Prifddinas

Prifddinas (pronounced prive-THEE-nuss by Jagex and priv-THEE-nass in meaning "the capital") is the greatest city of the elves, located just north of Isafdar, and the capital of Tirannwn. It is made entirely of crystal, and is the oldest surviving settlement on Gielinor, having been created in the First Age. The Plague's End quest is required to access the city, as prior to the quest, it had been entirely reverted to its crystal seed form as an indirect result of the Elven Civil War.

It is described by Jagex as being a "high-level Varrock", as well as a skilling hub, and as such contains a number of skilling locations and other features, some of which are the best in the game. It also contains a Grand Exchange and many other features that make it a prime hub for all players that have access. In order to complete the series of quests that grant access to Priffidinas a player must have high levels in several skills. Below is the full list of skill requirements:

The first time players approach Prifddinas they will find seven of the clan leaders lining the path, and Arianwyn waiting at the city gate. Upon speaking to Arianwyn, players will be shown a cutscene of the Tower of Voices growing and elves of clans going about their daily business.

Transportation


Prifddinas can be accessed by one of its two main entrances; one on the southern side and one on the east, which connect to Isafdar and Arandar respectively. The entrance to the under-city can be found next to the eastern entrance, which is used in the Plague's End quest. The southern entrance has a monument prominently displayed on the approach to the city, marking the location of the entrance to the city's previous incarnation. An easy method of initially reaching the city is to use the Tirannwn lodestone, head a little northwest, cross over the stick trap on the east side (damage will be taken if you fail the obstacle), and head directly north to the southern entrance. Another fast way to get into the city is to use the clan vexillum (requires being in a clan) to teleport to the clan portal located in the Tower of Voices.

Various methods of teleportation can also be used to access Prifddinas. The easiest method of teleporting to the city is the lodestone, which can be found in the center of the Tower of Voices, although it must be activated first. The crystal teleport seed can also be used to teleport to any individual district of the city. After it is unlocked, a Spirit Tree may also be used to access the city. The Clan vexillum can be used to teleport to the Clan portal in the Tower of Voices, which is also home to the Prifddinas lodestone. Likewise, if a player moves their house to the city, the Teleport to House spell may be used. Note that the city must be accessed once on foot before any teleportation method can be used. The Max cape and Completionist cape can be used to teleport to the Max Guild in the Cadarn district. After completion of the elite Tirannwn task set, players can use the Tirannwn quiver to teleport to the harmony pillars in the Meilyr district of the city.

Features
The city itself is built over a large crater, and is mostly formed from crystal of Seren's being, constructed by the eight Elven Clans. The city's initial construction began after the elves arrived to Gielinor in the First Age. It is divided into eight equally sized districts, each belonging to one of the original Elven Clans that built the city. Seren gave each clan a shard of her being to craft into clan towers which remain a prominent feature of the city. Each of these districts have two skills associated with it, which dictate the various training methods found inside it. After an update, one can now also fish from the Prifddinas Waterfall.

A feature known as the Voice of Seren can affect two districts at a time, changing which two it affects every hour. It provides a number of benefits, such as increased experience and an increased chance for golden rocks and crystal implings. The districts it is currently benefiting can be seen by the symbols in the upper-left corner of the screen.

Tower of Voices
The Tower of Voices is found in the centre of the city, and serves as the main hub. It has several features:

Crwys (Farming and Woodcutting)
The Crwys Clan is located north east of the Tower of Voices, off the eastern path. It is primarily based on the Farming and Woodcutting skills, and is led by Lord Crwys. It features:

Cadarn (Magic and Ranged)
The Cadarn Clan is located south east of the Tower of Voices, off the eastern path. It is primarily based on the Magic and Ranged skills, and is led by Arianwyn. It features:

Trahaearn (Mining and Smithing)
The Trahaearn Clan is located south east of the Tower of Voices, off the southern path near the southern entrance to Prifddinas. It is primarily based on the Mining and Smithing skills, and is led by Lady Trahaearn. It features:

Iorwerth (Melee and Slayer)
The Iorwerth Clan is located south west of the Tower of Voices, off the southern path near the southern entrance to Prifddinas. It is primarily based on the Melee and Slayer skills, and is led by their new lord, Iestin Edern. It features:

Ithell (Crafting and Construction)
The Ithell Clan is located south west of the Tower of Voices, off the western path. It is primarily based on the Crafting and Construction skills, and is led by Lady Ithell. It features:

Amlodd (Summoning and Divination)
The Amlodd Clan is located north west of the Tower of Voices, off the western path. It is primarily based on the Summoning and Divination skills, and is led by Lord Amlodd. It features:

Hefin (Agility and Prayer)
The Hefin Clan is located north west of the Tower of Voices, off the northern path. It is primarily based on the Agility and Prayer skills, and is led by Lady Hefin. It features:

Meilyr (Dungeoneering and Herblore)
The Meilyr Clan is located north east of the Tower of Voices, off the northern path. It is primarily based on the Dungeoneering and Herblore skills, and is led by Lady Meilyr. It features:

Banks

 * Tower of Voices (north-west and south-east corners): 2 bankers and 4 Grand Exchange clerks
 * Max Guild: 1 banker, 2 Grand Exchange clerks, and a bank chest near the bonfire
 * Bank chests
 * Crwys: north-western corner, west of Lord Crwys
 * Hefin: south-western corner, near start of agility course
 * Iorwerth: inside Morvran's dungeon
 * Ithell: at the clan herald in the clan tower
 * Meilyr: south-eastern corner, east of the harmony pillars
 * Trahaearn: at the clan herald in the clan tower
 * Waterfall: at the top, east of the level 95 Fishing spot, next to the Fisherman

Initial settlement
Prifddinas was built by the elves after they were led to Gielinor through the World Gate by their crystalline goddess, Seren, and Guthix, the god of balance, in the First Age. The elves settled in Tirannwn, a large wooded area west of the Galarpos, a mountain range which isolated it from the rest of the continent. The eight Elven Clans constructed their city in a clearing north of the Isafdar forest from the wood of the forests: the city became the hub of the elves' new life on Gielinor. The World Gate remained open to allow travel to and from Tarddiad, however, and was used to bring in more crystal to Gielinor.

The elves peacefully coexisted in Prifddinas, as had been their goddess' intention. Each was given their own district of the city, where they were given a small tower found near edges of the city. In the centre of the city was the Tower of Voices which was carved from a great tree. It would become the site where the Elven Council of Elders convened.

During the remainder of the First, and the Second Age, Prifddinas would remain isolated from the rest of the world. Zaros stole the World Gate from the elves and sent at least one party to the west to gather intelligence about his divine companion, Seren, but this party was ambushed by elves south of Eagles' Peak and did not succeed in reaching the city.

Likewise, the elves were able to defend their territory during the God Wars. During this period, clan Ithell, led by Lord Berwyn Ithell, constructed a splendid granite wall to fortify the city: stone replaced wood as the main material of construction in the city. Some would leave the safety of Tirannwn and actively fight in Seren's name, while others, most notably the militant Cadarn Clan, successfully warded off any enemies at the Underground Pass.

After Seren's departure
Following the end of the wars, the god of balance Guthix put in place the Edicts of Guthix, which banished the warring younger gods from Gielinor. He visited Seren last, who conceded that she was unable to depart from her followers, as doing so would lead to their death: this is due to the Song of Creation which inexplicably tied the souls of the elves to Seren and prevented Seren from departing from the elves for prolonged periods of time, as doing so would lead to illness and eventual death of the elves. Unable to part from her followers, Seren exploded into a shower of crystals. A saddened Guthix then left Tirannwn, leaving the elves without Seren's guidance for the first time in thousands of years. Crystals of Seren were left scattered across the forests of Isafdar. With their understanding of crystal singing, Clan Ithell shaped these crystals to function as the main construction material of the city.

When the Fourth Age commenced, the Break Out occurred amongst the elves and a pass over the Galarpos, Arandar, was built. Many travelled east, exploring the lands that are now Kandarin. Spearheaded by the Cadarn Clan, led by the legendary King Baxtorian, the expedition formed ties with the humans and gnomes in the area, although they failed to form treaties with the Bandosians due to the contemporary Feldip Hills Civil War taking place. Soon, the elves permanently settled in the newly acquired area, marking the creation of the first major elven settlement outside Prifddinas.

Civil War
During the absence of the Cadarn and the other settlers, however, the Iorwerth Clan betrayed the other clans and invaded and occupied Prifddinas. They brutally slaughtered thousands of elves and took full control of the city. Until 1930, the eastern elves had no idea about this. Only the Great Divide prompted the eastern elven elders to send a scouting party to Tirannwn, of which only one elf, Adwr, returned to report the civil war.

In an attempt to restore peace, Baxtorian launched a campaign to liberate the crystal city from Lord Iorwerth's clutches. The elves attempted to recapture the city at the Battle of Prifddinas, which ended disastrously in 1935 with many Cadarn dead. This left the few survivors stranded in Isafdar (notably Lletya, a small, hidden village the refugees erected), where they fought as rebels.

At some point, the Council of Elders somehow managed to completely revert the city to a crystal seed, forcing Lord Iorwerth to settle in a camp outside its walls, although they also maintain one inside the crater, run by the Mayor of Prifddinas. Those outside the city when it was reverted were puzzled about how it was able to completely disappear, but continued to hope that it could somehow be restored.

Regrowth
In 169 of the Fifth Age, the rebel elves, led by Arianwyn, asked a human adventurer who'd found their way to Tirannwn and had been tricked by Lord Iorwerth and King Lathas to investigate the activities of the mourners in West Ardougne. This led the adventurer to the long-forgotten Temple of Light, whose safeguard they restored to stop the Death Guard, and from there into a collapsed tunnel that leads into the undercity of Prifddinas, near the Grand Library. It was at this point that the rebels realised the city had been reverted to seed by the elders.

In the first year of the Sixth Age the Corridor of Light was unblocked, and Arianwyn asked for the adventurer's help to further investigate the activities of Lord Iorwerth. The human, once again disguised as a member of the Death Guard, stole documents from the Mayor of Prifddinas that, once interpreted by the archaeologist Iestin Edern, revealed Iorwerth's newest plan; to use the power of the Dark Lord, fuelled by the mass sacrifice of West Ardougne's population, to regrow Prifddinas. As only the Lord of the Iorwerth Clan would be involved, the resulting city would reflect and favour only the interests of the Iorwerth Clan.

Arianwyn and Iestin decided on a three-fold plan to prevent this. The first stage was to remove the ability to sacrifice the humans of West Ardougne, by sending the human adventurer to incite a rebellion against the Mourners and the king that permitted their activities. This resulted in a revolution which ended with the defeat of King Lathas and the head mourner and the eviction of the entire Death Guard from the city by the Royal Army of Ardougne. The second step was to regrow the city themselves, using the power of all eight founding clans, minus Lord Iorwerth. Arianwyn revealed himself as Lord Cadarn, and Iestin knew enough to take the role of Lord Iorwerth in the ceremony, leaving the adventurer to locate the remaining six elders, who'd gone into hiding to await the day of regrowth shortly after the Battle of Prifddinas. Finally, they convinced General Hining and the Tyras Army to distract Lord Iorwerth and the Death Guard by starting a large battle.

The adventurer successfully collected the hidden elders, after which the eight elves performed the crystal singing ceremony inside the Grand Library to direct their clan seal's power into the seed that formed the heart of the city. Once again the adventurer assisted them in this task, adjusting the mirrors that directed the seals' light, and defending the elders from the Dark Lord, eventually revealed to be a fragment of Seren obsessed with death, who had been summoned in a weakened form due to the activation of the seals and the deaths of Lathas and the combatants in the battle above ground. The restoration of the city weakened the Dark Lord with every step of the ritual, so he eventually summoned Lord Iorwerth and killed him to draw power from his death. However, the adventurer withstood the next wave of his and his minions' attacks, leading to his defeat at the restoration ceremony's completion.

The city began to regrow in a manner favourable to all elves, and the elders announced that they had learned from their former isolation, and as a result the new Prifddinas would be open to all races, including humans and gnomes.

The city also features in The Light Within, as the quest starts with earthquakes in the city while talking to Eluned. During the quest Seren is restored and can be found afterwards in the Tower of Voices.

Titles
Many titles can be earned throughout Prifddinas. Some of them are required for the Completionist cape.

Development history
Prifddinas was released with the Regicide quest in 2004, alongside the rest of the elven lands. The walls were originally made of stone and much thicker, containing ladders and a much thinner wall inside the city proper. Only half of it was shown on the world map, although this soon changed to three quarters. With the release of Mourning's Ends Part I, the walls of the city were made thinner and changed to be made out of crystal instead. When the unknown areas of the map were filled in, Prifddinas no longer lacked a segment, and a large coastal area was added north of it.

At the end of 2013, it was announced that Prifddinas would compete with Invention for a scheduled release in July/August of 2014 in an in-game poll. The poll was released on 13 January 2014, along with Mod Osborne's Q&A on the forum. The poll passed, and the city was released in two batches. The Plague's End quest was released in August, the first batch was released in September, and the second was released in November.

Music

 * Elven Daffodil
 * Elven Dhalia
 * Elven Heart
 * Elven Holly
 * Elven Nightshade
 * Elven Sunlight
 * Elven Sunrise
 * Elven Sunset
 * Elven Voice
 * Elven Rose
 * Elven Snapegrass
 * Elven Bluebell
 * Elven Lily
 * The Twilight Twain
 * Henceward!
 * Baxtorian's Hollow
 * Among Tirannwn Trees

Trivia

 * The release of Prifddinas was divided into two updates, the first being on 22 September 2014 and the second being on 10 November 2014.
 * "Prifddinas" translates to "capital city" in . Following Welsh grammatical rules, it should be pronounced "prɪvði:nɑ:s," with the "dd" being said like "th" in "there" and "mother," not like in "thing" or "thought."
 * In the Jagex released a player submission where the Wise Old Man has a plan to get into the elven city.
 * The lamps which can be earned by doing various tasks in the city, e.g. Divination XP lamp, complement the lamps received after Plague's End, e.g. Summoning XP lamp. All lamps together will give the player 50,000 experience in all clan related skills. The exception however is the Melee XP lamp, which can give 50,000 experience in either Attack or Strength or split it evenly over both skills.
 * Stoking the permanent bonfire will grant a health boost that lasts longer than normal. Maple logs will last 39 minutes as opposed to 36, and protean logs last 72 minutes instead of 66.