From yu121874@yorku.ca
Fri May 10 11:07:35 1996
Subject: [AM] Who are these newcomers?
 
 
Scene: The Library
 
        "Which of you is it?"  Laura called out loudly, looking down 
upon the cards before her.  "And why aren't you here to tell me?  Why 
did you never come to see me and tell me who you were and who I really 
am?"
 
        Zachary had always wondered about his sense of timing.  
Certainly not something one would want to say in front of others.  He 
had come from talking with his father, and in a little while the King 
would be prepared to meet with the new arrivals.  Laura's outburst 
tugged at a chord within him.  He could imagine what it would be like if 
he suddenly found himself not knowing who his mother was.  "I do 
understand how hard it must be for you, Laura."  Zachary said 
tentatively, to help sooth her as well as announce his arrival.  "I'd 
like to help you."
 
        "I need to find out who I am, Zachary, and what I am."  She said 
with a calm voice, but he recognized the strong desire to really know 
this in her voice, the need.  "I'm not the most patient of people.  New 
Yorker, you know."  She said with a small smile.
 
        The door had opened quietly, Laura only knew someone had entered 
because she was looking at the door.  Zachary had heard the sound, well 
used to the sounds his library makes.  He turned as well, following 
Laura's gaze, and saw a young man standing in the doorway, a mop of red 
hair emblazoned on his head.  "Excuse me.  I am Kyle Windbringer, and I 
wish to find the Librarian to ask him about something.  Do either of you 
know where I could find him?"
 
        Hmm, another new face at Amber, and yet one hauntingly 
familiar.  Zachary stepped forward.  "Greetings, Kyle, I am that 
Librarian, Zachary."  He shook hands with the young man, then stepped to 
the side, inviting him further into the Library.  "The beautiful young 
woman is Laura."
 
        Laura nodded charmingly, and Kyle gave a like greeting.  "Well 
now, this is an oddity.  We rarely get one visitor, let alone three in 
one night."  Zachary mused, walking over to one of three desks in the 
Library.
 
        "Three?"  Kyle questioned.
 
        "Yes, a daughter of Prince Corwin."  Laura replied, shifting the 
cards laid before her back into the deck.
 
        Zachary nodded.  "Yes, another young woman by the name of 
Karina.  I suppose she should be here too."
 
        Fate was sometimes the best Shifter of all, for at that moment, 
the doors to the Library opened again, and the young dark-haired woman 
entered.  All were introduced, and Zachary finally had them all 
comfortable.  "Now, Kyle, why are you here?  I am afraid that I have not 
seen your face here in Amber before."
 
        "I have never been here before.  My father brought me here, 
through the cards."  Zachary nodded, recognizing Kyle's vagueness.  It 
would be hard to answer all their questions, as they wouldn't ask half 
of them in front of others.  But, that saved him time explaining things 
this early.  He still needed to know that they were Amberites, and not 
poor duped Shadows being toyed with by the Elders.
 
        "Seems we're all in the same boat."  Karina stated.  "Perhaps 
you could tell us more of this place, Zachary."  Her cool eyes rested on 
the young Crown Prince.
 
        "Well, I do not have the time at present to go into a deeply 
detailed description of this world.  I doubt I could do such a 
description fittingly.  Only a few know of Amber and how it was created."
 
        "Created?"  Laura asked.  She had seen a title on religion in 
one of the books she had beside her, but had not yet had time to read 
the section.
 
        Zachary nodded.  He wondered if he should be telling these three 
anything, really.  None were proven to be Amberites, though something 
inside gnawed at him, he felt that they were all of Royal blood.  That 
seemed like a good place to start.  "The first thing I would like to do, 
is to prove that you are all of Royal descent ..."  He began, rising 
from his chair.
 
        "I had told you I was a child of Prince Corwin."  Karina said 
impulsively.
 
        "Being a Royal member of Amber is very different than being a 
descendant of kings in your own lands.  Very different.  Come with me."  
He said, a bit sternly, and opened the door.  Brief moments later, the 
other three followed.  "A long time ago, one person created Amber, my 
great-grandfather Dworkin.  With his own blood, he inscribed what we 
call the Pattern.  The basis for all reality."  Zachary continued, 
leading them down the hall and up the main staircase.
 
        "Reality?"  Kyle asked.
 
        How to explain that one?  If they were mere Shadow, they may not 
understand at all.  And if they were Amberites, the Pattern could tell 
them all they needed to know of that.  "Suffice to say that the worlds 
you come from; three seperate, and distict, reflections of Amber are but 
one in an infinity of worlds created when the Pattern was.  Much like 
ripples in a pond when a rock is thrown in."
 
        The three were confused, but the far too brief description would 
have to do.  They were a mere few steps from the Third floor.  "Before 
Amber, there had been just Chaos.  Not quite the Chaos I'm sure your 
familiar with, but close enough for now.  Dworkin created the Pattern, 
and imposed stability on the Chaos that was about.  Amber was created, 
the True City.  From it, other worlds were created, similar, but not 
exactly like Amber.  These we call Shadows.  If you can imagine it, then 
it is out there, somewhere in Shadow."  He led them down a short hall to 
a simple oaked door.  It opened easily, and he led the three into an 
ancient looking laboratory, filled with beakers and test-tubes, and 
vials of unknown chemicals.
 
        The other three glanced about them, taking in the details of the 
lab as Zachary walked to one cabinet.  "My father affectionately calls 
this the Crime-lab."  Zachary smiled, opening the cabinet doors and 
scrounging around inside.
 
        "Aren't these labs usually in the basement?"  Laura asked, 
lifting a beaker up and looking at it.
 
        "In old B-movies, yes."  Zachary replied.  "Our 'basement' is 
composed of the Dungeons."
 
        Kyle glanced at Laura and Zachary.  B-movies?  Crime-lab?  What 
a strange place Amber seemed to be.  Zachary turned to one of the 
tables, bottles in hand.  "Now then, I will need to take a small 
blood-sample from each of you.  I'm afraid that this technique is not 
one hundred percent certain, but it has yet to be proven wrong."  He 
decided to not mention that it had only been used upon the known 
Amberites, and a few people of Shadow.  But he did not lie either, for 
each and every Amberite was shown positive in the test.
 
        The three newcomers were dubious, but after further assurance 
from Zachary, and their own desires to know more, the samples were 
quickly taken by needle.  With three test-tubes of blood, he turned back 
to the three bottles of varying liquids he had pulled from the 
cabinet.  "A drop of each and about five minutes will give us the 
results."  Zachary said, beginning to place a drop of a dark blue liquid 
into each tube.
 
        "My understanding is that this place, Amber, and Morius are two 
different worlds entirely?"  Kyle asked.
 
        "Exactly, just as their Earth's are different from each other as 
well as Amber."  Zachary replied, indicating the two women.
 
        "And you travel between these ... Shadows by using the cards?"  
Karina asked.
 
        Zachary shook his head, concentrating on placing drops of a 
light green fluid into the solutions of blood.  "No, the cards, which we 
call Trumps, are mainly to communicate with each other.  They can span 
all of Shadow.  The power of Trump is rather complex, and we needn't go 
into it right now.  We travel through Shadow by a different means."
 
        "The Pattern?"  Laura asked, hesistantly.
 
        Zachary smiled, opening the final bottle, filled with a bright 
red liquid.  "Quite.  Those of Royal blood may walk the Pattern, gaining 
insight into the very nature of Shadow itself, and insight on how to 
travel through it, or Shadow Shift."  He finished with the final drop, 
and tightened the tops of the three bottles, busying himself by putting 
them away.  The three newcomers were deep in there own thoughts.  
Zachary soon came back to them.  "To travel, one concentrates on what 
they want to find.  Eventually it can be found."
 
        "Anything?"  Karina asked.
 
        "If your will is strong enough."  Zachary replied, then turned 
back to the waiting test-tubes.  "I think we are about ready."  All eyes 
turned to the three test tubes.  It moments, the murky brown solutions 
swirled, all turning a dark blue.
 
        Zachary straightened.  "Well, I guess that leaves only one thing 
to say."  He turned to the three, their eyes turning up to him.  
"Welcome to Amber, cousins."
 
Scene: Throne Room
 
        "Zachary!"  King Random called from his seat on the Throne of 
Amber, garbed in kingly robes.  He smiled broadly as his son preceeded 
three others, all young and wide-eyed.  Random smiled, wondering if they 
had ever met a King before.  Certainly not one such as he.  He felt 
Vialle's hand lightly touch his, and he glanced at his blind wife for a 
moment before turning back to his guests.
 
        "My Lord."  Zachary said solemnly, bowing slightly before his 
king.  The two women curtsied, and Kyle bowed as well.
 
        "Oh, come now, Zak.  You of all people know I don't go for all 
that pomp and ceremony.  Now, who are these three?"  King Random stood 
from his throne, and walked down the few steps to his son.
 
        "I though perhaps you would like to impress our new guests."  
Zachary smiled back at his father.  "Father, Mother, I would like for 
you to meet your neices Karina and Laura, and your nephew Kyle."  The 
others glanced in surprise at Zachary, not knowing that they had been 
speaking to a Crown Prince.
 
        "Welcome, welcome."  Random smiled.  "So they all tested 
positive, hmm?"
 
        "They have.  Of course, the true test would be for them to walk 
the Pattern."  Zachary replied.
 
        "Can we?"  Karina spoke, and then remembered who's presence she 
was in.  You were supposed to remain quiet in front of Kings, weren't you?
 
        "Well, I'm sure Zachary can take you down to see the Pattern 
sometime.  But I would suggest learning a bit more about it before 
deciding to walk it.  It is never an easy thing, especially the first 
time.  One wrong step and poof."  Random made an exploding gesture with 
his hands.  "Besides, you have just arrived in Amber, so I'm told.  
Surely you don't want to go running off back to Shadow so soon?  Ah, I'm 
tired of this.  I've been sitting on that throne all day.  How about an 
early supper?"
 
        All agreed readily to this, having spent a large part of the day 
already exploring and talking.  "Vialle,"  Random said, rising back up 
and helping his wife to her feet.  "Come meet some more of our family."
 
        Vialle smiled pleasantly, and greeted them all.  "And this,"  
Random directed their attention to a tall, lanky man, who had remained 
near the doors.  "This is your uncle, Benedict."
 
        "Hello."  Laura said pleasantly, followed by the others.
 
        Benedict nodded slightly.  "Welcome to Amber.  I shall inform 
the cooks to begin."  He said quietly, and left the King and his retinue 
to talk.
 
NRPG: Okay, now we all know we're Amberites :)  Feel free to interact, 
explore, ask questions.  If you have a desire, I'm sure someone could 
take people down to see the Pattern.  You will all receive your own 
rooms, filled with only sparse furniture.  It will be up to you to 
decorate things :)  Right now, all PC's will have apartments on the 
third floor.
 
Eventually everyone will show up to dinner, even Julian.  Remember that 
Bleys and Fiona are also at the castle.  More to come in the near future 

 
                           ///          /// 
                           \ //        /  /           
      Christopher           \ ////   _/  /     Zachary, Librarian of
      Ackney                 \_  ////    /     Castle Amber, son to
                              \___/    /       King Random
      yu121874@yorku.ca       /         \_      
                             /,)-_(  \_   \     
      AT 1Asada19.1500       (/   \\ /\\\\         <\
                                   //               >\
      -===========================((===============>:::(0)//////]O 
                                    '               >/
        "It was a very foul blow, about four