Introducing Fergus

My real name is Gavin, I'm 43 years young and I live near Guildford in the UK. My handle on most forums is Gavken.

I've been roleplaying since the dinosaurs became extinct (well 1978 actually) and have played a large number of games throughout my time including but not limited to Runequest, Buffy, GURPS, Airship Pirates, Dragon Warriors, 7th Sea, and Fate. I'm currently playing in a couple of other PBeM games (though not related to Amber).

I have played in an abortive Amber campaign face to face and have both rulebooks so I'm familar with the background and style of Amber campaigns. I've also read all the books (though it was a few years ago now).

I do enjoy story related roleplaying and so I'm very with the GM on that score.

My character will be called Fergus but I'll have to start doing some brewing with the GM once I get a forum set up.

Look forward to roleplaying with everyone!

Gavin

Sounds like we are in good company. I'm 48, live on the US east coast and have been roleplaying since I started old D&D in 1976. And David's profile says he's 51 (!!!). Good on you guys.

Wow. We now have eight( players!

Pleased to meet you, Fergus. Will set up your subforum now.

For those that have seen Fergus around Amber a brief description is below.

Fergus is about 5'9" tall, around 11 and a half stone and looks in good shape. He has curly ginger hair and a ginger beard and moustache. Most notably he has one gold eye and one purple eye that looks quite strange and disconcerting. He doesn't seem to smile much and is nervous and suspicious around other people within the castle.

He is wearing a checked flannel shirt and slacks with rather advanced looking training shoes. When he arrived he had a lurid blue advanced tech neck collar and bracelet on both wrists, but these seem to have gone now. He carried nothing else with him when Gerrard brought him to Catle Amber two weeks ago.

For anyone interested my character diary is located at http://fergus-amber.blogspot.com/

Gavin

Dear Diary,

Today, I met my cousin Minnow. Ouch.

Love, Fergus.

Kerienne,
Shame on you - you've gone and spoiled the suprise for everyone now

Fergus

Dear Diary,

Today I didn't meet my cousin Kierenne. What a bitch.

Love Fergus.

Plenty of time to meet and exchange pleasantaries dear cousin. I don't know if I mentioned it but I'm patient and I hear we are both invited to a party in Rebma.

Fergus

I don't know why, but I'm actually quite interested in Rebma. I love the idea that it's not just a vassel nation, but it resents Amber's attempts to dominate everything.

Especially if (as we know OOC), Amber / Rebma / Tir-nan-og'th are all just shadows anyway... but everybody assumes they ALL part of the "not shadow" realm. The idea that Oberon didn't just assume control of both cities way back in the day amuses me. It's like he wanted the friction to exist all along.

Maybe ruling more than just Amber was too much work for ole' O. With having to protect the Primal Pattern, operate a main base of operations in the castle/city, and protect himself from ruthless offspring, he just couldn't be bothered with the politics of dealing with Rebma. He did manage to get his family line into the Rebman royalty to use as leverage or a buffer if needed.

The scene would be like this:

Oberon sits in his throne room, dark and brooding. "Aaaaah! That Rebma has been a thorn in my side for too long. Benedict, go and take it for me."

The end.

I like the idea that he had a plan to have one of his progeny running Rebma eventually, which is why he knocked up the queen's sister. I imagine he was rather disappointed with Llewella, the crusty ole misogynist that he was, and washed his hands of his original plan to have the other claimants to the Rebman throne eliminated thru various means to place his child upon the throne.

But that is just a supposition, of course.

I suspect that Oberon at first didn't even know Rebma was there! The primal Pattern methinks created Amber, including Mount Kolvir and quite possibly the castle atop it. Or maybe people came and built the castle there around the Pattern when the world was new. Either way, it was the castle itself that was reflected underwater. How would anyone know about it until the sea-breathing folk found and colonized the place?

I guess it depends on if the stairs up Kolvir cause the path down to Rebma to have the air-breathing / not dying from water pressure effects on them... or if those were added later by the people in the city. I have no evidence one way or the other, but it always felt to me like the city and the enchantments were all there, and the people just moved in.

Dworkin made the True Pattern, Amber (The city) is the nearest shadow, and the others next and so on outward until Chaos. Oberon I think knew about the others (Or at least created them) when he settled in Amber (The city), but much like Tir'na could show you the future/prophesy, Rebma it was said mirrors Amber. So while TIr'na could show what may happen, Oberon could safely view what went on in Amber/fall out from his actions, or those of his offspring without being there. Viewing it in person there could change the outcome. Something about cats in boxes and existance.

As an example, when the fires tore through Arden chasing Corwin, Bleys, and their army, instead of being there and watching it directly (and potentially being in danger from fire), Oberon or someone could watch that devastation happen in Rebma without being in danger. It makes for an excellent recon tactic. They never fully sorted out just how much of it happened/was visible. Would have been interesting to see the Rebma happenings during the Chaosite attack on Amber.

Or they were created when Dworkin made the Primal Pattern, as when powerful Amberites (Who are really Chaosites) stay too long in a Shadow it changes. Dworkin made the Pattern, the nearest shadows started changing. The shadow with the city Amber was spawned in daylight, Rebma was spawned in darkness and underwater as a mirror of Amber, and Tir'na in the sky by moonlight alluding to dreams of the future.

Although from the Merlin books it appears the Chaosites have at least one crystal ball that lets you scry on people. Why use a whole city when you can do it from a smaller device.

[/end speculation]

I could answer the question for you all as my mother Moire has passed the story down from our ancestors. But alas we aren't allowed to speak of it to outsiders.

Tangental to topic, here's Yggdrasil speaking of the genesis of things...nothing authorized here, but it fits...

"Of Oberon's past I know but little, for I only knew him after he had planted me here. In many conversations with him I learned that he had grown up in the Courts of Chaos. As he told it to me, his father, Dworkin, was a restless soul, a dreamer, an experimenter, a shaper and a maker. In that time, Lucifer and Lilith, those whom you call the Serpent and the Unicorn, ruled as gods. What came before them, or made them, is unknown to me, but this is the tale I have from Oberon."

"Each of the gods had its role to play. The Serpent was the First god, and was the Creator, and the Unicorn was the Second god, the Shaper. Neither could do without the other, for without Creation, there is only Nothing to Shape, and without Shaping, Creation is Nothing."

"In those days there were created Demonkind, first and foremost. Unto them were given many powers of shaping, making and unmaking. But we fought amongst ourselves, and eventually, the pride of some among us made them rebel against even the gods, so that the rebellious ones were cast into the darkness, beyond the Rim, into the Pit and the Void, where they make their abode to this day, all except those allowed by the suffrance of Mankind to return and to serve. Those few who did not rebel, like my ancestor, were transformed, never to even contemplate rebellion again."

"The gods then made a second creation, Mankind, with less power, but more potential. Perhaps in their wisdom the gods hoped that those who started weaker, but could become greater, would be better children and eventually companions to the gods. These are you, the Lords of Chaos. But again, a rebellious spirit grew, for these new creatures demanded ever more and more Creation to be Shaped. Lucifer sought to control Creation and Shaping, and to punish the new children by closing his Left Eye, wherein resided the forces of Controlling and Preserving, that is, of Order, and his Right Eye, wherin resided the forces of Manifestation and Destruction, that is, Chaos."

"Now Lilith had long been chafing under the primacy of Lucifer, and had taken for herself the greatest of Mankind, Dworkin, and in secret bore him a son, named Oberon. For love of Dworkin she argued the cause of Mankind with her brother god, wanting ever more for Creation and for Shaping. But Lucifer was a jealous god, and, deep in his heart of hearts, feared that Mankind would rebel just as Demonkind did, and so, Lucifer caused the very thing he feared, and tried to choke off the ascent of Mankind."

"Thus did Lilith join the Second Rebellion, and while Lucifer's eyes were closed and Mankind was starving of its Creation, she pierced with her Horn the Left Eye of the Serpent, and plucked it out, and delivered it unto Dworkin, that Mankind might continue to its destiny."

"Now Dworkin's elders sought also to control him, as with the Left Eye of the Serpent, he would have ruled and Shaped even them. But Lilith had a destiny for him, and so, taking her lover and son Oberon, they fled the Courts of Chaos out to the edge of the Chaos Realms. There, here, Oberon planted me, as they rested before setting forth into the Unknown."

"They went into the Beyond, farther than anyone had gone before, and guided by the Unicorn, Dworkin created his own Place, using the power of Order contained in the Left Eye of the Serpent. This is what you know as the Pattern, the icon of Order which ensured that, for all time, Shaping would be equal to Manifestation, and that Creation would balance. Though his elders raged around him, and assaulted his mind through the power of the Trump which was until then the greatest of Powers, he completed his Pattern and reordered the universe into what it is today."

"In as close to a panic as a god can be, Lucifer lent his remaining eye to his greatest Sorcerer, Suhuy, who created the Logrus, the icon of Chaos to oppose the Pattern. Thus was symmetry maintained; the Serpent and the Unicorn, the Pattern and the Logrus, Amber and Chaos. Thus it was told to me by Oberon."

Interesting. Where is that from?

I wrote it. It was a Prelude, a Chaos character's first foray into Shadow, after Suhuy sent him off for his wanderjahr. He went to Ygg to start from, as it was the farthest he had ever been until then.

Whole thread here if you are interested:

http://online-roleplaying.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3609

Winnow wrote:I wrote it. It was a Prelude, a Chaos character's first foray into Shadow, after Suhuy sent him off for his wanderjahr. He went to Ygg to start from, as it was the farthest he had ever been until then.

Whole thread here if you are interested:

http://online-roleplaying.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3609

Unfortunately at a certain point the private prelude and public threads start to interleave and it becomes hard to follow in the present. Sometime I may edit things together so they are more coherent.