If you can dream it, it's out there for you to find. Or possibly you actually create it by your will from the unformed stuff of Shadow. Amberites debate endlessly over how real Shadow is and whether anything in Shadow actually exists before an Amberite encounters it. Do Shadow Dwellers have rights? Is there a sharp distinction between Shadows and Reality or is it a sliding scale? The existence of the Golden Circle further complicates matters, as does the vast variety in size of shadows.
Shadows become bigger and more flexible as you move away from Amber towards Chaos, then become even more flexible but tend to shrink in size again as you move past Yig. There is a similar hardening of boundaries between Shadows which is greatest in the middle between Amber and Chaos; close to Amber and Chaos even those without the blood of Reality can step between Shadows.
Shadows become more real the more they are exposed to Amberites (and one would suspect, to Chaosians). A shadow dwelt in by Amberites for prolonged periods of time becomes more complex, more solid, and more lasting. It can no longer be as easily molded, except by those who remained resident in it.
Shadow dwellers are not necessarily inferior to Amberites in strength or power; Cthulhu, Shiva, Sauron and other frightening beings can be found in Shadow who can even tapdance on the graves of Elder Amberites.
Shadows possess variable laws of physics and magic, and so the degree to which science and magic work or fail to work is very variable. They also possess varying laws of social organization. Certain Powers may be barred in various shadows as well. And just to further confuse matters, Shadows may have some aspects of high tech, some aspects of low, and miss various things inbetween (such as a shadow with Computers and Battering Rams, but no Steam Power...).
Notable Shadows:
Adelphi
(Written by Kuonji Inji, D.PLH, Panopticon University)
Transit Time from Arden: 3 weeks normal shadow shifting, 3 days
by hellride.
Time Differential: 1 day here equals 2 days in Amber.
Technology: Bronze age
Magic: Present but weak and difficult to use reliably.
Social: Bronze age theocracy
Spiritual: An oracle.
The famous Oracle of Adelphi, like Ymir's Well, was renowned for being
able to answer any question. It had a reputation for being somewhat less
cryptic than the well, however, and was regarded with some wonder even
by the Sidar who created it. Small wonder, then, that the Panopticon expedition
that rediscovered it expected to have made the find of the century.
They were bitterly disappointed. At the center of the bronze age city
bearing the same name as the Shadow sits a ziggurat, and atop it lives
a woman who spends her days inhaling fumes and doing fairly obscene things
with a snake. (It _looks_ like a snake. I believe it to be a synthetic
Animal God created by the Sidar. Cryptic mentions of such beings can be
found in the Goran Codexs.) She is the Oracle, and will answer questions
put to her with utter accuracy.
Unfortunately, something seems to have gone wrong with the system.
Professor Watson records the following question/answer exchange:
Watson: Will I be made a full professor for this discovery?The Panopticon expedition went home in disgust.
Oracle: Yes, but the marriage will not be what you expected, and you will appeal to the Suron God Maagi for an annulment of the joining rite.
Watson: How long ago were you made?
Oracle: No. The alignment of the planets is not yet favorable. Wait three years, then kill him and bury him behind the forge with the others, like your mother will suggest.
Transit Time from Arden: 2 weeks normal shadow shifting, 2 days
by hellride.
Time Differential: 1 day here equals 1 hour in Amber.
Known Barriers: Their home shadow can only be accessed
through the Stargates
Technology: Advanced Bio-Technology
Magic: Only Petty and Minor magics.
However, most Akashans possess psychic powers capable of generating effects
similar to spells up to the Difficult level. Some entities possess
up to God-like powers, though these tend to be things like brains the size
of planets.
Social: Multi-species, multiple
world governments.
Spiritual: The Akashans wield substantial spiritual
powers.
The Akashans are a powerful civilization whose records would seem to indicate they might actually predate the Pattern and the Logrus. According to their myths, the Sidar themselves guided the development of the early Akashan civilization, guiding them from a primitive state towards space-faring civilization. Then, one day, the Sidar simply stopped visiting. The stargates used by the Sidar to visit their shadow still existed, but they've never found the Sidar down any of them.
What followed was a period in which they went forth through the gates and tried to guide other civilizations as they had once been guided by the Sidar. This had mixed results, including one shadow which somehow blew itself to bits and now exists only as a space full of primal chaos. This caused them to withdraw and become more isolationist, although they still watch over the various species of their home shadow.
The Akashans use bio-technology, technology based around specialized, genetically engineered life forms, whenever possible. Most live for hundreds of years thanks to their advanced medicine and aganathic treatments. They also have developed psychic powers to a fine art.
The Akashans use the Sidar Stargate network to travel through shadow in techno-organic ships, and use certain advanced technologies to mold shadow on a limited scale to enable those ships to work almost anywhere. This involves special trees called 'Reality Trees', which carry the laws of the Akashan home shadow with them in a radius. They're usually immobile, but Akashan ships generally contain a reality tree. Such trees are grown from seeds from the Primal Tree on Akasha itself, which looks rather like a smaller version of Yig. The power of Reality Trees seems to fail within the Golden Circle or the Black Circle, which has hampered contact between Akasha and Amber. They can also use their technology to create short-term Stargates to shadows which don't already possess them, if the target shadow can support their level of technology.
The Akashans are known to have quite friendly relations with Panopticon
University.
Transit Time from Arden: 1 week normal shadow shifting, 1 day
by hellride.
Time Differential: 1 day here equals 1 hour in Amber.
Technology: Modern Earth
Magic: Up to Very Hard Magics
Social: The entire world is one
big city/beach with many ethnicities, but only one nation. Governed
by a mayor.
Spiritual: Many religions exist, but have no obvious
miraculous powers.
The beach is a shadow which is simply nothing but a sandy beach with a narrow strip of dry land behind it on one side and a large stretch of ocean going the other way. Some regions of The Beach are built up with civilization and comforts, while others are isolated and peaceful. Virtually every Elder maintains a residence there somewhere for vacations. Parts of the ocean are wide enough to contain islands to explore or island resorts to relax in. A strip mall stands in one stretch of the Beach, which contains portals to Friday's and Cafam.
Certain aspects of the Shadow's reality are best not questioned, such as where all the industrial goods, clothing, food, etc, actually comes from or how the economy can function. It's just there for having fun.
The original Beach was transformed into ShAmber.
The new Beach is a very similar shadow, although it does require one to
be willing to put up with periodic encounters with a shadow of David Hasselhoff.
Bedrock:
(Written by Beowulf Kohl, D.PLH, Panopticon University)
Transit time from Arden: 1 week normal shadow shifting, 1 days
by hellride.
Time Differential: 1 day here equals 1 day in Amber.
Technology: Stone age, with a few interesting twists...
Magic: Up through difficult magics,
though the natives don't seem to be aware of them.
Social: Amazingly like 20th century
Shadow Earth, making allowances for the stone age environment. See below.
Spiritual: Many religions exist, but have no obvious miraculous
powers.
Pinata (q.v.) is one example of how a society
can overcome limited technology; Bedrock is a completely different variation
on the theme. The inhabitants of this shadow have substituted animal power
for technology, creating a society that faithfully reproduces the United
States of Shadow Earth, circa 1950 -- construction workers that use large
dinosaurs in place of cranes, elephants to drive bulldozers, muscle-powered
cars, and the like. People go to work in offices, punch in using a
water-powered time clock, and in general live a life straight out of a
period TV show. House in the suburbs, neighbors to go out drinking
with, trained birds to substitute for telephones, alarm clocks, steam whistles...
All in all, the natives have shown a remarkable ingenuity -- one saner,
if not quite as creative, as the folks in Pinata -- in creating an 'advanced'
society.
Transit Time from Arden: Two weeks normal shadow shifting, 2
days by hellride.
Time Differential: 4 months here equals 1 day in Amber.
Technology: Late Medieval
Magic: Mortals can wield up to Very
Hard Magics, the Valar and Maiar and their descendents can work God-like
magics
Social: Monarchical; Valinor is
ruled by a council of the Valar.
Spiritual: The gods walk the Earth. .
This is a fantasy world of Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, Dragons, and the Valar.
The Elves of Arden originated from here, fleeing to escape their enemy
Morgoth, a renegade Valar (roughly equivalent to a 'god'). Morgoth
ruled much of the shadow from an iron fortress known as Angband, beneath
Thangodrim. Gil-Galad was held captive here for centuries, and by
means still unclear, Gendo's sword Justice ended up here as well.
Shaft, Makoto, and Yumi overthrew Beleriand, and now it enjoys a new Springtime
of Arda.
Transit Time from Arden: 2 weeks normal shadow shifting, 2 days
by hellride.
Time Differential: 1 day here equals 1 day in Amber...usually
Technology: Modern Earth mostly, but higher tech is for
sale and in use in some regions of the store.
Magic: Up to Hard Magics.
At times, items may be for sale with greater powers.
Social: The entire world is one
big department store, run by the never-seen Manager.
Spiritual: Many strange entities exist in Cafam,
and items exist infused with spiritual power.
"Blue Light Special on Pattern Blades in Aisle 56783847384738743-B!"
Shadowwalking to Cafam seems to always end up with you in a stripmall in front of the main doors. Friday's can be entered at the other end of the mall. One such mall stands in 'The Beach', allowing easy shopping access.
Cafam is the ultimate store. Imagine if the entire planet Earth was hollowed out and turned into a shopping mall. From the outside, Cafam is about the size of a typical department store. On the inside, it contains at least as much space as the entire land and sea surface of the Earth, possibly more. Fortunately, Cafam also has high tech public transportation to facilitate shopping. Those seeking a little more adventure can rent a mule train and pass any of the several wilderness zones which exist inside the store for no discernable reason whatsoever except to make one's trip more interesting.
If you can imagine it, Cafam likely has it for sale...if you can find it. Fairly mundane simple things can be found near the checkout counters within a few minutes walk. But the really cool things like giant mechs, trumps of supposedly dead relatives now trying to destroy the Pattern, designer Spikards, and other such toys have to be quested after in the depths of the store. Indeed, Cafam seems in some ways to be a miniature of the universe, with Amber as the Checkout Counters and Chaos as the far distant storage rooms; Pattern is nearly impossible to use near the checkout counters,until one steps out the front doors. Using Logrus is a bad idea in Cafam...some force seems to ensure you always grab the wrong thing. Making a Trump of your favorite aisle works for a while, until the next time the store is reorganized. (Trumps of the Checkout Counters remain good forever, however). Magic is unreliable, working only in some regions of Cafam.
In general, if Cafam has something in stock, you can find it in 1 hour per 1 point property, 6 hours per 2 point property, and 1 day per four point property. Items with 8 point or even 16 point properties are ocassionally for sale, but this is fairly rare and usually prompts a rush and a riot.
Cafam only accepts Real precious metals (in coin, lump, or jewelry form), drafts on Amberite banks and moneylenders, or jewels as payment from Amberites, although the many shadow customers seem to be allowed to use their own universe's currencies. It remains unclear how these customers get to Cafam. Normally, when you exit, the doors put you back in the shadow you came from, but if you follow shadow dwellers out, you may end up almost anywhere.
Calendar World:
(Written by Beowulf Kohl, D.PLH, Panopticon University)
Transit Time from Arden: 1 week normal shadow shifting, 1 day
by hellride.
Time Differential: 1 day here equals 1 day in Amber.
Technology: Reliable Nineteenth century technology, with
some more advanced artifacts.
Magic: No sorcery. Conjured items
which duplicate technology will function, others will become inert.
Power Words work.
Social: Old West
Spiritual: Many religions exist, but have no obvious
miraculous powers.
Sand. Hot, sandy, and dry. Did I mention the sand?
Calendar World isn't one of the oddest places I've visited -- in Shadow, it isn't even in the top 100 -- but it has an atmosphere all its own, shared only with a hundred Westerns of Shadow Earth.
Ah... perhaps that wasn't the best way to put it, but it's probably truer than any other description I could come up with. Calendar World is a desert planet, dotted with small towns and cities that often struggle for survival against the encroaching dunes. (There are only twelve major cities on the planet, each named after one of the months of the calendar; hence its common name among Amberites.) This shadow apparently operates at a technology level consistent with the Industrial Revolution, but only just, with no weapons more advanced than the common gunpowder firearm (admittedly very well-developed in this shadow). Buildings are largely made of wood, with some leavening of adobe and stone; streets are unpaved. Set yourself down in the middle of a Calendar World town, and you'd swear you'd wandered into the Old West of Shadow Earth. Until you look at some of the more anachronistic details, of course...
For Calendar World hides a much higher level of technology than the facade might lead you to believe. Motorized vehicles do exist, though they are few and far between. There is a surprising amount of cyborg technology, though on a relatively primitive level. Most of all, there are the Plants. These gigantic structures, which resemble nothing so much as an enlarged piece of laboratory glassware, use very advanced technology to convert sand into water and arable soil. The Plants are very old, and considerably in advance of Calendar World technology in general -- leading one to suspect possible colonization by a more advanced civilization, and a catastrophe that cut off contact with the industrial base of that civilization. (Another possibility, of course, is an advanced civilization originating on this planet which was destroyed by catastrophe. I lean against this theory myself.) Rumors of this possibility are what led me to visit Calendar World.
Unfortunately (both for myself and the unhappy inhabitants of this shadow), most knowledge of this technology -- particularly the most advanced examples, such as the Plants -- has been lost, presumably in our posited catastrophe. This includes any knowledge of the colonizing civilization. My visit there hence proved fruitless.
However, Calendar World is not necessarily a fruitless destination for
Amberites; indeed, a certain amount of covert trade exists between the
worlds. Presumably, this is facilitated by a Unicorn track leading here
from Begma. Potential visitors should strongly consider a short course
in using gunpowder firearms before you arrive, as they unfortunately appear
to be a rather active part of this society.
Castrovalva:
(Written by Beowulf Kohl, D.PLH, Panopticon University)
Transit time from Arden: 1 week normal shadow shifting, 1 day
by hellride.
Time Differential: 1 day here equals... well, I'm not entirely
sure, actually. It almost seemed like time was speeding up and slowing
down in the period I spent there. Most odd.
Technology: Eighteenth Century
Magic: Up to Challenging Magics
Social: Eighteenth Century style
monarchies.
Spiritual: Many religions exist, but have no obvious
miraculous powers.
Castrovalva... a place of perfect peace and tranquility. The atmosphere has a profoundly calming effect, making it an ideal place to recuperate and heal, particularly from overall shocks to the system. So the references say.
I decided to visit Castrovalva for myself after a rather... unfortunate... encounter I had with a group of odd beings out of time and space, on the fringes of Yig, left me with a yen for rest and recuperation. I found it much as advertised -- a very soothing place, simple and unadorned, and quiet. I could almost feel myself healing as I lay back and relaxed, sitting and letting my mind clear. For a while, at least...
For Castrovalva posed a most intriguing puzzle, when I had recovered enough to think of it. It seemed uncommonly easy to become lost there, for one thing. The inhabitants seemed peculiarly inept at giving directions, as a simple request for the route to the library would inevitably end with four different villagers pointing in four different directions. It seemed that this odd confusion is a part of the environment, as I found my own sense of direction becoming confused the longer I stayed there. Heading down a street heading east, I would somehow find myself at a communal dining area to the west. I would set out for the Library, go up a staircase and through a narrow winding path around the courtyard, and end up outside my room again without descending. Curious.
Ah, the Library. A magnificent edifice, indeed -- elegant Gothic rooms filled with ancient books, all 600 years old at the very least, chronicling the rise of Castrovalva to the present day. I enjoyed the time I spent perusing their contents, and hope to spend more time researching the city's history the next time I visit.
I would have loved to spend more time there, exploring the intriguing mysteries of the place. Unfortunately, I had rather pressing business elsewhere, and thus had to trump out before I could come to the heart of the matter. I fully intend to return someday and solve the riddles of Castrovalva.
Transit Time from Arden: Unknown
Time Differential: Strangely Variable
Technology: Indistinguishable from magic
Magic: Huge Honking Wadges of
it
Social: City state ruled by a
philosopher-king
Spiritual: The gods come and hang out with you
Many have sought Cathuria and few found it. Or more precisely, few have found it and returned to tell of it. If Amber is the Eternal City, Cathuria is the Perfect City, a land of bliss and light and peace where all may come and find new hope and joy. The gates are open to all travellers...but few can find them. Neither its location in shadow nor the best route by which it can be approached is known for sure, and most only glimpse it from afar, yet find it gone when they reach the place where it shimmered on the horizon.
The most famous sighting of Cathuria was that of King Tylor, who in his youth, sailed into a shadow where the ocean raced over a great precipice into infinite mists below. He had followed a ship with white sails which lead him there, upon which was blazoned a red phoenix. But when they reached the cliff, it took wing and flew upwards towards Cathuria in the clouds, while his ship plummeted down into the mists. The Pattern failed him, and he was forced to trump out.
Yet others have found Cathuria in a great cavern beneath the Earth, on a floating island, in the heart of a great jungle, and many other places. Some speculate that perhaps like Amber, Cathuria is reflected, a place of great reality.
A handful of travellers have claimed to have visted Cathuria and stayed for centuries while minutes passed at home, before their duties drew them back. Others spent mere moments, and centuries passed in Amber. The truth of the matter is not yet known.
Some travellers have encountered a ghost fleet that flies the Phoenix
flag, which is said to serve Cathuria and battle various strange horrors.
The truth of this is unknown.
Cinema 2 Billion
(Written by Mitsune Butler for a geography assignment at Ohtori,
c. 1330 AY)
Transit Time from Arden: 1 week normal shadow shifting, 1 day
by hellride.
Time Differential: 1 day here equals 1 hour in Amber.
Technology: Modern Earth
Magic: The Magic of the Movies (ie,
no magic, but lots of special effects)
Social: Please be quiet so others
can hear the movie
Spiritual: Many religious films are always playing
here
Even though magic doesn't work here, this is still a great shadow. Every movie you could ever want to see, and plenty you wouldn't, are always playing here. The place is a movie theatre the size of a small planet, endless levels of red carpeted hallways with doors into theatres every sixty to a hundred feet. Concession stands selling movie theatre food can be found every few hundred feet, staffed by friendly people.
The theatre is laid out by genre; to find the movie you want, just head for the right level for that genre, then search alphabetically. As more movies come into existence, the theatre grows.
Each viewing room is tailored to maximize your viewing experience. Some rooms are very small, perhaps holding only a dozen people, while others are huge arenas with enhanced sound systems, smell-o-vision, etc.
The front doors of the theatre open onto the Beach, Mark 2.
Order is maintained by the Ushers. They appear to be ordinary humans in red uniforms. Those breaking the rules will be ejected by them into shadow. One warning, any effort to mind control the ushers results in one finding oneself dumped somewhere hideously unpleasant in shadow. But in general, if you abide by normal theatre rules, they won't kick you out.
Circas
(Written by Kuonji Inji, D.PLH, Panopticon University)
Transit Time from Arden: 5 weeks normal shadow shifting, 5 days
by hellride.
Time Differential: 1 day here equals 2 days in Amber.
Technology: Elizabethan Technology
Magic: Present in normal quantities
Social: Monarchy with Parliamentary noble representation
Spiritual: Strong and mysterious belief system
This place was quite a revelation to me. A fairly large nation, Circas
possesses Shadow-walking abilities of the sort one would only expect Amber
and Chaos to have. They make use of many Sidar techniques and devices,
and have conquered or made vassal states of numerous surrounding Shadows.
Experiments on and subsequent dissection of a captured noble has revealed
that the noble caste is, in fact, part Sidar. These halfbreeds retain some
of the Sidar's abilities, although which manifest themselves vary from
individual to individual.
They worship a god of some sort who, like many Shadow deities, will
smite those who his priests indicate. What is disturbing is that said smiting
does not appeared to be limited to the Shadow. Perhaps some refugee from
the War of the Gods has fled here.
With their bloodlines, size, and abilities, Circas would probably pose
a threat to Amber or Chaos if they had a better grasp of Shadow. Fortunately,
they seem hopelessly bewildered by technology higher than their own, and
are thus limited in the Shadows their wooden galleons can traverse. Still,
I recommend that both powers keep tabs on this place.
Transit Time from Arden: 4 weeks normal shadow shifting, 4 days
by hellride. The City of Brass is a week past Yig.
Time Differential: 1 day here equals 1 day in Amber.
Technology: High Medieval
Magic: Up to Very Hard Magics
Social: Monarchy
Spiritual: Many religions exist, priests wield some
spiritual power
Emerging from the whirlwinds of Chaos, the City of Brass is home to the efreet, wish-granting beings who have fire at their command. The City itself floats on islands of basalt with rivers of lava that separate the main islands. Barges traverse these lava-rivers connecting the main island Impara to the satellite islands. The only road into the City is the Fire Highway that the Efreeti traders use to ply trade with Umayadd, Abbasid, Fatmid, Zoroastria, the Emirate of Ylarum, Nithia, and Dysthenia. It is very much a trader's paradise, that is, if you can withstand the constant 350 degree temperature. It is because of this reason that not many humans trade with the efreet who live here and the efreet generally look down on humans anyway as being easily cooked appetizers.
The City of Brass is ruled by the Caliph Fahram ibn-Alshuana, who was once imprisoned by King Gendou of Amber. It is said that after he escaped, he fled to Yig, dripping blood-fire along the way, giving rise to the magical flame-flowers that impart wisdom that are found only around the City of Brass. There, he traversed the underground rivers back to the City and imparted a decree: Anyone who is revealed to have Amber blood in them must be killed on sight, no questions asked. A siege was attempted, but Drake, the Marshal of Amber at that time managed to turn them back at Yig.
Ibn-Alshuana rules alongside Queen Timpara in an autocratic monarchy.
The Grand Vizier, Al-Ghazali, the most powerful
mage of his generation, has custody of the legendary Heart of Flame.
The City of Brass has a population of about 5,000 efreet and 3,000 slaves.
The four seasons are Very Hot, Hot, Warm, and Hot.
There is a caste-like society in place in the City of Brass, and the castes are as follows: the nobility, the merchants, the traders, the soldiers and the slaves. Nobility are granted plots of land for dubramin farming with each noble being granted a set amount of soldiers according to his yearly production value. The merchants have formed their own separate guilds which are headed by a master of each guild. Under guidance from the Caliph, they set prices and guard against monopoly in any one guild. The traders are mostly autonomous, with a Ducat Trader named to run interference with the Caliph. Slaves are captured along the Fire Highway and wherever the pirate-traders roam. They range from humans, to humanoids, to mobile protoplasm, to other efreet.
In recent years, a strange cult has risen to prominence, promoted by
the leaders of the nation, the cult of the Cow Goddess, Hathor. In
most shadows, Hathor is a gentle goddess, but here, she seems to be some
sort of goddess of revenge, urging the Efreet to avenge themselves for
all the Efreet enslaved by human sorcerors. It is generally agreed
this will likely lead to trouble.
The Heart of Flame's Significance for the City of Brass
About six centuries ago, a small human army rode in from the Fire Highway, the leader holding aloft a ruby the size of his fist. It pulsed with a magical fire and as the army rode through the streets, tendrils of fire arced out of the ruby to strike every efreet they passed. They started to shrink, and as they shrunk, the other riders on horseback opened bottles to trap the efreet. The markings on their uniforms showed them to be from a far off shadow named Darinstar.
Abduna Lamdimar, the Caliph at the time, was on a state trip through the Trade Lands, so over two thirds of the populace were imprisoned before he returned. Using the Fire Amulet, Lamdimar was able to defeat the leader of the army, Bargle, and capture the ruby, which he named the Heart of Flame. He then traveled to Darinstar, laying waste to the city using the Heart, capturing and killing the members of the Senate and forcing the Empress to return as his concubine.
Since the day of that great victory, posession of the Heart has been passed down from Vizier to Vizier, hidden deep inside the castle in the middle of the City. Every year on the anniversary of that battle, the Conquest Festival is held, starting with a parade through the streets, a lively booze up the following day, and a competion in the Fourteen Strengths for prizes. There is also a slave auction, held at the end of the second day, with the proceeds going to charity.
The theft of the Heart of Flame during the AY 1292 Conquest festival
(AY 1292) provoked the Efreet to great, but impotent anger. Still,
it is thought they will one day seek revenge.
(Written by Kuonji Inji, D.PLH, Panopticon University)
Transit Time from Arden: 5 weeks normal shadow shifting, 5 days
by hellride.
Time Differential: 1 day here equals 2 days in Amber.
Technology: Medieval
Magic: Very, very strong
Social: Dark age society at its finest
Spiritual: A crude spiritual system is in place,
but it is either myth or incapable of producing visible 'miracles'.
One of the awe-inspiring feats of the Sidar. This Shadow seems much
like a typical low-tech fiefdom, with squalid little villages, squat stone
castles, and the occasional two-bit sorcerer. All of the natives are terrified
of the local 'Taboo Mountain,' and you shall find out why when you climb
it and see what is at the summit.
What, you may ask? A huge shaft, widening into a cone as it goes down,
falling perhaps two hundred miles down a brick lined well. What makes this
feat impressive is that _no_Shadow_molding_ was used to make it. Every
brick is Real, and every brick was set in place by hand, using the low
technology axiom of the Shadow. It must have taken centuries to build.
At the bottom of the shaft is a complex seal built around what is unmistakably
an Elder Sign, and one of the most potent examples of the art I've ever
seen. When I first discovered the place I was certain I'd stumbled upon
an imprisoned Outsider, but exhaustive tests using my methods have shown
a distinct lack of Great Old One. Possibly it was intended as a trap but
never used -- or maybe it imprisons some other sort of being from the War
of the Gods. Whichever is the case, I judged it prudent to avoid tampering.
You should too, if you can suppress your natural lemminglike tendencies.
(Written by Kuonji Inji, D.PLH, Panopticon University)
Transit Time from Arden: 5 weeks normal shadow shifting, 5 days
by hellride.
Time Differential: 1 day here equals 1 day in Amber.
Technology: High technology
Magic: Sidar Variation B3 Technomagic (Nonorganic)
Social: Mechanical
Spiritual: Nonexistent
I've named this Shadow after the code name of the only feature
of interest in it. The massive Dark Reign gun platform floats in the void
of space, massive in size. An energy weapon of vast power, it appears to
function using a form of power sorcery I've occasionally run across in
Sidar technologies -- one which rather irritatingly has thus far defied
replication.
The destructive ability of the gun is impressive, but not terribly
unique in Shadow. What _is_ unique is that the gun is able to sense and
target ships or people in nearby Shadows. I have calculated that the weapon
can track and fire upon targets two days' normal Patternwalk away.
The thing that frankly baffles me is the presence of an apparent 'warning
system'. People targeted by the Dark Reign hear a tiny voice saying, "The
Sidar cannon is targeting you! Get out of its range!" I am uncertain what
causes this, or what function it served. I have tried and failed
to move the gun platform from its home. The Shadow appears to be an integral
part of the weapon.
A word to the wise -- the last time I visited, someone attempted to
fire at me with the gun. It seems impossible to dodge, even for someone
with my reflexes, and I only escaped death via a well-timed teleport spell.
Approach with caution.
Detention
Time Differential: 1 day here equals 1 minute in Amber.
Technology: Stiff metal chairs and apparently unbreakable
walls
Magic: Dream on, honkey.
Social: It's just you. No
one else here to be social with, even when you all get sent to detention
at the same time
Spiritual: Prayers aren't getting you out any faster.
Sooner or later, you've all been sent here for annoying Miki. You end up stuck in a chair, in a corner, with no way out and nothing to do but stew in your own juices. The only way to get out is via Trump, usually him Trumping you out of there; Trumps carried with you seem to mysteriously vanish from your pockets most of the time. Trump Artists can be a pain sometimes.
Dinosaur World (or, Land of Losing Stuff):
(Written by Mitsune Butler for a geography assignment at Ohtori,
c. 1330 AY)
Transit Time from Arden: 2 weeks normal shadow shifting, 2 days
by hellride.
Time Differential: 1 year here equals 1 day in Amber.
Technology: Cave Lizard Men
Magic: None. Not one bit.
So don't count on it.
Social: Tribal
Spiritual: Everyone worships Lanala, and everyone
has miraculous powers from Lanala.
First off, I just want to reiterate that Magic doesn't work. So if you count on it like I do, you're gonna be screwed here. Secondly, technology above the level of cave men doesn't work, so if you count on that, you're ALSO screwed. Thirdly, the plane laughs at Pattern and Logrus. Well, not completely, but it is very hard to use them to mold shadow, and stuff starts showing up to kick your ass if you use them much. Fourthly, Trumps DO work, which is good for running far away and not coming back...assuming you don't lose your trumps. More on that later. Fifthly, Shapechanging does work, praise be to the Unicorn. Fire works too, although matches fail. Hope you paid more attention when you were a girl scout than I did. /This place just generally sucks.
To make matters worse, there's fog everywhere, all the time, and it's always hot, even at night. Not that you can tell what time it is, since the fog glows faintly and blocks the sun and the moon and the stars and makes compasses spin wildly. The whole planet is overrun by jungle, fog and dinosaurs. It rains every night; you could set your watch by it if your watch didn't just stop working and you hadn't lost it yet.
Further complicating matters is that you tend to lose anything you don't tightly grip at all times. Backpacks rupture, your shadow reality molding truck flips over and explodes when you hit a root, spiders get into your canned food if you turn your back on it, etc, etc. This probably explains why the natives are so unmaterialistic. They couldn't have possessions if they WANTED them. Your clothing rips and tears, and pretty soon, you end up in your underwear or butt naked. This is where having shapeshifting comes in handy. Foxes don't need clothing, after all.
The locals are pretty interesting madmen. The dominant race is lizardmen called Dinos. They're all priests and priestesses of Lanala, the goddess of Life. Some of them just have minor powers, but the stronger ones can do things like becoming utterly impervious to pain, causing small forests to spring up, and causing very nasty hallucinations. They believe all tools are evil and that anyone who uses them is Dead and needs to be taught how to Live (ie, how to be a sensation seeking freak job who runs around naked in the forest killing things and eating them without cooking them, since Fire's bad too). They believe it's their job to live life on the edge, experiencing everything for their goddess who gave them life.
This included exterminating the race of tool using beetle-like creatures they used to share the Shadow with; they'd only recently wiped the poor things out when I arrived in this hell-hole. Of course, being homicidal freaks, they didn't view it as murder, but rather as 'putting them into situations where they will either learn to live or become truly dead'.
So why come to this land of madmen? Well, if you like dinosaurs, there's tons of them here. It's always easy to find food; I guess Lanala provides for her insane children, since they're too stupid to grow crops or raise livestock. If you can think of an exotic plant, there's a good chance it grows here. Most of the lizardmen are weak-brained, so they make good shock troops if you can convince them there's a good experience in it. And they do fight pretty effectively.
But mostly, unless you want to be part of mad lizard orgies and violent
rampages, I suggest you stay home and rent Jurassic Park instead.
Discworld:
Transit Time from Arden: 5 weeks normal shadow shifting, 5 days
by hellride. Discworld is two weeks past Yig.
Time Differential: 1 year here equals 1 day in Amber.
We think. Sometimes it gets weird for no reason we can figure out.
Technology: High Medieval, though there's been some progress
with personal technology using summoned imps. Kinda.
Magic: Up to Average Magics are practiced. Magic up to
Hard is -possible- but not very recommended. There are also several
noteable reality laws in effect -- see below.
Social: Multiple monarchies and governments
of varying size, shape, and color. Mostly on the Medival European
style, though there are Arabian and Asian cultures as well.
Spiritual: Many religions exist. The gods
exist. They get ticked if you don't believe in them, and tend to
smite those who don't (when they bother to notice).
Anything that can be imagined can be found in Shadow. This is something that is accepted as true by even the most hardened Amberite. Yet, there are places where even the imagination gets stretched, where the laws of physics and Reality get distorted to the point where the probability curves get seriously skewed, allowing things to exist that would be curtailed anywhere else. They're consistent in their way, but not -likely-; but for those who find them they can provide insight (and a good dose of humor) into the workings of sapient life.
One such place is the Discworld.
Borne through space, supported by four gigantic elephants standing on the back of a World Turtle (/Chelys galactica/), the Discworld is approximately 10,000 miles across. At its Rim it is approximately 30 miles thick, and it gets thicker towards the central Hub, where the massive mountains of Cori Celesti reach for the sky. A miniature sun orbits the Disc itself every day, as does a miniture moon, darting between the Elephants below and the sky above.
Yes, the Disc rotates. No, we don't know how the Elephants manage not to chafe. We assume that the Creator of the place made accomodations for that problem. We also assume that the Creator of the Disc took care of water recycling, for the oceans of the Disc constantly pour over the Rim's thirty-thousand mile circumferance in the spectacular "Rimfall", yet they haven't lowered any in the several million years local-time that the Discworld has existed.
The Disc is inhabited, of course. Mostly by humans in countries and cities of varying sizes, but there's also a sizeable dwarf (excellent miners with a thing for Gold) and troll (ambulatory bipedal rocks with not much brain) population, along with a scattering of various supernatural types (werewolves, vampires, ghosts, undead, etc) who manage to live alongside the normal folks. Inter-species prejudice is relatively unknown: Black and White have stopped fighting each other, and have teamed up to beat up on purple, green, and blue. However, -anybody- is tolerated in the major cities as long as they've got a decent amount of funds to back up their actions, so be sure to bring along a good supply of cash.
The usual laws of physics apply here: Things fall when released from
up high, effect follows cause, etc. However, they are to be thought
of more as guidelines, not as absolutes. In some places, the speed
of light has been expressly -demonstrated- as being slower than sound.
The sunlight doesn't just rise, it -pours-, and some places it can be captured
and saved for a rainy day. There are also three major principles
in effect, which help explain how the Discworld runs :
For the first principle, ANYTHING on the Discworld has the potential,
in some way, to develop a form of life. It may not be truly 'life'
as we know it, but that isn't going to be stopping the object in question
from expressing its opinions on the matter. This is the main explanation
behind the trolls, which are walking, thinking rocks; as well as the intelligence
found in some wizard's staffs; or the just plain ornery attitiude in the
case of a particular set of ambulatory sapient pearwood luggage.
(Which was last seen wandering around the vicinity of Therin with no signs
of stopping.) While it cannot be proven that every object in the Discworld
has a viewpoint, it's often just safer to assume it.
The second principle is the fact that on the Discworld, Metaphor has a disturbing tendency to take itself seriously. Death as a robed skeleton is not just a metaphor for the end of life, he IS a robed skeleton with a full-fledged existance of his own. Belief is a potent force on the Discworld, and if enough people believe in a thing, then it -becomes- real. This is how the Gods of the Disc generally came into existance, because people believed in them. The powers of witches and wizards on the Disc also take advantage of this fact -- if enough people BELIEVE you can turn them into frogs, then you may never have to prove it. Also, things that are -not- believed to exist will never be seen; even if it's standing right next to you and waving its arms. One side-effect of this, however, is the tendency of the people of the Disc to take metaphors literally. Then again, given the tendency of metaphors to become real on the Disc, it's better to be safe than sorry.
The third and final principle in effect on the Discworld is the power of stories (quite possibly the most powerful of the three). It's not for nothing that we say that History repeats itself; the Marital Row, the Job Interview, the Rise and Fall of Empires, the Princess Marries the Prince, are all tried-and-true scenarios that people believe should happen in their proper sequence, and generally do. On the Discworld, to the right people, these cliches of time, these patterns are emiently recognizeable by those in the know. History Monks constantly monitor the goings-on to make SURE that history happens as it's 'supposed' to. Meanwhile, Wizards and Witches, with enough know-how, can 'derail' an existing storyline by presenting Destiny with a more attractive alternative. On the Discworld, the future is set. It's up to everybody else to fight back.
Due to the natural skew of Reality around the Discworld, magic is also possible, at higher levels in some ways than 'normal' parts of Shadow. However, as noted above, it isn't always practiced as regularly as would be expected. Why fling around spells and WORK for a living when public image and the trappings of wizardry and witch-hood suffice just as well? -Knowledge- is power, and they've got more than enough of it, so they don't need to regularly demonstrate it (though, in a pinch, they easily -can-... it helps keep down pretenders and riff-raff). There are also hazards to flinging heavy-calibre magic around... the fabric of Reality becomes especially weak around heavy concentrations of magic on the Discworld, allowing the potential of the Things from the Dungeon Dimensions to break through (either physically, or through the minds of those sufficiently engaged by an idea or magical power) and enter the 'Real' world. Whether they are Outsiders or just dwellers from another Shadow are unknown; what IS known is that they like and eat magic, hate all life and all living things, and that more than one incursion of them has been fought off in the past.
With that all said... the Discworld -can- be a fun place to vacation, as long as you take care to keep in mind that although there's high magic and oddball occurances, the people there are still living beings trying to get through life the best they can. Respect them, and they will respect you -- or at least not overcharge you severely.
Anybody wanna buy a sausage? Onna bun?
Transit Time from Arden: 4 weeks normal shadow shifting, 4 days
by hellride.
Time Differential: 1 day here equals 1 hour in Amber.
Technology: REALLY BIG GUNS!!!!!
Magic: This isn't Hexen. Sorry.
Social: Hobbes' State of Nature
Spiritual: Everyone is too busy dying or rampaging
to pray
Think live-action Doom. Drake found this shadow, and goes there to hone his combat skills. It's an endless maze of tunnels and mutants. Kill all you want, they'll make more. An example of the sort of treatment of shadowdwellers which bothers some Amberites and amuses others. DOOM is beyond Yig.
o/~ It's a small shadow world after all o/~
The management is not responsible for ravening madness or exploding
in a shower of blue sparks
--Disclaimer on all tickets
Transit Time from Arden: 1 week normal shadow shifting, 1 day
by hellride.
Time Differential: 1 day here equals 1 day in Amber.
Technology: Amusement Park Technology
Magic: The Original Magic Kingdom, baby!
Social: Corporate
Spiritual: All faiths accepted as long as they're
willing to pay the entrance fee
All amusement parks are but a feeble shadow of Dworkinland. Imagine an amusement park the size of Chicago, with its own docks and a handy mountain range nearby. The physical environment around Dworkinland is the same as that of Amber itself, except with an amusement park instead of a city. The staff lives up the side of Mount Rivlok, in Castkle Dworkin, then comes down to man the park during operating hours. Mount Rivlok also contains a hollowed out set of tunnels used by the 'Pattern Mountain' rollercoaster ride. Castle Dworkin contains a Broken Metal Pattern; everyone on the staff has walked it. Visitors are kept away from it (since it kills 9 out of every 10 people who try. They tend not to mention that to potential new employees, though...)
Dworkinland is divided into about a hundred or so constantly changing 'shadows', each modelled on some particular shadow with appropriate rides and games. Some of these have been around a very long time, while others are torn down and replaced if they don't turn a profit.
Some notable regions and attractions:
Abyss World:
A recent addition, this sector is dedicated to all things Abyssal, including the Feral Brand Funhouse, the Evil Black Tar Smoke Shop and Tea House, the Abyss Bungee Jumping Pit, and the very popular Abyss Pirates of the Caribbean boat ride. Every night, the death of Brand and the Duel Called Revolution are reenacted here on opposite sides of the Abyss Bungee Jumping Pit. Every so often, something goes wrong and Caine accidentally shoots Venir, or the Feral Brands get loose and try to save Brand, so it's always an exciting show.
The Acid Trip Shadowwalk Ride
This exciting ride simulates shadowalking on drugs. Advanced sorcery literally remolds this entire area to fit your strange hallucinations and inner wackiness. This can be good for some, and BAD for others. The Lewis Carrol Bar is a popular attraction here.
Amber World:
Centered around the huge 52 story rollercoaster, THE PATTERN, Amber World sits just inside the north gate of Dworkinworld. The Kolvir Mountain monorail has a station here for easy access to Laputaworld and Castle Dworkin. IT is laid out to resemble a typical ward of Amber City. It includes Damask's Burning Embassy. During the day, it is a place to purchase finely made foods and clones. At night, they burn it and the resulting explosions serve the role of fireworks. Gabrielle's Grill is located next door. Rumors they use the embassy to cook food are sharply denied.
Boredom City:
This is not the official name, but it's where all the rides which can't be shut down for political reasons get shoved. This includes Walker's Texas Ranger Ride, Julian's Forest of Mystery, and Dara's Little Shop of Pants.
Queen Cait's Funland For Grownups (You Must Be Over 18 To Enter).
'Queen Cait's Funland is not reccomended for the elderly, pregnant, faithfully married, those with heart trouble, back problems, or Dante.'--warning sign on the gates
This area is restricted to adults only. It is a red lantern district
where you can buy tantric trumps (or have them drawn on the spot), get
exotic tattoos, gamble, pick up ladies of the evening, and generally do
many other things you don't want the kids around for. Notable establishments
include: Queen Cait's House of Family Intimacy, Flesh-Eating Beatlemania
(live, every night), Angus' House of Naughty Logrus Blades, Devan and Cupio's
House O' Whores, Bumpy's Casino, Morgenstern's Disco and Love Shack, and
Deirdre's Bed of Bliss.
Courts of Chaos:
Located adjacent to Abyss World at the far southern end of the park, this region centers around the famous non-Euclidean rollercoaster, THE LOGRUS, the only rollercoaster known to necessitate shapeshifting to survive riding it. It also includes the famous 'Hall of Nobles', where you can meet animatronic versions of the Kings and major Nobles of Chaos. The Dancing Swayvill Cabaret stands next door. Those who are hungry can enjoy the fine dining at the Black House Restaurant. Near the east side is Mr. Merlin's Wild Ride. Those seeking information might well check out Professor Gopher-Beetle's Hall of Knowledge.
Dworkinland Docks:
Dworkinland has its own port, in which supplies are shipped into the park, tourists can arrive by sea, and you can catch a ferry to Rebmaworld, Dworkinland's Underwater Fun Park. Once recent addition to the docks area is a popular ride, '20,000 Leagues Inside the Squid', which lets you ride around on a cross-shadow rampage by Lucky the Animatronic Logrus Squid. Lucky surfaces to let off and take on passengers at 9 am, Noon, 3 pm and 6 pm (at 9 pm, he returns the last group of passengers, but doesn't take on more)
Glantri City:
Glantri City is the center for magic shows, magical rides, many stores full of occult trinkets, and several magically centered amusements. These include 'Fireball Frolic in the Forest', 'Horatio's Laboratory', and 'Spikard City', a shop full of tacky, knock off 'spikards' produced in Chaos sweatshops.
Gummi World:
Home to the loveable Shinsengummi bears, this place is a big hit with the kids, at least until they break one of the rules and Saitoh Gummi gatotsus them. The entire area is edible, but eating the buildings is strictly forbidden. Aku. Zoku. Bounce.
Happy Fun Land:
Everything is happy fun, fun here, in this region full of rides and games. Mr. Toad's Hellride is here, along with the BumperJuriCars (each of which has a plushie of Darako and Venir tied to the rear bumper for some reason). Games include: Gerard's Hackeysack Challenge, Ivan's Whack-A-Squid Game, Pin the Arm on the Finndo, Survive Multiple Corrine Hugs, Julian-Construct's Pie-Throwing Game, Trump the Wumpus, Nail Juri to a Tree, Virtual Whack-an-Outsider, and Ghostwheel of Fortune.
Keep of the Five Tourists:
This area is a life-sized duplicate of the Keep of the Five Worlds, right down to the Font of Power Flume Ride. Okay, maybe that part is different... Those wishing to save time can dip themselves in the font and gain the power to teleport around, along with some endearing psychotic tendencies. The charge wears off if you leave the park. If you're thirsty, you might want to stop by Evil Blind Joe's Jazz Bar.
Lord Damask's Blood Creature Petting Zoo
This is a wonderful petting zoo full of exotic creatures from Chaos. Most of them are blood creatures created by Lord Damask, although some are quite real. It is fairly close to the Courts of Chaos. Please do not feed the blood creatures. You also might want to visit Ivan's Amazing World of Talking Animals, a recent addition.
The Magic Forest of the Funk Elves
This is a magical forest full of cuddly animals and cute funk elves. The power of P-Funk permeates all. Puppet shows every hour for the kids. Pongo's Playhouse is to be found here; Pongo loves to play with children.
Main Street Shadow Earth:
You could believe yourself to be in Shadow Earth in this area; it's a restaurant and tacky tourist trinket zone. It's most noteworthy feature is the photosticker booth, where you can frame your picture in hundreds of different ways. Superimposing one's head on an Amberite's body is especially popular. Ota's Shooting Gallery is another very popular attraction.
Olympus Hill:
This district is full of tacky tourist temples, things like Shrines of the Unicorn where you can get married if you're tacky enough to stage your wedding at Dworkinland. Especially popular is Horatio and Jasra's Wedding Chapel. It also has the very popular 'Falme's God-Tossing Game', where you can get prizes by hurling dieties as far as you can. Big Daddy T's Entropic Bar and Grill is a popular place to eat here.
Race Track:
This is full of driving games, race tracks, train rides, and other things
involving vehicles: EvilMike's Tank Ride, Stagger Lee's Go-Kart Track (SD-28
Fords), Mr. Toad's Hellride, Horatio's Train Yards, and VENIR 2.0's Bike
Chase Ride, With
Real Flaming Concrete.
Toy World:
Toy World is pretty much a giant tourist trap, set up to sell souveneirs
and toys, though it does contain the popular 'Catch-22 Merry-Go-Round'.
Among the items on sale are:
(Written by Kuonji Inji, D.PLH, Panopticon University)
Transit Time from Arden: 3 weeks normal shadow shifting, 3 days
by hellride.
Time Differential: One day here equals 6 hours in Amber
Technology: High Technology with gaps
Magic: Present
Social: Showbiz
Spiritual: Star worship
Some of you have made the effort to learn Sidar, for which I applaud
you. It can admittedly be frustrating to have mastered it, only to have
very little to use it with - a handful of inscriptions and no native speakers.
Emite'm Irp is a marvelous way to practice your vocabulary, learn about
Sidar culture, and enjoy delightful entertainment.
As best I can tell, this was a giant studio for a Sidar communications
combine. The transmitting equipment and sets are still intact and functional
- well, technically. They worked on something similar to trump which no
longer seems to function, probably as a result of the principle it was
based on going MIA after the massive rearrangement of the universe. (If
you have studied the Sidar at all, you are well familiar with the frustration
these dead natural principles can cause.) The real trove here is the script
library, which contains delightful popular shows of the Sidar heyday. True
works of genius can be found here.
To quote one of my favorites:
Interlocutor: Have you no fish for the cat?
The Gods: The cat, the cat. The cat is fat.
The Optometrist: I have herring. Let us all praise it.
Interlocutor: I deny this herring. My sheep is a surgeon.
The Gods: Hubba hubba hubba, zooty zoot zoo.
(They all dance the Dance of Scenery Repainting.)
Interlocutor: Go team, Sidar rules ok.
Beautiful. Absolute mastery of the form.
If you do decide to enrich your lives here, I particularly recommend
the first two seasons of Creamer The Great Satan On My Pogostick and the
entire run of Guttural The Criminal Apprehending Impregnation Demigod.
Transit Time from Arden: 9 days normal shadow shifting, a little
over one day by hellride.
Time Differential: 1 day here equals 1 day in Amber.
Technology: Stone Age, although the natives make ingenious
use of organics to build some kinds of machinery, such as catapults
Magic: Up to Difficult Magics
for mortals, up to God-like Magics for trees.
Social: Divided into many different
tribes
Spiritual: The furry humanoids worship nature spirits
and derive minor powers from them. The trees wield greater spiritual
powers.
The word for world is forest. Utena found this shadow when drunkenly
shifting shadow after watching the Star Wars movies at a party on Shadow
Earth. The entire planet, about the size of Earth's moon, is one
giant forest, inhabited by sentient tree civilizations and small furry
humanoids. Amberites who enjoy a good walk in the woods or want advice
on nature magic often come here.
Ennui:
(Written by Beowulf Kohl, D.PLH, Panopticon University)
Transit time from Arden: 3 weeks normal shadow shifting, 3 days
by hellride.
Time Differential: 1 day here equals 1 day in Amber.
Technology: With no one to invent anything, who can tell?
Magic: Up to Difficult Magics
Social: No people = no social
Spiritual: No people, no gods, no nothing, unless
the plants are secretly worshipping something
This shadow has the unenviable distinction of being, bar none, the most absolutely boring place I have ever been. Dull, Dull, DULL! Nothing happens here. NOTHING. All there is... all you *ever* see is a fairly sparse forest, with large stretches of undistinguished grass, with a few puddles of water scattered here and there. The water isn't stagnant, so I suppose you could use it for drinking, but that's about the only thing good I can say about it; it isn't even deep enough to decently wade in!
It will be a very LONG time before I ever consider re-visiting this
place.
Amber casts many reflections of itself into shadow, some of them nearly the same as the real thing. Some feature shadows of the royal family. Others warp the geography or history of the real thing.
Transit Time from Arden: 1 week normal shadow shifting, 1 day
by hellride. Most people just trump there.
Time Differential: 1 day here equals 1 day in Amber.
Technology: Modern Earth
Magic: Up to Difficult Magics
Social: The entire world is one
big restaurant. Governed by a manager. It remains unclear who
appointed him...
Spiritual: People come to eat, not to pray, though
all faiths are welcome as long as they can pay.
By definition, it is always 5:15pm on Friday in this shadow. The week is out, it's time to relax, to take a load off. And what better place to do that than at a bar and grill the size of a large city? This is Friday's.
It's staffed by a veritable army of cooks, several battalions of bartenders, and plenty of waiters and waitresses--the only people at work at this time, of course. But they're quite happy to serve, so long as you tip, and the next guy gets on the shift on time. And they're good at what they do. Medium rare steak? The prime choice grade A cut of beef will have a center which is a warm, juicy red. White Russian? Expertly and quickly mixed, using only the finest vodka, the finest coffee liquer, and the finest milk--skim, lowfat, or whole, whatever you want. The beer is strong, the buffalo wings spicy, and your choice of professional sports will probably be playing on the nearest 48" television.
For those wishing privacy, there are rooms that you can rent. Well, one says rooms, but they can approach the size of banquet halls, for the really big parties. Some are large enough to have their own kitchen to serve them. And they're not just for eating, either. They have karaoke rooms, movie rooms, dance floors, even some rooms for passing out peacefully. Friday's aims to cover every base. It's got the space and the resources for it, after all.
There are a couple of house rules, of course. No violence--please check
your weapons at the door. Don't worry, you're guaranteed to get them back
when you go. No shirt, no shoes, no service...and though casual dress is
acceptible, too many holes will get you turned away at the door. This is,
after all, open to families, too. And the strongest thing you can smoke
is a bad cigar; marijuana, crackpipes, and hypodermic needles bring a frown
to the face of the bouncer standing a few tables down. Besides, there's
more than enough alcohol here to make you happy in less dangerous ways.
Please follow the rules, or no soup for you. Fortunately, the patrons seem
to be pretty well behaved, and no one can remember the last time someone
was
forcibly booted out the door. Really.
Friday's is a place to hang out, plot dirty deeds done dirt cheap, try
to pick up someone, catch a good meal...but mostly for having fun. Bring
your gold doubloons, because they don't take American Express. Nor Visa,
nor Mastercard. In fact, at Friday's, the mention of the word 'credit'
is commonly regarded as an act of violence. But don't despair--the dishwashers
could always use a couple extra helping hands. Can't you just imagine
how much silverware needs to be cleaned?
Friday's. Enjoy.
Glory Road:
(Written by Mitsune Butler for a geography assignment at Ohtori,
c. 1330 AY)
Transit Time from Arden: 2 weeks normal shadow shifting, 2 days
by hellride.
Time Differential: 1 day here equals 1 day in Amber.
Technology: Military tecnology out the wazoo
Magic: Not on the Road itself.
Variable in the battlefield shadows
Social: Military
Spiritual: There are no atheists in a foxhole.
In infinite shadow, every battle ever fought exists somewhere, endlessly repeating in infinite variation. The Glory Road connects them all. It resembles an endless median-divided highway, stretching from horizon to horizon through endlessly shifting terrain. As one rides along the highway, exits provide access to shadows in which every battle imaginable is being reinacted. Anyone can ride the road and leave it into battles; normally, only those who possess some means of travelling through shadow can enter the road from those battles, although a few people somehow do it anyway. Shadow Dwellers can follow you onto the road, as with ordinary shadow travel, though. Once on the road, they could then leave wherever they liked, but then couldn't get back on.
Unlike normal shadow travel, speed of transit on Glory Road is determined by one's Warfare. The more Warfare you have, the faster you can find the battle you desire. In general, one finds battles one participated in personally the quickest, then those that happened in or near your shadow of origin, then longer and longer the further away from your home shadow those battles took place.
Bring your own food; there's no native food sources on the Glory Road; I guess armies are expected to march on an empty stomach. Although you could simply plunder the camps of the armies in the battles along the way...
Graceland:
(Written by Beowulf Kohl, D.PLH, Panopticon University)
o/~ I'm going to Graceland, Graceland,
Memphis Tennessee.
I'm going to Graceland... o/~
-- Paul Simon, "Graceland"
Transit time from Arden: 3 weeks normal shadow shifting, 3 days
by hellride.
Time Differential: 1 day here equals 1 day in Amber.
Technology: Mid 20th-century Shadow Earth.
Magic: Up through difficult magics.
Social: Strong emphasis on the importance
of music.
Spiritual: Belief in a three-in-one deity.
Those with an interest in music -- particularly blues and blues/rock -- will be well rewarded by a visit here.
Graceland resembles the southern United States from Shadow Earth, during
the first Golden Age when blues music was morphing into the beginnings
of rock 'n roll (although there are some anachronisms that would appear
to be from a period two or three decades later). It's hard to find a city
street to walk down that *doesn't* have at least one recreational establishment
with the sound of live music -- *good* live music -- spilling out the
front door. Cover charge is usually nominal, seating is comfortable...
and unlike the Shadow Earth equivalents, the air is typically not choked
with various forms of tobacco and non-tobacco smoke.
The shadow does have one peculiarity in its organized religion. Pictures of their deity are common street decorations, usually showing him lifting one hand and clad in shimmering white robes. He is presumed to have a three-in-one nature, the trinity consisting of the Elder Statesman, the Young Rebel, and He Who Has Returned To Us. (Most of the street pictures depict the Elder Statesman aspect.) Doctrine appears to be muddled but relatively benevolent -- respect for others and their personal space, compassion for the poor, a healthy critique of oppressive government agencies, and sermons on the importance of love (though tempered by an odd antipathy to the common animal).
Religous services are somewhat unusual, consisting almost entirely of the singing of hymns. Outsiders are welcomed and even encouraged. The churches themselves are arranged like a large ampitheatre, with rows of seats arranged around a central dias, with excellent accoustics. The music itself is wonderful. It's INCREDIBLE! It was better than Cats. I want to go see it again. Over and over and over ag
[Pause]
Dear me. It appears that someone there managed to slip a High Compelling on me while I was there, to be triggered when I remembered the concert. Fortunately, someone was present to stop me before I slid completely into its grip; thank you for the brainscrub, Mother. I leave the previous description in place as written, both as a guide (the music there truly *is* exquisite) and as a warning.
Now, does anyone know where I could sell a pair of white-sequined suits?
Graduation Test:
(Written by Beowulf Kohl, D.PLH, Panopticon University)
Transit time from Arden: 4 weeks normal shadow shifting, 5 days
by hellride.
Time Differential: 1 day here equals 1 minute in Amber.
Technology: Approximately 20th century Earth, but with transportation
limited to walking and/or riding animals.
Magic: Almost none. *Fortunately*.
Social: 'Eeeey, man, like, no worries,
'kay?
Spiritual: It's out there, man. Just out there.
If someone other than my mentors at Panopticon University (q.v.) had discovered this shadow, it would undoubtedly have a more... creative... name. As it is, they seem quite happy simply to refer to it as their proving ground for graduation, and even happier that very few people know where to find it.
Given Panopticon's emphasis on studies that require field work, they understandably want their graduates to be able to handle themselves in the wide and varied conditions found in Shadow. Therefore, they sought out the shadow that eventually became Graduation Test, a relatively safe 'swimming pool' that degree candidates could be chucked into as part of their final exam. Candidates are brought to the shadow, dropped off in a random location, and are expected to make their way to the Panopticon base for return to the university.
So far, this is not a terribly uncommon survival test. What makes Graduation Test uniquely challenging is its atmosphere, composed of a mix of mind-altering gases that will affect every sapient being in one way or another; typically one will face intoxication (as if, for example, one had smoked several marijuana joints), the loss of most inhibitions, impaired coordination, and even psychedelic hallucinations at times. Shapeshifters are not immune to these effects, much to the chagrin of a few overconfident Chaos Lords.
By the time a candidate makes it to the base station, they will have
learned to function under some of the more outlandish stresses one can
imagine; ordinary near-death situations should hardly faze them. Truly
a worthy program.
Transit Time from Arden: 10 days normal shadow shifting, 2 days
by hellride.
Time Differential: 1 day here equals 1 day in Amber.
Technology: Modern Earth
Magic: Only Power Words work here
Social: Similar to Shadow Earth.
Spiritual: Many religions exist, but have no obvious
miraculous powers.
It remains unclear to most of the Elders as to why Wakaba named this
shadow 'Groundhog Day'. It is a shadow caught in a time loop, reliving
the Fourth of July three day weekend over and over, ending with nuclear
fire destroying civilization. No matter what anyone does, the shadow
restarts from July 3rd, 1992, and the events repeat over and over unless
a being of Reality intervenes. The Elders come here to study human
interactions and the ways in which history can and can't be changed.
The shadow is much like Shadow Earth except for its endless time loop.
Haji
(Written by Kuonji Inji, D.PLH, Panopticon University)
Transit Time from Arden: 3 weeks normal shadow shifting, 3 days
by hellride.
Time Differential: 1 day here equals 12 hours in Amber.
Technology: Iron age
Magic: None
Social: Monastic
Spiritual: Element Worship
This was once a major center of Sidar element worship, and it shows.
The grounds of the place are carefully tended by a subject race of monastic
persuasion, the leaders of which are element masters of various persuasions.
They have some interesting philosophical perspectives, and several of them
were kind enough to give me several days worth of interviews on what they
recall about the Sidar. A gentle, wise, and very polite folk; most civilized.
The huge Temple of the Elements stands at the center of the Shadow.
It has five 'doors', each composed on one element. To enter, one must pass
through it.
As one progresses further and further in, through the inner chambers,
more doors appear. Getting through these requires higher and higher mastery
of more and more elements, and the monks tell me that tradition claims
that only a Grand Master of all five elements can enter the inner chamber.
They regretfully inform me that none of their race have the power, mental
or physical stamina, or lifespan needed for such a
feat. They believe that only the Sidar were capable of it, and
that it will never be opened again.
I gained access to some of the outer chambers through means I will
not repeat here, and found some highly enlightening inscriptions within.
I'm told that each chamber contains a great secret, and that the inner
chamber itself contains something miraculous.
I admit to being quite intrigued by this, but not intrigued enough
to devote myself to several dozen centuries of masochism in pursuit of
elemental mastery.
Der Heimat von Pukenheim:
(Written by Beowulf Kohl, D.PLH, Panopticon University)
Transit time from Arden: 4 weeks normal shadow shifting, 4 days
by hellride.
Time Differential: 1 day in this haven for EVIL is one
day in Amber... it just feels longer.
Technology: A hideous cross between 1950's Shadow Earth and
'1984'. See below.
Magic: All native magic consists
of diabolical rites involving the EVIL one.
Social: The kind of mind-sucking pablum
that turns bright, intelligent young children into mindless zombies.
Spiritual: Worship of the EVIL one.
I have travelled far across Shadow. I have visited many places -- some beautiful, some fun, some boring. A few were rather nasty places, on the whole.
Der Heimat von Pukenheim is the only one that I think needs to be utterly destroyed. *Eradicated.* I intend to speak to King Tylor on this matter as soon as is feasable.
This shadow is a nightmare straight out of every children's TV show that you could possibly imagine. Walking the streets feels like living inside a comic strip: everything is rendered in bright, primary colors. Buildings, automobiles, and the like are designed for maximum visual interest and resonance with a typical child's toybox. The only break in this facade is the pervasive use of video screens -- in store windows, on street corners... built into *mailboxes*, for pity's sake! I believe this is intentional, as those in control of this shadow WANT to draw peoples' attention to them; they are the regime's propaganda organs. Every screen is filled with the pap that passes for childrens' programming in this shadow, reducing the minds of most children (and not a few adults... those not already doomed in childhood) to guacamole.
Children are incited to perform hideous rites for the purpose of raising dark power: gathering in circles, chanting evil rhymes like "Romper Stomper Bomper Doo" and singing songs of praise to the EVIL one. I could feel the assault on my mind, like a looming avalanche, and barely managed to retain enough presence of mind to scribble down a report and trump out.
Presiding over the whole twisted, insane mess is the god of the population...
Bjornie Von Pukenheim. Stolen from a good parody of a bad TV show himself,
von Pukenheim is an eight-foot-tall anthropomorphic caricature of a creature,
modeled after the favorite reptile of children across shadow, colored oddly
and dressed in black studded leather and jackboots. Together with his satanic
associates, von Pukenheim appears to be raising an army of magically-gifted
mindless zombies... for what purpose I do not know -- as with the Unicorn's
grace, his diabolic magic will not work outside his home shadow.
The Infinite Library:
(Written by Beowulf Kohl, D.PLH, Panopticon University)
Transit Time from Arden: 3 1/2 weeks normal shadow shifting,
3 days by hellride.
Time Differential: 1 day here equals one second in Amber. (Trust
me, you'll need the time.)
Technology: Very little is used, but almost anything seems
to work here, especially data storage tech
Magic: Up to Difficult Magics
Social: Tribes of researchers
and librarians exist
Spiritual: Many religions exist, but have no obvious
miraculous powers.
Ah, the Infinite Library. Legend across a universe of Shadow, dream of a million readers, hope of researchers everywhere. Every book possibly printed, all collected in one place. Surely this is *the* place worth seeking after?
Think about the old cliche of an infinite number of monkeys turning out the works of Shakespeare. There's quite a lot of dross to weed out before you could actually read those works, yes? And so it is with the Infinite Library.
Physically, the Library resembles the lattice of a crystal structure. Each 'reading room' has four hallways leading out of it, at the four cardinal points; a spiral staircase in the center of the room leads up and down to other levels. So far as anyone has been able to tell, the rooms go on forever, with no 'outside' to go to; there are no discernable identifying markings in the rooms, and indeed any signs you post will mysteriously vanish by the time you return to any given room. One could, presumably, come up with some kind of index or map by using the books in the room as identifiers; however, given the nature of the books, this would be rather difficult, and at this time no one is known to have done so.
Thus we come to the books themselves. A careless consideration of the notion 'every book possibly printed' might lead one to think of a library filled with the works of Shakespeare, Heinlein, Hemingway, and even (unfortunately) Danielle Steele. Indeed, all of these things are here. There are also an unimaginable number of books filled with every typographical error ever made. Entire rooms are filled with books that are nothing but permutations of the letters 'a' with one 'b', liberally mixed with punctuation. In short, throw away any of the cliches about hard-to-find items -- needle in a haystack, grains of sand, all of them -- because none of them are adequate to the situation. Attempts have been made to work out a pattern to the arrangement of books, both within and between rooms, so far without success.
At least you sit in comfortable surroundings as you engage in your quest.
The reading rooms are paneled in an odd wood that doesn't match anything
I've seen in Shadow, but which lends a warm glow to the walls. The rooms
are small, only about 30 meters across, making for a cozy feel. The lighting
complements this atmosphere, coming from perpetually-burning gas lamps
set in the corners of the octagonally-shaped rooms. (I have tried breaking
the lamps, as I am sure many visitors have, to make sure they could not
set the books on fire; they are made out of crystal too strong for me to
break with any tool at my disposal. I suspect it would take a Pattern blade
to cut them.) Shelves fill the four walls not featuring hallways, and the
floor and ceiling are covered with intricate interlocking parquet patterns.
A circle of padded chairs surrounds the staircase, exceedingly comfortable
with lapdesks that swing up from the side for note-taking. The temperature
always seems to be perfect -- just warm enough to relax you while cool
enough to keep you alert. Soft music plays in the background of every room,
seemingly adapting itself to the occupants, as it never becomes distracting
nor annoyingly banal. I have brought my own books here to study many times,
as I find it a most conducive atmosphere.
Isles of Avalon:
Transit Time from Arden: Variable
Time Differential: 1 day here equals 1 day in Amber, usually.
Technology: High Medieval
Magic: Up to Very Hard Magics
Social: Monarchy ruled by the
Morrigan and Morgan le fay
Spiritual: The Unicorn is worshipped here
The location of the Isles of Avalon in Shadow remains obscure, as travellers
have found it all over the place, including beyond Yig. It is most
commonly found within the seas of the Golden Circle, however. Travellers
sometimes find that the Narwhal currents will bear them there instead of
to where they normally go, especially when such travellers are on the verge
of disaster. They are ruled by Morgan le fay, a powerful sorceress.
The isles are green and beautiful, and seem to be mostly inhabited by red
and brown haired women, who are noted for both their fighting and their
healing skills. The time flow of the Isles seem variable, as some
travellers have stayed for decades, then returned to Amber only a few years
after they left.
The Keep of the Five Worlds
Transit time from Arden: 2 weeks normal shadow shifting, 2 days
by hellride.
Time differential: varies as Shizumaru needs; usually on par
with Amber, otherwise
Technology: Equal to Amber
Magic: Up to very difficult magics
Social: Shizumaru is the Master of the Keep.
Spiritual: No Outsiders, please. Shizumaru acknowledges both
the kami as he knew them in Lipun, and the Unicorn.
The Keep of the Five Worlds once was a stronghold of the Outsiders. It housed the Fount of Power, which was actually a fragment of Yog Sogoth that pierced through from Outside. However, toward the end of the Annadil Crisis, it was taken by Shizumaru, and the Outsiders were sealed away, and the Fount was choked off.
The Five Worlds refer to the five elements, as the Keep is a focal point for them. It is surrounded by five shadows, each filled with one of those elements: a great forest, a field of lava and flames, a stretch of metal-laden rocks, an ocean, and the sky above the Keep. These shadows feed their power directly into the Keep shadow, manifested as colored areas on the ground of the courtyard, within towering stone walls. The most distinctive detail of the Keep is the towering giant golden oak tree that rises above those walls, into the air shadow above. This is the means by which Shizumaru managed to wrest control of the Keep from the Outsiders, as the person who plants the golden acorn and grows that tree gains total control over the shadow it is planted in. As Shizumaru is the Child of Wood, that happened very quickly indeed.
Within the walls, along with the tree, is the aforementioned courtyard and the fortress. In the center of the courtyard, where the colored areas converge and where the Fount of Power once stood, is the Elder Seal that locks out the Outsiders. It is a five-pointed shape inscribed into the ground, with markings of the Pattern and abstract representations of the Logrus within. Each point is aligned with an element, and is empowered by them. People are advised not to approach it, and there is a railing set around it, with magics designed to protect the seal. The seal is always watched over by Kafuin, a construct designed around a Flawed Jewel of Judgment (one of the spoils of the battle that evicted the Outsiders; a Flawed Wood Demijewel bolsters the golden tree). The Flawed Jewel enables Kafuin to monitor all five elements, maintaining the balance needed among them to keep the Seal strong. Kafuin is also linked to the tree to help control and alter the Keep's reality as needed when Shizumaru isn't there.
The fortress is a pentagonal building, five floors above ground and five floors going below, set between the courtyard and one of the walls. (It's never quite facing the same wall; it seems like the contents within the borders are constantly rotating, in relation to the outside.) It was formerly divided up into five sections, with each being a shrine to one of the elements, but Shizumaru has since eliminated them, as they were rather twistedly linked to the elements as controlled by the Outsiders. The part above ground is where the living quarters are. The top floor is reserved for Shizumaru's family, though with only himself, Rimururu, and Moriya so far, there is quite a bit of empty space still. The two levels below are guest quarters and servant quarters respectively. The first two floors are reception areas, meeting rooms, a banquet hall, kitchens, and so on.
Below ground are special facilities. Here are where training areas, laboratories, libraries, and the like are. After all, the Keep is not just a vacation home for Shizumaru, it is a place for study of the elements and their use. All the way on the bottommost level is where Kafuin's physical parts are kept. Only a very few are allowed down here--Shizumaru himself, and the people who helped build and maintain Kafuin. On this level is also the vaults, where items such as the Seed of Hope, the Logrusfoil Thought when it is not in use, and such, are kept under some very strong locks indeed.
Shizumaru initially did not employ real people as servants, but rather, used a small horde of wooden golems, in part controlled by Kafuin, to take care of guarding the Keep, taking care of everyday chores, et cetera. However, it can get rather lonesome this way, and one day, upon waking, Shizumaru and Rimururu found a small staff waiting to serve them. Apparently, Shizumaru's subconscious molded them into being while he was asleep, reflecting his desire for there to be other people around. Much is still done by the golems, but things like cooking and taking care of the library is now done by actual people. This both lends a more personal touch to the Keep, as well as takes care of some tasks that golems really aren't up to doing, such as making a good plate of sashimi.
The residents of the Keep want for little; if anything is needed, Shizumaru can simply mold it into existence (or Kafuin can do so if Shizumaru is away).
Kumbayah:
(Written by Beowulf Kohl, D.PLH, Panopticon University)
Transit time from Arden: 7-9 days normal shadow shifting, 1 day
by hellride.
Time Differential: 1 day here equals 1 day in Amber.
Technology: Modern Earth
Magic: Quite common, moreso than
in Amber, but only up to Hard levels
Social: 20th century Earth
Spiritual: 'In Aibo there is Love, and in Love there
is Aibo, and in Aibo there is The Way.' 'In Aibo there is Mind, and in
Mind there is Aibo, and in Aibo there is The Way.'
A rather odd place I stumbled across on a random trip through Shadow, Kumbayah was admittedly a place I was rather glad to see the last of.
At first glance, Kumbayah seems a most pleasant shadow, filled with quaint little houses set in neat rows with well-kept lawns. The inhabitants are quite friendly, and always stop to greet you cheerfully when you walk by.
Perhaps it's the greetings that made me slightly unsettled. They all seem to be variations on a simple theme: 'In Aibo there is Love, and in Love there is Aibo, and in Aibo there is The Way.' 'In Aibo there is Mind, and in Mind there is Aibo, and in Aibo there is The Way.' Rather charming, the first 20 or 30 times you hear it, but it does wear on the nerves after a while. It may be simply the amiable monotone and glazed eyes they have when chanting... hm. It's difficult to say.
The people also take a gratifying interest in strangers; it seemed like I could hardly walk down a street without a cheery inquiry regarding my name, what I was off to do, and particularly my health. For some reason, they seem to be obsessed with one's mental state; I was continually fielding questions about how I felt, and politely refusing offers to join something that sounded like a mental health spa. (I'm not entirely sure about that, actually; they were distressingly vague when I asked for specifics on this place.) I'm not entirely certain why the culture has this fixation; the people seem quite intelligent and well-balanced, and indeed show many manifestations of above-average mental ability. (People seem to sense each other's feelings at a glance, use Power Words casually... even Sorcery and Conjuration are uncommonly common here.)
As for physical type... well, most of the population is the average
racial mix you'll find in Shadow, with one odd exception. About one in
25 people will be a tall (over 6'), strongly-built male with a heavy Germanic
accent, with (minor details of clothing and hairstyle aside) identical
features. Outfit and personality will vary slightly, but these individuals
will always be in positions of authority, and are treated with a great
deal of respect by the population at large. They are seldom seen together;
if three or more congregate, it is a matter of great moment. At the end
of my stay there, I was met in the street by a delegation of seven of these
gentlemen, who invited me to 'come to the Center of Aibo for processing';
at this point, I felt rather uncomfortable continuing my imposition on
their hospitality and reluctantly chose to leave, contacting my friend
McGillicuddy and trumping out.
Loompaland:
(Written by Beowulf Kohl, D.PLH, Panopticon University)
o/~ Who can take a sunrise,
Sprinkle it with Dew,
Cover it in chocolate and a miracle or two?
The Candy Man! o/~
Transit time from Arden: 2 1/2 weeks normal shadow shifting,
3 days by hellride.
Time Differential: 1 day in Loompaland is one day in Amber.
Technology: By and large, that of late 20th Century Shadow Earth.
Inside the Factory, though, you can find the odd anomaly...
Magic: He *must* have had magic
to make it taste that good... right?
Social: Outside the Factory, very much
late 20th Century Shadow Earth. Inside...
Spiritual: Appears to be primitive nature worship among
the Oompa-Loompas. No one's quite sure what Charlie and Mr. Wonka worship,
if anything.
I need to see if there's a way I can get a unicorn track pushed through to here. I really do.
Of course, the average weight of Amberites would probably go up by about 30 pounds if that happened, so perhaps it's for the best that I don't know how.
Loompaland doesn't look like much when you first arrive -- a city of late 20th Century Shadow Earth, grimy and run-down in spots, with a huge walled industrial facility dominating the entire eastern half of the city. Industrial nightmare, take one. Until you go around the building, and see the wonderfully wrought gates to the Wonka factory, and a stray breeze brings the divine scent of chocolate to your nose...
For Loompaland is the home of the great chocolate maker Willy Wonka. Outside, the factory is cold and grey. Inside is a world of wonders, where every method you could imagine (and quite a few you couldn't) is used to turn raw materials into endless varieties of chocolate and other candies. Want a sweet that'll last you through a long hellride? Try an Everlasting Gobstopper. Prefer to outright stun your taste buds in ecstasy? Go for the Scrumdiddleumptious Bar. Playing it safe? The traditional Wonka Bar never disappoints.
Yet the chocolates, wonderful as they are, actually take second fiddle to their setting. The inside of the Factory is like another world; warm, humid, exotic vegetation is everywhere, odd-looking machines whirr and go 'ping' everywhere, and a chocolate river that snakes its way through the factory. (Yes, I said a chocolate *river*. Starts at a great waterfall, and carries its goodness through every production room in the factory. The man has true vision.)
And then there are the Oompa-Loompas, for whom the shadow is named. They are a small, lithe people, who Mr. Wonka brought over from a primitive country -- also named Loompaland. I personally find them delightful, if a little frivolous; although they handle most of the work for Mr. Wonka, they seem to find plenty of time to dance around, singing their pithy songs and poking fun at the foibles of the rest of us. Indeed, I recommend paying close attention to the songs... the Oompa-Loompas show a decided gift for satire in their songs -- and while it may not always be comfortable to have your own flaws pointed out to you, those who listen are almost always wiser for the experience.
There are far too many wonders in the factory to do them justice... and, to be honest, I'm not sure how fair it would be to describe them, as most people are unlikely to see them. Mr. Wonka is a highly reclusive man, becoming so after a rather unhappy period in his life when competitors infiltrated his factory and started stealing his candy-making talents; his chosen heir, Charlie Bucket, is much less bitter about life, but maintains the factory's seclusion for the sake of the Oompa-Loompas. (I believe he is wise in this; they are different enough to attract a certain amount of enmity from the other residents of the Shadow.) I consider myself honored to have had one tour of the factory, and would be very surprised if I ever had another one. Really, the chance to visit the shadow and sample the wonderful wares from the local candy shops is pleasure enough.
Mostly. <Sigh>
Lucas:
(Written by Beowulf Kohl, D.PLH, Panopticon University)
Transit time from Arden: 8-10 days normal shadow shifting, 1
1/2 days by hellride.
Time Differential: 1 day here equals 5 days in Amber.
Technology: 1940s tech
Magic: Magic is rare and usually
found in items. Anything above Difficult magic cannot be racked,
but must be cast when desired.
Social: 1940s Earth
Spiritual: Many religions exist, and a limited number
of priests have potent miraculous powers. It's usually the obscure
hidden sects, not the public ones with many worshippers that wield such
powers...
Ah, the joys of classic adventure serials. You remember those while you were growing up, yes? No? Pity. Mother always loved them, and she 'raised me right,' as they say.
Those who do remember them will feel right at home in Lucas. The shadow is packed cheek-by-jowl with hideous temples, exotic jungles, vast deserts, and a teeming metropolis as the capital city, with wall-to-wall skyscrapers and an eee-vil underground society of muggers, noble cat-burglars, talented swindlers, ladies in the (ahem) Oldest Profession, and other denizens of the entertainment business. On any given day, you'll see three dramatic bank robberies, five battles between G-men and organized crime syndicates, one team-up between an organized crime syndicate and G-men against secret agents from the neighboring evil empire, two quests into the wilderness for mysterious lost artifacts... I believe the pattern is sufficiently clear?
As a consequence, perhaps, the inhabitants of Lucas are uncommonly capable. While the average shadow-dweller is 'only human,' I daresay even a teenage child from Lucas would be able to give the average Amberite more than a challenge in most feats of physical or weapons skill. They hold each other to high standards, and will hold you to the same should you visit. There are a few unfortunates who fail to meet the societal standards in any area; these are generally looked-upon with disdain, and end up having to take the dirtiest jobs (alligator cleanout in the sewers, digging underground bunkers, and the like).
Lucas might well be a good place to visit for people who are in sudden need of some fairly talented manpower. Just be sure, if you try to recruit, that you are someone they can respect... or they're likely to laugh in your face.
Transit Time from Arden: 18 days normal shadow shifting, 2.5
days by hellride.
Time Differential: 1 day here equals 1 day in Amber.
Technology: Mad Max
Magic: Only in stories
Social: Tribal and a few
cities
Spiritual: Many religions exist, but have no obvious
miraculous powers.
Once this was Drake's private get-away. Now it's a burnt out wreck, home to a slowly crumbling post-apocalyptic civilization, slowly unravelling. It was home to a broken Pattern, but some force smashed that Pattern to rubble.
Marx:
(Written by Beowulf Kohl, D.PLH, Panopticon University)
Transit time from Arden: 3 weeks normal shadow shifting, 3 days
by hellride.
Time Differential: 1 day here equals 1 minute in Amber.
Technology: 20th century Earth
Magic: None apparent.
Social: You need to ask, Comrade?
Spiritual: Religion is the opiate of the masses.
All hail the People's Glorious Kumquat Revolution!
No, no, I mean that. Really.
It's refreshing to visit a shadow populated solely by hard-boiled idealists dedicated to the revolutionary improvement of the people's lives. After all, any place which can field agitators dedicated to the liberation of vegetables is obviously possessed by the *true* radical spirit.
Given their undoubted fervor, they have managed to remain remarkably amiable in their activities. It is an unfortunate tendency of the revolutionary mind to develop a strong -- even vicious -- 'enemies' mentality, where those in power are demonized and fought with very little in the way of scruples. Here, on the other hand, opponents are treated with respect; a successful revolutionary transfer of power is met with a handshake and a welcome to the office, jolly well played, and the defeated today may well come back as the victor next week. (*Un*successful revolutionaries are still, admittedly, laid up in the dungeons and tortured; traditionally, this appears to consist of having one's arms tied over one's head and being tickled with an ostrich feather, for what reason I cannot fathom.)
The proletariat here is generous and open-hearted; simply don a pair of hornrim glasses and a false moustache, the badge of a revolutionary throughout the shadow, and you'll be welcomed with open arms.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to liberate a few vegetables... with
lots of butter and sour cream.
Mechanus (Image at http://www.thekeep.org/~chrisb/mechanus.jpg )
Transit Time from Amber: Unknown
Time Differential: Usually, one local week=one Amber day
Population: ca. 1 million
Technology: Advanced technology
Magic: Advanced magic
Social: A science council rules here
Spiritual: The people are not very religious
Mechanus, the artifical world.
Mechanus, the world of artifice.
Mechanus, the tech world.
Mechanus is an artificial sphere some 4000 miles in diameter, surrounded by a sun-hot barrier shield, fed by two pillars of light emerging from large openings at the poles.
Its surface under the shield is bare metal, studded with the mile high pyramids of the planetary defense systems.
Lifeless enough, it seems. That's because life happens on the inside. Mechanus is a hollow world, with a small sun in its center, called Primus by the people.
On the inside, in a wide strip centered on the equator, one can find almost everything one would find on a 'normal' planet ... lakes, forests, cities ... but not many, only two of notable size. North and south are the metal lands, a technological wasteland with deep canyons between blocks of machinery, the occasional open power conduit, and other hazards. Going there is considered less than healthy, but it provides a perfect training ground for Mechanus' small but well-trained and -equiped military.
Two races call this place home. One is common enough, humans. The other is a bit more unusual ... it is a race of sentient robots, many of them capable of assuming alternate forms of varying utility, which earned them the name of 'Transformers'.
Mechanus is a world dedicated to the pursuit of science, magic and artifice, leading to a fusion of all three into what the locals call technomagik. Almost half of its inhabitants are scientists, engineers, mages or combinations thereof, the rest work in whatever capacity they feel comfortable in.
Mechanus is ruled by the Science Council, a group of three whose members are chosen by the supercomputer Vector Sigma. They are known to have powers beyond those of even the most powerful technomages, and are the only ones who can operate the Sungate in Primus' surface that provides the only way in and out.
Ah yes, Primus, the sun.
Unlike a normal sun, Primus is a perfect globe, its surface smooth as glass, though one can see energy currents flowing under the surface, sparks of blinding white light swimming in the golden energy. It gives off light equal to a summer morning, and enough heat to create a mediterranean climate throughout the globe. Strangely, it is no hotter near the the sun than it is on the ground, even though actually touching Primus would incinerate most things on the spot. It has three obviously artificial structures swimming on its surface. Two are power collectors, feeding the polar shield generators. The third is the Sungate, the only known entrance to Mechanus, and it can only be operated by a member of the Science Council.
Entering Mechanus: Mechanus can be reached by trump, but no matter what the trump image is of, one will always appear on the sungate. The same goes for cross-shadow teleport. One -can- shadowwalk there, but without knowing the right way to twist shadow on the approach, one will end up in the vacuum outside the barrier shield. Otherwise, it's the sungate again.
Recently:
The attack of the Black Unicorn Family War Train turned Mechanus into
little more than a small space station orbiting the sun, with the rest
of the Dyson Sphere blown to tiny, tiny bits. Rebuilding is known
to have begun. Fortunately, the population was evacuated before the
disaster.
Melnibone:
(Written by Mitsune Butler for a geography assignment at Ohtori,
c. 1330 AY)
Transit Time from Arden: 2 weeks normal shadow shifting, 2 days
by hellride.
Time Differential: 1 day here equals 1 day in Amber.
Technology: High Medieval with some ingenious clockworks
and the use of steam to do tricks to fool the gullible
Magic: Lots of magic, but it usually
involves summoning creatures and binding yourself in contacts with strange
entitities
Social: Utterly lacking a sense
of humor; huge sprawling cross-shadow imperial state
Spiritual: Many religions exist, but have no sense
of humor either. Their priests often wield strong powers.
Melnibone is home to a broken Air Pattern and ruled by an elite noble class made up of those who can walk it. So far as I can tell, the air pattern strips you of your sense of humor and replaces it with sexual perversity and the desire to ride around on dragons conquering things. You also get pale and your hair gets bleached; frankly, I think just going to a salon would be better if you really want bleached hair. Did I mention they have no sense of humor?
Dragon-Emperor Moorcock I rules over these morons, leading their armies out into shadow from the giant crescent shaped island they live on to conquer other shadows. They rule a hundred or so shadow provinces, although weirdly enough, they've ignored most of their home shadow, which is divided up into many petty kingdoms which they refer to as 'the Young Kingdoms' for no apparent reason, as there's plenty of young people in Melnibone too. Moorcock is your basic megalomaniac Shadow ruler, constantly ranting about his enemies, and no doubt spending his time torturing his slaves and plotting revenge for us kicking his ass when he tried to invade Harad a few years ago. Oh, and he married his sister, Fati. This is apparently their custom.
The Melniboneans practice slavery (until they get it right, I guess). Conquered peoples become slaves of the Melnibonean elite, working estates in the conquered shadows to support families of Melnibonean warriors. They've become pretty dependent on those slaves, who do most of the craftswork and farming, while the Melnibonean warriors and elites go conquer more shadows and play with their harems. From what I hear, some pretty disgusting stuff happens in those harems, but I won't go into details so I don't get an F again for being too explicit. Slave revolts are a periodic problem, and slaves have pretty much no rights. Slaves can never be freed.
The Melniboneans are a bunch of humorless, warmongering, perverse bastards, but it does have to be admitted that they make great art and architecture. Beautiful sculptures, wonderful buildings, and well-planned and designed cities are their hallmark. They even have several floating cities which ride around in clouds; Melnibon City itself is one such, home to the Maze of Clouds, their broken Pattern. Some five hundred thousand people live there.
Melnibonea's Dragons are crucial to their military forces and to some extent to their economy. They range in size from a few dozen feet long to hundreds of feet long, providing a powerful air cavalry controlled by the Melnibonean ruling class. Dragons also pull the flying boats the Melniboneans use for trade, and byproducts from dead dragons contribute to the manufacture of their nearly invulnerable scale armor worn by the elites. Anyone who walks the Maze of Clouds can control these dragons.
Melnibone also has a large army of heavily armored footmen, made up of levies from the free Melniboneans. They're usually armied with pikes and halberds and crossbows. They're well disciplined and effective, although we kicked their butt anyway.
Melnibonean sorcery and religion both revolve around the gods of Chaos and Law and all their funky servitor creatures. Most magic involves making pacts with such beings so that you can later summon them up or call upon their powers. This tends to eventually turn most sorcerors into mad, raving twisted freaks and most priests into virtual avatars of their dieties...assuming they aren't using technological tricks to fake their powers, as many temples use steam-powered clockworks of various kinds to fake omens, make doors open 'magically', etc.
If you're looking to have some fun, visit during one of their religious festivals; they all go crazy and have fun, even if the nobles still don't understand this 'laughter' thing.
Melnibone is quite near to several other shadows with tons of dragons, including Krynn and Pern.
Transit Time from Arden: 1 week normal shadow shifting, one day
by hellride.
Time Differential: 1 day here equals 1 day in Amber.
Technology: Late Medieval
Magic: Up to Hard magics, although few
people use magic
Social: Bastard Feudalism; large
imperial states in Asia.
Spiritual: Many religions exist. Most priests
have no or little spiritual power, but some have more.
Ruled by Ksinge Peter, Muscovy is home to a broken Pattern known as the Martyr's Walk. The shadow is geographically like Earth, though it remains to be seen whether the Americas exist in it. The Martyr's Walk is to be found in a basement under the Ksinge's palace in Muscovy itself. It got its name from its use by the pagan Varangians, who used it to execute criminals and Christians. In the time of Ksinge Boris, the Varangians converted to Christianity, abandoning the worship of Tobar the Thunderer and Witan the Wind Lord, and the Martyr's Walk ceased to be used to persecute Christians.
A few centuries later, the Varangians had become weak and divided, and the Mongols conquered them. Two centuries after that, Prince Ivan of Muscovy, a vassal state of the Golden Horde of the Mongols, discovered how to use the Martyr's Walk the right way, and went into shadow, where he allied himself with Tobor the Thunderer, who gave him Withywindle and convinced Lokar the Lucky to teach the arts of Trump to Ivan. Ivan returned, instituting Tobar Worship, persecuting Christians, and driving out the Mongols. Then he and his sons built up a cross-shadow empire. But Ivan sank into insanity and paranoia, and eventually created a secret police which terrorized the nation. Finally, he had to be overthrown by his children and by Tobar, who imprisoned him on Endor, building an elaborate tomb with Withywindle as the key, as Ivan was becoming a Greater Soulstealer due to tampering with Broken Pattern magics best left untouched.
His eldest son, Nicolas took the throne, but Nicolas didn't live very
long, and his son Alexander tripped on the Martyr's Walk and perished while
trying to attune himself. The three younger sons of Ivan all tried
to take the throne, and decades of brutal civil war ripped the land apart.
While a new Ksinge finally emerged, the unity of the state was shattered
as all of the major lords became mostly independent. Since then,
Muscovy has suffered much at the hands of its enemies: the Mongols, the
Poles, the Witanic Knights, the Swedes, and the Magyars.
Mystara:
(Written by Mitsune Butler for a geography assignment at Ohtori,
c. 1330 AY)
Transit Time from Arden: 2 weeks normal shadow shifting, 2 days
by hellride.
Time Differential: 1 day here equals 1 day in Amber.
Technology: High Medieval to Renaissance, but no gunpowder.
Oddly, extremely advanced technology (starships, lasers, robots, etc) also
works. But not the stuff in between
Magic: Goatloads of magic
Social: Incredibly diverse, from
corrupt empires of mages to democracies to plutocracies to a kingdom ruled
for a year by whoever wins an adventuring contest
Spiritual: Many religions exist, and if you make
fun of the Immortals, they may well drop by your house and crush you.
Sufficiently skilled and determined mortals can rise to their ranks.
To a casual glance, Mystara looks like just another shadow with magic, although unlike many such, it's a round globe instead of flat or curved in non-Euclidean ways or carried around in a bowl. However, it's also hollow with a second sun at the center, and people living inside it. I'll get more into 'the Hollow World' later. It's also surrounded by a sort of wind shield thing which keeps the atmosphere from wandering away and hampers sailing off into space. (They have flying boats, you see)
The ground surface is divided into three big continents--Skothar, Brun, and Davania. I didn't have time to explore the whole planet and still make it back in time to turn this in, so I'll just focus on Brun. Brun is shaped roughly like Shadow Earth's North America, if you yanked it around at an angle so it faced the wrong way. Way up north, there's a huge hole that you can climb down into the Hollow World if you really wanted to. There's a bajillion kingdoms in Brun, so I'll just list the ones I thought were most interesting or most fun.
Alphatia:
Think Holy Roman Empire crossed with magocracy. It's a huge sprawling
patchwork of states sort of obedient to an Empress, Eriadna, elected by
a council of a thousand really powerful wizards. Each province has
its own king and sometimes they fight each other. The nobles are
all mages and priests and look down on anyone who can't cast spells.
They throw great parties and there's lots of nifty places to visit, like
Floating Ar, where all the buildings are on huge floating rocks that fly
around over the land below. Unfortunately, many of them are hooked
on drugs and they keep slaves.
Darokin:
This is a merchant republic; the more money you have, the more rights
you have. They throw great masquerade balls for charity, though,
and it's a great place to buy anything you can imagine (at this tech level).
Glantri:
Like Alphatia, but more culturally diverse,
