Caer Brenig
Caer Brenig is the Comital Freehold of Cantrev Brenig in the Principality of Clwyd.
Overview
In her mortal seeming, the Unseelie Countess Angharad has reputation as a historical restorationist. While she restores all periods, her specialty is 19th-century recreations. Countess Angharad's home possesses a Victorian resplendence. Just north of Llyn Brenig, from whence she chose the name of her cantrev and keep, rests her Victorian country home. Everything in the plas (mansion) is silk or velvet, rose pink or cornflower blue. Fanciful scrollwork and ornate brass handles cover the bureaus and escritoires, and quaint knickknacks and bric-a-brac give the home a pleasant clutter. All the beds are four-posters hung with Venetian lace and mosquito netting, while scents of fresh-cut flowers and potpourri waft through the rooms. Hundreds of rare books fill her library, most of them bound in leather, just like the walls. Instead of one large balefire, Countess Angharad has "balefire by gaslight." Glamour flows throughout the house to appear as soft flames in small enamel wall sconces. The source is a big porcelain boiler in the basement, presumed to be nocker handiwork. The eyes of Kithain can also observe several chimeric creatures the countess keeps as pets: an enfield, an ermine, and even a small green dragon. They lurk in the corners to scare guests and keep their mistress entertained.
Angharad has a small workshop on the grounds of her home called "Victoria's Reticule." Here she employs three enchanted mortal brothers, John, Owen and Gary Pritchard. Their handiwork rivals that of nockers; they specialize in Christmas ornaments, blown glass, lamps, and jewelry but can usually reconstruct any piece of period furniture given time. The shop is open to tourists and brings in quite a tidy sum.
The grounds of the plas are simple but well-manicured. Lawn tennis, badminton, and croquet rank high on Countess Angharad's list of pleasures, and facilities for play exist year round. And while few birds grace the place, a fat, good-natured cat always lies around in a spot of sunshine on the premises.
References
- CTD. Isle of the Mighty, pp. 154, 155.