This is Not a Love Song

Playtest Characters


Brion

Son of Random, by a Princess of shadow, not Vialle.

Large and strong, if not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Head of the Amber City Watch.


Gird

Daughter of Random.

Gird is 6'0", with pale blond hair and blue eyes. She is strong boned and athletic, but immaculate. She is too serious for her own good. Her mother had been a Paladin candidate for Zekra of the Five Moons. In that world where people lived precarious lives on rocky islands, at the mercy of the moons, Gird's mother had worked hard to become a Paladin and the pride of her family. The stranger had come to the Isles of the Moons and Held had been assigned to be his guide and to assess his powers, for although of short stature he was strangely powerful and lucky. He was also too charismatic for Held's vows, and so she broke them. Held's pregnancy was her undoing and that of her family's honour. But children are not killed, nor are they responsible for their parents' failings. Held was dishonoured and facing a life in exile away from her shame, her child to be left for indenturing, when the stranger returned. He appeared shocked at Held's fate and said that he was a prince in his own lands, and that Held and the child would have a position of honour there. The family and church acceded as long as he and they never returned to their land.

Random hadn't lied about being a prince in his own lands, but he had smudged the truth when it came to a position of honour. His father Oberon wasn't impressed with the bastard Random already had and revealing another wasn't on the cards. So the first ten years of life were comfortable but closed, a small family of tall strangers in a foreign land. Random had provided a trusted servant to see to everyday needs but they were isolated. After a while Held came out of her guilty and shamed funk and decided to teach her daughter, so that she would never suffer a similar fate. Disciplines of behaviour, personal cleanliness and combat were taught by mother to daughter in the high walled garden behind the house. Then things got interesting. Random's father died, and there was trouble within the royal family of Amber. Random ended up supporting the wrong brother and over the course of events, was apparently forced into a marriage to right the wrong of his first bastard, and then was imprisoned by the new King of Amber. She and Held spent several years hailing King Eric and never mentioning Random's name. They were careful not to appear at all martial so as not to end up in Amber's army fighting the Lords of Chaos. Everyone in Amber hated chaosites, which were shape-shifting hell beasts who could tear a man in two or spit poison in his eye. It has also become apparent, that even as a teenager, Gird outmatched her mother. It wasn't just skill, she was just faster, stronger and fitter than her mother. Held had heard about the legendary talents of the Amber Royal family, and upon realising her daughter's gifts, her only comment was "At least he gave you something useful."

At sixteen Gird was tall enough and skilled enough to want to put her skills to use. All the talk in the town involved going off to fight the Chaosites and Gird was no longer happy with hiding and pretending. They compromised and Gird applied to join the Amber Castle guard instead of running off to join the army.

She spent a couple of years with the guards. Her natural talents and abilities showed and she eventually attracted the attention of Gerard, one of the few remaining family members in Amber. They sparred and trained and Gerard said she must be a family member, and asked about her background. To start with Gird denied it all, and then as she got to know Gerard better said that she was his niece, and asked him to keep it secret as she didn't not want to get into trouble or involved in lethal Amber Politics. Gerard seemed content with that and she learnt a lot from him including a loyalty to Amber no matter what idiotic relative is currently claiming to be in charge.

It was a shock to discover, after all the years of shame and hiding, that the King of Amber who came back from the Patternfall War was Random. She said nothing for days, but would stand duty where she could watch Random and Vialle and their daily behaviour. She was surprised by how nice Vialle was, and that Random genuinely seemed to care about her, and vice versa, despite the fact the whole marriage had been arranged at sword point. Vialle noticed her hanging around too much, and she had asked Gerard, and Gerard made a sensible guess. She didn't deny it, and so Gerard confronted Random. Random looked surprised and said yes, he did have a daughter somewhere in Amber Town, who must be about 20? Vialle and Gerard arranged between them that Gird be officially recognised as a Princess of Amber, and the Lady Held be moved to spacious apartments in the castle, if she so wished.

Shortly after official recognition, Gird successfully walked the Pattern and continued her service in the castle guard.

Gird's hair is cropped short so that it will fit under a helmet. Her armour and clothes are always shiny, clean and pressed. She is always polite but a bit stiff. She is not comfortable at court functions, but has learnt the appropriate etiquette and dances from Flora and can perform them well. She is however very formal and not very relaxed, which may mean she and her father annoy the hell out of each other. She wears silver grey and blue, the colours of the five moons and the all encompassing sea of her mother's lost homeland.

Gird finds the sudden attention of sycophants wanting to get close to a daughter of Random rather cloying

She doesn't usually drink, so if she does drink at all she may end up getting more wasted than an Amberite normally would.


Khortez

Son of Deirdre.

Raised on an Arabian shadow. Became a pirate, which continued until he tried it on Caine. Caine recognised his as an Amberites, and was brought to Amber and walked the Pattern. He still kept up his piratical ways. However, Fiona found out. She and Khortez made a deal - she keeps his piracy quiet, but gets the pick of his loot...


Malek - The Black Knight

Son of Bleys.

Young, arrogant, somewhat self absorbed. He holds to a high standard of personal honour - similar to the chivalric code - but (as with the chivalric code) it applies to those who are deemed 'worthy' or his equals. In Malek's case this is the Family, nobles and distinguished warriors. As part of this code he never refuses a challenge to personal combat. While he has performed many 'heroic' deeds over the years, ridding Shadows of terrible beasts or demons, slaying tyrannical rulers and the like these have been motivated not by a desire to aid people but rather by the desire to challenge himself and (in some cases) relieve the boredom. He never stays to help rebuild in the aftermath of these affairs and shows little concern for the chaos that may ensue - he has certainly never been tempted to remain and rule one of these places, having no taste for such things.

Raised by Bleys predominantly in a medieval shadow but with occasional stints to other (higher tech) places - principally for familiarisation. His preference is definitely for the medieval style.

His prized possessions are the black and gold (black with gold highlights) armour, sword and shield given him by his father. The shield depicts a gold and silver unicorn rampant on a sable field - as does the black cloak he habitually wears.

Relations with the family have been good, although Gerard (and others perhaps?) may disapprove of his cavalier attitude to the lives of 'lesser' folk. Certainly he is (almost) unfailingly polite to the rest of the family (although his temper has flared up more than once...).

He is fiercely loyal to Amber and the Throne.


Mariella

Trump Artist daughter of Fiona.

Age 38, 5'7' tall, wavy strawberry-blonde hair, pale green eyes, tanned skin (in contrast to her mother's fairness).

Doesn't like redheads, particularly her mother.

Raised in shadow Valnir, with Fiona a mostly absentee mother, by Alyssa, a nurse/governess. Tutored by Deadalus, a centaur. When she was twelve, Fiona brought her to Amber. This was during the Patternfall war.

After a few months she was left in day care with a new governess and new tutor. The governess tried to murder her when she was fiftenn, but Mariella escaped. It was never clear who the governess worked for, but after that Mariella kept herself to herself, though she did come to know Gird during this time.

When she was eighteen, Mariella decided it was time to get out of Amber. With the help of Deirdre, she walked the Pattern and left Amber for shadow in Deirdre's company. Within a couple of weeks she had found a shadow of her desire, although Deirdre wasn't too impressed, and decided to stay a while. Deirdre headed off. Within half a day Fiona turned up. They chatted about shadow and family life and scheming, or rather Fiona spoke and Mariella listened.

Fiona left, and Mariella spent time in shadow, returning recently to find Random on the throne, and that Gird was his daughter, with a brother, Brion...


To see what happened in the playtest , go to the Diary of Khortez.

Or go here for the This is Not a Love Song game details.


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