--Oscar Wilde
Zariya will send a semi-formal invitation to a couple of her cousins.
I would like to invite you to the opening of the Viallevale Library. Although it is small at the moment, it is my hope that with time and support it will grow to become one of the finest libraries in Amber. This is truly a monumental occasion for the Vale, and I would be most pleased if you would share it with I and the residents here.
Refreshments and a light lunch will be provided. Please dress comfortably.
Zariya, Countess of Viallevale
A partial guest list in included, listing Dunstree, Alexis, Breyd, Scherazade, and Laszlo as guests.
Dunstree would be there.
Scherazade will attend.
Alexis arrives, having taken a canal barge as far as the line has been completed, and transferring to cart (ground) ferry transport after that. (also having paid all proper fees and permits to travel). She arrives with three crates. They are stencilled 'Head Librarian, Library of Viallevale' .
As people arrive in Viallevale, it can be seen that the shire has undergone some serious changes since Zariya has been in residence there. The fields have been replanted, and are being worked. Small ranches have livestock again, both bovine and equine. The roads are in excellent repair, complete with mile markers and proper direction signs.
The town itself is clean and nearly all rebuilt. Many new brick houses have been built, as well as stores. The town square is semi-full of people, buying wares from the merchant stalls there or enjoying the large fountain in the center of it. Small gardens, benches, and decorative statues and carvings have been placed around the town to heighten the town's beauty. It is a green and lush place. Most of the streets are cobbled, and those that aren't seem to be in the process. The manor house up on the hill overlooking the town--Zariya's residence--finally seems to be getting it's own renovations too. It has scaffolding and building materials around it.
The Library of Viallevale is almost directly across town from the Postmaster's Office of Viallevale, which one invariably passes when one enters the town. It is built on a section of land that seems to be mostly an empty field for the moment, just on the edge of town, near residential areas. The library itself is made of granite, and is a fairly average sized building, compared to the houses nearby. It is one story tall, with two sturdy looking oaken doors for it's entrance. The doors are flanked by two large statues of unicorns rearing up on their hinds legs (ie, flanked like the NYC library is flanked by two statues of lions). The grounds immediately before it consist of a well-maintained lawn, with two rectangular marble pools of water, more long than wide. The walkway to the stairs of the library is between the marble pools.
There are many people milling about here, chatting and socializing, some light skinned, and some dark skinned. There are many children here playing on the green grass, evidentally enjoying the mini-holiday. Off to the left side of the library, a pavilion has been set up, and within the pavilion is the lunch and refreshments. Guardsmen bearing Zariya's crest are also present, keeping the peace.
Zariya herself is on the steps of the library, talking with a lightskinned woman with curly brown hair. Zariya is dressed casually, in a white tunic and tan breeches, with soft leather boots. Her hair is braided, to be out of her way, and she is wearing her scimitar as well.
Scherazade stands to the side trying to blend in with the croud. Black slacks are tucked into knee high boots. A tunic of simular black is over top a silver shirt. A black cap holds her tell tale hair hidden. she walks silently admiring the marble pools.
As everyone is gathered outside the library for the opening ceremony, about twenty gunmen armed with varying Rolandae rifles, uzis and some with crossbows and a few long bows start coming out. Many are pointing at the constabulary and the Guest List.
A leader, dressed in black US Commando style with black paint smeared on his face calls out:
"This is your once and only warning. We have a cannon with working ammunition pointed at the front of your party. We demand your surrender in the name of the Black Wolf King Swayville and King Reinhard of Trinity.
We are executing a warrant and carrying out a raid for the Government of Trinity. People of Amber we are the first of many raids to liberate you from a cockroach for a king and abyss worshippers in your government.
Princess Breyd. You Are under arrest. Surrender peacefully and we will not punish the others today."
Zariya looks surprised at first, then gradually calms, her features being schooled into neutrality...though her mouth is drawn into a tight line. She glances around at the crowd, seeing their unease and fear, and returns her gaze back to the leader of the raid.
[Zariya] gets a note from a passing servant:
Lady. Be careful. While these clowns are stupid fools, they are trained agents for two rival agencies: TIA and SW Trinity. They are under direct orders from their Directors who in turn have direct authority from King Reinhard of Trinity to conduct this raid. He seems interested in really getting Breyd. The rest of you are nice but not essential. (Signed) One of the flock...
Dunstree sighs and approaches the leader, keeping his empty hands in plain sight.
"If you want to insult Oberon, you may want to leave this library standing. The fact that a library could not be founded in Amber proper is the best indictment of his policies I could imagine."
"Do you work for the Haven Bullshit Corporation baldy?" the gunman says,"We are already not going to burn the books to make you Haven dogs happy."
"I'm not from Haven, but I can't think of anyone besides an Oberon loyalist who might be happy to see books burn."
To the Trinity agents [Scherazade says], "Perhaps your fellows have led you to believe falsehoods. A nice appearnce it would make your rival look if they report that they attempted to stop you. When they actually told you she was here. Much use you have for your spies. Do you not see that you attack a group of people who hate her. Who would send her to the worst of hells just so we wouldn't put up with her. What use do we have for such an ignorant creature, who bids us to do her dirty work and insults us. Delays our workings for the good of the Powers."
"What proof did your rival give you. They wish to be the only inforcers in Trinity. Why put up with you when they can do the job so much better. What better to do it then to send you on a wild goose chase on the biggest target of the Powers. I mean now that they hoodwinked you into attacking us. When your target isn't even here. It will make you look like fools in even planing, let alone excution of such a plan. Then what is the Trinity government to do but create only one source of information to them. Destroy one orginazation and let the other reign supreme. We can be understanding that this was a mistake. A plan to destroy one orginazation by fault of execution of a plan destined to fail."
Zariya frowns irritibly during Scherazade's speech, but doesn't interrupt.
The man speaking for the gunman behind his balaclava says,"Shut up Canaanite bitch. We don't care about your legal games. We live next door to damned Haven lawyers and we are used to their tricks. Now hand over that Redheaded wench and surrender to our forces immediately."
Zariya's reply to that particular remark is short and simple, "If you want Breyd, take her." Zariya herself seems indifferent to the matter, stating it as a matter of fact. "However, if the people who sent you care about this land and its people at all, let these people go home in peace. Surely the royals you have here are hostage enough for you?" She asks the question of them contemptuously.
"Daughter of Evil Caine, we would be delighted to bring you in to the Bad Girl's Club Trial by the Devil of Trinity but you are secondary. King Reinhard has ordered Breyd singled out for punishment while he is content to see the rest of you just humiliated and the town levelled."
You see a few gunmen forcing the books out of the library...
"Kelric of Haven would throw a fit if we burned down a library." the gunman says,"But if there's no books in the buiilding then there's no library."
One of the moles in the crowd rips down the Unicorn Flag and shreds the green and white flag in half and then runs up the Flag of the House of Mecklenberg. A complicated patchwork of various heraldic animals mostly dragons and wolves.
A couple others hold up signs in the face of the confused and scared audience,"DOWN WITH COCKROACH OBERON! PUNISH BREYD THE ABYSS WITCH! DEATH TO CAINE! FINNDO IS KING OF AMBER!!!
"How many times do we have to tell you you were duped. Don't be even more stupid she's not here." Scherazade replied as she cast a flames spell to burn the newly raised flag.
The flag begins to flick and flutter in a light breeze out of the west. The breeze gains strength, gusting occasionally and throwing up little whirls of dust. The flag occasionally stands straight out, tugging at the pole.
As the spell is being prepared (15 point sorcery is very slow) machine gun fire hits the ground ahead of her feet. "Watch it Canaanite or we will be taking you in too. If you molest the flag of House Mecklenberg you will be severely punished too."
Zariya doesn't quite jump at the gun fire, but it startles her...as she was paying attention to Scherazade at the moment...
Following the breeze, black clouds begin to roll up on the horizon. They're big, towering, anvil-headed monsters. The breeze has become a wind, and it switches direction erratically, firt blowing out of the west, then switching direction as air is sucked into the maw of the growling low-pressure system.
"That's for calling me a bitch, relay my sentiments to Wolfie he lost what ever chance of an ally he had."
...and it's probably a good thing that Zariya is nowhere near Scherazade at the moment, from the seething look of anger that Scherazade gets when she speaks again.
The clouds are closer, and are lit from within by cascades of lightning ripping through the big cumulus towers. The strobe-like flashes flicker through the clouds regularly, sounding a low rumble of thunder. Dirty, drifty clouds begin to scud over the sky, like the outriders of some heavenly army.
Zariya glances up to the sky briefly, but mainly pays attention to the confrontation taking place.
"Well I am honest and Prince Wolfie has no care to ally with the grand daughter of Caine anyways." he sneers, "Don't even think of using magic again or we will set this town on fire and I will have a magic duel with you toots. I have stronger magic and I went to Haven University Faculty of Sorcery before moving to Trinity which is not this Abyss romper room crap that's known here."
"Relay to Prince Wolfie, that the only alliance of family I hold is that of distant relation to Oberon. I will hold no others, i know of no other alliance." Scherazade replied coldly.
"Well bully for you, toots," Is the caustic reply,"You are not that important anyways. Breyd has better blood than you do."
Out of nowhere a bullet hits the officer in the back of the head and he crumples to the ground, dead .... In front of Scherazade
"Thank you." Scherazade replies to the direction of where the bullet came from. Trying to get a breif glimpse of the shooter.
The sky grows dark. The rumble of thunder is continuous now. The wind picks up, with the promise of greater force to come. As the first fat drops of rain smack the ground like bullets, the temperature begins to plummet. Off in the distance, lightning spears to the ground, striking like the triphammer of the gods.
Zariya tenses, her attention being commanded by the storm again. Her eyes flicker from the sky to the men, to the people gathered.
Soon words and ordinary sound is lost in the fury of the storm. The fat drops are joined by sheets of rain, and a wind that rips the flag loose from its moorings. The people gathered feel their hair stand on end for a moment, then twin blades of lightning crash into their midst. One hits the flagpole, blasting it into splinters. The other hits the cannon, and millions of volts of electricity turn the cannon into instant slag.
Bolts of lightning and ball lightning stalk the killing ground. All those unlucky enough to bear firearms are stalked by the deadly electricity. Some strikes are enough to chain-fire amunition still in the magazines, ripping apart the bodies even as they burn. Grapefruit-sized hail thuds down and craters the muddy ground.
You clearly see Breyd involved with helping stomp the Mecks
As the lightning strikes, and the hail falls, Zariya shouts and gestures for people for people to take cover and get the hell out of here. She darts down the steps of the library, so she's not such a big target any longer, drawing her scimitar. The closest enemy--mole--to her gets cut knee level, enough to wound and prevent running, but not kill. That's going to be for later.
Zariya is able to take down three SW agents in a short time without too much difficulty. They are auxillaries and have not been to Trinity since Oberon's reign commenced and have not have up to date training....
Once things get organized, if those three aren't dead, they are jailed. They are also given enough medical attention to keep them alive.
The man in command swears,"Delwin's balls," "Oberon is taking an active hand in this. We did not anticipate this. Level the town and abort."
Several of the gunmen are being hit with lightning. The remainder start to shoot at the townspeople, hitting anyone wearing green.
Zariya makes her way to Scherazade, grabbing her with her free hand and shouting in Scherazade's ear, "Do something about the fire--control it if you can. If not, get people out of here."
Scherazade tries to add water to as many fires as she can.
The cannon starts to fire and fire... The Library is hit and is damaged. There are several fires breaking out on the thatched roofing of the townspeople and there are significant panicking in the crowd.
Zariya moves next to a non-wounded guardsmen, shouting orders to send word to the captain of the guard to assemble so they can hunt down those bastards.
They men start a retreat and are using that they have left as covering fire...
The captain of the guard will order the hue and cry and the local constabulary to all join in to catch as many of them as possible!
Alexis had just arrived with a wagon with three crates in the back... when the lightning started she was seen to rapidly throw some metallic stuff that way very fast (a couple of blades, her earrings and jewelry, some coins from her pockets, her hiking boots, and her belt....) and duck into a small ball. She was in a white blouse and black slacks...
Alexis stays like that near the wagon but away from it, until the hail starts. At that point she starts moving for shelter, guiding anyone else she can get ahold of, to point them in the right direction. Until she gets hailed. It was thought she might have been shot with a quarrel or something, but it's obvious it's a chunk of ice that dropped her onto the grass. A few more hit her hollowly, with a sickening thud.
Laszlo shows up fashionably late, dressed like a (very well-dressed) Indiana Jones extra. He looks at the profusion of guns and sidles towards some solid-looking masonry.
He walks onto the lightning storm in time to see there are fires being set and cannon balls hitting the walls of the library.
He notices some of the books in neat boxes... Some of the pro Oberon books are replaced with:
"Care and love of Black Wolves"
"Finndo the Great - a Biography."
"Queen Jasra's Two Reigns in Amber"
"Join the SW! A fun place to be!"
"King Reinhard is your friend!"
"Oberon the Cockroach is a Communist's Father."
"Trinity - Our Home and Empire"
Laszlo sighs, and begins making his way towards the Postmaster's Office, where an improptu field hospital can be quickly organised.
It is decreed homeless residents are also welcome to shelter within the walls of the pele tower.
Within minutes, several large teams of guardsmen will be organized to spread out and cover as much of Viallevale as they can. If the search parties find trails leading into other shires, then they have orders to follow. If not, the search party will be limited to Viallevale, and other ungoverned shires nearby.
Each search party will be given a map of Viallevale as well, to narrow down possibilities and assign sections to search.
Their orders are to capture if possible, kill if not. The mouthy one, the leader, is to be captured.
A section of her troops will be kept behind, to work as temporary fire-fighters and ensure that the citizens get to safety.
There's a flying flash of a red braid (sic) from within the fray and a glimpse of the red-headed princess in question firing a .45 like a pro at a group of the Mecklenberg commandos. "They're breaking off to the right!" she barks, her voice picked up by the comms earpiece jammed in her ear. Breyd's wearing a dark SAS jumper, flak vest and combat trousers tucked into her boots, in contrast to the green cammo fatigues of the men pouring in around her. There's a black beret perched jauntily atop her head and her wiry copper hair has been drawn back out of the way into a French braid. There's a spare .45 strapped under her armpit for when the clip in her pistol runs out and a submachine gun hanging on her back. She seems to be laying down covering fire for somebody else with calculated precision as she acquires targets and drops them, ignoring the hail and electrical fireworks around her.
Some of the raiders are caught. Others are found dead. Some other military troops are pulling back though they acted to help Zariya and Scher's limited forces
Within a few minutes the commando raid is now a total route with the attackers dead, captured or in flight....
Breyd stops at Alexis' wagon convoy. Her angular face sobers instantly and she drops to her knees, her face full of concern as she examines Alexis' seemingly unconscious body. "Lex? Oh, shit...Lex?!" Breyd doesn't touch or move her yet...she knows better than that. She tries to make sure Alexis is still breathing though, while keeping an eye peeled for any Mecklenbergs that want to get frisky if they think she's vulnerable.
By the dark mess in her hair, Alexis has been hit in the head. She has some other smears seeping across her body, and is still breathing. By the debris in the grass, she got conked by the hail at least after she fell....it looks like she fell early on.
The wagon has three crates in the back under a tarp. She fell just outside the wheel track along side the wagon. Also, Alexis is unarmed, at least to Breyd's lookover (no slugthrower or clip to appropriate or any grenades or any such luck, to help with the personal arsenal...)
"F*ck...f*ck...f*ck...Dammit, Lex, this isn't funny," Breyd curses under her breath as she gingerly checks to see if the skull is fractured or any other bones are broken.
Unknown about the head. Either she took a graze from a slug or a bonk from one of those grapefruit hailstones. The ones on the body, are impact bruise/fractures/skin lacerations from same (hoggin big hailstones).
She looks up at all the other people dashing around. She'll stop one of the guards on 'our' side (not caring if it's Zariya's or the other...) "Get me a medic. NOW." She orders decisively. "Princess Alexis is hurt and unconscious." She stands long enough to make sure the man goes running off like the demons of hell are after him and then she'll kneel back down by Alexis, watching over her as the last ends of the melee are fought out, her angular face taut with repressed worry.
Alexis stays where she's found, not stirring.
Later, after the actual fight is done, and people who were getting treatment are allowed back into their homes, Laszlo is sent a case of Dagobert wine, with a brief letter of thanks from Zariya.
This text is copyright © Lana Gjovig, Craig Lucas, Beth Major, Mitch Maltenfort, Betty Osthoff, Deb Rebel, and Alan Wake; "Amber" is copyright © Roger Zelazny; "Amber" the diceless RPG is copyright © Phage Press. No copyright infringement is intended.
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