Benedict – Age 18
Demeanor
A solitary scholar, from a young age Benedict has bent his considerable intellect to the mastery of martial disciplines. He has become a master swordsman and tactician, second only to the Eternal King. Benedict appears taciturn and stand-offish to others. Only Benedict knows what he thinks of himself.
Family Ties
As third son of Oberon, Benedict has a uniquely lonely place in the family hierarchy. While he feels some kinship with identical twins Osric and Finndo, he is forever an outsider to their unique bond. Benedict’s younger siblings are at best half-brothers and half-sisters. They only to evoke burdensome responsibility rather than actual affection. It seems Benedict’s lot to stand alone and apart.
Eric – Age 17
Demeanor
While appearing light-hearted, Eric has a definite opinion about How Things Should Be. This includes, more often than not, Eric being at the top. Not to say he doesn’t care about others: when you’re the best, you can afford to be magnanimous. Chivalry is Eric’s plaything.
Family Ties
Eric is in a near-perpetual state of competition with Corwin. Recently, he’s converted Julian and Caine to his cause, which means he’s winning. Too bad Fiona and Brand will never amount to anything. But the way the courtiers are starting to look at Florimel could be very useful down the road…
Corwin – Age 16
Demeanor
The world revolves around Corwin – at least, according to Corwin. As an amateur composer and balladeer, he has set much of this Corwin-centric philosophy to music, so that everyone can join in. Corwin is an accomplished athlete, a fact he will also gladly share with anyone who will listen. If Corwin is more than a size-twelve Ego in a letterman’s jacket, he hides it well.
Family Ties
Corwin is in a near-perpetual state of competition with Eric. Recently, Corwin has recruited fun-loving Bleys and toady Random to his side, which means he’s winning. Too bad Fiona and Brand are a loss. Notes to self: Avoid Osric & Finndo. Oh yeah, and Dierdre. She seems to have some kind of icky crush on me.
Caine – Age 15
Demeanor
Never caught with his hand in the cookie jar, Caine always has a full store of cookies. He began sneaking around the castle as soon as he could walk, just for the thrill of it, but found the secrets he uncovered even more exhilarating. Equal parts young Holmes and Moriarity, learning too much too fast just whetted Caine’s insatiable curiosity but has never tried his patience. Caine knows your next step because he spent all last night examining your shoes.
Family Ties
If Eric and Corwin were buddies, would Caine have ever developed his taste for intrigue? Perhaps; but their unending competition proved an ideal classroom and testing ground, so much so that Caine can now perpetuate the rivalry with barely a word. The other factions among the children are proving more challenging…
Deirdre – Age 14
Demeanor
As the first daughter of Oberon and only daughter of Faiella, Dierdre decided to compete on the boy’s rough-and-tumble playing field. Too bad none of them stuck around to get their axes handed to them. Where some of her sibs are self-absorbed, Dierdre is actually self-sufficient. This cheerful, athletic "tomboy" has won over many a skeptic.
Family Ties
Dierdre will spare time for any of her siblings who care to show some respect. If they can’t bother, then she won’t bother with them. Lately Corwin seems to have developed some kind of bizarre crush on her, which makes her feel icky. Unfortunately, sex is one of the subjects she’s never discussed with anyone, for fear they might want to force her into some traditional female role. She just hopes she’s not missing anything…
Fiona – Age 13
Demeanor
Fiona is a late bloomer in the first flush of puberty. Perhaps this is the reason she’s such a morbid introvert – or perhaps adulthood wants to approach her very, very carefully. She spends way too much time (according to her annoyingly cheerful sibs) thinking about the occult, the macabre and the nature of reality. To summarize what she has come up with so far: it sucks.
Family Ties
Fiona and Bleys are fraternal twins. While they are practically inseparable, their personalities are like night and day. Where Fiona is dark and serious, Bleys is gaudy and extroverted. They are both protective of their younger brother, Brand, and form a triad rarely separated by the other sibs.
Bleys – Age 13
Demeanor
Things always seem to come easy to Bleys – at least all the things that Bleys really wants to do, like paying with swords, looking great, looking great while playing with swords…or whatever he sets his mind to this week. It’s not to say that Bleys is shallow, it’s just that he’s excited to move on to the next wonderful thing. Who has time to stop and smell the roses when there are so many to collect?
Family Ties
Bleys and Fiona are fraternal twins. While they are practically inseparable, their personalities are like day and night. Where Bleys is stylish and extroverted, Fiona is dark and melodramatic. They are both protective of their younger brother, Brand, and form a triad rarely separated by the other sibs.
Brand – Age 11
Demeanor
Brand is an odd child, voted most likely to see ghosts or pull wings off flies or start a fire just to watch it burn. Where Fiona wants to understand the world, and Bleys wants to experience it, Brand takes pleasure in deconstructing it. Yet he is capable of a sweet, endearing charm – endearing enough that such oddities are swiftly forgiven, if not forgotten.
Family Ties
Brand stays close to Fiona and Bleys, because he understands them and because they are the only ones for which he feels honest, unconflicted emotion of any kind. The rest of the world is an uncertain tangle. His charm, too fragile to bloom into actual confidence, functions something like a defense mechanism. It’s not his fault if people fall for it.
Llewella – Age 12
Demeanor
The drowned girl. That’s the way Llewella often feels. The other children of the Eternal King live in the sunlight, and she is trapped below the water, trapped in a mystical mirror like those that populate the sunken palace. It’s so glamorous to be part of the Rebman royal family, and be pampered, and they make sure that she never wants for anything - except freedom.
Family Ties
Llewella is often so jealous of the other children, or what she perceives the other children to be, that she can hardly speak in their presence. None of them younger than Benedict has ever visited Rebma, and since Llewella is the only (officially) unrecognized child of Oberon, she has rarely ventured to their surface world.
Florimel – Age 12
Demeanor
Unlike Dierdre the Tomboy and Fiona the Goth, Florimel has always been the Perfect Little Girl. Queen Rilga adopted her dear "Flora" despite the child’s illegitimate birth, and raised Florimel in Amber as her own. Pretty and popular, Florimel has always instinctively utilized her girlish charms, but is only now beginning to comprehend their seductive aspect. She is a galloping My Little Pony headed at breakneck speed toward the chasm of Lolita.
Family Ties
Like her father, Florimel’s male siblings dote on her. Bleys and Brand are the least effected thanks to Fiona’s constant intervention. Florimel’s girlish optimism (i.e., stupidity) annoys Fiona to no end, and Dierdre sees "useless Flora" as a pampered frill. Flora likes anyone who appreciates her enough to do every little thing she asks.
Julian – Age 10
Demeanor
Be loyal, honest and trustworthy – to those who deserve it. As far as it is possible for there to be one, Julian is Amber’s Boy Scout. He is the only one who really likes and understands the spooky forest, and is in fact most comfortable when out-of-doors. Julian is a journeyman woodsman, tracker and animal handler; and yes, he is simply mad about horses.
Family Ties
Julian pals around with Gerard, but like the rest of Rilga’s children, tends to get ignored by the older siblings. The exceptions are Caine and Eric, who see Julian as someone really useful to have on their side. Julian enjoys being part of this triad, not just because the trio’s interests compliment each other, but because it makes him part of a stronger group that is more able to deal with the redheads when adults are not around.
Gerard – Age 9
Demeanor
Gerard is always the peacemaker: the one who steps in to stop fights, who comforts those who are too proud to seek adults - and who tells his parents when something bad happens, which has earned him somewhat of a reputation as a snitch. Gerard would like everyone to be one big happy family and is too young to suspect it may never happen. Gerard likes to spend his time carving wood or helping the castle stone masons or tending to injured animals, but is constantly interrupted by kids who want to see him break a log over his head. Sigh.
Family Ties
While his nature is to get along with everyone, Gerard mostly pals around with brother Julian. He is consistently kind to little brother Random. Gerard’s "nosiness" usually brings him into opposition with Brand, Corwin and/or Eric. Most sibs are conflicted around Gerard: they fear he’ll tattle if they confide too much, but in this crowd, a good listener is astoundingly rare.
Random – Age 8
Demeanor
Random is the low man on the totem pole, the "baby" that everybody ditches when they’re out to have fun. This has not helped his self-esteem, and he is well on the road to becoming the brat that they all think he is. Random likes music and games, which he usually practices alone since he has trouble finding playmates.
Family Ties
If Rilga’s kids could band together, Random wouldn’t need to be so picked on, but he relies too much on his mother’s authority and his youth to protect him. Random can occasionally pry kind-hearted Gerard away Julian. If Random is willing to be brutally teased, Corwin will let him tag along as a (near literal) side-kick. Of the other boys, Benedict can be stoically protective, but never friendly. The girls think Random has cooties.