 About James of Amberbackground:
Raised by his single parent, Cullum, Jim spent his early years traveling with his father as he switched between assignments in the King’s Forest Service.
Eventually, they settled down as Head Forester in the Central Preserve, near New London, in the Colonies. While he never knew his mother, he heard many stories from his father of meeting her, their courtship, her departure, and her eventual return, child in hand. The stories carried with them a magical feel, with many implied details which were impossible in the stable world James was raised in. It was no surprise to Cullum when Jim grew differently from the children of the other Foresters in the compound, and he always made Jim feel accepted and normal. The other children never warmed completely to Jim, though they learned his value when team events or school contests were won by his efforts. Jim expected to follow in his Father’s path and join the Service, but Cullum always said his mother would send for him. It turns out Cullum was wrong- when someone came, it was an aunt, not a Mother, and she brought word his mother Deidre was dead. Aunt Llewella explained that Diedre had left her a letter, explaining where Jim could be found and asking that he be introduced to the family by Llewella if anything happened to her. The Trump of James of Amber.
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a lesson:
It came to pass that James was born, son to the great hero, Cullum, and Diedre, a warrior woman from a far land.
Now this woman returned to her people while James was an infant, so when he reached manhood, he journeyed to her homeland, looking to win her favor. He was too late, as she had perished in a great war fought between her brothers for the rule of their land. Her youngest brother, now the king, greeted James and gave him welcome. James joined in the celebrations of peace and passed much time with the fetes and fancies of his royal kin. There came a time, though, when his thoughts went to his Father and he traveled back to the lands where he had been raised, seeing many strange sights on his journey. To his dismay, Cullum lay in state, having found his death in the defeat of a great beast which had threatened the kingdom; some say in despair, thinking his beloved son had perished, so long had he been gone. James wept to hear this news, but found solace in one of the stories told by his father’s retainers- a strange tale of Cullum’s time in the realms of the Faire Folk, where the passage of days was a turbulent river, with hours, days, and years of twisted length. Cullum had returned from those lands, untouched by the many years he spent here, and spoken little of those days. The story went that time there was unbound and that the natives could bend it to their will. James went to the great stone circle, as his father did before him, and entered the strange realm, hoping to turn the circle of his days and return to find Cullum or even Diedre still alive. But this was not to be, as the folk of those lands, unbound by time according to legend, were long dead and the realm empty. Without a folk to moor it, the realm itself had begun to fade and James was forced to bend his will upon that place, so that he became its master. In his new power, he forgot his quest, as he brought forth life upon that land; with new peoples to walk the forest and new cities to grace the re-born kingdoms. When the reason of his journey returned to him, he found that while the stories were true and time followed the command of the ruler of that realm, its passage could only be varied, never turned back or reversed. Outside the realm, centuries had passed while his subjects followed his whims, and when he returned to his father’s land, he was forgotten and Cullum long buried. Even his mother’s people had counted him dead and their sons and daughters now held place in the kingdom, though his uncle still ruled and they welcomed his return, one again offering him a place at the festivals and celebrations. This time, James had learned at least some measure of wisdom and requested that the king give him duties and responsibilities, that his life be moored in reality, not Shadow. a story:
As part of the training I received after walking the Pattern the first time, I would be taken on a Hellride while blindfolded and my guide would leave me to find my own way back to the castle.
I remember counting to 100 before removing the blinders and being eye to eye with the largest beaver you’ve ever seen. (He introduces himself as Bucktooth of the Beavers- it was that kind of place.) Having him ask if I was ready didn’t help. Evidently, I was now on a ‘quest’. “Born ready”, I said, and we were off. The idea was I needed to find the missing children from a forest village having trouble with a crone in the swamp. Pretty standard fairy tale stuff, so I went with it. Bucktooth guided me to the Crone (who made a fine cup of tea, by the way). She said the villagers had disrespected her by not delivering the tribute they had promised (a silver ring each year they used her path through the swamp to take their goods to market). The villager’s story was they sent her the ring each year, giving it to the Crone’s agent. “What agent?” says the Crone. (Remember, neither party is talking to the other all this time and I tramping from village to swamp with tea on one end and ceremonial beer on the other – warm, lumpy beer, served in bowls.) Somewhere in all this, the beaver leaves. Right about the time I figure some sort of trickster has been stirring things up. I head over to the market town (getting the Crone’s permission first and being respectful about it). The silver smith gives me a really good description of the rings he’s been making and I do a Trump to match. First use takes me to a raven’s nest on the side of a nearby mountain. He gives me the ring in return for clearing the clog keeping his favorite spring from flowing. Second use takes me into the river, where a lady fish has swallowed the ring, thinking it was a lure used by her beloved fisherman. I get that ring by trading the gold ring the fisherman has been too shy to offer her. Rinse and repeat for four more rings. Each time I bring a ring to the Crone, another child finds his or her way home from the forest and there’s more tea and beer. Sixth ring (and child) is the last- tribute all caught up. “Happy Day!” I’m thinking. Yeah, we’re having a village feast with happy Crone in attendance. Finally, I’m thinking, something solid to eat. And what was the main course planned for the festival, you ask? Me, naturally. (It was that kind of place.) After all, they had been marinating me for a while now, with all the herbal tea and barley beer. And they'd invited the beaver tribe to the celebration. That's when I started wearing 6 silver rings. (After all, 6 is 2 three's.) That’s also when I started carrying a Trump of the castle on those excursions, hidden away. storyline:
In the far past, Corwin of Amber set in motion a strange chain of events that led to his creation of a new Pattern, and with it, a new compass for reality. Much like the Pattern that came before it, but changed in many ways by the different will that guided it into existence. It formed a third pole in the ongoing conflict between Chaos and Order - a force of Balance.
With Corwin's Pattern in existence, Amber and the Courts of Chaos found themselves in an uneasy truce. Ever aware of each other, but unable to strike either at one another or at Corin for fear of reprisal from the third party. And so, the three existed in relative peace for centuries. As had always been, many Amberites found their own domains out in Shadow. Corwin's Pattern had disrupted many of the old establish shadows, creating new opportunities and undiscovered possibilities, so it was not unexpected that many of the explorers did not return for ages. But as time went on, it seemed to be growing harder to contact any of the Amberites living in Shadow, especially those furthest from Amber. Shadow has been growing turbulent, making Shadow-walking harder, the concentration necessary to find your desire ever more complicated a prospect. King Random has issued a summons for all those of the royal line to return to Amber as soon as they are able, in a conference to determine the source of the disturbance and do what must be done to restore the balance. positions available::
Warden of the Forest of Arden: Primarily charged with keeping the borders of the only land entrance to Amber proper safe, the Warden stands in charge of many lesser rangers and has particular control over comings and goings. Sheriff of Amber: The Sheriff has the responsibility of keeping the peace within the Golden City. Placed at the head of a sizeable peacekeeping force, the Sheriff maintains a position of authority over the multitudes within Amber's walls. Captain of the Palace Guard: Within the palace itself, the Captain keeps watch over the royal family and their riches. His small elite force of guards take great pride in their duties, and serve their Captain with utmost loyalty. Admiral of the North Sea: The Northern Admiral maintains the bulk of Amber's war fleets, keeping the City safe from the occasional raid from out of the northern Shadows and destroying the various monsters of the deep that threaten trade with the Golden Circle. Admiral of the South Sea: The relatively calm Southern seas require less of a military presence than the North, but the fleet is no less impressive. The Admiral of the South holds mighty political sway, the fat southern lands sending a constant flow of riches to mighty Amber as both tithe and trade. set-up:
Players will receive 125 points to use as they wish between all available purchases, including Attributes, Positions of Power, Powers, Items of any kind, Personal Shadows, Good Stuff, and Constructs.
Should you overspend for any reason, the remainder will be made up in Bad Stuff. Basic Pattern Imprint is totally free, unless for some reason your backstory calls for its omission, in which case you will be refunded some, if not all, of the points involved. We will be using the Constructs rules from Shadow Knight (more on that once everyone has checked in). Characters: Roy of the Gray and Silver, played by Loup Blanc. Eztil of the Obsidian and Turqouise, played by Archus. Chaney of the Red and Gold, played by Reckless. James of the Brown and Silver, played by Cornielius. Alric of the Purple, played by Yttriumdervish. Marjana of the Purple and Gold, The Raven Princess. Nikolas of Green and Crimson, He who Walks in Mist. auctions:
1st auction: Warfare
Chaney 1st 75 Marjana 2nd 65 Roy 3rd 23 Nikolas 4th 16 James 5th 3 Eztil 6th 1 Alric Amber 2nd auction: Strength
3rd auction: Psyche
4th auction: Endurance
Sheriff of the City: James, 4
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