07.06: Battle Montage

The goings on of courts
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colomon
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Re: 07.06: Battle Montage

Post by colomon »

"I could ask no more of any person," Renny replies with an approving nod. "Would you be willing to come serve in Amber?" When she says "Amber" she makes it sound like a marvelous place.

OOC: Renny is doing her best to size up these people while seeming in command of the situation.

OOC: I'm thinking the name "Cadets" might conjure the image I'm looking for, though more from the Gascon Cadets in Cyrano de Bergerac than the more common English meaning of the term. I think in context it's more "younger son of a noble family" (which I believe is the original French meaning) than "trainee" (English meaning).

OOC: Are the rooms in here like a library? Are the walls lined with books?
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Joshua
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Re: 07.06: Battle Montage

Post by Joshua »

Introductions aside, and a little bit of conversation to make sure no one is going to kill anyone (they are military after all), you are let into the library. The library is a huge reserve of books and knowledge, having some impressive stacks of literature as well as a large alchemy section, including at least one room devoted to a massive lab.

They seem capable, sort of a mix of swashbucklers, detectives, alchemists and fairly advanced profilers (what they keep referring to as the study of memes). All told, perhaps two dozen are willing to join you. They are definitely reluctant to give up on their homeland, but accept the fact the war is not something they can win and at this point, their efforts are not even wanted by the people there.

Cadet is fine for a term, so they'll use that to refer to each other.

Most seem to have Amber Psyche and Warfare, chaos strength and endurance, with alchemy, a modified version of sorcery. All have extensive experience fighting to contain a contagion (In this case a radical religion) in a large, overpopulated urban landscape. They can use swords, guns and crossbows, are skilled in training, military tactics, and non-lethal policing. Most are between 20 and 35, although they seem a bit more veteran than that would imply.

They're not looking for a paradise, they just want a place that will appreciate them.

Osmund will point out that he believes the alchemy will work in Amber (although they'll need to make some adjustments). The guns will not, but the crossbows will.

Getting them to Amber will be a little difficult, but after all of five minutes, it is decided Osmund will stay here with your trump. You will trump 2 - 3 back to Amber with the dock card, Osmund will pull you back here, and you repeat.

Due to timing, this would occur at perhaps 4pm before the ball, and might get several other PCs helping. (such as Alys and Asai) Dragging the entire library through will be much more difficult, although, a caravan could be set up. Darnell would be willing to do a quick trump sketch of the library, which would let you return there for a few days.
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colomon
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Re: 07.06: Battle Montage

Post by colomon »

Renny suggests that each of them carry a few favorite books over with them to Amber. She is hesitant to suggest moving the entire library over, worried that it would leave the cadets left behind helpless. In fact, she will keep alert for any hints that it might be possible to make the situation here better with appropriate aid from Amber -- but she will carefully not suggest anything like that before she has her crew of cadets to Amber.

When Renny has gone through to the docks and Osmund trumps her, is it possible to just pass cadets through the open trump contact? Renny is still trying to get a feel for how trumps work and what she can do with them, and that seems like it would make the transfer faster.

On the Amber side of things, Renny will also try to figure out where they can be housed.

While she's doing all of this, Renny is also ticking along in the back of her mind working on a song celebrating the Cadets, their prowess and loyalty...
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Joshua
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Re: 07.06: Battle Montage

Post by Joshua »

The teleportation aspect pulls the user through, you're using the loose definition of "and what the user is carrying" to bring others. Trump, as currently setup, moves the mind and the body happens to go with it. It's more or less purely for mental contact. Osmund could ground a teleportation spell through the contact, but that would actually take more time.
It may be possible to force it to work that way, but we're looking at "you should probably spend points on trump to know how to do that" territory. My initial thought is Trump Gates, or using trump artifact to create a trump for that purpose... Or possible a reduced cost and limited version of those. (Especially if you plan on regularly repeating the trick.)
BTW, experience can be spent during experimentation like this... You can even deficit spend slightly, with permission.

Actually, with Amber psyche, most of the Cadets can trump themselves over... Same difference though. It's not a huge time investment.

On the plus side, you can always return later. Anyone with "Shift to Abstract Desire" can walk to "the cadet's home". You can also go to "that place I met the cadets" or "the library" but you'll have to hellride again. With shift to complex desire, you can simply return as you have a clear idea of the library.

Housing them at Castle Amber takes 3 words to the guards. ("Give them rooms.") The castle is huge. Not a permanent solution, but it'll last a few weeks. You could also violate the 3rd amendment and order someone to house them, but castle first, then ease them into long term quarters is likely best.

Alys, from what I understand, has plans for them in the morning.
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Re: 07.06: Battle Montage

Post by Wyvern »

OOC: Morning? No, no, she put her main plans at four days hence for a reason. Plus, she doesn't know the Cadets exist yet.

On the other hand, it'll be easy for Renny to find out that Alys has offered to train "Anyone who's willing to put in the effort to make Amber a better place", directed primarily at the police groups. And the Cadets would certainly be helpful as a core group for that training, in which case, the sooner she starts working with them the better. But they're your group, not hers, so whether or when that happens is definitely up to you.

Edit: Unless, oh wait, there was that apparent actual conspiracy that needed tracking down. That might be something where the Cadets would come in more immediately useful.
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colomon
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Re: 07.06: Battle Montage

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All right, then, Renny will assemble the entire crew on the docks as quickly as she can, fetching Osmund back as well if he wishes. She then marches them to the castle, trying to provide a running commentary on the bits of the city they see as they go. At the castle, she will say to the steward, "Please give them rooms -- I don't know if I will be able to find a proper location in the city for them tomorrow or not, so rooms that are comfortable for a several day stay. And make sure they are well taken care of."

To the Cadets, she says, "Thank you again for coming here. I have to be elsewhere this evening, but the castle staff should take good care of you. I will see you tomorrow."

Renny is thinking they will be organized as a more or less independent force answering to her. Not sure whether you were thinking of Alys training them or them help Alys with the training, but Renny would be okay with "lending them out" for either purpose. Also note Renny wouldn't have said anything about being "Queen" here to the Cadets -- she just doesn't think that way yet.
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colomon
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Re: 07.06: Battle Montage

Post by colomon »

Missed the conspiracy edit before I posted, Renny doesn't know about that yet, but she's certainly hoping to find at least light work for them to do tomorrow, something that can help make them feel useful right away.
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Re: 07.06: Battle Montage

Post by Wyvern »

I'd been thinking more them helping Alys with training - though she'd certainly offer them training as well; it would be rude to deny the best* people involved the chance to advance their own skills.

As for organization - that sounds entirely fair; plus, if you're loaning them out to help, that'd give you some solid hooks into the various protector groups once they're trained up; if the Cadets are acting as instructor types, there would likely be some long-term loyalty (or at least respect) there. Alys won't mind; she's not trying to build a private army, after all. That's more of a side-effect. So she's not going to complain if the protector groups end up with a more split loyalty.

_____
* A category that would include the Cadets, along with anyone Alys is able to borrow from the various court guard groups, Nathaniel if he decides to show up, Grind, etc.
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Joshua
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Re: 07.06: Battle Montage

Post by Joshua »

Renny is then jumped by fashion-ninjas (or go here: at 9:00 minutes in) and thrown at the party.
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colomon
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Re: 07.06: Battle Montage

Post by colomon »

Fashion-ninjas!? I thought they just hung around airports and got sucked up into jet engines.
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