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Though not always terribly important to know, it is a good idea to keep track of how much time has passed. A number of shadows pass time just as Amber does, but since anything is possible in Shadow, one can just as easily find a shadow where time runs slower than it does in Amber, or faster. A once common Shadow visited by the Amberites was a shadow versio of Earth, where for every four hours that passed, only an hour and a half passed in Amber. Likewise, at the Courts of Chaos, weeks would pass whereas only hours passed in Amber.
Because of these varying degrees of time, a player should make note of how time passes in the shadow they are in. For ease of play, it would be best that for the most part time pass relatively the same as Amber, but should it be desired, time can certainly flow differently. It is because of this that I would like to introduce the concept of Amber time.
To help keep confusion to a minimum, as to what happens when, one should mark their post with a current Amber time. For an example, to denote the first post of Amber, the time was marked as
AT 1Asada18.2000
AT of course stands for Amber Time, the 1 for the first year of the World's existance. I have chosen the next three to represent the month and day (in this case of our own calendar, but that will soon diverge). Asada represents the third month, and 18 for the eighteenth day. In the Realm of Amber, there are only 10 months, called ngans. Each ngan has a varying number of days, from 6 to 42, depending on local phenomenom, religious observances, and merchantile needs. Below is how the 'year' will work within the Realm of Amber, though this is my own creation and not based on anything in the books. An Amber year will last only 240 days. Though in reality the ngans are fluid and change from year to year, it will simply just add confusion to the World to keep it as such. For our purposes, the ngans will be static, and follow this pattern. To help learn the Amber year, it is best suggested to use the name of the ngan being used. However, if desired, the ngan may be replaced by a number, with 1 corresponding to Kanam at the top of the list, and 0 for Wadra at the end.
Finally, there are the final four numbers, which are very important. They denote the hour and minute, on a 24-hour clock. For the most part, you needn't work things out down to the last minute, but at times it may become important.
An inn within the city of Amber. It gets its name from the less than ideal ways the previous owners have ended their days. Though a rather seedy place, it has remained popular amongst the Royal Family. The food is exceptionally good, and inspired music often plays within. It is custom for a lone traveller to place their blade upon the table as they eat, so that it is at the ready should trouble occur. Trouble, however, rarely does come within the inn. George, the current owner, has kept the inn's fine traditions at their high standards.
It is here that players new to the World of Amber will get their first taste. Should they have no other way of introducing themselves, they can find their way to the inn, where Zachary is sure to come along for an evening meal or a light lunch.
A couple of notes should be made on character interactions with Shadow and its inhabitants. Every character will of course have their own ideas, but one must also remember views are different from our own at times. One of the perhaps most disturbing things about most Amberites is their apparent disregard for Shadowdwellers. In the Corwin Chronicles, Random shot and killed an inhabitant of shadow for merely arguing and insulting Corwin. Corwin was shocked and angered, not at the fact that Random had just killed this person, but that his younger brother took that decision away from him. When one can travel to an infinity of Shadows, it is hard for most not to view its inhabitants as just part of the scenery. After all, a minor shift and you can enter into a shadow where the person would still be alive. The only 'realness' is that of Amber.
A different question that may have arisen is how one finds someone else in Shadow. A number of times you may wish to meet with someone or find someone in shadow. But with an infinite number of possible shadows, how does one do such? It is not as hard as one may think. Because all Amberites are of the True City and Pattern, they themselves have an inherent 'realness' about them. Like a beacon, it draws one towards them, much like moths to a light. Without this inherent realness, it would be impossible to know if you were actually talking to the person you wished, or a mere shadow of that person.
Virtually all relationships of Amberites develop with those of Shadow, from the First Shadow of Amber to as far as the Courts of Chaos. There have been instances, however, of sexual relations between those of the Blood of Amber. While not strictly frowned upon, such relations are not encouraged either. The taboo seems to decrease greatly the further removed the two participants are. Corwin had made love to Dara, who was a great-great-granddaughter of Corwin's half-brother Benedict. Their child, Merlin, would later go on to have sex with an aunt of his. It would seem that the 'incest taboo' applies only to immediate relations; parent and child, or brother and sister. Of course, both encounters had planning and ulterior motives behind them. Relationships between family members would be tenuous at best, the inherent mistrust of relatives would be hard to overcome, with so much offered by the infinity of Shadow.
The Blood of Amber runs true, though it is not always dominant. All offspring, and descendents of that offspring, carry the Blood of Amber within them. As such, they are all capable of walking the Pattern, and gaining the ability to shift Shadow. Also, considering the 'perfection' that the Amberites represent, at least physically, it is highly doubtful that children born of their blood would show any deformities, unless it had truly meant to be, or the parent had somehow instigated it.
When an Amberite is about to die, they may make a final statement upon the world, a curse or blessing upon whatever they name. The process is unknown, but whatever is spoken, comes about. Eric, when he died fighting against the hordes of Chaos, cursed them, expelling them from Amber. Their method of entry, a black road that extended through all Shadow from the Courts of Chaos, collapsed.
Only those of the Royal Blood of Amber have been known to have such abilities, and if desired, the curse may have only beneficial effects.
The Royal Family is a suspicious one, and one family member rarely fully trusts another. This inherent suspician of each other seems unfounded, and yet it is ingrained in even the more trustworthy of all of them. Rarely is information given without some motivation, and never is an apology given outright. Statements such as "I might owe an apology." or "If that were true, then I would be sorry." are more the norm. No Amberite would willingly put themselves at a disadvantage, or show signs of weakness.
To Amberites, religious faith is not taken in the stance of the possibility of a greater power, but in the certainty of it. The Unicorn is the holy and royal symbol of Amber. It is said that Dworkin met the Unicorn, and with its advice and aid created Amber. It is also legend that in some way the Unicorn and Dworkin mated and bore Oberon. It was the Unicorn that emerged from the Abyss at the end of the war with Chaos with the Jewel of Judgement around its neck. And it was the Unicorn who chose Random to take the throne. The Unicorn is rarely seen, and if it is spotted, a shrine is sure to be built on the site where such a siting occurred. From Merlin's accounts, the Unicorn seems to be the physical manifestation of the Pattern.
In a like manner, the Logrus' representation is that of a one-eyed serpent. Also according to Merlin's account, the Jewel of Judgement is the Serpent's other eye, taken by Dworkin when he had made Amber.
There are some important things that should be known about the Realm of Amber. Here, there is no electricity of any kind. It has been theorized that the Natural Laws of Amber have made it so that electrons within all atoms are nuetral rather than negatively charged (and thus most likely protons are nuetral as well). Because of this, no electron flow occurs, and thus no electricity. Light is gained from lanterns and torches. Warmth from blankets and fireplaces. Food is cooked over woodburning stoves. Because of this, combustion engines are useless as well, requiring a spark to start the vehicle. Horses and other pack animals are the mainstay for long travel in Amber.
Gunpowder is also useless within Amber, becoming nothing more than an inert powder. Corwin had found a substance in Shadow, a powder used by jewelers. he discovered that in Amber, the powder gained an explosive property, much like gunpowder. A number of guns actually exist in Amber, hanging upon the walls of Castle Amber. Bullets for them, however, are few and far between. Corwin has not told where he found the Jeweler's Rouge, and his description in his chronicles is vague at best. For Amberites, the sword and bow are much more common weapons, for they are usable in virtually any Shadow visited. This leads one to believe that very few, if any, chemical processes actually work in Amber as they would in Shadow.
Despite this almost primitive technology, it is interesting to note that full plumbing does exist in Amber. Running water, toilets and showers all exist. The best way to imagine Amber is to think of a highly idealized medieval society.
