Amber Oracle

...for In a Wicked Age

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1,A doctor in Shadow, mystified by a wasting disease coming on his wards. 1,A celebration in the city of a beloved royal's birthday. 1,The madame of a fine bordello, with her manservant. 1,A treaty between two neighboring Shadows, target of assassination. 1,The murder of an agent of the crown. 1,The corpse of one of Julian's hunting hound, killed intentionally, caught in a rose-briar. 1,The written deed to a certain noble's house, affirmed and sealed. 1,A wayhouse in Shadow in which plague-carriers recently stayed. 1,A wealthy noble with much political clout. 1,A vicious gang of cutthroats and alley-thieves, lying in wait near Bloody Pete's. 1,A conjurer who needs blood to entice his uncouth spirits. 1,A tower of silver and alabaster that rises from the sea under each the new moon. 1,A city of marble and mist that appears in the sky under each full moon. 1,An assassin's target (though not victim), lying in a pool of blood in a dank back alley. 1,A young widower, raging, his wife murdered by a rival. 1,A sorceress jealously guarding her magical territory. 1,The return of a reclusive enchantress to her true home. 1,A night-wisp out of Shadow, who devours its victims' life force. 1,A jaded mercenary, murderer of both enemies and friends. 1,A demon-child of an ill-mating, craving mischief. 1,The arrival of a hundred fearsome warships to an unprepared coast. 1,The young mother of a baby prince, whose husband the king is inexplicably absent from the throne. 1,A prince's signature possession, left behind in a brawl. 1,The site of a pitched battle, ground churned and stinking, and the widows mourning there. 1,A troupe of musicians for hire, one of whom is a burglar and cutpurse. 1,The daughter of royalty, denied nothing, prey to fleeting whims, craving discipline. 1,An outlying watchtower on a wooded hill in Arden. 1,One mistakenly condemned, fled into hiding and exile. 1,A private garden, and the two children meeting there. 1,A poacher, simple but good-natured, and his daughter. 1,A young noble, casually cruel, exiled by a prince for a petty slight. 1,The flight of a prince and his forbidden lover into hiding. 1,A prince turned village warden, living in obscurity and peace. 1,The boasting chief of a warrior tribe out of Shadow. 1,The passage of a ghostly army, dragging their slain and injured. 1,A gutted tower, home to many birds, haunted. 1,A young prodigy, knowledgeable in many uncanny arts, but forgetful of safeguards. 1,An apothecary, squint-eyed and half-mad, possessed of many forbidden truths. 1,A long-dead queen, still defending her wards. 1,A sorceress, slender but commanding, with golden hair. 1,The young, beautiful wife of an old man filled with mad power. 1,A murderer-for-hire, luckless and in poverty. 1,The fey and unfriendly guardians of an enchanted glade. 1,A thick gold ring, torn from a demon's ear. 1,A message of malice and warning, carried by a messenger bird. 1,The head of a navy admiral, within a carved wooden cask. 1,The awakening of three powerful and malignant entities. 1,The ghosts of those drowned in deadly waters close to shore. 1,The son of a king, born crippled, denied his rightful place. 1,The child of a prince, looking for recognition from the royal family that knows them not. 1,The meeting by chance of old enemies, one less forgetful than the other. 1,A reader of omens and caster of auguries, with grim news. 1,The arrival of unexpected and improbable allies, in darkness. 1,A waystation on a broad road on the outskirts of Arden. 1,The secret central chamber, forever in shadow, lit from within. 1,A new fortress built on the ruins of a forgotten people. 1,A theft from the innermost library. 1,A Hall of Mirrors, sought by many, found only by those it seeks itself. 1,A room in the dungeons, its doorway locked, hiding and caging that which lies within. 1,An ancient power, intent on driving the living mad. 1,A watery, jealous reflection of the city above, and the denizens within. 1,A rough hunter, surly, filthy, and crude. 1,A market at a crossroads in Shadow, full of sound and color. 1,A cruel and powerful young lordling. 1,A high, many-towered wall on a fierce border, and the soldiers left to hold it. 1,A gathering of fey spirits beneat their rocky mound, all too willing to share their food and drink. 1,A fearsome unnatural storm, with thunder and driving winds. 1,An ancient stone way-marker, indicating an disused road through Shadow. 1,A knowledge-mad sorceress, delving into ancient secrets. 1,A well-known golden armlet, still on the skeletal arm of its owner. 1,A favored son, refined and crafty. 1,A mysterious moonlit ritual on a high bare hilltop, with a single man in attendance. 1,A woman suddenly bereft of love and family, daughter to a long heritage of sorceresses and poisoners. 1,A Shadow-walker, traveling ahead of a ferocious storm. 1,The much-contested wedding of the kingdom's great beauty. 1,A magical messenger, brass-skinned. 1,A fortress in Shadow, of bricks and timber, controlled by a skilled local warlord. 1,A deer-path through Arden leading to a still pond, and the uncanny creature traveling it. 1,A spirit of Arden, mercurial in form, sister to deer. 1,A royal daughter, tramping after strawberries. 1,An executioner in service to a ruthless crown. 1,An altar overflowing with flowers and bowls of honey, and the childless woman who tends it. 1,A token indicating that its bearer speaks for the crown. 1,A sword held in great esteem, drawn now for the first time in three lifetimes. 1,The arrival at a way house of four unusual travelers. 1,A hard-won victory, with many dead on both sides. 1,A raving prophet, preaching the transience of life and advocating a full indulgence of every appetite. 1,A flock of hunterbirds, sharp-beaked, clever, and dreadful, and their master. 1,The seventh wife of Oberon, carrying another's child. 1,A captured war-horse with a taste for human flesh. 1,A young girl, inexperienced but astute and a canny judge of character. 1,The mutiny and revolt of a prestigious cavalry company. 1,The death of the primary heir. 1,The seizure of arcane powers by an arrogant and brutal sorcerer. 1,A bandit captain, in hiding, with her trusted bodyguard. 1,An enemy champion, fearless and bellowing. 1,The well-intentioned mutiny aboard the crown's flagship. 1,A camp-wanton, shame to her brother, pretty and pliant, bitter and prone to drink. 1,A fortress guarding the only pass through treacherous mountains, overseen by a corrupt captain. 1,A simple insult, casually inflicted, striking very, very deep. 1,The deathbed curse of a betrayed queen. 1,A man pulled out of his time and place by the whims of the mighty. 1,A jealous and vengeful rival with an infamous temper, prone to violence.
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