Craig is referring to the blond blue-eyed Mordred below. Mordred had had a fragment of his soul stolen, and put in the boy. The part of his personality that fragment represented was his squeamishness and dislike of battle, and his sense of higher morality. Everything positive about Mordred except for his love and loyalty for those close to him. Mordred (the good one) wakes up.... Okay, first question: Does he have Mordred's memories? And skills, etc? Nope He does not have memories.. a la Corwin in Book 1 totally Oh, great. How about skill? Although he probably wouldn't fight, he would defend himself at full Combat. ;) Yep... Okay, cool. So where is he? he finds he cannot see.... Okay, well, what are his sensations? Is he on his back? In a bed? Strapped down? etc. He is lying on his side on the floor... His hands and arms and legs pinioned and he is gagged too. Right. Well, he's going to start struggling and making noise. You find the ropes are unmvoing and you have to pant with exhaustion... What's the gag made of? cloth covered with duct tape around the head... Can it be chewed through? Lips are sealed. But the blindfold is cloth... feels like a handkerchief. Let's see if we can scrape the blindfold off with head movements. It comes off after ahalf hour struggle. You see you are in a root cellar - dirt floor... and there is junk everywhere. Eeew. Nice Mordred doesn't like dirt. ;) Hahaha Plus he is dressed as Lazare dressed him (M doesnot recall this...) Well, having no memories, his only thought about that is: "These shorts are too tight." That is his elbows knees and clothes are dirty. Yep... they are so. What does Mordred do next? He's trying to chew through the gag. And wiggle out of the bonds. You keep trying but in vain.. Your jaws hurt... And the bonds are unyeilding... You see the dirt floor is full of old junk Any junk I can scrape the bonds against? Of course... You see a choice of a rusty pipe. a dirty piece of hacksaw... Even a rusty licence plate :) We'll try the licence plate and then the hacksaw. It is hard work and it takes an hour to saw through the ropes but M does succeed. Right. This gag is coming off. Luckily for the hair cut :) What does M do next? So I'm blond and neat and stuff, right? You bet. Well, he cleans himself off as best he can and looks for a way out. You see the door is locked... A window? But you can climb up through the cellar window or break the door down. You climb out and see a dilapidated old house Interesting. Is there a road or a vehicle in sight? I'll do that. You would have to head down the driveway... Are you walking down it. You reach a small 2 lane highway... I'll see if I can flag down a car. A car stops, "Hello," an older lady says. "Hello," he says. "Could you help me? I think I need to go to a hospital. I seem to have been mugged and I have lost my memory." "Dear, come in the car and I will take you to one. Would the police not be better?" she asks. "You might be right," he says. "I was just thinking about getting my memory back. The police would be fine. Where are we, by the way?" "You are near Port Jasra." Okay, does this jog any memories? Do I realize where I am? (it is not foreign to you... but you have no idea where it is. It is like Kookamunga. Familiar sound - but God knows where it is. ) Mordred nods. "What country are we in? You'll have to excuse my silly questions." He blushes a little. "oh you poor dear. We are in Haven." Well, I can think of worse places for him to be. ;) Does that jog anything? (You feel the police here are not bad) "If you could take me to the police I would be very grateful." While we're driving, he's going through his pockets looking for any ID. You find that you have a Haven Drivers Licence. Your name is Mordred Bariman Oh, that's cute. (lazare is a bastard :) blond et al Regardless, assuming the photo looks right, Mordred says: "Oh, this must be me. Mordred Bariman." You are only 17!!! She whistles,"Barimen, That is a noble name. You are a young nobleman." "And I'm awful young -- younger than I feel." "Good, then hopefully my mother... or father... can help me." "If I was kidnapped then I'd feel much older too." She decides to drive you to Haven City. Mordred nods. "You're a nice woman. I'll make sure you get a big reward for this, if I'm a noble." "Thank you dear. I can not think that if it ever happened to my grandsons how I would feel. Your mothr and father must be sick with worry." Mordred nods. Does he feel vaguely uneasy when his parents are mentioned? ;) (Not in the least - Lazare took out all bad thoughts or frustration and made him totaully non disfunctional) A babe in the woods. You bet. Well, I could argue OOC whether Lazare and the status quo are non disfunctional, but. ;) (lazare is very disfunctional :) She drives you up to the main Haven City Police office and comes in with you. "Now these men will help you." Mordred makes pleasant conversation with her, talking to her about her family, getting her name, etc. She is a grandmother and her name is Charlotte. He makes sure he gets her address so he can send her a thank-you note and a reward. ;) She pats him on the head and holds his hand while the police (you can through her licence plates) talk to him. They look totally mystified. He shows them the drivers license and looks very sad. They seem to not say anything to them but come back. They look at him almost pitifully. He tells them about waking up bound in the house. They reassure him that he is safe. Charlotte hugs him... This makes him happy. Mordred hugs back, with feeling. "Things will be allright dear." she tells him. He tries not to cry. ;) "I just wish I could remember something." There thre there." she tells him, And holds him. Well, the original Mordred never got this from Dara, that's for sure. She gives him her red wolf chain and tells him to hold on to it. I think this shoudl have some interesting effects when they're re-joined. ;) "This is for good luck." she says. Mordred nods. "Thank you. You should go home. Tell your grandchildren hello for me." She smiles,"I will call and find out tomorrow if everything is alright. She tells the police sergeant to take good care of you or she will write her MP and phone up the newspapers. "I hope it doesn't hurt too much, I don't like pain." The police say that they need to do a blood test for genetic identification and they have a pretty big bosomed blonde nurse come and she smiles,"I promise I will not hurt you more than I must." She tells him to hold onto a desk and look the other way. Mordred tells the nurse she's beautiful and she smells nice. ;) She smiles to him,"Thank you. You are a handsome young man. If I was a little younger I would be very happy to have you ask me out." Mordred nods. "I wonder if I have a girlfriend and I don't remember." Then she gives him the needle in his inside arm and takes out a few little vials. He jumps at the needle but tries to be brave. With mixed success. ;) She smiles,"There's a brave boy.: she smiles and musses his hair. He beams at her. The police come back in and ask him more questions about the place and anything he can recall. They are kindly and fairly sensitive. He tells them everything he knows, and says Charlotte probably knows better where it is. She told us." they say. Ah, the Haven police. Do they even carry weapons? Or are they like bobbies? ;) Yes they do. But they have to write a report everytime they pull it out so many go years without ever pulling it out except for cleaning. Right. Traffic police don't Makes sense. Mordred will patiently sit through everything, anxiously awaiting the results. The police tell Mordred that you are being moved to the palace. "Wow... I am a noble, then?" "Son, we ae very mystified but you have Royal Blood. We are notifying your parents and for the timebeing we are moving you to the Palace where Kelric the King will want to see you." Great, all I need is to be picked up by Dara and Osric. Unless LAzare put me in a body with a different heritage. ;) They smile. "I"m going to meet the King? What an honor!" "I wish I had all my memories back so I could properly appreciate it." They look away and seem to not want to talk much. Mordred just waits patiently. Then they smile to him and lead him to the limo You drive through the huge tall buildng downtown with the massive banks everywhere. Mordred marvels at the limo. Heck, even with his memories he hasn't been in many limos. ;) Mordred soaks it all in, like a tourist. ;) It has a TV and a bar and other luxuries He watches TV but he decides he's too young to drink. The chauffer sees this and opens the window. "Wouyld your highness want to have me drive around the city. The King is not going to be out of a meeting for a few hours." "Yes, please, if it's not too much trouble for you." He looks genuinely concerned he might be a bother. "I rarely get to drive. The king and his people use magic or walk. The fellow is pleasant and identifies buildings. Mordred soaks it in and asks all the touristy questions. ;) he points out hundreds of museums libraries, pools and the huge number of touristy places. He shows the fine beautiful palaces of the family. Mordred marvels at how clean and nice everything is and talks about how nice it must be to live in Haven. "We have no winter and hot days are planned for weekends so people can go to the beaches." he says. "it is very clean." How much does memoryless Morded know about what the Family can do? Not much... he knows he forgot. Then he expresses amazement that the weather can be planned. "Can I do that, too?" "The RedWolf decided that. He is very good and is the conscience of the People and to the King. He gives us good weather and also we ask God to protect him. And the King has people keep an eye on him. He has a brother the Firewolf but Firewolf is lazier." "If the red wolf lets you." Mordred sucks all this in but it's obvious he barely undersands it. (you know that there is more but non family are just not told it.) (bucky is the firewolf... Right. Actually, OOC I don't know what he means by the Firewolf. Finndo? Oh, Bucky. Ah. Yep he has ared wolf too but with s nakes tongue :) How appropriate. ;) He chose it :) Of course. ;) "Is it the weekend now?" He drives you past the lake near the city and you see people swimming in it, boating, sailing (no powerboats - too close to the palace) "No, but it is after the working hours. Kelric legislated that people work at 7:30 and leave by 1Pm. "Oh, okay. I can probably get a watch when my partents come for me." cept necessary industry." Mordred seems afraid of anything oriented toward war. " am sure the King will see you in new clothes," he says as you see two huge structures behind a wall. One is a huge heavily defended and very strong superfortress and the other is a huge friendly luxuriuous palace. He cowers. ;) "what is wrong son?" he igets asked. "I don't like things that can hurt people. Weapons. Soldiers." "none of us do son. That is where the Crown jewels are kept. And state archives that are secret. it is guarded to keep bad people and bad kingdoms out." Yes Does Mordred realize he knows more about war stuff than he wants to? "War is horrible... I know... I know a lot about it..." M realizes that the place is one of the Greatest Fortresses and he knows without a traitor he can not sack the place. He seems confused. "That's good," says Mordred. "I like it when war things get used for peace instead." "War is bad but Haven does not have a big army. Yes we have Dealunder ex soldiers in here but they build roads now. Haven with a population of a few billion only has 10,000 troops and they are for ceremony like them. (palace guards in redcoats and helmets and bearskin hats.) "We are a peaceful society, Peace Order and Good Government. The king would rather use money people use to blow things up for daycare, for hospitals and for good roads and communications." "I'm glad I'm here than somewhere else, then," says Mordred. "Other... other countries are more warlike, aren't they? That's why I know so much about war." "I'd rather be vanilla than kill someone..." says Mordred. He looks at you,"Many of your kinfolk don't give the king much respect and make fun of him. They make fun of us and call us boring and vanilla and think we are zombies for the king. Hell here if I get sick I am not left to die outside a hospital because I am only a chauffer and we do not attack people." "I guess that is why you are here. Many of the younger folks of the King;s folk study here. They seem like nice kids but some are snotty." "But that comes from being too rich I guess." he says. "Being snotty is mean," says Mordred. "There's no reason to be snotty to a good people like those in Haven." "Glad to hear that. I get tired of some patronizing old bat who comes in and I drive her to see the King and she bitches about this place being so planned and proper and so boring. That lady must enjoy war and destruction a hell of a lot. pardon my language. I wish i could have told her off." "then she talks to me like I am a dog." "That doesn't solve anything," says Mordred. "No point in getting mad. You're a good man for putting up with that and not snapping at her." "I know but it burns me up. I feel bad for the king as he has to deal with them." The car drives up to the palace.... Mordred nods. "IT must be hard being the King, having to deal with people like that." Vague stirrings of memory for Mordred here I guess. ;) "People here aren't bad. Kelric made the place to run itself much of the time but it is his dang relatives from Amber and Chaos who screw things up. Plus we don';t want to lose our King. They want to make him king of Amber that is always in war and is nuts. The King's grampa was a real mean guy and he died leaving the place like a hell on earth. Our King wants to fix that and his Mummy is there being Queen and we hope she stays cause we don't want to be dragged into Amber's problems. OR lose our king to those people." he tells M. Mordred thanks him. Then he stops and gets out and opens the door for him,"Call me anytime you want to go driving." he smiles, "My name is Bentley." "Thank you, Bently. Should I just go inside now?" A butler appears," Yes I will escort you, Your Highness." "Oh, thank you," says Mordred, delightfully. "Everyone here is so nice. What's your name?" (I must admit I'd like this kid too :) "Mine sir," he asks,"I am Richbert" Mordred had this potential, it's what keeps him from going over into the deep end. "Thank you, Richbert," says Mordred. "Lead away." Richbert takes him to a salon. It is decorated in red and gold and there are redwolves everywhere... You also see a tacky cheap figurine in one corner or a fake tiny vase mock ming. "May I get you anything YOur Highness?" Mordred notices the tacky stuff but carefully doens't let it show on his face. He doesn't want to be rude. The butler is quick,"That, sir, is some of His Majesty's ju- private items that he bought when he lived in Toronto on Earth Prime. Now called York - Haven Province now." Mordred nods. "I don't need anything right now. I'd hate to bother you." "Would you like to put on clean clothes?" he says with a wink "Yes, please," says Mordred. He takes him to a full wardrobe. "Are those your colours?" he asks you. "I'm not sure what my colors are," he says. "Let me look and see what I like." "Lazare wear, Polo, Buckywear, Lacoste?" he shows him choices,"Eddie Bauer Banana Republic." I think, if Mordred hadn't been influenced by his dark past, he'd like pure white Polo-wear. Something rugged, spotless, and nice. ;) They get him a pwhite Polo shirt. Pristine looking "Do you want shorts jeans or slacks?" "Slacks, please," he says, "Something cream-colored, perhaps?" He advises you that cream is not about... but he has light light taupe (pale pale khaki) "That's okay," says Mordred. "Whatever you have. I don't want to cause a problem." "Runners or deck shoes?" "Runners..." says Mordred. They get him white socks and runners. "If you use the pool what type of swimwear?" he is asked. "Just white swim shorts," he says. "Something modest." They pass him likeshorter than jams but like a short. And they give him matching towels and a jacket in case in rains"White also sir?" "Yes, please," he says. They take him to a room and say that you can use it as long as you wish It is generic and everything is new. (K has 2000 rooms and few are ever used ) "can we get you anything, Richbert says. Mordred thanks him. He packs up his stuff and tries to keep the room looking as neat as when he got it. ;) "No, thank you, Richbert," says Mordred. "I'll just wait here until I'm needed." Mordred blushes. He leaves and M hears him talking,"What a nice boy. He is so nice. I cannot believe he is Family. (This is being heard) He blushes more when he hears that last bit. "My Family must be very bad," he says to himself. "I wish his Majesty had him stay here rather than some of the others." "I think only the king and a few others treat us as people. most of them think of us as furniture. " Mordred is horrifed to hear all this. Richbert: At least you do not have Buckminster or other throw you around when you say No to them." Is the other voice male or female? female. They talk about how the King is so soft hearted to his realtives and never puts the boots to them. Morded curls up into a little ball. "I hope I wasn't a bad person before I lost my memory." A few minutes later, ther is a knock at the door. tentative and a bit nervous. Mordred springs to attention and opens the door. "Yes?" You see a reddish blond man around your height. He looks mid twenties and is in a blue jacket and grey pants and has a red white and gold striped or rep tie. "Hello." he smiles,"Have you have lunch yet? (the clock is 3 pm) "Hello," says Mordred. "No, I don't think so. I'm kinda hungry. What's your name? I like your tie." The words sort of tumble out after all that thinking he was doing. "Thank you." he smiles a bit pleased by that. "I am Kelric." "You're the King?" He hastens to bow. "Oh yes but no one notices too hard." he smiles. "no please do not. I am your cousin. Family are all peers and we treat each other equally unless protocol says otherwise. "thank you." Kelric says smiling. Mordred laughs. "You're nice. I like you. You don't go to war like all the others do. Your subjects were telling me about it." "I am not always nice. Sometimes bad people do things and I have to prevent it or be mean to them." "You must be very strong to be able to do that," says Mordred. "I don't think I could harm anyone, even if they were bad." He shakes his head walking with you,"I try to avoid war but when it is inevitable you go in and win andget out. I do not waste my people's lives on trivialities." He looks at you and his eyes seem very sad for a moment. then he forces a smile,"I am glad to hear that." "Is something wrong? I seem to make people sad all the time," says Mordred. "Was I a bad person before I lost my memory? I know all this stuff about war. It scares me." "I thought of a friend of mine. He was a bit rambunctious and spoke before he thought. He is dead now." "Ahh you look like him. A lot. Actually. You reminded me of him." he smiles. "I'm sorry your friend died," says Mordred, and gives Kelric a hug. "No. I never knew you very well but you were hurt by a lot of people and you were like a poor animal that was hurt a lot." he says. He takes a breath and hugs him back... "I miss him. He did some things I disagreed with and I publically told him so and helped the people he hurt but I was still his friend." Man, if this isn't a set-up, I don't know what is. He's talking about Mosley. ;) Right, they were brothers, after all. (yes but it is accurate for Kelric and Mordred looks a heck of a lot like he does at this age - this was when they met actually.) Kelric then stops off at his room and tosseshis jacket and tie off. Morded waits patiently for him. "I had to get rid of that. He smiles,"Your father and my fater were brothers. Your Uncle Finndo was my father." he smiles. "So we're cousins, yes, you said that," says Mordred. "I'm glad I have a nice cousin." ,"Yes we are." "Please Mord." he says looking at him."I try to be nice but I am not always nice. In fact there are those (he tears a bit in the eyes) who can show how rotten I can be." "That's okay, I guess," says Mordred. "As long as the people you're mean to are bad." "They will disagreeover me calling them bad." he says. Mordred says, "I don't mean to make you sad. Should we have lunch now?" "Last week," he says as he leads him to a nice garden where a huge buffet is laid out. "An aunt of ours who was opposing my friends and those relatives I support, threw a party to everyone for the political purpose of manipulating neutrals and holding a rally to recruit people and to tell everyone that they are in charge of everybody." "I disagreed with her and her motives." "I did something very bad." he says with a slight smile. he starts piling food on her plate. "I nearly ended up because they were so angry with me." "You didn't war with them, did you?" asks Mordred, horrified, piling up food as well. ;) He only takes a medium amount. "Please gorge away. Food is plentiful here. Yourbody needs a lot of food and our Familybiology causes us to need to glut." he teases. "If I get more hungry, I'll take more," he says, smiling. "No I brought a whole bunch of frat boys and my friends and we crashed the party and were bad and rude and obnoxious. We ruined her party." "So she is right in calling me very bad." "Oh, that's okay," says Mordred. "As long as there was no violence." He sighs,"I did not know how bad some of Aunt Flora's people were. Caine and Julian attacked my brother Bucky with swords and hurt him because they hit my friend Carol." "They just were like animals. I would have fought - me who has never been in a fight in his life - but my friends held me back." "How terrible!" says Mordred. "But doesn't Bucky throw around the servants?" Then he covers his mouth because he realizes he should have said that last bit. ;) "Yes he has a big mouth and goes to far."You are right to say that. I tell him to not be like that." Mordred nods. "The people I talked to said I barely seemed like Family because I wasn't mean to them." "I am aware of it and it bothers me. It will take years to moderate Buck. He was blown up in an aircrash and was barely saved. These two who beat him up helped try to blow him up." Mordred shakes his head. "That's terrible." "This is why In Haven, people who die in accidents are given a second chance at a better life and are reincarnated quickly. I do not like to see people suffer." "Wow, you can do that?" asks Mordred, with genuine wonder. "I have to fight with my subconscious." he says, He tells M abotu the Twister and it comes by and meets Mordred. Mordred thinks it looks neat, and says so. "IT is really him." T tells Kelric. "But..." "It is. So is he." "Oh dear." K says Mordred looks confused. "What's wrong?" The Tw goes to M "If you want to stay we can arrange it so that you can be here if you choose." K then smiles and starts to gorge his food."In private we do not have to eat properly." he smiles. I think I'd like that," says Mordred. "But shouldn't I talk to my mom and dad first? Don't they get a say?" "Can you give my memories back?" Those were directed at the Twister. Mordred eats his food when Kelric does. "I have called your father and he will be down. he also wil have spoken to your mother." he smiles. Mordred nods. "I hope they're nice people too." The Twister repeats K's words. "I cannot give your memories back."Tw says. "And you cannot walk me." "You're really neat," Mordred says to the Twister. "Can I make something like you someday?" K whistles."Yes it is very possible. But you must know your subconscious as it will be your Great Power and it will make the unvierses not you. (OOC a nice way to say I as GM run them and base them on the player's personality :) Mordred purses his lips. "I hope my subconcious isn't too saturated with the war stuff I know too much about." OOC That's cool. ;) "The only war I want to see is on paper and with coloured cardboard peices." he smiles. Mordred understands instantly. "That's neat. I think I'd like to play a game like that. I think I'd be good at it, and no one would get hurt." K then takes him to his massive game room and shows him a hundred of them... everything from 3rd Reich to Kingmaker... (which is?) Given Mordred's Command score, I suspect he'd been attracted to the most complicated ones. He seems particularly intersted in say, 3rd Riech or Imperium Romanum. So anyways K and M play IR - What is M's command? 119, if I recall correctly. ;) You beat K by ca 10 You have a great game. And youplay for 40 hours straight. "This is fun," says Mordred. "But only because it isn't real." "Mordred. It represents what WAS real." "Augustus had to fight to save Rome and its civilization and he had to fight his own Romans." "I can undstand that intellectually," says Mordred. "But I just can't imagine hurting anyone. Or ordering others to do it. My mind just stops, and I reach a big blank space when I think of it." "Many Romans had their natures though over time deteriorated and they became lax and bad greedy barbarians who saw a freemeal or were fleeing from other bad tribes broke in to the Empire." Mordred nods. "Fighting just for plunder is the worst kind of fighting of all." He nods."This is why when I made my Haven. I built its people to last and stay a civilization for many millenia. I planned to have people be stable, and live 2-4 X longer." "Aren't you worried about your more warlike relatives?" says Mordred. "Your people seem scared of them." K points to the sky and you see a waterspout come down into a giant swimming pool. "Neat!" "I do have some advantages." he grins. Mordred smiles. "But I can't do that here because we're only cousins? Do I have to be your son?" The waterspout shrinks and then dumps a few pailfuls on K for showing off." he sighs,"yes it is so - or grandson." It misses M 100% Mordred nods. "Are your sons and grandsons as nice as you?" He hold up his hand. "I know you're not always nice but you seem nicer than many of our relatives." "Max is nice but people bother him and he gets nasty. He protects all the city cats." "I like cats," says Mordred. "And horses." "Please I am not nice. I am just me. Like Max if you step on my tail I will get nasty." Mordred nods. "But you don't have a tail." "I am determined to protect honestly nice people." he adds. "That's good," says Mordred. He suddenly turns into a red wolf and stands up on the table. Mordred looks scared for a minute but then when he sees how tame he is he pets him. ;) And the eyes are the same blue The Wolf licks his face like a big ol' doggie Mordred giggles. "Hey, can I do that, or can only your sons do that?" Then it goes and takes a bit of meat. "Woof woof. It takes a sip,"Yes you can. " the voice says straining with a wolf' scords." Another sip. "I think you can be a shapechanger." I know what Mordred's normal avatar is. The Mongoose. ;) I recall that too... You suddenly feel yourself willing yourself to shapeshift into a dense mongoose. Mordred makes that Tikki Tikki Tavi noise when he's finished transforming. ;) The wolf bunts gently. And then K shapeshifts back. He then asks if you want to swim... "Sure," says Mordred. "I like the water." It is near sunset and near midnight) (He shapeshifts back for that.) You have a great night in the water splashing -playing water games and having a merry time. K introduces you to IH who is up reading. He looks at M and his eyes widen. Mordred says, "Hello, Mr. Holland. A pleasure to meet you." K: He is great at IR. We want to have a game of the Sulla vs Marius and Unkerr can be his Persians." Mithidatics. IH looks at M and gives a slight smile,"Good to meet you. Mord - red." Mordred compliments him on the way he's dressed. "Thank you." He says,"I am glad to set a good example." he beams and leaves "I+he invites you to play IR with him and K tomorrow. "We do not need Unkerr." "Why? " "I'd like that," says Mordred. "Though I'm glad the Roman days are over. Too much fighting. Not like it is here in Haven." "If you have no choice then people fight. Bad government and invaders both can cause war and if you are on the ball you can protect yourself from both." "I couldn't harm someone, even if they were trying to harm me," says Mordred. "I'd run away." "Or stand in the way of the blade so the people I cared about could run away." "Why not get an iron shapeshfited figure so the sword would not work," teases K You go back to your room at 3 am to sleep.... "That would be neat," says Mordred. "I bet if I turned into a mongoose they'd miss me." He laughs. What time does M wake up at... Early. That hadn't changed. He takes a shower, makes himself look all neat, and waits patiently in his room to be called. 6am or so... A maid comes in,"What are you waiting for son?" "Brakfast," says Mordred. How is he dressed. He now has a full wardrobe in his colours. Just like yesterday, unless he thinks he should be dressed as otherwise. Whiter pants, perhaps. ;) You get the idea that as long as you are looking presentable no one cares. (Except at state occassions. "Really?" asks Mordred. "I don't want to be a bother. What's your name?" "You can have breakfast anytime you want, young fellow." she smiles. "We have a 24 hour kitchen. If no one is eating then the staff will just happily eat." By the end of his stay with Kelric Mordred is going ot be on first-name terms with all the staff. ;) Her name is Elli :) She is amazed and thanks you. "You were like Max when he arrived." she says. Mordred nods. "Kerlric told me about Max. He said he protects the cats." (of course they gossip) Yes, but Mordred always seems upset by any nasty gossip. ;) "Yes but he has become a lot harder because of the horrid Mandor kidnapping him. Mandor put him in a blue crystal sack and stared at him all day. "Max was grabbed four times." "He was kidnapped?" asks Mordred. "But it's so easy to escape someone trying to grab you. I'll have to show him sometime." ;) That's his COmbat score speaking ;) "Were you in a sack?" she laughs. "I don't think so," says Mordred. "I don't remember." She smiles,"Well wait til you are in a sack and see if you can too." She leaves after she changes his bedding."YOu do not need to make it. Or you'll put Elli here out of a job. I'd have nothing to do if everyone was neat and tidy." "Oh, okay," says Mordred. "It's tough for me to be messy. I'd hate to give you more work." "I thank you for the thought." she says. "CAn I make the bed and just tell people you did it?" Where does he wander (what time did he get up) 6 am. ;) "No because I have to give you new sheets) "Oh, okay." You hear Kelric is in his office getting work done Mordred wouldn't bother him, then. Elli "The King gets up at 5:30 and works til 10 or 11 then he loafs around. The poor man rarely sleeps." Mordred says, "I don't think we need as much sleep... I didn't get much sleep and I feel fine." She smiles,"They say he is lazy but that's not true. He is very efficient too. Plus he has a lot of bureaucrats." Then youhave breakfast. (same here) OOC I need to go in a half hour or so so I can start driving. That works, then. ;) YOu also get shown a lot of the palace and the various activity rooms... libraries galore. Richbert: His Majesty loves books and has them everywhere. His private washrooms have shelves inthem. "I do, too," says Mordred. "I like it here." You see a few other people like Carol who wanders in,"hello: she says to him. She smiles and winks to him. Mordred says hello and tells her she's pretty. "What's your name?" "Thank you, I am Princess Carol Seehee. she says. "Oooh, a Princess," says Mordred, bowing. Richbert whispers in her ear. She gives Richbert a nasty look." "Yes" she smiles to him and says,"Are you enjoying Haven." Mordred looks at Richbert apologetically for the nasty look Carol gave him. ;) He smiles to you. She gives you a card and tells you about trump "Yes, very much," says Mordred. "It's very peaceful. I like that." "We try to keep it that way. " He seems to find it very fascinating and tries it out on her. "Call me if something goes wrong and Kelric is not here." She winks at him. Mordred nods. "Okay." Richbert says that Carol is a flirtatious girl and he told her not to play games with you." "She would have." "Was she flirting with me?" asks Mordred. "I didn't notice." "She is married." he warns you. Mordred nods. "Thank you. Since I don't even know if I have a girlfriend, I'd hate to get entangled right now." He laughs. OSric is led in to see you by Ian Holland. He then leaves." Mordred says to Richbert: "If she's married she shouldn't flirt. It's mean to her husband." Richbert,"I agree. Your father is here to see you." Osric looks like you but has green eyes... He is wearing black and looks very severe in his clothes. Mordred says, "Father! Someone mugged me and I've lost all my memories!" Mordred give him a hug anyway. ;) OSric hugs him... ightly.... "My poor son. Why is fate so cruel t you." Mordred tries to comfort him. I assume he got told his name. ;) "I don't think so, Father," says Mordred. "Except for the missing memories. And.... And... I feel sort of funny. Like something else is missing, too, but I can't explain what." You hear him weeping quietly,"are you hurt.?""I was worried whenb Haven called and they told me about this. I thought (he starts to cry) I lost you like I lost Mosley." He just holds on to Mordred. And you see him looking at you and just seems to have terrible pain in his eyes.... "I'm sorry, father," says Mordred. "Did I do something bad I don't remember? Kelric says I remind him of someone who died." Osric turns away. Then looks back at you. "Yes Kelric spoke of your brother Mosley. I loved him almost as much as I loved you." "Oh," he says. "That explains why I look like him. Where's mother?" He smiles,"You look so much like him. I thought you were he." "Mother asked me to come and handle things." he says smoothly. Mordred frowns. "I would like to have met her. I don't remember her at all! Or you! It's horrible!" Are we still in Haven? He takes you to a room and then he waves his hands and you are in his sitting room and he shows you Dara's pciture as a painting Nope but he magically took you to another room. Can I tell that happened? nope - just some magic to another room. Okay. He smiles,"Dara Princess of Helgram and Hendrake. Your half brother, her son by Brand. my brother, is King of Thelbane. "She's pretty," says Mordred. "Is Thelbane nice like Haven?" he shows you his picture too." "He looks like a nice person." "It is slowly trying to be there. But they have had many civil wwars. "He tries hard but it is tough." Mordred frowns at the mention of war. "I don't like wars." "I will tell you a secret. neither do I. But they happen and all we can do is make sure we survive. We do not have the Twister to protect us or a strong sense of order like Haven does." "Kelric said something like that," says Mordred. "But I can't even imagining asking people to go to war. I'd rather die first." "You have been near Kelric too much," he smiles,"Mosley told me that too." He thens shows you mosley's room. You see he has a tigger. "I felt that way before I met Kelric," says Mordred. "At least, since I lost my memories. Father, why do I know so much about war, even if I don't like them?" Mordred smiles at the tigger. "Stuffed animals are silly." "You studied it." he says."and you were not brought up by me and you were in a place that was in war." "I'm sorry he's dead." "So was Mosley but that was his Avatar." "I am glad to hear that." Osric then hugs Mordred. Mordred looks horrified when Osric tells him he studied it. "No wonder I don't remember! Maybe I don't want to remember. It sounds horrible." Mordred hugs him back. OSric wipes his eyes.... "It was.By the time we found you, you were hardened and very angry and hurt." "Did I drink?" asks Mordred. "The stuff in the bar in the limo seemed familiar." he picks up the tigger and smiles,"There are a lot of bad things I have had to do. I have had to go to war, and attack people too." "I"m sorry," says Mordred and give him another hug. "Thank you." "I do not know ifyou drank or not Mordred. you were very secretive and did not likeme." he says. "Why not?" asks Mordred. "You seem nice." "Because you were hurt at your past I can only guess and that you saw me as part of the problem. I cannot explain as I could not understand." "I don't understand, either," says Mordred. "Can you get my memories back?" He says,"I have men who wear uniforms to fight enemies. And they symbolize a lot of what your upbringing did not like. Your upbringing was designed to (he looks away) to hate me." Mordred looks horrified. "Who did that to me?" "I do not completely know. I have tried to find out. It is easy to blame as I know I have have a legion of enemies. But I do not know. You did some terrible things and felt you were right doing so. Under your rules of yourupbringing you felt you were..." he says. "I saved your life from the executioners block as did Kenneth." he tells him and then you are back in Haven. Osric hands you the stuffed toy. "I have another for you." "Why was I going to be executed?" asks Mordred. "I did do something bad, didn't I?" "A mongoose." he hands you a white mongoose." he seems to not want to reply. Mordred smiles. "That's silly, but thank you." "I wanted to give it to you as a child but could not." he says. "Finndo gave all of his children stuffed wolves." he says - almost flippantly. Mordred nods. "That's Kelric's father, yes?" He nods. "Yes my late brother. He fought the evil abyss hags saving Amber and died in battle." "Abyss hags?" asks Mordred. "How stupid," says Mordred. "That makes no sense." "They murder for religion and sacrifice kingsand redheads. " "yes but they feel a compulsion. We have fro millenia fought them and I created a militant order that seriously hurt them." Mordred nods. "I admire you and Kelric and other people who can bring yourself to fight bad people. I could never do that." He looks at you."Mordred. There is no line between what you and I or anyone else says is bad people. Bad people somethimes think they are doing good. The hags feel they are saving the univserse and they are wrong but they think they are doing good." Mordred nods. "That's what makes it so difficult. That's why I can't imagine fighting anyone. Once someone is dead, you can never know if they were right." "We fight to protect ourselves. Our worlds a re not as safe as Haven." "I thank you for admitring me. It means much to me." He smiles, tearing up,"You have no idea how much this means.... " Mordred nods. "I know... I know that intellectually. But when I think about hurting people... I... I.... It's like I stop." He puts a finger on your mouth. "say no more. I must see your mother." he then vanishes in rainbow saying "Good bye..." Mordred starts to say something, then he stops as he vanishes. He knits his brow. His only Trump is of Carol, right? Yes but you see it is 11 on the wall... K is free too. AM AM or PM? Well, Mordred's going to Trump her anyway. He wants to know what he did wrong and he thinks Carol might be improper enough to tell him. ;) He gets her... she is suntanning and stuffing herself with chocolate. She licks her lips,"NO please interrupt. " "Sorry to interrupt you, ma'am," says Mordred. "But I have a question. It's okay if you don't want to answer it." "I would love to go out with you. My husband would not mind." she says. Mordred smiles, uneasy. "Well, if he wouldn't get upset, I guess that'd be okay." He's very trusting. ;) Mordred jumps! She purrs,"We can go to a fine restaurant tonight. "Okay," says Mordred. "Do you want to hear my question?" "Oh?" she says.,"You have another." "Certainly." You feel her hands on yours through the trump.... "Yes," he says. "Everyone keeps getting sad and uncomfortable around me. I think I did something bad and I don't remember. My father practically said as much -- he said I was going to be executed in Thelbane. What did I do? I feel all bad and stuff and I want to make it better." "Mordred. You DID not do anything. You are a nice boy. You are sweet and kind and everything everyone would love you to be. You belong here and I hope you stay." "Um, okay..." Mordred nods. "Father mentioned that." "But your previous self was different.Hurt angry, bitter and rather a sloppy dresser and did not like himself. OOC a sloppy dresser indeed --- those uniforms are snazzy ;) He was cursed at birth and made to be an albino." "Wierd," says Mordred. "He refused to have the curse treated when a cure was available. He was high principled but the world and law was according to him. You were black or white." Mordred nods. "I like white." "They get mean, or they become a complete coward," says Mordred. She says,"What ahappens when a puppy is beaten and mistreated and then grows up tobe a german shepherd." Mordred purses his lips. She nods."Mosley was mouthy. Everyone thought he could be a pain at times. But he was not evil. He pissed off Morgaine but she was a bitch in my opinion. Snotty as hell. Your father killed Morgaine's mother, who worshpped the abyss and killed her husband every year. she did many crimes." "Yes." "Everyone keeps talking about Mosley around me. Did I... did I... hurt... my brother?" I didn't know it was Beltane, you bastard. ;) "Beltane two years ago." She says giving you the date. "LOok it up in the library." Whoops It was lammas. I recall Craigo complaining as his birthday is Lammas Eve :) Bingo! Either way, it coincided with a holiday. Nasty. Someone should have told Mordred this. ;) (I think everyone else knew :) I thought you knew .... No, this is the first time I heard of it. Game time and real time being distinct and all. ;) (I may have just told Tia Craig and Bob then...) Would have been nice if someone told Mordred. ;) You read the papers and the write ups and the (what M thought before was propaganda of the Abyss role in it) full paper coverage.... You read how in the outlawed Jessica Rags how she cheered Mordredon. OF what? the murder ... the library has full papers on microfilm. Never put it together. And the holiday wansn't mentioned in the paper, I thought. I may have forgotten that but I did say Abyss plot and Jessica cheered I recall that. She is.... So Carol is showing nice Morded the papers? "Kelric never said Icould show you things. Just not tell you directly." "He did not tell me to lie." Mordred starts crying. She holds him."That is not you. You have a second chance. No one blames you. But I guess someone weanted to stop the rabid dog from biting more people." "The Twister said something about 'him too'..." says Mordred. "Is there something else I don't know?" Mordred isn't stupid, after all. ;) She looks off."You have to talk to Kelric." "Okay," says Mordred, sniffling. (Time split: What does Mordred do (main Mordred when he hears that his other self was unfrozen? and is somewhere in Haven?) He formally requests that Kelric give the simulacrum to him so he can re-join his soul into one. "It can't be a complete person. Just like I am a incomplete without it." Kelric replies that the other Mordred is a real person in his eyes and you must ask him to do so. "Ihave the power to make him independent of you. And if he wants to he will." Mordred says, "You don't understand, Kelric. My advisors tell me without him I'm colder, more... feral. The fact you just refused me makes me angry, and makes me want to kill, and the only think holding me back is the intellectual knowledge that that would be bad. But I don't *feel* that way. I know that should worry me -- but it doesn't. But it should worry you, I think." "Mordred. I like him. He is a wonderful person. I have the film of us together. Yesterday. Look at it and tell me if you want to destroy him. Someone innocent and good and someone I swore to preserve and protect." He makes Mordred watch the film "I will protect him." Belial, who is with Morded, serving as his conscience, says, "King Kelric, I beg you. What you have there is a complete innocent, yes... But he can't defend himself. Perhaps some of his innocence would be proserved when they re-join. But can you, in good conscience, leave this Mordred, my Mordred, like this? What about Cat, and the other people who love him as he was before?" K paces,"I can see your arguement. But I want you to meet him and then we can bring you two together." Main Mordred seems confused by this argument, but he nods. "Please, Kelric. I'm begging you... Otherwise, I can't be held accountable for my actions. My first instinct is to take him back by miliary force and to flay anyone who gets in my way alive." Belial winces when Morded says that, and Mordred just looks at him oddly. "Like hell. I know your military potential and I know dang well you'd nevermake it past New VErona." K says. 'now that you have finished threats we can talk." Mordred sighs. "I know. But I'd rather be dead than... incomplete. I'm afraid of what I might do, to CAt or anyone else I care about. I still care, but there's no check for my anger, except long-term planning." "I have one request. You must not destory any of his possessions." "your possessions if you take over." K gets angry at himself."I am selling a nice guy to a rabid dog. I am disgusting." "Given," says Mordred, without hesitation. "I'm desperate, Kelric. And the last time I was desperate, I killed Mosley." "And you have never repented it." Kelric says,"I have ordered people killed but I at least felt bad about that." "He did not before either." Belial says, "With respect, King Kelric, in his current state he cannot repent it. Only myself and his other asvisors have kept him from attacking the CSA." K then says to Mordred,"Behave." Mordred says, "I still say LAzare should be strung up." " and he takes his hand. Mordred nods. "I'm sorry. I just... Ugh... It's very difficult to explain." You shimmer in and you see Mordred the Good reading some nice books in the library... Kelric looks very upset and says,"I have someone you want to meet Mordred." "This is the one in the papers." Nice Mordred starts. "Hello, King Kelric. Who's your friend?" "please just Kelric. I am your cousin." He looks horrified. He recoils. "You mean... There are two of us? How can that be?" "I will not let himhurt you." K says,"What ever you choose I will respect." Main Mordred snaps, "Kelric, he's the last person I'd want to hurt. He's a part of me, and killing him would be stupid. Even in this state, I can tell that." "So was your brother." kelric 's voice cracks like lgihtnign and thunder. Main Morded stares at him and nice Mordred starts to cry. Kelric runs over andcomforts him. "Don't be mean to him, Kelric," says nice Mordred. "He was hurt. Father said he was hurt, like a dog that people kicked all the time." "But I will not let him hurt you." Main Mordred snorts. "Osric would say that. I suppose he didn't tell you that it was Mother that treated me that way." Kelric says,"I asked him not to badmouth anyone." Nice Mordred cries even harder. "Your own mother did that to you?" He tries to get away from Kelric to give main Mordred a hug. ;) "The boy has suffered enough. OSRIC WAS HELPLESS> She used and manipualted me too." He lets him go. Main Mordred raises an eyebrow and hugs him back. "Well mordred the white. I think he made his choice." Kelric then sighs and leaves the room... there is a light rain gettining heavieroutside. "Now what?" asks Mordred. "Do you know how we can re-join, boy?" Nice Mordred says, "I don't know... You have all the memories." You hear K yelling at a Twister.... "I do not want to do it. It is wrong." Tw tells nice Mordred K know show... "I think the Twister can help," says Nice Mordred. "Please Kelric," says nice Mordred. "I don't want him to be mean anymore. Look at him." "I do not want to loose you like, like, I lost Max." "Like I lost Flynn and like Ilost Mosley to Thule...." Main Mordred says, "Well, will I have the boy's memories? In which case, you won't lose him. Though I'll probably be in therapy for the next couple of years after that." "Thule?" asks nice mordred. "What's that?" "He has Haven medicare. I can extend it to you." "You don't want to know," says main Mordred to nice Mordred. "Your father's militant order who fought Abyss. They were mean. But they had to nbe in some cases." They went to far and I supported Morgaine and gave her refuge here." "that is why Osric abolished thme." Main Mordred says, "I've never disputed that Thule's original purpose was noble. But the ends do not justify the means." Kelric sighs,"We have to go to Delta Beach. My tritual Castle is there." MM nods. "Very well, then." He is crying and then he says to NM "Good bye, my friend. I will miss you." NM clings on MM. "Will it hurt?" "only a bit a couple needles." "I'll come back to visit," says nice Mordred. "I'll try to make sure the pain doesn't drown me out." K sighs and says,"I am trying to preserve so much... But being so stable and permanent means you sit and watch everything else good vanish." He then asks NM - "are you sure you want to obliterate your entire existance in a single ritual?" "He's in pain," says NM. "I can tell. I'd willingly die if I needed to to make one person feel better." "We needmore like you. not less. K then has both of the M's undress and put on trunks in their colours. "I used to feel that way," says MM. "But no one asked. Father didn't understand why I was willing to die to fight Thule." "This is the worst ritual I have had to do." MM cocks his head to one side. "And now, frankly, I don't understand what I was thinking." NM wears white and MM wears Black and White. "I hope MM this is worth the sacrifice I and that poor boy are making." He has them lie face to face and then they are mummified.... "Any last words." he says "Do you want to release a monster on the world?" asks Mordred. "I may have been bad before, but without the boy I'm worse. My advisors won't admit it to my face, but I can see the fear in their eyes." "I have blue crystal caves for monsters." K growls. "And I am a monster too for what I am doing." NM says, "Noooo. If you can fix him so he's not a monster you should. He would be sad if you locked him up, and I don't like the idea that someone is sad just so I can exist. That bothers me." "Good bye Mordred." K says. And then there are two incisions allowing blood tubes to connect the blood to each others.... and there is a terrible spinning as it is being spun in the twister.... and then it stops.... Mordreds black out.... You wake up and Carol is undoing the cloth.... Yes... Am I whole again? And do I have NM's memories? Yes What does reunited Mordred look like... Mordred starts to cry. He looks the same -- but with blue eyes. She looks at you.... Her voice fills with pity,"Hello... "are you alright. " Mordred smiles wanly at her. "No. I'm not. Do we still have a date this evening?" Her voice starts laughing...."Only if you dress up and look presentable. The restaurants I want to go to at least require a shirt." You have a lovely dinner with Carol.... Mordred sighs. "I guess I will. He... I... er. One of us was looking forward to it." And she actually is a good conversationalist. She does try to get him to cut his hair. Morded does the small talk think. Mordred cuts his hair for the date, he can use a spell or shapeshift to grow it back later. ;) "It always is that way." she laughs, Then"Buck and Johnny have restored him to life as an 11 year old boy." At some point Mordred blurts out: "You know, my father was right, but for all the wrong reasons. I shouldn't have killed Mosley -- I should have rescued him from Thule. If anyone deserved to die, it was Osric for creating Thule in the first place." She shakesher head. "Go read over the Corwin Chronicals and the tales of the bratpack and what was happening in Chaos. Thule was the only thing stopping Mandor from killing more people. It has a purpose once upon a time." "No one is perfect." she tells him. "There was no reason to give it a racist edge, though," says Mordred. "And there were other ways to get the Abyss out of Remba than to invade." "Not whie Moire lived." "The ends do not justify the means," says Mordred. "Then they shouldn't have sent a boy to do it," says Mordred. "They used him as a tool!" Then she says,"You are talking like Kelric now. I think he corrupted you." "I always liked Kelric, remember," says Mordred. "Remember our falling out was because I thought he should let MAx dance with a girl." Carol says,"Kelric spent his adolescence bailing people out of bad relationships. And he also saw how love is a political weapon. And how innocent people can be seduced very easily." She smiles to Mordred and licks her lips. "Bad relationships often allow one to develop good ones later," says Mordred. "And he was prejudiced agains the girl's blood, which she had no control over. That's like calling me a Thulist." "not her background he used the blood issue to win support. He did not like her trying to force her way in and manipulate his son. Kkleric is very protective." "I don't think she was doing that," says Mordred. "Hell, if I were female, I would have wanted to date Max." "No one has a monopoly of making correct judgments. Kelric saw her as a threat. And he saw her as predatory and how his enemies could hurt him by using Max." Mordred shakes his head. "Remind me to recreate for Kelric the paniced Trump call I got from her when Kelric sent out the bombers to stop her. She was horrified that he'd react that way. She just wanted to be Max's friend." Kelric saw it as a plot and once he feels he is under attack he reacts and overreacts. "But I know one little secret. The planes had leaflets only in them. He wasbluffing./" she smiles. "You have influence over him," says Mordred. "Tell him, next time, that he should trust me to keep an eye out for that sort of thing. If she had played Max for a fool, I would have personally done something about it." "That's good to know," says Mordred, about the pamphlets. Mordred laughs as well. He spend all night writing them. They were pretty good reading too." she laughs. She sighs,"Poor little red wolf" "Lazare sure has some sense of humor," says Mordred. "Mordred Barimen, indeed." She laughs,"Lazare has a sharp brain. And he also in spite of his being the asshole of Creation knows that people are still people." Mordred shakes his head. "I still don't like him, and would love to see him toppled from the CSA." "Plus I wonder if he was also playing a cruel trick on Kelric." Mordred nods. "Prodding all those memories about Mosley, yes." "If he falls Kelric plans to recover much Canadian territory from the CSA that the British gave up from Jay's Treaty onward." "I would support that," says Mordred. "Let Kelric know." She laughs. "I will leave him be." she says,"Looking out at the drizzelly sky." "I do." she says,"You have the incisors though. His never grew yet." "Though I wouldn't start a war over it," says Mordred. "Thing is, no one in the family understand that that kid WAS me. I *am* like that, deep down. But I see the injustice and I feel I have to do something about it. And all I know is fighting." She sighs,"Poor Kelric thinks he committed murder. Twister convinced him and bullied him into doing the right thing but he feels he did something horribly wrong." "And the wisdom of past lives too." she says. "I get the impression that the Twister has a lot of his wisdom," says Mordred. "I mean, the kid was nice and all, but he was even worse a target than Max for kidnapping. Kel said he'd protect him, but he couldn't always protect MAx." "No he could not. We were this morning going over the plans to keep you out of the palace and Ian and Grey both said you'd be unstoppable." Mordred sighs. "I think Lazare *was* trying to be mean to Kelric. There's about 1000 buttons he's pushing there." K was ready to barricade the place but Twister ended it by notbacking him up." Mordred nods. "I'll have to send a thank-you note to the Twister." She says,"It knows these things." "I shudder to think what would have happened if I'd invaded Haven while in that state. I remember I was planning to take as many of Kelric's kids as were at the University hostage as I could." "An army was what we feared less. You would have never made it past New Verona." she laughs,"You have to sail here." Mordred shudders. Mordred nods. "Grandchildren, then. Like Milton or Franz or something." "He has none of his there. Max graduated and Redmond and Benny are too young." There are none there. But there are a lot of cousins. Ahh them. The Thulist boys... " "Are they Thulists?" asks Mordred. "Ossian hinted as much." "If you had taken them I think there would be a hit squad sent out to prevent future Mosleys." She ays,"My mother Katrina Seehee told me that Bances wanted you put down saying you would kill again." "Which was quite possible in that state," says Mordred. "Really, while I was split up, I was closer to what people *think* I am than I've ever been before. Bloodthirsty, angry, primal." He shudders again. Mordred nods. "I'm going to make a formal apology. Father won't like the way I'm going to phrase it, though." "All he cares about is if you regret murdering Mosley and that you will not slay close family again." "Mother told me that Osric has been drinking non stop for the first time since Finndo died." Lazare got him good. "She notes,"And since he helped Osric he will get away with it." "are you going to see Kelric?" she asks him. Mordred nods. "This is the sort of thing that drove me to kill in the first place. People getting away with evil things." "If he wants to see me," says Mordred. "It was evil intent but it produced good." Carol says,"Then let him get away with it and we can hope he repeats doing good when he does not plan to." "And my killing Mosley had good intentions but seems to have realed a lot of evil, including Black Star Thulists." "Mosley's job was to keep the radicals under tight control - The White (Note the Colour) thules were his creation. He wanted to make Thule more like Blue Sun or Ultima." "Thulist knock-off, yes," says Mordred. She alughs,"No hardly,"Triple carbon copies sketched with Crayon. Mordred nods. "Buck worries me. And this business Holland told me about blood ritual and a new generation under Buck's leadership." Mordred nods. "Hardly under his leadership. Kelric has filtered too much independent thought in his academia. Flynn yells to me how they DO not listen to him at all." Mordred scowls. "Flynn abuses the servants." "hje shoots cats and tried to have the city population poisoned." Mordred shakes his head. "And *I'm* the rabid dog?" She says,"Flynn is like you. Someone damaged and we are trying to heal. When Kelirc touched his stuffed wolf - he would not talk to him for a week and killed servants in Thelbaen who were blamed for letting him do it." "That is Kelric 's burden." she says. She smiles,"You would not cheat on Cat. I know." "By the way," says Mordred, as they're finishing up dinner. "I really enjoyed dinner with you. But I hope you won't be offended when I say both sides of me think you should pay more attention to your husband." Mordred nods. "That too." She laughs,"Dear Mordred. If I could reverse time I would. However we are good friends but he is impotent. And also I get on his nerves if we are together in bed." Mordred raises an eyebrow. "One would think either medicine or magick could do something about that." "Trust me - we tried. And I have access to Seehee magics, Atlantean,abyss you name it." Mordred nods. "Well, like I said, I actually enjoyed dinner. I hope I can be friends with the Haven crowd now. Though I'm not going to stop speaking my mind. For example, I don't think that party you all crashed was really swaying nuetrals. If you were really concerned, you could have held a counter-party. I would have attended that." "We really gave no damn about them. They were already lost." she said,"We wanted to prevent the coronation Eric planned. He loves these little surprises." Look at last time." "Crap." she says,"eric is being revisionist again." Mordred nods. "What do you think about this Kolvir implant business? I'm suspicious, but Cat said what she saw would have been difficult or impossible to fake." "I could duplicate it on you if you want." she says. "Perhaps we should do that sometime," says Mordred. "Trump Cat about it. The last thing I should think the Haven regime would want is he believing anything that isn't true." "you can tell her. She is a nice enough person but ince her mind is set she is as untractable as her brothers." Mordred smiles. "That's why I like her." "Also we grate on each others nerves." Mordred politely doesn't reply to that last bit, only smiling. She takes him back in her pink caddy limo - convertablethrough the city of lights through the downtown... Mordred politely doesn't say anything about the color of the limo. ;) (Yes it is tacky :) You see Haven City's lights... He asks to be dropped of so he can talk to Kelric. You see the same limo driver driving He says hello," Mordred says hello to him. "Good to see you again." "I don't believe we've met." OK :) Mordred smiles. "It's a long story, Bentley" The guy seems shaken but goes along with it. You pass under the high buildings of the business district. and see the lights and have a wonderul drive. Carol gives you a glass of champagne. "I think you are now old enough to drink." You are dropped off at the palace.. and you appreciate the citadel next door to the palace more... (makes Amber Castle look like an outhouse) Heh. Mordred's always liked Haven. It's just he also likes places like Texorami as well. ;) What does M do then? He goes in, says hello to the staff he know, and asks to see Kelric. They seem polite and tell him that he is working late in his office and even skipped dinner. Mordred says he's willing to wait. "Tell him we can play Imerium Romanum when he's done." He then goes to where NM was reading and finishes the book. ;) he realizes that it is twice as rich now that he knows about the subject... He starts over from the start, then. Elli comes in to dust."My my sir, you are up late. It is after 5 am. You doing something for the King." Mordred says, "I want to see Kelric before I go." "He's real upset you know. Can't tell why. But he cancelled all his meetings. "In a sense," says Mordred. "I want to make him less sad, Elli. He thinks he did something bad and he's wrong." She smiles,"Then you go up there and tell him. He's got no guards at his office. he done well hates that." "Thank you, Elli," says Mordred. "You're a good person." "Now git up there you." she smiles. He smiles and waves and goes up to see Kelric. You find the secretaries all left... and you see the inner door. You open it and he is writing and has earphones on blaring loudly. Mordred uses a spell so his voice goes over the earphones, but quietly. "Hello, cousin." K looks at you, bleakly and takes off his earphones."Hi." K's face goes from stone to teary and he lsitens. "Hello," says Mordred. His hair is still cut from the date. "I just wanted to tell you that you did the right thing. The kid is still here, in me. He's always been in me. It's just... It's just been a long time since I let him out. There's a lot of things I want to tell you, but the foremost is: Thank you." he nods. Afraid to speak. "We've had out differences," says Mordred. "And I see now that I shouldn't have killed Mosley. I should have tried to fix him, to rescue him from Thule." "that .. that will make your father happy. then "I wish you could too. If Flynn was alive we could have. Flnn's death drove Mosley to Thule." "I'm not sure," says Mordred. "I think it's my father's fault that Mosley was the way he was. He tusted my fether and he betrayed that trust." "What about the racism?" asks Mordred. "Whose idea was that?" "Your father saw that hewas a man and overestimated his capacity. Osric did not want to make the same mistake about me that Finndo did. He wanted to try to give room for Mosley to rise." "I thkni it was from Delwin. Delwin wanted to get back at Suhuy's redheaded ideas and Thule adopted the racism to keep its people in line. Delwin was Rot Adler the Nazi mystic. Mordred shakes his head. "I'm going to make the formal apology, but father isn't going to like it." Thule was no more racist than Vril. Sure there is 19th Century attitudes but paternalism is better than abandonment of the post 1945 era." Mordred smiles wanly. "The whole British: 'Sure, we're superior, but as long as we admit that, we can still be friends' thing, hmmm?" Yes. " Ke says."The Birtish never had the klan either as a result of enforced attitudes. Too much change causes more damage to the ones who are meant to be helped." "nor should it. But you should separate them from the individuals." "Still," says Mordred. "It got out of hand and I'm going to condemn it. This whole business still doesn't fully reconsile me to the status quo. Hell, Kerlic, it seems to me that Haven is one big rebellion against the way the other GPs treat their people. At least you actually care." "You're that, too," says Mordred, smiling. "But I forgive you, because you mean well. And the kid liked you." "It was a rebellion. I found it funny when the youngsters brand me as an ultra conservative and a pillar of the status quo and how I am as bad as Bances and Osric. But I am also a rebel too. The elders whose boots they curry and lick, they were bigger oppressors of people than anyone in thelbane. At least Thelbane has laws under the Swayville code. Oberon never cared." Mordred nods. I liked the other Mordred." Kelric says,"I miss him." Mordred shrugs. "I know. But... no offense, Kelric, but you couldn't have protected him. Not fully. Lazare was tryuing to push your buttons. He needs the hard part of me for protection." K starts tearing up,"I know. And it bothers me." Mordred gives him a hug. "You know," he says trying to not blubber," You look like him a bit more too." "I know. It bothers me, too. Remember, Kerlic, no matter how we disagree, that I feel the same way. I've just come to different conclusions, and my path is different. Harder, perhaps." Mordred says, "My eyes are blue now." Kk looks."I did not do it. I swear i did not." "I kept the window into his soul," says Mordred. "Because his soul is mine, too. A reminder for me, and for everyone else." Mordred nods. "I know. I did. The kid wasn't an idiot, even if he was an innocent. He knew I liked the way I looked but he wanted to keep the eyes, because he'd used them to look at Haven in wonder. So I... we... let him." "I am glad he liked Haven. I try to keep it in excellent condition." "Hell, Kelric, *I've* always liked Haven," says Mordred. "It's just sometimes I need to go elsewhere and raise a little Hell." Mordred laughs as well. "Well so do I" he laughs. "But for once, just once this universe needed a place where the GPwas on the side of the people who lived there." "Thank you. I am used to Haven bashing." Mordred nods. "I don't tell it to you often enough, Kelric, but I *do* respect what you've done here. A lot. Not like some of my other friends, who hide their GPs from view." Mordred smiles. "It's just we get tired of stroking your ego, you old red wolf." "That's why I go to the people so often." he laughs. He laughs, indicating he's only half-serious. He smiles,"Sure. I need more slurpee though." "Anyway, let's play a game of Imperium Romanum before I get back to Parys. Like the kid, I'd much rather use my skills with cardboard counters than with real people." Mordred laughs and waits for him to get a slurpee. He smiles to Mordred," I do but I am not a pushover. Want a slurpee." "No, thanks," says Mordred. "You're trying to addict me. I know better." He laughs. "When I throw my tempertantrums I purposely let people know that I have the capacity to defend myself I chose to hide it and to also not waste money parading it around." "IT is not Kashfan cola. Mordred nods. "I've never been much for martial pomp and circimstance myself." "That is the only part i do like but with trained actors. "they are better than the real thing. The real trained poeple for emergencies are the staff. They know all weapons and can use a livingroom as 30 lethal weapons." Mordred nods. "A real soldier should be concentrating on his duty. I tell my men that they should never be eager to fight -- just ready." "We think alike in a lot of ways, Kelric, which is why I get so cross with you when we disagree," says Mordred. "I always saw that. As you know. Finndo treated me much worse than your father did once he knew of you." "Dara did the same to me too as Osric. Ihave two sons by her and Redmond hates my guts." "You must spearate your fahter from the man who founded thule. Leave his work at his work." "Osric's been good to me," says Mordred. "But I'd rather he wasn't. I know it's because I'm his blood, and not because of my own merits. That's why I prefer my friends to close family. They don't feel obligated to like me, but they do anyway." "Mordred,"he says carefully,"If you cannot keep your non Famiy friends safe and from aging, they are vulnerable and that makes you vuneralble." Mordred shakes his head. "It's difficult. We still disagree on so much. I know he's trying, but he won't concede anything to me. Or explain why he thinks he's right." "and you think you are right and will not concede either. Impasse." Mordred says, "Most of my friends are Family. But not direct Family." "Neither are mine. I am TRYING with Bucky but it is soooo hard." Mordred smiles. "OSric and I are very alike, which is why we don't get along. We both have a strong sense of right and wrong and won't bend. Tho I like to think I'm more willing to admit my mistakes." He does too" K says,"Just not to you." Mordred laughs. "I hear that he compalins continually. Every case he has to judge pains him." K and you are sitting at the IR board by this point. he is still trying to palm slurppes your way... Mordred nods. "I can think of a way that might reconsile us, but he'd never do it. It's too dangerous. Even I think it's dangerous." "What is it?" "Let me judge the cases," says Mordred. "Put me in his shoes. So I can see how hard his job really is." He whistles,"I have a better idea. Let you decide which cases go to him or to a lower court." "That could be interesting," says Mordred. "But it'll never happen." "Be the Attorney General. Mosley's job." "Why not? He can appoint you. It is a cabinet post indep[endent of Piers." Mordred shrugs. "I'm too radical. It'd be very tough for me to not speak out against any law I saw as unjust, and I'd have a tough time deciding who'd jusge it." "You may not outside Cabinet but you certainly can when it is decisionmaking time." "Intersting," says Mordred. "And vaguely disturbing. I'll have to think about it." "Plus Piers is too big for his britches and Kenneth has been wanting you in Cabinet once the Mosley issue was done." "If Ken asked me to," says Mordred. "I'd do it in a snap." "He cannot. The Judiciary is out of Royal Control. Osric can only." "If he asked me to try to get the position, then," says Mordred. "I am subject to informal pressure like anyone else." (OOC after you deal with mosley... Kenny will say yes - fyi) I suspected as much.