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Post by Katerina on Aug 23, 2020 9:51:32 GMT
Katerina is a young teenage half caste woman with dark brown curly hair and brown eyes, wearing a rather distinctive cloak of mirrors. Her clothes when she first arrives in Amber look a little like late medieval wear from renaissance Italy, but they form their own distinctive style and they are all emblazoned with a Crystal Crest like the one below. She has a short sword at her side with the name Tempest inscribed in Old High Chaosian on the blade. She is lithe and at 5'7" is relatively tall for a woman, but not outlandishly so, and around 55 Kg in weight. She is right handed. She has a blade called Tempest with chaos writing on it (that she cannot read). Her colours are black and Gold. Katerina's parentage at this stage is unknown.
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Post by Katerina on Aug 23, 2020 12:15:10 GMT
The Shadow where Katerina grew up on is called Eshanta and its is loosely based on two The Mirror of her Dreams novels by Stephen Donalson ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mordant%27s_Need) with some Esheresque monuments littered throughout the shadow, hanging in the sky. The large lakes are littered with whirlpools that are stirred up by the three moons and this makes nagivation across them impossible. There are two main Kingdoms there (Kingdom of Myrtrecht and Kingdom of Lonharron) who are at an age old war over possession of the Mirror Maze which is said to be the pathway to the Gods. Many go there seeking the Gods, but none ever return. The Capital of Kingdom of Myrtrecht is Myrtorran and there is a huge castle behind the main town away from the large water. The Castle has many similarities to the layout of Castle Amber, but they are not identical. The King (Edgar III) and Queen (Sabine) of Myrtrecht have a son (Marcus) and a daughter (Marcia) as well as a younger adopted daughter who obviously looks like she does not belong there. The King has never said who she is or why he chose to adopt her. The Capital of Longharron is an underground fortress called LongBarrow and the people there have red skins and horns. The King, called Malficious has fought to try and possess the Mirror Maze for years. His demon Knights fighting an almost eternal battle with the Knights of Myrtrect. Magic on Eshanta is performed using specially silvered mirrors created by the skilled Mirrormancers who practice the ancient arts. These special mirrors allow for the translation of people and objects through them. Dinathactor are green mounts on Eshanta with long necks and no tail. They have sharp teeth and participate in combat. They can speak and understanding language. Back on Eschanta, Katerina's mount was called Coarshur.
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Post by Katerina on Aug 23, 2020 14:56:50 GMT
The Mirror MazeThe Mirror Maze has three sections to it. The outer section is the one seen by most of the denizens of Eshanta and it consists of lots of large highly polished and sharp crystals that are not only hard to navigate through, but also reflect the walker's inner fears. This section of the Maze ends in a confluence which contains a high concerntration of Crystals that reflect your worst fear back at you and assail your mind with it. Most walkers without the mental or physical capacity go mad or kill themselves at this point, with very few actually passing through to the second stage. The second part of the mirror maze is much more regular after the Crystal confluence with paths created by large numbers of mirrrors. The Mirrors all reflect back into each other and not only is the path hard to find here, but there are very real dangers of getting lost within yourself. It is also at this point that there are two major fractures in the Mirror maze where the Mirrors are broken. The walker must past by these mirrors without being reflected within the glass lest they are trapped forever within. This section comes to a head at a place called the Confluence of Infinite reflection, where the walker's soul is bared to the infinite reflections of all the mirrors and they must be mentally capable or else their mind will be lost here. The final part of the mirror maze contains psychedelic multi coloured lights within the mirror. The Mirror Maze at this point tries to seduce the walker to remain and serve it against the threat of future invaders. Those who have their minds turned will remain where they are until their body crystalises and they turn into one of the servants of the Mirror Maze. Only those who remain strong willed and are capable of keeping the Crystal Keepers away will be able to make it to the final Confluence at the centre of the Maze. Here the walker must commune with the Maze and force themselves through the ininite reflections to the place that they desire to go to.
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Post by Katerina on Aug 23, 2020 15:13:47 GMT
The People of the House of Alswyck
King Edgar III King Edgar is starting to get old and his mind is starting to slip at times. Whilst he is mostly cohesive, there are times when he can't remember things or words, indicating that he may be suffering from the early stages of dementia. There are discussions within the family as to whether he should be made to abdicate in favour of Prince Marcus when the time comes. However there is much debate as to when exactly that might be.
Prince Edric The King's younger brother is still mourning the death of his wife Princess Helene some ten years after she was cut in half in an accident in a distorted mirror. He is a sad and lonely man now who always sees the gloomy side of everything and he has an ascerbic tongue if riled. If it wasn't for his daughter Elsa, he may have killed himself years ago.
Queen Mother Iona The Queen Mother is now an old woman who holds her own Court of ladies at the top of the castle. She tells tales to any who will listen of the dangers of Mirrormancy and is known to tell of those who has been lost to the mirrors never to return, including her husband who she still believes will one day return.
Prince Marcus The Crown Prince is now in his early thirties but is yet still unmarried despite being a handsome man, leading to speculation throughout the Court as to which noble young lady he will select as his bride. Prince Marcus tolerated the addition of Katerina to the family, but he has mostly ignored her presence in practice.
Princess Marcia Conversely Princess Marcia who is now in her mid twenties resented Katerina's addition to the family and was highly jealous of any attention her father gave to Katerina. She spent most of her time making Katerina's life as misearble as she could. More recently this has lessened somewhat since she gave birth to two sons Davide and Frederick who she has doted on.
Princess Elsa The only member of the Royal family other than the King who has been kind to Katerina was Prince Edric's daughter Elsa. Elsa has helped protect Katerina as much as she could and tried to draw away as much of the biting comments away from the King's young adoptive daughter. The fact that Elsa and Katerina were more of an age and that Elsa was more studious may have had something to do with this.
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Post by Katerina on Aug 23, 2020 15:51:29 GMT
The Staff of Castle Myrtorran
Chief Steward Ulric
The Cheif Steward of the Castle is an older balding man who seems to be able to creep around the Castle almost silently and sneak up on people when they are least suspecting it. Or at least that is what Katerina thinks of him. He doesn't seem to have anything against her, but equally he doesn't seem to help or praise her either and he has been quite prepared to report any bad behaviour on her part back to the King. Ulric has never married and Katerina has always wondered why.
Treasurer Randolph Randolph conversely is a much younger man who inherited his position recently when the previous occupant of the role died in mysterious circumstances having choked to death at dinner. Randolph always seemed to be an amiable young man to Katerina, but she always had the suspicion that there was an alterior motive to everything that he said to her. As such she is very sspicious of the man despite him not being outright nasty to her.
Housekeeper Alana Alana on the other hand is Katerina's nemesis. She is a large middle aged woman who is constantly reporting anything that she finds that Katerina has done wrong to Princess Marcia whose favour she has been actively trying to court over the years. If it wasn't for Tabatha's diligence, then things would have been much worse for Katerina within the Castle.
Head Cook Hagen The head cook is a man in his forties called Hagen who has a small goatee beard and a moustache. The man is an excellent cook who demands high standards from his staff. He pretty much ignores Katerina unless she invades his kitchens, in which case he chases her own post haste. He is married with five children and his wife Alise does not like Katerina, often calling her the Cuckoo in the nest behind other people's backs.
Stablemistress Dacia Dacia is an expert rider and a hard taskmistress when it comes to learning to ride. At first Katerina thought that Dacia did not like her, but over time she has realised that she is hard on anyone not riding their mounts correctly. As Katerina's riding skills improved so did her relationship with Dacia, although many of the sable boys and girls will say things to Katerina behind Dacia's back. The ride a green scaly beast called Dinathactor which have long necks and no tail. They are capable of speech and semi-intelligent.
Senior Mirrormancer Geriant The senior Mirrormancer within the Kingdom is an old man who has practiced the art and studied everything that has been written about it since the dawn of time. At first he was kind to Katerina as she learnt the art, but once he understand that her skill and capabilities far exceeded his own he began to sabotage her efforts and put her down to make himself look better. Geriant continues to be jealous of her skill to this day and Katerina suspects that he paid someone to try and kill her some while back.
Mirrormancer Rufus Rufus is a young man learning the arts as Katerina was learning. He was open and friendly and he formed a good friendship with Katerina until he was posted to the border to participate in the war before he had passed all his trials. She was told he had been captured in the war, and was devastated at the news.
Mirrormancer Janessa Janessa is an up and coming Mirrormancer of some talent. She is in Princess Marcia's inner circle and has been quite short and waspish to Katerina. Although she hasn't done anything directly against Katerina the threat has definitely been there and Janessa was nearly as talented as Katerina was so she knew that she would need to watch her back.
Lady Tabatha Constance Lady Tabatha is Katerina's maid within the Castle. She was the young daughter of Lord Constance who was fostered at the castle at a young age to be able to make the appropriate contacts so that such a minor family could gain a better mariage for their only daugher. Being appointed as Katerina's maid has been a mixed blessing for Tabatha since there is so much underlying jealousy and bitterness to her mistress. Despite this Tabatha has remained loyal to Katerina and the two have become good friends.
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Post by Katerina on Nov 29, 2021 21:36:31 GMT
People in Amber
Lady Eivor - Daughter of Prince Julian and Kat believes is a friend and a warrior. She has Pattern, Trump and can shapeshift.
Lord Edmund - Brother to Lady Eivor. He seems a bit strange and Lady Eivor does not like him.
Princess Fiona - Kat suspects that Fiona knows more about her origins than she's telling. Indeed she does. It seems that she placed Kat in Eshanta after Delwin was her guardian. She slipped away before giving any more away.
Princess Llewella - Likeable Princess of Rebma with green hair.
Princess Flora, Regent of Amber - Kat sees Flora as a consumate politician who uses style to get others on her side.
King Random and Queen Vialle - Last King and Queen of Amber killed by a bomb in which Coy is suspected of being culpable.
Prince Benedict - Noted and famous swordsman and tactician of Amber. Been missing for some time since Kat arrived in Amber.
Prince Gerard - Master of Ships, now dead. Killed by a conspirator called Lady Vada.
Prince Julian - Lady Eivor and Lord Edmund's father.
Prince Bleys - Affable Prince of Amber. Kat hasn't had too much to do with him so far, but he seems to be a bit of a lady's man. He and Gerard had fun with the Kashfa triplets at the Golden Sands years ago. Used the term 'Mind Witch' when discussing Kat, which was the same term used by the guard in Eshanta. This casts suspicion that he knows about what was done there.
Prince Caine - Former head of security at the Castle before he died.
Prince Calvera - Pompous jumped up Testosterone fuelled, obnoxious idiot. Quite powerful and he has been made Admiral of Amber now alas. He has Pattern and warfare. Been made head of the Amber Navy by the Regent.
Prince Stephano - often known as the Corpulent Prince, elder brother of Eric and Corwin, who fell to his death while defending the walls of Ayuul and now remembered, if at all, from the verse.
Prince Leonil - A silly wizard of a man. Burn't Prince of Amber, currently missing since walking the Pattern and planting the bomb that killed King Random and Queen Vialle, though believed dead. He was not the ringleader of the plot.
Prince Delwin - A God that Kat saw in the Hall of Mirrors. Was trying to persuade her to go and join him. The mirror image of Fiona suggested it was not a good idea as he was a scoundrel. Was Kat's guardian prior to her being taken to Eshanta by Fiona, according to Fiona.
Dalt - Unknown person mentioned by Llewella as invited to the party.
Hammett - Man known by King Brian and Princess Lorelei who Flora suspects of being part of the plot to kill Random. Said to be part of the family and Lorelei seems to trust him.
Coy - Person of interest who was involved in the plot to kill the King and Queen. Seems a slimy, manipulative individual who has a creepy fixation about Lady Simone. Currently disguised as General Beauregard Delacroix, an old Amber General who's armour she saw her form to that twisted to look like a demon. The woman with Coy when he broke into the pattern had brown hair and wore blue.
Dionisia - Strange woman from Chaos held as a novice at a Monastery since birth and basically kept in the dark. Taught Sorcery, Shifting and assayed the Logrus. Escaped and met with Lorelei. Seemingly has no manners or ettiquette, but also seems to be a fast learner.
Derek - Son of Fiona and a Lord of Chaos in House Sawall. Shifter who seemingly has few manners or concerns for an refinement. Is also a Trump artist.
Lord Conrad of House Martex - Lord who seems to think in a rather old fashioned and self interested way who hit on Kat.
Lady Simone Rein - Daughter of Lord D'Alambre of Deiga (now dead). Her elder brother Antoine (not Coy) though is missing but alive apparently.
Lord Rein - Drunken husband to Lady Simone. Wants to muscle in on the Bayles' wine monopoly.
Lord Xu Liang - A measured and calm practicioner of the martial arts. Has a very calming way. Has heard of the Demon Malficious before. Has walked the Pattern.
Lord Rexin - Head of the Amber Secret Service. Kat is still trying to work out if he is incompetant or just got unlucky once. She used the name Nomad to him.
Captain Iliyana Barrett - Daughter of Captain Barrett. Hopefully she is more competant than her father.
Old Lord Chantris - Old Lord from back in the day. Friend of Llewella's.
Lady Chantris - Dorian's mother and Old Lord chantris' daughter. Gerard's widow, though they were divorced after Random's return as King
Dorian - Gerard and Lady Chantris' son. Married to Lady Shelley.
Lord Bayle - Wine merchant favoured by Amber.
King Rinaldo, also known as Luke - Bit of a wide boy but quite likeable with it. Kat knows she's a rogue, but she quite likes him (dreamy Luke!). Now Protector of Arden. Told her the name Wollen to remember and beware, but Kat has not traced this to anyone.
Droppa Mapants - The Fool of Amber. Everyone thinks he really is a fool, but Kat is not so sure. However she has since changed her mind.
Borgen from the Delvers and Extractors Guild - Scavenger looking to rip all the minerals from Kat's homeworld for profit
Dworkin - is the one to ask about the mirrors, but don't go looking for him. He's supposedly mad and, not unlike the Corridor of Mirrors, appears at random times in random places. According to Rinaldo.
The Karm twins - Described as lovely boys by the Seamstress.
Morningstar - Horse from Amber's stables that Kat rode to the funeral
Lady Vada - Kat heard mutterings at the funeral around the need for revenge against her. It seems that Brian killed her, but someone else got away with whatever they were after.
The Motius Twins - Arden and Nedra - Two teenage girls from a rich family looking for husbands at Flora's party. They complete each other's sentences giving Kat the impression that they have half a brain each. She kind of likes them, but she is a bit disdainful of their lack of intellect. Harold Motius - brother to Arden and Nedra. Said to have his army army outside Amber and looking for a fight. Does not get on with Flora but has a thing for Eivor.
The Golden Sands
Katie - a friend of Lady Simone's from Begma. Her mother had a d'alliance with Prince Caine at one point. Katie is now engaged to a noble called Mike from the Golden Sands.
Mike - Engaged to Katie and given responsibility to oversee the construction of the Garnath project. He plans to cream some off the top. He is also from Begma.
The Maitre D' - Pompous man running the place who feeds the nobles fantasies. Kat reemed him as she suspected him, perhaps unwisely.
Lord Chad of Kashfa - Party animal with no much up top. Went overboard on the trip to Amber, presumed dead, but no doubt he floats.
Princess Mirelle - Rumoured to have met a handsome Prince from a distant land at the Sun Queen ball and has not been seen since.
Deiga
King Brian Cathain - Big warrior, Married King of a celtic like shadow near to Amber. Doing a favour for Lady Shelly
Lady Shelly - Looking for her husband Lord Dorian and seemingly manipulating King Brian to help her do it.
Princess Lorelei - Daugher of Queen Moire and Prince Corwin. Magically talented and interested in mirrors. Her home Rebma seems to have Mirrormancy but they call it something different there. Kat would like to take up her offer to visit it after her shadow is saved. She has some mirror powers, sorcery, and some shapeshifting powers. She rubs Flora up the wrong way.
Hakker, Minister for Administrative Affairs - Offical who organises the beaurocray in Deiga
Captain Barrett - Captain of the ill fated ship, The Antelope.
Gersemi, one of the Northern Kingdoms of Fortitua
This is Eivor's shadow that she likes to inhabit alone. Kat had a rare priviledge seeing it.
Sigurd - Big bearded man at the tavern by the stone circle gateway
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Post by Katerina on Nov 30, 2021 21:15:35 GMT
Eivor's Trump Reading on Kat
The card reading for Kat is jumbled with the places for past and future not lending as they should when dealt. Fiona, Bleys and Merlin are showing, but all three can't fit past or future. The other three cards are Temperance reversed, the Magician, and Justice also reversed. These give an uneasy feeling to Eivor, a sense of disruption and of the influence of the hidden, unknown powers loose in Shadow.
Rinaldo's portent about Kat
Yes, it is probably just another place. The portends focus on her. The Unicorn and Serpent battle their mirror images, demons call to ravens, ice and flame, she wears the Jewel of Judgement and a goat eats it, she strides across the roof of Thelbane and banners are raised in salute, she lays on a stone bed surrounded by swords, her ghostly image prowls the Pattern and a voice calls from across the Void saying: Wollen.
"You know, the usual stuff that's seen in portents. By coincidence, another friend of mine asked me to tell her to beware of Wollen; don't ask me who because I can't say."
The Mirror Room Part I
Katerina only manages to take a few steps before an unseen force stops her. From her left a man's voice comes from a mirror.
"Well, well, well, little girl, you finally made it home."
Then from her right a woman says.
"My dear, Katerina, we have been waiting for you."
The man has pale skin and blond hair, he wears a black shirt under a brown jacket. The woman also has pale skin but with red hair, green eyes, and wears a green dress. -------- "I'm not little and I'm not a girl any more but a grown woman," She says almost reflexively, "I had my sixteenth birthday earlier this year! Besides how can I have made it home when I've never been to the place of the Gods before. To go home, you really have to have lived there first don't you think?"
How did these ghosts know my name? Did they hear me say it to the other ghost down the corridor?
She examines the force stopping her to see if she can understand what it is. It's not something she's seen done using mirrormancy before, so this must be something else.
"I'm sorry, Sir ... Madam, you have me at a disadvantage. Might I know your names so that I know how to address you properly?" --------- "She got you there, Del" the woman says smiling.
"Touche, Kat," the man says also with a smile. "You are correct - a child couldn't have found her way here unless there was a tragic mistake on someone's part.
"Know that this place is your home. Wherever you were before was just a brief stop on your journey to Amber."
"You are in your ancestral home. Your aura proclaims you one of us and shows you fit to live with the gods."
The man then says: "My name is Delwin, and we may never actually meet - unless certain ancient powers come loose -"
"Oh, he uses that line on everyone who wanders in here" the woman interjects rolling her eyes.
"Which," the Delwin continues ignoring the woman's words, and holding his arm up to look at a small device strapped to his wrist, "Will be any time now, knowing the kind of trouble your cousins like to get in to." -------------- Cousins? My home? I have one cousin, Elsa and she's nice enough but plural? Had Prince Edric had more children?
Things were starting to come back to Katerina as her the pathways in her brain were making connections once again but there were still gaps.
"Powers? You mean like the laws of death are changed Mr Delwin?" They were after all ghosts in the mirrors. "So I am fit to live the the Gods because I was able to survive the Mirror Maze. Am I to serve them or what? I'm afraid I do not know anything about the home of the Gods, Amber you called it. Is this place made of Amber. It is a rare and beautiful substance but back home there would never be enough of it to make an entire home from. It must be beautiful to behold if the Gods home is made from Amber. I would love to see that."
She made a quick assessment how many more of these mirrors she would need to pass if she were to get to the door that was previously mentioned. It could take her all day if she had to hold extended converations were every ghost in every mirrror.
"I'm sorry, I'm babbling a bit." She turns to the lady. "And I didn't catch your name either Mam, nor how you both came to be here. The previous ghost I spoke with said he was killed, but not by whom and how he came to be trapped in the mirrors. Back home I don't know anyone who can trap ghosts in mirrors. That is not a skill any mirrormancer I know has." ---------------- "You hear that, Fi? She walked the Maze and made it here. You owe me a bottle of Champagne."
Kat can sense, even without seeing it, that the woman - Fi, she was named - stuck her tongue out at Delwin when the bet was mentioned.
"A piece of advice for you Kat: it would be best to refer to those you meet by their proper titles. The first to codgers you spoke with were - are, I should say - kings, behind you is princess Fiona and I am prince Delwin.
"You would be best served by obeying us princes and princesses of Amber, we are the gods of which you speak. While such revelations can be confusing, you can trust me to be your guide. Touch the mirror and receive a gift from your god." --------------- Katerina curtsied to the pair. Things were starting to come back together in her mind, though there were still three gaps since she walked the Mirror Maze.
"Prince Delwin, Princess Fiona." She hesitated and did not touch the mirror. In her experience this was never a good policy if you didn't want to be translated somewhere you didn't want to go. And People said that you can trust me make you think just the opposite. If Prince Delwin hadn't mentioned trust she might have done it. "If those others are a pair are Kings then does that not mean that they outrank you in the echelons of the Gods? I only ask because the King there told me to go through that door yonder. Besides, I do not desire a reward for myself, I am only seeking help for my King whose Kingdom is in peril."
This was beginning to sound more like some silly game of cards, but she needed to bring aid to her adopted father from the Gods and Goddesses. ------------------ Fiona gives a bit of a pout.
"They used to outrank us it's true. Nowadays they just sit in their mirrors haranguing anyone unlucky enough to walk past.
"It was wise of you to refuse Delwin's gift, my dear, for he is a scoundrel and a neer-do-well." There is a hint of a smile on her as she says that.
Fiona reaches up to the upper-left edge of the mirror and taps. A small mirror on the wall where she points suddenly reveals a man's face alit with yellow flame. One eye has boiled away and parts of his skin have burned away to the bone.
"Look on one who has refused the gifts of the gods," she says but whether to Kat or the burning man, or both, Kat can not tell. ------------------ "I doubt you'll find any help from these gods - you will find they care little for your King or your Kingdom. You'd have been best server by taking my offer." Delwin says. ------------------- "I have not refused your offer yet Prince Delwin. I am merely trying to ascertain the nature of the offer and the priority of the instructions that I have been given. I always find it best when dealing with multiple superiors to get the full information and the hierarchy of command. For instance what is the nature of the reward in question? If it is anything like the reward that Princess Fiona just showed me then it does not look appealing at all." Katerina replied.
This was some kind of test she decided, something between the two of these Gods that was a private jest as Kat's expense. She needed to be wary yet seemingly compliant. A tough road to navigate she decided.
"Princess Fiona for instance thinks I shouldn't take up your kind offer. Does she outrank you Prince Delwin or the other way around in the hierarchy of the Gods? As the newcomer here I am a little bewildered as to what to do." She put on an innocent look, hoping that it would encourage them to let their guard down a bit. ------------------- "So presumptuous to think that one can take their time considering a god's request as if we have nothing better to do but sit around and wait for you."
The image of Delwin in the mirror slowly fades away.
"Farewell, Kat, we will meet again soon if the gods allow," Fiona says while also drifting away.
The mirror containing the burning man now only shows flames.
The Mirror Room Part II
The snows are left behind as they continue on. The voices still sound discordant and Kat suspects the difference from her last visit is due to there being two people in the Corridor at the same time. Prophecies are being twisted by a pair of foci.
Kat sees Fiona in a mirror: A mirror only reflects the viewer. To real learn one must go through the looking glass.
Eivor sees her reflection trapped between two full-length mirrors and no matter how her image twists and shifts, the woman is trapped between the infinite plates of glass.
Kat sees Vialle trapped in a mirror. Her blind eyes cast about in panic and her delicate hands press on the other side of the glass.
Eivor's mother appears in one frame: Daughter, you haven't been home in many a year. People are starting to suspect that your only loyalty is to Amber. Your spear would be welcome in the war against the usurper
Dalt appears to Kat: Mercenaries can be easily found. Friends are a more rare commodity
Candles flicker, strobing light throughout the hallway.
In a mirror, Kat sees the Mirror Maze with one of the mirrors showing her and Eivor in The Corridor of Mirrors looking into an image of the Mirror Maze where there is a mirror showing her and Eivor in The Corridor of Mirrors looking into an image of the Mirror Maze where there is a mirror showing her and Eivor in the Corridor....
Eivor sees Arden, trees rustling in the wind and indistinct shapes rush about behind the canopy.
Kat sees the Mirror Maze again but in reverse as if seen in reflection.
Eivor sees Edmund burning in purple fire. "The secret paths, Eiv. Remember the secret paths!" he says.
There certainly are flaws in the mirrors; necessary flaws, as Kat found when she passed through the Maze. It's the flaws that let one pass from one section of the maze to another, the unblemished silvered glass cast reflections and visions that can enchant and divert all but the strongest of minds.
She has passed through the maze before and she knows it's secrets and traps now. The breaks in reflection are what gives the Maze power and are what is used to give power to those attuned to it. It is also what gives her land its importance and the breaks are what gives the demons access.
The vision in the mirror is so lifelike that she feels that she could walk through it and into the Maze and from there back to the center of the thing. She also sees a shadow of someone stalking their way through the thing but the fun house reflections do not allow her to identify the person.
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Post by Katerina on Jul 3, 2022 16:17:07 GMT
Myrtorran.pdf (700.34 KB) Captial of Eshanta - Myrtorran Key for the Castle 1. The Great Hall 2. The Audience Chamber 3. King's Apartments 4. Royal Family Apartments 5. Queen's gardens 6. Visitors Gardens 7. Mirrormancer's Tower 8. Servants Hall / Kitchens 9. Welcome Hall 10. Visitor's Quarters 11. Lesser Royals Quarters (this is where Kat's room is) 12. Royal Retainers rooms 13. Royal Family rooms 14. Castle Barracks 15. Petitioners chamber / Nobles Court 16. Rose Walk Garden 17. Courtier's walk Outside the city a shanty town has built up from refugees who have feld from areas where the demons have taken over. There is also a quarry just outside town and a sand pit used to supply the glass works in the city that are used by the Mirrormancers. A short way away to the north in the sky is one of the Esheresque monuments that has water coming out of one of its protusians. No one knows quite how it does this or why it is able to stay up in the sky in the way it does. Around 5 miles to the NE of the city is the shore of the rather dangerous Great Lake, complete with whirlpools. The Eight (with the eight huge mansions) is an area containing the capital manor houses of the eight noble houses in Myrtrecht. These are:- Tembleton Dorastoran Kembal Chalister Veranaugh Lianghor Xavis Reshtafan
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Post by Hammett on Jul 3, 2022 18:12:55 GMT
Where is the Mirror Maze? Is it under the castle, like the Pattern in Amber, or is it somewhere else in the world? You mentioned that the demons are trying to take it over, so if they take the castle do they take the maze as well?
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Post by Katerina on Jul 3, 2022 18:18:02 GMT
It's in the centre of the continent between Kat's home and the demon's home. I'll probably have to draw a rough map next week of the continent, which is why there won't be loads of troops in the capital as they will likely be at the front line.
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Post by Katerina on Jul 5, 2022 20:05:37 GMT
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Post by Katerina on Jul 7, 2022 17:07:06 GMT
The Outside of the Mirror Maze
The Mirror Maze is located in a deep valley that has several winding rocky paths that go down to the bottom, some more treacherous than others. The outside of the Maze itself looks like a huge rocky cairn and if you didn't know better you would think that it was a large funeral mound. The ancient ancestors of Eshanta probably built the mound around the Mirror Maze way back in the dim and distant past. The entrance to the Mirror Maze itself is the first sign that the mound is not a natural formation, since there are two huge metal doors that were once highly polished. Now the copper doors have lost their sheen and the doors have green brown oxidation all over them now. The doors have an area that has been cleared of its tarnishing however (by Kat when she walked the Mirror Maze), which shows an inscription in Thari which reads 'Your sins will be reflected tenfold, so trust that your virtues outway them significantly if you wish to walk inside.' There are pictures of the inside of the Mirror maze in my public area should you wish to see insde.
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Post by Katerina on Oct 20, 2022 18:22:49 GMT
Kat's Forms
Although Kat has numerous forms of people she has copied in Eshanta (as well as Eivor and Lady Simone), she has as yet not used any non human form yet. Until she left Eshanta she did not realise that such a thing were possible, so she never attempted it. Now she has seen Princess Lorelei and Lady Eivor do it, she knows it is technically possible.
Having said that she does have the two standard Shifting Forms.
Avatar Kat's avatar form is that of a black panther like creature called a Shadow Cat. They can camouflage themselves with the environment to be able to pounce on prey. Only seem so far in a joint dream with Dionisia.
Chaos Form Kat's Chaos form is that of a dark blue skinned demon with a tail split into three with viscous spikes on it. She has wiked claws on her hands and feet as well as a single silver twisted horn on her head like the horn of an antelope. Her scales are so polished that they reflect light and show images of things all around her.
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Post by Katerina on Oct 28, 2022 22:02:23 GMT
Kat on Kat
"I can't fu**ing help it if Merlin chooses to look like me - I always was the good-looking one in the family - but I won't give you a name to conjure me by. I mean, we barely know each other." - what did Jurt mean by that - conjure me?
Copy Kat: "Nope, I came back here and fought the demons for a while assuming these new powers could turn the tide. Once I was proven wrong the only option was to parley with Malficious, learn from him what this war is all about and then I went to see his bosses in the Courts of Chaos. A friendly bunch out there! They'd like you. Let's send you there now."
She begins to fight with fury, pushing Kat back into the Maze's adit. There is a slight pause as a large winged bird flies above them, it's shadow darkening the field of battle.
Copy Kat: "Jurt, we've been at odds for a while now. Have I ever been this paranoid?" - Jurt and Copy Kat are not on the same side. "Everything but," Non-Merlin replies. "But I don't understand what's going on here." - Jurt is surprised at two Kats.
Copy Kat: "Wars are happening everywhere. This little world is only one small part of the larger conflict. If the humans live then they are a security threat which requires more demons here running the prison camps. It was decided that it would be better to kill them all to keep Eshanta clean. Once that's done then the Lords of Chaos can begin the next step in their plans for this place."
Copy Kat: "Oh absolutely. They wouldn't be going to all this effort when, with a few words, our friend Jurt here could dissolve this world back into primordial shadow-stuff. They need the Maze for their plans which means that they need me.
"Stay out of this, Jurt," she snarls at the man from Chaos when he tries to impede their fight.
Julia (Not in Kat's presence): "Lady Eivor, if you'd please not damage my boyfriend any further, Even though I know, and I'm sure by now you've noticed how much he is enjoying this, but we do have more things to do today, and I will need him to be suitably presentable for what's coming next," Julia says.
Julia (Not in Kat's presence): "It's already decided, and the Courts of Chaos won the day. Yeah! Lucky for this place, Merlin wants to keep the Maze intact. All the others he has destroyed, tossing many sorcerers out on their tales and looking for a new source of power.
"But now we have more important things to take care of. Get ready to bring us to the Keep," Julis says.
"So soon? You just finished attuning yourself, and it will take time-"
"I trust that I can be ready in time. Now hop to it."
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Post by Katerina on Oct 28, 2022 22:12:36 GMT
People Kat met in Eshanta
Jurt Sawall - Brother to the King of Chaos, but him and Julia seem to have their own agenda separate to the throne. Julia Sawall - Kat only knows her name from Eivor and didn't really get a good look at her. She assumes that they are married. Edmund - Brother of Eivor and seemingly has a taint of purple Hammett of Carcosa - Man wanted by Flora and respected by Lorelei. Walked the Maze without permission and didn't help Kat. Edward - Proper seeming Amberite with manners who seems to know some kind of Sorcery Ryland - More martial seeming Amberite. Seems shrewd and calculating.
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