardian and Witch of the Wilds" "She is the Bow and the Arrow of Justice." (louder) "Praise be to the Huntress!" "She is Hound Mistress and Forest Dragoness "She fights Bite of Ax and fights Flame of Man" "She is keeper of World Tree and spreads The Greenwood." (louder) "Praise be to the Huntress!" "This is what I meant," Noys observes in a low tone of voice. "Unexpected and unplanned aspects to the shadow. Minerva is mostly a secular humanist sort of place, by design." "I wonder if this subconsciously reflects my friendship with a certain cousin of ours." she adds. "While you have been studying, I've been trying to contact her, after what happened. Managed success at last, yesterday afternoon." "Even though I was making the effort?" Ederyn asks, still watching the man. "This may also be the reason why there are so many trees here." "If you were not with someone of the Blood." Noys says "then the entire onus would be on you. When those of the Blood travel together, even if one does all the shifting, the subconscious desires of the others can be the unexpected elements that manifest." "When our uncle Corwin returned to Amber with Random," Noys says. "He let Random do the shifting, and Random was good at it. Some of the details, though, that I heard, clearly suggested that the unexpected little details were partially coming from Corwin, who had the Pattern but not the wit to use it." "So I think my recent experiences in thinking about Brie colored your larger scale shifting." "Advanced users of the Pattern, like say, Aunt Fiona, can make very careful changes without any of this happening." Noys adds. "This allows her to shift shadow and find shortcuts that none of us ever could, especially in trying to reach Amber or the Courts. Or any other pole of reality, really." In the meantime, the Man continues his litany, in exactly the same manner, wending his way through the trees, oblivious to Ederyn and his sister, focused exclusively on his prayer and his pattern of steps. Ederyn nods to acknowledge what Noys is saying. This ritual they are watching is interesting but not, he decides, interesting enough to watch any longer. "Shall I try going back?" he asks, prepared to step off and make the attempt. He will focus, he thinks, on his sword, which if he understands all this correctly, is probably more 'real' than most objects in this vicinity, because of its close association with him. "This would be trickier to accomplish, but would be useful for you to get some practice in with your whatever-sort-of-Pattern-imprint you have," his sister says. "You may not be able to pull it off but ancedotal evidence suggests you can certainly try. Even if we wind up way off course, I can get us back to Minerva without any problems." She exhales and laughs. "Lorius is going to be so very jealous." "Shifting to a shadow is a matter of addition and subtraction, especially for shadows with reality to them," Noys explains. "Like Amber. If we were to try to walk all the way to Amber from here, we'd change features to match our conception of the destination. The right color sky, the taste in the water, the technology." "Even a place like Minerva works that way." Noys explains. "Focus on the details and essential nature of the place. Things with more reality work well to focus on, too. If I were bringing us back, I'd be focusing on our apartment, its exact details, for example. Or trying to subtract the changes we've made to be left with what we started with. Either approach will potentially work." "I think I see." Ederyn decides to go with trying to reach the specific place they started from, rather than simply retracing their path via subtraction. He focuses on his impressions of Minerva - the lack of trees, the busy monorail system, the technology, but especially on the way the Earth feels there. And to add to that, the apartment and his various belongings there, especially his sword. As Ederyn and Noys walk, Ederyn can start his progress on returning. The calls of the man give way, and the city slowly starts to give up its greenness. The monorail's busyness returns, even as the number of trees thins out. Ederyn can see the apartment he has been learning in with his mind, his sword waiting for him. The shadow shifting becomes harder and harder though, the changes smaller and smaller. The last bit to achieve their destination appears to escape him. No matter how Ederyn tries, there appears to always be a few scatterings of trees. The last removal of green eludes him again and again, the city he shifts himself and Noys to continues to have a permanently arboreal cast to, rather than the complete impression of Minerva he envisions and wishes to access. Through all of this, Noys says nothing, watching Ederyn more than the environment around them as it shifts. Frowning slightly, Ederyn reminds himself firmly that he does want to get back to Locus Minerva and his studies. Not to mention show that he can do this. He gathers his thoughts and will for a last effort. If it doesn't work, he'll undoubtedly have a chance to try another time ... Time. Could the problem have to do with the rate of time flow? He remembers that Lorius said something about making it go even faster than it usually did. Carefully, he adds the concept of faster time to his thoughts about where he is going. It would be something like trying to hop aboard a galloping horse, he supposes. Focusing on another variable Ederyn had not considered seems to be the icebreaker, or the key, he needs, to get past that last variable. Indeed, the variable of time, which Noys didn't even mention in their shadow shifting so far, does seem different between this reflection of Minerva and the fast time flow of the real place. As Ederyn concentrates on that faster time, and holds it in his mind, focusing on his sword and his quarters now produces results. The last trees thin out, and then with five more steps, they are gone, the city returned completely to its state of metal and glass. Going to their apartment would be the final test, but it feels to Ederyn he has arrived where he needs to be. Noys has a smile on her lips. "You changed up your tactics for the last bit, didn't you, Ederyn?" she says with pride. "That last hurdle of reality was difficult, but you've managed it." Ederyn also smiles, pleased with himself. "It was the faster time," he says. Glancing up and down the street, he adds, "It still needs more green, though." "The sterile perfection of Minerva, without any green, can be a bit much." Noys agrees. "Certainly, if I invited Brieanne here, she would not like it overmuch." "I'm glad to hear she is recovered from whatever it was that she did," Ederyn puts in. "I look forward to meeting her when we go back." "With a full imprint, time and effort, you can do anything to an individual shadow, Ederyn." Noys says, her steps carrying them in the direction of the apartment. "Much more difficult than shadow shifting, though." "I think that showing you how to really change a shadow is a lesson we might wait until you have a complete and full imprint." Noys says. "Messing with the shadow without Lorius' consent will make him ... cranky, too. Once he stops being geeked out if you can really do more than minor changes." "There are other things we might see if you can do, though," Noys offers. "beyond practicing your shadow shifting." Ederyn looks intrigued. "Such as?" "The main things to do with a Pattern" Noys says "are Shadow shifting, shadow manipulation, and Pattern defense, or variations on those." she says. "Hellriding for instance." "Oh, and then there is probability manipulation." she adds. "The ability to affect the outcome of events. Fortunately, possibly because it amuses him to run such establishments, Lorius has provided Locus Minerva with a place rather unlike the academic nature of this world, but one that allows one free rein to experiment with changing fortunes with the Pattern." "A casino," she says. "A what?" "A Casino is a location where one can play games of chance. With dice, with cards, with Tali or more complicated devices." Noys says. "Our cousin is rather fond of them." "Can't we just buy some dice or cards and practice with them?" he responds. "Using this skill while gambling for money would be cheating. Perhaps even stealing." "Well, we could," Noys confirms. "That would not require you to learn any of the games of chance in order to test your probability manipulation. If you would rather not see the casino, I can take you shopping, now, rather than continuing to head to the apartment." Noys says. "As far as the issue of theft and stealing, therein lies one of the ethical concerns of using the Pattern." Noys says. "You hit upon that one rather quickly. With knowledge of the games involved, and probability manipulation, you *could* bankrupt the Casino at Monte Carlo, if you wanted, Ederyn." "It being shadow money, though, and one of an infinite series of shadows, does that matter?" Noys says. "If there are an infinite number of shadows, if you were to go to one of them, one you or anyone else will ever visit, and kill the inhabitants, does *that* matter?" Ederyn takes his time thinking that over, until they're actually standing outside the apartment building. "It matters to me," he finally says. "It matters to who I am, and who I want to be." "We should discuss this further over dinner." Noys suggests. "Assuming we are where we think we are." Going up to the apartment, to Noys' satisfaction, and as far as Ederyn can tell, they are in the apartment that they left. His possessions, including his sword, are all here. Noys orders food to be delivered and in short order, some sort of meat and vegetable medley is delivered, along with thin pancakes that remind Ederyn vaguely of ones back in Norwend. The meat smells like pork. She also places an order to have a set of cards and dice be delivered as well. "The ethics of shadows and shadow dwellers is a thorny one." Noys says. "And I think there are as many answers as there are family members." she says. The way she tackles the food is to wrap some of the meat and vegetables in a pancake, add some of the dark brown sauce, roll it up, and eat it. Ederyn cautiously follows her example. "For many in the family, brother, the inhabitants of any individual shadow, especially in the main body of shadow outside the Golden Circle are somewhat less important than what you ascribe." Noys says. "If I were to, as a radical example, have killed that priest we saw, on a lark, we could have shifted shadow very easily, and found someone identical to him, alive and well, down to his name if we were careful enough. Or, to use less sanguinary ethics, if I were to seduce that priest, we could shift shadow and find a priest whose mores had not been compromised." "And, unless one was careful, after leaving that shadow, going back to the exact shadow where the priest was seduced or killed would be tricky." "And some of ... us ... feel that actions like those would not affect them?" Ederyn says dubiously. "The more solipsistic of the family, brother." Noys says "believe only real beings matter. Family. of course. Chaosians. Everyone else is ultimately a pawn or an illusion. And you can do with them what you can." Her discussion has to pause here so she can define "solipsistic" for Ederyn. Then, "More of the family only care about people in realish shadows, that are not so disposable." Noys says. "You can't find a shadow of Begma, not really, so even the poorest farmer there, harmed, isn't replaceable." "But Uncle Benedict can and does pit armies in random shadows against each other, to study and practice tactics." Noys says "He doesn't care about the individuals who die, just the results." "As for myself." Noys takes another bite of her wrap. "I try and outgrow my biases. It's not easy, brother. I was born in Amber City, rather than in the Castle. But even so, I wouldn't lose much sleep thinking about that priest we saw, but I certainly wouldn't kill him for the fun of it." He nods, feeling reassured. "One thing that makes that easier." she says. "The longer we stay in a place, the more real it becomes. The more we interact with someone, the realer they become." she says. "Corwin brought an attorney from that shadow he was exiled on to Amber, for example. Works on treaties for Random, Pollux and me. Sharp mind, and he's only looked younger the longer he's been around the Castle." "Attorney?" Ederyn asks. After the explanation, he says, "It might be interesting to meet him." "He's an excellent person to know, especially to help establish your, ah, legal position in Amber." Noys says. "We'll talk to him at some point about your rights of inheritance in regards to our Father. For now, let's finish our dinner ..." The next day, a package arrives for Noys, the promised cards and dice Noys mentioned yesterday on their shadowshifting expedition. Noys waits until the evening, giving Ederyn another full day to explore the educational materials available to him as he sees fit, and only produces the items after dinner. Some ground meat patties, cooked, served between pieces of thick bread. "Probability manipulation." Noys says. "Hard to do in Amber, but much easier to do elsewhere. "You are imposing order on the universe with your Pattern imprint, causing a desired event to happen. The more unlikely the event, the harder it is to do. For instance, you could theoretically manipulate probability to have an asteroid crash into the city, but that is so very unlikely, it would take enormous effort and time to make that happen here." "We'll try something smaller, safer and easier." Noys grins. She pulls out a couple of dice. "Six sided dice, pips from one to six. Statistically, rolling 2's or twelves are the hardest to do. But with the Pattern, you can change probability so that the dice come up as you like. It takes some concentration, and visualization of the desired event, and then making it happen." "Ready to give it a try, brother or shall I demonstrate?" "You demonstrate," he says. He focuses on attempting to detect what she is doing, reasoning that some form of energy or like influence must be involved. "Certainly" Noys says, gathering up two of the dice in her hands. "As our Uncle Random might say, come on box cars!" Whatever Noys is doing is amazingly subtle, as subtle as what Ederyn did in bringing the first bit of green into the city when they were changing and shifting shadow. He feels nothing, senses nothing of what Noys is doing. The dice roll is two sixes. Noys picks up the dice, and does it again. And does it three more times. Through none of it, does Ederyn detect anything that suggests how and what she did. "And to show you the dice aren't fixed ..." Noys rolls the dice, and they come up a 1 and a 3. She rolls them again, and they come up a 4 and a 3. Ederyn honestly didn't notice the difference between her probability manipulation, and when she didn't. "It would take more effort and time and concentration." Noys explains. "If I tried to roll ten dice and have them all come up sixes at once. Just as making a major change in the shadow, completely unexpected, would take effort." "I could not sense you doing anything," Ederyn says, taking the dice. "I doubt that even Aunt Fiona can easily sense someone shifting probability for something like this." Noys says. "Now, if you try to make a much more unlikely event happen, that is a little more noticeable, since you are bending reality harder." As he did with the Pattern shifting, Ederyn concentrates firmly on the results he wants, expecting them to happen in much the way that he expects the elements to follow his will. He tries to roll two ones, then two twos, then two threes, up to a pair of sixes in sequence. It's very similar to shifting the Pattern as he did walking around the city. In order, as he rolls the dice, and concentrates, the sequence of results comes up, without fail. Once Ederyn finishes the pair of sixes, Noys speaks with a tone of satisfaction. "Prodigal." she says. "You have a clear talent for the Pattern, brother, even with an incomplete imprint." "Rarer events are done in a similar manner, but just require additional concentration." Noys explains. "Lorius and Martin tell me it is a power curve of how much time it takes to produce truly rare events, but it IS possible. Such as the asteroid strike I mentioned, might take hours or even days of uninterrupted work." "It seems very similar to working with the elements," Ederyn muses. He picks up and opens a pack of cards as he continues, "It needs clear and well focused intent and will, which I have learned." He takes out two of the cards and tosses them in the air, willing them both to fall face-up on the table. Then he adds a third and does it again. Ederyn's card flipping is even more effortless than the dice rolling at first. At about 5 cards, it's about as hard as the dice rolling was. It eventually takes 7 cards for Ederyn to need to concentrate more than a few moments. The efforts do get harder and harder rapidly, and longer and longer for Ederyn needing to concentrate to make the cards fall. Eventually, he can't push it beyond 10 cards. He can't make 11 cards fall as he likes even with minutes of concentration beforehand. "Not quite the way most people use probability and cards." Noys says, helping Ederyn pick up the cards from the floor (the table being too small several tries ago). "It's more of a matter of willing certain cards to be the ones that they draw, in a way analogous to the dice rolling. It also has an observer effect. "If you know there should only be one king of diamonds in a deck, and you've already seen it, making a deck draw another is more difficult, since it implies that the deck is non-standard. More unlikely, you see." "And with the level of skill you have, you could get a three of a kind in playing poker every time, easy." Noys says. Ederyn had nodded along with what she was saying, but her last remark provokes a glance reminding her about his opinions on cheating. At the same time, he's digging into his trousers pocket for the diamond. If it's somehow infused with the Pattern, he reasons, then perhaps it can increase his strength in that power. He focuses his gaze on it, looking for that shape he spied within it once before. Ederyn gets Noys' attention, but not interruption, when he pulls out the diamond. Focusing in on the diamond, in the quiet of the apartment, allows him to tease out the tangled design lying at the center of the gemstone. Concentration on that fortifies him. He can feel the Pattern within him, he can feel it fortify, reinforce. He can feel it complete. This application does not last terribly long, as Ederyn finds out. Its a boost to his Pattern, but not a terribly lasting one. He gets ten cards, but then cannot do more than 10 again. 11 cards right after a long fresh study of the design. Another, longer study of the design, something that Ederyn feels the need to do, allows him to do 12 cards. And then comes the attempt at 13. Ederyn studies the design in the diamond more and more deeply, the thought that if he studied the entire design from start to finish, he might be able to do anything. He stares and stares, his progress on the design steady but glacially slow. He concentrates and concentrates, feeling the pull of the design in the diamond. The only world is the design in the diamond. The only thing that matters is the design in the diamond ... Noys finally shakes Ederyn, hard, breaking his concentration, his gaze and his attention. "Ederyn!" she says, her voice going from inaudible to a near shout, and the pitch of her voice changing wildly in those few seconds as well. His surroundings come into focus around him again. "Eh? What?" he says distractedly. Noys' face is flushed and her pupils dilated. "You were staring at that diamond of yours for a half hour. Your eyes didn't blink. I don't even think you were breathing, brother." She exhales. "It was far more intense than the other two times. I feared you were hypnotizing yourself, or worse. If I couldn't break it, I was ready to call in Lorius." "Artifacts with the Pattern can be dangerous." she adds. "Even ones you make yourself." "Oh," he says, blinking and reflecting that this explains why his eyes are burning. "It's less useful than I'd hoped, then," he says. Noys notes the jaundiced look that Ederyn gives the diamond but puts a hand up before Ederyn puts the diamond away. "I think its the matter of the application of your artifact." she says. "Its not meant for long-term staring, as you were doing here. I also think it might be because you don't have a full imprint yet. The Pattern itself in the basement can have a hypnotic effect, especially if you have never walked it." "I think your diamond." she says. "would be useful where an application of additional energy is short but useful, rather than continuous staring. Shifting in difficult shadow where it takes a lot of effort to do so." "Or ..." she continues "something else Lorius and I need to teach you for example. "Defending yourself with the Pattern." "Defending ... from attacks on the mind?" he hazards. "Mostly." Noys says. "Mental attacks, the forces of Chaos, invasive sorceries, things that try to change your nature, physical and mental." Noys explains. "It's mostly a defensive ability, but it can save your life." "During the Patternfall War, Uncle Corwin used it to damage a Chaosian Black Road, and even further back during the Highever War, Uncle Benedict used it to neutralize and tame a pocket of Chaos forces that irrupted into the Golden Circle." She smiles. "He created a Golden Circle shadow as a result, due to the strength of his force of will and his connection to the Pattern." "With your diamond, you could aid yourself in such feats and defenses." Noys says. "As long as you don't tax yourself too much getting lost in that design." "Mmm," he agrees with that last statement. "How is this done, then?" "This is a little tricker for you than for those of us who have walked the full Pattern." Noys says. "What you do is conjure up in your mind a memory of the Pattern, and then imagine yourself walking it again, all the way to the center. This fortifies your connection to the Pattern, and lets it well up within you as you make the journey. I am not sure." Noys admits. "How well you can do it, having not physically walked the Pattern as yet." She gets a faraway look. "I wonder if this is Lorius calling, looking to come through." she says. "Why don't you give it a try while I take this trump call, brother?" she says. "Even if there is nothing for you to defend against, its a useful exercise, especially if you can manage it. Try it without the diamond, first." she suggests. "All right," he says, tucking the stone back into his pocket. He remembers the glowing shape very clearly, of course. How something as time-consuming as this visualization process must be could be helpful for defense is not clear to him, but he can't ask Noys right now. Shrugging, he calls to mind the image of the dim cavern, the glowing pattern, and begins. The image of that dim cavern not yet glimpsed in person comes to mind, as does the burning, bright design that defines reality. The same, and yet different than the inscribed form in the diamond, Ederyn can concentrate on it just as he does the diamond. And just like the diamond, it feels instinctual, natural for him to start to follow the design. To imagine himself walking it. It's an experience akin to his previous virtual walk, the same tides of force and energy opposing him, making him work for each step. He does have at least a background view of the room. Focusing on the hands of a nearby clock, for example, allows Ederyn to measure the time it takes as well as keeping him grounded in reality. It doesn't take as long as the last experience did. Five minutes, Ederyn figures. But, now, Ederyn feels himself brimming with Pattern Energy. Not quite as much as when he created his object, not by an order of magnitude or two. But enough energy within in, that Pattern within him, somehow makes Ederyn more stable, more orderly. More real. It would require an acid test from the trump call distracted Noys, but Ederyn knows that he is, temporarily, an icon of order and Pattern, and any spell or energies of chaos directed at him would have to break down that Icon to affect him. Or, if he stood in a realm of chaos and formlessness, with this energy around him, he would be able to create a sudden, if small island of stability and reality. Noys looks up, and looks at Ederyn and smiles. "Not Lorius" she says. "Martin. Not terribly far away, if I'm any judge of shadow distances. He's working on the Uncle Benedict project, too." "I can see the Pattern filling you up brother." she says. "You were able to complete the design?" "Yes," he says, eyes bright. "It is ... like nothing else." "I should have dug up some weapons to test how robust your defenses are." Noys says. "I can see it brightly burning within you. So we know you can put up a defense, even if its strength remains to be seen." She looks away for a second, and then returns her gaze to Ederyn. "Martin, you said?" he adds. Noys nods. "The son of Corwin and Queen Moire." [Ederyn] "I would like to meet him." "I'll ask him." she says brightly. "He's one of the real creators and innovators of the Family. You will want to drop the defense, though, before you join in. That's a good way to short circuit a trump call, even with Martin's prodigious skills with Trump." "I see." Ederyn hesitates, loath as always to waste anything - but then, it seems he can gather this kind of Pattern energy any time he wishes. With a slight frown of concentration, he lets the energy dissipate into his immediate surroundings. Then he approaches Noys, arranging his mental defenses to allow a Trump contact, as he did before. This time, when Ederyn touches Noys, its quite different. Instead of just most of his perceptions going into a contact with Noys and Martin, instead, it is as if Ederyn has has physically been transported to a new environment, a completely different one from where he stands. He is only dimly aware that he has not moved at all, and only in an immersive arcane experience ... (Continued in Virtual Greetings) |
