The Swayvill and the Succession in Chaos

Chaos has no origin myths. Extreme antiquity, vast time distortions, a lack of distinct forms, and madness skew their sense of history. The only elements of an origin myth that are known are the Creatures of Foundation and the Ancestors of Darkness. If the Origin of Chaos is known the answers lie with these beings. The Creatures of Foundation are the Serpent of Chaos, the Unicorn of Amber, the Bear of Avalon, Ygg of Mandalay, and a number of more elusive creatures. The Ancestors of Darkness are usually only referred to in funeral rights as the Tomb of the Ancestors of Darkness, where the most mighty of dead are laid, some to lie in state wrapped in death, some to sleep the eons away in dreamless seclusion.

In the early years of Chaos came a great leader whose deeds are long forgotten. He was named Swayvill. He established the means and form the succession would take down the corridors of time. Each now High Lord would bear his name.

The Swayvill may rule as long as they can but when they die and are replaced, the brothers of the new Swayvill lose their standing in the succession of Chaos until the new Swayvill and all his heirs are dead. Since a Swayvill is long lived they tend to breed many children, who grow to adulthood, raise houses, and take their places amongst the mighty. Chaos has thousands of Houses, mighty and feeble.

So a child of a Swayvill, head of a house, lives the ages down as he may. Then Swayvill dies. The succession goes to the eldest son, then his sons, in order till the last son is gone. Then it goes to the dead Swayvill's next youngest sons, his sons, their sons, etc. So goes the list. People my easily step aside but once they do this officially there is no going back on it. Once a Swayvill is found and assumes the throne, his sons become his heirs, may form Royal Houses, and on they go. This means that the brothers of the new Swayvill are put out of reach of the throne. Legends of gruesome throne wars depopulating whole houses abound in the literature, music, folklore and drama of chaos. The truth is indiscernible but art probably does not fall far from fact. The burden of the omnipresence of chaos packs the legends of Chaos.

So in the fullness of time comes a new Swayvill, a stable ruler not tainted by the madness chaos breeds. He rules for eons. His children grow, breed and build mighty houses. But the eldest of the sons of this new Swayvill is melancholy. He dreams of permanent things bearing their own reality and not simply things to be swept away at the whim of a Lord of Chaos. He fathers no children, and all believe that in the long off future he will fall should his father die. His name is Dworkin.

So when the Swayvill who ruled during the rise of Amber, who contended with Oberon in Chaos and Shadow, and led Chaos in the disastrous Patternfall War finally succumbs to a magical disease the succession is fiercely fought over. The terms of the Patternfall War disinherits the House of Amber/House Bariman and all of Dworkin's progeny.

A throne war insues beginning in the Amber year 5203 and extending to 5Despite the understanding