Relmopator-AoS

RELMOPATOR'S ARTICLE OF SUBMISSION-5230 AR

In this Year 5230 as measured by the Calendar of Amber, in the Reign of Random the First, I, Relmopator Barimen, Son of Sir Kadith and Lady Satura of Montagar, Grandson of Dworkin of Amber and Lady Verna of Montagar, do hereby tender my Article of Submission.

I shall protect my homeland of Amber and all of her interests, I shall be loyal to the Crown of Amber, I shall sow no sedition and I shall commit no acts of treason against the Crown or Kingdom. I am at your service; call upon me when needed.

Relmopator Barimen

RELMOPATOR'S RESUBMITTED ARTICLE OF SUBMISSION-5282 AR

Upon hearing that others had submitted Articles that were long-winded descriptions of who they were in the past and how they have changed over the years... and how many have re-submitted their Article, I thought it time I do the same; especially considering all that has transpired since I first came to Amber over 50 years ago.

Being raised in Shadow, with no knowledge of Amber or the Courts of Chaos, clueless as to the true nature of the Universe, one might think I lived a life of blissful ignorance... well, for a time, my childhood, I did. I was raised by my mother, Satura, and my father, Sir Kadith, as well as my maternal grandparents, Dworkin and Verna. I was literate at a very young age, in several languages, mother was teaching me to write and grandfather Dworkin had just begun teaching me Cantrips. My life seemed idyllic, but... like everyone's childhood it seems, it was a lie.

Then Dworkin's madness returned as did some of his memories of who he really was and he disappeared after a horrible incident with some local wizards, apparently forgetting the life he had in Montagar. The family tragedies began to pile up like cord wood after that and they didn't stop even after he returned to 'rescue his family'; but it was already too late. The man that I thought was my father was dead as were my mother and grandmother, or so I thought; later I found out they had survived but they had gotten separated and my mother had been abducted. Dworkin said I was not safe in Montagar so he took me to a Shadow where he said I would be safe and then he got me enrolled in an Academy of Magic, Low Order, and said he would be back for me when things were safer for me... then he disappeared again, this time for over thirty years.

I spent a decade or so at the Academy, learning all I could and then some. Unlike most young wizards, I was older and a bit wiser and decided it best to be over prepared for the life of adventuring so I stayed on at the Academy for way longer than any other student ever had.... except for one who started when I did but left well after I finally did.

I spent 20 some odd years as an Adventuring Wizard, amassing power and wealth and a reputation... mostly the reputation. But the misfortunes and tragedies of my family seemed to follow me even when I had none; I made some poor decisions in my early adventuring career and though it did gain me power, it also brought with it many curses; I was forced to make a deal with a Malevolent Being in exchange for getting my Ability to perform Magic back. First my body was forcibly changed (I was unaware of my Shape Shifting abilities at that time) and it caused more or less constant pain, my way of performing Magic was altered forcing me to relearn casting rituals and also forcing me to channel my Magic through the Being in order to cast spells. The rest of my Adventuring Years brought friendships and enemies, riches and poverty, power and consequences... and many more 'curses' before I finally believed I had achieved some sense of stability and some true power in the latest 'curse' to my body which changed me into a 'living vampire' and my latest acquisition of an island castle containing, what I would now term, a Construct of Power.

I was well into my 50's by this time, well past mid-life for most humans living in that world and a very long life for an Adventuring Wizard, but it was just the beginning of my adventure and truly the just the beginning of my life, for that is when Dworkin returned; he told me it was still unsafe, but that it was time I learned more abou the True Nature of the Universe in order to protect myself. First, he taught me about Shape Shifting, which I had possessed since birth but had never been aware of, so I could firstly correct the 'vampire thing'. Then he took me through Shadow to a place called Ambir where I walked a Pattern and learned of its powers, then Dworkin taught me about other High Order Powers like Trump Artistry, Sorcery and Conjuration... this is when I created my Familiar, Bob, with the help of Dworkin. But most importantly, he told me about the true nature of the universe; Amber, Shadows, the Courts of Chaos, Family... and then he took me back into Shadow and told me to stay away from Amber and the Courts for the time being and to be wary of anyone claiming to be Family... he said he would return for me when it was safe.... Dworkin said that a lot, I notice.

I spent the next century or so becoming more adept with my new Powers and exploring Shadow after Shadow, learning new Low Order Magics, collecting Low Order Magical Items to experiment upon with my High Order Powers. I spent most of those years in Shadows where Magic functions, since this has always been my medium of power, and I learned much about Magic and how to manipulate it from Shadow to Shadow and also how to Conjure Artifacts and Creatures and Empower them enough to keep from 'unraveling' every time I moved to a new Shadow. But over time I learned more about how to use Trump and Pattern and I began exploring more Shadows containing Technology and Advanced Sciences; I learned the Basics of the Sciences of many Shadows to help expand my knowledge base... I found Medicine and Anatomy extremely interesting and spent more time learning those Sciences than some of the others.

But after adventuring around Shadow for a century, I realized that my power would be greater if I could get an Imprint of the True Pattern, not just a Shade, as Grandfather had called it. So, I spent some time making my back to Ambir and then spent a decade or so haunting the Shadows in the area, trying to find a sneaky way into Amber... which I never did, lots of public ways in though, but no way for me to get closer than I was without being noticed... and Grandfather had told me to stay hidden...

Then, one day, Dworkin appeared, as he does, and told me it was time to go to Amber and swear fealty to the King, which I did, and I tendered my Article of Submission as all others had done before me. But, if I am to be perfectly honest, now, after all I have learned and experienced, the conviction of my words, like the content of my Article, were meager and lacked substance... if they could be measured in a glass jar they would have been gaseous at best, back at that time when I first arrived in Amber. It's not that my Article was a hollow promise; I am a man of my word, but if I found I didn't like it in Amber I would have simply left and not returned and I would have done nothing to break my vow to Amber if possible. I had been an Adventurer my entire life and had never sworn fealty to any Noble or Royal, nor any Land, Kingdom or Empire in all that time; I was accustomed to a life of freedom and travel... which I could have had and still could... but I wanted more power and access to all of Shadow, and swearing Fealty to the Crown of Amber was the way to get it. And I believed then, as I still do today, that it was a worthy trade.

So, as I had done when I arrived at the Academy of Magic back in Greyhawk City, I did when I arrived in Amber; I cloistered myself away in study and research. I spent most of my time in the lower levels of Castle Amber in my Laboratory and unofficial apartment or the Pattern Chamber... and I visited the Library often. I was rarely seen elsewhere in the Castle, except during Family Functions, and very rarely ventured out into the City, except by night and only for short forays to gather components or pickup a bit of gossip. That is how I spent my first 40 years in Amber... getting ready.... or so I thought. That is also the period of time when I got my new 'family nick-name'; The Vampire of the Depths. I'm not certain who first called me that, but I have a strong suspicion, but I am not offended by the nick-name, in fact, I rather fancy it.

When I requested to visit a place called Adagalasck to investigate a Family matter concerning my mother, Satura, and her captor, my step father, Hagalta, I was made an Ambassador of Amber to the Primal Realm of Adagalasck, where I then traveled to and where I learned a new culture, partially my culture, learned more of my Adask heritage, met and befriended two estranged Amberite cousins, opened a sealed Realm, reunited two sets of separated spouses, learned that Hagalta was actually my Father as well as my Uncle, and that my Grandmother was actually Vox, daughter of Oberon... which explains a period in my life where I became a Dragon... but I digress. My actions there brought about Prince Julian being named the West Wind, unseating Hagalta in the process. This brought to a head the political tensions of the land and a war ensued that ended in victory for Adagalasck and Amber, and defeat for Hagalta and the forces of Tonacat of Azcala, whom Hagalta had made a deal with after being ousted from Adagalasck, but not before he snuck into the dungeons of Amber and walked the Pattern, thus proving his heritage to all and gaining a bit more power for himself. I also gained a bit of power for myself in the form of the Imprint of the Spiral of the Winds, and I freed my mother and setup many trade deals and many travel destinations for tourists wishing to visit the newly opened Realm.

And then, just recently, I asked to be relieved of my duties as Ambassador to Adagalasck so I could travel and do some things I wanted to do; I was told by you, King Random, that Oberon was fond of saying, 'Even death is no escape from Service', and that's how I found myself watching over a Son of Chaos, which led to us visiting the Keep of the Four Worlds, then the Fane of Zilla, followed by a trip over the Abyss to the Courts of Chaos and a notable Noble House (his father's House), where we got involved in a 'family matter' concerning the Son of Chaos, which led to a near Incident with Amber which was thankfully averted, and then ended with... new and exciting things for myself and the Crown of Amber.

So now, as I prepare myself to Proceed with King Random along the Jeweled Road through Shadow to Mandalay and eventually all the way to the Courts of Chaos, I resubmit my Article and reaffirm my fealty and loyalty to the Crown of Amber. And on this day, were you to measure the conviction of my words, much like my resubmitted Article, you would find that measuring glass filled with a substance like lava, which over time as it cools, will become more solid.

I am honored to offer my service to Amber and the Crown. Call upon me and I shall answer. Relmopator Barimen; Lord, Ambassador and Sorcerer of Amber Son of Hagalta and Satura, Gandson of Dworkin and Vox