House of Cards GM Log

IMC: The Library of Rebma

posted by Ginger at 08:46 PM, November 23, 2004 | Filed under : IMC , Traveller's Guide to Rebma | Comments and Followups

Meera talks a bit about the Library of Rebma in her blog. In House of Cards, the Rebman Archives are the analogue to the library in Castle Amber.

Rebma operates on oral history, since written materials don’t last, save in air pockets. The archivists remember what must be remembered, sometimes with reference to the objects that help to mark the memories.

The chief archivist is Carina, who is intertwined with the royal family of Rebma through both her position and her relationship with Jerod. She and the other archivists are present for most of the great events of Rebma, because they must remember them.

While the archivists are not bards, they are sometimes like skalds or griots. They use oral poetry as aids to their memories. Extemporaneous composition, while not a necessary skill for an archivist, is a valuable one. I think of them as having a stock set of turns of phrases like “grey-eyed Athena” or “ox-eyed Hera” in Homer’s work that helps them to describe the key members of the court.

The gifting of an archivist is known in Rebma, because Jerod has the loan of one for his purposes.

The archivists remember what must be remembered. They also forget what must be forgotten, and who can say which is the more valuable skill to the Sapphire Throne?

Follow up: the trackback URL for this entry is: http://www.whiterose.org/MT/mt-tb.cgi/4733

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