Bretonnia

Warhammer is a dark, low fantasy setting loosely based on our world. Religion is
polytheistic, with the gods acting mostly through representation by their faithful. But not all
gods are kind and good… The names of the 4 great forces of chaos (Khorne [Slaughter],
Tzeentch [Change and Sorcery], Nurgle [Disease] and Slaanesh [Corruption]) are only
softly whispered for fear of attracting their attention as much as fear of being taken for a
cultist. And all the while their respective demons cast greedy, hateful eyes upon the material
plane.
But the Dark Gods are not all the people need to worry about: they themselves are more
than capable of making the world into a hell. And then there are the dangers of the wild:
outlaws, animals, monsters, mutants and barbaric races (Norscan, Orcs, Goblins, Beastmen,
Skaven,...) lurking anywhere between untraveled places and barely out of civilisation’s
sight…

The old world (roughly the equivalent of Europe) is the domain of Man. Though the other
civilised races (High Elf, Dark Elf, Wood Elf, Dwarf and Halfling) are occasionally seen
outside their reclusive domains (Naggaroth and Ulthuan in the new world, deep forests,
mountain halls and the Moot respectively), they remain somewhat of a rarity.

While its neighbours, mostly separated by steep and dangerous mountain ranges, have
reached the gunpowder age, Bretonnia [France] is a country stuck in medieval traditions of
feudal oaths and armored knights. Although it is perhaps unfair to blame isolation for their
lack of progress, when the country’s main faith, that of the Lady of the Lake [Chivalry and
Nobility], blesses those who follow the ways of old chivalry. The people of Bretonnia still
worship the other old gods (Manaan [Sea], Morr [Death and Dreams], Shallya [Healing and
Mercy] and Verena [Learning and Justice]) as well as some lesser gods (like Taal and Rhya
[The Natural Order], Handrich [Trade], Ulric [Courage and Winter], Myrmidia [War and
Strategy]), a few outlawed gods (like Ranald [Luck, Freedom and Thievery], Khaine
[Murder] and Solkan [Purging]) and in a few rare cases even the mortal turned god Sigmar
[The Empire of Man], though none nearly to the extent of the Lady, whose shrines, chapels
and temples are found throughout Bretonnia.

If the other races are rare, magic is neigh unseen. Where the neighbouring countries of The
Empire [Germany], Estalia [Iberia] and Tilea [Italy] have their own traditions and wizard
schools, the Faerie servants of the Lady are known to take most children, noble and peasant
alike, with dangerous magic/chaos potential early in life. As a result in Bretonnia magic is
held in even greater distrust than in the rest of the old world, with practitioners either being
foreign, self taught hedges and witches or worse... Of course it doesn’t help much that
everyone has heard at least one story of some magic user accidentally calling forth a
demon, or some dark sorcerer doing it intentionally. The exception to such scorn being the
irreproachable Damsels of The Lady, also known as Grail Damsels; the mysterious Fay and
the Elves of Athel Loren.

This is perhaps the only thing in which nobles and peasants are on equal footing. For while
in most of the old world the differences between classes are great, they are nowhere as
great or as rigidly separated as in Bretonnia, where peasants are for the most part seen as
property rather than people. Of course the wealthy merchants tend to buy a better status,
which mostly comes down to the freedom of being ignored in exchange for taxes and gifts.
That being ignored is pretty much the best case scenario is something even the peasants
have figured out and as such they tend to solve most of their own problems rather than
asking their Lord for aid, with communities keeping the wayward in line through ‘accidents’ or
being forced to ask the Lord for reduced taxes. This has given most nobles the impression
that peasant life is mostly free of worries, except for their own clumsiness and greed (as
most villages seem to manage paying those taxes anyway, despite the ‘poor’ harvests).

The Nobility
Technically all the land belongs to the King, who is the law.
Below him are the direct vassals of the King: Dukes (holding the lands of the tribal kings that
once swore loyalty to Gilles le Breton [unifier and first king of Bretonnia] and the Lady) and
Barons (holding much smaller domains). Both of these are only subject to Royal Laws and
Decrees.

Directly beholden to a Duke are the High Lords: Earls and Counts whose families have
been granted large domains to subinfeud. The main difference between these two is the
inclusion of a large (prosperous) city within their domain, makes one an Earl. Often High
Lords hold larger domains than Barons, but regardless of this they are subject to both Royal
and Ducal Laws and Decrees.

Earls, Counts and Barons may subinfeud their lands to vassals of their own. These are the
most common types of vassal within Bretonnia and are often simply referred to as Lords.
Though some Lords hold particularly dangerous domains and bear the title of Marquis, such
lands are often gifted, rather than granted (meaning the land and title are non-hereditary).

Some Lords do subinfeud their lands even further to Vavasours (meaning vassal of a
vassal), who may not subinfeud their lands and come in the form of Bannerets and
Castellans (who run an important castle and nearby villages in the absence of their Lord).
All vassals are subject to Laws and Decrees dictated by their superiors all the way up to the
King.

A noble character gains many privileges.He may appoint new knights, arrange marriages for
landholding widows, and has the duty and privilege of attending his liege's court. A noble
character also has many responsibilities. He must protect the people who tend his land, and
uphold the Law. He must maintain his castles and bridges and towns, and keep a specified
number of knights (and sometimes men-at-arms and food or goods) in service for his liege's
army. He must feed his liege and court whenever they arrive, and must sponsor yearly
tournaments and feasts. Finally, a noble must maintain a lifestyle appropriate to his station.

The most basic duties of a Liege are to provide protection to his vassals to act as judge and
to hold court.
Inheritance
Inheritance in Bretonnia is bestowed entirely upon the eldest son. If the eldest son is not yet
of age, a Regent (often the mother or an uncle) ‘aides’ in such duties until the heir turns
fifteen. If there are no sons, the eldest daughter inherits, though her husband will become
ruler of the domain. If she has no husband it is customary for a tournament to be held in
order to solicit a worthy candidate.
However in order to inherit noble titles one must have five generations of noble ancestors on
both sides (this also applies to candidates wishing to participate in the aforementioned
tournament).
One further exception exists: if the ruler of a domain is proven to worship any of the Dark
Gods, his entire domain reverts to his Liege, bypassing any heirs.

Knighthood
Not all Nobles are Knights and not all Knights are full blooded Nobles. While nobility is
inherited, knighthood must be earned. However in order to become a knight only a single
noble ancestor in the past five generations is required (however even if this is not the case
either King, Duke or Baron may ennoble the knight to be, thus enabling the next five
generations to become a knight). As such many knights are considered semi-nobles (much
like the blue blood merchants). Such knights are not subject to Royal Law, but they are
subject to all ducal, baronial and other lordly edicts that govern the domain, church and/or
Lord they serve.

A knight has the right to bear arms, most notably lance, sword, horse and plate armor, and
does not have to hand them over to anyone except under terms of surrender. He may also
wear his own mark of heraldry. As a semi-noble he is not subject to any Peasant Laws, but
instead is subject to the Laws of Chivalry (and the Fay Enchantress) and has the right of
Honor, which entitles him to call upon his honor to lend weight to his word and testimony; to
trial by combat and to offer or accept honorable surrender (to be held as captive guest until
the paying of a ransom befitting his station). He has the right of Hospitality, meaning he is
entitled to shelter for himself and his entourage, a comfortable place to sleep safely, from
any noble (except if they are an enemy); though this right may be revoked in case of abuse,
dishonorable or criminal behaviour. He has the right of way, allowing him to travel the
country freely (unlike peasants who must remain within their Lord’s domain). Finally he has
the right to accept, train and finally knight a squire.

There are several ranks in knighthood. The lowest accepted in society, though they are not
trusted members of it, is the Mercenary Knight or Freelance Knight. Their station may
change by swearing (and upholding) Loyalty to a Lord or Church or by becoming a Questing
Knight.
The Knight Errant is a transitional stage for a newly made knight, who by default serves the
lord (or lady) or Order who knighted him, until such a time as he proves worthy of the full
merits of knighthood (earning him his gilded spurs). For the most part this means surviving
their first battle, though certain acts of heroism will also qualify.

The Bachelor (from ‘bas chevalier’ aka household knight or knight of the realm) is the run of
the mill knight in service to a Lord. Within Church Orders the equivalent is called a Knight
Templar.

Finally there are the Banneret Knights who are both landed nobles and knights in their own
right. The equivalent within Church orders are Paladins or Masters, who lead their own
chapters.
The Land
Here follows a short description of the Duchies and their people (from south to north). More
information will follow later depending on your Common Knowledge (Bretonnia) skill and
your birthplace.

Carcassonne
Known for its sheep and battle hardened people (many of them shepherds), this Duchy
shoulders the burden of protecting the Bretonnian borders with Tilea to the south (separated
by the Irrana mountains) and Estalia to the west. On top of that they are plagued with Orc
incursions from the mountains and the occasional Skaven infestation spilling over from the
Blighted Marches of Tilea.

Quenelles
Where Carcassonne may have quite some trouble with Orcs, Quenelles is home to the
motherload, spewing forth from the Orcal Massif where these greenskins seem to breed
faster than the Quenellans can slay them.

Brionne
No Duchy is more pittoresque than Brionne, protected from all sides by other Duchies,
Brionne’s foremost threat comes from its many wannabe troubadours and poets charming
other men’s wives. Which in turn is the inspiration of more romantic songs about impossible
love and the inevitable dipping of quills in other men’s inkpots.

Aquitaine
Where the Brionnians fight to love, the Aquitainians love to fight. In fact they love to fight and
duel so much that they would likely fight over who gets to fight first. It is fortunate their lands
are so fertile or its peasants would surely starve and its nobility possibly parche. Or at least
they would have to do without one of Bretonnia’s finest wines.

Parravon
The entire Duchy is covered by either forest or mountain, making travel difficult, fortunately
for its high nobility Parravon is known for its pegasi. Most Bretons do not enter the sacred
forest of Loren, home to the Fey. The Parravonese however have been allowed to live there.
In fact some mothers, whose child was chosen by the Fey, come to the Glade of Children
and get another child in return. The mountains are fairly quiet for some reason, and with the
Fey watching over the forest, this is a rather peaceful place to live, if you can get used to the
constant feeling of being watched.

Montfort
Where Parravon has rocks and trees and trees and rocks, Montfort only has rocks. They live
in houses cut from the rocks, they mine to trade for food and levy taxes on trade with the
Empire through the Axe Bite pass. And of course the mountains are also home to Orcs,
making life extra hard here and that hardship reflects in its people.

Bastonne
Home of Gilles Le Breton, the first king of Bretonnia, this duchy has it all: Orcs from the
Massif Orcal, Beastmen from the forests Arden and Châlons, Undead from Mousillon, the
mysterious Black Chasm and Nobles on all sides eager to claim some of their arable land.
Fortunately the knights draw strength and honor from their glorious ancestry with as result
that no other province yields more questing knights. With their devotion to the Lady being so
great they obviously support the largest Grail Cathedral of Bretonnia, where its king is
traditionally crowned by the Fay Enchantress, the immortal high priestess of the Lady.

Bordeleaux
Not only does this Duchy produce the most wine of all of Bretonnia, the many wine
merchants acquire casks of the tasty liquid from all over the south of Bretonnia to ship the
qualitative ones all over the old world, while the local peasantry frequently ‘samples’ the
lesser and thus cheaper wines. It is said nothing in this world is rarer than a sober man from
Bordelaux.

Mousillon
Ever since their Duke’s failed coup d’etat, the province has been partly usurped by Lyoness,
leaving only the foul, stinking, swampy lands officially unruled. Unofficially they are home to
all sorts of ruffians, necromancers and consequently undead.

Artois
Most of Artois lies within the forest of Arden and its lords are known for hunting boars and
beastmen. Some of its people live so deep within the forest they don’t even know there is a
world outside of it, let alone know that it is called Bretonnia or has a king. Even its nobles live
practical lives, out of necessity, and consider the rest of Bretonnia as ‘a bit touched in the
head’ for all their impractical customs. The rest of Bretonnia considers them to be ‘a bit
lacking in civility’.

Gisoreux
Just as the land of Gisoreux is divided, so are the people.
The Plains of Gisoreux are the heart of the dukedom, and these are the people most
outsiders think of when they think of Gisoreux. Gisorens are friendly people; however, after a
single meal and one night’s accommodation, visitors are expected to earn any further
friendliness by reciprocating.
These customs even extend to the more civilised parts of the Forest of Arden, but there, new
arrivals are expected to begin their visit with a bath, in which they are supervised constantly
by armed villagers. The nomads of the forest make a living as hunters and trappers and
trade regularly with the villages bordering on their areas.
In the valleys of the Pale Sisters, the people cluster together in small communities. As a
result of their isolation, each community has its own strange customs and habits. Valle
Florida is a large valley in the Pale Sisters. It is unusually inaccessible (even for the
mountains), its orientation, however, makes its climate unusually warm: it traps sunlight.
Their chilled white bubbly wine is stored in mountain caves filled with winter ice, giving it the
name Cave Valle or cava for short. Those wishing to serve the wine outside of the region
require an ice cellar to chill it properly.

Couronne
Home to the greatest destriers in the world. Horse breeding so dominates the western part of
the Duchy that even most commoners know how to ride a horse and all of them know how to
take care of the noble animal. The eastern part was once conquered (some say bought)
from the Wastelands when it was still part of the Empire. Most of it is swampland, but that
provides a natural barrier against invasions from the east. Stories that the Bretonni have
horrible eating habits mostly stem from this part, where frogs and snails are not just a
delicacy but a daily occurance.

L’Anguille
L’Anguille city is the largest harbour of Bretonnia and second only to Mariënburg (though to
say that in L’Anguille is a good way to end up accidentally drowning). The Dukes have left
the city to its own devices resulting in its burghers feeling like only the city matters and the
rest of the duchy is only good as space to park trade goods until they are needed for
shipping. The Right Shore of the city lies within the Duchy of Couronne and is more strictly
ruled, resulting in most of the trade being done on the Left Shore, which also caters to the
needs of sailors that have been out to sea for a long time. As a taunt to the pride Couronne
takes in its horses the Left Shore likes to sell Filet d’Anguille, an (expensive) horse meat
delicacy, which is rarely eaten in Bretonnia outside of the city, but quietly popular with the
rich merchants on the Right Shore which wishes they had more free rule.

Lyonesse
With the land being very defensible, their opponents resorted to scheming. It is however nigh
impossible to utterly defeat a Lyonen noble, so these tend to continue for decades, if not
centuries and with schemes within schemes, within schemes started by their ancestors, few
Lyonen Nobles fully understand the schemes they are involved in and many are completely
lost beyond day-to-day reactions to crises. The ducal seat is on an island off the northwest
coast of Lyonesse. The walls of the castle, built centuries ago, are washed by the sea at
high tide, and small boats can sail right into the outer courtyard. Legend states Lyonesse
was originally set on a hill in the middle of the finest city in the Old World, but the sins of the
city’s inhabitants drew the wrath of Mannan, and the whole area was sunk beneath the
waves.