Mandalay

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The Primal Realm of Mandalay and the Mark of Mandalay. A major realm in the Jeweled Amber Campaigns.


Mandalay stones.gif

Ygg

Mandalay stones.gif

"I am the end of Chaos, and of Order, depending upon how you view me. I mark a division. Beyond me other rules apply."

Ygg,

Mandalay stones.gif


After the creation of Avalon, the damaging of the pattern of Amber, and the resurgent militancy of Chaos, Ygg grew worried about the damage done to the shadows that span the points of power. Ygg contacted a child of Oberon named Adrian who shared similar worries. He had given shade to this son of Oberon on many a long year and they had been friends since his planting. They began discussing a way to defend the sanctity of the shadowlands against the depredations of the families at either ends of shadow who, despite empirical evidence, doubted the reality of the shadows until their regard was cast upon them.

A deal was struck. Mandalay is the result. The story of its creation can be read elsewhere. Mark_of_Creation-Manadaly

Mandalay is a Primal Artifact forged upon a jewel-encrusted root Ygg grew for the act. The Mark of Mandalay casts shadows as does the Patterns of Amber & Avalon.

King Adrian rules the realm, a child of Oberon unknown till the creation. The court is held at the Vale of Plenty. This is a large verdant plain dominated by Ygg, now a massive tree. The Hub of Ygg, a raised, polished bar, 25 miles in circumference, circles Ygg at a distance of 8 miles out. It is filled with plenty, and is endlessly replenished.

From this place a sense of well being emanates outward to effect the health of plants, animals, waters, and the very land that comprises shadow. Avalon is most closely effected due to its proximity, and Chaos & Amber both feel the wash of its power. Opinion is mixed about whether this is a good idea or not.

Low hills ring the Vale of Plenty at a distance of 16 miles. To the South of the Vale of Plenty is the Vale of Song. To the north is the Garden. To the East is the Vale of Flowers and to the West is The Vale of Rocks. The Jeweled Road leads east to west and has it's only break in the Vale of Plenty. Good luck marching an army through this mess. Eastward lies Amber; westward lies Chaos.

One of the many oddities of Mandalay is that when one decides to travel from one area to another, they think on it and the distance seems to shrink. Consequently rather than walking the 29 miles from Ygg to the Vale of Song one needs to merely decide to go to the Vale and within a mile's walk one arrives there. Not actually teleporting, sort of like skimming, one frequently sees striders appear, take 4 or 5 steps, and disappear. Of course, the striders may be going someplace but they can turn aside at any time.

Places in Mandalay

A sentient talking tree, originally quite small, gnarled and ancient-looking, of no known species, roughly halfway between Amber and Chaos. It claims to have been planted by Oberon. Generally it seems not to have much to say.

Regardless of the route one takes through shadow, Ygg (or the shadow it is in) always seems to be there, roughly halfway between Amber and Chaos. It has been a major point of convergence and a paramount destiny trap laid by Oberon at in the first century of Amber. The idea was that if shadowwalkers stray towards the Courts of Chaos they would have to pass Ygg.

Vale of Plenty

The center of Mandalay is the vast plain of the Vale of Plenty. Low hills ring the Vale of Plenty at a distance of 16 miles. To the South is the Vale of Song. To the north is the Vale of Flowers. To the East is the Vale of Rocks and to the West is The Garden. A wide road of 5 & 7 sided stones leads east & west. East Lies Amber, west lies Chaos.

Graceful towers, mansions and humble dwellings rim the hills of surrounding the Vale of Plenty. Yet no permanent of buildings exist in the Vale itself. From the mid point of the hills to the 12 mile ring tents, and vast campgrounds exist.

  • The Hub of Ygg provides all the food anyone could ever need.

Vale of Song

Vale of Flowers

Vale of Rocks

This region is on the Jeweled Road on the Chaos side of Mandalay. It is a desolate area of jagged rocks, outcroppings, uneven ground and mesas. Nearly every type of sharp rocks can be found in this area.

The Hub of Ygg

This is the actual area including the Mark of Mandalay, The Wheel, the Greetings Areas of the interior of the hub.

The Jeweled Road

The Jeweled Road is a massive construct stretching from Amber to Chaos. At the creation of mandalay a vast number of shadow trails, commercial routes and highways throughout shadow. At the time of the mark's creation Amber was also nearly finished with a massive re-pavement and upgrading of services project in amber featuring the creation of an extensive sewer project, running water plumbing and resurfacing of the streets and highways of amber with puzzled stone. All the streets of Amber were now covered by puzzled stone well out into shadow and as far as Diaga. Suddenly the road came into existence as an act of creation and shadow reverberation. Thus a road 30' wide now extended from the city of Amber to the Fane of Zilla. Nice trick.

The road can be traveled from Amber to Mandalay in 10 days. From Mandalay to Chaos in 5 days. It takes 2 days to clear Mandalay. A very good trick indeed.

The Garden

In a vale to the northeast of the Hub of Mandalay is a quiet little realm apart from the universe. Wide golden boughs span beneath a soft sky, where flowers abound in a realm of terraces, gazeboes, and private nooks. The air smells of honeysuckle and love.

Conception will not take place, nor can diseases transfer. A person with a social disease who sleeps the night alone in the Garden awakes cleaned of the taint. Many magical conditions can be cleansed by a night of rest here. Also, those who enter the Garden together can determine whether or not others entering can find them.

The realm is littered with tiny cabins, gazeboes, covered niches, and secluded meadows that can provide privacy to the lovers. They can not be disturbed nor interrupted, not contacted by trump nor surprised by REALLY loud screaming.

Nel's Brook

House of Longing

House of Useful Things

House of Glee

House of Joy

House of All Known Things

Tir Mar Gala

This place, like Tir no'gath in Amber, is a stairway up to a shadowy reflection of the Hub of Mandalay. It appears only once a month, rising from the pathway into the Vale of Song

Unlike Tir No'gath this is not a realm of prophecy, it is a realm of solitude. It is a cloudy realm that is death for the deathless, rest for the restless, and peace for the haunted.

Adrian tells me that in this cloudy realm one need only lay down to sleep to doze into peaceful, dreamless sleep. The sleeper wakes briefly once a month, to decide if he wishes to continue his rest. They may even determine how long they wish to rest. A month, a year, a century is all the same to Tir Mar Gala.

While here they can not be trumped, detected, taken against their will, nor slain, harmed or found. One may heal here, so if you are damaged, crippled, maimed or otherwise injured, and need some rest, this is the place to let all your cares go by.

The Jeweled Road

Information on the road may be found here: The Jeweled Road

Holders of an imprint of the Mark of Mandalay have an affinity to the road. They can detect it aas they shadow walk and can tell where various sections are within a ride range of shadows.

While walking on it a imprint holder heals at a greatly increased rate. In Mandalay there are special hospitals built on sections of the road for imprint holders who become direly wounded.

Automats:

Automats are businesses designed to produce certain types of goods using Energy to Matter conversion units. Energy to Matter replicators are common in the Dramaturge. They are found in many Automat locations publicly as well as being available in nearly all residences and businesses. Matter like refuse can be placed in them and transmuted into nearly anything. Programming them can be as easy as placing an item in the replicator and directing it to produce a duplicate of the item and store its replication matrix.

Some Automats are specific to producing food. Some allow individuals to place and order and take their to be eaten on the premises or to be take eaten elsewhere. Some are cafateria style where a person walks through a line choosing items produced by replicators. These often provide examples of other restaurants and are essentially advertisements designed to entice a diner to seek out the actual venue that produces the meal freshly rather then replicating it.

Many goods stores, similar to walmarts, have basic materials available for no charge, created by replication. Basic clothes, furniture, craft equipment, and all matter of objects are available for free.

Why Automats?

While many of the items available from the Automats are duplications of items available in many of the venues there is something in the sense of pride of eating someone's fresh art work or displaying artwork created by hand or craft that is deep in the thinking of the residents of Mandalay. Mandalay is a place of peace and creativity which the Automates

Adrian's Dramaturgy

Adrian's Dramaturgy or the Dramaturge is a massive collection of amphitheaters in a long, narrow, valley between the Vale of Plenty and the Vale of Song. An area of 66 million square miles, roughly the size and shape of South America. It has one long main drive mostly covered with the Jeweled Road and many smaller communities and cities.

Its complex of production areas, training and practice rooms, stages, stadiums and apartment buildings are a center of entertainment like few in shadow.

Many gateways and shadowtrails lead here. People who arrive by one of a thousand different ways other than walking out of the Vale of Plenty or the Vale of Song, can not leave the region of the Dramaturgy without assistance.

This is a showcase zone like no where else in shadow. A thousand shadows send their best performers here to display their skills. Many of the performers never leave. Many live here, and living here, as in Amber, they become young and long-lived, if not immortal. When people travel shadow by the pull of the Dramaturgy they arrive young regardless of the age they left their home shadow as.

The Venue is the center of life in the Dramaturgy. These are individual businesses , performing spaces, or such of many designs. Regions are overseen by local Mayors who assist people in finding venues.

For and Example of a Region in the Dramaturge see Vencalak ===Places in the Dramaturge

Cabri Carts

These are the best snack carts to be found anywhere, with a vast profusion of finger foods and drinks. Each is staffed with a stand-up comedian or improvisational actor auditioning for parts in the established theaters. Auditions might take years as they dispense portable potables. The results are outrages, profane, bizarre, often morbid, and hilariously funny.

The Resheika Theater

This presents only works by Shakespeare, Alvian, Dresir, Mondolian, Shaw, Arthur Miller and the famed, and well-respected dramatist, Bleys of Amber. The Resheika Troop does only the highest of class productions.

The Hop Shop

A comedy shop where the Cabri come for open mic nights and you are very likely to see famous celebrities from the length and breadth of shadow plying their trade. One might catch Robin William, George Carlin and Droppa Ma Pantz doing a three-man show once. Spectacular.

Miko's Bashery

This place caters to, aaa..low brow humor, shall we say? Here you will find people destroying a wide variety of things; not for the weak of heart. The only rule is that you can not kill it specifically for the show. However, you can kill it, even sacrifice it, if you plan to eat it afterwards. Oh, and no sentient victims.

Kanil Dri's

A concert hall for orchestra and opera. Never a dull moment, never a note off key, never a warbling soprano unless the libretto calls for it.

The Bijou Multiplex

A massive movie theater with 10,000 screens. Rooms hold 12 to 12000 seats. The IMAX and ALLMAX halls seat up to 20k. The holoform rooms seat as few as 2 or as many as 30. Show times are set ahead of time.

The Bellevue Multiplex

Next to the Bijou is the Bellevue. It has 5000 small theatres that can be reserved for private shows. Then the renter may either provide their own piece, or pick from the unlimited collection owned by the Bellevue itself.

Shiki Lee's

A jazz/swing dance club that can't be beat. Great tunes, great beat and lots of movement, cold drinks and willing women. Adrian, you lucky dog.

The Forum of Gold

This massive concert hall features mainly loud techno music of the sort earth-folks term Metal or hard rock. The big bands and the big shows from a thousand different techno shadows either come here or have their shows holographically presented here.


Dandaro's Quilia Theater

Impresario Dandaro Alaguilla is a famous theater owner from the shadow of Quilal. He ran theater companies for 90 years before he lapsed into dementia and was preparing woefully for death. One night he arose in a delirium and slipped past family and friends and wandered off into his hometown. The forces of Mandalay called to him and unknowingly he followed a shadow tugging that brought him to the Dramaturge. He is famous for dramatic and comedic small to medium cast plays, many of which he acted in before transitioning into a producer and theater owner.

Gasita's Boutique

Dame Alita Gasita is a potter. She was famous for her work in her home shadow of Drisala before coming to the Dramaturge by the Jeweled Road. She brought with her from her home world the type of pottery clay she likes, and many of the powders and paints she uses for glazes, she puts them in the boutique's replicator and logs the materials. She may from time to time import clay from home but in general does not need to.

She is known for making Clay pipes, both plain and elaborate. Plain ones fetch 20 Obs. Elaborate ones run 100 Obs. These are suggested prices of course and the actual returns may vary.

Lagal Jall A one man venue

Lagal Jall is a gardener. He serves in the park that Gasita's boutique and the Quilia Theater both open onto. He is an incredible tender of plants and is knowledgeable in design and construction. He knows many artistic plant styles and seems to have an encyclopedic knowledge of plant and animal life.

  • Jall is a Non-Born of Mandalay. He came into being at the time of the creation of Mandalay fully adult with his vast store of knowledge. He obviously has no parents or siblings. He is fairly single minded and does not like talking about being a duplicate of a person in shadow. He has the memories of having had a family growing up but knows he personally was not the person who experienced those memories. This is typical of Non-Borns.

Dash Tours

Sponsored by Lord Dashel, this business guides people to places in shadow to witness special events. Musical events, sporting events, natural disasters.


The Ob

The term "Ob" also is used in the meaning of obligations in the sense of favors given and favored owed. The saying "You have a card in the deck" to refer to a political favor would have a confusing meaning in Amber. Terms like "chip in the Game" or "There's an Ob owed" are used instead.

The stones themselves were created as an aspect of Adrians act of creation and are pointed as bellow.

  • 1 pip-Extra Hard: Nearly indestructible under normal wear and tear, they can be destroyed in many ways if one really wants to.
  • 1 pip-sensitivity: This is the ability to transmit their authenticity to anyone and to be reacted to by the Lords who can sense their history of use and can purify them.
  • x4 Shadow Wide
    • 8 Pips (Paid by Adrian)

Services in Mandalay

Dashel's Musical Tours. Lord Dashal and his associates lead tours into shadow to witness and experience a wide range of performances.

The Green Belt and Green Sway

Green Belt

This is the region of shadows directly effected by Mandalay. Like the Golden Circle of Amber, The Black Zone of Chaos, and the Silver Ring of Avalon, Mandalay is surrounded by the Green Belt. This layer of influences spreads widely in Amber.

Falri

Falri is a few shadow veils away from the Hub itself. It is a fey world and the central realm for them in a primal land based on nature. The place is powerfully nature oriented and its people are fiercely partisan.

This realm is ruled, to the degree a realm of fey creatures can be ruled by Zala fey-a full fairy, and her companion, Psaltry, a female Titanide.

Zalafey.jpgPsaltry.jpg

It has gentle rains, warm pools, fresh fruits, clean vegetables, and enchanting company.

Green Line Accord

Mandalay has a Green Line Accord that is comparable to the Golden Circle Signatory Treaty (GCST) and the Black Zone Pact Instrument(BZPI). It is not as formal, and is more interested in mutual cultural exchange then military aid.

Green Sway

This is the shadows in proximity to Mandalay and influenced by the mark of Mandalay.


Powers of the Mark

Mark of Mandalay

The tale of the Mark of Mandalay's creation is given here-Mark of Creation-Mandalay

  • 50 pips Basic Imprint: Frame can hold 12 spells of any power level with great power.
  • 80 pips Advanced Imprint:Frame can hold 18 spells of any power level with great power.
  • 100 Pips Master's Imprint.: Frame can hold 24 spells of any power level with great power.
  • Permission to assay the Mark must be given by Ygg and Adrian. Once permission is given assaying the inscription is effortless.
  • Wearers of the Mark have extensive nature-oriented powers.
    • They may encourage to health any sick plant.
    • They may cause a plant to grow quicker depending on the psyche of the wielder.
    • A wielder may purify water. They may cause water to become a liquid appropriate substance for a specific plant.
    • A wielder may quench a natural fire. May cause fingertip fires.
    • A wielder can cause a seed to germinate regardless of the specific and even usual circumstances required by the plant.
    • A wielder may draw water from a plant.
  • Sign of the Mark can defend against direct magical attacks.
  • Holders of a mark imprint may walk in shadow by force of imaginative willpower.
  • The Sign of the Mark can be used defensively.
  • The Mark can empower high order sorcery. It also empowers a wide variety of Low Order magical systems through proxies in shadow.
  • The Mark rarely manifests. It has been known to work through pattern ghosts on rare occasion.
  • Wearer of the Mark may order any food they wish from the Hub of Ygg or any of its satellite units.

The Stones of Mandalay

Mandalay stones.gif

The stones of Mandalay are major artifacts of power, linked directly to the Hub of Mandalay itself.

In the creation of the Mark, Adrian had taken half of 5 First-Shadows of the Jewel of Judgment; Emerald, Ruby, Citrine, Sapphire, and Amethyst, and cut them in half. One half of each he put away, one half of each he carefully crushed, leaving tiny chips of each half. He then meticulously embedded each one into the root of Ygg. He used the Primal Jewel of Judgment to inscribe the Mark of Mandalay, each chip became a marble the size of a shooter stone.

The stones have powers based on their attunement but also have social importance. To become a Lord of Mandalay one must present to King Adrian of Mandalay one of each of the stones and 50 coins of service.

Each stone has specific powers and powers in common. They work especially well in conjunction with sorcery based magics but can also forcefully boost Wizardry, Magery, Listry and other wide-spread low order magics. They have effects in controlling trumps and may help boost them into protected realms.

Common Powers

  • Psyche Boost x1.5. This can be used in psyche battles and to push magics as a focus. One of each type of stone can be used at a time, their powers additive, not multiplicative. One stone is Psyche x 1.5. Two stones is Psyche x 2, 3 is P x 2.5, 4 is P x 3, 5 is P x 3.5. This is a general rule and the stones may work in different ways in different shadows. They are a dangerous and temperamental items that may cause more trouble then they are worth sometimes.
  • A stone placed in a body of water u to 50 gallons will purify it to pure water.
  • A stone placed in any liquid will purify it of poison to the person drinking it.
  • Stones tend to react to each other magnetically.
  • A tiny effort of concentration, a reaching to psyche, can cause the stones to glow and emit light.

Specific Powers

  • Red: Fire Effects, Fire Ripple on Weapons-Double Damage. Dropped in up to 50 gallons of liquid will cause the liquid to boil. When urged by psyche can create an area of 100sq feet to rise or fall in ambient temperature to a temperature comfortable to the stone holder.(This does not mean immunity to fire)
  • Green: Healing, earth magic. Heal plants. Left in contact to a plant will cause it to grow 3 times as fast and to grow in a healthy manner along the genetic ideal of their type. Buried in the ground will cause up to a plot of 16 acres of plants to grow at double speed and in a health fruitful manner.
  • Blue: Cold Based magics, weapon chill. In cold liquid up to 50 gallons will freeze, the stone ring to float on the surface of the ice.
  • Yellow: Concentration spells, research spells, mental magics. The stone when held in a hand will cure confusions, inebriations, and other focus issues. When urged by psyche the stone will emit ambient light, suitable for reading.
  • Purple: a mysterious stone, lending its powers to diverse efforts. Healing magics. The touch of the stone will expel malicious possession. Certain classes of spirits based creatures shy away from the stones. Mounted in items that have bound spirits or Dufiro the item will be extra robust and encourage the most powers from it.

Royal House of Mandalay

The royal family of Mandalay is descended from Amber and the House Bariman. King Adrian is the son of Oberon. His children are children of Amber. Royal blood does not automatically confer lordship.

King Adrian has three sons, Houk, Andre,and Kenshin and one daughter, Nadine.

  • Houk is the son of Sand as well. A skilled diplomat, he is the spymaster of Mandalay. Houk is a Houka, a teddy-bear-like creature a little over 3' tall. Fierce and imitative, Houk is a troublesome child.
  • Andre is a the Master of the Jugglers of Arn, a master Juggler troop that sidelines as assassins. He is a fine painters and the creator of Mandalay Trumps.
  • Nadine is as friendly a person as you would ever hope to meet.
  • Kenshin is a force of nature and the leader of the nominal military forces of Mandalay. Adrian tends to roll his eyes a lot around Kenshin and is not interested in the military aspects of the realm.

D-adrian.jpg Houk.jpgD kenshin.jpgAndre.jpgNadine.jpg

Lords of Mandalay

To become a Lord of Mandalay one must have 5 stones of Mandalay of different colors and 50 Coins of Service to Mandalay'

At the time of this writing there were 44 Lords of Mandalay. Each having gained his seat by service to Mandalay and dumb luck. Two forces Adrian respects; Luck and Service.

Lords (or Ladies) of Mandalay have wide authority in the naturalistic realm of Mandalay and its Silver Belt

The first of the Lords of Mandalay were Fleece and his pack- Hounds of Mandalay

The Hounds of Mandalay

The Hounds of Mandalay are a pack of hounds of tremendous power.

Fleece.jpg,Bruiser.jpg,Swift.jpg,Ripper.jpg Scorched.jpg,D-ghost.jpg,Tender.jpg,Clipper1.jpg Fangdunceimp1.jpg,Raid.jpg,Snack.jpg,Dwarfwolf.jpg

Wood Lords

Other Lords were present at the time of the creation of the Mark. They are called the Wood Lords or the Mysticum.

Houk.jpg,David-1.jpg,Johnson.jpg,Zalafey.jpg Psaltry.jpg,Shirly.jpgD-orsalla.jpgWolfgangg.jpg JasreeKempi.jpg,Mars-m.jpgOrson.jpg

The story of the Marks creation an be found here.

Seated Lords

Others assayed the Mark with the permission of Ygg and Adrian and are called the Seated Lords.

D-sand.jpg,Nadine.jpg,Elfwine1.jpg,D hamilton.jpg D-joseph.jpg,D kenshin.jpg,Deverox.jpg,Ghandi.jpg GeorgeC.jpg, Cab.jpg,Andre.jpgDashel1.jpg

Lords of Mandalay of the House of Bariman

  • D-adrian.jpg Son of Oberon-Master of Mandalay

Children of Adrian

  • Houk.jpg*D kenshin.jpg*Andre.jpgNadine.jpg

Children of Oberon in the service of Mandalay

  • D-sand.jpgD hamilton.jpg ,D-joseph.jpg ,Elfwine1.jpg
Fleece.jpg,Bruiser.jpgD-orsalla.jpg

Line of Bariman in the service of Mandalay

  • D-ghost.jpg Daughter of Bruiser and the Serpent of Chaos
  • Tender.jpg Son of Fleece and Bruiser
  • Dashel1.jpg Son of Finndo