Behind the Scenes

The church in TKC is modelled on the Church of England, but with a definite Catholic period of history in mind, just prior to the Reformation. The Reformation started when Martin Luther hung his theses from the cathedral door! In TKC, a young priest did much the same thing. Why?

Mostly, it's the magic...

You see, the Church of the Unicorn sees magic as a tool of the Serpent (from Chaos) thanks to Oberon's hand in its creation. Oberon made sure magic and the Serpent became terms synonymous with evil, so that a) any infiltrators from the Courts (or the Fey - see later in this section) could be caught and b) so that no-one amassed any kind of power that would challenge his.

But Magic is possible in Amber. It's very possible, in fact, and very powerful, which is why the limited Chaos magic that the Amberite family and some nobles use behind-the-scenes takes quite a while to achieve and needs lots of pre-advance planning. The Chaos magic is not the real magic of Amber. It has to work against the real magic, so it takes a lot of effort for very little result.

Why is magic possible in Amber? Because it used to be a realm of the Fey. It's Fey magic that lies at the foundations of Amber and Oberon couldn't use it. It must have sucked big time for Oberon because he was under a curse from the Fey and couldn't use it. He had to stick with the magic he learned in Chaos, which is the same magic that Amberites and nobles have had to use as well, because no-one knows how to do Real Magic in Amber.

Except...of course, there has to be an exception. Benedict. It's always Benedict. He knew how to do Fey Magic and he was really a huge challenge and thorn in Oberon's side, which was why Oberon had to break Ben when he was young. He almost succeeded.

So, here's the final irony...the only wife that Oberon truly ever loved was Rilga. And Rilga was a Fey woman left outside the Encirclement. (The Encirclement was the time during which the Fey were cut off from Shadow and is a side effect of Titania's curse on Oberon.) And Oberon never knew it until he'd completed his marriage vows to her. Why? Because Rilga didn't do magic, she was Magic. Rilga was one of Titania's top warriors and so her inherent skills were magical. She was caught outside the Encirclement when it happened - like many stray Fey, and she made her home deep in Arden and diguised herself as human. That's how Oberon ran into her quite literally, one day, and they fell in love. So he started an affair with her while married to Faiella, which is how Caine came into the world.

When Oberon had the chance which wasn't until after Clarissa, he brought Rilga to Amber and married her, which is only when he realized his mistake, but too late. For once, Oberon was not in control, he was truly in love and it was actually this love that brought about the complete fulfillment of Titania's curse and destroyed him in the end.

In the meantime, he went on to have two more children: Julian and Gerard. And yes, all three have Fey blood and so technically they are 'fairies' but call them that at your own peril!

Caine - he inherited Fey warrior abilities from his mother. You think Julian knows Arden, Caine knows it better. Plus he inherited the 'woodsman' ability to simply disappear into the trees. This is also where his skill with a bow comes from that he can frankly apply to any missile weapon. But his favorite weapon is the longbow, and in the woods, he's even more dangerous than on the sea or at Court.

Julian is a Fey shapeshifter and sorceror. This almost got Julian killed and was one time when Rilga's influence could not save one of her sons. Julian was too much of a threat. Benedict rescued him from Oberon's murderous plans. Yes, Benedict was almost broken but as he matured, he began to oppose Oberon, at first in small ways, that wouldn't get him killed and then in larger ways. Rescuing Oberon's children and taking them under his wing was one way that Benedict could do that. So, Benedict taught Julian how to use his Fey powers, but Julian has never made that public and goes to great lengths to be seen to use 'Chaos-learned magic' by others. Julian's shapeshifting is also not the same as the shapeshifting used by Chaosites.

Gerard Like Caine, Gerard inherited from his mother, but not her abilities like Caine, nor her ability to do magic like Julian, but her inherent magic. This, by the way, does not make Gerard stupid. But it adds to him a passion for life, for experience, and importantly, not just for his family but for people everywhere. It gives him innate 'people skills' and a passion that once it gets out is hard to stop no matter what the subject that has kindled his passion, whether it be a woman, or a ship, or a cause.

So, what about now? With closer relations with both the Fey and Chaos, it has become increasingly difficult for the Black Rose to maintain the Inquisition that grew out of Oberon's magic=serpent=evil. If it was just because of Rilga and her kids, such would not be the case.

As I said, Amber is built on Fey magic. Oberon knew that and so does Dworkin, but Dworkin wasn't around when Random became King. Oberon worked to keep Magic under strict control. The Pattern doesn't keep Fey magic from working, actually, it enhances it.

Fey Magic has gradually been seeping through into Amber. As a party of the Fey made their home in Arden, it grew a little bit stronger. As control over the Pattern slipped a bit more, it grew a little bit stronger. As Avalon was created, it grew a little bit stronger. It's influence has been building. Tir-na Nog'th has been feeding off of Fey Magic and getting more Real. It's been effecting residents of Amber. Children have been born who have been effected and have some measure of conscious or unconscious Fey Magic on which they call. Plus, Fey Magic combined with the Pattern has been increasing fertility all round.

The Royal Family have already been experiencing the population explosion, but what they don't know is that rest of Amber is about to follow and a significant number of those children will be magical.

Life is interesting in Amber, even if you're not of the Royal Blood. What will the Church do? How will it respond to this 'evil' in its midst?