Prince Konrad

• Katherine, his daughter
• Shadow: The Library
• Shadow: Carcosa
• Shadow: The Channard Institute
• Shadow: Labyrinth
• Shadow: Europe

'Tis better to be vile than vile esteem'd,
When not to be receives reproach of being,
And the just pleasure lost which is so deem'd
Not by our feeling but by others' seeing:
For why should others false adulterate eyes
Give salutation to my sportive blood?
Or on my frailties why are frailer spies,
Which in their wills count bad what I think good?
No, I am that I am, and they that level
At my abuses reckon up their own:
I may be straight, though they themselves be bevel;
By their rank thoughts my deeds must not be shown;
Unless this general evil they maintain,
All men are bad, and in their badness reign.
--Sonnet CXXI, Shakespeare

General Description

Every family has its black sheep, and without a doubt Konrad filled that rank admirably while he lived. He claimed his Amberite lineage through his grandfather Osric, though he did not explain who his mother and father were, and in many ways he behaved inappropriately. Coming to Amber under the shadow of Mandor and the King in Yellow did little to ingratiate him to the royal family, and so from the beginning his attempts to find his place in Amber were met with much resistance. He was, to put it simply, too foreign...to odd...to every really belong in Castle Amber.

The truth of his parentage lead him to the dark conclusion that he was created to serve as a host body for Hastur, and his attempt to circumvent this fate joined him to a being only slightly less malevolent, the King in Yellow. Through the aid of the other Amberites, he was freed from the King in Yellow's control, but the mental trauma was great, and so he fled into Shadow...to the Channard Institute, where away from the intrigues of Castle Amber he found time to study his new powers, learn more about his history, and learn who he really was.

Upon returning to Amber, Konrad came into conflict with Prince Karl. In an attempt to embarass Karl, Konrad publicly declared his birthright as son of Karl and Kianne, but before Karl could answer that challenge, he was assassinated in his home shadow of Europe. A short time later Konrad facilitated the destruction of Kianne, his mother, and then laid claim to his birthright by becoming the God-Emperor of Europe. The question of who might have killed Karl was never asked, as his death was overshadowed by King Random's murder of Ariel, and the ensuing family schism. But even as the family was distracted by the war between Bleys and Random, Konrad created new concerns by having a daughter. The child of Nicholas and Konrad, Katherine is the inheritor of two lines of demonic parentage, being descended from Amon and Hastur. What this meant to Amber's future was uncertain. In order to take control of the situation, Katherine was taken from Konrad, but before so much as a threat could be uttered, Talia, Quynn, Konrad, Cassilda, and Katherine were taken to the Labyrinth, which had come under the sway of the King in Yellow, who had escaped from Konrad's body.

In the end, Konrad gave his life to destroy the King in Yellow and to free the others from the Labyrinth, and with his dying breath he blessed the bloodlines of Amber, freeing them from the demonic taint that had corrupted him from the beginning.

Physical Description

Konrad assumed his standard form only while in the company of his closest friends or while alone. In that form Konrad appeared nearly seven feet tall, and weighed somewhere around 300 lbs., fairly slender for his height. He had silvery grey eyes, pallid skin, and was completely bald. His veins were faintly visible in his temples, scalp, and hands. There was some strange, palpable aura around Konrad that tended to repel people. He was too tall, too pale...too foreign. Though in a general sense he was a handsome man, he nevertheless tended to create an unpleasant first impression. His smile, meant to be friendly and reassuring, just managed to show his every-so-slightly overlong teeth, a relic from his Chaosian parentage.

When around other members of the family or in public, Konrad assumed the form he should have been born to, that of the son of Karl. In this form he stood 6'3 tall, weighs 300 lbs, and had very broad shoulders and a large build. His auburn hair was usually pulled back in a pony tail, and he wore a mustache. His eyes retained their normal silvery grey hue, but his complexion was more natural...more human. In his Karlson form, Konrad tended to walk with an air of confidence...seems almost more comfortable around people.

Konrad tended to dress in very rich fabrics with a severe/simple design. His standard garb was a waistcoat, vest, white shirt, knickers, hose, and white gloves. He favored mustard yellow as a color and liked to wear velvet or cloths that possess a metallic sheen.

Trump Description

Chaos Deck [Mandor] -- Mandor's trump of Konrad was made fairly early in his life, long before he learned the truth of his heritage. In it, he stands in a library, rows of books behind him, and to his right, a mirror. He wears a waistcoat and vest, and holds a book in hand. His eyes give an indication of surprise, and his mouth bears a very hesitant smile. His reflection in the mirror bears no face, and worked into the upper left corner of the card is a stylized version of the Yellow Sign, the sigil Mandor used to prevent Hastur from possessing Konrad's body at birth. (pictured left)

Corrupted Deck [Cassilda] -- The only known trump of Konrad is the work of Cassilda. In his trump, only Konrad's head and shoulders can be seen...he wears a strange golden armor, though his head is uncovered. He stares intently outwards, at some light source outside the viewer's gaze, and its light casts strange shadows upon his face. His expression is one of grim concentration. Behind him one can see some kind of strange stone edifice, with pillars and large sconces. Worked into the border of the card is a strange glyph...the yellow sign, as well as a pale spider that almost seems to be crawling out of the border. And at the bottom of the card, as is characteristic of all of Cassilda's trumps, a large stylized 'K'.

Colors

Mustard yellow and silvery-grey

Personal Symbol

The Yellow Sign. A powerful sigil of demonic binding, this character figured prominently in Konrad's dreams since his birth. It was the sigil that Mandor used to prevent Hastur from occupying his body so long ago, and it was the same sigil that the King in Yellow used to bind Hastur to the Dark Pattern. To Konrad it symbolized hope, the idea that there was a way to stop the forces of evil...through knowledge.

Aliases

• Konrad Visceratus (Shadow Channard Institute): This is the pseudonym that Konrad used while he resided in Arkham and studied medicine. Under this name, he came to be head of the Channard Institute, a major psychiatric institution on the East coast.
• Lucien (Amber City): One of the identities that Konrad uses to gather information. Lucien is an unemployed sailor and a member of the Sons of Eric, a political fringe group that wishes to restore Eric or his descendent to the throne. Lucien possesses the aura of one who is Weir.
• Lauren (Amber City): Lucien's older sister...a bar wench in Amber City. Mildly attractive woman in her early thirties. Konrad uses this form to hide.
• Lauren DeCustine (Shadow Earth): A slightly modified version of Lucien's sister. Konrad used this form on Shadow Earth when making inquiries about Chadwick. It was in this form that he met Chadwick's professor...the one for whom he had romantic feelings. Lauren maintains that she is a nurse and knew Chadwick in college.

Birthplace

Family

KIANNE, his mother -- Daughter of Osric and Hastur. Kianne was known as an enemy of Amber, though Konrad never really knew the extent of her actions against the Royal Family. During their first meeting he came to understand much of the depth of her pain...and her madness. When next the met she was catatonic, and Konrad turned her over to Quynn to be destroyed.

NICHOLAS, his companion -- Possessing very similar backgrounds, Nicholas and Konrad found a strange sort of comfort in each other's acquaintance. The idea to have a child was Konrad's, and it was his requirement of a deal he made with Nicholas, but Nicholas found himself pleased to be a father and took an active role in Katherine's upbringing. In the end, however, Nicholas betrayed Konrad to preserve his own life.

KATHERINE, his daughter -- Konrad valued her above himself and did all that he could to make a place for her in Amber. He looked forward to the day when she can claim her place there, but never lived to see that day.

HASTUR, his true father -- Abyssal demon lord. Hastur may only return to the real world by occupying a body created to be his host. Kianne attempted to do this by creating Konrad, but Mandor and Dara prevented her from keeping the child. Hastur's power is greatly limited by the fact that he is bound to the Dark Pattern of Carcosa.

OSRIC, his grandfather -- It was Osric's mistake that lead to Kianne's birth, his foolish bargains with powers that he did not understand. In the end he sacrificed his life to save all of Amber. And yet, he once came to Konrad in a dream, and later Konrad nearly contacted him via trump. That he is dead there is no doubt, but how dead, really?

KARL, his Amber father -- Though Konrad did not consider Karl his father, he was by Amberite standards, a fact that irritated Karl greatly. Konrad considered him a boor...and found his attempts to keep him out of Castle Amber a nuisance at best. The only reason Konrad claimed Karl as parent was to irritate him and to aid Random in capturing him.

MANDOR, his former mentor -- Mandor essentially raised Konrad, and for a long time was a sort of father figure to him. Thus Konrad felt especially hurt when Mandor later betrayed him in an attempt to gain power through Hastur and/or the King in Yellow. Nevertheless, Konrad still felt some loyalty to his former mentor.

Residences

Quotes about Konrad

"Hellspawn of Chaos. The fact that he would claim birthright in Amber is repugnant..." --Arthur (May 1, 1997)

"This one is the stuff of nightmares. He is best described as a Circus freak upon whom a Hollywood b movie threw up during a bad acid trip. Unnerving at best, it is worse that he embraces a power that represents a potential end to all things. He blithely reopened an old wound in the fabric of reality and then sought to hide behind his dubious (at best) birthright. As I understand it, he was bred to a dire purpose, as was Nicholas, but unlike that youth who fights that destiny, he embraces the powers of our would be destroyers. I fear him touched by their madness beyond redemption, but only time will tell the truth of these words. I truly hope Amber still stands to bear witness to the final verdict." --Chadwick (Dec. 14, 1996)

"I know him only through Moire. He is a trouble maker." -- Jaysen (January 1998)

"Lap Dog-THING-of Mandor. I have heard the unnerving rumor that this THING is supposed to be my son. I have only one son, and he is Dead. If this THING persists, IT can join my son, in the grave." --Karl (Dec. 1, 1996)

"I never met the man, if man he can be called. What do you call a freak who changes sexes at will, and even bears children? It is sick, and unnatural, and it makes me ill to think of it. I am glad he died before our paths crossed." --Lorian (March 1, 1998)

"Smile your endearing smiles, Hellspawn. Once I had thy neck in the noose, and 'twas providence alone that let you slip from the hanging tree. And to what ends?! So that your cowardice, your craven fear would allow you to give my son the means of his own destruction? My words to you now are of kindness and sweetness for dear Katherinea's profit, but make no mistake. As I embrace you as 'son,' I slip the silken cord around thy neck, awaiting the moment when I might wrench it tight and snuff out thy dark flame..." --Talia Bacquillinor (Dec. 22, 1997)

"I tend not to trust those who spy on me and my affairs." -- Torrence (January 1998)

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