Bretonnia lies to the west of the Empire, across the Grey Mountains. It takes its names from it's founder; the great conquerer Gilles de Breton who started the process of conquering the peoples of the north-west Old Wold and unifying them into a single kingdom some 1,500 years ago.

The kingdom which Gilles began forging stands firm to this day, a feudal monarchy based on the exploitation of rural labour. As with the Empire, the Bretonnian nobility consider themselves far above the common mass of peasants. Unlike the Empire, there is far less of a middle class, mercantile activities being less tolerated in Bretonnia. The gap between peasant cultivator and arrogant noble is vast, and enforced violently as the natural order of things. The King Charles de la Tete d'Or stands at the head of this feudal pyramid, and takes little interest in the day-to-day running of his kingdom.

The Bretonnian nobility highly value ritualistic codes of chivalric conduct, which confirm their position vis-a-vis the peasantry, and which dictate the proper forms of honourable behaviour. Male nobles are expected to join the knighthood, and almost all do. Women are treated with a kind of formalised respect. Violence against women is harshly punished; women are served first at meals; they are always given the most comfortable accommodation or the best seat at table. They are, however, generally forbidden to own their own property or to take up most professions. Bretonnians consider gender relations in foreign countries (where women are often, if not equal, at least possessed of some of the same civil rights as men) to be scandalous and an affront to female dignity.

Bretonnian noble religion is quite distinct, focused on the worship of the Lady of the Lake. She has no priesthood, rather an order of knights known as the Grail Knights, along with the Grail Damsels. Grail Damsels are taken from their homes as children by the Fay Enchantress, a mysterious and sacred figure, and return as adults possessed of divine powers. Grail Damsels are exempt from most law, and are unique in Bretonnia in their position as powerful and independent women. Grail Knights all claim that, at the culmination of their intiation into the order of knighthood, they met the Lady in person. Such claims are judged with skepticism by foreign theologians, who know of no similar cases of personal encounters with gods among other cults.

Worship of the Lady is the province of the nobility. Peasants tend to worship the same gods as other people of the Old World, with Shallya being by far the most popular object of worship. It is a common heresy, despite violent repression, that the Lady is merely a servant of Shallya.

Bretonnians are renowned for their love of food and good wine. Bretonnian brandy is popular across the Old World, though it's import to the Empire is currently prohibited by regulations introduced at the urging the Vintners Guild.