The War is Over

These are the results of my THRONE WAR contest, which was also a participant (and fortunate winner) in @tfcoates's excellent contest.

Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown, Corwin thought. Willie the bard himself told me that, and he was right. From the high balcony, he looked at the rest of the castle, then beyond, to the town of Amber, the harbor and the shining sea. He drew the blade Greyswandir and pointed it at the sky. The true king, surveying his domain, he thought again, then scoffed at himself. Naive.

It had been easy, and he did not trust 'easy'. Only Gerard had made a move, and that had been handled efficiently. Corwin had outmaneuvered his forces, cut off his route of escape, then offered an honorable way out. In the end, Gerard had surrendered to save the life of his followers, as Corwin knew he would. And then Corwin had shown up in person and offered to shake his hand, a noble gesture which was a bit of a gamble: he had snipers in place, better safe than sorry, still: compound fractures are never fun. To his surprise, the big oaf had pulled him in for one of his bear hugs, and instead of breaking his spine, Gerard had said the better man had won, and sworn allegiance then and there.

But one ally was far from enough. For all he was sure of his powers, Corwin wasn't a fool. He had older brothers, whose birthright was only clouded by technicalities. In his family there were more competent generals, far better sorcerers, deeper thinkers; and most of them hated his guts. Hoping to provoke a reaction, Corwin had reached far into the shadows, and sent insulting invites to his coronation; but not one of his brothers and sisters had shown the courtesy to come so he could have them arrested.

Where are the others? What are they plotting? Should I attack them first? Corwin had little doubt that in time, he would find out. For all roads lead to Amber, which stands at the center of every world, and every story.

But for a short time... The war was over.

And there are spoils to be shared!

@f3nix, you get the winner's share. You sponsored Corwin from the start when anything could still happen, and Corwin is the kind of guy who will reward risks taken on his behalf. @rentmoney's contribution to his cause is not forgotten, but not big enough to trump yours.

@marcoriccardi, you receive the master's favor. With no challengers appearing to mix things up, Gerard was bound to fail: Corwin is just more capable and ruthless. The balance would have shifted had there been more opponents. That said, Gerard is one of my top five favorite Amberites. In the RPG, players usually portray the next generation: they are the sons and daughters of the Machiavellian characters in the books. In that context, Gerard is the best father you could hope for: he is dependable, he is not way smarter than you, and he does not want to kill you. Very rare qualities!

@rentmoney, I'm giving out three shares and there are three contestants, this means your chances of winning the lucky share rise to 100%. That's a bet even I would take! So this is the time when you relax in your armchair, sip a glass of brandy, stroke the purring cat in your lap and softly murmur: "I love it when a plan comes together..."

Thanks to everyone for taking part in my contest, I hope you enjoyed it. Are there more contests coming? Definitely... Maybe! When I get another idea I like.