Cousins
The Cousins
King Random's Decree
Twenty years after Random assumed the throne of Amber her made a startling decree. He ordered all of his siblings to produce the children they hid in Shadow. Merlin was around a lot in those days, as was Martin. Jurt and Despil, Merlin's brothers, sons of Dara and Great grandchildren of Benedict had both moved to Amber. Despil as the Ambasador to Amber from Chaos, and Jurt as Thin Whip, patron of a disreputable rave bar in the industrial district of the City of Amber. By this time we also knew about Dalt and Rinaldo and Coral. Dalt was a sibling of Random's of course as was Coral, but Rinaldo was a child of Brand. Arloxedra, Eric's eldest son had been brought to Amber by his father and crowned as Crown Prince. We had also heard rumors of a child of Eric's names Derek. Warrick, a child of Coral and Corwin's arrived from Begma and disappeared into Avalon, but popped out with more regularity then Corwin had.
The final straw was Rebma sending Rene, a erudite aristocrat, to Amber as its Ambassador then casually announcing he was the son of Moire and, oh yes, Corwin.
Random had a cow. Not literally, he didn't shape shift well at the time.
So Random had a fit and drank a bunch. Then he called us all together and said this:
"Ok folks. Its time to shake the trees. Out there in shadow are our children. Some hate us, some love us, some don't know about us. Its intolerable. Its dangerous. I cant have siblings and kinsman come rambling into Amber , pissed at all creation and out for blood. Its had on my nerves and hard on the battlements.
I know some of you have kids you have been guarding. I know there are siblings of ours out there in hiding. Thats over. Bring them in. I want to meet every branch of the family tree. I don't care what grudges they bear and i don't care if they run off into shadow never to return after i interview them.
So, go get them. Fail me not"
In the Jeweled Amber Campaign the term Cousins became a common usage slang for the children of the Elders.
As the Cousins arrived He further decreed that he was making it a mission of the realm to locate those of the blood and determine their standings, issues, complaints or needs. These were not welcomed decrees.
Benedict, Marshal of Amber, was heard to groan grumpily beneath his breath. Caine, Spy-master of Amber, frowned. Bleys, a playwright and, at the time, an habitual drunk, laughed. Julian admitted he had a son that had been living in Arden for 200 years. Even Flora blushed (and turned out to have a reason to blush)
Sheepishly, and not without a fair bit of worry, they brought their children to court.
Random met them, assigned Fiona to over see their magical instruction, Gerard to over see their martial training, and Bleys, despite his adamant and ultimately pointless refusals, was to be who the Cousins sought out with questions of other natures.
In time Random swore them to Amber, saw that they assayed the Pattern, gave them a set of his new Trumps, and wished them well on their adventures.
Yet since the initial call, more children keep coming in.
Cousin did not mean strictly the children of the Elders. The term "Kinsman" was also commonly used. Cousins came to refer to anyone of the blood of Amber, able to walk the Pattern, and not a child of Oberon. So though Coral and Martin were of somewhat the same age, Coral was an Elder, and Martin was a Cousin. In Time Martin was to become sort of the acknowledged senior of the Cousins, with Merlin a close second.
