Ye Olde Magic Shoppe (Karlsen, Fergus)

"Perhaps" is her answer, "given time. It rather depends on the style of spell as well as its purpose and the relative skill of the caster."

Fergus realises that they probably are not going to get any meaningful answers from the box tonight. Karlsen seems to be still engrosed in the workings of the box so Fergus responds directly to his Aunt.

"In which case I doubt that we are going to get much more from the box. It is possible that some of those spells on the box may be traps to avoid snooping anyway, therefore a degree of care is in order there. We might be better getting the information we need directly from the young lady about it though."

Fiona lifts one eyebrow. "Someone uniquely suited to extracting information from nearly anyone gives that lady his full attention even now. I'll introduce you tomorrow. He's not really what you might expect. For now, we both need sleep. In the morning we'll all come back here."

"You seem to have someone for every task around Amber, Aunt Fiona. It is good that she is in the hands of an expert, though I might have some of my own questions to put to her. I will just say good night to my Cousin then."

Fergus goes over to where Karlsen is sitting at the workbench and taps him on the shoulder.

"Aunt Fiona says it is time for us to retire to bed. I would have liked to stay and talk with you more Cousin, but we will return in the morning when hopefully you might have found more out about the box. I have one favour to ask of you before we go. Do you have a piece of Amber lodestone that I could borrow for a few weeks?"

Karlsen seems to wake up out of his trance and mumbling. He gets up and stretches. "Ok this thing is amazing. Going to take some time to work through everything, but I think the basics are fairly clear. Something is going into this box from outside. I think it is recording information but I am not sure what or how sophisticated yet. At least audio and any sorcerous eminations so whatever we have been saying is going inside the box. It almost absorbed a few of my probes."

"I need to open the box to find out more. But before I do that I need to know exactly what happened the last time the box was opened. I do not want a surprise."

(OCC - David - Does such a thing exist? If it does Karlsen would certainly have some and will say "How big?" Then give him anything smaller than his hand. If he wants something bigger it will take a while to order.)

"At some point I need to inspect this person who was wearing the monicole. She has the remaining parts of the integrated device. It will be usefull to know what that includes. What time tomorrow do you intend to go visit your expert?"

[OOC - Aiden established the Lodestone earlier in a thread at the party and David didn't seem to have a problem with it]

In response to Karlsen's query about size Fergus replies.

"Oh it doesn't have to be big. The size of a little finger would probably do and I suspect it would be better long and thin rather than rounded. The last time this box was opened a small clay bird came out of it and flew over our heads out of Remba. If this is indeed a recording device that perhaps that is the method of getting the recording back to the person controlling all of this."

"Speaking personally I plan to visit Aunt Fiona's expert first thing in the morning. I am somewhat keen to find out what he has learned from the woman who had this and I have questions of my own to ask."

Karlsen thinks about this. "Ok I will join you at the castle for an early breakfast. I can always count on getting a good meal up there anyway, and after an all nighter I will need it."

"Aunt Fiona do you have some sort of freeze spell handy? I think we do not want our recent investigation and speculation reaching it's destination." He thinks a bit. Then wanders to a corner and dumps out a waste basket onto the floor. "Fergus do you want to try to catch it? Or open the box?"

(OCC - This has all the makings of something hilarious. Who will end up with the bucket on their head? Who will get frozen? Who will end up flat on their kiester from a small clay bird moving at the speed of a Nolan Ryan fastball?)

[OOC - Always in for a bit of comedic relief]

Fergus thinks about the situation and then makes a decision.

"I will open the box I think if you want to try and catch the bird. I suggest that we close all the doors and windows as well just in case you miss Cousin."

Assuming that Aunt Fiona is ready with her freeze spell, Fergus will then let Karlsen arrange the room and then get into position to catch the clay bird before opening the box.

"All the windows are already shut in here. I am not in the habbit of leaving them open when I am not present." He positions himself with the basket between the box and the stairwell (which has no door). Now that he is ready he will wait there till Fiona is ready then signal Fergus.

(Occ - Ok we set up the fun. Let the mayhem begin!)

When Aunt Fiona signals that she is ready Fergus will open the box and will try and watch for the path of the clay bird should it emerge from it. Of course there is always the possibility that nothing will come out and that some other trigger is required.

Once the box is open, a tiny clay bird immediately flies out and begins searching for and exit. The thing is fast. And quite capable of zipping under tables and behind furniture. It is small enough to fit through a mouse hole but let us assume Karlsen doesn't let such things happen in his workspace.

"Can you flush it into the open?" says Fiona. "Can't freeze if if I can't see it!"

Fergus decides that perhaps an alternate strategy is necessary to catch the errant clay bird. He waits for it to go into a hiding place and then both flattens and stretches his hand and makes it somewhat sticky at the same time.

Ignoring the stares he may be getting from Karlsen and Aunt Fiona he quickly manouvers his hand around covering the possible exit of the bird with his extended hand and brings it down upon the errant bird. If it tries to fly away it will just hit his sticky hand.

Karlsen will maintain his position in front of the stairwell, thinking that is the most likely way the bird will try to escape.

Of course the bird heads for the stairwell! The chase/search for the tiny thing expands through the building! If there is some way out of the place, the bird will find it.

Assuming there isn't, a variation on Fergus' tactics essentially work. He can't yet make his hands very sticky, but he manages to slow the thing down with a touch and grab if more firmly! If you think he's careful enough, the clay bird will remain intact. If not, it will break and lose all animation.

Fergus will try and grasp the bird in his expanded hand, closing his fingers around it but not too tightly to crush it. Now of course there was the issue of how to examine it without it escaping again. He turned to Karlsen and asked.

"So now that I have this thing what do you want to do with it? Do you have some sort of cage that would hold it?"

Karlsen snaps his fingers. "Got just the thing." He goes downstairs and comes back with a large bell jar with a handle at the top. "We sometimes work in a low Oxygen environment." He sets it on the workbench and tilts it for Fergus to put it inside. He then lowers it until the gap is too small for the bird. Then Fergus can let go of the bird, and slip his fingers out of the gap. Then Karlsen will set the jar flat. "Neat trick with the fingers. Not sure I would advertise that though. People who can do that don't always get the best treatment."

Fergus lowers his hand into the bell jar and then flattens it as much as he can so that once Karslen lowers it he can slip his hand out from the tiny gap that the bord cannot get through. He then focusses for a second and his hand returns to its normal shape.

"I don't advertise it, but in this situation it was needed. I am given to understand though that it is a rare family trait however, so I am suprised that you think that people might react badly to it. I am given to understand that Great Grandfather could do it, so its probably inherited from him. Do you know what the basis is for people's poor reaction to this is Cousin?"

"Unfortunately some people will assume the worst in people when given a chance. Anyone who can change their appearance as they like could cause a considerable ammount of trouble. With hundreds of years of suspicion and distrust our family tends to view every ability and power as potential gain or loss for their own designs."

"Thank you for your help. I am not sure if I could have stopped that bird alone, and certainly not intact. I am going to need most of the night to examine these things further. Either or both of you are welcome to stay if you wish but I believe that Fiona mentioned that she desired rest. I will join you in the morning to see the woman that was wearing the monocle."

If they decide to leave he will see them out. If either decides to stay he will ask if they want any refreshement. He will then send one of the guards over to the bar for food.

Fergus ponders Karlsen's response before replying to him.

"It seems I have much to learn of people then. I will bear your warning in mind Cousin, and thank you for all your help tonight with the artifacts. I believe that we will head off now as we will have an early start in the morning. I shall leave you to investigate our little bird."

With that Fergus nods to his Cousin and accompanies his Aunt from the workshop and into the carriage for the ride back to the Castle.

(Occ- Ok David Karlsen spends the night going over the box, bird and monicle, with all the tools at his disposal. Does he learn anything more? Power source? Origin Magic? Clues to who cast the spells? Method of delivering information? Feel free to PM me. If you want a detailed list of questions to answer let me know.)

Fergus returns to the Castle with Aunt Fiona in the coach in a contemplative mood. He is glad for some quiet time just to sit and think and process all that he has learned tonight. There were still a number of mysteries surrounding the strange woman in grey, but they could wait until the morning when he had a chance to question her himself. Hopefully Cousin Karlsen would have more information on the box and the monocle by morning as well.

The coach pulled into the Castle Courtyard and Fergus gets out first to offer his hand to help Aunt Fiona down.

"I would love to talk to you at some point about all your research around the Pattern Aunt Fiona, but alas it is not the time now and I suspect I will be somewhat otherwise engaged over the next days in the Nexus. It seems alas never a good time at the moment and my to do list seems to be getting as long as Cousin Mint's. I expect I'll see you in the morning, so until then I'll bid you a good night."

Presumably Fergus gets a good night's sleep. When he wakes, his regular servant comes in with a letter for him as well any other usual routines (i.e. breakfast). The letter is addressed to him Fergus of Amber and sealed with wax, showing a unicorn impression. The letter reads:

Dear Professor Fergus,

I'm told the above title is more amenable to you than those traditional here in Amber. As I understand the title and the context of your own expertise in matters little known here, may I venture an opinion it seems appropriate?

His Majesty King Random requests you meet with your cousins Aiden and Karlsen at the latter's home and workplace this morning no later than than the ninth hour. At that time, I can share with you the information gleaned from our involuntary guest with the monocle.

Speaking solely for myself, I look forward to meeting you!

Respectfully,

Horatio, Assistant Minister of State for Special Affairs

Fergus reads the letter and wonders where he was awarded this Professorship from. Mint obviously meant the title in semi jest last night but having the title so suddenly appear on an official letter meant only one thing. The fact that he hadn't objected strongly to its use last night has meant that whoever was spying for this Horatio person has taken it to be a way to flatter him. Well he'd sort out this official later at the meeting back at Karlsen's workshop and straighten out his misconception.

What the hell is a Minister for Special Affairs? It sounds like a title with no real meaning.

First of all Fergus has something else to deal with that was left over from the night before. Now that he had been told that servants were used to spy a few more things had become apparent to him. Fergus had rejected every servant that had been sent to attend him until he had come across until he had met Jorge, who had patently not wanted to fuss over him. Fergus had welcomed him as a friend and they had talked in his room, but now that he had understood that the servants here were used to spy he now understood a bit more about why they had wanted him to have a servant. He calls Jorge over to him to talk.



"My friend Jorge, it has come to my attention that servants in Amber are used to spy on members of the family. Now the way I see it you are being paid to be my servant, yet I require no work of you. You are also being paid by someone else to report on me, so you are essentially being paid twice without having to do any real work."

"Now I have no particular objection to that, except that I want you to tell me exactly who you are spying for and that you tell me what you are telling them in case I might want to add something to your report. I would also require you not to tell them that I know that you are spying on me. Now the alternative is that I tell the family that I don't require a servant any more, which means you will lose your lucrative double wage and they will just try and find another way to spy on me. I'd much rather know how they are spying on me and what they are being told by my friend that have to find other means of doing so. So Jorge, how do you feel about becoming my double agent? All you need to do my friend is tell me who is paying you and what you've told them so far, We will then say no more about it and I'll make us breakfast before I head down to my morning meeting."

Jorge listens to this. "Huh," he says after a few seconds. "Got some news for you. I'm not spying on anybody. Well, folks ask how you are and stuff but nobody asks for details. They don't ask me, anyway. Gives me an idea or two though. Lord Horatio there," he points to the letter, "he's pretty much the official spymaster for the Crown. What do you say I volunteer to spy on you, split what I get for it with you, then report back whatever you want?" He looks very pleased with himself at his idea. "Or I can go back to my usual duties. Doesn't make that much difference to me."