A shadow, a realm and a city.

Amber the shadow or world contains the three reflected Patterns in close proximity. One under Castle Amber within the mountain Kolvir, one under the Royal Palace or Rebma and one in Tir-na Nog'th.

Amber is conducive to long lifespans and health. Most diseases are weakened there while people and animals and plants are strengthened. Amber sees a fair number of medical tourists. There are several spas in the countryside and quite a few poorer people recouperating in garrets in the City itself. The Crown limits emigration.

Amber's state religion, to the extent it has one, is the cult of the Unicorn. Unicorn shrines are located in sites where She was seen and maintained by Keepers, mystics with actual connections (usually through sightings or dreams) to Her. False Keepers are driven away by nightmares and there isn't much money in the positions to attract such anyway. Keepers are a mix of Shito priest and holy hermit.

The Crown tolerates other religions that behave themselves. Amber City has a dozen temples and ten times that many less formal meeting places for the various faiths of the trade network. Many Amber natives give support to two or three of these along with the Unicorn cult in order to cover all the bases. Cults that do not behave themselves by, for instance, inciting violence against rival cults, are ruthlessly suppressed.

The human nobles and magnates of Amber are primarily an aristocracy of trade. Something like the British and Dutch East India Companies but with a stronger interest in the long run and less military support from the Crown. The royals make Shadow Paths to primary ports, places selected for a few targeted commodities, where a designated trading house establishes itself and investigates the rest of the shadow for more opportunities. Merchant adventurers gradually explore the other shadows along the new path for other opportunities, hoping to find places where they can make a quick fortune. Houses or adventurers who stir up too much trouble risk the ire of the Crown.

Three fourths of the sailors in Amber's merchant ships are foreigners. While most Amber men (and some women) go to sea for part of their long lives there aren't enough of them to man the fleets. Cosmopolitan, in Amber, takes on a whole new meaning. Some sailors are near-humans of the Cousin Races and a few aren't human at all. Sensitives are always in demand as navigators.

The Amber Navy has two main tasks, defensive patrols near Amber itself and protecting the trade network. The opportunities to make real money -- though Amber's sailors are generally paid much better than those of other realms -- come entirely from the second. As with the British navy of the Napoleonic era, officers and crews of Amber naval ships get a percentage of the value of the enemy vessels and cargos they capture. Successful Amber captains are moderately rich. Ships and crews are rotated between Amber defense and network defense. The biggest advantage of being on Amber defense is that it gives them an opportunity to heal up and get healthy in the benign Amber environment.

Winterfair and the Festival of Masks The most elaborate and popular festival in Amber, a week long series of Venetian Carnival-like parades, dances, balls, sporting contests, entertainments and such. Most people go masked and costumed at least part of the time, and while masked the social and class barriers are not in effect. (To a point.) Sexual adventures that take place during Winterfair, at least those between those costumed and incognito, are supposed to be ignored. (To a point.) There are always some murders, a rash of theft and robberies and a lot of disorder but Oberon always considered it a necessary pressure valve. Plus, Oberon enjoyed it and so do most of the royals. ‘Companies’, something like Mardi Gras ‘krewes’, sponsor and run specific events within Winterfair. There are neighborhood Companies, club Companies, temple Companies, etc. Several royals sponsor events or are members of Companies.