Britain

Britain (City of Music, Capital of Britannia)

“Minoc has the best craftsmen… Jhelom the greatest warriors… Moonglow the most wise of sages… but in Britain, one can find near equals in all the fields, and often cheaper.”

• Location: Central Britannia, in the curve of the Serpent’s Spine.

• Virtue: Compassion

• Government: Constitutional Monarchy, governed by Lord British, a locally elected mayor, and council comprised of various representatives from the guilds in the city.

• Imports: Luxuries, Exotics

• Exports: Basic Necessities

Heraldry

A gold lute on a navy blue and forest green checkered background

Geography

Britain is located on the lee side of the Serpent’s Spine, a vast region that slowly slopes down towards the coastline. Towards the center of the area is Lake Helenna, from which a large river flows down to the coast. The lake rests on a raised area of land, not quite a plateau, next to which the western half of the city and Castle Britannia lies. The area is slightly below sea level, which allows for the channel that was dug to fill the moat. At the center of West Britain is the Old City Wall, which at one time aided in defense, but today is mostly a divider for the various city quarters. East Britain, across the river, is higher and slopes gently in a low hill, giving a better view of the city as a whole.

On the other side of the channel and south of the castle is the Old Keep, which at one time served as temporary government offices in Britain’s early days, in recent years it was converted by the warrior’s guild into a training center. West of Britain lies the farming communities of Paws, which are scattered out, close to the mountains. The pass through the Serpent’s Tail is also here, which leads across the mountains to Skara Brae and Yew. North and east the land is less developed, Little has been done with the region north of the lake, where at one time Lord Robere of the Northern March made his abode, and currently Lord Blackthorn resides. In recent years, with increased activity from the denizens of the mountains, there has been talk of constructing a vast wall on the northern borders, but as yet the funding necessary for such a venture has not been discussed.

Climate

Britain is famous for it’s rain, the mountains protect the city from harsher winter storms but rainstorms are quite frequent, it rains nearly half the year. The coast brings moderation to the temperatures, giving Britain a cool but comfortable climate.

History

During the Cataclysm, most of the original city of Britain was destroyed, including Lord British’s castle. The region quieted relatively early, however, and Britain’s populace survived relatively intact. Lord British, his brother Lord Robere, the visiting king Shamino from the Lands of Danger and Despair, and Lord British’s allies from his home world Iolo, Dupre, and Blackthorn all survived, and sought to rebuild the city.

Lord British, as the last king of Sosaria, continued to act as the city’s ruler during the Reconstruction period. (0-12 A.C.) He governed from the Keep, one of the few original structures to survive. During this period he also sent out numerous forays and expeditions to explore the surrounding areas, one of these was Beorgyth Malphane, who set out in 8 A.C. to establish a presence on the Northern March to watch for invaders. (Before five years had passed numerous orc raids had occurred upon the city.) Dupre was sent to the south, where he made contact with Trinsic, Shamino to the west, where he made contact with Yew. (See the entries for Trinsic and Yew for further details.) By the end of the Reconstruction southwest Britain had been established, the wall built, and the foundations laid for the new castle.

Castle Britannia’s construction started in 11 A.C., and took nearly twenty years to build, the finishing ceremony was held in 30 A.C. The project aided the native Britains in their loss of identity with their old city, and gave them a goal, which kept many from losing heart. The castle also acted as a strong shield which the hordes of orcs and ettins from the Serpent’s Spine broke against like waves of water upon a foundation of granite. Things took a turn for the worse, however.

The same year the Castle was completed the monster armies had unified from the wreckage of Mondain’s armies, and sought to destroy human civilization before it could rise again. In the far northeast they gathered under the G’kar, the fierce troll chieftain, and in the north, the grim Orcish Lord Cruuz defeated seven clan heads in battle, claiming command of all eight into one huge army, with which he intended to destroy Britain. For nearly two decades the city was plunged into war, the only thing that kept Cruuz from overrunning the city was it’s nearly indestructible defenses, the chaotic nature of his own army, (It was said Cruuz slew over one hundred challengers during the war) and the stalwart defenders of Britain. G’kar died at the hands of the hero Uulder Malphane, son of Beorgyth, preventing further invasion from the north, and Cruuz was finally slain in personal combat by Lord Robere, who was granted all of the northern region as his fief and area of defense. With Cruuz’s death the hordes broke apart into bickering clans.

The Golden Years of Britain (49 – 99 A.C.) were an age of unsurpassed expansion and fortune for the city. Believing the threat of full invasion gone, the city expanded beyond the wall and across the river, the population grew in the absence of war and famine. Although orcs continued to raid the outskirts of the city the city militia regularly patrolled the region, preventing chaos and disorder. Dupre traveled south to Trinsic in 80 A.C., where he remained for several decades aiding in training the city’s warriors. Iolo composed some of his best ballads during this era, dedicated to those who had fallen in defense of Britain. Shamino, feeling wanderlust, left the city in 82 A.C. and disappeared for many years. (See the entry on Skara Brae and Yew for further details.) Blackthorn, who had made a name for himself as an alchemist, was sent to Vesper as an emissary in 91 A.C., and spent much of his time also in Moon, attempting without success to forge alliances with both cities. (See the entries on Vesper and Moonglow for more details.) Lord Robere remained in the northern regions and in the mountains, usually at the head of an army keeping the peace far from the city borders.