The Cult of Amber

If you were to see the days and years and turnings of ages in Chaos in a regular manner you would see chaos as ancient in the extreme. Since the old and new Swayvills share the same name it gives a false sense of continuity. Yet the genealogists in Chaos know a great deal of the history of Chaos that is only remember in the names of the dead, or in the memories of the long-lived. The details of the relationships of the Swayvill are so complicated that it defies codification. For uncounted ages Chaos ruled supreme. To grasp the tale of Chaos once must comprehend infinity, in multiples; supreme, serene and chaotically content.

To tell the tale properly is a work of ages in itself but much of it boils down to this. Chaos is old and bears in the heart of everyone of its countryman a sense of invulnerability, if not in their own person, certainly in the might of Chaos.

Then came Dworkin and Amber.

He dallies with the unicorn and on a ledge of Bariman Way, also known as the Rock Kolvir, he inscribes the Pattern of Amber. To say this irritated the Lords of Chaos is too understate it by a vast degree; it is seen by the Serpent as a direct insult from the Unicorn. Yet it is done, the Pattern, the Unicorn, the Jewel of Judgment, and Dworkin are bound together.

Now many in chaos were furious but many more were blasé about it, seeing Amber, despite its vastness, as simply another thing in Chaos. Dworkin is not only a Lord of Chaos, but is the Heir to the Throne after all, and if he wants his Way to be so firm that is his business. Most did not see Amber as the enemy the royalty did. They considered it irrelevant in the great sweep of eons and they may have had a point. The fact that Dworkin was considered a rebel by his father, and most of his kin, impressed only a fraction of the Houses of Chaos. In fact since Shadow seemed open to everyone those who had assayed the Logrus frequently traveled in Shadow, finding things they loved and had not, themselves, imagined.

But when the forces Houses Hendrake, Minobee, Sawall, and many lesser houses became embroiled in the Patternfall War military forces from many of the neutral houses joined to defend against the invading army, many out of a sense of adventure if not patriotism. The isolationists largely went deep into their own ways and missed the war. As the battle approached the Fane of Zila and the Abyss even the so-called Pro-Amber forces joined to defend Chaos.

The full might of Chaos led by the High Lord Swayvill met the full might of Amber led by Prince Benedict of Amber. Chaos lost.

The defeat of Chaos sent ripples of disbelief across shadow & chaos. It was inconceivable that once the full might of Chaos was turned on Dworkin's Trinket, as it was called, that the rebel would win. The fact it was not even Dworkin, or his son Oberon, who led the forces was even more difficult to believe.

The question on the tongues of every Chaosian was "Who are these Amberites?"

To answer the question came the family of Amber, with their newly crowned King, Random I, the Grandson of Dworkin. In the Patternfall Treaty were many agreements establishing Amber as the equal of Chaos, and a further implication, that Avalon might one day also achieve an equal status. Avalon was a new thing and much of it's story was unknown, despite the presence of Corwin, the pattern's creator. It also established that the House of Amber, also called the House of Bariman, including Dworkin, Oberon, and all his children were removed from the order of Succession in Chaos. By strict rules, at the death of the then Swayvil, Dworkin's father, Oberon being dead, the throne of Chaos should have gone to Osric. Oberon's first born son. Osric, and Finndo being dead, the throne of Chaos would have fallen to Benedict, the Victor of the Patternfall War.

The Royal Family of Amber cut a wide swath through the social circles of Chaos, becoming all the rage. Their time in Chaos marks them, from their King, Random, his son and Heir, Martin, to the least active of the Amberites, Llewella. All spent time in Chaos. Some spent centuries in the vast vaults and time-warped ways of the noble houses. Random met frequently, even socially, with Swayvill. Dworkin met with Suhuy, his brother, for long years, emerging with a 'calmer' personality in recovery.

What has been called 'a brisk trade' in Amber memorabilia grew in Chaos. People would discuss the actions, stories, legends and beliefs of the family members who had visited Chaos. Militant houses admired Benedict, Corwin, and Bleys. Magically inclined spoke of Fiona, Bleys, and even Brand. Devious houses gossiped about Caine. Even the royal house of Swayvill came to respect Random, Oberon, and the Rebel himself, Dworkin.

In time the Patternfall Treaty was signed, ratified, and set in stone, literally. The family of Amber returned to repair the damage done during the war and otherwise go one with life.

A strange thing began to develop in Chaos after the departure of the House of Amber. Gossip, discussion, admiration grew in the ways of Chaos. Statues appeared. Portraits, biographies, buttons, stickers and all the claptrap associated with rock stars, movie stars and celebrities began to be traded, produced, sold and eventually, to the horror of the Serpent, venerated. Alcoves were created in many of the houses of Chaos where a portrait of an Amberite would reside, below it was other memorabilia of the person represented, candles lit these alcoves. Alcoves became small rooms, which became large rooms. Eventually the large rooms contained collections of alcoves devoted to several Amberites. Parties were held in these rooms. Eventually the rooms stopped being rooms with display cases, visited by party-goers, and became temples, with cult figures, visited by worshipers. Candles were lit to invoke the spirit, representations, and philosophies of the members of the House of Amber. Even the Unicorn was venerated. The term used to describe a figure one venerated was the Crux Amberite or the Crux of the Cult, rather than using the terms saint, figure or god.

Veneration was stepping over the line as far as Swayvill, the Church of the Serpent, and the Serpent himself were concerned. It had to be stopped.

Well, as any despot can tell you, the best way to make a faith popular is to persecute it and drive it underground. Swayvill did just that. He ruthlessly suppressed the Amber Cult, destroying shrines, toppling statues, even slaying driving members of the cult, especially seeking out those who followed the Unicorn, Dworkin, and Benedict.

 The pogrom was conducted from 5230 to 5250 Amber-time. At the end the cult had been driven underground and finding any remainder of it was difficult in the extreme. With one exception that even the Serpent can't seem to do anything about. The Fane of Zila, a construct in its own right, manifests artifacts of veneration from the length and breadth of Shadow. It grows, contracts, heightens, and changes in a vast number of ways as an effect of Shadow. In one of the vast halls is a Chamber of alcoves representing the Cult of Amber. These differ from other places in the Fane where members of the family of amber are represented in the forms of their worship because the Cult bears dirrect connections to Chaos in the design and decore of the items. That the Chaosian Amber Cult items are found in the Fane of Zila is proof that Chaosians are venerating the Amberites in Shadow. It is therefore likily that it is done in Chaos itself.

The word Venerated has been used to describe the Amber Cult; not worship. This is pointed out by cultist who claim that they do not see the amberites as Gods. They see them as Archetypes, and as such venerate Honor as shown Benedict in his refusal of the Crown. Courage, as shown by Bleys, in his fight up the Stairs of Kolvir, deviousness, as shown by Caine, in replacing himself with the corpse of his own shadow. Thus they venerate the vices and virtues they wish to espouse or aspire to by showing their value in the actions of the Amberites they revere. The distinction between devotion and worship is vague but important.

These cults are not new to Chaos. There has been a Cult of Chaos from time immemorial, it being more or less attached to the Church of the Serpent. They thus provided a type of Cult of Saints for the Church of the Serpent. The development of the Amber Cults was seen as treasonous at best and blasphemous at worst. The pogrom destroyed open observance of the veneration of Amber, making it attractive to the underground mindset.

The Chaos Cults of Amber have been gaining popularity again in several Black Zone worlds, despite the ruthless suppression the cults suffered under the old Swayvil. Rumor has it that many cult related activities have been held in Amber. With the interaction, trade, and even tourism in Amber from the Courts it was inevitable that many of the visitors might be Amber Cultists. Especially the more fanatical of them.

A Military funeral buried a Julian Cultist in Arden. He was said to have crossed swords briefly with Julian at Patternfall and Julian allowed the burial out of respect. Further rumor suggests the death was not accidental and that Jullian in investigating.

The second was a night of reveling at Tapper's Fury, where Bleys, two of his shades calling themselves Buddy Fish the Wonder Dog, entertained a group of Bleys cultists until the Amber Guard came to break it up.

The third is a confirmed rumor that Strykr discovered a ritual to Brand by four cultists, including a Chaos Sorcerer, at Brand's tomb. She summoned Caine and they slew three of the worshipers. The sorcerer put up a fight. Bleys, Delwin and Random eventually were needed to defeat the wizard and his summoned chaos spiders.

Lord Mandor of Sawall, a known Fiona Cultist, has been having an on again/off again relationship with Princess Fiona, making him the living envy of all the other Fiona Cultists. However proximity has caused his own participation in the Cult to wax & wane as his relationship does.

Jurt of Sawall was a known Brand Cultist in Chaos but has repeatedly sworn he is no longer involved in the Cult of Brand. Of course, now he runs a movable rave party called "Thin Whip's" in Amber itself.

In Merlin's Chronicles, Dara was portrayed as having had a Corwin shrine in Sawall Ways. In a tiny way beneath it she kept Corwin himself imprisoned. The accuracy of the tale has not been verified and the principals are not talking. Ask Merlin about it some time.

In the same Chronicles the House Hendrake was seen to be rife with Benedict Cultists. Merlin portrays Lady Gilva, a Hellmaid of Hendrake, discussing the Benedict Cult. During the pogrom it was even discovered that he was the Crux Amberite of the entire house! This was stopped, openly at least, but the house still has a real focus on Benedict because of the Clan Lintros, and the daughters of Lintros. Two of her daughters are dead but one is alive and in the bosom of Hendrake. The other is Doria of Amber. Doria's daughter is also held by the Hendrakes.