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[If someone dips you in the Sea of Chance, does it make you an Old Lord? And is the spot where they held you not Old Lord?]
Various people discuss securing Darkover for a private conversation.
Jean and Calla discuss rescuing Gerard. Faythe is suggested as a possibility, and the discussion migrates into Darkover.
Ilk searches for a tower similar to the one that he saw in the Overworld. There are none in shadow. Ilk starts pulling in random non-Patternish towers from shadow, excluding the grey and black zones and the golden circle.
A guy leaps out of a window of one of the towers. He is wearing a long flowing cloak, a patch over one eye, a big fluffy hat, and a very, very Real blade. The armor is also fairly Real. He seems to be imbued with a few magical amulets of sorts, and seems to have a low level of background magic within him. He turns to where the tower is, and says, "Jump, Flamidia!" as the tower disappears.
Ilk - "Want the tower back?"
New arrival - "Yes!"
Ilk tows that tower back, along with a woman halfway down the wall. The guy catches her.
The guy urgently insists that the tower go back now -- the soldiers chasing them are in the tower!
Ilk peels open the tower. Soldiers come boiling out and shoot arrows into the area. Ilk tosses the tower, soldiers, and arrows back into shadow, shakes out the tower, sluices it around in an ocean, and brings it back.
After peeling the tower open, it is determined to be uninteresting and is wadded up and tossed back into shadow.
"And whom do I have to thank for this daring rescue?"
Osric and Cailin, in harmony, "The Savior of Chaos, of course!"
Jean - "The ruler of this realm, Faythe!"
"I am Hubert the Second!"
"I am Osric, King of Chaos."
Faythe introduces herself as ruler of this realm.
Hubert introduces Flamidia. Flamidia appears to be a useless woman.
Hubert mentions that he's ... ? Corwin is mentioned.
Hubert - "Corwin? My grandfather Corwin?"
Hubert - "It is said that he will return in Avalon's hour of need."
Jean - "I wouldn't bet money on it."
People discuss genealogy. Hubert's armor is too Real for Ilk to determine Hubert's reality without peeling it off, and Hubert refuses a mug of Wixerbrau, after passing an amulet over it.
The Pattern is discussed. Ilk cautions Jean in Suhuy's ways not to give Hubert any info. Ilk searches for Mikail in this shadow and doesn't find him. Ilk smacks Hubert with a demon-melt spell, which doesn't do anything other then generate some snow. Cailin is blamed. Cailin protests. Jenoir is disgruntled. Faythe is delighted at the snow - Darkover is a desert world.
Hubert looks around at the people gathered and not-gathered, and proclaims that he has rescued Flamidia, but doesn't know where he is.
Cailin tries to trace the snow. Jenoir mouths in his direction, "Ilk did it!" Ilk glowers at Jenoir. She pointedly ignores him.
Hubert looks for directions again.
Jean - "Reality is down to two poles. This is the other one."
Discussion happens. Ilk suggests that Cailin might be looking for House members. They decide that they should drop them off in one of Jean's grey zone shadows. The girl is ditched, and Hubert is brought back to the group.
Hubert mentions that his father is Merlin. Osric and Hubert trade Merlin stories.
Osric makes a Fringe-knife for Cailin at his request.
People chat.
Jean wants to bring Hubert to Ferethyn's ways. Ilk disagrees; they discuss the situation in the tree.
Faythe points out that Dworkin could come here - there's no Pattern here. It's not actually part of our reality - it's just tethered here. Ilk checks, and realizes that there is no Pattern or Logrus here.
Dworkin seems pleased at the news that Clarissa is no more. Dworkins are fished to Darkover and introduced to Hubert.
Fiella is mentioned as the Lady of the Lake, after whom a staircase was named.
Hubert is also familiar with the "evil sorcerer Mikail". Mikail has a bad reputation. Hubert is upset at our intent to merely "chastise" Mikail. The spell hung on his name apparently wasn't cast here.
The Dworkins are busily upgrading the tower and making it more Real, with feedback from Faythe.
Ilk discusses the worshiping shadows, matrix crystals, power draw, and life-eating grass with Faythe. Faythe decides that the four of them should investigate it together, and wonders where Titania has gone. She's not around, and nobody is sure when she left.
Jean writes up a formal invitation to Titania and hands it to an Ambassador to have it delivered.
It is determined that Darkstar is almost done with his second painting, and will then be able to return, hopefully along with Verra. We wait.
Cailin contemplates rescuing his fiance. People worry about the stasis collapsing. Jean calls out for Melk. The Time Lord responds.
Jean states that the Healers' Guild delivered the ex-head of the ex-Poisoners' Guild to Snarsht instead of the actual person who was in stasis for healing.
Melk - "Those to whom I taught my stasis?"
There is a momentary ripple, and then Melk comes back, is more focused, and says, "Those now stasised in the Healers Guild will now stay stasised in the Healers Guild, or wherever they are, until they are brought to me."
Melk points out that there are no longer any who know his stasis besides himself.
[Calla and Gil made it back to Darkover before the group left. ] [No, they don't]
A mob heads to House Moonlight to acquire Zorro, including Hubert, Jean, Cailin, [Calla, Gil,] Jenoir, and Andron. Osric goes off to do kingly things.
Cailin enters the stables and talks with Zorro. Zorro leaves to join the party out front. Cailin finds someone waiting out front to join his House. He waffles, and tells the guy to stay on the front step.
While climbing the front stairs, Cailin apparently steps on something and falls down. Flora comes rushing out of the house and says, "Oh, my! What happened!" Cailin checks himself over and seems fine. Cailin asks to converse in private. Flora pulls out a place trump. Cailin uses it. He's in an exquisite boudoir.
Cailin conjures drinks for each of them. Cailin tells them that House Moonlight may have been completely compromised by the Poisoners' Guild. Flora reaches for the brandy. Cailin admits to Flora that when he rescued Natasha from the Healers' Guild, she was replaced by Bronelle. Flora reaches for the Wixerbrau, and offers Cailin some.
Flora mentions that she is going to rescue those planning the wedding from House Moonlight, and then going to Tir to walk the Pattern to flush her system. She'd rather not take a watery solution and use Rebma.
Cailin points out that Tir isn't currently available. He reluctantly explains about the bleeding moon. Flora extrapolates that the stairs were put back at an angle, which caused Oberon to be cut. It's apparently due to a bit of a curse...
There's a speed bump in Amber, so that leaves no choices. Flora offers to get wet. When Cailin states that it is encased in Blucite, Flora tells Cailin about the Primal Pattern.
"I wonder if mad Dworkin is still guarding it... I wonder if it is unguarded entirely."
They trump back to House Moonlight. Flora enters the House, and returns with a bustle of women.
The mob heads to the Healers' Guild.
Hubert's poison detector goes off as soon as they can see the Guild. He finds a path through. It is in the shape of a mirror-imaged Pattern. They reach the front door. There is a curse hung in Logrus on the door. Ilk unravels it, plus the booby traps behind the curse.
Zorro sprinkles the door with magnesium, lights it, and the door, including poison, is no more.
Andron points out a place for people to stand, and a Jean gunship is sent in to blow off the front wall of the Guild.
Flora reaches into her purse, pulls out a grenade, and throws it deep into the building, through several walls, and it doesn't explode. She throws another one, crashing through more walls and support beams -- and part of the ceiling collapses.
Jean cranks up the loudspeaker and announces that any non-compromised members of the Healers' Guild should leave and surrender immediately. One head pokes out, sees the group assembled, screams, and ducks back inside.
Ilk doesn't spot anyone Logrus-pulling out, but does notice a flash of Bronelle power.
Ilk rubs the area with a chunk of starcore with star attached. There are four stasis'd individuals left when he's done. There are lots of stasis'd boxes, barrels, and containers of one kind or another.
Ilk warns Cailin not to touch them. Flora pulls out a piece of rope and tosses one end at the field. It sticks, she hauls on the rope, and the stasis field tamely follows along. She passes around ropes.
The mob heads back to Darkover. Ilk scrubs the area behind them at Flora's prompting. The Healers' Guild and surrounding areas is now a flat charred plain. Ilk leaves a note for Shiryu explaining the damage. Shiryu talks of planning a memorial for that place -- a herd of broccoli, perhaps.
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