Memory 014: GR - Intrigue (TrivNeu)

[justarider]

Game Received: Lorelei's music game, Day 407, afternoon
Team Played With: Peridot
Memory Form: a large flake of sun-dried red dulse. Eat it to receive the memory. One or two uses depending on how big a bite you take.



Karigan had not realized she'd fallen asleep in the big chair until she
awakened to find Miss Bunchberry gently shaking her wrist. "Supper, dear
child. Letitia has outdone herself."

Karigan stretched and yawned, and nearly walked out of the room with
the crystal cupped in her hand, before she remembered it and replaced it
on Professor Berry's table of oddities. Of all the objects in the library, the
crystal seemed to be a source of light and warmth, and possessed no
twisted qualities like the telescope. The silver light extinguished as her
fingers released it. The room grew dark and uninviting without its
radiance.

"I daresay," Miss Bunch said as she led Karigan out of the room, "it's
been a long time since I've seen the moonstone aglow. It will not work for
Bay or me."

"Moonstone?"

"Oh, yes. It holds a silver moonbeam."

Hairs prickled on the back of Karigan's neck. "You aren't telling me it's
really—"

"Of course I am. It was given to Father by an Eletian years ago." Miss
Bunchberry smiled, and her eyes became dreamy. "I rather fancy the story
of Laurelyn the Moondreamer and how she built a castle of silver
moonbeams, don't you? Silvermind it was called. My father wanted to go
find it, but other projects diverted his attention, and before he knew it, he
was too old for adventuring."

Laurelyn the Moondreamer. Karigan had heard the story as a tiny child,
and had forgotten it long since. In her memory, she could hear the words
as she sat wrapped in her mother's protective arms. "Tell me 'bout
Laur'lyn, Momma. Tell me again." Her request was met with a warm
chuckle. "Maybe you will build your own castle of moonbeams one day,
Kari." And the story would be repeated till she fell asleep.

"Have I made you sad?" A startled expression crossed Miss
Bunchberry's face. "Are you in pain?"

Karigan wiped away a tear. Yes, and yes. Aloud she said, "I'm fine."

Aromas of roast goose and baked bread drifted through the house,
reminding her of Midwinter Festival: loud music, wild dancing, and plenty
of imbibing. Her father always invited the cargo master and crew, and all
the closest kin of Clan G'ladheon. Her mother used to preside over the
affair, an element of calm and dignity amidst the frenzy of merrymaking.
Her mother, with her high forehead and rich brown hair, the one parent
everyone saw when they looked at Karigan.

The tears brimmed in her eyes again, but her solemn thoughts were
dashed when she saw Miss Bayberry sitting primly at the head of a
ridiculously long table that rivaled, in length, any in the dining hall at
Selium. The silver was in use again, and the table was positively heaped
with food. Karigan wondered exactly what clan had been invited to feast
with them.

"Please be seated," Miss Bayberry said.

Fortunately, the three settings had been placed at one end of the table,
rather than at opposite ends. Otherwise they would have had to shout to
one another to carry on a conversation.

Miss Bayberry dropped a cloth napkin on her lap. "F'ryan Coblebay
couldn't join us though we did the proper thing and invited him. It seems
he expends far too much energy when in contact with that which is
earthly, and he wishes to reserve it for times when he's truly needed." She
sniffed, indicating how she felt about that. "The Horse couldn't join us
either. Letitia was resolute that she would not have him in the house. To
help compensate, Rolph has been feeding him premium grain and the
sweetest hay."

"As you can see," Miss Bunchberry said, "we've observed proper
etiquette. Letitia wouldn't have us dine in the kitchen, though Bay and I
normally sup there. What fun it is to see Mother's old table in use once
again. From time to time, relatives or my father's old colleagues would
descend upon Seven Chimneys. Letitia would cook and bake all day in
anticipation. Those were grand times."

Goose and sauce were passed around, along with the last of the winter
squash, legumes, mushrooms, and dressing. A slice of warm bread spread
with creamy honey butter melted in Karigan's mouth. It was like a
traditional Midwinter Feast, except it was spring. Miss Bayberry poured
Rhovan red wine in each goblet and Karigan could only guess at the
vintage.

It was like spending an evening with a pair of spinster aunts, eccentric
as they were, but oozing comfort and a sense of home. The canny intensity
Karigan had witnessed before seemed to dissipate as the evening wore on
and the wine bottle made its rounds.

When they had eaten all they could, they removed to the parlor where
glasses of brandy awaited them, and the fire roared in the hearth as
cheerfully as ever. Karigan sank into the sofa with the hummingbirds
carved on the armrests, her goblet in one hand, and she told tales of her
mostly silly classmates and Selium. Bunch and Bay raised eyebrows upon
learning that the hot springs could be pumped directly into a bathtub.

"It was so long ago that we lived in Selium," Miss Bayberry said. "I
don't think half the school or museum buildings you described were there
when we were. Otherwise, the city hasn't changed much." She swirled her
brandy in her goblet and smiled in a self-satisfied way. "Child, you have
enlivened this house more in one day than we have been able to in years.
My sister and I will remember your visit for some time to come. I can only
hope that you have found your stay with us equally interesting."

Karigan nodded emphatically. Interesting was an understatement.

"Miss Bunch tells me you spent the afternoon in the library. What did
you think?"

"It was… unusual."

Miss Bayberry cast a severe glance at her sister. "Bunch, did you just
leave her there? Did you explain nothing? Give no forewarning?"

"But Father's old things are so harmless—"

"That is not the point. We caused our guest undue surprise. That was
not proper."

Miss Bunchberry gazed sulkily at her lap. "The moonstone lit at her
touch." Her voice was nearly a whisper.

Miss Bayberry scrutinized Karigan anew, and something of that hidden
intensity reignited— and it wasn't just the glow of the wine or brandy.
"My dear child, that stone has shone no light for many a year. How you
called upon the moonbeam to glow I can only wonder. Do you have any
idea?"

Karigan shook her head, wary. "No. I— I was just curious about the
objects on the table, and when I picked up the crystal, it lit up." She
wondered if she had somehow offended Miss Bay, but the old woman's
expression was glad.

"What else did you observe?"

Karigan described her experiences with the bottled ship and the harp.
"They were very odd." She shuddered, remembering the tempest she had
caused. "I mean, they possessed qualities that were so real. I know it's
illusion…" Her statement was met with lingering silence. "It was
illusion… wasn't it?"

Miss Bayberry leaned forward and, evading the question, asked, "What
else did you observe?"

Karigan licked her lips, a little nervous now. "Well, the harp sounded so
human, unlike the lap harps my friend Estral plays, and she has access to
the finest instruments in all of Selium."

"My dear child, arcane objects are… unusual. Of course, when you first
observed the things on my father's table, they seemed relatively normal.
After handling them a bit, you discovered otherwise. The bottle, the
moonstone, and the harp are a few among several devices Father collected
over the years in order to comprehend magic. He discovered, like you, that
arcane objects can take on some very lifelike qualities.

"That harp has a very dark history. It was originally made by the finest
craftsmen at the turn of the First Age, for a wealthy aristocrat. It was
carved as no other instruments of those times, and inlaid with precious
jewels, themselves cut by masters of lost Kmaern for whom rocks and
gems were living things.

"The aristocrat was pleased by what he saw, but not with what he heard.
When strung, the instrument sounded like any other well-crafted harp. The
aristocrat, it seems, could not live with a harp that was not extraordinary.
Remember now, this was a dark time. Magic was more accessible and
understood back then. Mornhavon the Black was at the height of his
power, and dark magic had a profound influence on many people. It was
difficult to wield any magic without the taint of the dark, so strong was
Mornhavon."

Miss Bayberry paused to take a sip of brandy. She carefully replaced
her goblet on the table before her, clasped her hands, and bent toward
Karigan to resume her story. "It's not known if the aristocrat had innate
powers himself, or if another did the work for him, but he had the finest
singers known in the lands, including Eletians who have the fairest voices
of all, brought to his keep. Using methods unknown today, he extracted
the voices from the singers and melded them into magical strings. Child,
what you heard were voices from centuries ago."

Karigan remembered, with clarity, the crystalline voices of the strings…
strains of some ancient past forcibly carried into the future… like ghosts.
"What happened to the singers?"

Miss Bayberry tilted her head, looking beyond Karigan, a sadness in her
eyes. "There is no record, but you can believe that if they survived the
process, they lived without that which they loved most— their ability to
sing."

The more Karigan learned about magic, the less she liked it. It seemed
to bring nothing but evil and grief. "The telescope—"

"Oh…" Miss Bunchberry groaned. "Not the telescope. I do think, my
dear Bay, that we should remove the lenses and crush them beneath our
heels."

"Nonsense, sister. That telescope was one of Father's most treasured
pieces. Tell me, child, did you see far when you looked through the
eyepiece?"

Karigan noted there was no question of whether or not she had gazed
into it. "I saw very far. Too far." She described the series of images as they
had appeared.

"A sprinkling of the past, present, and future," declared Miss Bayberry.
"Such a device could erode one's sanity if one had constant access to it.
Father possessed a tremendous will to resist using it when he had major
decisions to make. Believe me, he felt the lure, but he also felt it was
human temptation more than the device itself that called to him. Indeed,
no one should see too much of their own history or future."

Miss Bayberry fixed her piercing blue eyes on Karigan. "Remember,
child, your future isn't made of stone. What the telescope showed you was
what may happen if the present line of events continue."

Put that way, it sounded to Karigan as if the current of her life was out
of her control. It wasn't a welcome idea. "Do you look into the telescope?"
The sisters seemed to know so much about everything.

"Heavens, no," Miss Bayberry said.

"We've no need," Miss Bunchberry added.

The ladies would say no more about the telescope or anything else in
the library. Miss Bunch left the parlor briefly, and returned bearing a
wooden game board and multicolored pieces. She set them on the table
before them.

"Are you familiar with Intrigue, child?"

Karigan had recognized the game immediately— it was all the rage in
Selium. Two kingdoms battled for dominance, each piece possessing a
different ability. Arranging the pieces in various patterns created offenses
or defenses.

The pieces, in this case, were made of ivory or bone, dyed in the
traditional colors of red, green, and blue, and carved in the likenesses of
kings, messengers, spies, soldiers, and so on. The game was most difficult
when played as a Triad, with a third player who was random— the wild
card with no set loyalties one way or the other. The other two players
could petition the Triad for allegiance, but the Triad could choose not to
take sides and play for its own benefit. It was the never knowing of what
the Triad player would do that made Intrigue exciting.

Exciting, if you liked the game. Karigan didn't. She lost every time she
played. "I've played Intrigue a few times, but not often with a Triad."

Estral had been her only friend at Selium. There was never a third person
to play with.

Miss Bunchberry clapped her hands. "Splendid! Bay and I haven't
played with a Triad in a long time either. Child, you will be the Triad, and
if this first game doesn't last long, we can switch."

Splendid. Karigan remembered to smile, and because propriety was so
important to the ladies, she said, "I'm honored."

"That's good. I offered to a guest first as was proper."

Miss Bayberry nodded in solemn agreement.

They played long into the night, each taking a turn as Triad. The gentle
sisters transformed into ruthless opponents and Karigan found herself, as
usual, on the defensive. Miss Bay took a general and three of her knights.

Miss Bunch killed her queen and abducted a spy. She watched their pieces
march across the star-shaped board and annihilate her kingdom, and she
wondered, with a bemused expression, if she and Estral had been too kind
to one another. The sisters did not spare an inch where Estral would have
allowed a concession.

Karigan didn't consider herself a ruthless person. Rather, she considered
herself wise to the ways of survival. The swordplay "tricks" the cargo
master had taught her, the stories her father had told her of his perils and
adventures as a merchant traveling in far-off lands, her experiences far
away from home among aristocrats… these were basic learning
experiences for life. She had never thought of employing ruthless tactics in
a harmless game of Intrigue.

When the third and final round was won by Miss Bunchberry, the older
woman sank back into the sofa with an ecstatic giggle. "That was just so
fine. I could play endless games, but I know it's late." As if to accent her
words, the last embers of the fire crashed in the fireplace, sending a flurry
of sparks up the chimney.

Miss Bayberry's lips were set in a taut straight line. She had won two of
the three victories, yet she seemed none too happy about it. "I think the
child wasn't putting her all into the game. Perhaps she believed she was
doing the polite thing by letting us win."

Karigan blushed, as she often did, somehow feeling guilty. "I did try…"

"Tsk. Not hard enough. You've much intelligence for such a youngster.
Use it. Many of the situations you come across in Intrigue aren't too far
removed from real life. Many of the aristocrats use it as a teaching tool for
their children, and it may have been developed for that exact purpose."

Miss Bunchberry looked scandalized by her sister's outburst. "Bay, you
really oughtn't criticize our guest."

Miss Bayberry rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Bunch, sometimes one
must go beyond the bounds of propriety and speak her mind." She jabbed
her cane at Karigan. "Child, use your brain. Think on your feet. Being
polite and reserved is how we were raised, but we learned the hard way
that the rest of the world isn't that way. I've perceived from conversation
that you comprehend such things, like that swordplay with whatsit… that
Titmouse, or whatever his name was. In other words, child, propriety has
its place, but don't let your guard down. In real life, you never know who
the players of Intrigue really are, or what they stand for."