At GenCon in 1987 a new group of characters were created to add to the regulars (which had suffered some absences since last year.) The established players voted on which ones to allow in the game, and we permitted several good characters to enter the game, but pointedly left out one character with at least 20 points in “Bad Stuff” (the player bid on every stat auction.) Next year all of these characters may be included in the scenario. I spent much of my time running between this game and the Champions tournament although I did spent enough time at the game to find out a great deal of what went on.
We started the scenario trying to pick up from the last year. Several questions were still open, most especially the one of whom is orchestrating the attacks upon Amber. Lance’s adventure in the alternate Pattern searching for his father Corwin (being in the alternate Pattern restricts Trump contact, so we couldn’t tell him the news that Corwin is searching the Abyss for Deirdre) was also happening.
Lance and one other player made their way through the Shadows to the central Shadow which appeared to be the Amber of the alternate Pattern. There they found the manufacturer of the Shadowcars, a company Corwin had established to make the Shadowcars and trade between the Shadows along the black roads. Running the company is other children of Corwin, two of whom recognise Lance and give him a somewhat restrained reception. There are hints that more is going on in this alternate Pattern that meets the eye. Back in the original Pattern we were investigating the events of the previous year. Some of us were getting more information that what Fiona and Caine had given us (do you think we’d trust them or what they told us completely?) while some others just didn’t want to get involved.
After some searching and investigation, the master of the attacks on Amber was revealed, and to very few people’s surprise, it was Brand. (If Deirdre was suspected of being alive, why not Brand?) He psychically attacked one of the group as she was walking Shadow, and when she Trumped one of the rest of us, Brand stepped through the Trump and attacked the rest of us, as well. As if he had paid some price for his defeating death and attaining the level of power he was using, didn’t have a fully human shape, but instead had a body of fire.
In the combat at the Trump portal, we managed to hold Brand off. For my part I attempted to knock Brand back through the Trump portal back to Abyss, only to wind up passing through his fiery body, returning, and falling unconscious. About this time I had to leave GenCon and head for O’Hare Airport in Chicago to catch a 5:00 pm flight, so I don’t know what happened then, but I do expect to find out this year.
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