The cliffs of the Massif Orcal in Bretonnia.
The sheer cliffs of the Massif Orcal rise above the wild Forest of Châlons in Bretonnia and mark the beginning of a rocky highland occupied by Greenskins and other monsters.[1a]
The Massif Orcal is a barren, desolate place, a blighted region almost devoid of life. Scraggly pines cling to some of the upper heights, and equally sickly-looking brambles creep about the lower slopes, vainly trying to wrest moisture from the thin layer of soil that powders the rocks. It is a miserable region, shunned by the Men of Bretonnia. There is no game to be hunted, no mineral wealth to be wrested from the mountains, no fertile land to claim and build upon.
Only Orcs and Goblins call this place home, foul remnants of the once great hordes that had been scoured from the lands of Bretonnia during the founding of the kingdom. The ruined battlements of old watchtowers and keeps built long ago to guard against the threat of Greenskins sometimes loom into view, slowly crumbling away upon distant hilltops, forlorn reminders of a time when the Goblins could still sometimes muster great armies to despoil the lands of Quenelles and Bastonne.[2]
From Malmont, the Massif Orcal's highest peak, a Hermit Knight protects the surrounding settlements from the predations of Dragons and their kin.[3]
Trivia[]
Massif Orcal is based on the real-life Massif Central, a highland region located in southern France.
The word "massif" originates from French (meaning "massive"), where it is used to refer to a large mountain mass or compact group of connected mountains forming an independent portion of a range.
Orcal does not have any real translation, but it could be a nod to its primary denizens, the Orcs and Goblins. Thus, Massif Orcal could possibly mean "Orc Mountain."