The Guide to AmberMUSH Shadows

This guide is my compilation of information sent to me by various players on AmberMUSH. It also contains information gleaned from my own explorings of publicly open shadows. Some of the places described in this guide might not be physically built on the MUSH; this guide is intended to serve as a useful resource to players who wish to create new characters and would like roleplaying "hooks", and unbuilt shadows can still provide rich backgrounds.

Unfortunately, this guide is far from complete. Shadow builders on AmberMUSH should contact Deirdre at lwl@graphics.cis.upenn.edu with a shadow description, in order to have it included in this guide.

Index of Shadows in this Guide

Shadows are marked with color-coded keys, depending on the genre.
[Med] Medieval
These shadows are based upon a medieval/rennaisance-like setting, usually with strong elements of fantasy incorporated.

[Con] Contemporary
These shadows are roughly equivalent to contemporary modern-day "Shadow Earth". The level of technology and magic may vary somewhat.

[Fut] Futuristic
These shadows are set in the future, usually in a high-technology setting. Cyberpunk and dark-apolocalypse settings fit here.

[HMO] Historical/Mythological Origin
These shadows are usually based upon settings derived from Earth history or mythology, but do not fall under the "standard" medieval fantasy settings, or the contemporary or futuristic world settings.

[Uni] Unique
These shadows are unique and resist any easy categorization.

The shadows listed within this guide follow, together with the last date the entries were updated, if updated beyond the first edition of this guide (March 1994).

[Med] Arcadia
[Med] Ashwani
[Med] De'alund
[HMO] Hades (7/17/94)
[Uni] Jurask-Vennim Corridor (7/17/94)
[Uni] Realm of Sands (7/17/94)
[Uni] Shadrul's Way (7/17/94)
[Uni] Dantesburgh (7/17/94)
[HMO] Ruddarta (7/17/94)
[Uni] Yurick's Peak (7/17/94)
[Med] Parys
[HMO] Scotland
[Med] Shandswyr
[Con] Triad
[Con] Vrokk
o Theme:
o Pole:
o Contact:

Background

Arcadia

o Theme: Land of the Faeries
o Pole: 2
o Contact: Robin, Sidhe

Background

(Information based on local help)

Arcadia is the Realm of the Fae. As such, it is a Shadow heavily based on magic; technology does not work at all. "Normality" in this world simply is non-existent; it exists at the whim of the faeries.

The greatest power of the faeries is Glamour. It is illusion made real, the stuff of imagination given solidity for as long as a faerie wills it to be so. In all things is the presence of a spirit; faeries are able to strongly affect the material world around them by manipulating those spirits.

Ashwani

o Theme: Rennaisance England
o Pole: 8
o Contact: Dana

Background

(Information based on local help)

Ashwani is a shadow located close to Amber, and is akin to Rennaisance England. The magicks that once infused the lands of Ashwani are no more. Thus, sorcery is non-functional, yet conjuration seems to operate as it normally would. The generally effective level of technology operating here is that of crossbows and catapults. Guns, cars, and other such items fail to function. Medical technology in the form of drugs seems to function well. The section of the Shadow built on the MUSH focuses on the city of Kingsbay, which is the capital of the Kingdom of Ashwani.

De'alund

o Theme: Finndo's Shadow of Desire, modeled on Rennaissance Sicily
o Pole: 11
o Contact: Mercedes

Background

(Information supplied by Finndo)

De'alund is the private Shadow of Prince Finndo of Amber. He dwells there, separate from Amber, with his close and trusted Family. De'alund is a large archipelago. Its symbol is a red lion, laying near a broken sword. Sometimes there is a naked child upon the lion's back. In flavour, De'alund is a lot like Renaissance Sicily. De'alund is extremely isolated. There are no Shadowpaths to the Shadow, nor any mirrors to take you there. Even most common forms of Shadowwalking cannot reach De'alund.

The laws of De'alund are built around the Warped Pattern that determines its reality. Some of these laws can be altered at will by Finndo and select members of his family. The laws normally exclude gunpowder, but otherwise offer a flavour similar to renaissance technology. Most forms of magic are weak or nonexistant in De'alund.

Natives of De'alund are mostly short, olive-skinned and dark haired. Their psyches are very resistant to Trump contact. It is virtually impossible to draw a working Trump of a native De'alundian, or of his homeland.

To create a character from De'alund, you should +mail Finndo for approval. It is extremely unlikely that you would play a member of his direct family, but there are many opportunities to play De'alund functionaries: lesser nobility, mayors, army or navy officers, intelligence operatives etc. Travel to and from De'alund is restricted, both by De'alund law and by the nature of De'alund itself. You should only consider a character from De'alund if you would like your character to become deeply involved in De'alund politics, and are happy to deal IC with the ruthlessness and suspicion that pervades Finndo's close family, and with the distrust and fear that outsiders often feel for De'alundians.

Hades

o Theme: Demonic feudal society
o Pole: Between 0 and 1 (Near-Chaos/Black Zone shadow)
o Contact: Seth

Background

(Information provided by Sivazlian, original builder of the shadow)

Hades is a realm of soot and heat; of burning skies, seas of bubbling pitch, and black sand wastelands. The primary city of Hades, Malebolge, is the center of its primary trade: weaponry and armor. Smithing is held in high regard in Hades and, in fact, its highest office of Master Smith is as much government as any other.

(Excerpted from the +lhelp:) While feudal in nature and government, Hades' society can best be generalised into a three-tiered representation -- the elite demons, the common demons, and the "damned souls" (read: humans) of the shadow. Typically, only those in the elite class of demons are true shapeshifters (any shapeshifter player-characters from here would likely have a title of "Baron" or somesuch similar expression of nobility), with the common demon having access to a more limited form. The Damned (for so they are called) are an abundant and expendable resource. Little can be said about them other than the fact that they are property, for few Damned are ever worthy of note. A select few, however, have managed to fit into Hades society with such a tenacity that they attain a certain degree of autonomy (a possible source for non-shape- shifting player-characters native to this realm). The division of class is nevertheless absolute; if someone is beneath you, they are scum. If someone outranks you, you are completely at their mercy. Combat and a rough way of life in general is the norm -- think of the social conventions as a kind of gentlemanly Klingon approach to life .

Openings:

Hades could stand some filling out of its nobility. If you're interested in playing a demon without ties to a particular house of Chaos, Hades is a fine place. Most PCs in Hades tend to be oriented towards heavily political role- play; Sivazlian is known to have relations with House Hendrake and Sawall, and the sorceror Seth is a known part-time companion of Lord Simon.

For those looking for a more challenging or antagonistic role, playing one of the exceptional Damned (see above), a rival to the Mastersmithy, or even an escaped Damned are all possibilities.

Jurask-Vennim Shadow Corridor

o Theme: Shadowpath and associated shadows
o Pole: Varies
o Contact: Nbalu

Background

The Jurask-Vennim Shadow Corridor is the result of an ambitious project undertaken some unknown span of time ago by two dreamers from opposite ends of reality. One was Jurask, an Adept of the Broken Pattern in the days when not all marred designs were claimed by 'protectors' and 'guardians'. He was intel- ligent, self-taught, and, due to his madness, thoroughly uncaring of the difficulties involved in shaping the corridor. He managed to contact Vennim, a waysmaster of the Courts of Chaos. Together they formed the Corridor.

The existence of the corridor has been known for some time but, until recently, it was travelled infrequently due to the large parties of bandits that raided its length (the bandits were rumoured to be the manifestation of Jurask's Broken Pattern flaw, but these rumours were never substantiated). The five shadows along the Corridor's main route, however, decided in the past decade that enough was enough and, in a combined effort, managed to purge the bandits. Now open to more widespread travel, the Jurask-Vennim Corridor Confederacy hopes to foster an unparallelled era of commerce and prosperity for all shadows along its length.

If one of the shadows composing the Corridor strikes your fancy, you are more than welcome to claim citizenship there. Peopling the Corridor with PCs as well as NPCs is in no way barred. In fact, should you be interested in occupying a certain official position (say, a particular shadow's Confederacy Liaison), or if you simply want to build a residence, contact Nbalu for details. The same is true if you wish to build a bar, a building, or another portion of the geography of a Corridor shadow.

Shadows on the Corridor have their own entries in this guide.

Parys

o Theme: Deirdre's Shadow of Desire, modeled on the French notion of the Courts of Love
o Pole: 8
o Contact: Deirdre, Nicolin

Background

Parys, land of eternal spring, ruled by beauty and grace, where each golden moment is preserved in song, in poetry, and in art. Its society is feudalistic, with all owing fealty to a single Prince, and power is a function of the land one owns. But nobility can always be won by great feats of arms or great accomplishments in art, and all men aspire to the coveted title of Chevalier of the Prince's Court, the greatest of the minstrel-knights.

Parys operates on the Courts of Love ideal, and the fertility of the land and the long Parysian lifespan of nearly half a millenia allows the populace much leisure time to devote to the composition of songs and poetry, the creation of paintings and sculpture, and the perfection of the courtly graces. This pursuit of artistic perfection and pleasure lies at the heart of the Parysian lifestyle; knowledge is always worth acquiring, and although war is not unknown in these parts, it is frequently fought on the civilized turf of the tournament-field.

The culture is perhaps best reflected in the method of selecting the Prince. Every twenty-five years, a song contest is held. The minstrel-knights who choose to compete each sing, before the populace, songs of their own composition, in honor of some worthy subject (frequently a woman). The man whose artistry is judged best by the people becomes Prince for the next quarter-century, with no regard for his birth rank.

Technology in Parys is approximately at the level of Earth Rennaisance. "Foreign" technology brought into Parys functions at a reduced level, if more advanced than Rennaisance-era; this detiorates with the advancement level, to the point where technology beyond Earth Twentieth-Century does not function at all. However, Parys does possess technology above the Rennaisance era, operating on slightly different principles; electrical devices are not uncommon. The power sources are hydroelectric and solar; the latter type of energy is captured through magically enhanced panels capable of storing solar energy until it is needed.

Magic flourishes in Parys, and its study is a popular past-time for Parys residents. Native magic tends to be based heavily in music, poetry, or beautifully crafted material objects. It is normally used to enhance everyday life, rather than for combat.

Those interested in having Parys as their point of origin should contact Deirdre. Characters can be members of the Court, residents in the city, nobility with estates of their own, artists, troubadours, and so forth. They should be willing to, at minimum, interact casually with the members of Deirdre's immediate family, who reside in Parys.

The Realm of Sands

o Theme: Ultra-chaotic fantasy realm of Chaos
o Pole: 1 (Outer fring of the Black Zone)
o Contact: Nbalu

Background

Shadow on the Jurak-Vennim Corridor.

The Realm of Sand is a bizarrely configured shadow of constantly shifting substance and energy. All manner of fantastic beast can be found here; elementals, dragons, sentient math formulae, and so on.

Technology consists of molded forces, directed kinetic structures, and sand- cloud architecture. Forcemold tech tends to be destroyed when removed from the Realm, while sand-cloud materials (the most common kind of technology) tends to collapse into a pile. It usually reactivates when brought back.

The Society of the Realm is relatively simple -- perhaps the only part of it that is. Ruled by a council of seven (each member representing one of the seven elemental forces), no other law exists. All disputes are settled through petition to the council. Other than this, no patterns exist.

It is practically mandatory one have shapeshifting to live in the Realm. Sorcerors and Conjurors are also likely.

Scotland

o Theme: The Scottish Highlands, circa 1745
o Pole: (Unknown)
o Contact: Finninrich

Background

(Information supplied by Rick. Edited.)

The portion of this Shadow that has been built on the MUSH centers on a small village called Laughdale, a fictional hamlet with some 300 inhabitants. Trumps do not function in this Shadow. Magic is limited, and weaker in the village because of a protective geas. The time is the year 1745, just before the Second Jacobite Rising. Laughdale itself is ruled by the laird Richard Rupert MacDonald and is peopled by clans MacDuff, MacLiam, and MacPhearson.

This particular Shadow is an earlier version of the Shadowrun world, and as such has its same dangers. One such danger is the threat of the dark druids that inhabit the marshes to the north, some of the first toxic shamans. However, there is also a stone circle not far to the south of the villiage, Craigh na Dun. The six men and one woman that have mobilized the power of this circle are responsible for creating the protective geas that defends the villiage from the toxics to the north.

If you want your character to originate from this Shadow, contact Finninrich. Possible backgrounds include being one of the villagers, being a Campbell from Crainsmuir (and thus a member of a rival clan), or a crofter (a tenant farmer from the surrounding lands).

Shandswyr

o Theme: Feudalistic military society
o Pole: (Unknown)
o Contact: Alydrin

Background

(Information supplied by Alydrin. Edited and summarized.)

There are three countries. Shandswyr, Tyrga, and Hyystim. The other two are not fleshed out at this time mainly because they are inconsequential. Shandswyr touches the borders of both and lies a bit more northerly than the other two. Its featuers include both deciduous and coniferous forests, mountains topping 14,000 in altitude and a coastline that is mostly rocky, but has a number of small bays that are useable by boats.

The native technology level of the Shadow is low, although most technology imported from other Shadows will function. Magic, however, functions very weakly. Only the vastly powerful can wield any magic and even then it is a pale reflection of the normal power levels exhibited in other Shadows.

The society is primarily feudal in structure. Magic is distrusted and considered to be an evil force. The government is a dynastic monarchy, with a Royal Court of Lords overseeing the justice system. The King and his Lords all have military forces of their own. There is, however, an army called the Cyllian Militia, made up solely of females; they dress in scarlet battle armor and are feared adversaries, although they are somewhat "outside of society". Many members of the Cyllian Militia are lesbians.

If you are interested in being a character from this unbuilt Shadow, contact Alydrin.

Triad

o Theme: A variant Shadow Earth controlled by the Illuminati
o Pole: (Unknown)
o Contact: Burke

Background

(Information supplied by Burke)

At first glance, Triad appears no different than 1994 shadow Earth. Some looking around, however, will reveal vast differences, predominantly in the sphere of politics. Texas has successfully seceded from the United States. Germany has expanded to include Italy. Japan now occupies Taiwan, the Phil- lipines, and Hong Kong, and are massing to take Bangkok. Several other differences exist...

The truth behind it all is even more shocking: the Illuminati are in control of _everything_. Headed by Nathanial Burke (myself), they are the secret masters, ruling the governments that rule the people. Furthermore, they hold technology well beyond the scope of what modern Earth has achieved. Mecha, and interstellar travel are both accomplishments of the Illuminati.

Tech of all levels operate normally in Triad. Psionics also work normally, and are, in fact, used extensively by the Illuminati initiates. Magic does suffer from some abnormality, however, its potentcy varying from normal to feeble on a near-daily schedule, though these fluctuations are not regular. All of the major powers, Pattern, Logrus, and Shape-shifting, as well as Broken Pattern, Corwin's Pattern, and Finndo's Pattern, operate quite as they would on shadow Earth.

The main concept of Triad is conspiracy. Within every plot, is a true goal and its catalyst. Much as in Amber...

Vrokk

o Theme: Rockpunk realm (think 'Heavy Metal')
o Pole: 4
o Contact: Gavin, Martin

Background

(Information provided by Martin)

Vrokk's architecture is almost uniformly twisted and black; the place is loud, but war is largely unknown. In order to settle conflicts, most often, people duel with guitars, not swords.

In Vrokk (a term applied to the shadow, the planet, and the city itself -- all is Vrokk) rock and roll is an ancient art which the Vrokkers (alter- natively termed 'Vrokkians') have been perfecting for millenia. As such, their entire society, government, and way of life is centered around the art of making noise, playing the electric guitar and general thrashing.

The Vrokkers, racially, resemble those found in the high-tech Seattle version of Shadow Earth; humans, elves, and dwarfs abound, although there are other minorities in existance, such as orcs, goblins, trolls, minotaurs, and so-on. Fashion is commonly a lot of leather, spandex, denim, and silver.

Speech patterns often follow those exhibited by Proxx (found in Klub SlamJam) and Martin Barimen (in his streetpunk mode), but a wide variety of dialects are known -- the general rule of thumb is the more slangy the speech, the better.

Openings:

There are no specific openings, per se; if you're looking for a less glum than usual but still cyberpunkish background, this is the place for you. There's enough variety to the shadow to allow for any of a number of tech- oriented backgrounds.

Lydia Leong / "Deirdre" / lwl@graphics.cis.upenn.edu / September 24th, 1994