Infrastructure Tourism

Jerod finds Ossian in his quarters. Ossian is dressed for travel. He has his usual travel gear, now extended with some throwing knives.

Ossian is working on a sketch of himself.

"This has become a lot trickier since the ban on mirrors." he says with a grin.

"Mmm...I wonder if there's been a rapid proliferation of beards as well." Jerod says. He is lightly equipped as per his usual self, more certain to acquire anything special he might need when he gets wherever they may find themselves.

"Who is that for?" he asks, motioning to the sketch.

"Whoever needs it" Ossian says. "These are quite quick to make...

"We need to pick up Regenlief first. She knows where the rutter is hidden."

"Do we know if we're going by land or sea?" Jerod asks.

Ossian shakes his head. "My guess is that we could choose. For much of the trip anyway. Do you have any preferences?" He closes his sketch book.

Jerod shakes his head. "Each has pros and cons. Land is usually better for hell-riding, handling smaller groups. Ships are good when you want troops or if we're going to a sea kingdom port. Since Regenlief knows the rutter's location, she can advise a good means of travel.

"Unless there's something else here, I'd suggest we proceed. The monks aren't going to appreciate us keeping them waiting."

Ossian grins and picks up a small bag that he hangs over his shoulder. "That's why I asked you, you know.

"What is the quickest route to Paris? Do we have any uncles or aunts there right now, that you know of?"

"I appreciate the compliment." Jerod says. "Flora is going to be off with Celina and company making the lives of some Parisian monks miserable, but we can't rely on them to not be busy. Corwin will still in be Xanadu.

"For Paris, I say we grab some horses from the castle stable and hellride it."

Ossian nods. Off to Paris it is.

With everything packed away, Jerod and Ossian have no trouble obtaining good horses from the Xanadu stable and are on their way down the back side of the mountain and away from Xanadu quickly. It will take them a couple of days before they can get to Paris. Which of them is handling the shifting and what do they look for in a stopping place for the night, assuming they want to stop?

Ossian had asked Jerod about Pattern hints and ideas, and since this is Ossian's endeavour Jerod will remain in the background so Ossian takes the lead.

That said, he'll let his senses go to work as Ossian does any necessary shifting, getting a feel for how he handles it (too much, too little, any particular emphasis or leanings). He won't interfere unless there's something really seriously wrong...or Ossian tries summoning a volcano.

Ossian will do the shifting. Jerod notices that his shifting is not minimalist, but rather incorporates some unnecessary spectacular vistas. He will press on, but not to exhaustion, so they will probably want to sleep at least one night on the way. Ossian will find a sheltered spot in a warm forest, close to a small waterfall.

Jerod has no issue with either the speed of travel, the route or the location for stopping. He makes a determination that they will be undisturbed by local wildlife during the evening.

The night passes without event and Jerod and Ossian can make their way to Paris.

As soon they are there Ossian goes looking for his mother. Assuming he finds her he will go more or less straight to business. What is her assessment, do they need troops to get to the rutter, or can the three of them sneak in and steal it?

Chatelaine Alice greets Jerod and Ossian, and Regenlief, who is not very happily dressed in Parisian fashion, is delighted to learn that they're going on this particular errand. Quickly, the castle stables round up a horse for her, and the staff prepares traveling gear for Regenlief, Ossian, and Jerod.

Alice would like them to stay the night, but Regenlief, though she clearly likes Alice, is more than ready to leave.

Without knowing the general destination Jerod is unlikely to pack for anything unusual beyond normal travelling supplies. If Regenlief can provide details, he would assess whether there is a need to acquire objects in Paris first, or wait to "find" them at the destination.

Ossian will ask Regenlief about all kinds of details of the rutter shadow, anything from climate and surroundings to tech level and monk presence.

The place they're going is called Reme. Both she and Brennan have spent time there, and Jerod is familiar with it by reputation, though he hasn't been there himself. Not a Golden Circle shadow, and less important and magical than Gateway, but definitely it aspires to that level of power and influence.

Reme is a huge crossroads city-state with a polyglot population, and the Emperor rules with an iron fist concealed in the velvet glove of republican forms. Regenlief explains that she did a turn as a gladiator there. One of the branches of the Klybesians has been trying to infiltrate the Imperial Guard for decades, at least, but they managed to get themselves thrown out. It was why, when she stole the rutter, Regenlief hid it there.

Based on his understanding of Reme, Jerod will be able to arrange for items suitable to their destination. He can acquire correct funds easily enough in Shadow, along with changes of clothing and the like. Jerod will ask specifically in Reme where Regenlief placed it.

Sealed in oilskins and other protections in the Cloaca Maxima.

"I think we want to avoid getting involved in diplomatic complications, so I suggest we sneak in incognito and leave again. Maybe just snoop around for a little while, to see that nothing unexpected has happened there.

"As we know, this plan won't survive contact with reality. But it is a starting point."

At Regenlief's suggestion Ossian will lead them on a path to approach the city from the south.

The roads from the south lead into the city and past the great amphitheater where Regenlief served time as a gladiator. The river into which the Cloaca Maxima flows is on the eastern side of the city. Regenlief thinks they should enter the sewer at night, as it'll be easier to get past the guards--not that she's worried about the three of them managing any guards they find--so their daytime plan should be to find an inn, eat, sleep, and be ready for their night's work. If all goes well, they may be able to enter and leave in a night.

Ossian intuits that Regenlief is hopeful, but doesn't expect it to go that easily.

Jerod knows that there was an ambassador from Oberon's, later Eric's, court: Sower. He remembers Sower as a haughty and ambitious fellow who may not have heard of the ascension of Random, in the chaos of the war and the rebuilding period that followed. While Regenlief might be recognized as a former gladiator and Ossian has no connections here, Sower and his close associates might remember Jerod.

Jerod will make note of this, and let both Regenlief and Ossian know of Jerod's potential liability as a visible individual. The arrangement of suitable clothing local to the culture, and providing for a moderate level of disguise should not be an issue, and since Regenlief is the initial guide, Ossian and herself can do most of the talking, with Jerod being quiet, and watchful of their surroundings.

He also makes a mental note to remember that Random needs to install a new ambassador here.

The trio make for an inn. Ossian will travel under the name Cervus and do much of the talking. He is overly courteous and speaks somewhat convolutedly, like someone who wants to impress (but fails) when he comes to the big city.

Regenlief is, accordingly, Cervia, and she seems more Ossian's sister than his mother. As they shift, her clothes move into the Reman style, and she gives up her long blade in favor of daggers that can be hidden in her tunic and stola (she is dressed as a widow).

The role that Ossian wants, Regenlief suggests, will best be played by a man of the knightly class. She describes the details of his clothes, and hers, and by the time they arrive in Reme, the clothing is correct. She helps him decide on a background for his country fellow.

Jerod (Jerodius, in this case, most likely), would do best as a retired legionary, perhaps one with an injury who was mustered out.

The legionnaire's role fits perfectly as a silent but dutifully watchful escort of a knight and his sister. Their trip to the city proper will let Jerod obtain any additional details from Regenlief to ensure he is as familiar as possible with their environs.

All of their clothing is bright and clean, and they have handsome gold accoutrements (pins and such to fasten their tunics, buckles for various things like sandals and belts, etc.)

They have no trouble finding an inn with a couple of rooms that seems appropriate and that Regenlief approves. There is, of course, plenty of money, which both eases their way, and to the eyes of Regenlief and Jerod, attracts a little attention. While the innkeeper seems honest enough, there are always people who would be glad to lighten their purses in Reme.

Once the group is secured in lodgings, Jerod will take some time to get a feel for the local area's reality effect. He could do it by brute force with summoning the Pattern, but it would scream to anyone with reasonable skills. He will take some time to get an impression on latent energies around the city, especially where Regenlief indicated the sewers would be located as their destination.

It's not a pattern city, and there are the kinds of differences that years of travel tell Jerod that Reme is still a crossroads city. The paths have changed somewhat since before the war, but not artificially so. It has gravity, an ordered sky, reasonable weather, and what looks like a pretty overbearing government, but one that is able to create an maintain a city of some size, even without technology.

He is also interested in disturbances within the Shadow's framework that would indicate natural or artificially created paths, since the monks are very fond of escape routes.

Jerod doesn't initially find anything obvious. Reme is an old city, and many layered. There are a lot of paths in and out, but nothing stands out as engineered to Jerod other than some of the old Amber paths. He already knew about those.

Jerod sifts the details carefully, having found an exterior location at or near the inn suitable for relaxing and viewing the city, a place an old legionnaire can muse upon his memories and dreams, but still be vigilant of his surroundings as one would expect from an old soldier (being able to see those around himself, limiting or preventing any access to his blind spots).

The layering of the city and the various paths certainly comes as no surprise. Nor is Jerod surprised at that there is nothing newly artificial. A crossroads Shadow is expected to be this way, easy to access, but hard to lockdown. For certain if the Klybesians know of Shadow paths they will have found the various crossroads that exist, and given their knowledge of the Family, Jerod must assume they will have mapped and studied any paths that the Royal Family would have laid down, including his own.

Assuming the monks have an escape route here, given Regenlief's information on their activity in the city, it would not likely be a new path, but rather something old and well established but rarely used. And very likely not where Regenlief hid the rutter, unless someone was engaged in a very long term probability manipulation to create an event sinkhole to draw others to that bait.

Jerod muses on that thought for a moment, then begins to sift Reme once more, this time looking for reality points. He has two in particular for use as examples, Ossian and Regenlief, for comparison against the native shadow material. With that in mind, he goes dancing once, filtering for fluctuations in the Shadow, points of strength as well as any oddities of a negative or disruptive nature (ie: a "lack" of reality or a chaotic reality).

It takes Jerod about an hour and a half to really work his way into the city's infrastructure each time. He has no trouble finding the Real power that is Ossian and the dimmer brightness that is Regenlief moving through the city. Once he's focused on them and spreads out from them, especially in the direction they're going, he finds a cluster of dim Reality--possibly people, but could be artifacts or something--not far from where they are. Which is to the north and east of the Cloaca Maxima, in one of the "fields" or open areas of the city.

Jerod feels that he is doing well, much better than his previous attempt, and could approach his problem from this point of view. But it will take more time to do it and while he's not likely to exhaust himself, he won't be as fresh and ready for this evening's shenanigans as he might like.

As eager as Jerod is for the opportunity to study Reme further, the requirements of the mission take precedence and he needs to be at his best should things go sideways.

Since he has a reasonable level of "momentum" in his search at the moment, he will use it to look for reality points around the area of the Cloaca Maxima that Regenlief had generally indicated, to give him an idea of anything that would stand out as unusual or worth investigating...since he appears to have detected the one main Real point of Ossian, items of interest would be pertubations in the reality of Reme that might indicate some type of concealment. Shadows have their own reality, like a frequency of sorts on which they operate, subject to the organizing nature of Pattern. Sweeping reality would be like listening to the background hum as you flow over an area, noting if anything seems out of tune, or perhaps "too in tune".

Jerod will calculate how long he can perform this without incurring future penalty and operate on that time frame (be it a little or lot). Even if only a little, it is a level of practice he has been missing of late.

Jerod doesn't sense anything in the Cloaca, but that's no surprise. He has no reason to believe from his discussion with Regenlief that the rutter is special. It contains knowledge that's important, but the book itself is just a book. That he senses nothing is a good sign; probably nobody has disturbed the rutter.

He does not sense anything else at this time, but he intuits that he has a good feel for the city and if he attempts to read the city this way again, he'll have a good foundation.

Jerod makes note of the city, storing it away in his memory like an old photo. Once done, he returns after a fashion to the city and the world itself, noting his environs and continuing to play his part as the old, retired, and easily forgettable legionnaire, one of hundreds that would walk the streets and abide in quarters.

While he's rounding out his work, Jerod senses that Ossian and Regenlief have left the Fields and gone toward the Cloaca.

Ossian and Regenlief take a stroll in the city, also passing the place where the Cloaca Maxima enters the river. Ossian wants to get a feel for if the monks are established here. He will also be watchful of if they are being followed by anyone.

Ossian and Regenlief shake the dust of the road off themselves as best they can (they'd really need a trip to the baths to get good and clean) and change into clothes more appropriate to the city. From the inn, they set out across the city; it's clear to Ossian that Regenlief knows her way around this town and also, from the way she talks in Thari about things that have changed, that it's been some decades since she had visited Reme.

Outside the walls of the city there had beens some evidence of how the Black Road had passed through the countryside; inside the city some buildings have changed but the major civic works remain in place. Other buildings have been destroyed, but those could have burned in a fire. According to Regenlief, those are common enough.

Would Ossian prefer to check out the old haunts of the monks or the river first?

Ossian thinks it would be wise to start with the monks. Just to check it out.

Regenlief is mildly worried about being spotted, even though it's been years and the Klybesians have probably rotated out most of the personnel who were there during the war. She makes sure her face and hair are well covered before she and Ossian head in that direction.

The temples they are seeking are in the northern part of the city, part of the Fields of War, which were so named ages ago, before Reme was an empire and possibly even before it was a republic. There are baths and stadia and theaters and temples in the area, as well as monuments to the old divine emperors. Plus the barracks of the Vigilants, the Reman secret police. It's quite likely--Regenlief assumes--that the Klybesians have infiltrated the Vigilants.

Walking this far is not nearly beyond their capacity, but it does take a long time in the traffic of the city. Reme is a very busy place.

When they arrive in the Fields of War and wander toward the temples that Regenlief remembers, Ossian finds the marks of the eyes in the pyramid everywhere, and obelisks in the temple courtyard. There is nothing specifically that reminds him of Abford, and the rites seem very different from what he can see (there were no congregants bringing animals for sacrifice in Abford), but it is clearly a temple and has active worship rites.

Regenlief looks to Ossian for guidance. She's curious but uncomfortable, he intuits, and probably worried that they'll be spotted if they stay long.

The art, by the way, is gorgeous. And brightly colored.

Ossian enjoys the art but whispers to Regenlief "They have obviously managed to infiltrate. I guess we should assume they are deep in they have their fingers in everything here. Let's get Jerod before investigating this further. "

Then they head for the river and the Cloaca Maxima.

The Cloaca opens out into the Tiber underneath a giant arch, from which the waters pour into the river. In theory there could be backflow into the sewer, but in practice there would have to be a lot less water coming through the sewer than there ever is. Giant chains, crossing vertically and horizontally, keep boats from the Tiber and stray passers by from entering the sewer. Ossian doesn't doubt that he and Regenlief can get through them, and Jerod could probably tear them apart if need be.

Inside, Regenlief has sketched out the conditions they'll meet: there is a walkway on one side above the worst of the filth but there will still be growth and scum along it, making it slippery.

The water is pretty high, though, so they may be wandering quite a ways in filth. Regenlief looks unhappy.

Ossian frowns and wrinkles his nose. "We might be able to do something about that" he says. "But it might not go undetected."

Ossian, Regenlief, and Jerod arrive at the inn within moments of each other, while the innkeeper is unlocking the door. He asks if they will be wanting a meal and offers to have something sent up, for a small additional fee.

Ossian accepts the offer and goes to the room. Time for a pow-wow.

"The river is quite high and might be a nuisance when we enter the cloaca. I guess we could lower the water if we want to, but that might attract suspicion. There are chains to keep us out, but I doubt they will pose a problem.

"A bigger problem is that the Klybesians seems to have infiltrated at least the priesthood, which probably means more of her society too.

"What did you find, Jerod?"

"There's no sign of obvious Power activity." Jerod says, picking through the meal once it arrives. "Besides ourselves and your mom, everything else appears to fit the norm. There are a number of shadow paths in the area, but none appear to have been artificially created. The actual area where we are going to be doing our work is unremarkable, so if we encounter anything it will not be empowered or possessed of greater reality that we might have to worry about.

"In the event that we need a fast exit, do you have an escape route? Trump or otherwise?"

Ossian grins. "I have a few place Trumps. From there we can Trump a relative if needed.

"We should expect sorcery. I guess we could use the river to our advantage, though.

"I think we should take the rutter first. But I'm not sure we should leave Reme to the monks."

"Cleaning them out will be a process." Jerod says. "Let's get the rutter, see what we learn from it. If we can find a bigger snake head to chop off, that may obviate the need to dig them out here."

"We need to find the Turcopolier. Cutting his head off will send them into disarray. Many of their houses are nominally independent so they're like a moss that grows back if not burned out. But getting rid of their military might and blocking their routes will weaken them," Regenlief explains.

"And should we run into the Turcopolier here, you let me know and I'll oblige with the removal of his head," Jerod says with a smile. "But in the event we want to return to burn the monks out of Reme at a later date, and since you've indicated we're possibly looking at sorcerers, I'd either want another Pattern initiate to help suppress them, or a couple of impetuous younger redhead sorcerers and let them burn them to the ground."

Regenlief nods. "My memories of Reme are not fond. If it needs to burn to smoke the Turcopolier and his lot out, then so be it. But first the rutter. We might as well go immediately. Forty yards and it will be dark by day or by night."

She puts down the remains of her meal and starts gathering up her weapons. It's hard to disguise a war spear, but she seems happy to be carrying it. "We'll need a light source and our good high boots to keep the waters out. Ideally a good spear." Regenlief pats hers. "And a small blade for close-quarters fighting, should it come to that. And you'll need to wrap up your cards to keep them dry," she tells Ossian.

Finding light sources (lanterns or torches) suitable to Reme will not be a problem as Jerod is certain there are some locally, after taking a moment to "make sure" of it. The same with any necessary clothing items (ie: high boots).

As for the water levels, is Jerod's knowledge of the area sufficient to cause a small breach in the tunnel area they will be entering...not enough to affect the structural integrity but sufficient to allow for drainage and reduce the levels? If so, he advises he can arrange this and does so assuming there are no objections.

Ossian does not object. He suggests that the river could clog up further upstream, lowering the level at Reme as an alternative.

"If we need to Trump out we need to turn up the lamps. Can't Trump in darkness."

"Do either of you have any magics for that?" Regenlief looks at Ossian. "I know your father could do some things with magic, but I wasn't always sure what or how. He had some kind of concealment rune, I think, and luck, but I don't know if he taught them to you. Or what you know of those things--which seems a bit, though you're a warrior as well, Jerod."

"Regrettably, no I do not. The opportunity to learn magic was not...forthcoming." Jerod says with a smile. "At the time my father was not on the best of terms with his siblings who could have been my teachers. He concentrated my emphasis on our understanding of Pattern and how to manipulate probability, to remake things to go as I wish them to. It also serves as a shield against magicks. I've considered learning some low level magicks...a few things at least that would be beneficial. But that would be for the future."

Regenlief doesn't say anything about the words, but Ossian, who recognizes something in her mannerisms similar to his own now and then, intuits that she's filing that word 'Pattern' away for later discussion.

Ossian smiles and shakes his head. "I was trained by my grandfather. Although he probably was a competent sorceror, he didn't teach me that.

"I don't think we should worry too much about the light. If I need to Trump us out- keep close to me and help me with a lamp and we will be fine. If the light is a problem, I and Jerod will remember how common city fires are in places like this."

"Let's not think too hard on that...we might start one by accident." Jerod says with a chuckle.

"We only want to start fires on purpose," Regenlief agrees.

By the time the trio has found (or "found") everything that they need, the sun is low in the sky and lights have been lit so that the business of the city can continue. The roads are full, still, with people coming back from their employment to their flats, fetching dinner at food stalls, or going to dinner with their patrons. Later at night, Regenlief tells them as they move through the crowds toward the Cloaca, the streets will be full of carts and even livestock as part of keeping the city fed.

In due time, as the sun sets and the city grows relatively darker, the trio arrive at the Cloaca. Before they head down into the entrance, Regenlief says softly, "If your Pattern has a power of concealment, let's use it now."

Jerod nods, pausing a moment, staring into the distance for a second, deciding that anyone that comes to the area or is charged with keeping an eye out will be delayed or otherwise not "available" for a period of time (a watch).

The distant gaze disappears as he takes a breath. "Regular guard routines are going to be unbearably busy." Jerod says. "We've got a window...let's not waste it."

The three sewer delvers make it safely down the bank of the river and into the Cloaca. It smells like a sewer. Regenlief is anxious to get away from the entrance and into the safety of darkness.

Once they're out of sight of the shore, Regenlief draws out three tie-on masks that smell of herbs, offers two of them to Jerod and Ossian, and puts the third on her own face. It helps with the stench. Some.

Jerod accepts the mask, settling it into place to ensure his vision is unimpaired and that the mask is unlikely to slip and cause a distraction. At the first sign of that happening where it could be an issue in a stress/combat situation, he is likely to ditch the mask...he's been around things this foul... sometimes worse.

He also will collect and light a lamp, shielding it from external view until they are safely out of external vision range.

"Regenlief, if we encounter problems, be cautious as to your engagement. We need you for finding the rutter and Ossian for our escape route." Jerod says. "Let me deal with anyone first that we might run into."

Neither Ossian nor Jerod think Regenlief likes that much, but she's practical, so she says, "I'll take the second rank, then, and tell you which branch to take at each turning. And I can reach past you with my spear if you have to fight in close quarters."

Jerod nods, liking her logic but not saying anything else.

Ossian investigates his lamp and learns how to adjust the amount of light. He has the beach Trump ready in a pocket if he needs it. He prepares mainly to assist Jerod and Regenlief with whatever they need.

The three warriors move deep into the Cloaca, well away from the entrance. There are places where it's mucky and gross, and the scent definitely is worse. Lots of mold and slippery bits, but since they are all experienced and have the dexterity of Amberites, or in Regenlief's case, of a Valkyrie, nobody falls in or anything.

Regenlief has clearly committed the route to memory by means of a poem, some sort of battle hymn which indicates the directions, and has to be of her own devising. It's not in Thari, though Ossian and Jerod are pretty sure Brita would recognize it.

Ossian can tell that it is in fact directions and details, sort of an oral history of getting down the various paths, from the word similarities to languages he knows.

Finally they reach a sewer line that comes down from some street in Reme, and there, attached to the ceiling, is an iron box. It would have taken some work to get that up there and fix it in place. It's not clear how Regenlief did it. But she points with the spear. "That's it," she tells Ossian and Jerod.

Jerod examines the locale for anything that might cause him to be worried, like trips, traps, and tricks. "Anything out of the ordinary?" he asks Regenlief.

"I had runes to lock it to the ceiling, and I'll need to open it myself. There's a blood lock. Ossian could get around it, of course, and you might be able to do it with your Pattern, but it's easier if I do it. Or," Regenlief adds practically, "we can take it down--by breaking the rock or breaking the rune--and we can just leave on Ossian's card."

What Regenlief is calling "a rune" feels like Sorcery to Jerod when he examines the box.

Jerod looks at it, nodding once. "I'd rather not break it with Pattern...this rune as you call it might not react well with it. Since you know the rune, makes sense for you to dismantle it." he says. "I'll keep watch."

And he does exactly that, keeping the ears open and sensing for changes in the Sorcery of the rune...cause for Jerod, this has been way too easy and it's about now that everything goes "kaboom".

"We don't want to leave blood here. " Ossian says. "Definitely not mine or Jerod's. And preferably not yours either. If we can avoid that, just open it."

"Ah, I would have to cut myself to open it," Regenlief answers Ossian. "How will we open it instead?"

Ossian pulls out a piece of cloth from a pocket. The cloth has some paint stains.

"Do it. But don't use more blood than you need. I'll wipe up whatever is spilled. Not that we have to worry about small amounts mixed with that..." he gestures at the wet floor.

Regenlief takes the cloth, looks at it, and frowns. She hands one or the other of the two men (probably Ossian) her spear, and pulls a small metal flask from her belt pouch. It's some kind of whiskey, and she uses it to clean her dagger before she slices her hand open, and then to clean the wound, careful to keep the blood from falling into the muck. Then she raises her arm to touch the box, carefully making sure not to slip as she does it.

Jerod, to the extent he's paying attention with his Pattern senses, can tell: that was sorcery.

He suppresses the natural desire to study it, knowing that doing so might influence it even a little and possibly interfere with it.

The box looked solid but now it's clearly got a lock and a lid. It's upside down. Regenlief produces the key from her bodice, where she was wearing it as a necklace, and uses it to open the box. There's a large book inside, taking up most of the box, and Regenlief takes it down carefully. Attached to the spine (wound into it) is a drawstring pouch that looks like it has coins and other things, possibly stones or jewelry. That she hands to Jerod.

Then she shuts the box, puts the key in her pouch, uses the whiskey to clean her hand and the cloth, and wraps her hand up. "Now let's get out of here."

Jerod accepts the pouch, and naturally curious, cracks it open to take a look at what is inside as Regenlief is taking care of the follow-up on the box and her hand.

It is, as expected, coins--heavy and probably fairly pure in their metal content--and loose but carved jewels. Possibly because Jerod expected it. Hard to say.

Jerod's gaze is quick, reviewing them automatically, noting with some disappointment the lack of variety and wondering if he's imposing on the reality without realizing it...he hates it when he does that.

He then seals up the pouch up again, making a mental note to give it to Regenlief once they are gone, while looking at Ossian.

Ossian pulls out his beach card. "Let's get out of here."

He will open the contact, trying to determine the weather at the beach before letting Jerod and Regenlief through.

It's windy, but otherwise looks like decent weather. Regenlief lets Ossian hand her through.

Jerod follows immediately thereafter.

Ossian also steps through. He intends to wash off the worst muck from his boots before calling someone to get them off the beach. Random will be the first one he tries.

"I think I'm overdressed," Regenlief says drily. Maybe that's her way of dealing with the sudden adrenalin letdown of pulling off that heist and escaping by Trump. "There's no way they can follow us through that card, is there? Where are we?"

Ossian shakes his head. "That should be impossible. Unless they have a copy of the card, which is highly unlikely. This place is rather far off from everything. I painted the Trump to have a nice place to retreat to when I need it. But there's no reason to stay here."

Ossian shuffles through his deck until he finds Random's Trump. "Xanadu should be the safest place to go to, I guess." He looks at Jerod.

"That or Paris." Jerod says. "Xanadu for the King, or Paris if we want to talk with the crew chasing down our kidnapped Rebman family member from the monks."

Regenlief wrinkles her nose. "I would like to take advantage of either a stream or the lagoon to rinse off my boots and clean my weapon. Do we have a moment?"

Jerod nods to her. "Sure, go ahead. We can take the time." he says. "If someone can track us through a Trump contact that accurately, we're all seriously screwed."

While Regenlief is attending to her work, Jerod turns to Ossian, motioning to the rutter. "I'm curious as to what's inside." he says. "If it just covers places or if we might be able to discern actual shadow paths they are using or have constructed. We could do some serious damage to their plans with even simple things like collapsing paths. If the various outposts can't talk to each other or give support, they'd be easier to eliminate."

"Thank goodness," Regenlief says, and starts stripping off the stinking leather gear, making faces of disgust at the smell as she does so. The fact that her colleagues are male, and one not closely related to her, seems to make no difference to her.

Ossian also strips down and wanshes himself and clothes. "Should we try Merlin, then? "He snorts. "I never got the grip on Corwin. And I don't entirely trust Flora in this.

"If you have his Trump." Jerod says, following suit with the cleanup, though he has already decided that the clean up will take a minimal amount of time it seems.

"Corwin...is Corwin." he says. "Old school, like my dad was. Given how close they were to Oberon as far as when they were born, they were a lot more like Oberon than Random for sure. I've always wondered how much of the old Chaosian mndset for absorbing everything around you carried through with each generation, meaning if you're Ordered you conquer things."

"As for Flora...she's fun." he says. "One of my favorite aunts...always has a very good set of social events. She reminds me of the women of Court in Rebma, so naturally I'd be cautious in my dealings with her, even if our agendas align."

Ossian laughs "Do you have many aunts to choose from?"

"Probably as many as you I'd guess." Jerod says. "Amber side being equal, my mother's side was limited. There were a lot of women of Court who acted as surrogates so they had unofficial "aunt" titles in some cases. Unlike our real aunts, naturally they didn't have any power over Shadow...though one treaded carefully around them. What they lacked in raw power, they made up for in political treachery."

He looks over at Regenlief. "I'm curious...Ossian doesn't mention his outside family much so that makes them a mystery. And I love digging into a mystery."

Regenlief shrugs; she's not resigned, exactly, but this is something Ossian can tell she's thought about and come to terms with. "There's not much to tell after all this time. I was royal in my day, but I was chosen as a Valkyrie by Odin many centuries ago, and passed out of the mortal realm to live with the gods. So I have many sisters, but I don't know about living relatives other than that. And since Ragnarok, I don't even know if my sisters live. Nor do you have any half-siblings on my side, Ossian. I ride with heroes sometimes but I don't usually bear their sons.

"I think most of us who served as Valkyries were descended from the gods in one way or another. Most of the royals of Midgard in those days had gods in their ancestry three or four or a dozen generations back, or so they say. But I don't know the details of my own descent, just the rumors."

Jerod nods, finishing up the cleaning before leaning idly on his spear, looking out to sea. "Rumors being what they are, mostly turn out to be empty since the truth is far more mundane. Though sometimes they turn out to be another mystery." He taps the spear. "I got this from a grandfather I never knew about on my mother's side...a rumor that came filtering through the waves. I suppose some day I'll go about tracking down more on it...when I get back to Gateway that is."

Ossian nods to his mother. "Do you think the Klybesians were there back then? When you were chosen, I mean. I wouldn't be surprised if they keep track of things."

"Not that I could identify as such. Then or later." Clearly Regenlief has put some thought into this. "I was recruited, such as it was, when a company of warriors I'd joined for a time sold their blades into a service that turned out to be theirs. It was long after I'd lost Asgard and was making my way in other realms."

"Was there a thread to this service?" Jerod asks. "Similar places attended upon, similar objectives to be reached, that sort of thing. The monks obtain mercenary services as they need but no doubt they find and recruit those who are favorable to their cause for advancement.""

"And they seem to have ways to find members of our family." Ossian says glumly.

"I don't know how they do that," Regenlief says, "but they certainly knew you were a special child, which is why they took you from me." There's a set to her mouth that Jerod recognizes: it involves long-term pain for someone. (Ossian has no trouble reading her anger either, but he also already knew the story.)

Jerod nods, still looking out to sea, before turning back. "They've certainly got a way...either magical and mystical, or just something more mundane like spies. Either way...we'll find out how they know." he says flatly.

Ossian knows Jerod more than well enough to know the unspoken part...that retribution comes for the Klybesians....it's just a matter of time.

"The rutter is a good start. There is also the computer I took from them. I think we should have someone with real computer skills at hand when we raid the next place."

"This is a skill I know nothing of," Regenlief says, though there's no shame in her voice for the not knowing. "But I do know where we can find an expert. In the land of glass towers: Tyrell."

"I am not familiar with this land." Jerod says. "What can you tell me about it and who is this Tyrell?"

Ossian shakes his head . "Me neither. Might have heard the name, but I am curious too."

"I can show you it in the rutter." Once she's dried off, Regenlief takes the book and shows them where the city of Tyrell is. It's a small base, where the Klybesians have been infiltrating, and there are some notations there that Jerod and Ossian don't know, and which Regenlief explains have to do with the culture and technology of the place.

"That one--" she points at a specific symbol "--means guns. That one--" another symbol "--means computers. And that one--" a third "--means they computers talk to each other."

Jerod nods, committing the code elements to memory. "They're not going to like having one of us show up there." he says. "We'll break their tech in 5 minutes if we put our minds to it.

"We definitely need to get this back to Xanadu, get it copied and perused." motioning to the rutter.

Ossian can't help looking at the rutter. "Computers that talk to each other? As in between the places?"

The question startles Regenlief. "Between the realms? I don't know. I know they can talk to each other on computers in each realm--but I hadn't considered that they could coordinate across realms in that way. I was only told that they could communicate, not what the limits were. I was only told what I needed to know to read the rutter and carry things, and I didn't need to know that.

"I needed to know about computers because some places weren't safe for them. They'd stop working if I took such things there. Sometimes we acted as couriers or escorts for Klybesians carrying such devices. So we had to plan our route using worlds where they would be safe."

Jerod looks at the rutter for a moment. "Do you mean if a device worked in one shadow, but they transported it through another one, it would stop working even if returned to its place of origin?" he asks.

"Sometimes, yes. Something about the innards of the computer turning into sand." The comment had clearly made an impression on Regenlief because she says it in a voice that suggests she's quoting someone.

"Where did you hear that?" Jerod asks, making a mental note, thinking on the process of how Family traverses Shadow and his own theories on how Pattern would unconsciously re-write or adjust elements of things in his possession that might need to be adjusted to "fit" the new reality.

That something could return to a more base, constituent form after entering a place wher the previous set of laws no longer applied does not come as a surprise, but more a curiousity on other ways to utilize that power.

Ossian nods. "Happened to the spray cans I brought when I came to Amber, remember the mess in my bag?"

Jerod thinks for a moment, then smiles. "That was a lifetime ago,wasn't it." he says.

"I had a thought..." and he taps the rutter. "They want to know about us so bad they're using high tech to try to decode our nature. But they don't occupy those types of Shadows. They just use them as resource points and take the information they get back to wherever they are."

"If we find their Shadow paths and we can't, for whatever reason, shut them down...what if we add a layer to their paths...with this kind of interference...another way to disrupt their operations."

"They bring technology to other places too. Computers in Edan's home shadow... I do like your idea. But let's prioritize finding their central points."

"Does this mean they're like you? Your family doesn't seem to like those hi tek shadows either." Regenlief pronounces the unfamiliar words, imitating Jerod's pronouncement.

"Our natural abilities suppress and break things like technology." Jerod says. "The machines that talk to each other, for example, require certain theories of science, certain laws to exist in that Shadow or universe in order to operate. These rules or theories are variations of Order if you will....the further we get from a strong point of Order, the more variations you can get, the more exotic and fantastical a place can be. The closer we get, the more Ordered it becomes so disorderly or exotic rules fails."

"So being in an exotic place can have an advantage, but that advantage can be taken away very easily. In an Ordered place...we may not be able to manipulate things, but we know what we've got."

"And we tend to avoid places where the machines are too good."

"Let's try to get us out of here" Ossian says to Regenlief and Jerod. He flicks through his card deck. Tries Merlin's card without an answer. "I'll try with Vere."

He pulls out Vere's card and activates it.