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Distance
from Amber: Two
days by sea, with a competent captain Power Availability:
Politics: Begma has long been a feudal monarchy, ruled by Luke the First, acknowledged son of Bleys, confirmed Prince of Amber. He has held that position for nearly six hundred years, and few Begmans have known another ruler. King Luke splits his time between Begma and Shadow, with advisors ruling in his stead when he is away, and he has been away more often than not. His wife has borne him three daughters, and rumors say that he is trying to get the marriage annulled. She was born a commoner, and has no real political power; nor has she demonstrated any desire to wield any, publically or privately. Despite his long rule, or possibly because of it, Luke has little connection with the people of Begma, meeting only with nobles and his military advisors. It has been nearly a hundred years since he addressed his people, and slightly less than that since he visited any military establishment personally. Less than a year ago, Begma broke out into bloody civil war, as a demagogue whose identity remains a mystery incited the lower class. Luke returned from Shadow, and has remained in the palace, Solisandra, since. Nobility is hereditary, and is granted only by royal decree. Begma has two major classes: land-owning nobility and commoners. Historically, anyone who didn't fit into one of those two classes, such as merchants, have no power unless they are very wealthy. Nobles who lose their land and titles are considered commoners. Participation in government is based strictly on the amount of land owned. The King owns the most land, by default. Two other families, the McNabbs and the Chapeaux, hold the next largest land grants, in the highlands and the plains, respectively. They are part of the king's ruling council, with minor nobles serving as their advisors. Rudimentary magic is considered part of every noble child's education. Nobles, both boys and girls, are taught to read, although only males can own land, except in special circumstances. Commoners are treated slightly better than most animals, but worse than really good animals. The commoners lease land from the nobles, and pay for that lease with whatever the land provides. They also have to buy their food, clothes and tools from the noble who owns their land. Theoretically, a commoner could buy out their lease, although the system is set up to make this nearly impossible. Most people die in deeper debt than they were born in, and most people are born already in debt. Begma is mostly agrarian; most people either farm or raise livestock. There are a few mines and a few factories, but by and large most metals and products are imported. The soil, rivers and lakes of Begma are extraordinarily rich, and it produces more food than most of the other Golden Circle Kingdoms combined. A few merchants control the imports, but those merchants are in turn controlled by nobility, or by the King. There is a small Wizard class, all of whom are trained in Eregnor. The Wizards are entrusted with pest removal, insuring the safety and health of the crops and casting preservation spells over goods that are being shipped to other Golden Circle nations. A few Wizards serve as healers or astrologers to noble families. Commoners in need of medical attention usually go to their butcher. Generally speaking, Wizards are treated as minor nobles. There are two major exceptions to the noble/common dichotomy: The Military and The Church. Military service is one of the only ways that a non-landed noble or commoner can achieve recognition, wealth or political power. The King is advised by a trio of Generals, each of whom commands a specific force, and is in turn advised by high ranking officials in that force. Brigadier Roland du Lux was born a commoner and has risen through the ranks of the Begman Rangers. Although he has not participated in a battle in decades, he maintains their loyalty through the use of favors. Admiral Iona Lance is the first female commander of the Navy, although women are permitted to serve in all branches of the military. The Lance family lost their land in a power struggle five centuries ago, and Iona is the first Lance to achieve anything but a drunken stupor since. General Sebastien Frost commands the standing Army in Begma. He is a quiet man, and some say he trained with Benedict. The truth is less glamorous. In any case, he has three hundred years of experience, longer than most Begmans live The other major exception to the rigid class structure is the Church of the Unicorn. Priests and Bishops are generally ranked alongside minor and major nobles, with all the rights and privileges that affords. While they can't individually own land, they speak for the church. The most powerful cleric in Begma is Cardinal Treleau. Over 90% of the population attend services regularly, and the church maintains its own independent militia. Recently, the civil war took a turn for the worse. The Army defected and the palace was overrun. The heads of the King, Queen and most of the council were reportedly set on stakes in front of Solisandra. That was six months ago. There has been no word from Begma since, no has there been any trade in or out. Geography: Begma is both a capital city and a region of its shadow. While it is not the only Kingdom there, it is the largest and wealthiest, and the only one with trade routes to the Golden Circle. While there is a mountain range, the mountains are low and mostly weathered flat. The plains are vast and expansive, and no one in Begma has known a time when the soil failed to yield vastly more than they needed. More than a dozen different species of animal are farmed all over the Kingdom, some for meat, some for produce and others for war. Often called the Golden Breadbasket, Begma exports more than enough to feed Kingdoms like Laputa, which have little agriculture of their own. This has, for the past two growing seasons, been less true. There has been a drought, and as a result the crops have yielded less than usual. The nobility, and the merchants with them, have insisted on meeting Begma's shipping quotas before feeding the Commoners (but after feeding the upper classes). This no doubt contributed to the dissatisfaction with the govenment that led to civil war. There are numerous Shadow-paths between Begma and Amber, Kashfa, Eregnor and Gleep. There are few, if any, direct routes between Begma and the other GC Kingdoms. Relationship to Amber: Common Begmans have little to no contact with anyone outside of their own country, and are indoctrinated from birth to believe that all others are inferior. The nobles rarely need to be taught this, and most treat non-Begmans with indifference at best. The ruling classes of Begma have never forgiven Random for turning Eregnor over to Kashfa, and will no doubt support any claimant that removed his family from the throne.
Distance
from Amber: Two days by sea, with a competent captain Power Availability:
Politics: Two thousand years ago, give or take a few years, Rinaldo become king of Kashfa and never really left. He claimed Brand as his father and married the Kashfan Princess, Coral (who disappeared shortly after his death, and was rumored to have been a child of Oberon), but never walked the Pattern. Indeed, he only rarely visited Amber, focusing his attentions of Kashfa and letting his ambassadors do the ambassading. He made a couple of official state visits, early in his reign, but after that was only seen in Amber twice. Rinaldo was assassinated roughly 500 years ago (apparently by someone who worshipped him as a god and wanted him to ascend into Heaven and rule beside Oberon and the Unicorn), and his only son, Rinaldo the Second, took the throne. Rinaldo has no children, and no wife - nor has he expressed a desire to have either. He has often claimed to be "married to his country." He has never been to Amber. Random visited Kashfa to announce Amber's support for Rinaldo II's reign, and the two never met again. Behind Rinaldo, Kashfa has a two-house Parliament. The Upper House, which has little actual political power, consists primarily of nobles and wizards. Membership in the Upper House is hereditary, and permanent. The Lower House consists of elected working class people. Lower House members are elected once every five years, and no member may run for more than two terms. Anyone regular Kashfan citizen may vote for representation in the Lower House, regardless of gender, family origin or social status. Slaves may vote. Nobility may not. There are three major political parties in Kashfa: the Guild, which represents wealthy non-nobles, including merchants, the Union Party which represents the less wealthy and the disenfranchised, including slaves, and the Hammer and Tong Party, which represents in interests of factory workers and artisans. Geography: Kashfa is a one city shadow. In fact, the place on which the city of Kashfa was built is the only spot on the shadow capable of supporting life. For a span of two hundred miles east, south and west of the city, it is possible to grow crops. For a few hundred miles north, there is nearly uninhabitable ocean, the only pre-existing Shadow-paths into Kashfa are set out here. This ocean is also the only water on Kashfa. The rest of the planet is made of rock - a seemingly infinite amount of rock. Outside the settled areas, there is little do to but mine the available rock for ore. There are a few dozen factories, in the area just outside of the "grass line" but they are rare. There is no natural source of power, so all the factories are run by magic, and all the mages are imported from Eregnor, as Kashfa has few natural adepts. The few factories are profitable, taking the ore that is mined in camps all over the continent a refining it for shipment. Most Kashfans work for a third of the year at a mining camp, a third of the year at a factory and have a third of the year off. Rinaldo set up this system centuries ago, and it seems to work well. All working-class Kashfans are paid a living wage, and have the opportunity to save and travel. There is limited space in Kashfa, and so there is little expansion. As a result, there are tight population controls, and immigration is difficult, but travel and emigration from Kashfa are not. There are Shadow-paths between Kashfa and Amber, Begma, Eregnor and Cremea. Relationship with Amber: Kashfa is largely independant and insular, politically. They are attached to their king, and have little patience for outside interference. This has worked well for the past two thousand years. There is still some resentment over the loss of Eregnor, which many Kashfans believed to be an ancient holding of theirs, and therefore theirs by right. Most of the Kashfans who felt strongly about this, however, are long since dead. There has never been any love lost between Kashfa and Begma, partly due to the Eregnor dispute. In fact, Kashfa has only cordial relationships with any of its trading partners. This rarely stops them from getting business done, however.
Distance
from Amber: Two days by sea, with a competent captain Power Availability:
Politics: Eregnor is the name of the Shadow, the Kingdom that encompasses the majority of it and the capital city. It is also the title of the Monarch, who, upon taking that role loses his or her name, lands, family and possessions. (S)he becomes the servant of the people and all other identity is lost. When the current Eregnor is about to die, the Wizard Guilds gather in the capital (this only time that all the Guild Heads gather, aside from their centennial convocation). The Guild Heads sequester themselves in a room with the Eregnor, who inevitably slips into a controlled coma during this time, and they divine the best possible replacement. The new Eregnor has never come from among their number. Rather, he or she is usually an unknown -- often someone from the lower classes with no magic ability to speak of. Occasionally, someone from another shadow has been chosen. The Eregnor's reign, and therefore lifespan, is somewhat shorter than an average Kashfan's, usually in the neighborhood of 200 years. This is considered a fair trade-off for being the most powerful servant in the world. There is a political support system in place, advisors and chancellors in Eregnor, including the Seneschal and Lord Mayor, and Mayors in each of the other cities. Other than choosing the Eregnor, the Wizard Guilds have no more political power than any other organization in Eregnor. The other main guilds include: The Merchant Marines, The Lumberjacks and The Home-makers. There are smaller guilds, as well. The Eregnor's advisory council is chosen from among the lower-level leadership of the guilds (the higher level leaders are more concerned with their guilds than with the nation as a whole), with a few "wildcards" (a term coined by Random while he was King) that are chosen from among the population as a whole by Guild Seers. In times past, Eregnor was a disputed Shadow, claimed by both Kashfa and Begma as their territory. Early in his reign, however, King Random of Amber threw his support behind the first Eregnor, and the Kingdom has been sovereign ever since. Society: Everyone of the age of majority in Eregnor belongs to a guild. The educational system in Eregnor is set up to facilitate this. Every minor in Eregnor attends school in one of the major cities, the cost for which is shared amongst the citizens and the guilds. At various points during a child's schooling, he or she is tested and tracked into classes that will provide the skills for the guild that he or she is most suited to, in terms of temperament, talent and fate. As a result of the high level of magic, and the fact that Eregnor mages are taught to adapt to the magic levels of all the Golden Circle Shadows (as well as other nearby Shadows), magic is one of Eregnor's prime exports. Basic magic items, spells, and even mages are exported. Rarely do mages from Eregnor emigrate to other Shadows. Instead, their Guild rents them out, bringing part of their salary home to Eregnor, and still usually earning enough to make the Wizards wealthy. Also because of the high magic level, Eregnor seems to have amenities that other Golden Circle Shadows lack: hovercars, lights and telephones. In reality, all of these are magic powered and are specifically keyed to Eregnor's Shadow. Some of the items do work in other Shadows, but few GC Shadows have the magic level to keep them working on a consistent basis. Those that do find them to be very expensive. Most are content to import lights and leave it at that. Within Eregnor, there are half a dozen major types of magic, each with its own Guild and Academy. The Wizard Guilds include the Seers, the Artificers, the War-Mages, the Healers, the Channelers, and the Nurturers. Geography: Eregnor is a large shadow, nearly all of which us under the King's domain. There are hundreds of cities, all with slightly different cultures and levels of wealth. A number of the cities serve as headquarters for the various Wizarding Guilds, and those tend to be the wealthiest and most influential, aside from Eregnor itself. All across Eregnor, though, two things remain constant: the magic, and the trees. Eregnor is the only Golden Circle Shadow that is in the Forest Arden, although to reach it by land from Amber takes weeks. Most of Eregnor is forested, although there are other climates, as well. The forests are thick and nearly infinite, and seem to regrow as quickly as they are cut. Some say this is a natural effect of the Shadow, and of Arden, others attribute it to the Nature Wizard Guild. There are Shadow-paths from Eregnor to Amber, Kashfa, Begma, Puerto Rael and FaerAlbion. The number of Shadows that can be reached by Eregnor is second only to Amber, and as a result it is a powerful hub for trade. Eregnor is technically in the same Shadow as Al Ardis, and it is possible to get from one to the other by sea without shifting Shadow. However, Al Ardis is not accessable via Shadow-paths from most other Shadows. Travelers must first reach Eregnor, and then head to Al Ardis. The desert kingdom is the only part of the Shadow not under the Eregnor's rule. Relationship with Amber: Eregnor enjoys the protection and sponsorship of Amber, a new event in its history. Oberon allowed Kashfa and Begma to fight over the territory, for reasons that were entirely his own. King Random earned the region's undying loyalty by declaring it a soverign nation and giving it the support to get it off the ground. In return, Eregnor has unflaggingly supported Random's rulership and his family's claim to the throne. After Ricwon was born, Random sent Moire to Eregnor to be schooled.
Distance
from Amber: Half a day by foot, down Faiella-Bonin. Power Availability:
Politics: The politics in The Undersea Kingdoms (the official name for the Shadow that includes Rebma, and a dozen other countries under the world's covering of water) are both surprisingly simple and extremely complex. Queen Llewella has full executive and legislative power, and has for more than a thousand years. The Queen's appointed deputies act in her name. While there is no questioning her will, or challenging her, there is a near constant jockeying for positions as aides. The aides aren't a council, as much as enforcers of the Queen's will. They wield a lot of personal power, but are ultimately subject to her whims. Queen Llewella is not known for her lenience for failure. The countries are ruled Princes, usually children of Llewella, and the large cities are overseen by Lord Mayors. The other political power, outside of Llewella's appointed aides and Princes, is the military. The Kingdoms' military is the most well trained and outfitted in the Golden Circle. Service is compulsory for all citizens, male and female, for a period of no less than ten years, although most stay longer. Officers are commissioned in one of two ways, by advancement through the ranks, or by graduation from the military academy in Rebma City. Advancement takes years of constant service. The military academy takes the finest minds, and strongest bodies, from among the youth of Rebma, all of whom attend school for the first two decades of their lives. The sea is a dangerous place, and attacks come frequently from the native mer-folk and sea monsters, and from those who oppose the Queen's iron hand. Society: The whole of The Undersea Kingdoms are ruled by the Queen, and for that to work, her power must be absolute. Her military is unquestioningly loyal to her, and carries out her orders to the letter, wherever in the Shadow that order sends them. After the military, there are nobles, a few hundred families of wealth who control civilian life in the Kingdoms. In a Shadow where only a handful of cities have breathable air, land is the most important measure of wealth. The usable land is limited and carefully held by the few families who have been given land grants by the Queen, either the current Queen, or one of her predecessors. There are vast farms of undersea plants and animals, owned by one of the noble families. A few of them are within the air bubbles, the origin and maintenance of which are shrouded in mystery. Many of the farms, however, are outside the bubbles, and are worked by the natives, who were displaced when Rebma was first settled. They eke out a living on that land, either on the gigantic compounds owned by the nobles or on their own reservations in the deeper sea, barely subsisting. The rest of society exists to serve the nobles, in some way. Rebma is, in nearly every way, a reflection of Amber. Some would say a twisted reflection, but no one who lives there. Nearly all the Undersea Kingdoms' residents are proud and loyal, to their country and their Queen. No matter how bad their lives are, they are united in one belief: they are still better than surface dwellers. Geography: The Undersea Kingdoms are, unsurprisingly, under water. The dozen or so cities that comprise the centers of power, and the small communities around them, are protected from the crushing pressures and lack of breathable oxygen by magical bubbles. The bubbles are permeable in places, allowing commerce between them in specially designed coaches, pulled by dolphin or whale-like creatures, and allowing goods to be carried in by specially outfitted or bred workers who can survive both inside and outside the bubbles. The land covered by the bubbles is large, roughly equal to the size of a continent on Shadow Earth. While there is no land above the water on the Kingdoms' Shadow, there are a few floating communities. These scattered communities live on what the sea gives them, generally living outside of Llewella's control. Rebma is connected to Amber via the Great Stair. It is also possible to take coaches to Cabra. Rebma is the only Shadow connected to 'Tis, which become a Golden Circle Shadow a few hundred years before Random's disappearance. The only means of travel to 'Tis are the coaches, however, so travel is rare. Relationship with Amber: Rebma's relationship with Amber has always been one of distant equality. Being two of the three Shadows with a true pattern, their destinies are irrevocably tied. Their rules, however, have never gotten along well. It was true of Oberon and Moins, and Random and Llewella. While Vialle was alive, the alliance was closer, but with her death the distance again grew. Both kingdoms believe that they should be the deciding partner in any arrangement, and should set the tone for any negotiation. This can often strain relations. The two cities share a history, more than any two kingdoms in the Circle. Much of Rebma's traffic with the other Kingdoms relies on stability in Amber, and Amber relies on Rebma for some part of its food, as well as trade with 'Tis. Even beyond that, however, what happens in one kingdom affects the other, often in subtle ways. Recently, there was a shake-up in Amber, as Random was declared to have abdicated, and his firstborn son killed. Llewella and part of her army, seeking to maintain stability, occupied the castle for a short time, until the Regents were named.
Distance
from Amber: Three days' travel, all of it underwater. Power Availability:
Politics: It is often difficult for Amberites to get a handle on politics in 'Tis, in part because things change so much from visit to visit. In the span of 10 years, nothing to most Amberites, two generations of political change will have happened in the city under the sea. Even the one thing that has never changed is incomprehensible for most Amberites: The Computer, also known as Atillan. While the human governors and the politics they champion change from generation to generation, all of them answer to Atillan, and its word is law. Centuries ago, as the 'Tis measure time, Atillan brokered a deal with Llewella, and she used her pull to add the city to the Golden Circle. Life as a GS member has little effect on the average 'Tis, however. Their lives are simply too short to see any benefit. Most of them are unaware of the situation. Atillan gives its orders, and they are followed. Atillan is a benevolent dictator, wanting only for the 'Tis to live the happiest, safest lives that they can. It takes care of its people physically and emotionally, keeping detailed files on each citizen, calculating the ways in which their lives could be improved, and making those things happen. Complex algorithms are applied to determine maximum happiness in everything from baby food to the moment when a citizen's life should end, although Atillan tries to make sure that the 'Tis all live lives that are both long and happy. Society: Most of the citizens of 'Tis are unaware that their lives are controlled by a computer. Only the most wealthy and most powerful are even introduced to Atillan, and those that meet it are never the same afterward. Society's rules change too frequently to keep track of, by Amberite standards. Atillan, however, keeps close track of them, and the different measurements of happiness that the 'Tis use. Some generations value freedom, others value commitment to a labor or employer. In the time it takes for an Amberite to leave and come back, the pendulum may have swung. As a result, few Amberites are comfortable visiting 'Tis for long. Only the 'Tis at the highest levels of their society are aware of other Shadows, and of Rebma, although in recent generations rumors have sprung up about the 'Tis leaders' dealing with "aliens." *Note: The name of the city is pronounced "tiz," and the people are called "tease," although the spelling is the same. Geography: 'Tis is a single city, the only habitable location on the Shadow. It is large, thousands of miles across, and sprawling. The citizens are capable of breathing in air and water, although it is more comfortable inside the dome of the city. Many people work outside, usually mining the Shadow's abundant mineral reasources. As the entire Shadow is a vast ocean, it seems unlikely that it will even be mined completely. Relationship with Amber: None. 'Tis only trades with Rebma, as all routes to and from the city go through that Shadow. Because of the unique circumstances of the city, it is all but unreachable by any other route. There is very little open trade between the cities, although some wealthy UK residents vacation in 'Tis and vise versa. The mineral wealth of 'Tis is all but unsurpassed in the GS, however, and though all trade passes through Rebma the City Under the Sea is considered a valuable trading partner. |
