Love it or loathe it, the regular visits by Amberites has made
this obscure planet quite solid.
You wouldn't want to live there and you wouldn't want to visit.
Tardigrades are eight legged
arthropods also called spiky bears, they are extremely tough
and very hard to kill. Tardigradia
is well known because of the mercenaries that leave here to serve various
shadow nations.
Tardigrades live in most shadows but this is the only firm shadow where
they are large and
intelligent. Tardigrades on Earth are considered huge if they
are 2 mm long.
This world is dominated by lung equipped arthropods resembling giant
ants. This shadow
is not unique but what makes the place is significant is that a number
of shadow trails were
left through this world by a passing amberite ( no one has admitted
). The amberite was
followed by scout ants who left pheromone trails marking the routes.
So far the ants have
invaded three shadows, making progress in two of them and being
driven out only in great
cost in human life from the third. The worker ants are
about 1 metre long and the soldiers
can be 3-4 m long with huge jaws that can easily sever even an armoured
limb.
Currently well known due to an envoy who arrived in Amber around a year
ago after making
a four year journey to ask for help. Mundial, according to the
envoy who would lobby the
castle cats if it he thought it would do any good, is under attack
from an alien race which
sends UFO's to kidnap large numbers of people and either experiment
upon them or kill
them. All of this may true but Amber has better things to do
play hunt the flying saucer.
Considered of interest because of its total lack of usefull metal deposits.
The culture is highly
sophisticated, ancient and similar to Mesopotamian, Sumerian cultures.
The lack of metal is
interesting to observers but for the native population it means that
anemia is one of the major
causes and contributory factors of death.
This shadow was settled by retired Amber military personnel and is named
in honour of Oberon.
Its ruled by Crown General Katesh XV direct descendant of one of Oberon's
finest generals.
It is known that Benedict recruits for his personal armies here.
A vaguely polynesian culture of warring tribes, friendly
to outsiders as long as they don't break
one of the numerous taboos, which along with blood thirsty gods,
and the problems of over
population, dominate daily life. Neighbouring tribes are
treated with undying hatred, except on
religious occasions, when outsiders are attacked unrelentingly.
Larger islands such as Easy Wind
Island with its huge stone heads are cultural and trading centres.
Exports include pearls, feather
cloaks and carved coral. Favourite imports are iron weapons.
When Amber first opened trade routes with this shadow, it seemed
normal enough, a warm and
pleasant climate, with civilized inhabitants, excepting only
their bizarre beliefs. As the centuries
passed, tales were told of sails spontaneously combusting, then
the climate grew colder until it's
harbours were unreachable due to ice and falling sea levels.
Now entering the spring of another
Great Year, contact is opening up again. Due to its periodic
isolation and regular small wars,
its political importance is negligible.
Earth has built colonies and bases throughout the solar system and set
probes slower than light
probes to other stars. On Earth two mighty industrial alliances
dominate the United Nations
West Pac and the China dominated East Pac. Psychic powers are
important and the advanced
technology relies on the same phenomena allowing the psychic powers.
The Land Under the Bow of Heaven is a world almost entirely covered
by a single land mass.
Mighty movements of vast nomad alliances cross the land sweeping away
settled civilisations.
Only in the most mountainous regions, swamps, and hidden jungles is
there peace . On the coast
trading cities defend themselves with canals, vast earthworks, and
huge walls.
Samudra is a vast river complex (bigger even than the Amazon basin).
Huge numbers of cities
are found along the banks growing several crops a year in the eternally
fertile soil and harvesting
resources from the jungle beyond. Trade flows along the
water ways between the cities and some
reaches the great coastal ports. From the coast trade goes
to other parts of this world or on to the
Great Shadow Sea from where many shadows may be reached including
the Seas of Amber via
Gateway
The Free Lands are governed by the Lords wise
guardians and teachers of Lore. The Free Lands
are peacefull, happy with most people living
in small communities. Main enemies of the Lords
and people are the made creatures, vile races
grown in living vats deep within the eastern mountains.
The Lords and people use earth power opposed
to the warped earthpower usage of their enemies.
The other great enemy of the Lands is Lord Shath
the Corruptor, the immortal renegade Lord who
choose corruption and betrayal in return for
immortality.
A large continent with temperate forests, vast swamplands, prairies,
deserts and jungles dominated
in the civilised areas by pyramid temple building cultures ruled over
by magic wielding priest kings.
Magic and skilled agriculture give the food to produce the population
surpluses disposed of in war,
slave trading or the vast ceremonial sacrifices that turn the sides
of the pyramids red with blood.
Although there are many trade routes to other shadows, trade is limited
by the priest kings who
dislike outside cultural influences.