Magic in Metal Notes

Introduction

Over many years, the royal family of Camelot has changed in many ways. However, none is as interesting as the current brood. In the 21st century, which is rife with new technologies, the royal family has taken a much more interesting turn. I have compiled this encyclopedic article on the era in which they live. It features events, places, people, and terminology. I dearly hope that is comprehensive guide will make the events much more real.

And I hope you will visit my lovely home country,

Katherine Walker, romance novelist and lifelong resident of Camelot

Terminology

Bot – (n.) short for robot

Nanobot – (n) short for nano-robot

Nanotech – (n) short for nanotechnology

Locations

Avalon Center – The Avalon Center was the cultural hub of Camelot. Traveler's offices (similar to an embassy excepting that they deal only with stranded travelers and stolen goods) are located along with many multi-cultural restaurants, fashion boutiques, and curio stores. The large building also contained a theater, art gallery, and museum that featured works international works in their original languages. It is an international landmark because of its dramatic post-modern design and eco-friendly habits. It was designed by Gaius Wilson at the height of his career.

Camelot – Camelot is a small kingdom roughly the size of Andorra. It is located on an island between Ireland and The United Kingdom. Camelot is ruled by a constitutional monarchy, the king being Uther Pendragon. Prime Minister is Kilgharrah Drake, who won by a land slide of thirty percent of popular vote over his competitors. Kilgharrah is part of the labor party and sympathetic to the hard working middle class.

Camelot does not have any major exports. It is a strictly commercial nation. However, it has one of the highest standards of living in Europe. The average household of two adults and 2.3 children has an income twenty-five percent higher than the world average. Camelot has the highest learning standards in the world. Their students have graduated to work at CERN and other scientific centers. Other residents, Such as Guinevere Leodegrance, the children's writer, move on to become leaders in their fields. The secretary of finance, Hunith Emrys, mother of Merlin Emyrs, world renowned nanotechnologist, has structured the nation's finances as to make them the strongest creditor nation in the northern hemisphere.

Camelot was established as a Celtic outpost 500 CE. It won independence in 1439 and was known as Cearleon until 1825 when it renamed itself Camelot. It avoided conflict in World War One and World War Two. Camelot joined the United Nations in 1964, after the death of King Evian. Camelot Joined the European Union in 1973, alongside the United Kingdom. Recently, the country has launched an attack against Mercia for bombing the Avalon Center.

The national language is English, though you will find many of the residents speak more than one language, German being the popular choice as it is taught in schools. Camelot has a supportive stance on all intellectual and physical advances.

University of Oxford – The University of Oxford is located in the United Kingdom and dates back to 1096.

Yale – Yale is a well-known medical university located in the United States.

Events

The Death of Igraine Pendragon nee Tintagel – It was a sad day in history when the Royal publicist told the already anxious nation that Queen Igraine died in childbirth. King Uther went into mourning for the traditional hundred days but continued to wear only black for many years after. Igraine was the beloved of the residents of Camelot. She was born in the middle class of the country and earned a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Camelot, where she met the then Prince Uther. They fell in love and married at the age of twenty-three (he was twenty five). He became king later that year. To many of the middle class, she is a true Cinderella story. She died at the young age of twenty-eight. Her son, Arthur survives her and is Crown Prince of Camelot. The Royal Academy of Camelot has a scholarship in her name, the most famous acceptant being Dr. Merlin Emrys. Every year, on the day of her death, the song Green Sleeves is played on national television with a moment of silence to commemorate the humble queen who was taken too soon. Her face can be found on the stamp of Camelot and on the official postcard. After her death, King Uther attempted to place a ban on the burgeoning nanotechnology field as proposed by Nimueh Lake, an academy friend of the royal couple. His plan was accepted and only recently revoked.

Avalon Collapse – The Avalon Collapse is an event that took place two years ago. Similar to the World trade center located in America's Twin Towers, Avalon was bombed. Among the 10,000 casualties and injured were several minor officials and the crown prince of Camelot. The officials survived with minor injuries. The prince was more unlucky.

Prince Arthur and the Avalon Collapse – This was the news story of the month. Prince Arthur was in the Avalon Collapse. Reportedly, he was seeing the French adaptation of "To a Stranger", starring Nicolas Cazalé and Gaspard Ulliel (the original British block buster starred Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman) when the bomb went off. It was confirmed that he was not the target. Arthur sustained multiple injuries to the body and head. It was revealed on national television that he was in unstable condition for several days after the collapse. There is a reward for the unidentified stranger that saved the prince's life by injecting him with nano-robots. There have been hundreds of applications internationally though all have been deemed false. As of today, Dr. Merlin Emrys has revealed that he was the one who saved the crown prince. He has refused a knighthood and medal, preferring to stay the royal nanotechnology specialist.

People

Crown Prince Arthur Pendragon – Arthur is the Crown Prince of Camelot. He attended the Royal Academy of Camelot and is an Oxford Alumni. At the tender age of twenty-seven, he is as of yet unmarried. His ex-girlfriends include Vivian Remmington, Sophia Sidhe, and Elena Pierce, who is happily married to Gwaine. There was a scandal after Sophia Sidhe involving Arthur. Edited footage portrayed the prince as cold and unattached. However, the full footage was released in a law suit. For example, in Sophia's footage, he said, "I have visiting children in the hospital." However, the unedited version was, "I hate visiting children in the hospital. I can't do anything for them. I wish I was good at medicine. Then I could do something for them, instead of being paraded around looking pretty." Sophia has apologized for her video and the Royal family has forgiven her. Arthur' most recent flame may be Dr. Merlin Emrys. They have a good relationship and spend almost every waking second together. Arthur's fans, though a little heartbroken, whole heartedly support the match. Arthur has commented calling them an "epic bromance". As of late there is a "Brokeback Merlin" meme circulating the internet.

Dr. Merlin Emrys – Merlin was born in Ealdor, Wales. At the age of ten, he showed promise by hacking into several terrorist servers. He then turned over the information to the British government. His father died somewhere in the Amazon when he was twelve. A year or so afterwards, his mother, Hunith Emrys, moved the pair to Camelot under the care of her uncle, Gauis Wilson. He studied, on scholarship, at the Royal Academy of Camelot, being Valedictorian of his year and graduating at sixteen. He went on to study at Oxford and Yale. Emrys was offered a place at CERN. He turned in down in favor of returning to what he considered home. He has published five dissertations on nanotechnology and its practical applications. He has recently made public that he is indeed bisexual. He is also famous for his tandem bicycle, which took Facebook by storm.

Morgana Le Fey – Duchess Morgana Le Fey is twenty-second in line for the throne. Born of Uther and Vivianne, she is an illegitimate child. However, she is an heir to the throne through her mother, Uther's second cousin. According to common custom, she would be caught in a limbo. However, Camelot has moved on with the times accepting her heritage. As so, she takes the legitimate parent's rank. Morgana is a worldwide fashion icon. She is what they call a trend "maker or breaker". Recently, fashions were on display at Fashion Week. She is close childhood friends with Guinevere Leodegrance.

Gaius Wilson – Gaius, now in his sixties, was a counselor to Uther Pendragon. In more recent years, he has taken to his vocation as the Royal Physician. In his younger days, Gaius dabbled in design. His greatest attester to his skill is the Avalon Center.

Uther Pendragon - King of Camelot, Uther Pendragon is the leader of one of the most stable countries in the world. After the loss of his wife, Uther detested experimental sciences and banned their use on the public. Just recently, he has revoked that ban. He is very conservative in his ideals.

Hunith Emrys – Hunith Emrys is the wife of zoologist Balinor Emrys and mother of nanotechnologist Merlin Emrys. She was appointed secretary of Finances and has built Camelot as one of the strongest creditor nations in the world.

Miscellanies

Guinevere Leodegrance – Commonly known as "Gwen Grace" to her fans, Guinevere is a world known children's author. As of last year, her Angel series has won several awards and surpassed J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter in sales. She attended Camelot Academy (not to be confused with Royal Academy of Camelot) and studied at Cambridge. She lives in Camelot and has recently announced her engagement to Lancelot Du Lac. She is good friends with Morgana Le Fey and Merlin Emrys.

Lancelot Du Lac – A famous football (soccer to Americans) player, he was born in Spain. After a crippling injury, he went back to school and got a degree in medicine. It was there that he met Merlin Emrys, a special guest speaker. They quickly bonded and Lancelot found himself visiting Camelot. Despite rumors, he is heterosexual and has announced his engagement to children's author, Gwen Grace. He works with Red Cross and travels around the world providing medical care to children.

Gwaine Eoin Macken – Irish in origin, Gwaine is yet another football player. There has been controversy over whether his name is spelled "Gawain" or "Gwaine". To that, he has said, "I'm not too sure. I was raised spelling it "G-A-W-A-I-N". You lot have been pretty insistent in spelling it 'G-W-A-I-N-E'. I mean it's always published that way and all my friends spell it that way so I had it changed in the end." He then gave a cheeky wink, "I still spell it "G-A-W-A-I-N." He was married to Elena Pierce this past year.

Elena Macken nee Pierce –Elena is known for her equestrian skills. She has won four medals at the Olympics. She married Gwaine Maken last year. She has not commented on the spelling of his name but spells it "G-A-W-A-I-N-E".

Merlin's Tandem Bicycle – It is lovingly called Aithusa. Merlin's bicycle took face book by storm spawning its own face book page, fan club, and Wikipedia entry. Most recently seen riding this is Arthur Pendragon.

Freya Lake – She is Nimueh's daughter and a good friend of Merlin's. She was born with a weak heart. However, that did not stop her from going to Africa and saving wild life. Reportedly, she left her research to Merlin when she died, calling him her "best friend" and "only man in my life". She died at the age of twenty- four. He published her works in "The Life and Times of Freya Lake". There is an animated television show broadcasted in Camelot called "Freya's Lake". It is educational and features a new endangered species every week. The money made by the show is donated to many wildlife conservation organizations. She has been called this generation's Jane Goodall.

Angel Series – Starring a servant girl named Angel, the novels chronicle Prince Bradley's rise to fame. In the mix are the Wizard Colin and Witch Katherine, two opposing forces of great power who lovingly dote on the title character. The cast face the powers of fate and destiny under the great dragon. It is a spectacular series that questions a person's morality, heritage, and choices. Gwen has been praised for showing two sides to every story and making young adults question the choices they make and how that affects them later in life. Surprisingly, the series features a homosexual leading pair, Prince Bradley, and his lover, Colin. It is one of the first few series of its kind to have an openly homosexual lead pair. Though, the couple, affectionately called "Brolin", was paired up as soon as the first book (even if it was not officiated until book five). Gwen has commented saying, "I knew from the start that Bradley and Colin were meant for each other. They had an automatic attraction. When characters write themselves out a certain way, you can't let anyone from the other side of the [fourth] wall tell them no." When asked about her challenges in marketing such a book she said, "It's not a gay love story. It's a regular love story that happens to feature two men. And then, it's not even the main story. It's about a group of friends fighting for what they believe in. The right editor recognized that." Since the rise in LGBT support, Angel has skyrocketed out of obscurity and into the lime light. When Merlin Emrys, a good friend and real life Colin, was asked, he said, "It's about time someone saw what a gem she is." Gwen has been asked about who the real Bradley is. She has replied, "Colin would never kiss and tell. I will never write and tell." The Angel series now spans six volumes. Each can be read as a standalone novel.

Conclusion

Thank you for reading this comprehensive entry to the life of Camelot. It was difficult to discern from many sources and I'm sure you can feel my bias. However, this is as of yet the only documentation of its kind. My home is a lovely place and I have not a better way to describe it. Morgana drags me out to shop and Gwen named a character after me (though I am not the proxy). Merlin is a good friend and we debate on many subjects together. Arthur constantly reminds me that Merlin is "off limits". They make home feel like home.

Until you visit, you will never know the true beauty of Camelot.

Katharine Walker.

Compiler's notes.

Thank you for reading my world guide to Magic in Metal. Note that this guide takes place a year after the events of Magic in Metal. However, I have not answered some questions.

In Magic in Metal, nanotechnology actually refers to bionanotechnology. And even more specifically, it refers to a robot that can alter your internal chemical balance. Millions of these can be placed inside the body making the organism healthier and stronger. Merlin has been a pioneer in the field making an AI system that makes all robots act in unison. That same system allows for multi-tasking. The program can be opened like any computer program. However, it is much more difficult to code as certain parameters much be reached before setting the program in motion. As of yet, bionanotech cannot complete any of the feats mentioned. It is purely of my own imagination.

Morgana is in line for the throne. Morgause abdicated for some reason. She married a French duke.

Uther hates all experimental sciences. He specifically hates the "miracle bots" that were supposed to save his wife. Nanotech was outlawed for many years resulting in Merlin working overseas.

Merlin and Arthur did not meet until that appointment. Arthur is six years older.

Merlin pumped Arthur full of nanobots during the Avalon Collapse (they were contraband). Later, Arthur was given nanotechnology by a foreign doctor. Merlin returned and became the Royal Nanotechnologist and Assistant Physician. He removed the one set, the one belonging to the foreign doctor, and left his nanobots in Arthur's body at the Prince's request. At this time, Arthur still walks around with a little bit of Merlin in him. That is still a secret.

Any more questions? Comment or PM me. Anonymous questions and comments are always welcome. As always, the wall of disclaimers is available for viewing on my profile.

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