The Grey Mountains form the great western wall of the Empire, a rugged range that runs east to west and divides the Imperial provinces from the chivalrous kingdom of Bretonnia beyond. Lower and less storied than the mighty World's Edge, they are no less perilous, and their passes have shaped the trade, war, and rivalry of the two greatest realms of men.
Through these mountains run the vital roads that link Empire and Bretonnia — chief among them Axe Bite Pass, along which merchant caravans, pilgrims, and armies have travelled for centuries. Where there is trade there are also bandits, and the Grey Mountains are notorious for the brigands, beastmen, and greenskin raiders who prey on those who cross. A scattering of small and stubborn dwarf holds still clings to the range, and prospectors work its lonelier valleys for silver and gold.
The headwaters of the great Reik rise among these slopes, gathering from a thousand mountain streams before flowing east across the heart of the Empire. Border towns and castles watch the passes on both sides, for the mountains are as much a frontier as a barrier — a place where the tongues, coins, and quarrels of two proud nations meet, and where a traveller may breakfast under the sign of the hammer and sup beneath the fleur-de-lys of the Lady.