[The lantern illuminated the tent dimly where it rested on the small campaign table.  There sat a tall man hunched over manuscripts penning his thoughts in his journal into the deepening night whilst his young wife sleeps nearby on a sturdy cot.  Such rough field conditions come easy enough to her given her long experience as a Roman tribune.  The husband was made of weaker stuff and the idea of finding rest in such a crude bed made him wince.  So instead he writes on into the black hours, there sit I.]

 

Flavel smiled to himself as he adjusted the lantern and sharpened his quill with a knife.  Outside he could hear the nearby sounds of people still hard at work.  The camp still in its infancy required near round the clock labour.

 

[Still no sign of Damien.  He requested an extended leave of absence for some business out in shadow.  I miss his military mind.  Shado knows much of this stuff but her concentration is split by too many activities.  Our roman relatives occupy her attention and her own pregnancy must be a distraction along with the continuing investigation into Julia's nature. 

 

For my own part my activities are pushing the envelope into what I consider productive work.  The Roman refugees seem well focused on their goal to make the camp a roman town.  To that end I've gifted this shadow to them.  It should occupy their attention for the next few weeks.  The leaders of the Romans seem cordial and well spoken.  There is much to be admired in my culture.  At the same time Shado continues to caution me that they are a violent people.  I've yet to see any demonstration of this but from my own cultural experience I need little convincing.  I continue to tread cautiously with them as I can.  If anything, I find myself becoming more roman.  The years of Amber's medieval/rennisance influence falls off me too readily.  I could be a Roman again so easily.  The dinner went well all things considered.  Claudius reads at least as well as I do.  Maybe more so. 

 

We managed to figure out who this stranger was that invaded Julia's dreams looks like.  A replay of her memoiries showed us somebody who is quite interested in my daughters ability at precognition.  Given the rarity and dangerousness of such a talent, I've decided to contact my mother; Fiona.  Fiona should be able to train Julia in the use of her mental powers.  Assuming of course that Fiona is up to the job.  I rarely know what my mother is doing.  It would be unfortunate if she were to be busy at this time.

 

In the meantime we've decided to investigate the areas where the vortex had made its presence known.  Perhaps we can discover some clues as to how and why our enemies appear where they do.  Claudius was keen to test our suspicions on likely suspects but I'm cautious, read afraid, to make any such attempts so early in the game.  We have, I think a week or two before we need to advance our intentions.  After which I believe Quintus will have regained his ability to manifest in our realm.

 

The roman refugees believe we have a spy in Amber that works for the White flame emporer.  Its my earnest hope that our investigations over the next few days will either dispell this idea or confirm the traitor's identity.  If there is such a spy I will need to neutralize whoever it is quietly.  If word was to spread of spies within amber the resulting paranoia would be counter-productive to Amber's harmony.  I've never assasinated before but its whispered that my father's investigative talents sometimes crossed the line into this black art.

 

I feel as if I'm am becoming more war-like.  At least more so then in days gone by.  Perhaps not as much as my Amber cousins and certainly nowwhere near what my Roman bretheren consider an acceptable standard.  But its there none-the-less.  At the same time my dreams are becoming more and more real.  Sometimes I dream what I will and other nights the dreams are the stuff I interact with.  Its becoming difficult to determine what is real and what is dreaming.  I'll need to speak with Cassandra about this at some point. 

 

Did I mention the dreamer of Atlantis came calling the other day?  Theres another story. Suffice to say there is power in the dreaming world.  My aunt Sand caught me out of bed while I was dreaming.  Which subsequently brought Cassandra.  There was little she could do about Julia.  I think it might be a case that Juilas precognition awoke while she was dreaming whereas my identity awoke during dreams.  Two different issues entirely.  Still, we are having Julia tell us her dreams in case her abilities manifest again or more strangers contact her.

 

I worry about Shado too.  She is pregnant with our next child.  It will be some time before this slows her but my own paternal insticts have begun to manifest.  I don't care for her exposing herself to danger.  At the same time I must admit she is more intune martially then I am.  My roman heritage chaffs at such a situation even though I am aware that my own abilities continue to improve at a frightening rate.]

 

Flavel pauses from his writings and stretches.  Looking down at his writing he notices his scribblings have turned into prosiac calligraphy.  A glance at his dragonish tattoo show a lazy smile curling about the face of the spindly serpent pictured there.

 

[Recently I had the fortune to meet an elder true dragon that harkoned back from the dawn of creation.  It gifted me with something of itself that rests on my arm as a tatoo.  Sometimes it itches and my logrus vision has confirmed that the dimutive dragon pictured there is in fact alive.  It has not been much company but nor has it been a pest.  It does have a sense of humor, of that I am certain.

 

Also of some interest.  Before I retired for the evening to my tent I was out walking round the camp.  Polaris, the horse I named for the north star was nearby eating grass.  Last I had seen of him he was stabled in Amber.  Apparently Polaris tracked me through shadow to where I am now.  A strange horse.  It nickered a hello to me as I came near.  Andrew had given the horse to me as a mount I could use.  I believe he had acquired the beast somewhere in the black zone.  I've not seen Andrew since Ryoden had disappeared from our land.  I believe her loss has devestated him.  Unfortunate as I considered him a friend who could explain much of the ways of Sawall to me. 

 

Speaking of house Sawall. Apparently I am a Viscount to this chaos house.  When I married Shado I was gifted with some property there.  Lord Keiran of House Minobee was said to await my summons where upon we could construct my ways.  With Ryoden's departure there may be some strain between house Minobee and Sawall.  This is unfortunate given the timing of other, more ominous events in our realm.  News is scant about the infernal dimensions of Chaos this far afield.  It might be that I should dine with Duke Richard of House Sawall.  I've dined with him previously at Fiona's table.  As a duke of Chaos I would imaging he would be quite a source of information.  Information...never seems to be enough of it.  I need to cultivate more contacts if I'm to have first hand accounts of whats going on.  Richard would be useful.  So would Claudius.  Perhaps even this Lord Kieran fellow.

 

Of my other cousins, I've heard little.  I am hoping Daniel and Salome are doing well with the gate project.  Of the others I know even less of their activities.  Given the warlike nature of the other groups I can only guess that they are doing what they do best.  With luck they will all return from their adventures safe and sound.  For now its time for me to wrestle with my own dreams or as the Spartans once said, "time to deflower the straw maiden."]

 

He blows out the lantern and finds his way to his cot.