In the books, we're basically shown that Amber's colors are apparently green and white (at least judging from the Trump backs). On the other hand, I can't remember whether or not we ever got an "official" description of Chaos' colors.

Part of me wants to say the heraldry of Chaos is a black Serpent on red, thus mirroring Amber's colors in negative, but I can't actually remember if that's just a personal preference or a generally accepted gaming convention as opposed to something that's actually spelled out in the books.

So, are red/black the official colors of the courts? If not, DO the Courts have an official color scheme?

Has anyone here used a color scheme of their own? If so, what was it?

I have a background in heraldry that won't let me use just red on a black background (or visa-versa) because it's not proper field heraldry (meaning it would be difficult to identify across a battlefield. So I use red black and gold. It's been so long since I made that decision that I don't remember if it was entirely of my own volition, or if I had more reason then 'the Serpent is red' for coming up with it. I have heard it referred to as the 'Great Red Python', but that was likely in a game played a decade ago.

Does red on black break the rules of heraldry? I thought it was a colour on a fur and so acceptable.

My vast and scholarly knowledge of heraldry (ie, what I was able to read on Wikipedia, as well as what I remember reading in a heraldry book like 5 years ago) seems to suggest that red and black are both colors, and you're not supposed to put color on color. So, red on black or black on red is naughty.

Basically, it's either metal on color, or color on metal. And since metals are only silver and gold (or white and yellow), while colors are red, blue, green, purple, and black, there are only about 10 possible basic combinations. Of course, it gets waaay more complicated than that, but that's the basic gist.

To bring it back to the game, I've always assumed that there's no reason why Amber/Chaos heraldry should reflect the rules of Shadow Earth heraldry 100%. Especially in the case of Chaos, since the colors of the Courts might literally be the first heraldry in all history, so there'd be no problem with not being able to identify it, because there'd be nothing to confuse it with.

I know that in Changeling: the Dreaming (the old White Wolf RPG), the one Sidhe House coat-of-arms is technically invalid (it's a purple star on a black field), but I've always thought it was also one of the nicer looking symbols of the Houses. So I've never felt hugely limited to color/metal rules.

On the other hand, the last dozen or so coats-of-arms I've designed off the top of my head follow the rules fairly well. Except for the one crest I did, which was interwoven cords of black and white, forming a ring, on a field of grey.

Oh, and maybe the grey warhammer on teal, but that one was just crazy.

From my knowledge of heraldry, black is sable which is technically a fur.

Color on color is forbidden. The only exceptions are when it's something denoted as "natural" on a color. But the College of Heralds will still not allow something that is not easily identifiable across a field.

Furs are Ermine, Vair, Potent. German heraldry recognizes Kürsch, and there's a feather pattern called Plumeté that is listed with the Furs.

English blazon colors are Azure (blue), Gules (red), Purpure (purple), Sable (black) & Vert (green). Metals are Or (gold) and Argent (silver).

Quick answer to the College of Heralds.

"I'm sorry Mister...Prince Caine is it? Your black bird on a dark green field is not going to be allo.....owwwwww...ugh." Thump.

Caine wipes the dagger off on the scholar's starched collar.

"Anyone else have any objections?"

You'd think after all the research he did on blades (and a friend of mine has Roger's book he used for that research, bought at a second hand shop), he could have picked up a book on heraldry. The heraldry in the Amber series makes my head hurt.

But I could make an argument for a black bird on a green field. The bird is Natural, and heraldic green isn't dark green.



Vert, a warhammer Argent.

That's perfectly heraldic. Once it's passed the CoH, you can use artistic license to some extent. A fellow I know in the SCA had a sitting gold bear on a field of red. His shield is painted with Winnie the Pooh.

And I bet he was the fiercest guy on the battlefield too. Or at least in the Hundred Acre Wood.

"Oh, look at the wuss with Winnie the Pooh."

Several very painful whacks with a rattan sword later.

"Oh bother."