Britannia- A Shining Island Upon the Sea
Welcome, traveler, to Britannia. Our land is our own, ever since the first Pretani came ashore. We have a wonderfully fertile island, pleasant but rainy summers, and do good business with the mainland trading our abundant tin. We were once a united people, then fell into internecine warfare which depleted us while dotting our landscape with hilltop forts, but will become one again if you choose to lead us as our warlord.
Many say we are Gauls who sailed to these shores during the time just after we discovered the uses of Iron, but others say we came from far away Hispana. We care not from whence we came. All that matters are that we are here now and here we shall remain, unless to venture forth and conquer!
Our lands and towns
Our capital is Londinium, a Large Town situated on the River Tamesis. It has the Warlord’s Hall already built for your residence, and a Muster Field from which you may call forth our spearmen in their warbands.
Northwest of Londinium, on the coast, is the small village of Deva. It has but a warrior’s hold, but you may build a shrine or even a Muster Field there. Alas, Deva is small, and has but few men to fill your ranks. To make up for this, Deva has access to our wonderful tin deposits, which she may mine and thus increase our treasury.
Directly east of Deva you will find Eburacum, another village. Like Deva, Eburacum has only a warrior’s hold, though you may order the construction of a Muster Field. And like Deva, Eburacum is very small.
On the continent nearest the cliffs of Dubris you will see our only mainland possession- Samarobriva upon the River Somme. The trade between this burg and island Londinium fuels our economy, so any warlord should strive to defend this town to his utmost! By the time you assume the High Kingship over us, Samaraobriva will have almost enough people to begin construction of a Warlord’s Hold- elevating it to a Large Town. Samarobriva also has a Muster Field, so you do not have to ship over warriors from our island fortress.
The Warhosts
Our warhosts are powerful, but not all that different from our mainland cousins, the Gauls. We have warbands of fair-weather warriors armed with spears, and later we acquire true warriors who fight with swords.
We have no archers, but our slingers provide some ranged attacks. We also have the ability to call forth Head Hurlers, who are among the most feared bands on the battlefield. These come from the Sacred Grove of Andrasta, our goddess of Victory. These worthy men hurl the severed heads of fallen foes at living foes. They carry not many, as the heads have been coated with quicklime which causes their tremendous damage upon impact, and they have not the range of a slinger due to the nature of their missile. But once they are out of heads to hurl, these mighty men can fight as well as our Chosen Swordsmen!
We also have no cavalry like our mainland cousins, but instead use chariots as do the men of the East. Bladed wagons are wonderful to use against the footborne warriors of our foes- and especially against the horseborne! Our kings and generals ride in the Heavy Chariots, designed for close combat, while lesser men fight from the Light chariots as archers. Both are awesome in the attack, but suffer greatly if stopped- they offer very little for defense.
And we have Druids from the Sacred Circle of Brigantia, the goddess of Healing. Their chanting can raise the morale of the men hearing it while weakening the resolve of our foes. These are our teachers and priests, those who talk to the gods and pass on our histories. They advise our kings, and tend our sick. They form bands of their own when the warhost marches, and are welcome by warriors indeed! For their chanting soothes our souls and quickens our morale, while causing the will of the enemy to flag in battle, thus giving our men the edge needed to defeat the foe. And if it comes to swordspoint, these armored priests can wield swords every bit as efficiently as our Chosen Swordsmen, though there are fewer in the band.
The goddesses and their places of worship
Our gods are powerful and plentiful, from Dagda of the Dozens to Nuada of the Silver Sword, to Brigit of the Fire and Mannanan of the Sea. But we choose three goddesses to honor above all others with temples.
Brigantia is the main goddess of the Brigantes, one of our many tribes. Shrines dedicated to her aid the burgs and villages by dispensing happiness and health benefits. And when the shrine grows to Sacred grove and then on to Sacred Circle, these Circles can call forth Druids to aid thy warhost.
The goddess Britannia encompasses all of the tribes. Her purview is Trade. Shrines, groves, and circles dedicated to her give the burg in which they are placed her blessings, which grant the burg an increased trade revenue.
Andrasta is the final goddess honored with shrines. She is the goddess of victory, and a demanding deity. From her shrines can be called Woad Warriors- much better spearmen than our normal warbands. They have both better morale and stamina, and a whopping attack. From a Sacred Grove of Andrasta come the Head Hurlers, of whom we have already spoken, plus the blessing of Andrasta granting a chevron of experience to all warbands which may be trained in the burg.. And experienced Head Hurlers and Woad Warriors emerge from the Sacred Circle of Andrasta, with two chevrons being granted to all warriors trained in the burg.
A few tips for thee, traveler, should you elect to become our mighty warlord and lead us to victory.
Defend Samarobriva. The trade links between our capital and this town provide much wealth. It is also a well-position base from which to strike the Germans or Gauls, whichever you decide is the bigger threat.
Make an alliance with Rome. Rome is far away at the start, and becoming allies with the Sandal-wearers may aid you in your battles against the other continental foes.
Try not to fight the Gauls and the Germans at the same time- concentrate on one and exterminate, then the other. After that, you should be ready to fall upon the Sandalwearers and crush them like beetles.
Hibernia lies to the west. It is occupied by rebels, whom you can enslave and bring under the British standard. As Deva and the Hibernian town of Tara grow, they can provide a trade link giving you much wealth, as well as securing all of Britannia for the future.
