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The Kingdom of Wessex
Grantabrugge is a large and nationally famous city, attracting people from all over Wessex due to its bright lights and the fame of the Brotherhood of Magic. However, there are also several other notable places within the Kingdom, including:
Londinium - The capital of Wessex, Londinium is a sprawling city with a high reputation and international connections (for the nobility, or influential mages). The Kingdom is conventionally ruled from a Court based in Londinium.
Kernow - Despite being isolated in the very South-West of Albion, the Kernish Institute of Magic has a similar reputation to Grantabrugge's Brotherhood. However, in Year 7 of CUTT (1292/2009) news was heard of widespread fire and destruction in Kernow, connected to a group of Fae called "Sorrows".
Yorvik - Another prosperous city of similar size to Grantabrugge, to the North.
Durholme - The City of Durholme actually lies outside the pure Kingdom of Wessex, in an area called the Palatinate, ruled by a Prince-Bishop. However, the Palatinate is generally a useful strategic ally of King Edward, and forces from Wessex have been sent to Durholme's aid after attacks from the wilder lands surrounding it. Durholme is infamous for being the site of the original formation of the Pantheons (and therefore indirectly the death of all other gods), and previous to that giving rise to the Lady Luca who usurped the previous god of dreams and took his place.
King Edward of Wessex
The Kingdom of Wessex was ruled firmly for many years by King Edward of Wessex, known as King of All Albion by Year 7 of CUTT (1292/2009) following successful military campaigns to extend his influence in both Cymru and Caledonia. King Edward, a staunch Humacti, also offered his troops the opportunity of honourable death on overseas campaigns - during the first years of CUTT he conducted a long-running campaign in Gaul and left a large part of it ruled under the protection of Sir John Devlynsson, once head of the Temple of Ishmund (now Justice) in Grantabrugge.
Norvi, The Seven Shires and the Ffolk Lands
King Edward did not only acquire land through warfare - his marriage to Queen Sheorl of the Seven Shires brought that large eastern area of land (also known as Norvi or the Ffolk Lands) into Wessex peacefully. Politically astute and a ruler in her own right in her own kingdom before the marriage, the condition of the union was that whilst Sheorl would become personally subservient to Wessex, her young son Samuel (from a previous union) would become King Edward's official heir and inherit title to all of Wessex after Edward's eventual death. Queen Sheorl is a Johnite, and maintained her own Johnite court in Londinium to deal with everyday affairs of State all the time that her husband was away on campaign with his close Humacti circle.
Sibling Rivalry
During Year 1 of CUTT (1286/2003) the inheritance arrangement was used as an excuse for a campaign of civil unrest by a group of nobles related to King Edward. By that stage, the King and Queen had had a child together, and some of the King's family (including his illegitmate half-sibling Sir Peter, Mayor of Grantabrugge at that time) felt that this shared younger son would make a better heir than the Queen's child Samuel. A kidnap attempt was made on Samuel in order to better promote William, but order was eventually restored.
The Death of the King
In the winter of Year 7 of CUTT (1292/2009), King Edward was tragically killed in battle in Caledonia, fighting a particularly fearsome and brutal tribe known as the Moray who were feared even by local leaders. This neatly co-incided with the coming-of-age of the 16yr old Prince Samuel, who was crowned King on the battlefield after being rescued from the scene.
Recent Developments
Since his coronation, the young King Samuel has been trying extremely hard to follow exactly in King Edward's footsteps. Also a Humacti despite his mother's wishes, Samuel considered Edward as a father despite having no blood connection, and was greatly affected by seeing him die. Sadly, the circumstances surrounding King Edward's death also led directly to the loss of holding in Caledonia, and King Samuel also led an attack on neighbouring Hibernia which did not go entirely according to plan. King Samuel is now fighting on several fronts to protect Edward's kingdom.After some tension between the dowager Queen and her newly-empowered son, the Queen's Court relocated to Norvi and left Londinium to be his centre of operations. At around the time of the King's death, Queen Sheorl also gave birth to their second child together, a daughter named Ophelia - much admired in her own lands, where female succession is common. By the summer of Year 7 of CUTT (1292/2009), Queen Sheorl had remarried, to suave Grantabruggan noble Lord Erryl Featheringstowe - whom she met for the first time a month after her husband's death.