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Kislev

Page history last edited by PBworks 17 years, 5 months ago

Kislev


(Much of the text here is derived from the Australian Games Workshop website)

Geography

Kislev lies to the north-east of the Empire, and is the most northerly ‘civilised’ nation. It is bordered by the Empire to the south and west, the Sea of Claws to the west, the Troll Country to the north and the Worlds Edge Mountains to the north-east and east.

 

The northern border of the country is ill-defined, but many draw it at the River Lynsk, which flows westward from the Worlds Edge Mountains to the Sea of Claws, while its border with the Empire has been established at the River Urskoy (named after the god Ursun), a tributary of the Talabec. The north of Kislev is barely distinguishable from the Troll Country and the tundra beyond, more wooded to the east in the foothills of the mountains. Some Kislev tribes travel further north than the Lynsk, into the Troll Country, and eastwards along the High Pass. It is a cold, infertile land, and most of the Kislevites who live here have a nomadic existence, moving constantly from one grazing ground to the next, much like the Marauder tribes of the Shadowlands.

 

Further south, Kislev becomes more hospitable, though still chill for the entire year. More farmsteads can flourish in these lands, though quarried stone is in short supply and so buildings tend to be of uncut rocks or wooden construction, giving them a rustic appearance which people of the Empire would consider backward and uncivilised. This is not so true of the mighty palaces and temples of the cities, with their distinctive gold, onion-shaped domes and towers.

 

There are three such cities in Kislev: Praag, Erengrad and a capital that is also called Kislev. Each city has its own distinct history and personality, and so though they are all peopled by Kislevites, they have a character of their own.

 

Kislev

The capital of the nation and seat of the Tzars and Tzarinas who rule the land, Kislev is the largest and most developed of the three cities. Situated close to the Urskoy, it is virtually on the border with the Empire, and many Imperial customs and aesthetic values have influenced Kislev life, literature and architecture. Founded as the capital by the Khans and Khan-queens of the Gospodar people in Year 1 (IC1524), it has been besieged several times in its history, though has never fallen to an enemy.

 

At the centre of Kislev lies the Bokha Palaces, the hereditary seat of power rebuilt during the reign of Tzar Boris Bokha after the original Palace Gospodarin was all but destroyed during the Great War against Chaos in 778 (IC2302).

 

Erengrad

Originally the Ungol capital, when it was merely a walled town known as Norvard, and later overrun by the Gospodars, Erengrad is Kislev’s main trading city and its largest port. Situated on the coast of the Sea of Claws, vessels from across the Old World, New World and even Norsca come here with goods, slaves, gems and precious metals. Kislev does not have a standing navy as such, but the waters of the Sea of Claws are dangerous, despite the patrols of the Imperial navy, and all merchantmen are armed in some fashion, many to the standards of other nations’ warships, and can be pressed into service by the Tzarina when needed.

 

Praag

Also know as the Cursed City, Praag is the most northerly of Kislev’s largest settlements and has been overrun by the northern tribes several times. During the Great War against Chaos, the walls and buildings themselves became so corrupted with Chaos energy that they sprouted tentacles and eyes. Wailing screams echoed from roof tops and the ground beneath the city shifted and writhed. After their victory at the siege of Kislev, the Kislevites razed Praag to the ground and rebuilt it, though it is still rumoured that a dark taint remains there. The people of Praag are regarded as shifty and nervous by most outsiders, paranoid and potentially in league with the Dark Powers of the North. Praag also acts as a rallying point for the scattered horse tribes in times of war, and has a considerable Ungol population. This has led to Praag attempting to cede from the power of the Tzars on three occasions; twice the city was starved into submission by trade embargoes from the south, and on the third occasion, the city was reclaimed by military force and is now ruled by a Gospodar governor responsible only to the Tzarina herself.

 

Kislev Calendar

Kislev in fact uses three dating systems: the Imperial calendar, the Gospodarin calendar and the Ungol calendar. The Ungol calendar is now only used for the northern tribes, and works on the principle of a four-year cycle called an Urtza, dating from the time that the great Bear God, Ursun, first awoke from hibernation. This date roughly equates to 500 years before Sigmar. Dates are also known to vary from tribe to tribe, so that while one tribe may say that the great chieftain Eskadar fought the battle of Lynsk in 452 (IC 1310 = (1310+500)/4), another might say it is in 453 (IC 1312). For these reasons, it is only of interest to scholars for its eccentricity more than its functional use.

 

More widespread is the use of the Gospodarin calendar, which dates from IC1524, the founding of the city of Kislev. Since the Great War against Chaos, the Imperial calendar has been growing ever more in its usage, and now it is common for dates to be given in both the Gospodarin calendar and the Imperial calendar.

 

Bachendorf Keep

Bachendorf keep 5 1 95

 

Bachendorf Keep was constructed at a major, strategic ford of the River Lynsk during the aftermath of the Great War Against Chaos by warriors from the Empire that decided to remain in Kislev to shore up the land's defenses and make a place for themselves, hence its notably un-Kislevite name. Until a few short years ago, the keep was held by the dukes of the Aran family. The great hero Duke Oswald Aran died childless in IC 2515, preceded in 2511 by his great-nephew and only heir. This death left the keep in the hands of a nobleman appointed by the Tsar.

 

IC 2511 witnessed a fair-sized Chaos Incursion led by the Khornate warlord Octavius Mors Gunderit and his 'advisor' Gaynor Teufel. The main body of the Chaos host attempted to cross the ford at Bachendorf and lay siege to the fortress. Though they suffered heavy losses and some Chaos bands broke past the castle while others attacked other settlements along the Lynsk, its defenders were able to hold out until the fall, when the Black Dragons and other forces arrived to reinforce the fortress. The Chaotic forces repeatedly attempted to storm the battlements by force or trickery, but in the end were repulsed following the death of Lord Gunderit. Bachendorf Keep was a virtual ruin, but it still stood defiant.

 

This siege was a very important formative point in the history of the Black Dragons and the heroes that lead them. Most of the upper leadership of the Dragon Brethren consist of men that fought at Bachendorf, including four out of the six members of the War Council and their "Memory," Albrecht der Rot.

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