TheOmphalosRebmaWarSB: Dagny/Priya: The Omphalos-Rebma WarSB: Dagny/Priya: The Omphalos-Rebma WarPeleps Plaza. The enemy soldiers, which Dagny knows as the Omphalos, continue to come out of the open Door Portal into the Plaza. The mages have resorted to hiding behind the shields as, with the strength of a berserker, Dagny has tore into the soldiers and just executed, messily, one of the mages whose shield turned out to be an imperfect barrier to Dagny's ferocity. Orders are being barked, and the mages are extending and increasing their shields, and some of the soldiers are being directed to deal with Dagny. This has left them vulnerable to the Rebmans circling above them, its true, however, the increasing number of Omphalos soldiers is leaving this as a tense balance of power for the moment. And the Rebmans do not have real leadership. In the meantime, at the edge of the Plaza, Priya and Ostegos stand ready to enter the fray on their own. Your move, ladies. Moving with more speed and brute force than grace, Dagny makes her way to the next closest mage, dealing with any soldiers that get in the way. Once she reaches the spell-lobber, she expects to dispatch him or her the same way she did the last one. Priya strode into the plaza like the Queen would enter her throne room: with head high, confident steps and a bold gaze. "Dolphin strike!" She directed her voice toward the soldiers above, angling slightly to keep more of them in view. "Shoal them!" Her voice carried a ring of authority and she did not watch to see if they obeyed. Instead she moved forward to spot not quite opposite her mystery ally, planting her feet, one hand raising as if to gesture her enemy to stop, the other lightly clasping a ruby headed staff. She seemed to be waiting, watching intently until she saw the opening she wanted. Dagny starts to get soldiers converging on her, forcing her to maneuver or fight her way toward the next mage. They do appear to be trying to box her in, and use their superior numbers to stop her, like how white blood cells will converge on a foreign bacterium. Its a risky strategy, since they do have the Rebman soldiers snipping at them all the way and they can't all press in on Dagny even if they wanted to. It doesn't do them much good, and the sea continues to shed blood as Dagny kills several Omphalos soldiers and faces a mage. The shield is more extensive and it takes effort, but Dagny batters into and kills another target. Priya's entrance, which Dagny only senses at first due to the change in the tenor of the battlefield, starts to change the dynamic of the fight immediately. Whoever she is, the soldiers recognize her authority, and start obeying her commands, organizing their attacks. Dagny gets a brief glance at the Staff-wielding Rebman as the fight rearranges. Standing next to her, sword drawn, is someone who has the same palette of skin and hair color as herself. A quick spell indicates that the mystery Rebman is indeed a mage. A few glass blades shoot out from her staff and, like a shotgun blast, slam into the body of soldiers opposite Dagny and her blade. Dagny is uninjured, but unfortunately so are the mages. The soldiers, even those with shields, take a shellacking from the spell. The bodyguard proves his worth, as one brave Omphalos soldier who breaks away to confront the sorceress is summarily cut down by use of his sword. However, the sorceress is concentrating again, and longer this time, and appears to be carefully watching how Dagny is maneuvering and how the Rebmans are herding the soldiers. Luke's daughter has the inkling, even as she continues to carve a swath toward the next mage, that the Rebman is ready to unleash another spell, right at the soldiers she is fighting. Something bigger and perhaps with more potential collateral damage. Dagny pauses long enough in her fighting to spare a glance at the sorceress and her companion. Then she appears to start purposely dropping back, so that more enemy soldiers are within what she senses might be the blast radius. If necessary she'll start pulling her punches, as it were, to keep them there long enough for the spell to go off. The sorceress and her companion definitively and definitely appear to have been waiting or expecting Dagny to do this. Dagny's rearguard sort of action lures more soldiers to fight her, as many as can be spared, anyway. The Rebman soldiers have continued to herd the soldiers and mages close together, pushing them in the vicinity of the Door. After Dagny retreats behind a certain point, however, what the sorceress has in mind goes off. The popping of Dagny's ears is the first clue as to what happens. Carefully watching the others, Priya waits until she has the Door, and as many of the enemy combatants as possible, within the sphere she tends to influence. As soon as the space is clear of friends, the pins are set and the spell is detonated. There is little to see with the naked eye... a faint iridensense visible at some angles and a slight darkening of the water, but the affects on those within are immediate. Berift of Rebma's magic, the weight of the sea crushes in at full force. Her physical well-being left to Ostegos' care, Priya concentrates all of her effort on holding the sphere against attempts to burst it and prepares for backlash from the Door should this be enough to destroy it. Dagny and Priya note that a couple of Rebmans were indeed caught in the darkened water, but they start swimming out in a stream, apparently unaffected. They start surrounding the hemisphere of the spell effect, vigilant and watchful. Dagny gets a nod of respect from one of the fierce Rebman soldiers. Priya straightens, watching attentively as they extract themselves, ready to take action if she must, and when they are free, she sinks into her stance, focused again on arcane matters. The strangled screams, like a cacophony of the cries of the damned, fill the ears of both Dagny and Priya. The cries are not a concern. They will stop soon enough. And, really, if you cannot breath underwater, you really shouldn't attack a city at the bottom of a sea. Priya remains in place, concentrating on her handiwork. Her hands make suble shifts, three fingers lifting from where she clasps the staff to complete gestures and adds layers to what she has already begun. Dagny surveys the damage, impressed. Nice. Whoever that woman is, definitely don't ever want to piss her off. Are there any Omphalos invaders left? If so, Dagny will turn her mind and sword to eliminating the stragglers. There are a few soldiers who managed to escape the area effect of Priya's spell, and it is more sport than combat for Dagny to go after the soldiers. The Rebman soldiers seem to be content (or scared enough) to allow her to do it mostly by herself, turning to looking for and after the civilians. Priya might have something to say or notice something about the way Dagny hunts her prey, but her efforts are set on her arcane task for the next few minutes . Dagny also manages to catch and slay a mage who improbably escapes from the dark watery area around the Door. A few minutes of this, and a sudden explosion can be heard. The spell from the sorceress ends. The Door has been shattered into pieces. They are glowing, but the actual portal has been definitively destroyed. And there are bodies, many bodies, especially in the area right around the Door, as if the Omphalos soldiers were scrambling to get through it and escape, but were not all successful. "The incursion appears defeated." the man next to Priya says. "Shall we go and greet the Amberite Princess? How DO you deal with the aftermaths of a battle here in Rebma? Sharks?" "Hmm...." Priya frowns at the door, surveying the area critically. "Not within the city. They can be difficult to manage when feeding, and the more sensitive of them avoid the realm itself, though they hunt freely at the borders. So the bodies will be moved to the border and what the sharks don't take, any number of other creatures will. If anything is left, there are little crabs and fish that come out at night to clean the stones of organic matter." Ostegos nods. "A feeding frenzy would be a problem." She approached the remains of the door, stepping around bodies as necessary, until she found a large shard to examine. Where attempts still being made to draw mana, or was it glowing with residual energy only? She was curious, but not yet willing to touch it, and she seemed oblivious to the bursts of violence as the last invaders were dispatched. Her faith in her companion looked absolute as she conducted her investigation. The shard of the door is glowing with residual energy, it is no longer drawing from the environment. The interesting thing immediately evident to Priya is that its glowing with an energy beyond simple mana. What it is, she doesn't know--she knows its not the Pattern and probably not a trump, but that's all she can tell with a simple inspection. When she turned from the Door, she looked up, summoning the nearest soldiers with a hand wave. A small pod of six of the soldiers, 4 women and 2 men, come and salute Priya. ""Lady Luur" one of the women addresses Priya. "I want the area, in a wide circle, searched. We do not know how much they valued these lives," she gestured to the carnage, "and part of the incursion may have been to test us, another intent might have been to slip spies in while we fought. I'm not willing to hope that this is just the best they could do. Hunt as carefully as you can, without too dearly harrassing individuals who may prove innocent." "A search shall be made for strangers, as you command.." the woman says. She waited for the soldiers response, and when they departed, turned to approach her mystery ally. The six soldiers recruit more, until a dozen and a half soldiers head off on the task. The others appear to be surveying the area, the bodies, and checking on the few civilians who did not flee the square. Although not necessarily appreciative of being treated like a clean-up crew, Dagny continues her dispatching of the invaders. When she is done, she will clean and sheathe her sword and swim towards the sorceress and her companion to greet them. Dagny is more pretty than beautiful, with brown eyes and shoulder-length brown hair which she is having trouble controlling in this enviornment. She is well-built and dressed in gray capri pants and a fitted dark blue shirt. A fancy silver baldric and scabbard are slung over her shoulder, which is where her sword has been stowed for now. In addition to all this, as she approaches one might also notice that it appears as if the exposed part of her skin is covered in small, sharp-looking spikes, and her toes are webbed. A moment later it seems as if the spikes melt away, although the webbed toes remain. She stops swimming at a respectful distance and approaches the two on foot. "Very impressive," she says with a appreciative smile. "I'm Dagny Thorsonne." The woman answered with a small, respectful bow, though her mind was on other matters. She had clearly taken some care with her appearance earlier, glossy black hair holding ornaments, makeup still highlighting dark green eyes, and her clothes were not meant for rough wear. If she noticed the changes in Dagny, they didn't concern her, and she turned to concentrate on a shard of the door, kneeling next to it and holding her free hand and the ruby studded staff as close as she dared. "I am Ostegos." the man says, with a nod. "I've heard of you and your name, Princess Dagny, while we were in the Castle. You are the daughter of King Rinaldo of Kashfa, are you not?" "This" he adds, with a hand waving through the water in her direction, indicating Priya. "is Priya Luur, daughter of Minos Luur, Court Sorcerer to Moire, Queen of Rebma. Dagny's eyebrow quirks. "Word gets around quickly, apparently. Yes, I am. Nice to meet you, Ostegos. And you, Priya. I've never seen magic anything like you just unleashed. I'm not a practitioner myself but I can appreciate it when I see it well done." She pauses and adds, "When did the Omphalos first show up? Did that Door just appear out of nowhere?" After a moment of further consideration, the Sorcerer's daughter touched the shard, gripping it tight enough to lift but not yet doing so. "We had some advance warning, Princess." Ostegos says. "Although it would be to Priya to explain its nature. I'm just a soldier." he says wryly. "Not even a skilled shapeshifter like yourself." "It seemed" Ostegos continues "you know well of this enemy, based on your tactics in fighting them." Priya in the meantime, gets the equivalent of a mild electric shock from touching the shard, as its stored energies are discharged into the water around it, and into the skin of Priya's hand. Its definitely something beyond just mana and stored spell energy, something that was twisted within the mana, powering the now destroyed portal. And Priya does not recognize it. Not Pattern. Not Trump. Something New. With the energy discharged, however, the piece of the Door is almost entirely inert, although it still has a bit of resonance of its former power.
Since Priya seems to be preoccupied, Dagny directs her comments to Ostegos. "I've met the Omphalos before, yes. And these were not the first I've sent to meet their Maker. They are not hard to dispatch in the traditional manner, one on one, or even several on one. But they've got some...unusual powers...that make them a formidable enemy. In my last armed encounter with them they had taken over a Shadow that contained a broken Pattern, and were planning on using it with some way. But a few plastic explosives and a pyrotechnics show later, bum bam boom, so much for that. Still, some of their mages seem to be able to read minds or identify nearby enemies, which can be tricky if you're using stealth." "I am not familiar with the methods you speak of." Ostegos says. "However, your service to Rebma in this matter should be recognized. Even if these individual soldiers are weak, as you say, they clearly pose a threat."
With her hand making a spiraling gesture, Priya gathered a set of shards in a neat pile. They continued to float in an opaque sphere similar to what she had used against the Door when it was whole. The slowly drifting pieces safely insulated, Priya called a warning to the soldiers about touched the remaining shards and finally felt free to turn her attention to the others. The soldiers continue their reconnaissance as per Priya's previous orders, a few of the soldiers keeping watch over the shards. "Dagny, yes?" One hand hovering to keep the sphere just the way she wanted it, Priya regarded their new ally attentively, seemed to take note that she did have her name correctly, and continued. "Thank you, again, for your assistance, and your compliments. I am a student of a man who believes that every possible advantage should be gleaned from the environment, and that efficiency is paramount...." Her gaze slid sideways across the carnage. "I am certain I did him proud today." Dagny nods. "I don't even know him, but I'm certain of that too. I don't see how anyone could fail to be anything but impressed. I'm sure the Omphalos will think twice about even mentioning Rebma's name too loudly, let alone ever invading again." "That would satisfy me." Priya looked at the battlefield again. "There may be collateral damage from the lady Priya's spell wherever that portal led." Ostegos says, with no remorse at all in his voice. At this point, a phalanx of soldiers, around a 100 of them,arrive in the square from the direction of the Palace . These are not the soldiers Priya sent out in search of scouts or spies. As a unit they reach Priya, Dagny and Ostegos, and their commander stops the procession, and she salutes Priya. "Captain Zenobia, scion of the Barony of the Resplendent Reef." she says, saluting Priya. "Her Majesty has placed me and my century of women and men under your orders for the duration of the crisis, milady Sorceress. What are your orders?" "The square should be secured and the local barracks reinforced. They are currently searching the perimeter for spies who may have slipped in with the invading force, the wider a circle we can search quickly, the better. I also need the shards of the Door to remain untouched. Undisturbed pieces will be useful in tracing the Door back to its source, but we may also wish fragments for other study and I want Father and Princess Llewella to have an opportunity to take what they wish, though it will be forgiven if a few are discharged in the effort to remove bodies...." She surveys the mess a moment and then turned back to the Captain. "Also, I would very much like to find witnesses who were present in the square when the Door opened. A description of what they saw , felt or heard, will be useful. If I cannot be found, updates should be delivered to my father. He can handle them, pass them to me, or to the queen as needed." "Yes, milady Sorceress." Captain Zenobia says. "It shall be done as you say. We will confer with the local levy." She turns and starts distributing tasks to her junior officers and soldiers. When she was finished with the Captain and the troops were in motion, [Priya] turned back to Dagny. "Will you walk with me to the Palace? I am certain the Queen would like to speak with you, and I would like to hear what you know of these." She gestured with the staff to the battleground. "Certainly, thank you," Dagny replies. "But I should halt the reinforcements from Amber that were on their way." She pulls out her Trump deck and shuffles out Dulcinea's card. "If you don't mind me making a call first?" "Not at all." Priya gave a slight shake of her head, taking a small step away and turning her shoulder to Dagny for the duration of the call. "Not as much combat as I expected." Priya commented to Ostegos. "These were not prepared for what they found here, which is good news for us." "It may be possible that they did not intend to manifest their portal here, but arrived by mistake." Ostegos says. "Surely, they could and should have made basic preparations for underwater combat that they failed to do." "Their information was clearly incomplete. Or they did not expect the accomodations here in Rebma to radically change... which means they do not know Rebmans. All the better for us." In the meantime, Dagny's call to Dulcinea goes through without a problem. She's no longer in Rebma, but rather in Castle Amber. "Dagny!" Dulcinea says. "The gates of Hades appear to have opened. The Omphalos have opened at least two more doors, one in Arden, and one in the hills." "Oh CRAP." Dagny looks over at Priya and Ostegos, and directs her next comments to them. "The Omphalos have opened Doors in Arden and in the hills of Amber. Looks like it's a full-scale invasion." She redirects her attention back to Dulcinea. "The ones who were stupid enough to invade here are all dead now. I'll give you the details later. How are Corlianus and Valerian doing? Any improvement?" "Both are in the infirmary and appear to be improving." Dulcinea replies. "Valerian wants to get up and help with this incursion, but the Nurse is not having any of it, last I heard." "If you can, you may want to go to the Palace and tell Queen Moire that this is striking Amber as well as Rebma." Dulcinea suggests. "At least, that is what Father, and Queen Vialle, would tell me to tell you." "Good," Dagny says in response to Dulcinea's statement about Valerian and Corlianus. "I'm glad to hear it. And I am going to go see the Queen right after I finish speaking with you. I'll keep you posted." "All right" Dulcinea agrees. "I will keep you informed as well." With that, she closes the contact and turns to Priya. "Ready when you are." "One of the other Doors appears to have been forcibly closed and there is evidence of arcane energy near the other indicitive of Amber forces at work." Priya informed Dagny, gesturing to indicate the route they would take from the Plaza. "Hopefully the last is dealt with as succinctly as these were. Which all seems poorly done on their part. If I were planning an invasion, this is not how I would proceed unless I wish ample distraction while I maneuvered other forces more quietly." Priya seemed to find the possibility disquieting and she was thoughtful as she led the way to the palace. Dagny nods. "I had not considered that, but you're right." "The incursion showed remarkably poor tactical doctrine." Ostegos agrees. As they proceed toward the palace,there is evidence of Rebman soldiers patrolling, looking around and keeping vigilant. One of the soldiers, a young woman with hair a few shades greener than her light green skin, comes up to Priya and salutes. "No sign of spies, saboteurs or anyone who has slipped past our cordon, Sorceress." the young green skinned and green haired guard says "We appear to have caught all of the invaders and can account for all sightings." The young woman continues. "We only have a few civilian casualties from the invasion, but no deaths." "Very good. Thank You." Priya paused to speak with the soldier only briefly. "When they are ready and able, if any of the civilan's were present in the plaza when the Door appeared, I would like an account of what they saw and heard." She repeated her earlier request, and then continued to the Palace once the soldier had departed. "I will bring the report to the Palace, Sorceress. Or a witness herself" the guard says. She bows and departs. The remainder of the trip to the Palace is uneventful and only has what conversation Priya and Dagny share. "You have fought these Door people in other places?" Priya broke the silence as they traveled. Alert to the people and places they past, but with no sign of worry or care. The Palace itself has a cordon of guards around it. The guards look at Dagny with outright suspicion, but Priya's authority and presence is recognized. "Her Majesty the Queen, your father the Sorcerer, and the Princess Llewella has asked for you to be conducted to her presence when you arrived, Sorceress." one of the guard Lieutenants says. The officer looks at Dagny uncertainly. "They with to speak with her, as well." Priya informed the officer calmly, still moving forward at an easy pace. "Though I would be pleased if a runner could inform the Queen that I have arrived and will be joining her with Princess Dagny shortly." "It shall be done. They are in the " The guard responds. Orders are given, one of them running ahead. Another of the guards joins Dagny, Ostegos, and Priya, walking just ahead of them. As they walk, Dagny takes the opportunity to admire the impossible kingdom that is Rebma. "I have fought the Omphalos before," she assents. "Last time it was more of a covert operation. They were someplace else they should not have been, attempting some kind of arcane operation on a broken Pattern that was in the vicinity. Still no idea what they were trying to do, as the evidence has been blown to smithereens with firework accompaniment, although Omphalos troops remained in the area afterwards." "Hmm... If time and opportunity become available, I would like to see this place where they were." "What is the goal of these Omphalos?" Ostegos asks Dagny. "What is the purpose of these strange portals and their incursion into Rebma?" "Destruction," she says, flatly. "Destruction of the Universe. For what reason, I know not." "Not to conquer, but to destroy?" Ostegos shakes his head sadly. "Madness." The Palace of Rebma has some layout similarities to Amber, enough that when things do not match up, Dagny feels a bit disoriented. One other thing she notices is the mirrors. There are mirrors everywhere, catching and reflecting light, brighting up the hallways otherwise lit by arcane lights of a type similar to those she has seen in Amber, but even more prevalent here. The guard finally leads Dagny and Priya to a room that Priya recognizes as the blue marble walled Cyrenica Room. It functions as a meeting room, or war room in case of need. A school of golden fish is always seen to swim lazily around the room. Moire, the Queen of Rebma, Llewella, Princess of Amber, and Minos, the Sorcerer of Rebma, are seated at an oval table. All look up at the arrival of Ostegos, Dagny and Priya. "Ah, good, you have arrived." Rebma's Queen says. She pauses a beat. "Llewella was just telling us about you, Dagny." "Your Highness," Dagny bows her head respectfully as she is acknowledged. "Princess Llewella." Moire then looks at Priya. "We await your report with interest. Please be seated. Food and drink are being brought." "Thank you." Priya bowed respectfully to the Queen, gave a nod to the others and took a seat. "I will be brief, since I have limited information and I think it important that Princess Dagny have her say. The Door has been destroyed and those who came with it killed. As poorly done as it seemed to me, I have had the area searched for possible spies slipping in. I have also requested that the shards of the Door be left as undisturbed as possible." "For analysis, I take it." Llewella says. At this point Priya stood, drawing the bubble with the shards to eye level for easy viewing. "The pieces retain a charge when left untouched that we can use to trace back to the point of origin, possibly opening our own portal. I believe their will be other incursions, and if they return to Rebma, they will be better prepared for our environment." She remained as she was, leaving the bubble with the slowly rotating shards in place while she waited for the Queen's response. Both the Queen and Llewella remain quiet for a few moments. The latter looks more actively engaged with the display than the Queen, who remains relatively sedate. Llewella is far more active and agitated. Minos says a few words under his breath, studying the display carefully. "What do you think?" Moire says to Minos "Sorcerous, obviously, my Queen." he responds. "Something like the arcane answer to a Trump Gate. Perhaps involving a conjuration as well. If this was poorly done, then this was either a scouting mission, or they did not intend to manifest the Door here in Rebma. In either case, their next attempt will likely be more prepared, as my daughter has deduced." "Undoubtedly." Llewella says. "They would be foolish to make the same mistakes. But perhaps the testimony of my great-niece should now be heard." Dagny accepts the invitation to speak, and begins: "I was visiting a Shadow of a city called Paris when an explosion drew my attention. A bronze Door appeared in the middle of the city and an army was pouring out. The leader called out for the "enemy spellcasters" in the area to quit fighting, but aside from myself there shouldn't have been any others. I don't know to whom she was speaking. I left when a giant metal creature called the Talos came through the Door, and I headed to Versailles, a nearby city known for its castle and beautiful gardens. "In Versailles I found a broken Pattern, which I later learned was a Shadow of Corwin's Primal Pattern. I headed there and met some of my cousins, and found it had been damaged by the Shockwave that had apparently happened when the Ways of the Logrus separated from the Courts of Chaos. "My cousins told me the army was the Omphalos, and we contacted Corwin to let him know about his Primal Pattern and what was going on around the Broken copy. Corwin stayed to fix it, my cousins took off, and I headed back to Shadow Versailles. Along the way I ran into a Chaosian. Apparently Chaos has a vested interest in stopping the Omphalos as well, so he joined me. We found that Shadow Versailles was infested with Omphalos. We were able to infiltrate the Omphalos' defenses and get to the Pattern. A 'wizard' had apparently set up some kind of 'generator' at the Broken Pattern site. So, we lobbed a few pounds of plastic explosives at it. After destroying the generator we parted ways, and I found my way to Amber. I gave Random and Vialle a rundown of what was happening, and they gave me permission to raise an army to fight the Omphalos. In preparation my cousin Valerian and I returned to the Shadow Versailles, with our cousin Dulcinea maintaining a constant Trump connection. We disguised ourselves and infiltrated their command center. Valerian already had contacts among the Omphalos, and went about his own information-gathering, while I studied the maps. It turns out that their maps were not just of the immediate Shadow, but of major Shadows across the Universe. I also found out that Shadow Versailles was being referred to by the Omphalos as Beachhead Prime, which was ominous. We tried to return to Amber, but found that Trump connections were being blocked. There was just enough time for me to squeeze through, but Valerian was left behind. Dulcinea and I reported to Queen Vialle, who suggested we contact Corlianus of House Vulle for help. The Queen mentioned you, Priya," Dagny nods at her, "as her normal choice for arcane help, but we needed a Trump artist." "The Queen of Amber enjoys good relations with the Sorceress." Moire comments briefly. "Corlianus agreed to help us pull Valerian out of the Shadow, and he invited us to Rebma. He said that the Trump blockage was being caused by an unknown power he didn't recognize. We were successful in breaking through the block, but both Corlianus and Valerian were hurt in the process. We heard a commotion which turned out the be the Omphalos invading Rebma. I had Dulcinea take Corlianus and Valerian back to Amber for medical attention while I went to fight. The outcome of that, you know already. I contacted Dulcinea after the battle and she said both Corlianus and Valerian were in the infirmary and improving." Dagny finishes her recital, and waits for any questions the others may have. "Thank you, Dagny." Moire says. She looks at Llewella and Minos. "Thoughts?" "A question, Dagny" Llewella says. "If I follow your account, you infiltrated this stronghold of the Omphalos, lost Valerian in the process of escape, and then mounted a rescue attempt from here with the aid of Corlianus. Then, on the heels of that rescue, the Omphalos open a Door here in Rebma, and attack." "Was their choice of manifesting the Door here predicated by your rescue attempt? Did you lead the Omphalos to attack here?" Llewella asks. Priya sits up slightly straighter, but rather than alarmed or upset, almost looks hopeful, an eager, predatory gleam in her eye. Dagny looks offended. "Lead them here? Of course not! I did not mention earlier, but perhaps should have, that my cousin Dulcinea informed me that Doors have also opened in the Forest of Arden as well as the hills of Amber, and the Omphalos are attacking there as well. As I am not talented enough to be in three places at once, I hardly think this obviously coordinated invasion can be blamed on me. And if by some chance it can--if the Omhpalos found it necessary to send three invading armies, and possibly more, to retaliate against one person, whether their object be myself or Valerian--that is either an admission of their weakness or a compliment that everyone else ought to think about." "But it would be so useful if they could be led..." Priya looked thoughtful. "Perhaps they can be diverted...?" She eyed the shards another moment and turned back. "That was a rather key detail that you omitted, Dagny." Llewella says with just the slightest of smiles. "The stripped down version gives the impression that the attack here was retribution for your own actions against the Omphalos. If they were attacking in a broad front as you say, that should be easily enough to establish." LLewella looks at Minos and Priya. "It's been a long day," Dagny says dryly. "Feels like two years since I last slept. With everything I've been through, it's difficult to recall what has happened, when, and in what order." "Both of the other doors have been destroyed by one means or another. I do not know what their objective could possibly have been. In retrospect, I should have secured prisoners, but with troops still arriving, it didn't cross my mind." Priya looked dissatisfied by that as she waited for the Queen's response. "Three legions sent against a Princess of Amber is unlikely." Moire says. "A single legion is, however, plausible. The possibility that one of their attacks was directed here because your presence was detected." "We will wish you to confer with Corlianus and this Valerian." Moire continues, looking at Priya. "The declaration of hostilities against the sovereign kingdom of Rebma will not go unanswered." Priya's reply was limited to the gleam in her eyes for a moment. "We will answer, and we will have a much greater impact than they have managed so far." "Dulcinea informed me that the infirmary was having trouble keeping Valerian contained, he was so anxious to join back in and help, so I'm sure he'd welcome such a conference," Dagny replies. She takes out her Trump deck and shuffles out a card depicting a blond-haired man. "I'm not sure if Corlianus is well enough to be moved, so it would probably be better for us to go there," she says to Priya. "We can go whenever you are ready." "I am ready." Priya stood, finding a spot to rest the still slowly spinning orb of shards. Given where they were, she trusted it would remain unmolested. "To redirect their Doors to places of our own choosing, additional pieces may be useful." She commented aloud, but then turned most of her attention inward. "Very well." Moire says. "You have our Leave to depart and question Corlianus and Valerian regarding these Omphalos, and to continue to act as our agent in this matter." She looks at Dagny. "You have the thanks of the Queen of Rebma for your aid in this matter. You may be permitted to return if you so wish. You will be Welcome." "Keep me informed." Minos says to Priya. Priya bowed politely. Ostegos, standing in a corner, advances to stand alongside Dagny and Priya. Dagny nods. "Thank you, your Highness. Glad I could help." She then turns her attention to the Trump of Valerian, (hopefully) activating it. "Valerian?" she asks. "I'm here with Sorceress Priya and Ostegos of Rebma. Are you well enough for some company?" Priya watched politely, having been prepared to simply walk to the infirmary, but she wasn't one to turn down such an easy short cut. OOC: Actually, they are in the Castle Amber Infirmary, which is a bit of a walk from the Rebman palace... The trump call goes through easily and simply for Dagny. "Hello Dagny" Valerian says. "The nurse insists on me remaining here but I don't think that even she can stop me from trumping you in. "I'm not familiar with the Rebmans, but Corlianus may know them." He offers a hand to pull Dagny, Priya and Ostegos through, and away from the War Room in Rebma. A sudden chill comes across Dagny, Priya and Ostegos as they arrive in the Castle, clothes and skin damp in the cold air of a March day in Amber. Valerian is sitting up in an infirmary bed. In the bed next to him, lightly dosing, is the Rebman trump artist Corlianus. "The nurse will likely be back within moments." Valerian says. He gives a long glance at Priya and Ostegos. "Pleased to meet you although no doubt you would wish it under other circumstances." "Oh. Right." Dagny looks from Valerian to the others. She appears to debate for a second, then begins introductions. "Priya, Ostegos, this is Valerian, my cousin and family Omphalos expert. Valerian, this is Priya, Court Sorceress to Moire, Queen of Rebma, and Ostegos, soldier of Rebma. How are you feeling?" "Right as Rain, Dagny." Valerian says. If I didn't want to abandon Corlianus, I'd ask you to get me out of here. The nurse has ideas this is her personal fiefdom that she rules on behest of the King." Valerian rubs his forehead. "She may even be correct in that." Priya inclined her head politely, letting the family members converse. She glanced at Corlianus, waiting patiently. He looks at Priya. "Court Sorceress to Moire, hmm?" "A pleasure to meet you. You're probably the reason why my dreamwalking into Rebma has been so difficult. Your personal effects are positively glowing with power."
"I'm sorry about your kinsman." he looks over to Corlianus. "The Omphalos, with their typical military mind, put up huge barriers to lock down transport into and out of Paris. That unfortunately included trumps, not that they were targeting them on purpose. Corlianus took the brunt of breaking them down to free me." "So what brings you here?" he says, looking at Dagny and Priya both. "Since this can be considered a 'Diplomatic Matter' I am certain the nurse can be asked to leave." Priya's tone was dryer than the air. She took several steps to the side as she continued, "As for your dream walking... there are several of us with Power and we take our privacy seriously." She gave him a brief, direct look as she chose a spot in a more balanced place where she had a better view of the door the nurse would enter through. "For now, we are here to speak of the Omphalos. One of their last three Doors opened in Remba. We are not pleased." She returned to the dry tone, her one instant of irritation gently sandwiched between humor. Dagny scans the room to see if there are any cabinets around where there might be extra towels or blankets that we could use to dry ourselves off a bit. If she finds some, she will distribute; if not, she will conjure up enough for the three of us. However, she continues to listen to exchange with obvious interest. Dagny does find towels without having to go far, or the need to conjure any. It allows her to continue to hear the conversation between Priya and Valerian. "No, I should think you wouldn't be too pleased." Valerian agrees. "They were there for the Pattern, you know." Valerian says. "That's one of the things they hunt, you see. Esoteric places of power. I'd heard that something happened to the Rebman Pattern, recently but I am going to take a guess you don't really want to tell me about that. Or do you?" Valerian says to Priya. "It could be important." he adds. "I do not know what you have heard, but if they hunt places of power, than it stands to reason that they would eventually come to Rebma. Our Pattern is near to Amber, for better, and for worse, and we are forever embroiled in each other's matters." She did not seem inclined to elaborate, but she regarded him with interest before moving on. "Is there a profile for the power they seek? And do they ever seek to do more than destroy what they find?" Dagny dries herself off, but refrains, for the moment, from asking any questions or interjecting any comments. "I had..." Valerian pauses a moment, fumbling for a word. "learned. Yes. I learnedthat Rebma not only has declared independence, but maybe esoterically severed their...your Pattern from the one in Amber." Valerian says. He laughs nervously "This is not something I'd be so freely talking about if I was in an infirmary in Rebma." "No." I agreed. "Such matters can be sticky in many ways and it is usually best to leave rumors aside." He pauses a beat. "The Omphalos' mindset is that their own Primal Power should be the only one that ecxists, anywhere. Call it imperialism, paranoia, or monopolism. They've destroyed a number of Primal Powers in a variety of universes." He pauses a beat. "Including the one where I grew up. They destroy the Primal Power, capture and enslave the remnant population, and then go searching for the next universe. Recently, I discovered their search brought them to the attention of the universe of my distant kin." he gestures to Dagny. "And so I began to take steps to try and warn them of the threat." "I don't understand. I thought the entirety of the Universe existed between two poles, Chaos and Amber. Are you saying that there is a third part of the Universe? Or are the Omphalos from somewhere else entirely?" "We are like globes. We each have our poles, and places betwixt and between that have their own strengths and curiosities, but we are also like so many solar systems in a galaxy. We are not alone and there are ways to breach our boundaries. In the end, we may all be one very large galaxy, but such grand discussion are academic and best left to the halls of study until they are useful in the working world. "Priya has the right of it, Dagny." Valerian says, after he shoots Priya a grateful look. "There are many such globes. I came from one, one the Omphalos discovered and eventually destroyed. I know of several others they destroyed in turn. All of them had Primal Powers like the Pattern and the Logrus, and each of them was seen as a threat by the Omphalos and dealt with in their usual fashion." "Now, the people in Crimson, that's the world I came from, originally came from Amber." Valerian says. "And we knew about you, in a general sense. Plus, in the realms of dreams, the distinction between globes is lost. It's all the same up there. Which is why I was able to find all of you, and contact you." Dagny considers this for a moment. "So how many of these Primal Powers were there? Are there more out there? Or have the Omphalos turned their sights to Broken copies because the big guns have already been taken out?" "I suspect we are our own 'big gun'... I can see now way in which we could be considered Broken..." Priya's reply was thoughful, as opposed to cocky. "We are simply next on the list. If the founders of Crimson left from here, it is possible that things the Omphaos found there led them to us." "No, Dagny is referring to the fact that she encountered the Omphalos at a shadow of the Pattern created by Corwin." Valerian says. "I don't know why they would have set up shop *there*, but I've got a theory or two, but without facts." "And I have always thought, although it took them decades, that they found clues to Amber in the ruins of my world." Valerian says. "Or in any of my kin they might have captured. I have no idea ,Dagny, how many other primal powers are out there, how many spheres there really are. Perhaps its an infinity of them. I don't know." He shrugs. "Its a madness, see" Valerian says. "The Omphalos will continue to search for these Primal Powers until they are stopped, for good." "Prince Corwin's place may have been a weak point, or events created an opportunity for them there that was not present here." Priya shrugged. "But we will most certainly make every effort to make this their last stop." "I had proposed some ideas to King Random about that" Valerian says. "You might even say, and Dagny can attest, that I'm on the permanent committee to oppose the Omphalos. Or Oompa Loompas, as Prince Lorius calls them. I have no idea what those are, but he find its funny." "What happened at the sites of the other two Doors, do you know?" Dagny asks Valerian. “Well, no, although I understand a few Princes and Princesses of Amber were on the scene to deal with them. Including Lorius...” He has turned a bit on the bed as he says this, as three figures enter into the Infirmary. One is Prince Lorius, the second (by trump and reputation) is familiar to Dagny and Priya both as Prince Julian. The third is not familiar at all... |
