Amber Sorcery: Appendix: Shadow Nature
Mutant for Hire
to view them as images superimposed on a more fundamental reality,
with the Pattern and the Logrus residing on two points of this
fundamental reality. The Logrus throws out random power, and the
Pattern stabilizes it into ordered Shadows, all sitting on top of
this more fundamental reality. Few people are actually aware of
this more fundamental place, with exceptions like Dworkin and
perhaps Suhuy. Merlin has recently become aware of this place,
having been dragged in there.
Shadows can have many properties. There are places where magic
does not work, including even the sorcery of the Pattern and the
Logrus. It is well known that there are places where Trumps do not
operate, where Shadow Walking is impossible due to darkness or
chaotic conditions that fail to allow for shifting of the
environment.
There are no primal Shadows, just Shadows closer to a primal power
than another, with the exception of the Primal Reality, which,
while existing, can be only reached with great difficulty and
while there, one is totally cut off from both powers. It also
can't be manipulated in any way except the normal sense. All in
all, its not a fun place to visit, though it might be a great
place to imprison somebody.
Near Amber, reality settles into fixed patterns and doesn't
tolerate disruption of the laws easily. This reason is why Shadow
walking is so hard near Amber. The movement of a person through
Shadow is minimal disruption, but near Amber, the Pattern holds
everything so firmly one must struggle against even it to move
from one Shadow to another since that isn't in the natural
accordance of things. Logrus initiates have a hard time moving
near Amber and are stuck on the Kolvir itself unless they have
trump. One can't burn a thread out of there unless the Shadow is
malleable to the effect, and Amber isn't.
Near the Courts, one has the opposite problem. Shadow walking in
the Courts is tricky since everything alters too abruptly to allow
for shifting. There are no "near but infintesmally different"
shadows in the Courts, so you need to trump or walk along special
paths. On the other hand a Shadow Technician could make a path
through the Courts easily enough. Of course, some people may not
want a path built through their areas. All in all, the Courts are
confusing.
Given the way Logrus and Pattern initiates move through Shadow,
there are subtle differences. Pattern people in general have it
easier, as they can just envisualize their destination and then
walk to it. Logrus people burning a path don't have that
flexibility. They can burn a path to an established Shadow found
or scryed by someone, such as Shadow Earth, but finding a Shadow
Earth identical in all ways but slightly different is beyond their
control. They'd have to burn a path to a quite different Shadow
instead.
So while an Amberite walks to a Shadow until she or he finds the
one wanted, a Logrus initiate goes for a rough approximation, then
starts to bend and distort the place. Of course, this is hard
anywhere away from the Courts and the neighboring lands, so most
of the members of the Courts stay in that area. Also, unless the
bending and distortion has been in place for a long time, there
will be a tendancy for a Shadow away from the Courts to snap back.
So the hapless Shadow Alterer has to put a lot of effort into it
and stay there some time.
--
Martin Terman, Mutant for Hire, Mad Scientist, Priest of Shub-Internet
Disclaimer: Nobody else takes me seriously, why should you be the first?
mfte...@phoenix.princeton.edu mfte...@pucc.bitnet ter...@pupgga.princeton.edu
"Sig quotes are like bumper stickers, only without the same sense of relevance"