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Ten years ago as Amber measures time, most of the Royal family went off to war, harrying the Choasian forces back to their home to be sure they would never dare challenge us again. A great quake called the Sundering struck eternal Amber and that is when everything started to change. Young Royals hidden in plain sight revealed themselves or found themselves drawn to their stricken homeland. For seven years, a Regent's council kept the city together while mere days passed for the Family fighting Chaos at the Abyss. The Family returned bearing heavy news. Deirdre perished at the hand of Brand, dragged down into the Abyss with him as his last act. Eternal Oberon was dead, Amber's Pattern was no more, and Random was now King having been presented with the Jewel of Judgement by the Unicorn.
From that moment, the cosmos realigned itself to new realities. Amber began its slow fade as its people migrated to the new poles of order: King Random's Xanadu and King Corwin's Paris. As these new kingdoms began to lay down roots, it soon became clear that Amber's past was catching up with them. Oberon's death released ancient secrets and old enemies chose now to fill the vacuum left by the death of the Eternal King.
In the underwater realms of Rebma, two returned from long exile at the head of an army. Khela, bearer of the Pattern Blade of Rebma, swam at the head of Tritons to free their kind from servitude and bring a true Queen to Rebma. Prince Huon marched at the head of conscripted army: riflemen of Abford, Ponca scouts and hunters and mercenary mages of Gateway. His aim was to secure Rebma's Pattern blade to continue his vendetta against Prince Bleys. He threatened the destruction of Rebma with a bomb made of Amberite blood. Khela, Jerod and Conner faced Huon in the field while Brennan wrestled with the being of blood over Rebma's Pattern Chamber.
When the silt of battle had settled, Queen Moire had fled, Prince Huon was defeated but not captured, and Khela marched into Rebma as her Queen. Alas her reign was all too brief, as her attempt to claim her birthright ended with her death. Now Celina rules as Queen of Rebma and Conner serves as Rebma's Knight and Warden, bearing the Pattern Blade Halosydne. However, full rule eludes her as Moire still bears Rebma's Jewel and remains at large to plot her revenge. Moreover, Prince Huon, who submitted himself to the judgement of Xanadu and Rebma, is also at large, last seen on a ship bearing the archivists of Rebma from Xanadu.
In the city of Paris, King Corwin has worked to expand his new Pattern realm with Princess Florimel and her family joining him at his court. However, this new kingdom has been discovered to have ancient roots with carvings and catacombs that looked centuries old. There were references to a founder, a King Carol, and names in the tombs that Reid, son of Osric, recognized as ancient kin. The recent troubles in Rebma washed up on the shores of Paris as Moire, Queen of Rebma, took shelter there when she fled the city. Celina, daughter of Corwin and Moire, beat her there and gave her the icy welcome she deserved. Still, Corwin received Moire as befitting her rank and gave her sanctuary. Unfortunately, neither the exiled queen nor the Court stayed idle. One day, Moire just disappeared leaving behind a terrified archivist and Lucas, son of Florimel, dead with a shard of mirror glass in his heart. It seems Lucas was trying to paint a Trump of the Queen and she killed him for the insult. Florimel has sworn vendetta on her for the death of her only son. Investigations turned up the Queen buying perfect mirrors to work her reflective magic and her troubleshooter Bend still active in the city. She has been captured and will be a lead to her mistress.
Meanwhile, King Random has also created his new kingdom of Xanadu. It sits high atop a waterfall with a growing port city evolving below on the shore. It is a glittering jewel on the hill and some have opined that it could be taken with six midshipmen and an old dog. Things were largely quiet in the new Pattern realm until tragedy struck. Cambina, daughter of Eric, sister to Jerod, beloved of Brennan, was found dead, fallen from the moonlight city of Tir. The family gathered for her funeral and for the funeral of Lucas, met in conclave to discuss the many problems plaguing the family, and then went their separate ways once more.
The next time the family met at Xanadu it was for happier reasons. Queen Vialle was with child and all of the family was called back for the official announcement. As a prelude, Edan, son of Bleys, showed off his newly formed Order of the Lamp, a knightly order composed of desert horsemen recruited from his homeland the Land of Peace, now dedicated to the defense of Xanadu. Yet all was not as it seemed. Prince Bleys gathered many of the younger generation to announce a horrible discovery. The King had been enchanted to want nothing but to be beside his Queen and the baby the Queen bore was likely a vessel for an ancient enemy, the Queen of Air and Darkness, the Goddess of the Moonriders of Ghenesh. She would be reborn in this child and the Family would be made to swear fealty to her as the heir of King Random.
To this Vere, son of Gerard, added his story. On a journey to the dream city of Tir, he met the shade of Cambina. On the night of her death, Cambina accompanied Queen Vialle to Tir. Vialle then walked the Pattern of Tir which should have destroyed her. Cambina was then attacked by the Queen of Air and Darkness which held her frozen until the light of the dawn caused Tir to disappear from beneath her feet.
From there events converged on Castle Xanadu. The ladies of the court had withdrawn there to assist Hannah with her birth with the now added complication of keeping Queen Vialle from anywhere near the newborn son of Hannah and Edan. Eventually almost all converged on the grove of the Unicorn and the spot where the steps to Tir form under a full moon. A Ranger discovered his own corpse dead at least a week. The Moonriders were afoot. The Family stood watch ready for anything. On the steps to Tir that were not there, a Moonrider that only those with their Third Eye open could see fired an arrow at Brennan. Moving of its own accord, the Pattern Sword Halosydne moved its wielder Conner to strike down the arrow from the air and fueled by bravado, Conner called out a challenge to the approaching Moonriders. Their leader First to the Fray accepted the challenge. If she won, the Family would withdraw and allow them access to Tir. If she lost, her people would withdraw. Conner accepted and as his second, Brita negotiated the terms of the duel: the winner must cut a lock of hair from their opponent without drawing blood. The contest would be fair, for she too bore a Pattern Blade, named Tizon the Firebrand. Conner tried every trick he could think of but he was outmatched and only the strange rules of the contest let him hold to a draw. A rumbling sound grew louder and louder as they fought until the Unicorn herself burst onto the scene. She placed her horn on the Pattern blades and pushed their points into the ground. They would never fight each other again. In the silence and awe left by the Unicorn's leaving, First cut a lock of her own hair off with a dagger and presented it to Conner as winner of the duel. Her fellows withdrew and she made clear her intentions to offer herself as a hostage to get the two sides talking and try to stop the war between Moonriders and the Family.
That should get you caught up on the major events. Except for the looming threat of the Klybesian monks of course and the zombie plague sweeping through shadow and the rising of the Silver Towers in the land of Avalon and we haven't even brought up Dara, Cleph, and Chantico, have we? Settle in, my friends. It is going to be several long stories.