FireIndex | Time Under Chaos | Concerning Amber | Fire Fire in Amber Perhaps one of the most feared threats to a city is fire. The close proximity of buildings and ample fuel supply allow even the smallest fire to spread with stunning speed. Thanks to the high winds off Mount Kolvir and the ocean, any fire can be wiped into a devastating firestorm in short order. After the immolation of a quarter of the city during the Patternfall War, city managers knew they needed to address this serious and dangerous problem. Under Mandor's Edict, a complex series of aqueducts, inverted siphons, wells, and cisterns were constructed beneath and above the city streets throughout the twenty-three wards. This has provided ample water for firefighting. The Cohortes Vigilum, neophytes of the Vigiles Urbani, patrol the city in search of unauthorized fires (as well as crimes). They are trained and equipped to fight fires, as well as administer aid when necessary. The Mandor Edict has also paid for the tiling of thatched roofing (the most common roofing material) throughout the poorer sections of the city. Not only does this provide the buildings with slightly better fireproofing, it has beautified the city itself. Indeed, many of the poorest districts pride themselves in painting their roofs, which has transformed Amber City into a vibrant quilt of colors. (From The Hendrake Guide to Amber) One of the few points on which the Hendrake Guide and I agree is on the threat to Amber of fire. Fire, however, can only consume a city which is administrated carelessly. Mandor is altogether too concerned with grinding any vestiges of resistance under his heel to treat civic matters like the threat of fire as anything other than an extension of his self-glorifying propaganda effort. Amber of old had numerous redundant defenses against the threat of flame. From regulations on building materials and methods, to communal fire brigades, to a system of cisterns and firebreaks that Chaos would like to pretend never existed before they arrived on the scene, Amber was never seriously harmed by fire until the Armies of Chaos arrived. During the fall of the city, of course, the signs of the fires are clear. Sorcery and burning pitch will do that sort of thing, and I feel that the threat of the destruction of the city by fire (when coupled with the sudden death of Gerard by the assassin’s knife) is what drove Larissa to surrender the city so quickly. I do not agree with her conclusion, but I sympathize with the position that she found herself in. That she is now complicit in the administration of the occupation is another matter entirely, and one I will not speak of further here. One of the reasons that the city was never seriously in danger of fire before the present was the theft of Amber’s crown jewel. With the Jewel of Judgment in his hand, Oberon had the power to command the skies to open. Several smaller fires were extinguished by such a torrent from the heavens, Unicorn be praised. If Mandor actually cared about the safety of Amber, more than he does his despotic attempt to secure all power in his office, he would insist on the return of the Jewel from Chaos. Thatched roofs were only temporary, for homes damaged or destroyed during the war. Thatching was initially provided free of charge, as some Chaosian middle-manager thought that was what Amberites made their roofs out of... he also owned a lucrative whitewashing concern, and required all of the free thatched roofs to be whitewashed to his profit. Mandor put a stop to this to avoid seeing his prize go up in smoke. Other wartime reconstruction was generally in wood, as that was much easier to salvage from ruined buildings. Several of the poorer sections took on a more colorful flair as they utilized pieces and rubble from the war-damage to repair and strengthen their homes. In the past, supplies in Arden also insured that it was much cheaper to build with wood than is the case today. Between this change in availability of wood, and Mandor’s new problem of how to deal with fire without resorting to weather magics, most new construction is built on stone bricks sintered in Mandor’s prisons, kilns which are fueled by burning the city of old. If that isn’t irony, I don’t know the meaning of the word. (From the writings of Johann Payne) "Oh, Johann. It's so sweet that you only demonize me when you're not chasing bigger game. Promise me you'll never change." -Larissa, upon reading the above pamphlet (apocryphal) |
