Editing Diners of Amber (section)

==='''Vine River'''===

[[File:Pvineriver.jpg]]

Vine River is in the trump deck because it is a nice place go hunting. The mountains near this river valley are temperate, even in winter. A lush region of gentle mountains with heavily wooded areas and shallow, wide rivers abound in this sparely inhabited shadow. Deer, stags, moose, and a wide variety of game animals are here for the taking.

Some strange function of shadow causes mountain men, devotes of nature and solitude, to find their way here, leaving their home world behind. Most never know the difference, and few regret the transition. That they gain an unnaturally long life, such as those in worlds near Amber sometime experience, might surprise them. Many never question the fact that years and decades, even centuries have passed. They were not clock-watchers anyway.

Peaceful, nomadic, nature oriented peoples some time find their way here too. 1300 Nez Perce Indians arrived long before Patternfall and have been thriving ever since. Their leader, Chief Joseph is closed mouthed about his tribes fortunate rescue but will gladly assist hunters, trappers, and other peaceful people if he can. He is the ruler of this world he calls ''Wallowakias'' and Random has reaffirmed the Chief's title to the land, granting him the rank of Duke of Amber, if not quite a Golden Circle King.

Reane Vil Sar manages the royal hunting lodge here. She is a great lady. I promised I would say that because she has large sharp skinning knives and uses them with wicked skill. She has an infectious laugh that only makes her scarier. She arranges hunting expeditions of 3, 7, and 30 days up into the wilderness surrounding the Vine River Lodge. She is also married to Chief Josef granting her the rank of Duchess even if she never uses it.

Like many people in such places of royal importance Reane is retied from her original occupation. She served in the Amber military for 370 years eventually rising to serve for twenty years as chief of the Amber Elite Guard. The tattoo on her forearm is well earned. She also served unofficially as Oberon's chief torturer.

<span style=color:darkgreen>Addendum

<span style=color:darkgreen>Add this in the region of new data discovered by Sweet-as-stale-Vinegar [[Maylon Hendrake]] and her bloody [[Heirs and spares]] genealogy of Dworkin. It turns out that Josef, born Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt, or Thunder Rolling Down the Mountain, is a son of Oberon. Imagine that. And while his allegiance to Amber is in place his trump shows the green bar of those in the sway of Mandalay. Dworkin assures me this has more to do with Vine River's location in shadow than Josef's personal allegiance. Sure. He has a blood son as well, Red Cloud. 

<span style=color:darkgreen>I like this place for a lot of reasons.  I grew up in Amber and places my mother knew, and schooled in Thelusia.  But I found Gerard and I often sought out the solitude of the mountains and Amberites have a song in our souls for them, the reason unknown.  Gerard and I and a man named Del Que spent a few year together far from anyone.  Trapping, hunting, singing, brewing homemade hooch and living without a care in the world.  The natives here are not war-like but make a very rough game of Counting Coup.  We played.  If asked, and in a suitably drunk frame of mind, when I was happiest in my life, its hard to say this was not one of those times.  Gerard and I have a bond between us from those times.  Its a bond I trust, but not one I want to test too hard. 

<span style=color:darkgreen>Among the peoples that seem to wander in are a variety of creatures of natural bents that are a bridges between man and beast.  They vary widely in physique. Titanthropes, Sasquatchs, Neanderthals, and some types creatures of these natures with lizard ancestry.  These creatures are elusive, even compared to the mountain men.  Yet they are creatures of great serenity and ingenuity even if their intelligence is not the equal of the more civilized peoples.  They are not typically social creatures, outside their own kind, but they do develop relationships with others if the circumstances allow.  The ropes woven by the titanthorpes are extremely strong, of necessity, but are also among the highest quality for any number of uses.  Replicated copies of their rope is used on Vulsar for many purposes. 

<span style=color:darkgreen>Another note about Vine River, and an important one, is that while one may hunt here to one's heart content it is a place of healing.  Dispatch your prey if you intend to eat them.  A wounded animal will bleed out if the wound is great enough but given a moment or two to recover will heal from great wounds.  This makes the Counting Coup rough.  You can get grievously injured and heal, reasonably quickly.   If you bring someone wounded here they heal fast.  Not instantly but a broken arm heals in a weak, a gut shot in a month.  Be careful.  
 
<span style=color:darkgreen>((GM-Note:The PCs might want to rescue indigenous people.  Never know.  Also, I have a huge interest in the mountain-man trapper period. Jeremiah Johnson, John Colter, Jim Bridger, Joseph Walker, etc. Real and fictional.  Jeremiah Johnson is one of my favorite movies.  I had hoped some of these heroes might come to amber as well.