Also known as the Plane of Shadow, the Vampire Plane is inhabited by Vampires, another "real" race, like Amberites, Chaosites and Faeries. Very little is known about them, other than what is written in stories, and not all of that is necessarily true. What is known is that they require blood to survive, and can be hurt by sunlight or fire. Objects thrust into their hearts can prove fatal as well, provided they remain there long enough to have an effect. Magic has very little effect on them, and they heal instantly from most wounds. All of their senses are heightened, as is their speed, and they are able to levitate. They can also make themselves unnoticeable to others - they aren't invisible, you just don't realize that they are there. Conversely, they are unable to see or hear faeries under normal circumstances. They are capable of feeding the desires of others, and in some cases, they are able to draw a person's soul from them, although this is rare. They do not gain full control of their abilities until they have been a vampire for 400 years, and can be controlled, to a certain extent, by their maker. Most vampires reside in the Vampire Plane, although there are vampires scattered throughout the rest of Shadow as well. Whether the latter are real vampires or merely Shadows is uncertain, since vampires are not generally able to traverse Shadow. Shard was made into a vampire by those residing in the Plane in hopes that he would allow them to leave, but he killed his maker, Belle, before she could force him to do so. The recent vampire activity in Amber, however, indicates that at least one has found a way to travel through Shadow.
Belle (destroyed): Vampire responsible for
making Shard into a vampire, she was a dead
ringer for Beauty (no pun intended). Whether she
was a Shadow of Beauty, or Beauty was a Shadow or her, is a question that
may never be answered. Belle was killed by Shard when she summoned him
back to the Vampire Plane.
Lasker (destroyed):
Vampire responsible for biting Ariana the
second time, in exchange for being released from the Vampire Plane by Brand, he bears some resemblance to Shard. Using the deck of Trumps given to him
by Brand, Lasker eventually made his way to Amber, where set about
creating an army of vampires to do his bidding. He was finally killed by
Felix, who had been shapeshifted into a
faerie at the time. Felix dragged Lasker into the 'Tween with the intent of leaving him
there to starve, but when Lasker proved stronger than expected, Felix
quickly left the 'Tween for a desert Shadow. Lasker burst into flames
almost instantly.
One of Driscoll's Shadows, high-tech and rather rough and tumble.
Elen Finch (deceased): Wife of
Driscoll, mother of Eris, she was a Shadow of Heather who was killed by Chaosites when Eris
was kidnapped.
Shadow where Ronan was raised, culture and tech is much like 18th century Scotland, if it had not been conquered by England. Caledon is inhabited by both humans and faeries, which the humans refer to as Feyans.
Meagan of Kirkfaldy (deceased):
Mother of Ronan, Shadow wench.
Sand's Shadow, located near Chaos. First used by her as a safe haven, she was later imprisoned in it.
A Faerie Shadow, formerly part of Foil, the inhabitants are often referred to as na siogai or Dexterians. They are tall, fair and slender, with pointed ears and large, slanted eyes. Dexter is considered part of the Seelie Court and is often referred to as the "Hinterlands" by those in Court, as the inhabitants of Dexter are considered somewhat provincial.
Caolan Coireall: King of Dexter, father of Uma. He cursed Ariana for killing Uma in a battle, and renewed a curse on Beauty, because Laughter would not turn Ariana over to him. He removed the curse on Ariana when Uma was brought back to life, but Beauty's curse had to be lifted in the manner prescribed by the curse, which resulted in her pregnancy.
Prawn (deceased): Na siogai Prince, former lover of
Caitt, father of Calamus, Elizabeth and Rosemary,
grandfather of Beauty and
Mandragora, great-grandfather of
Corbin. He tried to kill his children soon after they were born, but
was instead killed by Julian, who then
exchanged Laughter for Elizabeth.
Uma: Princess of Dexter, daughter of Caolan. She was killed by Ariana while fighting Laughter, but was brought back to life when her soul was retrieved from the Halls of the Dead.
Known as the Plane of Magic, this Shadow is the source for all magic in the universe outside of faerie magic, and such magic is faster and easier to use there. The destruction of Ygg spun the Disc off into the Abyss, eliminating the power of sorcery. The Disc remained in the Abyss for several years, until the Great World Turtle was lured out by a spell cast by Alex, Ariana, Bartholomew, Ishmael, Meander and Whimsy. While this restored non-faerie magic to the universe at large, this magic differed from the sorcery which had been available before. Instead, it mirrors the way magic is used on the Disc, where it is divided into two disciplines: wizardry and witchcraft. Wizardry is only taught to men, and consists of spells that are read out of books. Wizards must remain celibate, however, since having sex drains their ability to cast spells for a time. Witchcraft is only taught to women, and consists of sympathetic magic, such as hexes, herbalism and healing. Witches tend to have familiars, as it makes the casting of certain spells much easier. It has yet to be determined if the sexual restrictions of each discipline are cultural in nature, or something more. This Shadow was based off of the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett.
Bacchus Tallefellow: Owner of Tallefellow's Inn, a common meeting place for the rebellion.
Dead Oaks: Centaur from Looks Twice's tribe who was sent to train Laughter's men in archery.
Erryn, Lord Rohanoke: A Disc elf and friend of Meander, he is about 5'6" tall and rather powerfully muscled. He usually wears a green leather vest, open at the front, a green and white striped sash around his waist, and deerskin breeches, with a wand hanging from a cord around his neck, a sword a good four feet in length strapped across his shoulders, and a thick gold band on his right middle finger.
Fred: Ogre husband of Maggie, he works at Tallefellow's Inn as a bartender/bouncer.
Hickory: A Disc fairy and member of the rebellion, Hickory is approximately eight inches tall, winged and well muscled, with light brown hair and light blue eyes. He usually wears nothing more than a mouse-skin loincloth and boots. Like all Disc fairies, he is invulnerable to all conventional weapons. His wings are a weak spot, however, as they can be pulled off or crumpled, and if wet, he cannot fly.
Looks Twice: A centaur healer, son of nature, and companion of Jackie, Jenogen, and Meander, along with several other Discworlders. He is young, perhaps in his mid-teens, with blood chestnut coloring and bright blue eyes. He still bears a brand on his left hindquarters from when he was a slave, and was gelded during that time as well. As the son of nature, he has complete control over plant matter and can shape them entirely to his will. He is currently chief of a tribe of centaurs.
Maggie: Wife of Fred, she also works at Tallefellow's Inn.
Molly: A succubus from Hell, Molly is a Marilyn Monroe look-alike Bacchus managed to free, and she has chosen to repay him by making sure he and his friends don't come to any harm. Not that this stops her from playing with the guests at Tallefellow's Inn. As a succubus, she has a fairly strong power of suggestion.
Ona: A vampire and occasional member of the rebellion, she is tall and lithe, with white-blond hair and large brown eyes. She dresses in rich fabrics and dark colors. As a vampire, her senses are greatly enhanced, and she can fly, make herself invisible or discorporate, change herself into a wolf or bat, and cling to any surface.
Orion: 15-year-old Magistrate of the city of Altair, he has curly blond hair.
Ruepert Jenogen: Powerful Discworld sorcerer, married to Jackie. Because he nearly destroyed the Disc, he was trapped for quite some time in the form of a rabbit. While in this form, he was Jackie's familiar, and technically still is, despite his return to human form. Jackie is able to force him to reassume his rabbit form by speaking five words, much to his continued dismay.
Shadow where Laughter was raised, barred to access via Shadow shifting unless one recites a mantra while crossing into it. The technology level is 16th century, around the time of Shakespeare. Foil originally consisted of three lands: The Midlands, Dexter and Sinistre, inhabited by humans, na siogai, and puca, respectively.
Na siogai is the name given by the humans for the faeries who inhabited Foil. They are sometimes referred to as the fair folk, and often referred to as Dexterians, as they hail from the former part of Foil known as Dexter. They are taller than humans, fair and slender, with pointed ears and large, slanted eyes. They have a longer life span than humans, and tend towards multiple births, the usual number being two or three at a time. It is possible for humans and na siogai to interbreed, but it is inevitably dangerous for the mother. The na si possess more magic overall than the other races of Foil. They are considered part of the Seelie Court, although a provincial one at that.
The puca hail from the part of Foil formerly known as Sinistre, and are sometimes referred to as the dark folk. They are shorter than humans, averaging around four and a half feet tall, with lots of body hair, but have the same pointed ears and large, slanted eyes as the na siogai. Their life span is on par with humans, but they tend to birth litters of eight to ten at a time, so human/puca crossbreeding almost never happens. It is likely that they are dark faeries, and part of the Unseelie Court.
Most of the na siogai were killed, and the puca enslaved, by Laughter and her armies during the Mergence War that was fought between the humans and the other two races. Dexter was split off into its own Shadow at the end of the war. Laughter is Queen of Foil, with Senlin acting as Regent while she's away.
Beauty Sponcc (deceased):
Daughter of Elizabeth, adopted by Laughter, former lover (sort of) of Shard, engaged to Nicholas, mother of Corbin. She was a slight, graceful woman
with na siogai height, blond hair and soft blue eyes.
She dressed much like a lady of Renaissance times in England, though she
occasionally went over to the tunic and hose favored by Laughter, and
frequently wore a golden apple tree cloak pin to politely and
unobtrusively state her status as Laughter's daughter. As an infant she
was cursed by a disgruntled faerie to sleep for 100 years once she reached
the age of 16. This curse was thwarted until its renewal and activation
when she was 14 by the Faerie King of Dexter, as
revenge upon Laughter. Nicholas was forced to awaken her, and she became
pregnant with Corbin as a result, faerie curses being rather cruel things.
She was among those who were fatally poisoned at the ball celebrating the
union of Amber and Chaos. She preferred the colors blue and gold.
Caitt Sponcc: Former lover of Prawn, lover of Alex, mother of Calamus, Elizabeth and Rosemary, foster mother of Laughter, grandmother of Mandragora and Beauty, great-grandmother of Corbin. Caitt is a small, brown-haired, brown-eyed woman. She is very motherly and is aging quite gracefully, though she has lines of worry around her eyes. Now that she has walked a broken Pattern, she should remain at her current appearance.
Calamus Sponcc (deceased): Son
of Prawn and Caitt, fraternal
twin brother of Elizabeth and Rosemary, foster brother of Laughter, Shadow of Driscoll, lover of Laughter, original
wielder of Song. He was brown-haired
like his mother, but his 6'4" height, pointed ears, blue eyes and
disdainful sneer were a gift from his father, a na
siogai prince. He wore his hair short and had large arm muscles, for
he was a blacksmith of some reputation. He was killed by Laughter during
the Mergence War.
Elizabeth Shakespeare (deceased): Daughter of
Prawn and Caitt, fraternal twin sister of Calamus, identical twin sister of Rosemary, foster sister of Laughter, mother of
Beauty, grandmother of Corbin.
Elizabeth was tall and willowy, like her na siogai
father, with soft brown hair and eyes. Less reserved than her twin
sister, she lived the wild, unstable life of an actor and playwright in
London, until she died giving birth to Beauty.
Mandragora (deceased): Infant daughter of
Senlin and Rosemary, killed by the na siogai at the beginning of the
Mergence War.
Rosemary (deceased): Daughter of Prawn
and Caitt, fraternal twin sister of Calamus, identical twin sister of Elizabeth, foster sister of Laughter, married to
Senlin, mother of Mandragora, original
wielder of Curetana. Rosemary was
tall and willowy, like her na siogai father, with
soft brown hair and eyes. An able sorceress, she married herself off
young to Senlin. She was killed by the na siogai at the beginning of the
Mergence War.
Senlin: Lord High Chancellor of Foil, Beauty's regent, widower of Rosemary, father of Mandragora, wielder of Curetana. Senlin is the traditional little old man, standing about 5'4" in height, with black eyes and long red-turning-white beard and hair. He plays many instruments expertly, and is a consummate sorcerer, but works hard as Beauty's Lord High Chancellor.
Shadow where Ariana was raised, dominant culture and tech. much like ancient Greece. After she left it to go to Amber for the first time, it was sped up by persons unknown, such that several generations had passed by the time she returned.
Aleta (deceased): Widow of Thereon, adoptive mother of
Ariana. Aleta was a midwife and herbalist of some note who sparked
Ariana's own interest in healing. She died of natural causes shortly
before Ariana learned of her Amberite heritage.
Arn, Jan, Lorin and Randal
(deceased): Four of Ariana's guards who
accompanied her to Amber when she first left Hellena, and remained there
with her. Ariana offered to return them to Hellena after Patternfall, but
they refused, since so much time had passed there that everyone they had
known was dead. They were killed when Zane
took over Chaos, along with anyone else who was in Vetchways at the
time.
Jalana (deceased): Ariana's best friend, she died during the
years that passed after Ariana left for Amber, presumably of old age.
Ariana's firstborn is named for her, just
as Jalana's first daughter was named for Ariana.
Kira: Formerly Ariana's maidservant, she currently works as an potter in Amber.
Thereon (deceased): Married to
Aleta, adoptive father of
Ariana, whom he found abandoned as an infant. A weapon smith for most
of his life, he forged the blade that Ariana later made into Alastor, although only the original
hilt survives. He died of natural causes about six years before Ariana
learned of her Amberite heritage.
Very high-tech Shadow near Chaos, favored haunt of Arthur and Martin, apparently owned by Arthur. Tech includes "personality chips" that, when placed in an individual's datajack, allow the personality on the chip to control that individual's body. These chips are highly illegal, but so far no means has been found to prevent them from working, as Ahab once learned to his dismay.
Shadow where Driscoll was raised, accessible only via a Trump of a hillside in the Shadow, which is also the only point that Trump will work from in the Shadow. Inhabited by humans (referred to as dragon-slayers), dark faeries (referred to as Lazarians or dragon-riders), and (of course) dragons, some of which are capable of flight. The Lazarians are tall, dark and slender, with pointed ears and slanted eyes, and are considered part of the Unseelie Court. They are called dragon-riders because they fight while riding dragons, much like one might ride a horse. The bond between Lazarian and dragon is far closer than that between horse and rider, however. Lazarians establish this bond by mating with their dragons, an experience that is rather painful, to say the least.
The Lazarians and the humans have warred off and on for centuries, with the Lazarians focusing on magic and the humans focusing on science. Only recently has there been any sort of peace between them, and it is a tentative one. The Shadow is similar to the world of the Elric series by Michael Morcock. Driscoll is Emperor of the Lazarians, while his daughter, Hope, leads the dragon-slayers.
Dorienne (deceased): Empress of the Lazarians, former lover of
Random, mother of Driscoll, grandmother of Hope, Eris, Paxon and
Isaac, killed by humans during an uprising.
Laura (also known as Libby)
(deceased): Shadow of Laughter, lover of
Driscoll, mother of Hope. Driscoll fed her to Ironclaw when he learned that she was
a spy for the dragon-slayers.
MiddlecourtShadow halfway between Amber and Ygg, mostly populated by those who fled from Chaos when Zane overthrew Gramble. The culture is similar to that of Chaos, but due to Heather's influence, the government was not copied at all. Instead of one ruler, decisions were made by the consent of those that lived there. Even after Zane was killed by Nicholas, most of the Chaosites chose to remain in Middlecourt, preferring its society to that of their homeland. Once the Orb was destroyed, however, Shadow became harder to control, and most of the Chaosites decided to return to the Courts.
Shadow used by Laughter for the express purpose of raising a standing army to aid Amber. She is able to control its time flow, to aid in the quick training of troops. The main citadel is known as Rath Tintagel.
Shadow where Heather was raised, accessible only by filling out mountains of paperwork, or by admitting that Ahab is no friend of yours, dominant culture and tech. is that of Georgian England.
Mebd (deceased?): Daughter of a
demon, who went by the name of John Salisbury, and Bridget, a servant of
Heather's, adopted by Heather when Bridget
died in childbirth, lover of Alex. As a
demon/human hybrid, she was unable to bear children, much to her dismay. She was thought destroyed when Chaos and Amber were severed by the
destruction of Ygg, since this cut her off from the Chaos energy she
needed to live. It has been hinted that she may not have actually died,
however...
Shadow where Usires was raised, dominant culture and tech. is that of the Viking era. When Usires returned there after a period of time in Amber, he discovered that the Shadow had been sped up by persons unknown, such that many years had passed. He has decided to remain there for a while, to help his people defeat the Romans.
Name for the primary Shadow of
the Earth that we know, although there are several Shadows that are
similar to it. This Shadow is rumored to have been destroyed.
Kurt Whalen (deceased):
Identity used by Zane while on Shadow
Earth, Kurt was supposedly a sculptor. He married Mirelle while he was there, although it is
unknown if he knew she was an Amberite at the time. Mirelle never
suspected he was anything other than what he appeared to be.
Unfortunately, "Kurt" drank frequently, and was supposedly killed by
Mirelle when he attacked her while in a drunken rage, shortly before Ariana was born. He was presumed dead until
Ariana went looking for information on her father, suspecting from the
shapeshifting abilities that she had begun to display that he might have
been a Chaosite, and found no body in his grave. His true identity was
disclosed shortly afterward, but he died before Ariana could confront
him.
"Outrageous Fortune"
PCs |
Elders
Avalon |
Amber |
Shadows |
Faerie |
Chaos
Artifacts, Creatures & Places of Note
All text on this page is © 1998-2002 by Kris Fazzari.
Last modified on January 20, 2002 by Kris Fazzari.
