click on the picture to see the larger version
People
row one, from left to right
Benedict, Blaise, Gerda, Harrison, Julius
row two, from left to right
Lachesis, Llewella, Lucas, Merlin, Osric
row three, from left to right
Rhiannon, Rowan, Salome, Ilie, Syrana
Places
row one, from left to right
Allemain, Avalon, The Darkling Realms, The Golden Gate, New Arden
row two, from left to right
Temple
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      When I was very small, my mother would let me
play on the blue mosaic
tiles of her dressing room, while she sat at an elegant writing desk and
signed decrees and proclamations, issued invitations and death warrants,
wrote reprieves and tax notifications...      
She had a number of small
items that I could play with there, and only there... they were not
really toys, of course, but small fragile things that Mother held dear,
but not too dear: a glass unicorn, a coral necklace, a pearl-handled
letter opener. When I came in to play in the calm waters of this room,
she would pull open a drawer of the writing desk and take a small shell
box that contained these trinkets. She would hand the box to me, and say,
"Be careful with them, dearest." I would take them from her with all
due reverence, and spend a quiet half-hour with them, before my attention
would wane...       One day, Mother left me alone
while she went to consult
with her advisors on some tricky matter of state. I had tired of prancing
the unicorn around the show-ring of the necklace, and I had no interest in
having a duel twixt myself bearing the letter opener and the unicorn's
wicked horn. I wondered if mother did not have other treasures buried
in the drawers of the writing desk.
     
I opened the bottom drawer, and there was a small, shell box, much like
the toy box. I opened it; inside was a deck of playing cards. Each card
seemed to be of a different suit, and each card illustrated a person or a
place that seemed almost alive. I spread all the cards out on the floor,
and marveled over them, stroking them and whispering made-up names for
them.
      I did not hear my mother come in; I only
felt her hands lift me to my feet, and the sudden sting as she slapped me
hard across the face. It was the only time she struck me. I never forgot
it... and never stopped wondering why.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
--Rhiannon
Trump: The Lost Art
Since the Patternfall War, there have existed in the Universe only a few
known Trump artists. On the Amber side, there were few Trump artists to
begin with, the power being limited only to Brand, Dworkin and Caine. On
the Chaos side of the world, the war led to high casualties among the
ruling elite, and thus amongst the Trump artists as well. What few
artists remained were forced to work for Benedict's government, or went
underground to avoid that.
Currently, the only known Trump artists are Merlin, Lucas Reynard and two
Chaosites, Everard and Gilka. It is not known if Caine retains his
abilities, or if Dworkin lives.
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