Breten

> Helpe then, O Raven-Haired Lirr,
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> Thy weaker Novice to performe as thou saye,
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> Allow thy follower to be thine Reader
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> Of thine antique rolles, which illustrate the playe,
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> Of Faerie knights and fairest Nimue,
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> Whom that most noble Breten Prince so long
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> Sought through the world, and through this song,
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> I shale rue his undeserved wrong.
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> -- From "The Ladie of the Lake"
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Breten has the distinction of being the oldest human kingdom in Avalon, and the portal through which the first humans traveled still serves as the location of Breten's capital. Encompassing the northwest corner of Old Avalon, Breten has positioned itself as the preeminent maritime power in the Furic Sea, and the nation is known for its fusion of human and high elf culture.

## History

Approximately 3000 years ago, a group of humans appeared in the lake district that forms the central region of modern Breten. At the time, the region was largely uninhabited, though high elves, gnomes, and hobgoblins all traveled through the area on a regular basis. The lost, bewildered humans wandered south until they reached the banks of the Numen Duin, where they encountered a community of high elves. The humans, knowing they were out of their depth, laid down their weapons and made peaceful overtures; the elves, in their wisdom, reciprocated. This meeting is the first recorded instance of humans in Avalon and marks the beginning of the Human Era.

With some patience and some elvish magic, the communication barrier was eventually overcome. The human leader, who in the histories is referred to only as the Bear-King, explained that a mysterious woman, whom he referred to as the Lady of the Lake, appeared to him and his people in their homeland and bade them to follow her, as she would lead them to a prosperous new home. They followed her through a "shining portal" that appeared in the waters of a lake, and they wound up in Avalon. To this day, the true identity of the Lady of the Lake - also called Nimue or Ninianne - is unknown, though it's presumed that she was an archfey. It is also hypothesized that the homeland of the Bear-King and his people was the Forsaken Realms.

After this initial meeting, the human community returned north and settled at the edge of The Pools in hopes of the Lady of the Lake's return; this initial settlement, Merewif, is now the capitol city of Breten. Shortly afterwards, a segment of the population, led by Bethania, advisor to the Bear-King, traveled south; eventually they would help found the nation now known as Andalus.

In HE 115, civil war broke out when King Cameron, grandson of the Bear-King, died without siring an heir. Both his widow, Queen Angharad, and his brother Cianan claimed the right of succession. While Queen Angharad initially gained control of Merewif, Cianan forged alliances with the Nomotinechor and Galanodel houses of high elves, as well as the Yeong-Gi Tribe of hobgoblins, and managed to drive Queen Angharad and her forces across the Strait of Swords to Airlann. Fifty years later, his son, King Cianan II, attempted to invade Airlann and crush any remaining Angharad loyalists; he was unsuccessful.

In HE 505, King Gerhard, motivated by widespread famine, attempted to expel the elves from Breten, reneging on centuries of peaceful co-existence. However, only a year later he is assassinated by his top general, Osbert of the Right Hand, who assumes the crown and negotiates a peace with the elves, assuming the name King Aelfweard in the process. Thus the Bear-King dynasty meets an ignominious end.

Shortly afterward, loyalists to King Gerhard claimed to have custody of his bastard son and vowed to place him on the throne. Breten faced its second civil war, which lasted several years before the Bastard Army was forced over the Dragon Spine mountains; they would go on to found the kingdom of Gaul.

In HE 627, Queen Meredith launched her own campaign against Airlann. While initially more successful than King Cianan II, winning several early battles and gaining a foothold on the southernmost island, her navy was ultimately repelled.

In HE 1100, a group of nobles, led by the Duke of Blakesley, manipulated the young King Norbert III (only fourteen years old at the time) into signing the *Book of Constitutional Rights*, which outlined basic legal rights held by all Bretenese, as well as placing limitations on the powers of the monarchy. Additionally, the Big Book (as it is commonly called) established the House of Lords, of which all titled nobles were members, which could vote on changes and additions to the Big Book, and which also handled much of the day-to-day domestic governance of Breten, instead of the king directly.

In HE 1866, faced with imminent invasion by the archfey High King Oberon, King Turlough signed the Yew-Berry Treaty, which made Breten effectively a vassal state of Oberon's empire. The treaty would last a millennium as Oberon ruled over most of western Old Avalon until his death in HE 2928; his son, the half-elf High King Owain, released Breten from the Treaty and all but dissolved the empire.

In HE 3023, Captain Stormtide Hall, sailing under the flag of Breten, discovered a safe passage across the tumultuous Furic Sea and reached a new continent that he dubbed New Avalon. When he returned with evidence of the rich resources available on New Avalon, he sparked a land rush, and Breten was first to reap the rewards. The coastal town Herringbone became the primary point of departure for westward expeditions and exploded in size as a result.

## Politics

Breten is a constitutional monarchy, with the king (or, rarely, queen) delegating local rule of a region to various noble families; the size of the area a noble family governs is dictated by their title (Marquess, Baron, etc.), and these noble families further delegate the day-to-day management of their region to members of the landed gentry. Not all areas are under the rule of the nobility; there are lands reserved for the king directly, and many of the larger towns and cities have mayors but are not beholden to a particular noble.

These nobles form a House of Lords that votes on amendments to the Book of Constitutional Rights (or the Big Book), which forms the basis for Breten's laws. It is the king's responsibility to ensure these laws are executed justly and to issue judgments when interpretation of a law is up to debate. The current king is King Hubert III, who has reigned for forty-five years.

Several prominent elf houses live in areas that are, nominally, part of the kingdom of Breten. However, over the centuries the Bretenese monarchy and the elf houses have reached an agreement that crimes against elves will be judged by elves, using elvish legal custom, and vice-versa for crimes against humans. Elves are also exempt from many of the taxes and levies that landowners must pay because they do not "own" land per se; they simply use it.

Breten has a contentious relationship with both Airlann to the north and Gaul to the east; both countries served as refuges for the losing sides of Breten's civil wars, with Gaul being directly founded by the defeated generals. The Dragon Spine (and the dwarven city-states there) serve as a buffer between Breten and Gaul, and open conflict between the two kingdoms has never escalated beyond small, occasional skirmishes; on the other hand, Breten has attempted to invade Airlann multiple times, having been tempted by the archipelago's rich natural resources and abundant arcane technology.

Conversely Breten has generally friendly relations with the dwarven city-states and high elf houses that border the kingdom. (Though some of the more conservative lords grumble about the high elves' inability to stop Oberon from expanding his empire.) There is occasional tension with the hobgoblin tribes to the southeast, and at times more aggressive kings have launched campaigns against them. Relations with Andalus have historically been friendly; during the reign of High King Oberon, Andalus greatly scaled back its diplomatic and economic relations with areas under his control (including Breten) but, now that his empire has dissolved, the two nations are re-establishing ties.

## Economy

Breten's greatest assets are its large swaths of arable land and its location on St. Cuthbert Bay, which is deep enough to allow seafaring ships to make harbor far further inland than is typical. Thus, Breten's economy is dominated by agricultural exports such as wheat, barley, oats, flax, and sugarbeets; animal products, such as beef, pork, and fish, also form a smaller part.

Additionally, the massive, carefully cultivated trees of the elf forests provide excellent materials for ships, though there sometimes is tense negotiation about just how many trees can be harvested in a given year. Multiple shipwright operations dot the sheltered shores of St. Cuthbert Bay, and in addition to supplying Breten with the largest navy and merchant fleet in Old Avalon, these ships are also built on commission for governments and merchants of other nations. The second largest manufacturing industry is textiles.

## Geography and Flora

Situated on the northwest corner of Old Avalon, the warm currents of the Furic Sea shield Breten from extreme variations in weather, and its climate is generally mild and temperate, if on the rainy side. Snow is rare and often a cause for celebration and festivals. The northern coast is largely limestone cliffs, while the banks of St. Cuthbert Bay are sandstone and generally not quite as steep. The eastern border of Breten is bounded by the tall, rugged Dragon Spine mountains, which are primarily slate and granite, and which have few passes.

The central region is dominated by a wet, boggy area called The Pools, which is also where the royal city Merewif is located. The north and western areas are mostly grassland (much of it cultivated farmland), with clumps of deciduous forests along St. Cuthbert Bay. The eastern and southern regions are more heavily forested, with the deciduous forests giving way to coniferous forests on the far eastern edge, in the foothills of the Dragon Spine.

## Fauna

Much of the large native fauna of Breten has been displaced from the northern region due to the heavy agricultural activity there; it is in the south and the east where wildlife continues to thrive.

### Mundane Species

A wide variety of mammals are found in Breten. In addition to the typical domesticated animals, wild mammals include deer, elk, and mountain goats; seals and sea lions in St. Cuthbert Bay; hares, rabbits, foxes, badgers, and several types of rodents; and even bears and large cats in the more remote areas.

Though uncommon, a few species of dinosaur are sometimes seen in Breten as well - typically those on the smaller side, such as velociraptor. Pterosaurs are also occasionally spotted along the coasts. The large sauropods are not found this far north.

Breten used to have a larger variety of bird species, but many have been driven away or gone extinct due to overhunting and habitat destruction - particularly the waterfowl that used to be found in The Pools and the game birds that once roamed the northern grasslands. There are still a few duck, goose, and grouse species, however, as well as a multitude of songbirds, gulls, corvids, and raptors.

Snakes and lizards are found in the southernmost forests, though none are venomous. Like the waterfowl, amphibious species have fared poorly in The Pools, but there are still some species of frogs and toads.

### Magical Species

The most notable magical species found in Breten are dragons, which occasionally make their homes in the foothills of the mountains that are named for them. Gold, red, copper, and green dragons have all been encountered at various points in Breten's history, though it seems no more than a handful of dragons live in the country at a given time. Nevertheless, they have an outsized influence on the country's imagination, and legends abound of both evil dragons slain by gallant knights and wise dragons that provided aid to the downtrodden.

Fey creatures, such as hags, pixies, and boggles, are also found in Breten, though not to the extent as in Airlann.

Hippogriffs are found in the forests to the south, and are occasionally tamed by the elves there. Shambling mounds and blights can also be found there, though if they start to pose a danger to communities they are swiftly dispatched by the elves. There have even been rumors of unicorns dwelling in the southern forests, but the elves vehemently deny it.

## Demographics

The majority race in Breten is human, and there has never been a king who wasn't at least partially human. (There have been kings with a trace of elven heritage, though fears of elves "taking over" Breten have prevented anyone with more than quarter-elf heritage from serving as either king or queen.) High elves are the second-largest racial group, and there is a longstanding community of half-elves in Elfton, which has developed its own unique customs.

There are also significant communities of halflings, and to a lesser extent gnomes and dwarves. Other races such as goblins, hobgoblins, and kobolds also live in Breten in small numbers.

## Culture

Bretenese culture exists in a curious tension between elf and human traditions. The humans have a patriarchal culture, property and noble titles (including kingship) being passed almost exclusively down the male line, although there is nothing *legally* forbidding women from owning property and businesses or claiming a noble title. In contrast, the elves track heritage matrilineally, and marriage is seen as an alliance between two equals. Elven art, poetry, etc. is generally valued above that of humans, and all human nobles are expected to learn Elvish so they can read untranslated works. At the same time, human Bretenese often view elves as passive and out of touch with reality; "human rationality" is a term frequently invoked in the House of Lords.

While magic is not shunned in Breten, arcane aptitude has always been somewhat rare amongst the humans of Breten, and thus magic is at times considered "an elf thing" - viewed with admiration and suspicion at the same time.

## Notable People of Breten

Lord Edwyn Maxwell Lawrence Deforest Secheverell - youngest son of the Marquess of Norwood, Lord Edwyn was a member of the Rasmus Enterprises expedition that identified and eliminated the moxtyledon infestation of New Avalon.

## Locations:

St. Cuthbert Bay

Ikzidur Academy

Kilbourn Dells

1. ↑ Andalus, while just as old as Breten, is not a kingdom; it is a republic.