From: Jason Kee 
Subject: [AM] Random Conjecture
 
        Julianna's pale finger traced along the page of the ancient 
tome, the lace cuff of her black dress trailing beneath it as she 
rapidly skimmed line after line, passage after passage, absorbing the 
words on the page much as a sponge does liquid.
 
        After a few moments she slowly turned the page, taking care not 
to damage the fragile parchment, and continued reading.
 
        Alone she sat in the library of Castle Amber, a large pile of 
books, spread out on the desk before her in an orderly manner, her only 
companions. Resting beside the pile was slender grey notebook, on top of 
which lay a white quill, perhaps fashioned from the feather of a dove.  
A small silver inkjar sat to the right of the book.
 
        She turned another page.
 
        The chair she rested upon was of deep red leather, highbacked 
and tilted slightly, an appropriate match for the mahogany desk it 
rested behind.
 
        Julianna paused for a moment, pondering.  Picking up her 
feathered stylus, she dipped it into the jar and jotted a few short 
sentances into the notebook.  Her hand was tall and thin, and angled 
significantly off to the lefthand side of the page.
 
        Her notes complete for the time being, she set the quill down 
and redirected her attention back to the book.
 
        "A little light reading?"
 
        Julianna glanced upwards and saw Random leaning in the doorway.
 
        Immediately she was on her feet.  She took a step to the right 
of the desk and dropped into a sweeping courtsey.  "Your Most Royal 
Majesty," she greeted.
 
        He stepped inside, waving her to her seat.  "This isn't court, 
Julianna.  No need to be so formal."
 
        "As you wish, your Majesty."
 
        Random sighed.  He'd forgotten how futile his requests for 
casuality could be we this particular niece.  He took a seat behind his 
well worn set of drums.
 
        "If you would like to practice in private, your Majesty," she 
said, still standing beside the desk, "I would be glad to retire."
 
        Random looked down and realized he'd picked up a set of 
drumsticks without even thinking about it.  "That's alright, Julianna.  
In fact, it was you I was looking for."
 
        She cocked a dark eyebrow.
 
        "Zach informed me of your recent discovery."
 
        "I was certain he would, m'lord."
 
        "I want to hear it from you," he continued.  "And sit down, will 
you?  My neck is tense enough without having to strain it to look up at 
you.
 
        "As you wish, your Majesty."  Quietly she resumed her seat, 
crossing her legs and resting her hands in her lap.  "After recovering 
the arrow which wounded the Unicorn, or, more accurately, its remains, I 
took the opportunity to study it more throughly.  Upon close 
examination, I discovered what appeared to be an extrordinarily faint 
trace of the Logrus."
 
        "Stop," he interrupted, holding up a drumstick.  "Why didn't you 
mention this detail before you absented yourself from the palace?"
 
        "I was unsure, your Majesty.  Of both my findings and the 
possibility of such a thing.  So I departed to confirm the plausibilty 
of my findings before reporting them."
 
        "In the future, I'd appreciate it if you'd notify either myself 
or Fiona of such findings, confirmed or otherwise, before taking it upon 
yourself to test their veracity.  Is that understood?"
 
        She stared at him for a long moment, her dark eyes impassive, 
before finally nodding.  "Yes, your Majesty."
 
        "Please, continue."
 
        "After discovering this trace of the Logrus, I departed to 
discuss the possibility and possible ramifications of this with an 
acquaintance more familiar with the Logrus and its tenants than myself."
 
        "An acquaintance?" he repeated.
 
        "Yes, m'lord.  A colleague, really."
 
        "Familiar with the Logrus?"
 
        She nodded again.
 
        "From the Courts?" he asked after a pause.
 
        "After a fashion."
 
        His face darkened perceptibly at this, and he glared at her 
through narrowed eyes.  "Who is it?" he asked, no small amount of anger 
and suspicion in his voice.
 
        Julianna raised an eyebrow and tilted her head slightly in 
responce. "With all due respect, your Majesty, I was unaware that my 
personal affiliations were the concern of the court of Amber."
 
        "When I find out that one of my relations has been consorting 
with a creature of the Pit in regards to the wounding of the Unicorn, it 
damn well becomes my business," he snapped, adding an ominious sounding 
rimshot at the end of his sentance, as if to emphasize his point.  "Now 
answer the question."
 
        "Very well.  His name is Jehzbyn, a demon from the Courts, 
although my understanding is that he is not a Lord of Chaos himself.  
However, before the Crown begins to firmulate accusatory thoughts in 
regards to his potential involvement in this matter, I feel I must 
advise the Crown that I have been well acquainted with him for some 
time, and have a significant amount of difficulty of even conceiving of 
such involvement."
 
        "The Crown," Random replied dryly, "will take that under 
advisement."
 
        She nodded, once.  "Jehzbyn confirmed the plausibility of my 
belief, informing me that a Master of the Logrus possesses the ability 
to infuse a material item with the power of the Logrus.  Furthermore, I 
was advised that an object taken during an intitate's walk of the Logrus 
can likewise become infused, and apparently on a higher order at that.  
In order for such a thing to be effective against a being such as the 
Unicorn, he speculated that the latter was more likely, although he 
could not be certain based upon the information I provided whether it 
was the ichor upon the arrow or the arrow itself which contained the 
power of Primal Chaos."
 
        "Maybe both," Random mused.  "Who knows what kind of power it 
would take to wound to Unicorn, let alone kill her."
 
        "Indeed.  It is that, among other things, which I am researching 
at present."
 
        "And?"
 
        "Your Majesty?"
 
        "What have you uncovered thus far?"
 
        She paused for a moment.  "I am afraid, your Majesty, that I do 
not yet possess sufficient information from which to draw conclusions of 
any accuracy."
 
        Random looked at her for a moment and commenced drumming at the 
air. "But you have your suspicions."
 
        Another pause.  "Of a sort."
 
        "Humour me."
 
        She knitted her brows and put her elbows on the desk, steepling 
her fingers as she gathered her thoughts.  "Speculation on the matter is 
difficult," she began after a time, "considering the ephemeral nature of 
the Unicorn and the questionable sources we possess in regards to her.  
However, we do know that she seems to possess a rather unique affinity 
for the Pattern.  If one takes the myths concerning the cosmogyny of 
Amber and the Pattern at face value, than that connection appears to be 
self-evident: the Unicorn went to Dworkin bearing the Jewel of Judgement 
and instructed him in inscribing the Primal Pattern.  Whatever the 
reasons behind this, it would seem that the Unicorn was the primary 
motivating force behind the Pattern's inscription, and the Dworkin, no 
matter how important his role may have been, was simply acting as her 
agent.  Thus, the Unicorn has come to be perceived as an embodiment of 
the Pattern, of Order, much as the Serpant is of Chaos and the Logrus.
 
        "The recent troubles between the Pattern and the Logrus, 
described in considerable detail in Merlin's journals, indicate an even 
stronger relationship than this, however.  While this conclusion is 
based solely upon my own interpretation, it would appear that the 
Unicorn and the Pattern are almost interchangeable entities; separate, 
yet embodying the same qualities; distinct, yet one and the same."
 
        "Where are you going with this, Julianna?"
 
        "I am simply attempting to emphasize the possibility that what 
affects one may well affect the other, albeit in a different, and 
perhaps unrecognized, way."
 
        "I'm not so sure that holds up," he said, beating the air with 
his sticks.  "Granted, the two are obviously related in some fundamental 
way, but when I saw the Unicorn after the Primal Pattern had been 
damaged, with Corwin and Dad, she didn't seem affected by it herself in 
the least."
 
        "And upon what frame of reference is your Majesty basing that 
conclusion?"
 
        "Alright, I see your point.  It wasn't as if I'd seen the 
Unicorn before, and the only other time was at Patternfall, which given 
the circumstances isn't exactly a good reference for comparison.  But 
you'd think something like that would manifest itself in some noticable 
fashion."
 
        "As it did in Dworkin," she said, completing the thought.  
"Perhaps it did, in some manner not immediately perceptable by your 
Majesty or anyone else, with the possible exception of either Dworkin, 
or Oberon, or both. And if either of them took note of the Unicorn's 
condition, assuming she was affected, they were no doubt aware of the 
cause, namely the blot upon the Pattern.  As they were already preparing 
to engage in action to remedy the damage done to the Primal Pattern, it 
may well be that either of them felt it unnecessary to mention it.  Of 
course, this is naught but idle speculation, and I fear that it is 
something we shall probably never know.
 
        "However, to support your Majesty's skepticism of my conjecture, 
and to allay any potential fears which it may give rise to in regards to 
the effect the wounding of the Unicorn has had upon the Pattern, I have 
spent considerable time throughout the last several days in close 
examination of both the Primal Pattern and the Pattern of Amber, and 
have yet to uncover any sign of damage the aforementioned wounding may 
have caused. Furthermore, I took the liberty of contact Llewella via 
trump and requesting that she do the same with the Pattern of Rebma, at 
which time she advised me that she had already done so upon receiving a 
similar request from Fiona, and that the Pattern at her locale appeared 
to be equally intact."
 
        He nodded, as if he already knew this, and Julianna supposed 
that he probably did.
 
        "Conversely," she added, "I remind your Majesty that the blot 
upon the Primal Pattern did not manifest itself directly upon the 
Patterns of Amber, Rebma or Tir'na-Nogth.  Or the Jewel of Judgement, 
for that matter. So the apparent lack of damage to the Patterns does not 
inherently prove anything, one way or the other."
 
        "Noted," he said, and then cast her a sideways glance.  "I'm 
still waiting to see where all this conjecture is leading."
 
        "My apologies, your Majesty, however, much of my own speculation 
on this particular matter hinges upon understanding the nature of the 
relationship between the Unicorn and the Pattern as I have described 
it." She paused for a moment, considering her words and from which point 
to begin.  "Your Majesty recalls, I trust, the effect that the blood of 
the Royal House of Amber has upon the Primal Pattern?"
        
        "Yes," Random grimaced.  "Quite well."  His brow furrowed 
suddenly, and he stopped his drumming as he realized what all this had 
been leading up to.  "You think that the blood of an Amberite was used 
to wound the Unicorn?"
 
        "I believe that it may be a possibility, m'lord.  Recall, if you 
will, that legend has it that Oberon was born of a union between the 
Dworkin and the Unicorn.  However this may have come to pass, it would 
imply that Oberon and his scions are of the blood of the Unicorn 
herself.  Keeping this in mind, it would seem possible that the blood of 
an Amberite, charged with the power of Primal Chaos, could have had the 
effect upon the Unicorn we witnessed."
 
        "Shit..." Random commented as the implications sank in.  "That'd 
confirm Dalt's involvement, then."
 
        "Yes, providing it was Dalt's blood, of course.  It would also 
appear to indicate that Dalt is not acting alone in this.  Providing, of 
course, that I am correct.  This is, after all, little more than 
educated conjecture."
 
        Random looked at her for a moment and nodded, understanding full 
well the meaning of her statement.  Even if Zachary hadn't advised him 
of her speculations that someone from Amber might be involved in this 
whole messy business, hers wasn't the only mind to have pondered the 
possibility.
 
        "Regardless," he said after a time as he resumed his air 
drumming yet again, "it's evident that Dalt is a party to this, even if 
he isn't acting alone.  And frankly, he's the only definite lead we have 
so far. What we sorely need is some decent intelligence as to his 
whereabouts and activities."
 
        "Agreed, your Majesty.  That may shed some light on who else is 
involved in this matter."
 
        "Good, I'm glad you agree, Julianna," he said, flashing her one 
of those boyish, devious smiles of his.  "You'll have no objections to 
accepting the honour of conducting a royal embassy to the shadow Kashfa, 
then.  We're overdue for one, and now looks like the perfect time."
 
        Julianna looked at him.  And blinked.  Twice.
 
        "Surely I don't have to spell it out for you, Julianna.  Then 
again, you have been away for a while, so maybe I do.  Rinaldo, the son 
of Brand, presently sits on Kashfa's throne.  According to Merlin, he 
spent alot of time with Dalt when the latter hung around Eregnor, which 
borders Kashfa and Begma..."
 
        "I fully understand the purpose of the excursion, your Majesty. 
Rather, it is your choice of ambassador which puzzles me.  Perhaps some 
one who possesses more formal diplomatic training than myself would be 
more appropriate..."
 
        She let the statement dwindle as Random started laughing.
 
        "Niece, you have to be one of the most diplomatic of all of us. 
You're apolitical and uninvolved when it comes to Amber, and chances are 
he knows that, so that works to our advantage.  Plus, there's the added 
bonus that you weren't around during Patternfall, any of Dalt's attacks 
on Amber, or the earlier troubles between the Pattern and the Logrus.  
Rinaldo has no reason to bear you any ill will, nor any reason to 
believe that you do for Dalt.  In effect, you're ideal."
 
        "Surely, your Majesty, my skills would serve better in my 
present capacity of research-"
 
        "Fiona's already involved in her own investigations, as you 
discovered, and can handle that end of things," he said, his voice 
taking on a tone of finality.  "It's settled, Julianna.  Unless you 
would prefer an order from My Most Royal Majesty?"
 
        "No, your Majesty," she replied, defeated.  "That will not be 
necessary."
 
        "I didn't think so.  You should get moving soon, Julianna.  We 
don't know when Dalt is going to move again, so time is of the essence."
 
        "Yes, your Majesty."
 
        Random started playing the drums in earnest, starting sedately 
and then quickly moving into a furious drum solo which shook the books 
upon the shelves and rattled the glass display cases.  Julianna returned 
the books she'd been studying, tucked her silver clasped notebook 
underneath her arm, and made for the door.  She turned once she reached 
the threshold, gave Random a brief curtsey which he ignored, and took 
her leave.
 
        It was after she closed the library door behind her, sealing the 
barrage of noise off from the rest of the castle, that she heard someone 
call her name.
 
        "Princess Florimel," Julianna greeted as she turned to face the 
voice.  As expected, she saw Flora, clad, as always, in highly 
flattering and beautiful clothes, approaching from along the corridor.  
In her company was a woman that Julianna did not recognize, but from her 
attire, deduced had recently arrived from shadow.
 
        "Julianna," Flora repeated as they drew up to her, "may I 
introduce your cousin, Sarah."  She turned partially, and glanced at the 
other woman. "Sarah, this is Julianna, one of your elder cousins."  Or 
so we believe, she could have added, and Julianna could see it in her 
expression.  But she refrained from making comment.
 
        "Nice to meet you," Sarah said.  Unsure of the proper etiqutte 
in these circumstances, she simply smiled.
 
        Julianna did not return it.  "Cousin," she said, nodding her 
head once in acknowledgement.  She turned back to Flora.  "Another of 
yours, Princess?"
 
        "No.  While we don't know for certain yet, it looks like she's 
an errant child of Bleys.  She just arrived in Amber, and I'm giving her 
a brief tour of the Castle and grounds."
 
        "You are indeed fortunate, cousin," she said to Sarah.  "The 
Grand Tour is one of the Princess Florimel's preeminant talents.  I 
might suggest that you detour past the library at the moment, however.  
His Majesty is currently venting his frustrations in a musical fashion, 
if you understand my meaning."
 
        "I thought I heard drums," Flora mused.
 
        Sarah looked at the both questioningly.
 
        "I'll explain later, dear," she said, taking Sarah by the arm. 
"We'll skip the library for now.  Good afternoon, Julianna."  Flora led 
Sarah down the hallway, leaving Julianna to consider this new development.
 
        So, a new cousin had just arrived in Amber.  She found the 
timing most intiriguing.
 
        Pondering the possibilities, she made her way to her own 
apartments.
 
NRPG: Hi all!  In truth, this is simply part one of the mega-post I've 
been working on, but I figured it was long enough as is and I wanted to 
get it out, so I'm doing them separately...
 
Part II, Pattern's Children, will be along shortly!  And trust me, it'll 
be a doozy   It'll also be covering some of the 'so what happened 
after the Merlin series anyway' stuff, so I hope people don't mind.
 
Also, Phil Poles (templier@ionsys.com) asked to be put on the list as a 
lurker as Usenet access on ionsys, especially for 
alt.shared-reality.sf-and-fantasy sucks the big one.  If everyone could 
do that I'm sure he'd appeciate it.
 
Chris: Phil asked me to pester you about sending him the AMBER archive 
when you have a chance.  Don't worry about the new and improved FAQ; 
I've already shot that over.  So consider yourself pestered .
 
Allen: As Matt said, best wishes for both you and Cory from the Toronto 
Contigent.
 
Julianna
Duchess of Oisen
Mistress of Pattern
Lady of Amber
 
"That's the problem with our opposition-they keep thinking nobody 
could possibly be as stupid as we are.  Fools 'em every time."
 
                      Lando Calrissian, Shadows of the Empire