'Move'
In Shadow, if you stand unmoving, you are in the middle of a vast
universe. However, each step forward is an opportunity to visit another "next
door" universe, another of the infinite number of possible variations on a world.
In Shadow, so long as an Royal can move, walking, riding, sailing, swimming,
flying, driving, or crawling, it is possible to move through shadow. This is done by
changing minor things that lay in your path. The character decides that over the
next hill will be a patch of blue flowers, around the next corner is a jagged rock face,
in the next village is a country fair. Down that alley is a shop dealing in obscure
weapons. By such minor changes you move closer to what you seek in Shadow.
Shadow Walking is relatively easy since you are changing very subtle, very small
details. So, for example, in a ride through the woods of shadow Earth, around the
corner you might expect to see a greenjay instead of a blue jay. That one detail is
an easy change. Since the changes are so minor Shadow Walking is fairly slow. As
long as someone can see you, they can follow you through Shadow. A person of the
Blood Of Amber can lead any amount of people through Shadow as long as there is a visual
link, even if indirect (i.e... The Royal can be seen by Troop A, Troop A can be seen by
Troop B, and so on) then all parties involved move through Shadow simultaneously.
Hell ride
Hell riding is a harder and faster way to go than 'Move'ing.
In Shadow Walking you changed one detail, a blue jay to a greenjay. In a Hell ride
you
focus on a detail, and change the whole world around it. Spot a blue jay and you
decide to enter another Shadow completely different from Shadow Earth, but where
blue jays still fly. Hell riding is hard, but fast.
Another problem with Hell riding is that generally a certain level of speed must be
maintained for the Hell ride to progress. Since things change so quickly in a
Hell ride most technological means of travel (such as cars, planes, and boats) won't work
at least some of the time, most Royals tend to use a reliable mount, such as a
well-trained horse. Animals which are to experience Hell rides must be specially
trained or they tend to panic and cause the rider difficulties he/she doesn't want
during such a stressful and concentration-intensive procedure.
Hell riding can get you from near one Primal Plane to another in a little less than a week.
Generally three days of Hell riding can get you to and from most places. For someone
of Amber Psyche, each point takes one day to find; those with higher Psyches and more
experience will need less time to find things.
Slower than 'Move'ing is traveling through Shadows where everything
is to the character's liking. For example, one can choose to walk through the worlds
where there will always be welcoming faces and rosebuds strewn on the roadway. Or,
if you choose to travel in a luxurious train, you can stick to those Shadows that contain
rails. This is usually known as Selective Shadow Walking or the Royal Way, and it is
extremely slow but it's very comfortable. Normal Shadow Walking from near Amber to
the Courts of Chaos would take approximately six weeks, a year if Selective Shadow Walking
is being used.
Riding to Intangibles/Specific People
Hell riding and 'Move'ing involve movement with the idea of perceptual changes (usually a change in the visual aspect of the environment, but sometimes other senses). The next step is learning to Hell ride to intangibles, such as setting off in search of "the Shadow of your Desire". This ability also allows for Hell riding to a specific person as long as a clear psychic impression of the subject is known and kept foremost in mind during the ride.
Manipulate Probability:
Out in Shadow, if there is any reasonable chance at all of something
happening, then a character with Pattern can make it happen. The main
limitations are time, since using Pattern takes a few moments of concentration, and
probability. A character can't make something unlikely happen, not without
going into an adjacent Shadow.
Short of money? Imagine a loose floorboard, under which is hidden a treasure, look and it
will be there. Those with the imprint of Pattern are endlessly lucky. What is
possible can, with time and effort, be made probable, and what is probable can be made
certain. While this power is absolute, it always involves some movement, a shifting
of the variety of Shadow for a particular shade. Any Shadow manipulation is also
slightly hazardous because of your involuntary movement in Shadow. With enough time
it's possible to shift just about anything in Shadow. Shifting Shadow is fairly
slow. Far slower than combat time. If you wish to make use of some Shadow
shifting it's best if it be prepared before a battle. A minor change, such as the
color of a coin, might take as much as a half a minute. Something useful, such as
weakening a wall, or making a weapon brittle, could take a minute or more.
Summon the Sign of the Pattern:
You have learned how to visualize the Pattern manifesting in front of you. You have to concentrate hard for it not to flicker out of existence. And you can't do anything useful with it until you learn how to either bring the image into your body or look through the image.
Pattern Defense: (internalize Sign)
Picture the Pattern, Concentrate on this image, and move it into your body. This takes a few moments at best, depending on your Psyche and how well you can concentrate, but it strengthens your mind, and lends strength to your existence. The main use is defensive, so a character with Pattern Defense on is pretty much immune to other forces. It's difficult or impossible to use invasive Magic on a character who has Pattern brought up like this. On the other hand, keeping the Pattern internalized requires real concentration, so the character can't run or fight effectively. If the character's attention is broken, then the Pattern instantly flickers out.
Mind walk the Summoned Sign (5 points)
Now you have the concentration to be able to keep the Sign of the Pattern manifesting as you retrace your path upon it mentally. This will take several minutes, but it empowers the Sign, thus allowing you to scry with your Sight and eventually learn the secrets of changing Shadow by direct manipulation of the Sign. Mind walking the Sign is only slightly less difficult than walking the actual Pattern, but it can be accomplished much more quickly. You also now have the concentration to Manipulate Probability without moving, and the power to evoke the Pattern while still within Amber.
Once the Pattern is summoned to your mind you can use it as a great lens to peer into Shadow. Anyone, anything can be observed in this way. And, having found them, you may reach through the Pattern to touch mind to mind.
Finding a particular item, or person, is, however, not as easy as it might sound. Frankly, there's a lot of ground to cover. Just scanning all of a Castle could take hours, especially if you include the myriad of dungeon tunnels. On the other hand, if your Psyche is sharp, and if the object of your search is not disguised, then things can go much more quickly. Likewise, if Pattern is being disturbed, by a Hell ride, or by any manipulation of Shadow, or even the drawing of a Trump, then the source of the disturbance should be easy to locate.
Searching out in Shadow is usually a lot easier. If the character knew about Corwin's long-time residence on Shadow Earth, and knew how to locate the place, then a search of that entire Shadow would take just a couple of minutes. Why so fast? Because the character wouldn't have to do any kind of place by place searching. Instead the entire Shadow would be observed, and any "real" things would show up in contrast to the rest of the Shadow.
Track Traveler
The breaks and distortions in Shadow, caused by those who have the Pattern to move from one Shadow to another, can be detected through the use of the Scrying Vision. The character looks for tiny disruptions in Shadow, attempting to find their source locations in the Shadow being studied, which other Shadows are involved, and what Pattern was used in the disruption. How long this takes depends on how old the trail and how major the disruption. If a single Hell rider passed through the Shadow just minutes before, the traces could be detected in just a minute or two. If the passage had taken place the day before, it might take an hour to find the traces. However, if the disturbance was major, as is the case if a vast army was led through, then the traces will be obvious and easy to find even days later. The effectiveness of this is limited by the age of the trail, care the pursued used in covering their trail, number of people being followed, and the psyche of the person doing the following.
A character with this Pattern brings up the Pattern Lens and Scrys upon an area and then, through sheer force of will and Pattern Mastery, displaces themselves from their current location and into the area looked upon. This requires a massive effort of Endurance and will tire even a highly ranked individual. Any place in Shadow may be chosen by the character, though they must be able to scry upon it and places which are blocked/warded vs. Psyche or Pattern will be off-limits to the character via this ability.
By bringing the Pattern to mind and walking it, you can use the power to change Shadow wholesale. This Pattern allows you to open Shadow to others, putting the changes of the Hell ride in the way of those who know nothing of it. Those already Hell riding can be obstructed and/or sidetracked as long as you devote your attention to it. Shift the Shadow that lies in their path, and you can make passage smooth or rough, as you see fit.
The image of the Pattern in your mind can also serve as a tool to manipulate whole Shadows and pathways between them. With this method you can alter structure of a Shadow or even erase it altogether. Erasing Shadows is not something you would do lightly as it seems to have a detrimental effect on the overall arrangement of Pattern and Shadow.
Doing away with a Shadow, either on purpose, or by accident, will upset things in the larger system of Shadow. Shadow Storms, shifting of Shadow barriers, and the displacement of established pathways through Shadow can all result from a Shadow being wiped out. An even bigger problem is that elder Royals will likely notice this kind of large-scale interference in the order of things.
Time flow in a Shadow can be altered and with time more profound changes (such as the civilization) can be enacted. The basic idea is that all Shadow exists as a reflection of Amber, diminished by the distortion of the distant Logrus.
The last usage of the Sign is a Gateway. By using the Pattern Lens to look through Shadow to another place, and then editing the Sign to bridge the gap between where the character is and the place viewed, temporary Gates through Shadow can be made.