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POLITICAL DIVISIONS OF BRITAIN
Britain is divided into five areas: Logres, Cambria, Cumbria, Pictland, and Cornwall. Logres is by far the most important. Furthermore, several Saxon kingdoms inhabit the eastern coastal regions.

LOGRES

Logres is the lowland region of Britain previously ruled by the Romans, who established many great cities. Logres is the largest and most powerful kingdom of Britain and the home of British civilization and culture. It includes about one half of the island’s population. It is divided into several regions that are loosely based on the pre-Roman tribal areas. However, those tribal regions have been subdivided into administrative counties, each ruled by a count (though a couple of them have dukes instead). These Roman-imposed regions are stronger and more practical than the older divisions. Many great lords rule these portions of Logres, and populate Arthur's court as courtiers and fill his army with knights. Four nobles are the really great landholders: the Dukes of Clarence, Lindsey, Anglia, and the Archbishop of Carlion. The many lesser ones include the war-worn Duke of Silchester, several Earls (including the Earl of Salisbury) and other barons.

Logres contains several significant cities, of which London is the largest and most important.

The main roads in Britannia are all of Roman manufacture, but are now royal roads. They are considered to be the property of the local king. However, local lords have a responsibility to maintain these major thoroughfares. Anyone who commits violence upon the roads commits treason and incurs penalty as if having violated the sanctity of the king’s own feast hall. Other lesser Roman roads also exist in Logres, but they are not royal roads.

THE CHURCH

Two rival types of Christianity are practiced in Britain at this time.

• British Christianity is native to the island, established by immigrants four centuries ago. It has bishops and abbots, but no single figure rules over all of them. Their local kings or noblemen appoint these important leaders, who in turn are loyal to their regional lords.

• The Roman Church is part of a hierarchy that takes its orders from Rome, so the pope determines its bishops. The Roman Christian Church in Logres has one supreme churchman, the Archbishop of Carlion, a Cymric, Dubricus by name; there are also a dozen or so abbots of great houses.

Churchmen are not considered noble unless they are also landlords, which is not uncommon. Many noble familieshave made land grants to churches or abbeys, which in turn supply knights in the usual feudal manner.

PAGANISM

Much of Britain is still pagan. Many farmers across Logres still make offerings to the field and weather gods, and many kingdoms outside of Logres even have kings and nobles who sacrifice to the old gods. The local kings are advised by councilors who are professed druids, a class of bardic priests and wise men who are in touch with the ancient powers of the land. The druid leaders are appointed to their positions by the local kings. A druidic network exists, but it does not have a ruling hierarchy. Instead, druids acknowledge each other’s ranks through their exercise of knowledge and power.

Merlin the Enchanter, the Archdruid, is the acknowledged leader of the pagan religion, for no one is wiser or more powerful than he. Indeed, his power dwarfs that of all other druids, who are more advisors than magicians.

Another magical organization exists whose members are not druids, but who are yet priestesses and advisors. These generally lead local covens and perform farming and fertility rites. Like the druids, they are not a single organization but acknowledge each other through recognition of power and prestige. The leader of this group is Nimue, and her organization of the Ladies of the Lake is highly respected, if only from arms’ length.

FOREIGN BRITAIN

All the rest of Britain outside of Logres is foreign land. These lands are divided among five larger regions, each of which has several kingdoms within it. Many lands are inhabited by Cymric peoples, others by Irish, Saxons, or Picts.

CAMBRIA

Cambria is the western region of Britain. It is sometimes called Wales or, in the French fashion, Gales. Cambria, however, extends eastward beyond modern Wales to include a much larger region.

Two strong kings contend for power in Cambria. In the south, King Lak rules over Estregales. His subjects are generally descendants of ancient Irish raiders who settled here. He receives fealty from the lords of Escavalon, Gloucester,and Cardigan.

The lands of Gomeret and Isles (Anglesey and the Holy Isle), including Cheshire, are ruled by King Pellinore, an ambitious and difficult king. He is a fair and just man, but his passion for the hunt sometimes overcomes his obligations to his kingdom. Still, his people love him, and he has protected the land well from Irish raiders. The interior of Cambria is all rugged mountains and forests. Many tribesfolk live there, outside the rule of any king or civilized ways.

CUMBRIA

The people of Cumbria are often called the “northern British.” Cumbria includes all the lands north of the Humber River and south of the Pictish mountains. Much of this region is of moor-covered mountains or dense, unexplored forest.

King Lot, the King of Lothian, was the preeminent king of the north. He came from the northern islands of the Orkneys, but ruled over Lothian. He also had alliances with many Pictish tribes. Though Lot is dominant, the rulers of most of the other British kingdoms have not submitted to him. The kings from these regions initially resisted Arthur's kingship, but were conquered and are now his vassals. Much of the region is rugged mountains and dense, unexplored forest.

The Kingdom of Malahaut is the strongest single kingdom. Barant has as many titles as King Uther does: the Centurion King, King of the Brigantes, heir of King Coel the Old, and especially King of One Hundred Knights. He rules from the city of Eburacum (York).

King Uriens is the other powerful king, ruling from the mountainous land of Gorre and receiving vassalage from most surrounding lands. He is heir to the unity established by King Lot many years ago. His widespread lands are thinly populated and full of wild forests, mountains, unexplained landmarks. His wife is Morgan le Fay, and the king loves Arthur as a brother-in-law and kinsman.

THE SAXON COAST

Several regions of eastern Britain have been settled by Germanic peoples from the northern mainland of Europe.

Collectively, they are called Saxons, though technically not all are from Saxony. Saxons currently hold Sussex, while the Jutes hold Kent. Angles hold the lands of Nohaut and Diera. These regions each had their own kings. Although they were all hostile to the Cymry, the “Saxons” were also rivals, and a rough peace between them was maintained through King Ælle of Sussex. They were defeated by Arthur and now they pledge vassalage to Logres.

PICTLAND

Pictland includes everything north of Cumbria. Most of it is mountain, unexplored and unknown to anyone except the wild, tattooed natives. Its rugged western coast line, called the Long Isles, is occupied by Irish from the powerful kingdom of Dal Riada.

The wild tribesmen of this region regularly raid and pillage Britain, returning home with plunder.

CORNWALL AND BRITTANY

Cornwall and Brittany are “the west.” Cornwall includes the entire southwestern peninsula of the British Isle (an area much larger than the Cornwall of modern times).

It is famous for its rich tin mines and its close political connections with Brittany, whose settlers have been populating and dominating the northern half of the peninsula for a generation. Cornwall has ever submitted to Arthur but is neutral at worst. It is ruled over by King Mark. He is known to be ruthless and, as convenient, perfidious even to his kinsmen.

Brittany was once a Roman province, but it was severely depopulated by barbarians and disease, and has recently been settled by emigrants from Britain. Its coastal lands are rich and thriving, although the interior is a wild and enchanted forest. Most of the north is ruled by King Mark of Cornwall, the Cornish king. King Conan of Vannetais, in the south, is the other major ruler, ambitious and troubled by a fierce hatred for the King of France.

IRELAND

Ireland is a barbarous island populated by many clans of notorious wildness, all divided into five great kingdoms. It has a High King, but he rules more in name than in fact.

The savage tribesmen of the region regularly raid across the Irish Sea to pillage Britain.

POLITICAL DIVISIONS OF LOGRES

CENTRAL LOGRES

This map shows the main travel route inside Logres that every knight knows. The red are the King's Roads, safe-guarded by Round Table patrols, where the biggest danger is that some peasant won't step aside fast enough because of the crowds.

THE COUNTY OF SALISBURY

Salisbury is one of the most interesting places in Arthurian legend. It is one of the most densely populated areas. Many of the great events occur here — the Battle of Badon, which established Arthur as king of Logres, for example.
Many interesting places are here, as well, such as Stonehenge, most famous of the ancient monuments; and Amesbury Abbey. Many interesting landmarks are nearby, especially the dozens of prehistoric mounds, stone circles, and the unusual White Horse. Camelot, the capital city, is also nearby.

Salisbury County, proper, consists of all the holdings of the Earl of Salisbury. This fief consists primarily of the city of Sarum and the large land area on Salisbury Plain around it. The fief is composed of good farmland, and provides other good forms of income for the count — fisheries, taxes on merchants, and tolls from the bridges.

The county includes one large city, Sarum, which is described in detail below, three smaller walled cities (Wilton, Warminster, and Tilshead), and dozens of much smaller towns and villages that are not shown on the maps, but which are generally clustered in the river valleys around the cities. It has five castles. The one in Sarum is very strong, and is also behind the city walls; the other four (Devizes, du Plain, Ebble, and Vagon) are common motte-and-bailey castles. Note that Amesbury Abbey is not part of the county, but is held by the Church.

Several towns and cities are known as “local markets.” This means that the local farmers bring their excess grain and livestock there to sell, and also go there to buy goods or produce that they do not make or grow. Sarum, however, is the central market and is the only place at which some types of goods are available for purchase These include good cloth, clean salt, and anything from outside of the county.

The roads shown on the maps are nearly all hardpacked dirt roads, the best travel routes available. Thus, there is no real road from Tilshead to Warminster, even though they are but 10 miles apart. Rather, rutted tracks and hunters’ trails connect these. The good roads are more heavily traveled, and the only ones used by travelers passing through the territory. The poor roads are less used, mainly by locals traveling within the region.

The Old Tracks have been known since the Bronze Age, and traverse high ground. Though they are usually dry, they are difficult for horses, which are reduced to traveling a mere 5 miles per day; hence, mainly peasants on foot use them.

The King’s Road runs through the territory from Levocamagus to Sarum, and then onward towards Dorchester. This used to be a Roman road, and is both wide and paved, though overgrown at the edges and with many tufts of grass cracked through its surface