Greetings Gamers!

6 Months or so have passed since the game started and they have been busy times in Amber! Time to take a look back at some of the things that have gone on. The Game began on January 5 of the Amber year of 5250 when Random welcomed a collection of cousins to Amber. Random's reign was 50 years old.

The original roster was nine players. Doria, Truman, Zachary, Rilla, Gaheris, Geryon, Marke, Strykr, and Vance. To this gallery of rouges have come Shaenne, Nocturne, and Red Cloud. One character remains aloof from the family. One other waits in the wings, ready to make his first journey to Amber. That is quite a good gathering. The most active by far have been Doria, Strykr, Truman, Geryon, and Nocturne. And Vance of course, who was recently called the biggest gossip in Amber! For the players who have not been active, do not fear. I assume you have been off in shadow or taking care of your own business whatever it may be. Zachary has been present in Amber, a known attendee at family dinners and the ringmaster of the Amber Circus situated North Riding of the City of Amber.


Activities.

Early in the game Lord Lugborz Helibore, known by many other names in the shadow of Bryton, caused considerable trouble. His war with Geryon involved many participants. Fleece and his wolf-pack of chaos lords snuck into to Bryton and attacked Lugborz, injuring him deeply.(story: Padding of little puppy dog feet) Soon after Fleece and his pack were discovered to be agents of King Adrian of Mandalay. An assault for of Amberites attacked Lugborz and drove him from Bryton, winning acclaim for themselves. Benedict then basically invaded the vast tunnel region connection Diaga to the Abyss and other points. Bryton and its King Geryon were granted Golden Circle Signatory Status. (Story: Lugborz & Bryton)

Numerous people visited a tavern called Thin Whip's. This ramshackle warehouse of decadence housed the new wave of rockabilly swing that was coming to amber in the strings of two faithful proponents of the music; Truman and Jurt.

Doria was the recipient of considerable animosity, not least from her relatives. Her Hendrake relatives too. Desri, her sister, set a dangerous trap for Doria. A pillar with a golden tray and 5 Mandalay stones. Whoever would place her head in the tray would claim the prize. She placed this in a city on Doria's world of Swirlin. Many ingenious attempts to retrieve the stones failed. Finally Vance tried brute force by flying a starship from Vulsar Base and blasting the pillar from space. The pillar was undamaged but the area around it was burst asunder and Vance transported it to his ship. He gave the prize to Doria; at which point it became her problem. Doria took it to Fantalin to let Aries Colbresi, the Fantalin Dean of Treasures, try to figure it out. Eventually it was decided that tossing the thing
on the pattern would break the spell. As it did. It also broke Fantalin and the Hall of Treasures. Two great chamber, each 1000' tall, and under an additional 1000' of stone, were collapsed as what was discovered to be a Logrus Construct was tossed on the pattern. What caused considerable extra damage was that two great artifacts in the upper Hall of treasures, a Flawed Logrus and a Sigil At Riess, came into direct physical contact and what fireworks they caused! Doria and Aries Colbriesi were trapped together in a tiny space and played chess till they were rescued and whisked off to Vulsar for trauma care. Adjur, Doria's second in command, and Fiona, were trapped, crushed and KO'ed till rescued and both required heroic care to save.
Clean up at Fantalin proceeds nicely, thank you.

The Sons of Rilga had a bit of a spat with the king in this year. Caine, Julian, and Gerard came close to treason and were all removed from office for their own safety. This was because of the discovery that the presumed dead sister of Random, Mirelle, was not so dead. But she was mad as a hatter and very dangerous. Mirelle, found by Lugborz and kept prisoner in Chaos, was the object of a raid to rescue her. Once rescued the sons of Rilga insisted she be executed for her slaying of Queen Rilga centuries before. While the details are not publicly known tempers were high for a time and sides were being drawn. Random replaced Caine with Delwin as Spymaster, Dalt took over Arden from Julian, and Jopin was forced out of retirement to take the navy from Gerard. After Delwin turned the Amber CIA into a repressive secret police force and began horribly abusing citizens rights Random was forced to restore Caine and Delwin retired to shadow.
Accommodations were made with the sons of Rilga but not before tense standoffs nearly led to open rebellion.

Mirelle was just the first of a type of person that will rear their ugly heads in many forms; The Incarnations of Archetype. These are paramount beings possessed of a vast power connected to their incarnations; be they Madness, like Mirelle; Pettiness, like Swav Vie; Ambition like Robert Putney Drake; or Song, like Evelyn. Dworkin claims there are innumerable examples across shadow and they will be found in early any emotion or aspect. Look out for them; Some are not nice.

The two people's factions; The Democracy or Dust crowd called the Dusters, and the Senate and the People of Amber crowd, called Republicans, are fighting an underground war of words and poisoned knives as they try to bring representative government to Amber and overthrow the monarchy. Rumors are rampant. One thing is clear and is believe to be connected to this underground war; mercenaries and soldiers from across shadow have been filtering into Amber, filling the dockside taverns and the flop house while they look for employers. They hang out in places like Thin Whip's, the Black Cow, Willie's Tavern, Bloody Phil's, and a dozen other low and no class joints in the low parts of town. Not just in Amber either; in Garn, Ober, and the seaside resorts.

By far the Hendrake Crisis has been amongst the most irritating for King Random.
Two factions have developed that are splitting the House Hendrake. The Anti-Amber/Old Guard Faction led by Duke Larsus and Duchess Belisima and the Clan Lintros Faction led by Maylon Hendrake and Desri Hendrake. The Lintros Clan cannot be called Pro-Amber exactly but they are of Amber blood, descended from Benedict.

 

The Rebman Sky Ball and the Red Turning Ball were major social events.

 

The Rebman Sky Ball, held every three years, was a huge success but it had some considerable fall out.  Queen Morie of Rebma reigned over the event held in the halls of Amber, as per her Golden Circle Signatory Treaty(GCST) allows.  While most of the guests enjoyed a pleasant evening some events and surprises were noteworthy.

 Queen Morie replaced her Ambassador with Lord Rene of Rebma.  She further surprised the populace by announcing that Rene was the son of Corwin and had assayed the pattern. 

Fleece entered to be recognized as Ambassador to Amber from Mandalay.  He arrived in human form and with him was his wife Bruiser.  To the shock of everyone involved Bruiser was revealed to be dierdra, lost in the Abyss.  Apparently Fleece had fought the Serpent of haos, who had spent considerable time mounting Dierdre.  He and his back chased the serpent away  and they took a brain-damaged Dierdre, in wolf form and pregnant, away.

Jurt and Rene entertained the crowd with a game of Irish Stand Down.  Called a tie, points went to Jurt.

In the middle of the ball it was discovered that the High Lord of Chaos, the new Swayvil, was on his way to Amber, unannounced.  He arrived and presented his new Ambassador as well, Maylon Hendrake, Benedict’s daughter by Lintra in an ancient age.  She presented Random with the Heirs and Spares Poster created by the Sage of Angst.  It displayed every verifiable and discoverable descendent of Dworkin.   This revelation shocked the court especially because it was discovered that copies of it had been posted all over the city of Amber by Chaos partisans.

Swayvil invited Random to

 

Swayvil hosted the Red Turning Ball in the Ways of Hendrake.  This gala affair attracted special notice because Swayvil legalized the Amber Cults.  So the Ball was the first official and sanction meeting of many of the amber cults. Besides dancing, dining, and other activities the Lintros Clan had planned a little business for Doria. 

Previous Doria had encountered Lord Chinnaway Hendrake and he had set the terms for her to be considered reconciled to House Hendrake.  She needed to sacrifice a unicorn, taken from a golden circle kingdom, to the serpent, and with her bloody hand raised shout “Doria Hendrake!”  then Chinnaway would shake her hand.

So she took a unicorn on Diaga, then brought it to the alter and cut its throat.  After yelling and shaking Chinnaway’s hand the serpent of chaos appeared, swooped up the carcass and left. In a near hall it encountered the Unicorn who pierced its side, stole the carcass of the unicorn, and tore a rib bone from the serpent before fleeing. Many spectators hurried to soak the blood of the serpent from the floor.  One was Nocturne who got a vial full.

 

Later while the delighted Hendrakes of the Lintros clan huddled around Doria they took her to the first legal, public, meeting of the Cult of Benedict.  There after considerable numbers of stories were related by chaosians Julian took the podium and spoke of battles he had been in with Benedict.  Suddenly Benedict himself entered and took the center alter flanked by Bleys, Caine, and Gerard.  Vance and Nocturne were on either side of the basilica.  Ben spoke to the crowd telling them that if they wished to hear of his virtues they should come to Amber and hear him tell them.   He also told them that Random had authorized the Amber Cults in Amber itself. 

Suddenly Random entered and strode to stand with his brothers.  In the center of the isle arose Despil and Jurt.  Both knelt and disavowed their allegiance to Chaos and swore fealty to Amber, to the fury of the masses.  Random and his new liegemen walked to the front.

As Random reached the front Vance stepped behind Roxane, Doria’s daughter, and Gaheris stoop before Desri, Ben’s chaosian daughter, and Gerard advanced on Maylon.  All three displayer green trumps and they and their target disappeared.  The women were delivered to the prisons of Amber.  Random said to the masses. “I will brook no interference in matters pertaining to the House Bariman of which I lead.”  He then transported to Amber with all the assembled family members.

 

In the dungeons this were tense.  Random had a private conversation with Maylon whom he released.  Desri and Roxane remained imprisoned.

 

Marke had rescued his dear friend Meheadros from constant destruction by lava and magical rejuvenation that had reached a balance with each other, burning as much as was healed.  Causing horrible pain.  For the rescue he gained title to a simiril and was adopted into the line of Feanor. He was horribly burned and took considerable healing at Vulsar base.

 

Nocturne had arrived in Amber burdened by a powerful spell that had failed.  Brand, Bleys, and Fiona had cast it.  The story is that Nocturne, the child of Brand and the Phoenix, would be bonded to Bleys to breed powerful children.  Instead Brand planned to bind Fi and Bleys to him and execute Nocturne on the pattern.  When Bleys discovered this, mid-ritual, he broke the spell.  This made her love him and him feel protective 0over her.  He had watched over her in advernus for centuries and through the Patternfall War.

Noct and Bleys had a troublesome series of encounters as they assembled the needed supplies to break the spell on Nocturne once and for all.  Most of this was on the QT but when Fi heard that they were seeking a phoenix tail feather she bolted Amber.  With no fan fare she took her 50 sorcerers and 100 bene gesserit and assembled and army as she hellrode to Chaos.  At the end she went into the abyss.  Rumors were flying that she had gone to join and rescue Brand.

As they discussed the defenses in the throne room of Amber, days later, and with a full pack of family in attendance, Fiona made an emergency shout for help to Bleys.  Bleys apparently realized what was happening, using secret knowledge and told everyone that Fi was not freeing Brand but rescuing the Phoenix, that Fi and Brand had hidden, dead, in the abyss.  Fi had gone to make sure if Brand was alive and free in the abyss that he would not have the phoenix.  But she was under siege and losing.

So Bleys, Ben, Julian, Caine, Gerard, Dalt all went to the abyss.  Random went to Mandalay to assist.  Fleece and the wolf pack went too. They all fled over the edge of the abyss. Before they left Caine had a serious conversation with Desri, whom he swore to advocate for in exchange for information on Chaos.  She was released on parole.

 

In a little aside Nocturne almost got herself sacrificed to the Serpent but escaped.

 

The terribly injured the brothers exited chaos and the details of the battle are unknown except that Brand and his ally, the wounded serpent joined an abyssal king when they attacked Fi.  Eventually all three were chased off but at great cost in injuries.  They came out with the phoenix.

 

After healing and some other business red Cloud discovered what the proper fire was to heal the phoenix.  It was the BBQ pit at Oberon’s Fire in calrabon.  It turns out that that fire has been drawing directly off the jewel of judgment for 6000 years on calrabon.

 

After considerable preparation the phoenix was ready.  Anointed with the blood of the serpent, tufted with hair of the Dog and touched by the horn of the unicorn, they took Random, Bleys, Fi, Doria and nocturne to Oberon’s Fire.  The details are private but the upshot is that the phoenix was healed, the love spell on Nocturne was lifted and all was well.

 

 

 

 

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