in the Shadow of Greatness

 

September 17, 2003

IMC :: Chaos has a spine

in the Shadow of Greatness: Exploratory Campaign Spine? is a question that bears directly on the point that Ginger just made about Chaos.

IMC, Chaos has a spine.

Lovecraftian, Moorcockist, blobs from the Abyss just don't work for the theme I've assigned to Chaos.

There is a spirit assigned to major elements of my campaign. Amber is Snotty Upstart. Darrheabarr is Ancient Secrets. The Abyss is Things Man Was Not Meant To Know.

Chaos has a spine. Chaos holds the line. Chaos is the spirit of You Will Not Pass.

Ginger is right on target when she says that first series purists just really can't use Zelazny's Merlin books. They refine Chaos into something so far from freaky as to be stone to Amber's water.

The way I dealt with that is to make that stone freaky heroic. Alternate Chaosian interpretations must address an alien point of view, many centuries of history, and still somehow draw a line that connects to Amber.

Spoilers!
The Courts are the heroes.
Everyday the Abyss doesn't eat the universe is because there is someone there holding back destruction and taking the punishment for all of shadow. Chaosians are whipped by intangible forces of decay and chaos every minute of every day. It penetrates their strongest defenses, crawls their dreams, and crumbles their minds neuron by neuron.

If only they would surrender, the pain might end.
No.
They won't.
Next time you play a privileged prince of Amber think about that.


Filed under : IMC at 17.09.2003