In the Dark: FAQs

Every campaign is different, from the way characters are created to the hidden interpretations of the GM. Thanks to Cal (who plays Ian) I realized that for "In the Dark" some of my (the GMs) interpretations of the Corwin books have been too secret. Perhaps their not "secret", but I should make them more public nonetheless. If you have any questions I haven't answered, pleaseTrump me.

Question Catagories

·  General

·  The Pattern

·  The Unicorn

·  Trumps

·  Distances

·  Famous Battles

General:

Q: So, what does the average Amberite knows from the Corwin books, in this campaign?

A: Not a whole lot. I will try to elaborate by answering the following, more specific, questions. .

Q: Has my character read Corwin's books?

A: No one has read an account of Corwin as seen in Zelazny's books. Because Corwin didn't write any such books, he only told Merlin the story in full. However, the Amberites resourcefulness can't be thwarted and some of the "Corwin chronicles" is public.

Q: What's generally known about the elders [and other significant NPCs]?

A: Check out who's who in Amber and their reputations

Q: Does my character know things Corwin didn't?

A: God yes, I certainly hope so. Unfortunately I don't know what until it comes up in play. I'll do my best to keep you informed as we go.

The Pattern:

Q: Do we know there is a Primal Pattern and that Amber is merely a Shadow?

A: Yes. During the War the Primal Pattern was revealed to exist. This has caused some to speak of Amber as a Shadow, the First Shadow, but not everyone holds such views.

Q: How does one reach the Primal Pattern?

A: You will have to find someone who knows and is willing to share the info. It is known that during the War Benidict, Brand, Corwin, Dworkin, Fiona, Oberon, and Random went there for some period of time. Though they mostly seemed to be Trumped in by one of the others already there.

The Unicorn:

Q: Do we know the Unicorn is Oberon's mom?

A: Corwin did make that claim around the time Caine's "body" was found and Brand was rescued. Since this information came through Corwin via Mad Dworkin, few give it any validity.

Q: What do we know of the Unicorn?

A: Over the centuries several family members have reported seeing the Unicorn. Most significantly was Oberon, who then adopted it as his symbol. Benedict has claimed to have seen it in the past, as well as Julian, Brand, Eric, and Fiona. Since all of these were lone sighting, they were generally treated as "UFO" type situations.

Corwin and Gerard both saw it in the grove of the Unicorn when they went for Caine's "body". Gerard speaks reverently of that encounter (as Earthling might speak about experiencing the grand canyon, or the Amazon rain forest).

Corwin and Random claimed the Unicorn lead them to the Primal Pattern. Later when it was discovered that Oberon had been there in disguise, many suspect he effected the shifting. Some even speculated that Oberon caused that vision of the Unicorn, instead of it actually being there.

Everyone at the Abyss at the end of the War saw what Corwin described.

Trumps:

Q: What is in a standard Trump deck?

A: No such thing as "standard." Even if Dworkin did make one for everyone and made sure to get everyone copied of new arrivals, there still isn't a "standard". Various people throughout the centuries have lost whole and partial decks, or have loaned out/given away cards. Plus, Dworkin "vanished" awhile ago, so where do new cards come from?

Q: What's in my Trump deck?

A: If you got it from anither PC, it is up to them. The only quasi-restriction is that new decks tend to have Trumps of Amber Castles front gate, not Great Hall. Though elders are known to Trump into the Great Hall. Plus, there is no reason why a Trump artist couldn't creat a Trump of anyplace they'd like.

If you got it from a NPC, or the library, I'll let you know what's in it ASAP.

Distances:

Q: How far is it from point A to point B?

A:

From

To

Walking

Horseback

Gallop

Middle of Amber City

City Wall

.75-1 hr

15-20 min

5-10 min

Middle of Amber City

edge of Arden

2-2.5 hrs

1-1.5 hrs

30-45 min

Middle of Amber City

Castle

4-5 hrs

2-2.5 hrs

1-1.5 hrs

Middle of Amber City

Feilbonnen

3-4 hrs

1.5-2 hrs

45-60 min

Feilbonnen

Rebma

1-1.25 hrs

40-50 min

20-35 min

Middle of Amber City

Flora's Manor

1 day

4-5 hrs

2-3 hrs

Middle of Amber City

Benidict's compound

2.5-3 days

1.5-2 days

1 day

Middle of Amber City

Julian's Chatue

1-1.5 days

5-6 hrs

2.5-3.5 hrs

Middle of Amber City

Ian's Farm

1.5-2 days

1 day

5-6 hrs

Middle of Amber City

White Manor

15-20 min

5-10 min

2-5 min

Middle of Amber City

place able to easily Shadow shift

3-4 days

2-2.5 days

1-1.5 days

Famous Battles:

Q: In this campaign, what the hell were the Moonriders?

A: Shadow Genesh (which is no more) is were they came from. They maid mounted raids at night, which would have been enough to garner their name, but there was more. They were powerful mages and vicious warriors. They somehow worked a magic that allowed them to enter Amber at/from the Tir-Na'nogth stairway (when it existed). They also (primarily) used magic to enter via standard Shadowpaths, as well as teleporting around once in Amber, but the Tir entrance most threatened Oberon.

If you have any questions I haven't answered, pleaseTrump me.


To In the Dark: Page
To In the Dark: Reputations
To In the Dark: Who's Who


All orginal materials (unless otherwise noted) are copywrite © of Rachel Holmberg and George Gitari 1997, 1998, 1999.

 

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