The Design Of The Pattern?

[weilide]

Uncle Twitchy's evocation of the Pattern is fairly close to the way I've always envisioned it. I have a hard time seeing the particle accelerator traces as the lines of the Pattern itself but they seem like a wonderful evocation of the showers of sparks that emerge when someone walks it.

For my part, I'd like to throw in elements from the Triple Spirals of Newgrange.



I like this for several reasons: (A) they're a Celtic or pre-Celtic Irish symbol which seems to resonate with some of the cultural inspiration for the series as a whole, (B) they're quite ancient, which means they can placed in the Amber universe as a distant reflection of the Pattern with the timing working out respectably with Dworkin's inscription of the Pattern, (C) they evidently exist within some ancient structure, which again echoes Amber.

[Ivanhoe]

This is how Florence Magnin illustrated it in her trump deck:



I think I like the idea that it is a pattern hard to keep in mind if you are not an initiate to it.

[Trevelyan]

The idea that the Pattern crosses over itself seems immensely wrong to me, somehow.

[Croaker]

Same thing here. This is too bad, since I love Florence Magnin's drawings.
It thinks as if one could take "shortcuts" instead of just following the required path.

[Ivanhoe]

The idea that the Pattern crosses over itself seems immensely wrong to me, somehow.

That bother me as well, but I like the rest of the rendering. Also remember what they say about Dworkin : it is an artist who didn't care for perspective and distances. Maybe it looks like the Pattern is crossing itself but you'll never happen to walk somewhere where a path crosses another path.

I generally say that no one can make an accurate drawing of the pattern without it having some power embedded. A mundane drawer would always have it wrong and an Amber Prince would have all the Corwin's troubles at drawing one accurately.

[Thanateros]

I'm sure that the prayer labyrinths of Europe had some inspiration in Zelazny imagining the Pattern, and your design takes that approach.

I read an article once which discussed Zelazny's trip to France, but for the life of me now no amount of Googling will find it again.  Zelazny was enamored of Parisian life, which is reflected in Corwin's fond memories of his time in Paris.  Southwest of Paris is the town of Chartres, in which the famous Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres is located.  On the floor of the Chartres Cathedral there is a massive "labyrinth".  By way of his visit to the Chartres Cathedral, the Chartres labyrinth was purported by the article to be Zelazny's inspiration for the Pattern of Amber.  Zelazny's descriptions of the dimensions of the Amberite Pattern alone though clearly show that the Amberite Pattern is not strictly identical to the Chartres labyrinth.

[RPGPundit]

Yup, that seems very plausible.

RPGPundit

[KrakaJak]

I just imagine it as a sparkly, flamey, Tron-line in the middle of an immense void.

[gabriel_ss4u]

I like Florence Magnin's illustration, however I agree that the lines should not cross.
That's an interesting idea on Dworkin's perspective though, I like it too.

The Chartres labyrinth is awesome and is an excellent representation of a basic Pattern of Amber!
Luv it, thanks!

[gabriel_ss4u]

Ooooooo...
lookee here;
http://www.labyrinthcompany.com/

My very OWN Pattern?

[Thanateros]

http://www.labyrinthcompany.com/
My very OWN Pattern?

One of those portable labyrinths would be an absolutely invaluable prop in an Amber LARP.  I have a friend who helps run the AmberCon in Detroit.  I am going to suggest to him that the convention committee should rent a portable labyrinth for the next AmberCon.

[RPGPundit]

That would be one hell of a cool prop for a LARP.

RPGPundit

[Sydius Mendoza]

This is an image I made using GIMP. I started with a basic b&w line drawing of Chartres. Let me know what you think, I have a Logrus image as well.

[Sydius Mendoza]

I don't remember where I found the base image for this one.

[RPGPundit]

Quite good both of them, pretty close to what I conceive of, particularly the Logrus.

RPGPundit