Wizard in the Attic

The Wizard in the Attic

Introduction:

It is fifty years after Patternfall, a Patternfall somewhat different than the one you are familiar with. The Ultimate Enemy, she who would have destroyed and remade the universe in her own image, was the incredibly evil and dangerous Princess Fiona. Sadly, her far more noble brother Bleys sacrificed his own life, at the end, to stop her there at the edge of the Abyss, in the only way possible, by knocking herself, and him, into the Abyss. This left only Brand as the last of the three red headed children of Oberon. Somewhat kooky, but, still, Amber's most powerful sorcerer, he is a popular and important figure in the Castle, however eccentric he might be. Remember the time he magically painted the outside walls of the Castle red and green for the Winter Solstice Festival?
Now, in the peace of King Random's reign, Prince Brand, the wizard of Castle Amber, has been acting even more unusual and dare we say, unstable, than usual recently. Is he going mad? Or is some enemy to blame? What exactly is going wrong with the Wizard in the Attic?

WIzard in the Attic was last updated 09-May-2004 09:36 PM

I set up the page for the TBR 2004 edition, and moved the old 2003 edition to a seperate page. Pages for the Players and the eventual Recap set up but of course are currently blank.

The World of Wizard in the Attic

General Information
The Milieu
WITA Is set 50 years after a different Patternfall War. Fiona died at the end of the War, along with Bleys. Random was selected King by the Unicorn as usual. Brand, slightly kooky, is the one and only child of Clarissa left...the titular Wizard in the Attic. Now, Brand is acting even weirder and more unstable than usual...and the big question is WHY.
Building a Character for WITA
Characters will be based on 150 points, advanced powers to be negotiated with the GM. Players are strongly urged to send their characters in advance, to give more playing time at the convention. Character concepts are recommended to focus in and around the Amber Royal Family. Even Crossbreeds, not to say anything of Chaosians, might come under suspicion.
Character Parentage can be up to the player within reason. (Strange stuff like children of Oberon or Dworkin will require GM approval).
Although Player character concepts are important, a character cannot survive without powers! Powers available to a PC include:
  • Pattern, Trump, Logrus, Shapeshifting, Sorcery, Power Words, Conjuration.
  • Alternate Sorceries from the SB campaign
  • If you'd like to use a power not listed here, or a variation on one of the powers, talk to the GM and I'll see if we can work it out.
Contacting the GM
My email address is Paul Weimer(jvstin@mindspring.com)
Amber, the Eternal Realm
Amber Geography
Amber is at the pole of the universe, the very icon of order. The size of Amber itself is roughly that of a moderately large Earth Nation.
The centerpiece of Amber is Mt. Kolvir, the largest and tallest mountain in the range which bears its name. The City of Amber and the Castle Amber nestle against its eastern flank, bordering the sea. Amber's harbor is legendary, and its lifeline.
Arden Forest is the domain of Prince Julian and covers much of the land west and south of the city. Most if not all shadow paths by land either end in the tangle of the mountains of Kolvir, or most commonly wind up passing through Arden.
To the east of Amber City are the counties and shires of the Kingdom. Small towns and farming communities such as Bayle make up the bulk of the open land. Although Amber does import some foodstuffs, this is the 'breadbasket' of the Eternal Realm. Toward the north of this region, the fertile land gives way to rolling hills more suited for livestock than crops.
Rebma, the City under the Sea lies about 10 miles southwest of Amber. The sole land entrance is at the Staircase known as Faiella-Bionin.
The Isle of Cabra lies about 30 miles southwest, in a shallow bay known for its rocks and shoals, a hazard to ships which must necessarily pass through it to go to and from Amber Harbor.
The Golden Circle
No kingdom is an Island, and Amber is no exception. The Eternal Realm has trading and alliance treaties with a group of shadow realms which lie on the outskirts of Amber. This group of shadows is known as the Golden Circle.
Examples of Golden Circle Shadows can be found at the Shadowwalker's Guide to the Golden Circle.
How Things Work in Amber
Amber is a realm which resists and indeed was created to oppose chaos. Raising the Logrus is difficult to do without attracting a lot of attention. Sorcerers must account for the effects of the Pattern in their spells, as they tend to wither away from the energies of the icon of Order.

Technology seems to be at the early Renaissance level, despite efforts of some of the royal family to experiment with more advanced technologies.

Ironically enough, using the Pattern is difficult in Amber. An initiate must move physically away from Amber for miles before shadowshifting becomes practical. Likewise, powers such as probability manipulation and the like do not work as well in Amber as they do in Shadow.

Who's Who
The Player Characters
Please visit the Player Character's site for information on the cast of player characters who will be in The Wizard in the Attic--when I get those players of course.
The Elders
Random
The King of Amber. His fifty year reign has been mostly peaceful, despite tensions with the Courts. It's unbelievable that the once young punk of the family would actually have any ability at running the kingdom.
Benedict
The General of Amber's Armies. Ever since the Patternfall War, he's been engaged in training his troops, and himself, to better suit them in combat against the varied and unusual forces of Chaos. He's skirted the treaty border many times, never crossing, but sampling the opposition in those Shadows.
Bleys
Tragically died at Patternfall stopping his sister from ruling or destroying the universe, or both. A great loss.
Brand
The titular Elder of the story. A bit kooky, a bit eccentric, still a potent sorcerer, the best that Amber has left. But...are his bouts of madness a sign of something more ominous?
Corwin
While the troubles in Amber cause him pain, the Silver Rose has several things to keep him interested and busy--namely, his own Pattern and Universe. Not seen in Amber that much as a result...but still, well remarked upon when he does appear.
Deirdre
Amber's Active Princess. She loves to spend some time in Corwin's Realm, but she is also known to go harrowing with Benedict to increase her skills in combat during the day, and then appear that same evening in Amber in a magnificent dress to be the belle of the ball.
Fiona
The Mad Sorceress, she who would have destroyed the universe or rebuilt it in her own image. Dead, in the endless fall of the Abyss.
Gerard
He is one of the few elders who truly puts Amber and the people in it above his own personal gain. As long as you are loyal to Amber you have nothing to fear from this gentle giant but if you betray Amber.....well then you will find out what it is like to go against a Mack Truck.
Julian
The conservative Lord of Arden

Julian's self control and coldness are legendary. He truly is open and loving only with those he trusts...Gerard, perhaps. Offspring, perhaps, too. That is about it. to all others, he is the man in white armor. The man with the hounds.

His knowledge of his world, Arden, is as much as a human can know. His hounds, his Rangers rule the paths, the roads and the spaces between.

Vialle
Amber's Rebman Queen. By no means the weak half of the relationship between herself and Random. She is known to have some magical talents of her own, expressed through her sculpture.
Florimel
Amber's Social Coordinator. She is also known for having expertise and ability as, of all things, an Architect. As a matter of fact it is rumoured that Random has asked her to come up with plans for an expanded and enlarged Castle Amber.
LLewella
Usually seen more often in Rebma than in Amber, LLewella has very strong ties to her half sister Moire. It almost seems as if she actively prefers the World Below to the World Above.
Amber NPC Cousins
Alvris, son of Gerard
At 6'10", Alvris only resembles his mother, rather than his father, in his chocolate brown skin and soft brown eyes, the same eyes which attracted Gerard to the Princess of Inole. This giant of a man is matched for a reputation for gentleness and caring only exceeded by his father. When provoked, however, his bare hands augmented only by devices such as brass knuckles proved the downfall of many a Chaosian in the Patternfall War. It is said that Chinaway Hendrake's son Bulla was one of those victims, and his father even today seeks a reckoning.
Scipio, son of Flora
Amber's consummate Diplomat, this son of Flora prefers to get his way with diplomacy and honey coated words than by sword or spell. Blond haired, charming and always polite, Scipio always seems ready to talk his way into or out of a situation.
Deionarra, daughter of LLewella
Llewella's fair, tall green eyed daughter is seen, interestingly enough, far more in the halls of Amber than her mother. This may be, although she always changes the subject, because of her unusual skin color...for a Rebman, that is. Her skin is of a white more seen in Deirdre or Corwin. Her hair is a snowy white tinged with glacier blue, worn long and straight. Deionarra is known for her artistic talents, and it is well known that she is (one of) Brand's pupil in this regard.
Other People to Know
Lord Henden
The irrepressible and unflusterable Chamberlain of Castle Amber. A fixture from the days of Oberon, Lord Henden continues his eternal fight to maintain the orderly running of the Castle Amber...even if he grates on the nerves of many, and rarely ever backs down from anyone of lesser rank than the King.
Commander Rylac Gerison
The commander of the guards in Amber Castle, a red haired, skilled swordsman still in the prime of his career. He is publically unhappy with Princess Deirdre, who has made it known that she intends to create an all-female seperate branch of the guards.
Michael
The head of the Amber Kitchens, sometimes called (behind his back) the "Second King" of the Castle for the regimented and complete control he has over his domain. Even Lord Henden rarely challenges the portly salt and pepper bearded man in his element. On the other hand, with a judicious amount of flattery, he can be a great ally...when one wants a special meal or a midnight snack.
The Courts of Chaos
The Ways of the Courts of Chaos
The Courts of Chaos are an island of relative stability in the moat that forms the Abyss At the End of the World. The longest lived and most successful civilization in the universe, they were already old when a rebel son of a rebel house stole the Eye of the Serpent.
And yet, fifty years ago, they lost a major war with Amber on, ultimately, their own home territory. It is suggested that the stress and strain of this is what led Swayvill, may his soul rest in peace, finally take the final trip into the Void.
In the wake of the struggle for the succession afterwards emerged new, and strong leadership. For the first time in 600 years, The Courts have not an Emperor, but an Empress.
All hail Empress Belissa Minobee, of the House Hendrake. With House Hendrake as the House Royal, and their ties to powerful Houses such as Helgram and Sawall, this cycle has already been predicted to be one of a Strong Emperor(Empress)
Beware, Amber, for the Empress of Chaos may seek to try her power again against you...