Post by The Gamesmaster on Nov 30, 2009 20:50:41 GMT -5
In the beginning there was nothing at all.
Then there was Chaos.
A spinning, complex maelstrom of change, Primal Chaos. Pure destruction, pure fury, the essence of change. At the fringes of Chaos, where it interacts with the great Abyss, the remnants of the original nothingness are small regions of habitability. Shards of worlds, shreds that are not stable, but constantly changing, appearing and disappearing. Into these primal fragments of reality came life, and then sentient life.
Only shape shifters can survive in these places, those who can continually adapt to ever-changing worlds. And the Shape Shifters formed the Courts of Chaos, and they learned to tame the Logrus, the representation of Primal Chaos, and use it as a tool. They discovered arts and powers, including Magic, the casting of spells, and Trump, creating artistic images used to communicate between worlds. They me the Lords of chaos, they were the masters of the universe.
Were, until, for some unknown reason, one of their number rebelled against them. He is named Dworkin. Dworkin somehow found, forged, or stole a very special artifact. A device of unknown properties called the Jewel of Judgment. With the blessing of the mythical Unicorn, against the violent raging of his elders, Dworkin remade the universe. He inscribed a force that opposed Chaos. In his own blood Dworkin drew, or wrote, Or conjured, the Primal Patten.
The Pattern was an imposition of a different kind of power onto the universe. Where all is fluid and changing near Primal
Chaos, order and stability dwell in Pattern realms. Between these two great symbols, of chaos and order, of Logrus and Pattern, there came to be an infinite number of Shadows. Each a possibility, a different mirror image. Each Shadow, an entire physical universe, is a reflection of the Primal Pattern, but each is unique, each warped in its own special way by the distant fluctuations of Chaos.
Surrounding Primal Pattern is a region of great power. And, following those apocalyptic days, it came to pass that a kingdom was formed, to be named Amber. Its ruler, King Oberon, son of Dworkin, initiate in the ways of Pattern, fought wars, built a dynasty, fathered heirs, and founded a Castle, known also as Amber.
Oberon had sons and daughters, each of whom had a measure of their father's power. In each was born the power to walk the Pattern. These Princes and Princesses of Amber, each carries in their veins the blood of Amber. Having walked the Pattern they can move through the Shadow universes, and shape Shadow itself, to their own ends. Theirs is the power of life and death, creation and destruction. And then the children of Oberon bickered and fought among themselves…
Was it because they were children of a rebel's child? Or were they manipulated; set one against another, by their father? We'll probably never know. They plotted against each other, and against their father. And one of them even dreamed of remaking the universe.
For the full story, you’ll need to read Roger Zelazny's Chronicles of Amber. This is roughly where our story starts, but don’t believe that for just one second you’ll be able to work out what is going to happen just by reading those books…
Then there was Chaos.
A spinning, complex maelstrom of change, Primal Chaos. Pure destruction, pure fury, the essence of change. At the fringes of Chaos, where it interacts with the great Abyss, the remnants of the original nothingness are small regions of habitability. Shards of worlds, shreds that are not stable, but constantly changing, appearing and disappearing. Into these primal fragments of reality came life, and then sentient life.
Only shape shifters can survive in these places, those who can continually adapt to ever-changing worlds. And the Shape Shifters formed the Courts of Chaos, and they learned to tame the Logrus, the representation of Primal Chaos, and use it as a tool. They discovered arts and powers, including Magic, the casting of spells, and Trump, creating artistic images used to communicate between worlds. They me the Lords of chaos, they were the masters of the universe.
Were, until, for some unknown reason, one of their number rebelled against them. He is named Dworkin. Dworkin somehow found, forged, or stole a very special artifact. A device of unknown properties called the Jewel of Judgment. With the blessing of the mythical Unicorn, against the violent raging of his elders, Dworkin remade the universe. He inscribed a force that opposed Chaos. In his own blood Dworkin drew, or wrote, Or conjured, the Primal Patten.
The Pattern was an imposition of a different kind of power onto the universe. Where all is fluid and changing near Primal
Chaos, order and stability dwell in Pattern realms. Between these two great symbols, of chaos and order, of Logrus and Pattern, there came to be an infinite number of Shadows. Each a possibility, a different mirror image. Each Shadow, an entire physical universe, is a reflection of the Primal Pattern, but each is unique, each warped in its own special way by the distant fluctuations of Chaos.
Surrounding Primal Pattern is a region of great power. And, following those apocalyptic days, it came to pass that a kingdom was formed, to be named Amber. Its ruler, King Oberon, son of Dworkin, initiate in the ways of Pattern, fought wars, built a dynasty, fathered heirs, and founded a Castle, known also as Amber.
Oberon had sons and daughters, each of whom had a measure of their father's power. In each was born the power to walk the Pattern. These Princes and Princesses of Amber, each carries in their veins the blood of Amber. Having walked the Pattern they can move through the Shadow universes, and shape Shadow itself, to their own ends. Theirs is the power of life and death, creation and destruction. And then the children of Oberon bickered and fought among themselves…
Was it because they were children of a rebel's child? Or were they manipulated; set one against another, by their father? We'll probably never know. They plotted against each other, and against their father. And one of them even dreamed of remaking the universe.
For the full story, you’ll need to read Roger Zelazny's Chronicles of Amber. This is roughly where our story starts, but don’t believe that for just one second you’ll be able to work out what is going to happen just by reading those books…