Bretonnia

he Land of Bretonnia is a feudal, traditional society where the peasants serve the knights in return for protection, while the knights are bound to militarily serve their lords in return for certain rights and titles. At the top of this feudal hierarchy is the King. Beneath the Kings are the Dukes. Beneath them is another layer of nobility, the Marquess's, the Earls, the Viscount's and the Barons in respective order. The King, Dukes, Marquess, Earls, Viscounts and Barons are also each the lord of a number of Knights, who are the lesser nobles. Each Knight (including the higher nobles) has his own force of Men-at-Arms chosen from the most physically-abled peasants. In return for serving his knightly lord, each peasant is given a small tract of land for his family and can be expected to be called upon for service in times of war. The Knights' forces typically consist of the stronger Men-at-Arms and the more lowly Bowmen levies. The lands of Bretonnia are also ruled by spiritual and mystical leaders, the Fay Enchantress, her Damsels, and the Grail Knights, who are all faithful servants to the Lady of the Lake.

The Knights of Bretonnia are divided into four categories. Knights Errant are young sons of nobles who must prove themselves in battle. If successful, they become Knights of the Realm and are granted their own small plot of land to govern and are obliged to defend Bretonnia should they be called. Questing Knights are brave individuals who renounce their title and wordly possessions and journey to faraway lands in hopes of being deemed worthy by The Lady to become a Grail Knight. Grail Knights are the most powerful and revered individuals in all of Bretonnia, second only to the Lady. They are living saints who represent the fearsome power of Bretonnia and answer only to the Lady herself.

The kingdom of Bretonnia is made up of the following 14 dukedoms: Couronne, L'Anguille, Artois, Lyonesse, Mousillon, Gisoreaux, Montfort, Bastonne, Bordeleaux, Aquitaine, Parravon, Brionne, Quenelles and Carcassonne. Each region, with the exception of Mousillon (see below), is ruled by its own Duke, who in turn has various nobles and knights that serve beneath him. The great castle of the King is in the fortified city of Couronne, traditionally the capital. The Forest of Loren is within the borders of Bretonnia but considered to be the forbidden realm of the Wood Elves.

The Dukedom of Mousillon is the cursed dukedom of Bretonnia.

The first Duke, Landuin, is reputed to be the finest knight of the Companions of Gilles le Breton and presumably the finest Knight ever. However after his untimely death the land fell into darkness and the name is now associated with evil. The first major incident to tarnish the name of Mousillon involved the Duke Merovech in the Imperial year 1813, when he ripped out the throat of the King, following a feast with impaled criminals as decorations. In a drunken fury he accused the other nobles of insulting his hospitality. In the inevitable duel that followed he ripped the King's throat out and drank his blood from a goblet. (There is no evidence to suggest he was a Vampire, however). The rest of Bretonnia denounced him and invaded Mousillon, many of his own knights denouncing him and swearing allegiance to Lyonesse. Five hundred years later Mousillon was involved in the Affair of the False Grail in which the Lord and Lady of Mousillon perished and a new duke has never been appointed. However in recent years rumours of a self-appointed Duke have begun to circulate. It has been rumored that the current King, Louen Leoncoeur (whose name carries a vague resemblance with Richard Lionheart), is planning to lead a fresh invasion of Mousillon. It is no secret that many Bretonnians would love to see Mousillon burned to the ground and destroyed once and for all.