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Moira's Diary

Chapter 3 (16th February 2001 CE *)


Calamar received a trump contact, purportedly from Random. He goes through, after telling us Random needs help. (obviously the rest of us aren't deemed worthy of helping...).
Helgrimm put on a feast in his hall. Helgrimm, Erwin, Armand, Frigga and I attend (Hel had apparently gone off to 'tart herself up' - Erwin must have made some sort of an impression). Not visibly heartbroken at Hel's absence, Erwin proceeded to raise business at table ( ...the young have no manners), and made a feeble attempt to send the women (us!) away for the discussion. Naturally we of the 'more delicate sex' declined his suggestion. Dear Erwin - clearly this pup had been well suckled at Oberon's chauvinistic breast.
Helgrimm reminded us that Oberon had said at our 'family gathering in the study that he had sent our half-sister Mirelle to fetch Delwyn and Sand. but had not been heard from since.
We indulged in some family discussion, which touched on why Armand & I were exiled in the first place (though no-one seemed really interested in the truth, of course). It's during this little tLte-a-tLte that I became aware of a sense of wrongness, similar to something I've felt before. It seemed to be associated with the storm that is brewing outside. I rose from my seat and moved around behind Helgrimm, and whispered to him briefly what I sensed of the disruption in his shadow. Of course, this little manoeuvre attracted the attention of the others at the table, and their obvious curiosity and paranoia amused me. I returned to my seat, and languidly whispered the same warning to Armand. Helgrimm took out a rune and studied it, but his meditations were interrupted by a woman's scream. He bolted out of the door of the hall, still clutching the rune. Erwin followed him. I remained in my seat and cast my mind outwards, seeking out the source of the wrongness. Armand stayed with me. Outside the storm had swiftly grown to nightmare proportions - too swiftly for a mere mundane tempest. The wind noise outside increased, and the hall started to shudder and then to fall apart. I rose, and moved to stand under the roof-tree, for protection. Still I cast my mind out, seeking the source of the disturbance. A corner of my awareness saw that tendrils of wood started to spiral up to cover and support the frame & lintel of the doorway, and then the whole building; the hall stabilised. The force outside was huge. Then, the hall started to burn. I went outside, taking Armand with me. There was no safe place anywhere, as debris from whipped around from buildings ripped apart by the storm's fury. Helgrimm's steading was disintegrating around him. I looked around to locate our half-siblings. To one side of the compound I saw Frigga being carried to a partially-standing dwelling. Helgrimm stood a little apart, facing off against a huge tornado-funnel , from which a horde of tech-guys with iridescent helmets were descending. Laser fire flashed from objects they carried. At Helgrimm's gesture, a yawning chasm opened up under them and many tumble out of sight. Swiftly, a metal bridge rolls out to bridge the chasm and the invasion rolls on. Helgrimm gestured again, and the edges of the chasm groaned closer together, just enough to cause the metal bridge to buckle and toss more of the tech guys into it's depths. A third of them are left. The dark funnel vanished abruptly, to be immediately replaced by another. It detonated violently, the blast knocking Helgrimm back into me, sending me crashing to the ground and breaking my hip. Armand was also sent sprawling, his arm broken. He scooped me up in his good arm protectively. We watched as the second funnel touched down to ground briefly, flared brightly, then withdrew back up into the sky and disperses. From the midst of the bright light, Papilia appeared. Armand whirled, and in one smooth motion lay me gently on the ground, drew his sword and whirled on to confront Papilia. They exchanged words, and not amicably. Papilia turned away. Armand let her go, then turned and picked me up and carried me into the hall. Helgrimm came in, and went over to Frigga who has been brought here also. Helgrimm appears to focus elsewhere for a moment (as he altered the attributes of his Shadow), then I felt a surge of energy from the shadow itself. I curled my mind around it, and spun it into myself, channelling it to heal my injured hip and bruised body, then spinning it outward to Armand's fractured arm, feeling it knit the broken bones and injured flesh within. There is some conversation, then Armand receives a Trump contact. He linked in with me, then answered it. It and Armand talked for a while. Then a voice said within my head "Mummy". (surprise! I can't recall a child of my body ..... ?). It is very, very strong - I am reluctant to challenge it's psychic strength at this point; I decided to bide my time and learn more of who/what/why it is first. Armand took me aside a little way to talk to it. We are suddenly transported to Armand's Shadowlands - It wanted to keep us there, but Armand persuaded it to let us return to Helgrimm's hall - provided it can come with us and "see the world". Armand declared it was time to go back to Helgrimm's hall; I attempted a Trump contact with Helgrimm, but although he was there he appeared to be distracted. I broke contact and suggested to Armand that we wait a moment until he's not busy. Abruptly, we are in Helgrimm's shadow. Not my doing .... did "It" get impatient with the delay and decide to simply override us and put us there itself? That alone bespoke a significant psychic ability ....
Back in Helgrimm's shadow, we arrive to see Helgrimm and Erwin (who is back amongst us and now cybered up (2 face plate, red eyelens, no hair, metal head, right arm cybered to the shoulder). He has techno armour and a swordsman arm.
In a quiet moment I try a Trump contact with Dworkin - but there is no sense of his presence at all.

Papilia stated that none of her Trumps work. She had earlier denied being in league with the cyber-guys who came out of the funnel. She said that after she parted ways with her other brothers she went off to investigate the source of the disturbances in shadow. She had found herself in a shadow ruled by the "Cyber Pope", and in escaping that place had ended up dropping out of the funnel into Helgrimm's shadow. She talked of contact with someone/thing that said it was a brother of Oberon's. (I recalled then that I had heard tell of a brother of our father - in speech between Oberon and Dworkin they had made a point of not mentioning the brother's name - much the same way that they did with Armand and I. What transgression had he made ? And where was he now ?). She also said she had tried her Trumps, but could get no sense of activity with any of them. I asked her if she is sure that her deck is genuine - she says yes, but they won't work now - all seem 'engaged', even Erwin's and Helgrimm's who were present. I suggested she try Trumping me .... if she has my Trump. Hmmm .... she does (so who made them ? And why include me ? the portrait is an early one, showing me as I was before our exile). She tried Trump contact with me and is successful. She then tried Helgrimm & this worked too. So - what was/is the problem ?
Meanwhile, Helgrimm and Erwin discussed armies. Erwin offers an army that belongs to someone else - to the "Cyberpapacy" ......


* Note: CE = Chronology of Earth

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