¤ The Amboise Family

Amongst the great houses of Bretonnia, the family of Amboise are renowned as the most cultured and sophisticated. For five hundred years they have presided Gascogne and Bordeleaux, and today they live a dizzying life of eloquent recitations, dances and visits to the many graceful chateaux which dot the countryside around the wide and lazy river Morceaux.

Although the province of Gascogne, the domain of the Amboise family, is small by Bretonnian standards, it is unusually rich and productive; its peasants are famously fat and good-natured, with bad harvests being little more than bad dreams for these lucky farmers. On the back of ever-greater wine exports from Bordeleaux, the phenomenal wealth of the Amboise family has been built up to truly dazzling levels. They and their leading clients can afford to subsidise grand projects such as the construction of fairy-tale chateaux perched high over rivers and rolling countryside, or the writing and printing of books on poetry, history, magic, science and folk-tales. Under the patronage of the Amboise family, the university of Bordeleaux was founded in 2288 IC, and has now become one of the greatest academic and literary centres in Bretonnia, if not in the Old World; its writers and professors have advanced the literature of Bretonnian (as opposed to classical) to a far greater extent than Reikspiel. In terms of law, theology and science, it is an open rival of the Faculty du Sorbet, the University of Guisoreux.

The Amboise family is not large, and is dominated by two great figures: Blanche de la Rose Amboise and Hubert de la Motte. Jules Blois, Duc de Gascogne and supposed head of the family is, though an ebullient figure, liberal in his consumption of wine and distribution of gifts, rather a nonentity in matters not connected to the table and the goblet. Hubert de la Motte, the Marquis de Frejus, chooses to expend his time on other pursuits than is common for young men of his age and birth, including politics. Unlike other nobles, he is not especially interested in hunting and warfare; he has a deep love of learning, culture and enlightened society. Some at the Oisillon Palace say his knowledge is not befitting one of Hubert's station, and it is certainly true that he spends more time in the more esoteric sections of the extensive royal library than is entirely good for him. In this he is like Tancred, his cousin and the King's younger brother; the two actually have quite a close relationship, and the older Hubert spends long hours aiding Tancred in his studies of obscure subjects.

Despite Hubert's love of scholarship, the Marquis feels just as comfortable in the ballroom. He and his elegant companions cut a dashing sight at the Oisillon Palace, impressing the court with their intelligence and grace; they are the life and soul of balls and daily life at the Palace. He also wields much political influence thanks to his position as Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs; Hubert revels in the opportunity to write finely-honed missives and organise impressive entertainments for foreign officials. Although suave and sophisticated, Hubert is renowned for his arrogance; he is clever and powerful, and he knows it. If he judges someone to not be worth his time, they soon know about it. A major saving grace is the fact that he is very good at deciding who can be of most benefit to him or to the state (though his own good takes first place) without automatically looking at birth or wealth. Indeed, his insight is perhaps a little too deep and unnerving; Hubert's piercing gaze lets everyone know that he has something on them - not always something that he could be reasonably expected to know. Hubert’s aunt, Blanche de la Rose Amboise (or, to some, Blois) inherited rulership of the Amboise lands when her father died without a mature heir; she in turn had been married to Gontrand le Bien Bel, a younger brother of Charles II notorious for his appetite and enormous belly. Someone more different from the thin, pretty little de facto heiress to the wealthy Duchy of Gascogne was hard to imagine. However, Blanche rose to the challenge, and when her husband wanted her to be, she proved a dutiful wife. Gontrand, of course, took little personal interest in Blanche (though her lands certainly did arouse his attention) and the two spent little time together, with the Duc obliged to be at court to, at first, stick close to the heart of government and later to run the kingdom. Hubert de la Motte was perhaps the only positive product of their relationship. In his absence, Blanche developed the chateaux and palaces of the winecountry round Bordeleaux and the Morceaux river into an especially vibrant environment to cultivate the spirit and the intellect. An 'age d'or' of poetic and artistic finesse opened, and continues to this day; the scholars, writers, architects and artists who compete for the attentions of the Amboise faction far outstrip even their demand, so that most end up living a very 'bohemian' existence in the squalid but cheery slums around Bordeleaux university known as ‘Le Grand Mont’.

Blanche's current husband Jules, another brother of the King, was once again forced upon her by the Oisillon authorities, who are said to have threatened to disinherit her under an obscure law concerning female land ownership. But despite their relationship's lack of real feeling on either side (Blanche is somewhat disdainful and arrogant so far as upper-class Bretonnian men go after her experiences) Jules certainly does know how to have a good time, and his presence has only added to the unique lifestyle of Gascogne.

Another important project that has gone ahead thanks largely to the influence and especial interest of Blanche is that of colonising the New World. Bordeleaux has a long and proud maritime tradition, and even the bourgeois Merchant Guild agreed to fund part of the expeditions. The city, the Guild and the nobles now have the profits of the colonies of Nouveau Bagnoles, Charlesfort and others to fight over.

Blanche herself has far outlived Gontrand, but never produced any children save Hubert. Those close to the Bordeleaux court say that offspring are unlikely to result from the new union with Gontrand's brother, Jules. She Palace. He also wields much political influence thanks to his position as Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs; Hubert revels in the opportunity to write finely-honed missives and organise impressive entertainments for foreign officials. Although suave and sophisticated, Hubert is renowned for his arrogance; he is clever and powerful, and he knows it. If he judges someone to not be worth his time, they soon know about it. A major saving grace is the fact that he is very good at deciding who can be of most benefit to him or to the state (though his own good takes first place) without automatically looking at birth or wealth. Indeed, his insight is perhaps a little too deep and unnerving; Hubert's piercing gaze lets everyone know that he has something on them - not always something that he could be reasonably expected to know. Hubert’s aunt, Blanche de la Rose Amboise (or, to some, Blois) inherited rulership of the Amboise lands when her father died without a mature heir; she in turn had been married to Gontrand le Bien Bel, a younger brother of Charles II notorious for his appetite and enormous belly. Someone more different from the thin, pretty little de facto heiress to the wealthy Duchy of Gascogne was hard to imagine. However, Blanche rose to the challenge, and when her husband wanted her to be, she proved a dutiful wife. Gontrand, of course, took little personal interest in Blanche (though her lands certainly did arouse his attention) and the two spent little time together, with the Duc obliged to be at court to, at first, stick close to the heart of government and later to run the kingdom. Hubert de la Motte was perhaps the only positive product of their relationship. In his absence, Blanche developed the chateaux and palaces of the winecountry round Bordeleaux and the Morceaux river into an especially vibrant environment to cultivate the spirit and the intellect. An 'age d'or' of poetic and artistic finesse opened, and continues to this day; the scholars, writers, architects and artists who compete for the attentions of the Amboise faction far outstrip even their demand, so that most end up living a very 'bohemian' existence in the squalid but cheery slums around Bordeleaux university known as ‘Le Grand Mont’.

Blanche's current husband Jules, another brother of the King, was once again forced upon her by the Oisillon authorities, who are said to have threatened to disinherit her under an obscure law concerning female land ownership. But despite their relationship's lack of real feeling on either side (Blanche is somewhat disdainful and arrogant so far as upper-class Bretonnian men go after her experiences) Jules certainly does know how to have a good time, and his presence has only added to the unique lifestyle of Gascogne.

Another important project that has gone ahead thanks largely to the influence and especial interest of Blanche is that of colonising the New World. Bordeleaux has a long and proud maritime tradition, and even the bourgeois Merchant Guild agreed to fund part of the expeditions. The city, the Guild and the nobles now have the profits of the colonies of Nouveau Bagnoles, Charlesfort and others to fight over.

Blanche herself has far outlived Gontrand, but never produced any children save Hubert. Those close to the Bordeleaux court say that offspring are unlikely to result from the new union with Gontrand's brother, Jules. She and her son, consequently, have a very close relationship, with Blanche acting as Hubert's adviser and confidante; he trusts her implicitly and will speak his true mind to her alone. Known as the 'Diamond of the Deep' because of her connections with the wealth of the Morceaux, Blanche keeps a peripatetic court that is constantly on the move from chateau to chateau to Bordeleaux and back to the country again; it is a long and colourful procession of banners and numberless servants, followed by legions favour-hunters and hangers-on. The intelligent Blanche thrives in this atmosphere, governing the duchy of Gascogne very efficiently, and has even composed poetry of her own; she is widely spoken of as the best hostess in all Bretonnia. Under the guidance of Blanche and Hubert (who has been appointed governor of Bordeleaux in recognition of his royal blood and cultural connections; in practice he allows Blanche to do the actual work of government in the city), the cultural life of Bordeleaux has thrived, whilst regular distributions of free wine and bread ensure her popularity with the commoners. Even so, they have not aroused the sympathy of Bordeleaux's bourgeoisie, who stubbornly maintain their many ancient privileges; at times there is virtual warfare between the rich merchants and the Amboise's supporters, with both trying to gain the aid of the intelligentsia and the commoners in a continuing power struggle. Although the existence of the Gascogne nobility may sound idyllic and free from the dangers of the outside world, this is far from the truth; beneath the enlightened veneer lies just as much backstabbing and intrigue as is to be found in the Oisillon Palace or any other noble household. Illicit affairs, dependency on the many chemical and herbal substances used to add verve to balls, membership of strange and ancient societies that hold secret, decadent meetings in the dead of night, plots, slanders and much else are all hinted at but never brought into the open; to do so would be to rip the heart out of the grand illusion on which the happy aristocrats of Gascogne thrive.