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Amber City - Gazetteer Entries
Index | Time Under Chaos | Gazetteer | Amber | Amber City
See also Concerning Amber
Blind Chapman
- BlackHall: He hopped out and offered his hand, and Petra was confronted by a red carpet and the grand facade of the edifice of BlackHall. It similarities to the temple they had recently seen looking down on Roma were quite striking. ... As they approached the steps, they were greeted by a page, who bowed serenely. ... The great wooden doors were already wide, spilling light onto the carpet, almost blinding the visitor in its contrast to the velvet night. ... Some twenty couples, all in dark elegant clothes, moved forward to see the new arrivals like life-sized chess pieces on the checkerboard floor. ... It then became apparent they were standing atop that same symbol they had seen in the Sky Room in Amber Palace. They were in the debating chamber, though the usual racks of seats were nowhere in evidence, having been removed to create this open space. ... He led her off the floor and to the gray marble stairs, decorated with busts of the founding fathers of Amber’s trading empire. The designs on the walls between the banners of the Golden Circle kingdoms were rather more esoteric, suggestive of some forgotten mythic past. At the top landing they came upon the players who provided the sonic canopy for the dancers below. ... Applying pressure to a certain part of the wall caused the paneling to pop open. ... A narrow corridor extended beyond, dimly lit by hooded sconces. A row of doors lay along the left, disappearing into darkness. ... Petra got level with the door with its brass nameplate reflecting flickering torchlight. The words “V. Anansi, Bart.” were inscribed upon it. A quick flick of the wrist and the door was open. She offered an amused eyebrow. “Who’s Bart?” Vikund laughed. “Short for Baronet" ... Though the light was dim, Petra could make out a chaise lounge along the wall that she was being edged towards. ... [He] put his hand behind a curtain to force open a stiff adjoining door. A few seconds later there was the sound of running water ... As Vikund had indicated, it was hardly luxurious. The hardwood floor was covered by rugs, their design suggestive of Persa, while the walls were plain whitewash broken only by a small portrait of the king. The only other furniture in the room aside from the chaise was a Queen Anne chair, set in front of the broad desk Vikund had recently raided. There was a small fireplace, and it was to this he returned when he bustled back into the room. As he stooped and attempted to light the fire with a taper, Petra noted the small portrait on the mantlepiece with its attendant flower, mirror to the one they left behind at the house in Broken Smile. - Assignation, Amber
Broken Smile
- Vikund's childhood home: A veritable crowd had gathered around the coach, but Vikund seemed unconcerned. ... Vikund’s attention was concentrated on the mature and rather rotund lady that stood framed in the doorway of the large house they had stopped outside. It was rather too large for the area, and seemed to crowd in on the road. The impressive facade was just that, and that in essence captured the spirit of Broken Smile - all front. The conglomerate of buildings behind represented the changing times, but seemed solid enough. ... Stepping inside, the visitor immediately got the impression of a farmhouse kitchen. Odd, given the room faced the street and was in the center of a bustling city. A huge rough pinewood workbench dominated the space under the wide bay window, its surface etched with the cuts of a thousand knives. It was immaculately clean, and looked like it had not seen use in some time. Vikund walked across to the array of cupboards on the far wall, and began checking them, as if looking for something. The place was spartan in the extreme, with only a few old chairs to break up the space. The solid and slightly uneven floor was also scrupulously clean. The only thing of note was a small portrait propped in one of the windows, with a thin glass vase in front. There seemed to be a single flower in it - a purple orchid. ...
It soon became clear why the doorway was open - it had no door. The passageway beyond was rough stonework, as if someone had started re-plastering and then thought better of it. Or run out of money. The stairway creaked when Vikund put his foot on it, but it looked solid. If it had a coat of vanish, it might be presentable indeed. It was wide and carved simply but effectively with the shapes of roses joining the uprights to the banister. At the top of the stairs there was an array of rooms, but Vikund stepped into the first one he came to. This too was bare, but for a single four poster bed that dominated the room. It looked big enough to comfortably house an elephant. “If the tales are true, I was born in this room,” he said, staring out of the window that faced the stars. “There were five families sharing the room back then, when they weren’t hiding from the soldiers.” ... “Yes, I was a babe-in-arms when they burned down most of the city. The basement here has the strength of a bomb shelter and is hard to find if it needs hiding. I might owe my survival to this old place.” He sobered suddenly. "That’s the first time I’ve told anyone about it. All the others who knew are dead or flown.” - Assignation, Amber
Clamour Smoke
- Vikund's Apprenticeship: Outside, the high wall that separated the lower tier from the richer areas above stretched into the darkness, while the portcullis loomed through the lingering smoke like the gaping maw of a sleeping dragon. The cobbles had given way to clay, and the neat tightly packed houses to lean-tos and brick-built furnaces. ... The smithy was as one might expect, underlit, filled with the smells of industry and an oddment of tools. The room was dominated by the forge itself, still emanating heat though its fire was out. The man who had greeted them stood with powerful arms folded, returning Vikund’s look evenly. Behind him, methodically polishing and cleaning, a few skinny boys in little more than rags worked, never looking up. ... - Assignation, Amber
Tattersail
- Spice quarter: Now Eric moved to one side of one of the broader streets, where the buildings seemed to have sunk somewhat below the level of the street, for there were steps leading down, cut at the sides of the roads. Down one of these Eric led Islain, and then through a stone arched passage that seemed to have been carved at the base of the house itself. Suddenly they found themselves in a high walled garden, planted with a variety of strange and beautiful flowers. There was a wooden table at the center of the garden ... The Distant Past: Eric and Islain Yr -158.
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