Patternfall

Commentary on a term in common usage in the Jeweled Amber Milieu.

"Patternfall? What can be said? It was a break in the continuity of the universe. It was a battle in a great war. It was the failing of a family. It was Brand's fault. It was Oberon's fault. It was Eric's fault. It was my fault. The term covers many failings and many people's faults. You of all people gonna to use that against me, Vance? You were there for it. It was your fault too. You could have stopped it. I could have stopped it. Oberon could have stopped it. Brand certainly could have stopped it. The term should mean a failing in many ways and by many people."

Dworkin Bariman , in the Library of Amber, 5203

There are many uses for the term Patternfall in many lands. It has political meanings, military meanings, and social meanings. However they all relate to one Event.

Patternfall refers to the effect caused by the marring of the Primal Pattern of Amber by Prince Brand of Amber and the repair of the Pattern by King Oberon of Amber.

Other uses:

• The term is also used to refer, in come contexts, to the period corresponding to the end of the Black Road War between Chaos and Amber. The war is sometimes called the Patternfall War.
• Patternfall is often used to refer to the Battle of Patternfall fought on the edge of the Abyss by the forces of Chaos and Amber.
• Patternfall is sometimes used to refer to the magical effect that occurred across shadow when the attempt to repair the pattern began. All users of High Order magics connected to the Pattern of Amber had a system wide disruption causing spell effects to fail, including all hung spells unraveling. While the disruption was brief it effected any Amber high order magics across shadow. Many constructs and pattern inscribed items failed momentarily. Some never recovered while some became greatly more powerful.
• Patternfall is used in some esoteric circles to describe the cration of squiggles as results of failures to finish inscribing a pattern. Bursain is commonly called a Patternfall Squiggle though the term predates the other uses of the term since it was created before the black Road War.