Editing Tazilwere-Call to Kin

"Call to the Kin"
{''This version is for the Tazilwere Ambercon Game''}

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"''The Story as told, during an interlude in the Library of Amber by Arloxedra, to cats and kin.
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Arloxedra sits in his East nook of the Library of Amber, below the Astrolat Globe.  It's deep shadows cast from the fireplace give the room a warm glow.  A hot apple punch steams in a pot on the hearth.  A bottle of the Whiskey of Amber sits nearby to fortify the hot drink after pouring.  

Donovan, Skadi, and Chris sit in the padded chairs as their Elites Haris, Ariebah, and Alexandra sit back a ways to not intrude on the royal's conversation, but close enough to hear, and sample the punch.  Arlo's Elite, Darcy, lays curled up on a sofa further up the nook sleeping. He has heard the story before.  Darcy often says the best part of serving as Prince Arloxedra's Elite is all the sleep he gets. 

Arlo's companion, the great primal beast Cat sits on a perch high above the floor, preening, purring, and listening.  Elyane sits in a recessed alcove of the nook, partially sleeping yet listening to her boon companion Arloxedra tell a familiar tale.  

Arlo lights a cigarette and says, 

"Well, its a tale worth telling. Random has a good reason for being nervous about his kin and wanting them to all at least meet with him.  He comes by his worry fair.  Oberon made the family nervous by nature."

"First of all, Oberon was not wild about bringing his children here. Some he brought, some he marooned in shadow, some he built hard walls against ever getting here. His reasons lay with him in the Tomb of the Ancestor's of Darkness."

"The ones he brought he pit against each others in the hope that the strongest group, the cabal that cooperated best, would be the most likely to rule well.  A strange point of view. Foolish. However, Oberon set a powerful destiny trap like a rushing river to keep certain chhildren from being part of that contest.  As I go on I will tell you of Oberon's Broods; The First Brood, called the Monsters, the Second Brood-called the Elders, The Third Brood-called the Castout, and the Fourth Brood, the Unknowns."

" To be short about it lets just say this about the groupings. <span style=color:red> The Monsters are creatures he fathered before he was a person of great might.  He had little control over them and many became creatures of great might in their own realms.  With some notable exceptions they had little to do with Amber.</span><span style=color:green> The Second group, the Elders, he brought to Amber during his leadership of it and intended one of them to rule after him.</span><span style=color:blue>  The Third group he bore at various times after his kingship of Amber began but for one reason or another he did not want them to be involved in Amber, certainly not to rule it.</span><span style=color:purple>  The last were the Unknown, Amberites born late in his time and outside his control.</span>   King Random has one child at the moment but has to deal with many relatives.  The Line of House Bariman has 3 bloodlines: Oberon, Vincent, and Verna, but only Oberon is under discussion now.” 

"So in Amber, of the Second Brood, you had Benedict, Eric, Corwin, Dierdre, Gerard, Caine, Julian, Bleys, Fiona, Brand, Llewlla, Flora and Random as the well known royals. Of the Second Brood, A few had been brought to Amber, acknowledged, and then left of their own free will and for their own reasons.  The others he all but banished, in my opinion, as unworthy or dangerous.  He had 47 children we know about and only Eric is dead.  Well, Dead dead.  A couple of the Monsters straddle the line between dead and alive, but I digress”

"Delwin & Sand were born in shadow, raised there and brought to Amber by Oberon as adults when he married their mother Harla.  Ill-treated by the others, they left when their mother aged poorly and retired her queenship.  

"Elfwine, of an age with Benedict, had lived in shadow for centuries but handled certain royals poorly.  He disappeared and was unheard of for thousands of years.  

"Evelyn, born around the time Corwin was born though not of the same mother, is said to have been frail, sad, and reclusive, even in Amber.  She spent her time in the forests, where she made friend with the deep Fea of Amber.   She and Corwin were close, traveling in shadow together, but in time she did not return.  

"Nina and Emile were brought to Amber when Julian and Gerard were young and the four had some adventures together.  Then one day they were gone.  This much I know of them from reports and stories of the time. That they have been part of recent adventures does not really effect this story.

"Hamilton came to Amber as Oberon's Swordbearer for a time till he was recognized and walked the pattern.  He has not returned to Amber since he transported off the Pattern."

"The stage was set for the battle royale and when the war came it spiraled out of Oberon's control.

"So Patternfall comes and it all plays itself out as you all know.  Oberon goes into the Tomb of the Ancestors of Darkness, good riddance, and Random gets his chair.  We know Random was not Oberon's choice.   He was the Unicorn's Choice.

"In the early days after the Patternfall War the new king of Amber had to learn to do a dozen things at once and found he needed help. 

"He convinced his sister Florimel to tend to the nobles and the newly arriving dignitaries flooding in to swear fealty and meet the new king. They all seemed to buy town houses in the city. When they came to court they came brought chests full of formal wear and eligible daughters with an eye on Martin. 

From her alcove Elyane chuckles.

"Hey Arlo, remember when Martin told the ambassador from Diaga and his annoying daughter that he wasn't interested in making some noble daughter into a queen, but he might make some noble son one.  Then asked the ambassador if he had any sons?"

Arlo laughs,

"Yes, Flora is still annoyed by that.  She had to deal with a score of Golden Circle kingdoms changing Ambassadors so the new ones could bring eligible sons for Martin.  Then Martin told them it was a joke!  

Elyane adds, "Yes, but not before taking a dozen of the noble boys off into shadow with him and getting them all geared up high tech.  I've liked Martin ever since.'' 

Arlo continues, "Next Random coerced Benedict into accepting the role of Marshal of Amber, which is a story in itself. He ordered Benedict to expand the standing army and to develop technological forces. That's how we got a Star Fleet.

"He put Gerard in charge of the Navy, with Caine as his third in command. That Caine was really the Spymaster of Amber was one of the worst kept secrets in the kingdom. 

"At this point its worthy to mention that there were several members of the other group of Amberites which is important to the three of you; "''The Cousins"''. These are children of the Elders. At the time of Patternfall these included Martin-son of Random, Myself and my brother Derek-sons of Eric, Truman- son of Gerard, Elyane-daughter of Flora, and Duncan-son of Julian. Now the Cousins include nearly anyone not a grandson of Dworkin. 

"Random became a very active monarch and he used his siblings to help improve many aspects of the city, kingdom and empire of Amber.  

"His well known renovations included indoor plumbing, magical street lighting, puzzled stone roadways.  

"Time went on.  Merlin having come to Amber after Patternfall, went out into shadow to gain a liberal education and while doing so met Luke, now known as Rinaldo, son of Brand.  They had some adventures. Dalt turned up as part of Merlin's adventures, a son of Oberon and Delee the Desecratix, a friend of Rinaldo's.

"Benedict and Gerard ran across Borlak deep in shadow, and reminded Random of him.

"Coral, the daughter of a Begman noblewoman, surprised Merlin by walking the pattern. She was a by-blow of Oberon's, apparently his last and is listed in the Fourth Brood.

" Sometime after Merlin's adventures the Courts of Chaos sent Despil, the son of Dara and Gramble Sawall, to Amber as the Ambassador of Chaos and his brother Jurt, followed him and started running a dive bar in the city. Despil quietly informed the King of a collection of Hendrake nobles; descendants Benedict and Lintra.  Principally 3 daughters; Maylon, Doria and Desri. He said Dara, and hence Merlin, Despil and Jurt, were part of the line descended from Maylon. 

"Suspicions arose that Osric and Finndo might not be dead, and this reminded many people that three of Oberon's oldest children were alive as well, Cymnea, Orsolla, and Elfwine.  Cymnea, his daughter, he took to wife before he was aware she was his daughter and she bore him Osric, Finndo,Benedict, and Borlak.  She was ruled of Amber, as a queen, for 1200 years before the official creation of the Kingdom of Amber at the time of Oberon's marriage to Fiellla.  When Oberon dissolved their marriage, making their children illegitimate, it was apparently a huge disaster. 

"It was well known that Delwin and Sand were somewhere in shadow, avoiding the whole lot of the kinship. However, Benedict had found a son of Delwin's, Vance, who had a love of baseball, military endeavors, going fast & flying things.  The two of them became thick as thieves and suddenly Amber had a entire Star Fleet.

"Rebma sent their new Ambassador in the person of the dapper Rene Mior Royi, who happened to be the son of Corwin and Moire.

"Random told a small gathering about his own full siblings, Mirelle and Giovanni. This caused Gerard, Caine and Julian to bristle when they were reminded these two probably still lived. They did not say why but it is known that the sons of Rilga have little reason to love Ranom's mother, Paulette.

"When in exasperation Random asked, rhetorically, how many children did "''Bloody Oberon"'' have? Dworkin calmly answered 47. Random took Bleys and disappeared into shadow, telling the court he was going out to get a drink.

"This was Random's first long vacation from the Throne.  Almost a year in Amber.  He refused trump calls so efficiently that suddenly they were being answered by Lady Carly, his Trump correspondent.

"What happened on his return is documented in several places but the story is essentially the same in them all. 

"When he returned on the anniversary of the 20th year of his reign and he called a meeting and included several of the oldest family retainers such as [[Dame Margot]], Duchess Solange Charenton, Lady Ain Breakwithe-Smythe, Hymal Urien, as well as William Roth, newly created Counsel to the King, and of course, Queen Viale.

"The family assembled, but beside the usual elders included such as Llewella, Merlin, Martin, Rinaldo, Dalt, Elyane, and myself. 

"Random was clearly pissed when he arrived.  He came in dressed in his finest royal robes, wearing the state jewels, the coronation crown, Oberon's blade, and the Jewel of Judgment.

"Bleys, clearly drunk and nervous, was dressed in his finery as well. Before him glowed the Sign of the Pattern, visibly present, an act so unprecedented among sorcerers who usually leave their Sigil invisible. Freshly hung spells shimmered in the glowing frame. Sorcerers with the talent to tell which spells hung in the frame saw that they were strong dueling spells.

"Dworkin took a seat quietly in a high balcony, smoking a long pipe.

"Random announced a decree to the assemblage. He demanded that all those of the line of Bariman, descended from Dworkin, through Oberon, would come to court and make themselves known. Those who wished to be in the king's good graces and remain in fealty to Amber would write an Article of Submission. Those who did not wish to write such an article were welcome to go about their business but the King would meet them and know them. 

"He looked at his siblings and said, "Olly Olly Oxen free. All come home. Bring your children in. The time for hiding them is over. Hiding them was necessary before but now its simply too dangerous not knowing who is out there, perhaps keeping a dark hatred for Amber. I consider them a clear and present danger to the security of the realm. You will tell me of your progeny and we shall discuss how to proceed with them."

"He turned to Bleys and said unequivocally. "Do it."

"Bleys walked up to Julian, placing the glowing sign between them and said, "Julian of Amber. Do you know of any children of the blood not in Amber?" 

"He did. His own son Duncan who had been raised in Arden. He also knew of Eric's son Derek, deep in shadow.  He believed Eric had another son as well. 

"Fiona was next, though she flirted with raising her own sign briefly, she demurred. She admitted to having a son named Marke and a daughter Emma.  She admitted to knowing where several others were. Doria, a daughter of Benedict; Dashel, a son of Finndo, and Galvar, a son of Osric. She also knew where to find Sand and Delwin, Orsolla, Evelyn, and Josef.  Delwin had a son and Sand had a daughter, though she had not met them.    

"Bleys admitted he had a son.  He also knew something of Benedict's children with Lintra; Maylon, Doria, & Desri though they lived under other names themselves.

"When confronted by Bleys and the Sigil of Order, Flora fainted, but no one was convinced. She revealed that she had bore a daughter named Elayne and fathered a son named Zachary.  She explained that she had learned to shapechange in her youth but had kept the skill a secret.  Fiona remarked that her having such a skill was remarkable and unexpected.  Soon after this Flora began teaching shapechange skills to siblings who had thought little could be learned from her. 

"Gerard had children of course and trumped Truman in on the spot.  

"The evening went on and more names were given. Lists were compiled.

"In the end Random sent Bleys and Gerard and Caine out to collect the Kin of Bariman. This did not endear him to his siblings.  

"Sheepishly, and not without a fair bit of worry, his siblings 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.  The Call to Kin happened in 5220.  Its 5287 now.   The House of Bariman has been revealed to have many branches as well as three main trunks. 
 
"The Call has included each of you.  Donovan, you were born recently as such things are considered, as a son of Julian and Cyrene of the Fea.  Skadi, coming from Mandalay you are certainly a new addition to the House Bariman but as a Daugher of Dashel, son of Osric, your location on the family tree comes from an ancient source. And Chris, as Caine's son you are newly brought to answer the Call.  Your father's flight from Amber to Adgalask, and your return with him is exciting news to us.  You an I will discuss your parentage at length I bet