The Patternfall War is ended. Amber's armies occupy Chaos. A new age dawns as Random returns assume his throne.

But Chaos is down, not out. The same disorganization that made victory possible makes control nigh impossible. An underground is already crystallizing into existence.

And Random is not returning to a power vacuum. Gerard has acquitted himself well in what has been Amber's most difficult period in memory. Years of struggle, first with the left-over forces of Chaos, then among the Golden Circle shadows, have left their mark. Perhaps most noticeably on those who have stepped up to replace those away fighting Chaos.

The universe has suddenly gotten a lot bigger: Chaos discovered, a new Pattern drawn, new relatives found. The family has a new-found unity. But can it last? Will the new age be golden or dark?

• Annalise (Shelly Lisman) Daughter of Eric, Lady Annalise is quiet and reserved. Her only passion is the arts, especially theatre. She is neither quick to laugh or anger. She prefers the background when she is not on stage and has no interest in the powerplays that constantly go on in her family. She enjoys the unusual and avant garde, and pays little attention to established tastes.
• Kern (Paul Vlamis) The somewhat enigmatic Kern was the keeper of Arden while Julian was off at the wars. His exact relation to the family is a little fuzzy, but he was close to Deirdre and he has taken the Pattern. Now that Julian has resumed control, a feud between the two is brewing.
• Sterling (Steve McFarland) Gerard and Winter's son, Sterling has been the dashing commander of Amber's navies since Gerard became regent.
• Sydney Harris (Julie Raybon) Brought in from Shadow during the Patternfall War by shadowy Lando Carter, Sydney's parentage is unknown, though Lando was correct when he claimed she could walk the Pattern. She has taken control of the castle's infirmary.
• Rabban (Jeff Maisano) Product of a tryst between Bleys and Karna of Helgram. Raised in Chaos, Random has agreed to recognize him as part of the family, and give him a position as a regional governor in occupied Chaos. As part of the deal, Rabban was just allowed to walk the Pattern.
• Roger (Bill Gulstad) One of the shining stars and longtime members of the Amber Castle guard, Roger writes a very successful series of gothic horror novels on the side.

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  Influences:

  Brust, Dumas, de Lint, Matt Wagner, Bester, DK Moran, Moorcock, Clarmont/Byrne X-men, Babylon 5, the Manhattan Transfer, Jethro Tull, Boiled in Lead...

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  Coming very soon... brief overviews of the Golden Circle and Chaos.

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  Possible Names

  While I'm pretty happy with "No Final Curtain" as a name, I suspect it really will only cover the first section of the game. (Okay, I don't really have a direction planned, but I do have some notions as to how things will work out.) So here are some possible names for later sections, or perhaps the whole bloomin' thing:

  • The Cold of Night (Will Fall)
  • No Time For Love (this one makes more sense from a Chaos perspective, so it's probably dead)
  • Life's Too Long
  • Before the Candle Dies
  • The Last Waltz Begins

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  Have comments, questions, suggestions, proposals, flames, character proposals? Send e-mail to Sol Foster: colomon@ralf.org. Or return to Sol's Amber Stuff.