Gisoreux is a minor Bretonnia faction in
Total War: Warhammer. It only appears in the Season of Revelation
mini-campaign, as in the Grand Campaigns it is combined with Artois.
"We all are Gisoren, and our very
diversity grants us strength."
— Duke Hagen of Gisoreux.
The Dukedom of Gisoreux is a founding
Dukedom that lies within the treacherous slopes of the Pale Sisters and upon
the low woodlands of the Arden Forest. Unlike in other parts of Bretonnia,
where much of the land is either one type of landscape and of one type of
people, the diversity in geography of this Dukedom has also created a diversity
in cultures and customs. Those living within the arable plains to the south
contain the typical farmers and peasants that is universal within all the
realms. To the east, the lands are filled with harsh woodlands, where a
different people live life as expert trappers and wild woodsmen.
Finally, to the north, those people that
can eke out a living within the Pale Sisters are seasoned mountaineers who can
brave harsh conditions. The Dukedom also contains the Gisoreux Gap, one of only
three locations within the entire Grey Mountains that allow passage between
Bretonnia and the Empire. The current ruler is Duke Hagen.
Heraldry
of Gisoreux
Long ago, the first Duke of Gisoreux was
saved by a vision of a white hart that led him to safety. To this day the
device is still borne into battle by his descendants. Although rare, the
legendary white hart is still occasionally seen, appearing as a harbinger of
great feats of heroism or before the onset of a storm of magic.
Geography
"Great place to work. The inns
actually make you welcome, rather than treat you as a porter who just happened
to bring customers. If most of the routes there didn’t also go through the
forest, I’d work there all the time."
—Eldegar of Busreq, Coachman.
The dukedom of Gisoreux is divided into
four geographical areas. The first, the Plains of Gisoreux, is actually mostly
pastoral country and very hilly. This area includes the city of Gisoreux itself
and lies between the River Grismerie, the Forest of Arden, the Pale Sisters,
and the Grey Mountains. Just over half of the population of the dukedom lives
in this small area. The second area is North Gisoreux. This land, between the
River Sannez and the Pale Sisters, is also mostly pastoral but has substantial
arable portions along the course of the Sannez. The land here used to be part
of the Forest of Arden but was cleared, over the course of a thousand years, by
the family of the current ruler, Earl Baldhelm of Harran. The process continues
in the southwest of the region. North Gisoreux is home to about a quarter of
the population.
The third region is the Forest of Arden.
The areas south and east of the river are relatively civilised. The roads
between the villages are patrolled by the local nobility or at least by their
men-at-arms, and travel on the roads is no more dangerous than travel on most
other roads of the Old World. The villages do have stockades but, in a good
year, suffer no attacks. On the other hand, no one leaves the cleared areas of
forest without a really good reason, and those who do rarely come back.
North of the river, where the forest runs
up to the Pale Sisters, things are very different. No village founded here has
ever survived more than a year. Recently, Bretonnian lords have even given up
trying. The human inhabitants are all nomadic, and there are no roads larger
than a trail. The trees in this region are particularly old, large, and fine,
which prompts nobles to send occasional logging forays. These sometimes succeed
in bringing out a tree or two; more often, the loggers simply vanish.
The final region of the dukedom is covered
by mountains, split between the Pale Sisters in the west and the Grey Mountains
in the east. The two ranges are very distinct. The Pale Sisters are of white
rock and tend to rounded peaks, steep cliffs, and lots of high valleys. Access
to the valleys is limited, however, and often involves climbing a cliff. The
Grey Mountains are of dark grey stone and are characterised by very sharp
terrain. Their peaks and ridges are narrow, as are the are their many passes.
As a result, more people live in the Pale Sisters than in the Grey Mountains.
The
People
"So many differences, so easy for
Chaos to hide. These people have much to learn."
—Ermnegard of Krungenheim, Witch Hunter.
Just as the land of Gisoreux is divided, so
are the people. The Plains of Gisoreux are the heart of the dukedom, and these
are the people most outsiders think of when they think of Gisoreux. Gisorens
are friendly people; they greet even complete strangers politely, and many
people offer casual acquaintances a meal. There are, however, strict limits to
this generosity. After a single meal and one night’s accommodation, visitors
are expected to earn any further friendliness by reciprocating. Clever and
mobile rogues manage to sponge off the Gisorens' largesse for years, but far
more are recognised and find themselves shunned.
These customs even extend to the more
civilised parts of the Forest of Arden, but there, new arrivals are expected to
begin their visit with a bath, in which they are supervised constantly by armed
villagers. The bath is, of course, a courtesy, and the guards are for the guests'
protection, and the fact that it is impossible to hide most mutations whilst
naked is pure coincidence. Attractive female visitors may find many, many men
are eager to protect them. Women pretending to be men find that people in this
region are generally good at overlooking such things.
The nomads of the forest make a living as
hunters and trappers and trade regularly with the villages bordering on their
areas. Most of them make a trip to the city of Gisoreux at least once every few
years, since they have occasional contact with the isolated villages of Artois
and do not want to become like them. They also keep an eye on the Beastmen and
other monsters and send runners to warn villages at risk of attack. As a
result, they are accepted without prejudice by virtually all other Gisorens.
In the valleys of the Pale Sisters, the
people cluster together in small communities. Given the labyrinthine quality of
this region accompanied by terrible winters, few people have the means or the
interest to leave their small stone homes. Few have little knowledge of others
who dwell in and beyond these mountains. As a result of their isolation, each
community has its own strange customs and habits, though the threat of Orcs and
Chaos force all villages to concentrate on defence.
There are Human inhabitants of the Grey
Mountains, but in Gisoreux this range is too rugged and plagued by monsters to
support any real communities. Most of those who live here are nomadic loners,
though there are some family groups. They live by hunting and by guiding
travellers through the mountains. A few nobles have lands in the Plains of
Gisoreux and strongholds in the mountains, with the responsibility of defending
them against monsters. In many places they can do little more than keep their fortress
secure and supplied, but the nobles along the Gisoreux Gap pride themselves on
keeping it as safe for traffic as any road anywhere.
The internal politics of the dukedom have
recently been upset. For centuries, North Gisoreux was basically cut off from
the Duke in the south, allowing the Earls of Harran to go about things in their
own way. They grew accustomed to this nominal independence, and it was a shock
when Duke Hagen moved to Couronne for most of the time. Now, the Duke can
easily deal with North Gisoreux, and it is in the Plains where he must rely on
his steward. Duke Hagen's high standards of personal virtue do not help
matters; he keeps coming across practices he deems unacceptable, but which the
people of North Gisoreux have maintained for generations.
Gisoreux, in common with all the dukedoms
bordering on that cursed place, would like to see Mousillon invaded and
cleansed. However, relations with Bastonne are also strained. Nobles in the
Plains of Gisoreux have repeatedly feuded with Bastonnian lords in an effort to
extend their holdings across the river. Since Duke Hagen moved north, these
lords have become more willing to swear fealty to the Duke of Bastonne for
lands in the latter dukedom. As a result, there are now a number of Gisoren lords
with some holdings in Bastonne as well, which makes relations between the
dukedoms even more complex.
Official Name: Dukedom of Gisoreux
Ruler: Duke Hagen d'Gisoreux
Government: Feudal Government
Capital: Castle Gisoreux
Chartered Towns: Castle Desfleuve
Major Exports: Unknown
Type: Minor
Category: Bretonnian Kingdoms
Ruler: Tristran le Junglear
Campaigns: The Season of Revelation
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