Brigantia

When I think of Brigantia as a setting, I think it is the polar opposite of Nodderton.

In fact, if you looked at the map, the City State of Brigantia is located at the start of the Wych, near the glaciers of Stonereach, and not the end, like Nodderton. Visually, we start in Brigantia and end up in Nodderton. This is by design.

Brigantia is a monarchy and a matriarchal society, also in contrast to Nodderton’s king and patriarchy.

Nodderton’s all about taxation, crime, and punishment; Brigantia’s all about service and passing inherited wealth through women to create a thriving middle class that competes politically with family houses.

Where Nodderton is all about a traditional court ruled by a single king under a monotheistic structure, Brigantia is a more enlightened, polytheistic, faction-driven, cooperative structure.

Instead of looming dark castles, Brigantia is built partially by dwarves with artistically shaped stone featuring impossible sculptures and gardens. It’s more of a place of light than darkness.

Stories centering around Brigantia tend to offer contrast to traditional fantasy settings that are more like Nodderton. However, I find it requires a lot of explanation and it bogged me down in A Goblet of Bone. In my first draft of the first act, I had to spend so much time explaining it that I felt it slowed the entire story down. I can’t shorthand Brigantia as I can Nodderton, so it’s an ongoing challenge.

I refer to Brigantia as the Jewel of Gaelwyn and “the royal city” because it’s definitely a lofty and aspirational place. I picture it as 40,000 strong and one of the largest City States. It’s a river port city and extremely powerful, with an extensive military and a strong tradition of service. I imagine it as a gateway to the Dwarven Kingdoms of Stonereach, rich with art, culture, and trade. It’s a place of contrast where dysfunctional, selfish men are outcasts who live as paupers at the heels of powerful women, and where women run families and estates, not men.

But it’s also a place of contradiction. Brigantia is a place many would want to live in Gaelwyn, but it’s dominated by a familial class system, much to the exclusion of outsiders.

Jore Brix is a character from Britania.

I’ll let you in on a secret. The name “Brigantia” comes from my childhood. I used to play a video game called Ultima 4 where there the gameplay took place in a realm named Britannia.