Brithon

"In Aurum Roma they ask how many souls the parish has. In Brithon they ask what it yields." — attributed to a Roman canon on insular mission, 1869

720,000 inhabitants, frozen since 1879. The second largest city on the continent, behind Aurum Roma alone. Capital of Brytonia, seat of the Solar Church and of the second largest exchange in the world.

The fact that organises everything else: Brithon was never invaded. Seal VI opened in 1786 and the Archangels came down months later. The islands saw the horror through the window on the other side of the Channel and went back indoors. A hundred and ten years of continental war, and not one demonic boot on this street. The city knows it. It knows the continent bled for it. And it does not apologise.

Urban geography

Situation and water

• The river Brith, which cuts the city from west to east and opens into an estuary five miles downstream. Brithon stands exactly at the point where the river stops being a river: above the city it is fresh water and barge; below it is tide, gull and seagoing ship.
• That gave the city the one thing Aurum Roma does not have: an ocean fleet anchored inside the urban perimeter. From certain northern windows one sees masts.
• Eleven bridges inside the city. The oldest, the Old Bridge, of stone; the others of cast iron, all built between 1838 and 1871, none afterwards.
• The north bank high and dry — money. The south bank low and marshy — work.

Climate and air

Humid oceanic. Rain the whole year round, cool summer, mild winter. And the fog: it rises from the estuary, meets the holy coal smoke of the chimneys, and does not leave. In the dead months, the smoke is yellow and leaves the taste of a coin in the mouth. Periodic respiratory epidemics since 1860. The Stagnation made it all worse — the chimneys remain the same, not one has been rebuilt.