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As the introductory letter suggests, your cousin Asteria is having a birthday party in
a shadow that she has come to favor, and you are all invited to come.
Your cousin Princess Asteria, daughter of Flora, is having a
100th birthday party out in shadow, and she has invited you to visit
her art-deco world of zeppelins and high adventure to celebrate.
However,things are not as they seem, as their hostess and themselves
are put in danger by the minions of a mysterious antagonist!
Can the Children of Amber stop the machinations of Duke Icarium before
his dark purposes are fulfilled?
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- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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- Random
- The King of Amber. His 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. The Love of a good woman does wonders.
- 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. His is a
presence not often seen in Amber as a result. Although there is
peace between Amber and Chaos...Benedict seems to know
something...else.
- Bleys
- Along with his sister Fiona, the magic-users of the family.
Unlike Fiona, he is the dabbler...preferring to be, as they say,
second best in everything.
- Brand
- The Mad Sorcerer, he who would have destroyed the universe or
rebuilt it in his own image. Dead, in the endless fall of the
Abyss.
- Corwin
- Ever since the tragic death of Deirdre, 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
- Dead. Tragically fell into the Abyss with Brand.
- Fiona
- The Sorceress Supreme of Amber. Barely 5 feet tall, the acid
tongued mistress of magic always knows what is going on...and
possibly knows what you are thinking before you do...
- 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.
She is the mother of Princess Asteria.
- 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.
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- Asteria, daughter of Flora
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Her birthday is the reason and motivation for the game. Daughter of Florimel,
Asteria is very much in the model of her mother: elegant and charming. She is
not particularly known for any sort of unusual abilities.
Her casting call is Naomi Watts as seen in King Kong.
- Hadrian, son of Caine
- Amber's youthful and skilled Trump Artist. The son of Caine
and a noblewoman from the glacial, fjord dominated world of
DuMarque is far less sneaky and sinister than a son of Caine
might lead people to believe.
His casting call is Billy Crudup.
- Other NPCs may be created in the character creation process
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- 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. The
independent all-female guards called the Valkyries are a
permanent thorn in his side that he does not dare to remove...a
legacy and a memoriam to the lost Princess Deirdre.
- 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.
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