Urkhun -

![[characters_banner_2.webp]] `Apr. 24, 2025` · [[Horseapple]] · #Fragment #Characters #Bannerlord > [!custom-callout]- All mentions > *Pulled from* [[3-heroes-(Bannerlord)]] — “The great Khan Urkhun conquered the eastern frontiers of the Empire and established the Khuzait khanate. Most remember him as a hero, though some resent how he curtailed the ancient liberties of his people to transform them from nomads into lords of a kingdom.” — “Monchug, the current khan of the Khuzaits, looks upon the Empire in its state of disarray and dreams of glory, of surpassing his ancestor Urkhun and conquering even deeper into the settled lands. Some of the clans have been decimated by the Urkhunids' wars, however, and feel their sacrifices have not been properly rewarded. They yearn for a khan who is less interested in glory, and more interested in justice.” — “Mesui is leader of the Khergit. Once one of the largest clans in the Khuzait confederacy, they suffered many losses during Urkhun Khan's conquests and their lands were subsequently targeted by other tribes. Mesui has ruthlessly defended her clan's rights, and frequently complained about the injustices suffered by smaller clans that she says have shed blood for the khanate without reaping any rewards.” > > *Pulled from* [[3-settlements-(Bannerlord)]] — “Syronea sits on the eastern shores of Lake Tanaesis. This city, once peaceful and rich, was once a byword for luxury and decadence. This was the center of the Empire's silk industry and an entrepot for the goods flowing in from what was known as Transtanaesia, the imperial possessions and protectorates beyond the great lake. But the coming of the Khuzaits ripped the Transtanaesia from the Empire's grasp and the Senatorial families of Syronea were forced to relearn the arts of war, dusting off old gilded armors and sharpening bejewelled swords to lead their followers against Urkhun's warriors.” — “Baltakhand, the Fortress of the Axe, was settled by the Iltanlar, mountain-dwelling cousins of the Khuzaits. Centuries ago their beys descended into the plains and created the fortress here that guards the portages of Iltan, the network of lakes and rivers that divides the Sturgian lands from the Khuzaits' realm. Bitter winters protected them from the reach of the Empire, but no blast of wind was cutting enough to stop the horsemen of Khan Urkhun, who 40 years ago forced this town to submit to the khanate.” — “Makeb sits on the northern tip of Lake Tanaesis, Tanaz in the steppe tongue. Here, it guards the cataract over which the Karakaz river empties into the lake. This city has long been ruled by petty khans and shahs, who collect tolls from traders forced to haul their boats around the rapids. The last of those rulers was beheaded by Urkhun himself after he refused a demand of tribute, after which the ruling family of the Khuzaits seized this town for themselves.” — “Ortongard sits in the dry center of the Devseg plateau, which is dry for most of the year but offers rich grazing in the spring. Founded by Darshi-speaking merchants, it made its wealth buying horses, sheep and cattle from the surrounding herding villages and sending them west to the markets of the empire in huge drives, accompanied by guards to ward off raiders from the steppes. Neither its walls nor its mercenary armies could withstand the coming of Khan Urkhun, however, who it granted to the Khergit clan in recognition of their valor.” — “Chaikand sits by the reed-marshes on the edge of Lake Tanaesis. In the years when the east was an imperial protectorate, boats laden with hides, wool and salt shuttled across the lake's placid waters, returning with imperial silks and silver. With the coming of the Khuzaits and the subsequent wars the water-trade stopped, but Chaikand remains a major trade entrepot and military base, the fief of the ruling Urkhunait clan. From the pavilions of his palace, the khan can look out across the lake and see the hazy outline of hills that he may one day graze his horses upon.” > > *Pulled from* [[3-spclans-(Bannerlord)]] — <-- The Urkhunait are ruling clan of the Khuzaits, named after the Khagan Urkhun who transformed them from squabbling bands of fierce but undisciplined nomads into a formidable machine of war. The current Khan, Tulag, is cut from this cloth. Grim, humorless, as demanding of his followers as he is of himself, he has an unblemished record on the battlefield. But the Khuzaits are no longer a hungry people, desperate for a iron-handed warlord to lead them to richer pastures, and from the comfort of their palaces many clan leaders are beginning to wonder if they too could serve as Khagan. Patriarch: Tulag. Aescetic. Valorous, Honorable, Cruel, Ungenerous. Heir: overawed. Heiress is warrior. --> <-- The Khergit, or Roan Horses, were one of the first peoples to be subjugated by Urkhun. Although assimilated into his confederacy by force, they proved themselves some of his most valuable warriors, and were rewarded with extensive lands in his new conquests. War however took a heavy toll of the clan's males, and ten years ago the Arkit made a bid for their territories. Mesui, sister of a slain noyan and part of a long tradition of steppe warrior-women, led the Khergit's counter-attack. She continues to rule a clan nervous about its brush with extinction, and resentful of the Urkhunait for doing little to help them. Matriarch - female, widow, very conscious of her clan's brush with extinction. Heir: Baybuz Energetic but sometimes weak-willed confessional. Valorous, deceitful, generous. --> <-- The Arkit, the Children of the Sky, were formerly the richest and most prestigious of the tribes in the Khuzait homelands, of which Urkhun and his followers were at first merely a humble offshoot. They followed the Khuzait hordes to the west but are not happy about living in the shadow of a less ancient lineage. Their patriarch, the noyan Monchug, models himself on Tulag but is somewhat less competent. Embittered elder tribe. Patriarch: Honest, ungenerous, cruel like ascetic. Heir: gallant. --> > > *Pulled from* [[3-spcultures-(Bannerlord)]] — “The tribes that live in the great sea of grass east of the Empire have many names: Nachaghan, Arkits, Khergits, Karakhergits. Outsiders, however, usually refer to them collectively as the Khuzaits, after the clan that in the last two generations forged them into a conquering army. When Urkhun the Great accepted the surrender of the trading cities on the edge of the steppe, he ordered his noyans to give up their wandering lifestyle. They were given fiefs and money to build fortresses, and encouraged to turn local farmers into their tenants. Yet the tribes of the Khuzait confederacy still retain many of their nomadic traditions, and felt yurt tents stand next to mud-brick towers in settlements that are half-village, half-encampment.” > > *Pulled from* [[3-spkingdoms-(Bannerlord)]] — “For centuries, the tribes in the vast steppe east of the Empire were content to live as nomads, venturing into the imperial lands to raid and trade, and then returning to their ancestral freedom. Two generations ago, however, something happened far away to the east - a change in the winds, perhaps, or some terrible but distant conqueror - and the horse clans were set in motion. Urkhun the Khuzait led the nomads nearest the Empire into its far eastern provinces, conquering the towns and forming a khanate. He imposed discipline on the unruly clans, forcing them to ride to war on his command instead of simply when they wished. But after his death, the spirit of unity that he inspired was lost. His descendants still rule the khanate. But some of the other Khuzait leaders chafe under the authority of the current khan, Monchug, and others dream of becoming khan themselves.” > > *Pulled from* [[3-std-wanderer-strings-xml-(Bannerlord)]] — “I've fought for Ulus Khan, and for Monchug Khan, and even for the old Urkhun. But I fight on foot - my family's from the town, not the steppe. Life's a little different for us.” — “My father was one of the men that Urkhun Khan had trained by captured imperial engineers. Our people knew little of siegecraft in those days. Well, he was not allowed to work for anyone but the Khan, or he would be killed in a very unpleasant way. But he taught me, his son, what he knew, and in this generation things are a little more lenient. So I can work for whom I please.” — “My father learned his trade in the time of the old Urkhun Khan. Back then, the Khuzaits were invincible in battle, but had little knowledge of rams, catapults or even ladders, and even the most humble fortress defied them.” — “Urkhun Khan decreed a generation ago that all the Khuzaits must settle, to be conscripted and taxed. We refused. His men took our flocks, and we have since lived like beggars on the edge of the towns. I have resolved to go out and earn the money we need to buy new flocks, and then we shall go again into the great grass, beyond the reach of any tyrant or khan.” — “So Urkhun, a man of vision, offered to pay the weight in silver of any imperial engineer captured alive. These captives were forced to teach men like my father the art of siegecraft. My father, in turn, taught me.” — “ou probably know that the Khuzaits once lived out on the open grass. But our khans became used to luxuries. They lived in cities, and wished to trade with and make war upon other kings. Khan Urkhun, whom some call the Great and others call the Cruel, decided the clans must live in fixed places, so he could count their warriors and levy them, and count their flocks and tax them. Thirty years ago Khan Urkhun ordered all the clans of the Khuzaits to claim land and live upon it, and the noyans to build castles. Most complied, for they had come to value their comforts more than their freedom.” — “I am one of those whose clan was hunted down a generation ago when they refused the decree of Urkhun Khan, that they must settle and be taxed. They took our flocks, and we have since lived like beggars on the edge of the towns. The far grass teases us with its beauty, but if we went there with no sheep, we would soon starve.” — “Now, in Urkhun's day, if a Khuzait apprenticed in siegecraft went to work for another master, it meant a very painful death if he was recaptured. But times have changed. The richest plums of the empire's cities have fallen, and they build their walls higher than they once did. The Khuzait lords pay less for a siegemaster, and that pay is often late. So I am up to taking other employment, if it is offered.” — “Sensible man, that Urkhun. Nomads are the enemy of order.” > > *Pulled from* [[3-Travels-in-Calradia-(DLC)]] — “They say that when Urkhun's hordes first swept in from the east they slaughtered the inhabitants of any city that did not surrender and erected pyramids of skulls. Well, two generations have passed, and the Khuzait-Khanate have learned that skulls do not pay taxes. They spent a day and a night looting but it didn't seem like they had killed too many people, and after that they wanted to get Vostrum back on its feet again.” > > *Pulled from* [[3-world_lore_strings-(Bannerlord)]] — “Founded in 920 when steppe horsemen led by the Khan Urkhun overran an earlier imperial client kingdom, itself made up of civilized former raiders, that had guarded. the caravan routes leading to the lands of the Padishah. Consists of wealthy trading cities and settled former nomads, recognized by the Empire as overlords of its eastern frontier.” — “Urkhun, my forefather, gave the Khuzaits everything they had. They were as mangy steppe dogs, eating from the scrapheap outside the walls of the cities. He turned them into a pack of wolves. He raised his hand, and cities fell, and he gave the clans land to call their own.” — “The Arkit are the eldest sons of the great she-wolf who gave birth to the Khuzaits. Properly speaking, Urkhun should have allowed us to lead the great war of conquest. But no matter, that time has passed. We respect the khanate and we respect the banner of the khan. We swore our oaths to Urkhun and we shall keep faith with our oaths, so long as his heirs keep faith as well.” > > *Pulled from* [[Blog_31_Khuzait]] — “Two generations ago, however, something happened far away to the east - a change in the winds, perhaps, or some terrible but distant conqueror - and the horse clans were set in motion. New tribes pushed westward, seeking fresh pastures. Unwilling to be crushed in the middle, the clans nearest the empire formed a confederacy under Urkhun the Khuzait. They caught the Empire in a moment of overconfidence. A force of legions was annihilated, the trading cities capitulated, and Urkhun's confederacy was now a khanate.” — “The horse lords now ruled over towns and farmers and counted tariffs and cropland. Urkhun imposed discipline on the unruly clans, forcing them to ride to war on his command instead of simply when they wished. But with the coming of statehood and its burdens, the spirit of unity was lost. Urkhun died, and though his descendants still rule the Khuzait Khanate, the other clans feel that they should be the ones to raise the nine-horsetail banner that symbolizes the supreme authority.” > [!location]- Info from: > [[3-lords-(Bannerlord)]] ``` <NPCCharacter id="dead_lord_6_1" name="{=vl2tgsKa}Urkhun" age="71" voice="curt" default_group="Infantry" is_hero="true" culture="Culture.khuzait" occupation="Lord" face_mesh_cache="true"> <face>  <BodyProperties version="4" weight="0.7" build="0.6" key="0011880FD13C100D375A76A3977895388783B3188494663232AB272797D235A700068AE6067576B50000037F0000000F00000037049140010000000000781141" /> </face> <skills></skills> <Traits> <Trait id="BalancedFightingSkills" value="7" /> <Trait id="Commander" value="9" /> </Traits> <Equipments> <EquipmentRoster /> <EquipmentSet id="khu_bat_template_medium" /> <EquipmentSet id="khu_civ_template_default" civilian="true" /> </Equipments> ``` > &emsp;&emsp; ![[encyclopedia_calradica.gif|center|300]] >*“A massive `Mount & Blade` wikipedia.”* About [Encyclopædia Calradica](About-the-Encyclopædia.md) About the [Project](Project-(Pillar).md) About the [Author](Horseapple.md) &emsp;&emsp;