The noble families aren’t numerous enough to maintain a standing army, so the peasants of the realm are pressed into service. Thus, the vows of the nobility are also ones of fealty to their own lord, either a higher-ranked noble or the king himself. At the Battle of Nouvionne, she crushed the army of Duke D'Bastalle, and that night, the Cauldrons of Blood were filled to the brim with the life essence of Damsels and Grail Knights.

Merovech could not understand their discomfort at all, and having already drained many goblets of fine Bordeleaux wine, he drunkenly claimed that his hospitality was being dishonoured.

A proud and honourable kingdom, the armies of Bretonnia are comprised mostly of knights and nobles, who ride into battle with lance, horse, and sword, seeking glory and rooting out injustice wherever they go. Bretonnia is second only in size to that of the Empire among the realms of Men in the Old World, and is both the Empire's chief rival and closest ally, having a culture and society that revolves around the ideals of nobility, a strict social hierarchy based on aristocratic birthright, and the upholding of a strictly enforced code of chivalry. Eventually, in the year 1444 (2422 IC), retaliatory attacks from orc tribes had ravaged the undefended dukedom of Carcassonne whilst the knights that should've protected the realm joined the Errantry War. These colonies survived the civil war with Malekith, and then the Sundering, relatively unscathed, but they were soon faced with the full wrath of the dwarfs in a time known as the War of the Beard. Marcus turned that chamber within his castle into the first Grail Chapel, a site still of unparalleled sanctity today.

The Pirate Wars did eliminate several notorious pirates, but there was no lasting decline in Old World piracy, as the adversary was not a unified navy that could be completely defeated -- new pirates always emerge to replace those who have fallen. Dinner was served by shambling servants, and the dukes were shocked to see spitted and impaled criminals arrayed about the hall. One of the Bretonni Dukes, however, did not give way to despair and was determined to unite all of his people into a single nation. His companions rallied about him and fought their way towards the city, where they were met by Lord Martrud d'Montfort. Once they reached their destination, they found the castle under siege by a horde of greenskin warriors.

Rare it was these days for the reclusive dwarfs to make contact with the other nations of men, other than the Empire. As a reward for his heroism, Gaston was allowed to sup from the true Grail, and became the new King of Bretonnia. As the Companions rode south to the Dukedom of Brionne, they found their way blocked by the army of a bloated orc by the name of Warlord Brogtar. When the village was attacked by northern raiders, it was this construction that fended them off, firing massive chunks of masonry to sink the marauders' longships. THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY, THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG, THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES and the names of the characters, items, events and places therein are trademarks of The Saul Zaentz Company d/b/a Middle-earth Enterprises under license to New Line Productions, Inc.