ARGENTIUM

An Alternate Amber, by Iain Walker, Used With Permission.

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HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Following the events of 'The Hand of Oberon' - Oberon sends everyone off to invade Chaos, while he and Dworkin remain at the Primal Pattern. Corwin is sent off through Shadow, receives the Jewel and, fearing that everything is lost, inscribes his Pattern. Brand steals the Jewel, and Corwin pursues him to Chaos, arriving just in time for the stand-off on the edge of the Abyss. Brand overpowers Deirdre using the Jewel and attempts to hold her hostage, but is engaged in a sorcerous duel by Fiona, while Corwin attacks him via his own attunement to the Jewel. Deirdre breaks free, whereupon Caine, back from the dead, pops up and shoots Brand. Brand, and the Jewel, topple into the Abyss.

A funeral procession then emerges from the encroaching Reality Storm - but it is Oberon who leads it, and it is a dead Dworkin lying on the bier. Benedict, with the aid of Bleys' reinforcements, has routed the Chaos army, and Oberon orders that they be pursued into the Citadel of Chaos itself. There, on the steps of Thelbane, King Swayvill of Chaos rallies his troops and meets Oberon in personal combat. Oberon kills Swayvill, and the forces of Chaos surrender.

Oberon tells his children that the Primal Pattern, along with its reflections, Amber, Rebma and the Golden Circle, have all been destroyed. This seems to be true, since everyone (except Corwin) has lost their Pattern imprint. All those left behind - Gerard, Martin, Vialle - have perished. He hints that Dworkin decided at the last minute to revert to Plan A and destroy himself and the Pattern with it. Oberon now declares himself King of Chaos, and the noble Houses of the Courts accede with varying degrees of reluctance. Dworkin and Swayvill are given lavish funerals, their bodies cast into the Abyss, and Oberon is crowned. He invites his offspring to join him in Chaos as members of the new Royal House of Barimen. Random refuses - he cannot accept that his wife and son are dead, and sets out along the remains of the Black Road, against Oberon's advice. Llewella, feeling much the same about Rebma, accompanies him. The other Elders, still shell-shocked by Amber's destruction, mill about in some confusion. The last of the Reality Storm dies away, leaving an apparently intact realm of Shadows beyond Chaos. The Black Road has now vanished. Corwin realises that his own Pattern has replaced Amber's as the opposite pole of Creation. He offers his siblings an alternative, to walk his Pattern instead.

In the end, all his siblings accompany Corwin back through Shadow to his Pattern. With them travel over twelve thousand members of Amber's armies from the Battle of the Abyss, mainly from Benedict's, Bleys', Dierdre's and Julian's troops. En route they find Random, half-dead, marooned in Shadow by the breaking up of the Black Road. He became separated from Llewella, he tells them, and they try - and fail - to contact her via her Trump, before progressing on to the new Pattern. When they arrive after nearly a year of travel, they find that a city already exists there - it is called Argentium, and the inhabitants have been awaiting the return of Corwin for many centuries. It resembles a cross between Amber and 19th century Paris, and is already a well-established trading nation with links to neighbouring Shadow via a network of Shadow Paths. The other Elders walk his Pattern, while Corwin decides what to do with his new realm. Having already refused one crown, he is reluctant to declare himself King of Argentium, despite the clamours of the populace and the urgings of some of his siblings. Instead, he accepts the title of Lord Protector, and invites the other Elders to sit on a nine-strong Council that will oversee the growth and development of the new realm.


SUBSEQUENT TIMELINE

Although Argentium seems to have a history going back at least several centuries, years are numbered from the arrival of Corwin and his siblings, known as the Restoration. This is also an effective "After Patternfall" chronology.

1 -8 AR The Elders start to explore and open up Shadow Paths around Argentium, leading to diplomatic and trading links with neighbouring Shadows and a number of minor wars. Shadow Albion, a powerful steampunk-style trading nation which dominates the seas around Argentium, takes the opportunity to carve itself a few more colonies, and several of its targets appeal to Argentium for aid. Corwin is reluctant to engage in a major conflict, but when Albion starts impounding Argentium's trading vessels, war is declared. Argentium's navy is still weak, but Albion is eventually defeated in a series of land battles and sues for peace. Argentium gains a number of Shadow realms as dependencies and protectorates.

9 AR In an attempt to stabilise the region, the Silver Circle is formed, a trading alliance modelled on Amber's Golden Circle. Initial members are Argentium, Albion, Talos, Greyfell and Janath, but other Shadows soon join. The alliance is not a military one, but the treaty does include a non-aggression clause.

12 AR In Chaos, Oberon marries a Lady Iorgana of House Helibore. Corwin, Benedict, Caine, Flora, Fiona and Bleys attend. Deirdre, Julian and Random remain in Argentium. Corwin meets with his son Merlin. Rumours speak of an attempt to assassinate Bleys, but this is unconfirmed. Flora remains in Chaos for a while after the others have left, returning several months later.

17 AR Catullus becomes High Priest of the Church of the Silver Rose, the highest spiritual authority in Argentium, and transforms it into a renewed Church of the Unicorn.

22 AR Flora gets herself appointed Ambassador to Albion, and starts to make the Shadow her own. Around the same time, Julian settles in Shadow Vithir, an Arden-like Shadow guarding the eastern approaches to Argentium. Within a year, he has married Macha, Queen of the Faery inhabitants of the Shadow.

28 AR Bleys and Fiona discover the Keep of the Four Worlds, a Shadow Nexus seemingly left over from Amber's Universe. They make the place their base for exploring Argentium's Shadows.

31 AR By now, only Corwin and Deirdre play any real part in running Argentium, so Corwin suggests that the realm needs a monarch after all - Deirdre. There are some objections (not least from Deirdre herself), but in the end she is crowned. Oberon is invited but does not attend. All the Elders swear allegiance to Deirdre as Queen of Argentium. Not long after the coronation, an attempt is made on the new Queen's life. Deirdre takes care of the dozen assassins herself, but the originator of the plot remains unknown.

35 AR In Chaos, two of the Noble Houses, Hendrake and Usherbal, rebel against Oberon's rule. Oberon crushes the uprising, but House Usherbal holds out in its Shadow realms, under siege. Oberon summons Benedict to Chaos to break the siege and House Usherbal falls. The remnants of the rebel Houses flee into Shadow. Benedict remains in Chaos at Oberon's Court.

43-4 AR Corwin goes off into Shadow for over a year, exploring. Not long after his return, he vanishes from his chambers in the Royal Palace. All attempts to contact him fail, and search parties turn up nothing. There are riots in the city when the news leaks out, but Deirdre confronts the rioters in person and manages to defuse the situation. But in the aftermath, the Rosa Argenta begins to develop as a major political force.

45 AR Benedict returns to Argentium when he hears of Corwin's disappearance, but is questioned by Deirdre about his activities in Chaos. She basically accuses him of being more loyal to Oberon and Chaos than to her and Argentium, whereupon Benedict departs in a huff and settles in Shadow Dumnonia instead.

45-50 AR Deirdre begins to make her mark as Queen, appointing a Council of Ministers to replace the now completely defunct Council established by Corwin. Both indigenous nobles and nobles originally from Amber are represented. She also appoints Random as Governor of Port Royal and Head of the Merchant Navy, passing over the more qualified Caine. At around the same time, the Church of the Unicorn becomes more politically active after acquiring two Silver Circle kingdoms as vassal states, willed to them by their rulers.

52 AR Ships from Argentium, Albion and other Silver Circle Shadows go missing in the inter-Shadow trade routes. They are traced to a hitherto unknown and uncharted land-mass which seems to be warping the Shadows paths around it. Landing parties do not return, except for one led by Caine, who reports that the continent is somehow alive. The Shadow, dubbed Cernothia after some inscriptions in ancient Thari that Caine brought back with him, is subsequently quarantined. Random misses the crisis due to his search for Vialle and Martin, and Deirdre is obliged to dismiss him from his post and appoint Caine instead.

59 AR Revenge attacks by the remnants of Hendrake and Usherbal on Benedict in Dumnonia. Deirdre sends troops, but they turn out not to be needed. However, fences are mended between her and Benedict.

65 AR A singularly unpleasant plague sweeps the Silver Circle, decimating several Shadows. It even takes root in Argentium itself, but burns itself out quickly. It is traced to one of the survivors of Caine's landing party on Cernothia. Other members of the party are quarantined. Caine, after a showdown with Deirdre, walks the Pattern instead, to cleanse himself of any lingering influences. Shortly afterwards, Cernothia is discovered to be moving, slowly, through Shadow. A permanent watch is placed on the Shadows around it, and the quarantine zone is adjusted accordingly. However, the plague remains endemic in several Shadows.

73 AR Diplomatic tensions rise after several Silver Circle Shadows protest against Albion's slave trade. Flora ignores Deirdre's communiqués, but receives the envoys of the protesting kingdoms herself, and within weeks Albion's Parliament outlaws slavery and the slave trade. Albion's navy starts policing the Shadow paths for slave ships, impounding them and liberating their captives. Flora's political influence grows.

79 AR The Basilica of the Pattern in Argentium is broken into by an armed gang. None of the malefactors survive the attentions of the Lady, the ghostly guardian of the Pattern, but one of them appears to have been a shape-shifter. Deirdre enacts a law banning all acts of shape-shifting within Argentium - only Julian's and Macha's intervention on behalf of the Faery shape-shifters of Shadow Vithir prevent a witch-hunt against shape-shifters in general.

84 AR The Turane Riots. Renard Turane, radical politician and editor of the Argent Standard, publishes an article accusing Deirdre and Catullus of having killed Corwin. A former member of Deirdre's bodyguard has provided seemingly incontrovertible testimony. Argentium descends into anarchy for almost nine days before order is restored. Deirdre gives an impassioned speech to a joint session of the Estates Noble and Common protesting her innocence, which is widely if not universally accepted. The bodyguard subsequently admits to being pressurised by a mysterious stranger called Knossos, and recants. Catullus tries to arrest Turane, but Turane escapes, killing several members of the Cathedral Guard. He remains an outlaw.

86 AR The present day. The after effects of the Turane Riots are still dying down, and Deirdre is having to tread more carefully than usual on her subject's sensibilities. News has recently arrived from Chaos that Oberon has had a son by Queen Iorgana, Prince Severin. There are various rumours doing the rounds: Cernothia is on the move again and heading straight for Argentium; Renard Turane's followers are sabotaging Argentium's new underground railway; Princess Lyan of Chaos, Oberon's eldest daughter by Iorgana, has asked Deirdre for political asylum; tensions between Albion and Khmun over the slave trade are about to spill over into war; Corwin has been spotted as the strong-man in a travelling circus; and so on.


THE REALM OF ARGENTIUM

The City of Argentium (population 685,400) sits on a broad, fertile plateau bounded to the south and west by a large and somewhat swampy valley, and to the north and east by mountains. The River Lorraine falls from the distant mountains and winds through the centre of the city, eventually cascading over the lip of the plateau and flowing down the valley to the sea some twelve miles away. Port Royal, Argentium's trading and naval port, lies where it meets the ocean. Other landmarks of note include the Jackal's Caverns, a network of caves beneath the Cascades, and the Giant's Head, a tavern in the valley named after a giant fossilised skull protruding from the nearby marshes.

The city itself has a layout broadly like that of late 19th or early 20th Century Paris, but the architecture is more varied, incorporating Classical, Gothic, Renaissance, Ottoman and medieval styles. It is dominated by the Royal Palace, a vast sprawling construction on the east bank of the river, but also extending to the islands in its centre (basically, for those of you who know Paris, imagine a complex extending from the Palais du Louvre in the west to the Hotel de Ville in the east, and south into the river to accommodate the Palais de Justice and Notre Dame). This is the residence of the Queen and Royal Family (whenever the latter actually turn up), and also the seat of Argentium's government and bureaucracy. The Royal residences are on the islands in the river; the governmental parts on the river bank.

Corwin's Pattern lies within the grounds of the Palace in a large Gothic construct known as the Basilica of the Pattern, a quasi-religious edifice raised by the inhabitants of Argentium on an island in mid-river, long before the return of the Elders. This corresponds roughly to Notre Dame in Paris. It is the most heavily guarded building in Argentium, and no-one is allowed inside without Deirdre's permission. It also seems to have an in-built supernatural guardian of its own, a spectral figure known simply as the Lady, who tends to respond to break-ins with lethal and mysterious force. Beside the Pattern grows a tree - of sorts. Corwin recalls that just before he drew his Pattern, he planted a staff cut from a sentient piece of lumber called Ygg. This tree however is a tall (100 feet, brushing the ceiling of the Basilica) crystalline dendrite which flickers and glows with the same blue-silver energy as the Pattern. And like the Pattern, only Amberites can touch it and live. Fiona has theorised that the original sapling was somehow real enough to survive contact with the Pattern as its roots spread under it, but that it has subsequently, somehow, become an extension of the Pattern itself. Unlike Dworkin's former construct, Corwin's Pattern casts no known reflections.

The physical laws of Argentium are somewhat different from those of Amber. For example, gunpowder works in Argentium (black powder firearms are standard military issue), although more advanced explosives do not. Technology in general is equivalent to the 19th Century on Earth, with steam-power, gas lighting and rudimentary forms of electricity. Nothing more advanced than this seems to work, though. Transport is mainly horse-drawn, although steam- and clock-work powered gurneys are currently fashionable. Argentium is a non-magickal environment, which means that although Cantrips work, it takes Advanced Rituals to bring off anything more sophisticated or longer-lasting.

The inhabitants of Argentium are tougher than your average Shadow-dweller. A typical citizen is either Chaos- or Amber-ranked in all statistics, and some individuals may have ranked statistics (although usually in single figures).


POLITICS IN ARGENTIUM

Fraught. Before the arrival of Corwin and the other Elders, Argentium was an oligarchy, run by the noble families and trading houses - the state was united and prosperous, but still subject to all the faction fighting that an oligarchy implies. Now Argentium is a monarchy, but if anything the faction fighting is even worse. The indigenous nobility resent the new Amberite nobility who turned up with the Elders, the Amberite nobles look down on the indigenous nobles, the Church of the Unicorn has become a major independent political force, and within each group rivalries abound. Basically, the Elder Amberites do not have a monopoly on intrigue. Their own disunity, and the fact that they have tended to concentrate on carving out their own little fiefdoms in and around Argentium has not helped matters much either.

Deirdre is a reasonably popular monarch, but her position is far more precarious than Oberon's ever was. For a start, she is a relative newcomer to a realm with an established political culture which was not of her own devising, and as such, certain compromises are forced upon her if she wishes to avoid alienating the bulk of her subjects. Secondly, she rules essentially because Corwin said she should, and it is known that there are elements (and not just amongst her siblings) who have other ideas about the occupancy of the throne. Her main trump card (as it were), is her control over the Pattern, but while this has so far sufficed to keep her siblings in line, it cuts little ice with the populace in general. Consequently, she has to maintain a political balancing act that would have been inconceivable in Amber under her father. She is not, in short, an absolute monarch. She rules with and through a Council of Ministers, a cabinet that takes care of the day-to-day running of the kingdom, but she must also take into consideration the views of the two Assemblies, the Estates Noble and the Estates Common, which represent the interests of the aristocracy and the mercantile class respectively. Whereas in Amber, Oberon's word was law, Deirdre frequently has to negotiate with her own subjects to get what she wants. So far her semi-constitutional approach has maintained the good order of the state, but it is clear that this order is at best an unstable equilibrium. The problem is, attempting to establish a more centralised and autocratic rule would probably be the best way of tipping things into anarchy.


The main political factions in Argentium are:

THE CHURCH OF THE UNICORN

The official religion of Amber, and now the official religion of Argentium, was brought to the realm by the current Cardinal-Archbishop Catullus (according to the history books), or by Unicorn working through Catullus (according to the Church). On joining the pre-existing Church of the Silver Rose (which venerated Corwin the Creator and taught a rather volatile mixture of chivalric ideals and moral pragmatism), he formed the Order of the Unicorn within its ranks. Within a few years, the Unicorn faction dominated the Church, and Catullus took over. He thereupon declared that the entire history of the Church to date had been merely a preparation for this moment, and that he had been charged to reveal that Lord Corwin had been guided to create Argentium by his patron deity and the deity of Amber, the Unicorn. Henceforth the Church would be known as the Church of the Unicorn, with Corwin (he was careful to add) venerated as the Champion of the True Goddess. Corwin, who seems to have found the old Church more embarrassing than anything else, said nothing. Most people took this as a sign of approval, and so accepted this reordering of their religious lives. Those who didn't carried on with the old rituals in private, and a few malcontents banded together to form the movement now known as the Rosa Argenta (see below).

The Church of the Unicorn's teachings emphasise duty and obedience, especially towards the Church and the State. It has grown in power until it is now virtually a state-within-a-state, with its own armed forces (the Cathedral Guard are the only troops allowed to bear arms in Argentium itself other than the Royal Guard and the City Watch). Its estates are second only to those of the Throne, and its vassal princes now rule three of the Silver Circle Kingdoms. It is also widely believed that the Holy Office runs its own spy network and secret police. Most of this has occurred since Corwin's departure.


THE FIRST FAMILIES

Several nobles of Amber fought at Patternfall, and those who accompanied the Elders to Argentium were rewarded with lands and titles with which to re-establish their Houses. Most of them have exploited their connections with the old Amber and with the Royal Family to make themselves an elite within Argentium's nobility, a fact much resented by the pre-established aristocracy of the city. They tend to support Deirdre, although it is suspected that a substantial minority of them would prefer another Elder on the Throne, someone who would put the natives in their place and turn Argentium into a New Amber, restoring the Good Old Days once and for all. Many First Families have close links with the Church of the Unicorn. Their informal leader is Duke Amarind Chantris, formerly one of Oberon's finest generals, now Dierdre's Minister of Defence. Elders associated with the First Families include Julian and Flora.


THE ROSA ARGENTA

Name given to a loose alliance of groups who want to return Argentium to the old ways that prevailed prior to the arrival of the Elders (a rather different conception of the Good Old Days from that of the First Families). They are made up of militant followers of the old Church of the Silver Rose, members of the original aristocracy who resent the disproportionate influence of the First Families, a handful of Corwin loyalists from the ranks of Amber's surviving soldiery who distrust the other Elders, and various professional malcontents. It is a common belief amongst many of them (particularly the religious die-hards) that Corwin has been made away with by the perfidious Amberites so that they could impose their own regime. Their attitude towards Deirdre varies - some profess loyalty to her as Corwin's anointed Queen, and believe that she would look favourably on their cause were she not deceived by her advisors, while others believe her to be the most perfidious Amberite of all, suspecting her of manoeuvring her way to the Throne and then disappearing Corwin. As a political grouping the Rosa Argenta is less effective than the First Families, not least because of a tendency to squabble amongst themselves. No Elders are admitting to having anything to do with this faction, although both Bleys and Caine are supposed to have discrete links with them.


THE SILVER CIRCLE

A trading (but not military) alliance modelled on Amber's Golden Circle. Currently numbers about 35 realms. Argentium is the focus of the alliance, but does not dominate it to the same extent as Amber dominated the Golden Circle. However, Deirdre has hit on the idea of admitting Argentium's vassal Shadows, her colonies and protectorates, as fully fledged members to add to Argentium's clout. This has not gone down well with some of the independent members, particularly Albion, but so far nobody has been prepared to go to war over it. Significant members include:

  • Albion - Steam-punk Shadow very much like 19th century Britain, whose iron-clad dreadnoughts still dominate the shipping lanes of the Silver Circle. Moderately magickal, allowing its inhabitants to create a fusion of magick and Victorian technology that makes it the most technically advanced society in the Silver Circle. Its main exports are textiles, steel and metal-ware and engineering expertise. A constitutional monarchy, Albion is in theory ruled by a Parliament under a King, but the King is mad, and both the Crown Prince and the Prime Minister are Flora's lapdogs.
  • Greyfell - turbulent and magickal Shadow ruled by the Varcolaci family, sorcerers (some say vampyres) with rather spectacular elemental powers. They allegedly see themselves as rivals to Argentium's Royal Family, and certainly they seem to involve themselves in Argentium's politics to an unseemly extent, but they still tend to take Argentium's side in matters diplomatic. The ordinary inhabitants of the Shadow have an uncanny talent for weather prediction, possibly not unrelated to their rulers changing it all the time. Main exports are silver (it seems the Varcolacis can't get rid of the stuff fast enough, contributing to the vampyre rumour), and meteorologists. Bleys and Fiona have links to the Varcolacis.
  • Janath - rich agricultural Shadow, known as the bread-basket of the Silver Circle. Interested mainly in trade, its inhabitants are recognisable by their stocky build and (dyed) multicoloured hair. Main exports are foodstuffs, but expect to bargain hard. The Shadow is non-magickal.
  • Khmun - quasi-Egyptian desert realm tracing its history back even longer than Argentium. Renowned for its ziggurats and a largely incomprehensible pantheon of overlapping animal-headed gods. Highly magickal, its main exports are gold, sorcerers and (unwillingly) architecture. It is involved in a long running dispute with Albion regarding the removal of various statues, temples and tomb artefacts during Albion's occupation several decades ago. It is also one of the few slave-owing societies in the Silver Circle, and Albion's recent conversion to the anti-slavery cause has only exacerbated the friction. The native inhabitants, the weseru nefer, are beautiful golden-skinned hermaphrodites, although the majority of the working population, the baku, are slaves or the descendants of slaves from neighbouring Shadows.
  • Talos - non-magickal Shadow consisting of towering mountainous islands in a grey-green sea. Its pale, albino inhabitants live inside the mountains, but are also a seafaring culture, with small, fast boats carved from a kind of self-regenerating pumice stone. After Albion and Argentium, they are the main ocean-going traders of the Silver Circle. They have few natural resources of their own, but are expert gatherers of intelligence, and are always ready to sell information. Caine, unsurprisingly, has close links with this Shadow.
  • Vamatbhara - Proud and independent jungle kingdom, frequently at war with Albion, only recently tempted into the Silver Circle alliance. Anti-magickal, Vamatbhara is known for its warriors and its erotic art. Its main exports are coffee, hardwoods and gems. And erotic art. Its inhabitants are dark-skinned humans, except they have six arms.
  • Vithir - Heavily forested, highly magickal Faery Shadow, home to Julian. The Faery inhabitants seem to have some limited Shadow-travelling powers, and their Wild Hunts frequently draw complaints from neighbouring Shadows. Few exports other than medicinal herbs, Faery gold and illusion-casting Sidhe, but strategically important.

THE COURTS OF CHAOS

This is what you know of the Courts of Chaos, picked up mainly from conversations with the Elders.


THE PLACE

A realm of instability, of barely substantial fragments of Shadow in constant turmoil, flowing together and twisting apart, a place of endless possibilities and a goodly number of impossibilities as well. The beginning and the end of Reality, a seething storm of Creation and Destruction. At the centre of all of this - if it makes sense to speak of a 'centre' - is the Abyss, a bottomless chasm where rage the most primal forces of Chaos, and where Space and Time, Substance and Shadow, cease to exist. It was into this void that Brand and the Jewel of Judgement were last seen disappearing. Floating above the Abyss is a vast black Citadel, the seat of the Noble Houses of Chaos.


THE INHABITANTS

Nothing recognisable as a living being should be able to survive in Chaos - however, certain creatures with sufficient innate Reality to survive the constant flux do dwell here, and the most intelligent and powerful even prosper. And among them are those with the strength and the intelligence not merely to adapt but to mould that environment according to their Will - these are the Lords of Chaos. The natural form of a Lord or Lady of Chaos is demonic - however, they often adopt a human form in social situations, the shapeshifter's equivalent of peace-binding a sword. This is supposedly easier for some Chaosites than for others, and the convention is far from universal. Chaosites are stronger, tougher, faster and more altogether more powerful than your typical Shadow-dweller, but not quite to the same extent as Amberites.


THE POWERS OF CHAOS

In this game the Logrus does not exist. From a metaphysical point of view, the balance to the Pattern is Chaos itself, manifested in particular in the form of the Abyss. In terms of power, the Lords and Ladies of Chaos rely on other means with which to travel through Shadow. From her observations, Fiona has suggested that they have developed a technique based on manipulating weak points in Shadow, opening portals from world to world using the raw forces of Chaos radiating outwards from the Abyss. This obviously decreases in effectiveness the further from Chaos one gets. The Black Road seems to have been a group effort that took years to construct, and only reached as far as Amber itself because of Brand's spilling Martin on Dworkin's Pattern. The main power utilised in Chaos seems to be magick, although the Courts are also known to have a handful of Trump Artists, albeit less expert than those of Amber/Argentium (according to Fiona, Dworkin invented the Trumps as well as the Pattern, and the tradition in Chaos lacks his later refinements).


THE HOUSES OF CHAOS

There are seven Noble Houses of Chaos, plus House Barimen, the Royal House. There is a considerable degree of intermarriage between them, and all are considered part of the Royal Dynasty. This is what you know of them:

  • The Royal House of Barimen - one of the oldest Houses, now restored after tens of thousands of years of exile. The House is made up not just of Oberon and his descendants, but also descendants of the old pre-Amber House Barimen who never left. They are magickally powerful, and apparently nearly all Trumps Artists in Chaos are Barimens.
  • House Cenobia - the shunned House - students of pain who go in for cosmetic body mutilation.
  • House Chloris - very old and politically influential House with ancient ties to House Barimen.
  • House Fengyre - recently elevated House with a long tradition of scholarship.
  • House Helgram - experts in Shadow manipulation and magick.
  • House Helibore - rather shadowy House that has gained prominence from the marriage of Lady Iorgana to the King.
  • House Imbrex - the most militarily powerful House now that Hendrake have left the Courts.
  • House Rathrune - recently elevated House, supposedly strong in magick.

And, although now exiled and longer recognised as part of the Royal Dynasty, the two Rebel Houses:

  • House Hendrake - formidable warriors; apparently only a few of them were capable of attaining a truly human form.
  • House Usherbal - expert shapeshifters, able to mold living tissue (not just their own) into any form they choose.

The two elevated Houses, Fengyre and Rathrune, were previously land-owning families with distant blood ties to the older Noble Houses. Oberon granted them titles and elevated them to Noble status to replace Hendrake and Usherbal.


THE REST OF THE FAMILY

Benedict - Tired of the disunity amongst his siblings, he has retired to a Shadow called Dumnonia, apparently a substitute for the Shadow Avalon where he settled before Patternfall. He turns up in Argentium occasionally. Acts as Argentium's occasional envoy to Chaos, when such is needed. Distant from most of the rest of the Elders, but seems to have no particular likes or dislikes.

Bleys - Has set up camp with Fiona in a very old Shadow Nexus known as the Keep of the Four Worlds, which is believed to have survived the destruction of Amber's Pattern. Turns up in Argentium quite frequently, apparently to socialise, although he is rumoured to be involved in the city's politics much more deeply than he appears. If he retains any of his old links with Chaos, he is not admitting to them. Seems well disposed towards most of his siblings, although this is not always reciprocated (especially by Julian).

Brand - dead in the Abyss with the Jewel of Judgement.

Caine - Governor of Port Royal, and thus responsible for Argentium's merchant fleet, appointed reluctantly by Deirdre after Random proved useless at it. Divides most of his time between the Port, and his ship The Barracuda. His poor relations with Deirdre mean that his naval and intelligence-gathering skills are not always put to best use, but he is said to have a private spy network even more extensive than those of Argentium and Albion. Seems to get on well with Julian and Flora, though.

Corwin - Missing for the past 40 odd years, presumed alive, on the grounds that if he were dead, bad things would have happened to his Pattern. However, Fiona has speculated that the mutual dependence between Dworkin and the original Pattern was a deliberate augmentation, and that both Corwin and his Pattern might in fact be able to survive the destruction of the other. Consequently, he may be dead after all. Rumours abound as to his possible whereabouts: he may be a prisoner of someone seeking control of his Pattern and/or Argentium (Deirdre and Fiona and Bleys are the most frequently accused); he may be a prisoner in Chaos; he may have gone into seclusion; he may have gone mad, like Dworkin, and be wandering lost in Shadow ... The list goes on. Before he disappeared, he seemed to get on fairly well with all his siblings, but was closest to Deirdre, Random and Fiona.

Dara - High-ranking member of the Royal House of Barimen in Chaos, mother of Merlin. Turned up in Argentium once, many years ago, as part of a diplomatic delegation following Corwin's disappearance. She has not been back since. Rumour has it that she parted badly with Corwin in the immediate aftermath of Patternfall, although she is supposed to be fond of Benedict. There is also a vague rumour that she also has another son, this time by King Oberon.

Deirdre - Queen of Argentium, and a rather good one at that, learning quickly from her early mistakes and managing not only to hold the realm together but also to increase its power. However, her position is not wholly secure, and she is not universally popular, two facts of which she is all too aware. Consequently, she tends to reward loyalty very well indeed, but the Unicorn help you if you cross her. She distrusts most of her siblings, especially Caine, Bleys and Flora, and has largely lost patience with her one true ally Random. She is particularly paranoid about threats from Chaos, and seems convinced that Oberon is plotting to undermine her. She is at least careful (now) to avoid alienating Benedict, and seems to have an on/off friendship with Fiona.

Eric - Died defending Amber just before Patternfall.

Fiona - Has set up camp with Bleys in a very old Shadow Nexus known as the Keep of the Four Worlds, which is believed to have survived the destruction of Amber's Pattern. Spends a lot of her time researching the new Pattern and exploring its Shadows, but also sometimes accompanies Benedict on his diplomatic missions to Chaos. Gets on well with Bleys, occasionally with Deirdre, and is generally sarcastic to everyone else. Was close to Corwin before he disappeared, though.

Flora - Officially, Argentium's Ambassador to Shadow Albion, but in practice she now rules the Shadow in all but name. Consequently, she effectively controls most of the sea trade of the Silver Circle. She seems to have flowered within the new dispensation, and has carved out a niche for herself where she wields considerable power. Relations with most of her siblings are middling to good, except for an ill-concealed and sometimes bitter rivalry with Deirdre.

Gerard - Almost certainly died when Amber fell. Certainly un-contactable since.

Julian - Has settled in the Silver Circle Shadow of Vithir, a densely-forested place that resembles (he says) Forest Arden. He has re-established his pre-Patternfall role with some success, guarding Argentium's eastern approaches with a new body of rangers. He has married the Queen of Vithir, Macha, with whose Wild Hunt he frequently rides. Close to Caine, well-disposed towards Fiona, Benedict and to a lesser extent Random, cool towards Deirdre and Flora, dislikes Bleys.

Llewella - Lost in Shadow without a Pattern imprint after Patternfall; no-one has been able to contact her since.

Martin - Almost certainly died when Amber fell. Along with Vialle, the object of Random's desperate and seemingly doomed search.

Merlin - High ranking member of the Royal House of Barimen in Chaos, son of Corwin and Dara. And that's about all anyone knows of him. There are some rumours that Oberon would like to see him on the throne of Argentium rather than Deirdre, a position for which he is not wholly unqualified.

Oberon - King of Chaos, former King of Amber. Under his rule, Chaos has grown more powerful than at any time since the creation of Amber, and he shows few signs of wanting to slow the process. His children in Argentium seem to regard him with a mixture of awe and fear, and in some cases (Deirdre and Random especially) not a little dislike. His own attitude towards the offspring who refused to join him in Chaos is unclear, but does not seem wholly favourable, although if he is close to any of them, it is Benedict. He is married to Iorgana, a former Lady of House Helibore, by whom he has two daughters, Princesses Lyan and Chloris, and a son, Prince Severin, who is still only a child. It is also rumoured that he has another son by Princess Dara, name unknown.

Random - Driven and embittered, still searching for his wife and son. Rarely in Argentium, and when he is, is usually drunk. Used to be Governor of Port Royal, but since he was hardly ever there, Deirdre was forced to give the position to Caine instead. Close to Corwin (before he vanished), Deirdre (who is now thoroughly sick of him), and Julian (oddly enough, since they apparently did not get on at all in Amber). He has not been seen in Argentium for months.

Vialle - Almost certainly died when Amber fell. Along with Martin, the object of Random's desperate and seemingly doomed search.


OTHER NPCS OF NOTE

Prince(ss) Atensare - "Divine Child of the Horizon of the Sun, Blessed of the Goddess Nektamte, Speaker of Wisdom, Crusher of the Enemies of the Eternal Lands." Ambassador of Shadow Khmun. An almost disagreeably perky individual who has taken the opportunity of his/her diplomatic posting to throw off the shackles of Khmun's ritualistic society and live life to the full. Also a highly skilled necromancer, with four ghûls as bodyguards.

Sir Richard Burton - Albion's Ambassador. Known mainly as an explorer and scholar, and rumoured in particular to be a master of disguise. He is not thought to be one of Flora's stooges, but although easily distracted by expeditions and rare books, he has proved too effective in his post to be easily replaced. He has accompanied Random on a couple of the latter's Amber-quests.

Cardinal-Archbishop Catullus - Head of the Church of the Unicorn, and one of Deirdre's chief advisors. From relatively humble beginnings as an army chaplain with Amber's forces at the Battle of the Abyss, he has risen to become Argentium's spiritual leader. He is probably the second most influential individual in Argentium itself, after Deirdre. A consummate political schemer, even Caine seems to respect him.

Duke Amarind Chantris - Former Amber noble and one of Oberon's finest generals, now Dierdre's Minister of Defence. Informal leader of and spokesman for the First Families. Dour and humourless, but a strategist every bit as astute as any of the Elders.

Countess Jalynne Corbier - One of Argentium's indigenous nobility, the acceptable face of the Rosa Argenta. She and Deirdre are quite close friends, much to the disgust of the First Families. She is known to hate Cardinal Catullus, and the two of them seem to spend an inordinate amount of time trying to discredit one another.

Lord Ybold Feldane - Former Amber noble, member of the First Families. Quiet and bookish by temperament, he has appointed himself the official chronicler of Amber, and is the Honorary President of the recently established Museum of Amber History. He used to accompany Random on his trips in search of Amber, until he got half-killed by a Cthulhu-spawn in what Random thought were the ruins of Rebma (they weren't). Paradoxically, he is said to be a psychotic berserker in battle, with over seventy Chaosite heads to his credit, including the former heir to House Imbrex.

Duke Edouard Jenner - member of the indigenous nobility and head of one of the oldest trading families in Argentium. He is Deirdre's Minister of Trade and Finance, and as such is also indirectly responsible for the secretariat of the Silver Circle Alliance. A sharp-tongued fellow, he is a genius at making money, and he knows it.

The Lady - A ghostly, silvery apparition who haunts the Basilica of the Pattern. No-one seems to know precisely who or what she is, since she never speaks, but the records of Argentium suggest that she has always been there. Some say Corwin created her, others say she is the dryad of the tree that grows beside the Pattern. She seems to act as some kind of guardian of the Pattern, since people who try to break into the Basilica seem to end up dead in mysterious and unpleasant circumstances.

Macha - Faery Queen of Shadow Vithir, wife of Julian. Her aversion to iron means that she is rarely seen in Argentium. Those who met her remember a tall, aloof woman with long black hair, a fondness for music, and a tendency to change into a raven when angry.

Lady Esmerelda Richter - Captain of the Cathedral Guard, the Cardinal's private army, and one of the most feared fighters outside the Royal Family. Previously one of Benedict's elite officers, she is a little too good at her job, and is responsible for the Guard's general reputation for ruthlessness and a tendency towards overkill.

Lord Rein - Former Amber noble, also Deirdre's Poet Laureate. Technically a member of the First Families, but his centuries-old friendship with Corwin has stood him in good stead with the indigenous aristocracy, and he seems to spend a lot of his time trying to keep the peace between the various factions in a "Can't we all just get along?" kind of fashion. Consequently, he has also ended up as Deirdre's most trusted diplomatic envoy.

Renard Turane - Political agitator and outlaw. The unacceptable face of the Rosa Argenta (and thoroughly disowned by Countess Jalynne and the rest of the acceptable face), wanted for treason and the killing of several of the Cathedral Guard. Something of a folk hero in certain quarters. Lady Richter has vowed to bring him in, dead or ... well, dead.

Lucinda Varcolaci - not exactly Shadow Greyfell's Ambassador - something to do with her being an exile, possibly. But she is the Varcolaci family's most visible presence in Argentium. A pale, intense young woman with black-streaked silver hair, she spends a lot of time hanging about at Court. It is generally accepted that she is a spy, and not a very good one at that, trying to worm her way back into her family's good books. A favourite Court game is inventing conspiracies to mislead her, but a lot of the Elders for some reason seem to take her seriously...


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