Caer Afallach

Capital City of Brynwydd

Mist clings to the green hills that rise above the Severn Sea, curling around oak groves and stone walls alike. Caer Afallach feels older than the air itself, its streets paved in a pattern said to mirror the constellations. The city hums with harps and voices, the sound of recited poetry drifting from taverns and halls. Markets unfold beneath timbered roofs, crowded with storytellers as much as traders. To walk here is to step through a landscape where myth and civic life are indistinguishable.   The central hill bears the fortress from which the city takes its name—rounded towers of weathered stone, their battlements softened with ivy, yet alive with the banners of guilds and families. Water runs in channels cut from sacred springs, feeding gardens and orchards that keep the city fragrant in every season. At dawn, the first light falls across apple blossoms, tinting the walls with a blush of rose. By evening, the streets glow with the flicker of lanterns, each window framing a hearth and a voice.   Brynwydd is not a capital that commands; it is one that gathers. Councils meet in circular chambers that echo the mead halls of old, their benches filled not only with politicians but with poets, healers, and craftsmen. To live in Caer Afallach is to carry the weight of memory—every lane named after a tale, every bridge honoring a hero. Yet for all its reverence, the city remains vibrant, full of laughter, song, and constant reinvention.  

History

The roots of Caer Afallach lie in a Brythonic hill-fort, one of many strongholds built atop the fertile valleys of southern Britain. Its name, “Afallach,” recalls both an ancient deity of the underworld and the apple groves that flourished nearby. Unlike other forts lost to conquest or decline, Brynwydd remained a center of gathering and learning, its hill never abandoned.   By the first centuries, the city had become associated with the mythic isle of Avalon. Druids, bards, and healers made it their seat, blending ritual with civic deliberation. While Roman legions swept through other parts of the island, the Accord system ensured Brynwydd remained outside conquest, its alliances with neighboring tribes and federations keeping it sovereign.   Through the medieval centuries, Caer Afallach grew as a sanctuary of memory. Poets preserved the Arthurian tales, while councils formalized the role of bardic schools as civic institutions. The arrival of Christian schools added layers without displacing the older traditions, producing a civic fabric where saints and druids are remembered side by side. In modern times, Brynwydd is celebrated as both a cultural capital and a political one, hosting assemblies where philosophy and song weigh equally in governance.

Sights / Destinations

  • Fortress of Afallach: The central hill-fort, expanded over centuries into a living fortress and council seat.
  • Sacred Apple Orchards: Groves said to be the original inspiration for Avalon, still tended as communal gardens.
  • Caerwent Assembly Halls: Based on pre-Roman Silurian foundations, preserved as spaces of council and festival.
  • Druid’s Circle at Bryn Celli Ddu: A megalithic site, restored and integrated into the city’s ceremonial life.
  • Festival of Song: An annual gathering where bards, choirs, and philosophers compete in verse and debate.
  • Religion / Cults / Sects

    Caer Afallach remains layered in its devotions. Ancient druidic rites honoring the cycles of nature continue alongside festivals for Celtic gods such as Afallach and Brigid. Christian schools of forgiveness and endurance are woven into civic life, their chapels nestled within older sacred precincts. Bardic orders hold semi-religious status, treating song and poetry as acts of devotion. Seasonal rituals tied to solstice, harvest, and apple blossom renewal still draw the city into collective celebration, reflecting its identity as a place where myth, philosophy, and faith are one.
    Koina World Map
    Founding Date
    220 bz
    Alternative Name(s)
    Brynwydd, “Fortress of Avalon”
    Type
    Capital
    Owning Organization
    Characters in Location

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