THE ELDER AMBERITES

Here is a quick rundown of the elder Amberites, one of whom may be your father or mother. You are free to choose one, even stylize yourself after them – but there is no guarantee that they are, in fact, your father or mother. King Oberon had more wives than Earth’s Henry VIII, so the corresponding wife/mother is listed after each character. This listing omits several Amberites mentioned in later books.

     BENEDICT (Cymnea) is the oldest, but seems to be excluded from the succession, even though he could take it through force of arms. He holds a dominant rank in Warfare.

     ERIC (Faiella) is slain during The Guns of Avalon. After the disappearance of King Oberon, Eric takes the throne to keep the kingdom from falling apart.

     CORWIN (Faiella) lost a duel to Eric, who took him to Shadow Earth and left him to die of the bubonic plague. Both because of his Amber heritage and a dominant rank in Endurance, Corwin didn’t die, but wandered Earth for several centuries with no memory of his past.

     DIERDRE (Faiella) is a warrior princess in spirit and manner. The other princesses may be back among the archers during a battle; Dierdre will be on the front lines, swinging her sword or battleaxe. (Zelazny misspelled ‘Dierdre.’)
     If you choose Dierdre as a parent, whether she is pre-Patternfall Dierdre or Pattern Ghost Dierdre is up to the GM.

     BLEYS (Clarissa) is a flamboyant sort, equally skilled at blade and spell. He’s the kind of guy who shows up with a different woman (or three) on his arm for every occasion. He stood opposed to Eric after Oberon’s disappearance.

     FIONA (Clarissa) is petite in stature, a redheaded sorceress like her mother Clarissa. She holds the dominant rank in Psyche, and, despite a smiling and pleasant demeanor, knifed one of her brothers in the kidney without hesitation.

     BRAND (Clarissa) is another spellcaster/sorcerer, rumored to have struck a deal with Amber’s political and ideological opposite, the Courts of Chaos. He is a brooding, mercurial sort, given to fits of anger and depressive moods.

     GERARD (Rilga) is a steadfast, down-to-earth kind of man. He does not consider himself a clever sort, but if he gets it in his head that you’re playing him, he’ll probably take you aside and explain the equities of life to you by way of using you as a punching bag. He holds a dominant rank in Strength, and commands the Northern Fleet.

     JULIAN (Rilga) is a master huntsman, warden of the Forest of Arden, which lies on Amber’s borders. (Liam Neeson’s speech in Taken? “I will hunt you, I will find you, and I will kill you.” Yeah, Julian’s like that. Only colder and far more efficient.)

     CAINE (Rilga) is a conniving bastard. He framed one of his brothers, faked his own death, and has a penchant for knife fighting. He may be your friend, but he’s always looking out for number one. During the time that Eric held the throne, Caine led the Southern Fleet.

     FLORIMEL (Dybele) is always fashionable, but not to be underestimated. She has spent considerable time on Shadow Earth.

     LLEWELLA (Moins) was born in Amber’s immediate and aquatic reflection, called Rebma. It is an underwater kingdom and almost an exact duplicate of Amber. She is considered quiet and studious.

     RANDOM (Paulette) is the black sheep of the family. If he visits your home, expect loud music and smoke-filled, all-night poker games. Corwin describes him as looking and acting like an asthmatic, teenaged hood, but Random is tougher than he looks. Random isn’t well-liked in Rebma because he ran off with the Queen’s daughter, and then dumped her once she got pregnant.

     What about those other Amberites you mentioned? They include Dworkin, Oberon, plus distant and/or estranged family members, who are introduced much later in the series. Some have back stories that are connected to essential plot points and aren’t generally recommended for beginning players.
This message was last edited by the GM at 09:10, Wed 26 May 2021.