Important Shadow people

Here are some sample Shadow people of Amber. They are frequently seen around the City and the Castle, and may come into contact with the characters for many reasons.

They are potential allies and enemies, and will become important parts of your character's story if you so desire.

Bayle family

A relatively new family in Amber, the Bayles are well-known for their wines and vineyards. The husband and wife possess separate properties near the east coast.

Lord Chantris

Mentioned only briefly by Corwin, this noble is one of the oldest people in Amber.

He was Benedict's squire when Benedict was young, and was knighted by Benedict before many of the other Amberites were even born.

White-haired, and with ancient, wrinkled skin, he still stands tall and proud. He usually wears Benedict's colours. The large Chantris family is in charge of Amber's stables and also keep several ranches east of Kolvir.

Lord Feldane

One of Eric's courtiers, the Lord Feldane is universally liked around the Castle. The Feldane family has traditionally been responsible for the provision of food to the royal family.

Lady Karm

The House of Karm was once strong in Amber, but Oberon discovered a disagreement with them centuries ago. They are only just recovering.

The Lady Karm is the head of her house, strong-willed and diplomatic. She is seeking to re-establish her family's pre-eminence in the area of shipbuilding.

Lady Melina Tobin

The castle steward, Lady Melina Tobin, is busy in her office on the ground floor, giving orders to servants and assorted other individuals. She is a small, wiry woman of indeterminate age with dark eyes and - probably prematurely - greying dark hair. Her features are delicate, but strong; she has a remarkably piercing gaze and seems self-assured and competent. She wears plain clothing in shades of grey and brown, a gold chain of office, and a long dagger at her belt.

Queen Moire

Moire is the Queen of Rebma, Amber's underwater reflection. She is also Llewellyn's sister. Although feelings have cooled between Moire and Random, they are certainly not friendly. Moire's daughter Morganthe killed herself after Random refused to marry her.

Lord Rein

Rein was knighted by Corwin some time ago. He is a skilled bard, and frequently a diplomatic emissary for Amber to the Golden Circle.

Lord Teak

Donal Teak is the head of House Teak, an important shipping concern in Amber.

Queen Vialle

Random's blind wife, the Queen of Amber is well known for her penetrating vision of character. She is believed responsible for Random's softening nature in the years of Eric's reign.

When Random returned to Rebma for the first time after Morganthe's death, as punishment Moire decreed that he she marry Vialle and live with her for a year. By this method she hoped to win status for Vialle in Rebma.

Few expected that Vialle would join Random in Amber when Eric kept him as guest there, or that the two would fall in love.

Shadow Character Hooks

Many other Shadow people will become important during the campaign. Some because of their relationship with the PCs, others because they are more powerful than they seemed at first. Feel free to invent more Shadow people to suit your story's needs.

Here are some ideas.

Ambassador Amber maintains diplomatic relations with a large number of shadows. This is a good way to create characters with an excuse to travel Shadow. Most such characters will probably be nobility of one sort or another. They'll have potential story hooks into both castle and city life, and certainly hooks to at least one Shadow.
Steward of Castle Amber The Steward deals with day-to-day matters of running the castle logistics -- supervises the servants, the cooks, and so forth. He is generally privy to what's going on, plotwise, and should get involved in many dealings in the castle.
Court Artist Artists are needed for all sorts of things. This is perhaps best combined with another character role, but someone sufficiently skilled can interact with a wide variety of people.
Criminal Every city needs a few. Anyone interested in knowing or being involved with clever crime lords, pirates, or the like can probably find interesting things to do.
Guild Leader Most guild members are not nobility (though some are), they are highly skilled professional artisans. Running a Guild is a bit like running a noble house.
Nonetheless, the guild leaders have a voice in Amber politics, and certainly there is potential for conflict between the guilds and the merchant houses.
King's Magistrate These men administrate justice in Amber. These men are nobles, also. A Magistrate for Amber City would be particularly useful (and influential).
Merchant Houses In addition to the more ''gentleman farmer'' style of House Lord, there are also a number of noble houses which make their money primarily through trade - wheeling and dealing with merchants from other nations.

Other ideas include Oberon's former wives, rulers of Golden Circle Shadows, and partners of senior Amberites. (Perhaps a parent of the player character).

(With apologies to Lydia Leong)

Tuesday, August 19, 1997
Suhuy
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