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This is bound to be confusing. We've done the best we can. Backstory Of course, when Merlin did this, he didn't anticipate the chaos it would cause, because during this time there existed senshi in the area, the Celtae Senshi. The center of this whirlwind was Arthur: by birth he was a Celtae Senshi, but by Merlin's tampering he held the powers of the Knights. This made him easily the most powerful senshi. Thus the seeds of the great battle were sown. Arthur's half-sister, Morgan, became the leader of the Priestesses of Avalon. At first she helped Arthur, but when Arthur chose to identify himself with the Knights, Morgan's tune changed and she sought to return him to his rightful place: with herself and her sisters and the rest of the Druidic clans. Arthur was able to keep her at bay for the most part, up until the final battle, when Morgan and her sisters reclaimed the wounded Arthur and took him to Avalon. Eventually Arthur died forsaking senshidom for the remainder of his life, but the descendents of Morgan and her sisters and those of Merlin continued the feud. The world changed around them, developing into its present-day state, and somewhere along the way the Celtae fractured and killed one another. Slightly before the beginning of the rpg, Merlin's descendents have retaken Excalibur, previously held by the Sisters. The Grimoire, an enchanted book which contains in it the sum knowledge of the generations of Merlin descendents, has foretold the return of the Knights and of the Celtae Senshi. The ownership of the legendary sword Excalibur and of the Holy Grail is now a major issue. As the story opens, the Sisters have taken Excalibur again and broken it into pieces, knowing that if Arthur returns, the lack of Excalibur, his Knightly symbol, might force him to their side. England-Specific
Senshi Group Information Location
This means finding a copy of a map of England will be essential to story-writing. (Avalonians, don't worry; you will be able to magically get to where you need to go. For the rest of you poor bastards, there may be a lot of travelling in cars.) There will be at least one group of caravan-like senshi; you may want to consider creating a character who can easily adopt a transient
lifestyle.
Why these three locations you ask? First of all, they are all, more or less, southern England. This cuts down travel time for this opening leg. In fact, Colchester and London are only an hour apart by train. Bath is off to the west. Secondly, all three are rich in history, modern, and easily accessible. Besides, ironically, a lot of them have links to ancient cultures and religions.
London – Come on, folks. You all know London. The capital of England, a cultural high spot, home of dozens of tourist attractions, a great starting point for any exploration of the country. The Underground and the city’s system of buses can get you virtually anywhere. Museums, universities, theaters – you name it and you can find it. Look around; you’ll find plenty of information about this city. Just remember – The City of London is only actually a square mile in the center of it all. The rest? Itty bitty villages, once upon a time, that were absorbed as London bustled. This is why you can easily be from Greenwich, London or Hampton, London. Lots of opportunity and lots of information.
Colchester (in Essex) – Another ancient settling place, slightly north of London, Colchester is a smaller city that is actually the oldest recorded city in England. Founded as Camulodunum in about 5AD. It actually just missed being the capital of the Romans’ English territory and chances are we can blame Queen Boudicca and the Iceni tribes for that. After all, who wants to stay somewhere that a handful of “heathens” regularly kick your ass. The ruins of the Temple of Claudius, a Norman castle on top of that, ruins of a monastery, old Dutch settlements, and the still-standing remains of a wall that still has bits that the Romans would’ve been familiar with, Colchester has a rich history of battles and ancient ritual. Now it is an adorable city, nice for a break from busier locales but easily accessible by using its regular train services.
By the by, Angie spent her junior year of college here at the University of Essex. Plug, plug.
Bath (in Somerset) – Our third in Really Old Places, Bath started life as a Roman spa and steadily made its way on into the future, serving in the process as a defense against the Vikings, a religious center, a resort town, and now a must-see in many tourist guides. It owes its existence to naturally occurring hot springs, the only ones in England. It has been viewed with respect since ancient Celtic days when the springs were consecrated to the goddess Sulis. Steeped in such a beginning of belief, it was only natural that, over time, it has hosted a large Saxon monastery and a Norman cathedral. It also continued its reputed healing waters for centuries; people were still streaming in until the eighteenth century and beyond. Today it is quite different – less known for its religious fixtures as for its perfectly kept Georgian architecture. You might know it best as one of Jane Austen’s favored locations, a place of gentility and leisure in her books.
Further British
Information And Links Well, that should be all of it. Good luck! |