Formenos
Chapter Two - The Prodigal Son
Arriving swiftly in his personal Shadow, Kyle wastes no time in placing William on advanced life-support systems. Despite his formidable knowledge and resources, he finds himself uncertain of what else can be done, other than to wait and hope - hope that William, being of Reality, will respond to treatment like other true beings of substance. As the machines stabilise William’s vital signs, Kyle manipulates the flow of time within the Shadow, accelerating it to its upper limits in relation to Amber. Every moment becomes precious, and every second compressed to maximise the opportunity for William’s body to heal.
Over the next several days - subjectively for Kyle - William’s condition slowly but steadily improves. Though initially unconscious and fragile, he begins to show signs of resilience. Once able to stand, his recovery accelerates dramatically, as if sheer will and the substance of his blood fuelled a return to strength. Kyle monitors his progress closely, relieved to see William regaining his vigour faster than anticipated. Within five days of Shadow time, William is strong enough to walk unaided. Confident in his companion’s recovery, Kyle prepares to return them both to Amber. When they reappear in Castle Amber, only five hours have passed in the world they left behind.
In the throne room of Castle Amber, King Random seethes with rage. Though absent during the chaos at the castle gates, he has since learned the full extent of the attack - and the knowledge that an enemy of such power and intent was able to strike so close to the heart of Amber has left him livid. Many loyal citizens have died, and the affront to Amber’s sovereignty cannot be ignored. In response, he issues a direct command to Kyle and Caine: they are to investigate the mysterious threat posed by Annael and neutralise him by any means necessary. Should they require assistance, Random authorises them to call upon any available member of the royal family to aid in the task.
To those not of Amber blood - namely Corin and Joshua - the King offers a stark ultimatum. Given their tangential involvement in the events leading up to the attack, and their unclear loyalties, they are permitted to assist in resolving the crisis if they so choose. Otherwise, they are to leave Amber immediately and not return. The edict hangs heavy in the air, underscoring both Random’s frustration and the urgency with which he expects results.
Kyle and Caine choose to begin their investigation with Alesha, who has been returned to her chambers under significantly increased guard - Dworkin himself having seen to her relocation. The other members of the party agree to assist in whatever way they can, aware that Alesha may hold crucial information about Annael’s plans and movements. Kyle wastes no time confronting her, but she meets his questions with defiance and scorn. She rails against her captors, declaring that they have no right to detain her and warning that her brother will soon return with reinforcements to reclaim her and exact vengeance on Amber. She demands to be released and returned to Malkeeva immediately.
Kyle remains unmoved. Recognising that persuasion is futile and the stakes too high, he invokes his psychic link, pushing into her mind with overwhelming force. Her mental defences crumble under the weight of his will, and Kyle begins to sift through her memories, uncovering a fragmented and complex past. Alesha holds vivid recollections of two contrasting Shadows: the first, Malkeeva, a relatively low-tech realm where she has spent most of her life; the second, Veddarth, a world of astonishing technological advancement not unlike Kyle’s own domain. In her memories, Veddarth is a place of wonder - where metal men serve their flesh-and-blood masters, and flying machines soar through the skies like birds of prey. Her brother Annael had taken her there only during her youth, and the visits had clearly left a deep impression.
One recurring motif in her recollections is of Annael regularly drawing blood from her, perhaps once a month, before disappearing on prolonged excursions. She never resisted; Annael had always been her protector, the constant figure in her life since birth, and she trusted him implicitly. The people of Malkeeva seemed to share this unwavering faith, revering Annael as their guardian and champion - one who was preparing them, she believed, for an eventual war against three unnamed but terrible brothers. When Kyle finally withdraws from her mind and releases the psychic pressure, Alesha recoils in fury. With fire in her eyes, she spits a final warning: they will all die when her brother returns.
With Alesha temporarily contained and her disturbing memories fresh in his mind, Kyle turns his attention to the next step. Now afforded a moment of calm, he focuses his talents and draws a permanent Trump of Annael. As a master of Trump manipulation, Kyle is able not only to forge the image but to use it as a window - spying on Annael from afar without initiating contact. Through this silent link, he observes Annael moving about a sophisticated laboratory nestled deep within a high-tech Shadow. The space is clearly tailored to Annael’s needs, equipped for living and working: a place of both comfort and purpose.
Kyle studies the environment closely, committing every detail to memory. Once satisfied, he breaks the link and begins work on a second Trump - this time of the laboratory itself, allowing for direct access to the location if required. Before he can share his findings or make further plans with the others, a sudden shift in atmosphere interrupts them. A low, rising thrum of energy or motion echoes from outside the chamber. The guest quarters overlook the great hall, and it becomes immediately clear that something significant is unfolding in the throne room below. Leaving Alesha under guard and unmoved in her fury, the group swiftly exits to investigate the disturbance.
Peering over the balustrade into the throne room below, the group catches sight of a figure none of them expected to see again - Prince Corwin. His return is as sudden as it is momentous. Not a soul in Amber has seen him since the end of the Patternfall War, and his long absence had long ago drifted into legend and speculation. Now, without warning or preamble, he stands once more beneath the vaulted ceiling of Castle Amber.
King Random, already present in the hall, reacts with a mixture of visible astonishment and cautious welcome. The two princes exchange a terse, almost symbolic embrace - brief and loaded with unspoken history - before turning away from the gathered onlookers. Without a word to the others, they depart the throne room together, disappearing into the more private corridors of the royal wing as they make their way toward Random’s study. The watchers above are left with a heavy silence and the growing sense that Corwin’s return may herald as much danger as it does intrigue.
Later that evening, the entire company is summoned to King Random’s private dining chamber for a formal meal. The gathering has the air of cautious diplomacy, as all are eager to see how Corwin presents himself after so many years lost to rumour and myth. To those who knew him before the Patternfall War, Corwin appears unchanged - charming, composed, and strikingly self-assured. The dinner itself passes in good spirits. Conversation is light, and for a time, the prince seems every bit the gallant noble of old.
Afterwards, the group retires to a grand adjoining study for drinks and further conversation. It is here that Corwin’s veneer begins to slip. Though still outwardly pleasant, it becomes clear he is drinking heavily - far more than even an Amberite might be expected to tolerate. As the evening wears on, his behaviour grows increasingly unruly. He turns boisterous with several Court ladies, and his flirtations quickly sour into crude, uninvited remarks. His sister Flora bears the brunt of it, enduring a series of cutting jibes when she fails to humour his advances. Questions about where Corwin has been during his long absence are met with vague deflections and sardonic smiles. He offers no real answers, only deflection and innuendo.
Then, without warning, the mood shifts sharply. Dworkin enters the room. The old sorcerer crosses the space directly toward Random, but as he does, his gaze intersects with Corwin’s. The moment their eyes meet, something unspoken but powerful passes between them. Kyle, Corin, and Joshua feel it immediately - a sudden, physical drop in temperature, followed by a tangible crackle of static that seems to emanate from Corwin himself. Neither man speaks. They exchange no words, no gestures, just that single, intense glance. Then Dworkin moves on, saying nothing.
Concerned, Kyle approaches Corwin to check on him, but is met with a venomous outburst. Corwin snaps, his voice sharp with disdain, declaring that the likes of "young whelps" and "senile old men" should mind their own business and stay out of the way of the new lords of Reality. With that, he wheels on Flora once more, dismissing her as a tiresome bore, and storms out of the room, leaving behind a heavy silence and a gathering sense of dread.
Unwilling to let the confrontation end so abruptly, Joshua quietly slips from the study and follows Corwin down the corridor. Drawing on his mastery of Logrus sorcery, he cloaks himself in invisibility, weaving tendrils of chaotic power around his form to mask his presence entirely. Yet he has not trailed Corwin for long before the prince halts and turns - his eyes fixed directly on the space Joshua occupies. With unsettling precision, Corwin addresses him coldly, his voice laced with disdain: “Return to the sewer from which you came.” Then, without another word or glance, he strides away into the shadows, leaving Joshua standing stunned. Not merely at being detected, but at the contempt with which he was dismissed.
Back in the study, Kyle watches Joshua’s exit in silence. Moments later, he quietly withdraws from the main conversation and retreats to a secluded corner of the room. Producing Corwin’s Trump, he attempts a covert connection to observe the prince’s whereabouts. As the Trump activates, Kyle glimpses Corwin’s surroundings - but almost immediately, he senses something amiss. A subtle pressure builds at the edge of his awareness, and an uncanny certainty dawns: Corwin knows he is being watched. More than that - he knows exactly who is watching. Unwilling to risk a direct confrontation, Kyle severs the contact at once, leaving only questions and an uneasy sense that Corwin’s return is more dangerous than anyone had yet realised.
The following morning, determined to carry out King Random’s directive, the group prepares to travel to Annael’s laboratory within the Shadow known as Veddarth. Using the Trump Kyle had drawn the day before, they first observe the location remotely. The lab appears vacant - no movement, no signs of immediate threat - so they take the risk and Trump through.
The moment they arrive, the shift in ambience is unmistakable. Veddarth is a world steeped in high technology, and the laboratory reflects that to the fullest. The architecture is sleek and clinical, outfitted with advanced systems and instrumentation that rival even the most sophisticated facilities Kyle maintains in his own Shadow. The clean hum of machines and the sterile chill in the air speak of precision, order, and scientific obsession.
Far removed now from Amber and its dampening effects on Power, the group finds their sorcery flows more freely. Those capable of cloaking themselves in invisibility do so immediately, extending protection to their less subtle companions. Moving with cautious intent, they exit the lab and begin exploring the facility. They pass through long, echoing corridors lined with sealed chambers - each one a window into experimental work that merges engineering and warfare. Strange, alien firearms line testing benches; entire rooms appear devoted to weapons development, diagnostics, and calibration.
The facility seems to be operating at minimal capacity, as though caught in the lull of a weekend. The only signs of life are the occasional security guards glimpsed far down intersecting corridors - isolated, unhurried figures that suggest no immediate alert has been raised. Yet beneath the stillness lingers a quiet tension, the uneasy sense that the Shadow itself is aware of their presence.
Curious to assess their surroundings and gain a broader understanding of the terrain, the group makes their way toward the exterior of the facility. As they emerge into the open air, the scale and precision of Veddarth become undeniable. Towering structures dominate the horizon, and the atmosphere carries the subtle vibration of a world tightly monitored and rigorously controlled. It quickly becomes clear that Annael’s command over this Shadow is absolute - nothing enters or exits without his explicit knowledge. Veddarth is his domain, in both structure and spirit.
Waiting for them at the building’s main exit, Annael stands with unwavering composure, as though he had anticipated their arrival down to the moment. Arrayed above him in a deliberate, menacing arc are a squadron of large, humanoid robots - each one hovering in place with a dull, thrumming resonance. They are massive, industrial constructs with a retro-futurist aesthetic (reminiscent of Trask’s 1970s Sentinels from Days of Future Past). Their eyes glow with power, and their mechanical limbs twitch with barely restrained aggression.
Annael raises his voice with calm authority, addressing the intruders. “None come or go from Veddarth without my knowledge. This is my Shadow,” he declares. “And the time has come for you to face the consequences of your meddling.” His words hang like thunder in the charged air.
The party wastes no time in replying. Diplomacy is abandoned, warnings discarded. Without hesitation, they launch into battle, sorcery and steel answering Annael’s grim pronouncement with violent resolve.
William wastes no time. The moment Annael finishes speaking, he charges, blade drawn and fury in his stride. The two clash in a whirlwind of steel and motion, and it is immediately apparent that Annael possesses superior technique - his swordsmanship is crisp, calculated, and devastatingly efficient. Yet William holds his own, his raw strength and resilience matching Annael’s finesse blow for blow. Theirs is a duel of titans, power against precision, each refusing to yield an inch.
Meanwhile, the rest of the group launches into battle against the towering robots. But the engagement quickly turns grim. These machines, forged for war in a Shadow of supreme technological advancement, are unlike anything most of them have encountered before. Corin, unfamiliar with their methods and unable to anticipate their targeting systems, is struck hard - thrown violently to the ground by a concussive blast. She collapses, motionless.
Reacting instantly, Joshua rushes to her side. He unleashes a torrent of sorcerous power, channelling Logrus-fuelled spells that hammer into the robot that felled her. The construct is blasted backwards, spiralling wildly before crashing into a distant building in a cacophony of fire and metal. The force of the explosion momentarily distracts Annael, who glances toward the commotion. William seizes the opportunity. Pressing his advantage, he drives Annael back with renewed aggression, landing a decisive strike that sends the would-be warlord sprawling. In a single heartbeat, the battle is his - Annael lies defeated at his feet, vulnerable and unconscious.
But William hesitates. His sword lingers in the air, poised to deliver a killing blow… and then lowers. Annael had stabbed him once before, yes - but not of his own will. That moment had occurred during William’s own period of possession, and the truth behind Annael’s motives remains elusive. William’s conscience restrains his hand. Instead of killing him, he delivers a precise blow that renders Annael unconscious, then turns to re-join the fray against the machines.
Joshua, seeing Corin gravely wounded and unwilling to take further risks, draws forth his Trump of Terra Prime and escapes with her through the shimmering gate. Once there, it is quickly discovered that Corin’s wounds, though severe in appearance, are less serious than feared - more the result of a shockwave and impact trauma than any direct, lethal intent. After a brief rest and recovery, she and Joshua prepare to return to the battlefield.
Back in Veddarth, William begins to falter. He is now surrounded by robots, their cold logic pressing in from all sides. The tide has turned against him. Just as it seems he might be overwhelmed, Kyle reappears through a carefully targeted Trump, his mastery allowing him to reach William’s side without detection. Without hesitation, he grasps William and Trumps them both to safety - back to the familiar halls of Amber, leaving behind the smoke and steel of Veddarth.