Home of the Highland Clans
Heraldry: Dragon on a Field of Crimson
Ethnic Majority: Brynn
Major Religions: Old Faith (Sarai,Eldrea)
Ruled By: Various Clan and Tribal Elders
Notable Clans: Caledonia, Dumnonia, Reghed, Dalriada
Cambria is now as it has always been—- high, windswept hills rising up into the mountains, filled with people as freedom-loving and clannish as they are hardy and stubborn.
When the Imperial Legions and the governor officially removed themselves, the clans quickly fell back into the inter-clan warfare and raiding that had been their status quo for generations
Cambria’s geography has always influenced her people. The original settlers of the area, according to legend, fought with ancestors of the Fomorians and displaced them, but some suspect that clans of giants or even families of dragons lived in the area before the coming of the younger races. Dolmens, henges and other huge stone structures dot the landscape with regularity. Though not nearly so sophisticated and elegant as the monuments and obelisks built by the Aquilonians, these mighty structures endure and impress by sheer size.
After the final wars with the Fomorians, The windy hills and deep valleys of Cambria isolated bands of settlers from one another. After only a few generations the culture of the area became based around individual clans, each vying against the others for farmland, grazing space and other resources. This inherently fractious mindset still affects the Cambrian people today.
- 44 years ago . . . a horde of monsters pours out of the Waste, obliterating the kingdom of Logres and much of the north, forcing the rulers of Brittanis to band together against the threat. The High Council elects a great warrior named Julius Ambrosius as the Pendragon, or High King of Brittanis. Julius united the armies of Brittanis and eventually leads them to victory against the horde, pushing the monsters back into the Waste.
- Many Cambrian settlements are attacked and devastated as the horde pours out of The Waste. Rickety ships carry invading monsters across the Bay of Connacht and into Cambrian lands with no warning. Thousands of Brynn are slain, and the Dalriada are nearly wiped out. To this day, the northern islands and the northern tip of Cambria-- traditionally Dalriada territory-- is little better than a birgand-haunted desolation. The clan still exists in name, but the only reason it has not been conqured by one of its neighbors is the prowess (and some would say savagery) of the remaining clansmen.
- 42 years ago . . . when Julius Ambrosius is acclaimed as High King, three of the four largest Cambrian clans send warriors to aid his fight against the horde. The Dalriada, always suspicious and already fighting the horde in their own lands, decline to aid the new Pendragon. Many smaller clans also send their warriors to fight the monstrous army.
- 40 years ago . . . after the battles against the horde are won, High King Julius Pendragon tries to annex Cambria into his new kingdom. The clans sent warriors to fight, but only the Caledonii and the Dumnonii agreed to the rule of the Pendragon. The Reghed and few remaining Dalriada clansmen fight bitterly against what they see and an attempt to conquer them.
- 21 years ago . . . a mighty warrior of the Caledonii rises to prominence and tries to unite the clans and seize the chance for independence from the Pendragon. He rallies the Caledonii, Reghed and Dalriadans to his side, but the Dumnonians remain loyal to the king and remain under his rule. At this point, Cambria ceases to be a part of the Alliance and the clans go back to raiding and inter-clan fighting as they have always done.
- 15 years ago . . . the first Fomorian ships land on the coasts and begin burning, slaughtering, and enslaving their way inland. At this point, the Cambrian clans have been (relatively) at peace for nearly a generation, and an entire crop of young warriors rushes off to join the forces of the lowland kingdoms as mercenaries and sworn swords, eager to fight against the invaders. Cambria is largely intact aside from a few small exploration parties coming up the western coast, so the fighting men of the Cambrian clans sweep down to bolster the forces of the kingdoms being invaded. Cambria's largest export becomes its people.
Just about any Cambrian character concept can be transported anywhere else in Brittanis because of the clan-folk's tendency to leave their highland homes in search of fortune and adventure in the lowlands. The highlands are a rugged, beautiful land, but low in wealth and, for the time being at least, adventure; this makes the lowlands idea for Cambrian clanspeople to make their fortune in the lowlands and then return home years later with their fortune made and seek a place of leadership in the clan.
- Cambrian females are more often leaders than the men-- typically, the leadership of a clan is made up of a female chieftess and her two husbands. One of the husbands serves the tribe as the war leader, and the other serves as the priest, shaman, or druid depending on how that tribe's spiritual leanings go. A character could be seeking a worthy spouse (or two) in order to return to the clans and claim leadership. A character could also be seeking power, knowledge, or wealth that would make them an ideal prospect for the potential chieftess seeking those husbands.
- Many of the best rangers, skirmishers, and Elementalists come from tough Cambrian stock.
- Any Primal character could easily be from Cambria-- the spirits of the wild are strong there, and many druids and Green Knights were born in the highlands.