Bretonnia’s justice is divided sharply between nobles and peasants. The nobility are bound by the Laws of Chivalry, while the common folk are subject to peasant law. Equality before the law is an alien concept in this realm; laws exist to reflect hierarchy, not erase it.
The Laws of Chivalry—issued under the King’s authority—govern noble conduct. Crimes such as theft, murder, and treason are forbidden, but violence is tolerated when justified by feuds, disputes, or honour. Certain acts, such as trade or mercantile activity, are considered dishonourable for nobles.
Crimes against peasants rarely matter unless they infringe on another lord’s rights. A noble is expected to protect and judge his peasants, but abuses are often ignored.
Trials for nobles are elaborate affairs. A court is convened by the accused’s liege lord (or higher), presided over by the convening lord with a jury of seven peers. Accusers and accused make their case, and the judge decides guilt; the jury sets the sentence.
Punishments are rarely severe. Most involve apologies, symbolic reparations, restrictions on behaviour, or quests of valour—sometimes perilous or tantamount to exile. Extreme cases may see a noble stripped of land or title, though such rulings usually require the King’s approval.
Refusing a court’s judgement brands a noble an outlaw—still of noble blood, but outside the law’s protection. Killing an outlaw is no crime, even for peasants. Many noble families quietly carry such disgraced ancestors in their lineages.
Noblewomen are also subject to these courts, though quests of valour often serve as de facto death sentences. Some become outlaws rather than submit, especially those caught masquerading as men.
Peasant justice is simple and brutal, depending almost entirely on a lord’s whim. Trials consist of presenting the accused before the lord, who may or may not hear a defence before passing judgement. Punishments usually take the form of flogging, mutilation, exposure, or execution. Fines and prisons are rare, as peasants lack wealth and imprisonment costs the lord money.
Because formal justice offers little hope, peasants often handle disputes within the village. Theft, brawling, or quarrels are settled locally, sometimes in village courts or through rough custom.
In towns, wealthy merchants maintain their own courts, designed to keep the nobility at arm’s length. Merchant guilds set rules for trade, apprenticeships, and punishments for fraud or theft. Violators may be fined, expelled, or quietly eliminated in “accidents” ignored by the nobility.
Merchant courts mimic noble ones but are often more reliable, as corrupt judges can be replaced. Panels of judges, not juries, hear serious cases. Lawyers are common, and some towns even allow judges to serve as advocates for a price. Though expensive, such services nearly guarantee victory, since rulings must still be framed within the law.
Bretonnian holidays revolve around the foundation legends of the country. While the Old World gods are acknowledged, festivals linked to the Lady of the Lake dominate.
Witching Night
Celebrated under the light of both full moons, this festival honors the Lady’s protection against evil magic and her blessing of good magic. Women lead the day in tribute to the Damsels, lighting bonfires and burning effigies of male wizards. In some places, attempts are made to capture a real wizard, though rarely successful.
Lily Day
A celebration of purity and new life, Lily Day is a popular time for weddings. Brides are adorned with white flowers, and villages select a Lady of Lilies, traditionally the fairest maiden, to preside over the festivities.
Peace Tide
Marking Gilles’s final victory, Peace Tide features re-enacted battles, pledges of loyalty, and communal feasting. Villages are expected to resolve internal disputes by this day; unresolved quarrels may be settled through formal duels, occasionally to the death.
Day of Mystery
The holiest day of the year, commemorating the Lady’s first appearance to Gilles. The barriers between the mortal world and her realm are believed to be thinnest. People gather in Grail Chapels for reflection and devotion, contemplating the Lady’s works.
Grail Day
Originally honoring the Grail itself, this festival has become a day of wine and revelry. Traditionally, wine is consumed undiluted, leading to especially raucous celebrations.
King’s Sleep
In midwinter, Bretonnians remember that Gilles le Breton is not dead but merely sleeping, like the trees. Plays depicting his departure and eventual return are a common form of entertainment.
Much as the Empire is shaped by the Cult of Sigmar, Bretonnia is defined by devotion to the Lady of the Lake, its divine protector and patron of chivalry. To her knights, the Lady embodies purity, nobility, and courage—everything a Bretonnian should strive to serve.
Unlike other Old World gods, the Lady is encountered directly by mortals. Grail Knights meet her at the climax of their quest, and the Grail Damsels are initiated by her hand. Her appearance is consistent across tales: a young woman of unearthly beauty, robed in white, veiled, and bearing the Grail.
The Lady’s worship is unique. She has no priests or temples in the common sense. Instead, she is served by Grail Knights—the pinnacle of Bretonnian knighthood—and by Grail Damsels, women taken in childhood and raised by the Fay Enchantress to wield mystical powers. Her faith belongs chiefly to the nobility; peasants honour her but rarely receive her direct favour.
The Lady’s two chief symbols are:
The Grail: a golden cup from which Grail Knights drink, granting power and immortality of spirit.
The Fleur-de-lis: a stylised lily, signifying purity and often paired with the Grail in heraldry.
Depictions of the Lady herself are also common, especially in stained glass windows, where light through coloured glass recalls her radiant presence.
The Lady’s worship centres on chivalry. For knights, her strictures are the knightly virtues; for noble women, they include:
Preserve modesty and innocence.
Obey father before marriage, husband after.
Aid the weak and helpless through no fault of their own.
Show favour only to the bravest knights.
Though peasants honour her in prayer, the Lady does not intervene directly in their lives. Her concern is the defence of Bretonnia through the courage of its knights and the virtue of its nobility.
Shrines of the Lady are known as Grail Chapels, built only on sites where she has appeared—most often where a Questing Knight was allowed to drink from the Grail.
Constructed of stone by noble patronage, chapels are soaring halls filled with light and stained glass, always facing the Forest of Loren, home of the Fay Enchantress. Every chapel is meant to be watched by a Grail Knight, though most are left untended as knights wander on quests. Some are maintained by Grail Damsels, nobles, or even pilgrims.
The holiest is the First Chapel at Bordeleaux, founded by Marcus of Bordeleaux, one of Gilles le Breton’s companions. It is permanently attended by a Grail Prophetess, Damsels, and Grail Knights, and supported by all Bretonnia’s great lords.
Unattended chapels may fall into disuse, though peasants often shelter in them during raids, believing themselves under the Lady’s protection.
Pilgrimage is central to the Lady’s faith. Nobles and peasants alike travel to distant chapels to mark marriages, funerals, or recovery from illness. For peasants, such journeys often double as rare holidays, since lords cannot easily deny pilgrimage requests.
Popular sites include chapels attended by living Grail Knights, whose blessings are highly sought. Nobles favour chapels maintained by Damsels, while some chapels, like the Chapel of the Thrice-Sundered Lance near Parravon, have become bustling pilgrimage centres with taverns and markets.
The Grail Damsels, taken from their families in childhood, are raised by the Fay Enchantress and return as mysterious, powerful women. They wield magic tied to nature and speak with the Lady’s authority. Existing outside Bretonnian law and custom, they are revered and feared alike.
With age, some Damsels become Prophetesses, able to foresee the future and counsel dukes and kings. Many wander Bretonnia as advisors, always untouchable in status.
At the head of the Lady’s servants stands the Fay Enchantress, greatest of Bretonnia’s mystics. Immensely powerful and apparently immortal, she commands the reverence of all and wields authority greater than even the king. With a word she may crown or unmake monarchs.
Though some whisper she is an avatar of the Lady herself, she denies this. Still, to Bretonnia she remains the Lady’s voice on earth, guiding knights, shaping kings, and ensuring the land remains forever bound to its goddess.