![[factions_banner.webp]]
`Nov. 5, 2025` · [[Horseapple]] · #Fragment #Factions #Bannerlord
> [!quote-custom]+ [[3-spcultures-(Bannerlord)]]
> “The tribes that live in the great sea of grass east of the Empire have many names: Nachaghan *(Urkhunait)*, Arkits, Khergits, Karakhergits. Outsiders, however, usually refer to them collectively as the Khuzaits, *(…)* 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. *(…)* 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.” **~ TaleWorlds**
![[khuzait-banner.webp|left|150]]**Who are they, What do they believe, and Why?** The Khuzaits — a confederation of steppe tribes that conquered the client trading city-states of the Calradian Empire in the east — turned into a khanate and are slowly transitioning into an agrarian society with permanent town centers. These steppe peoples have rarely found respite in their unwaveringly non-stationary traditions. Being masters of adaption and boundless subsistence, these peoples are wickedly agile, precise, and hardened. The Khuzait are traditionally, if historically, strangers to comfort and luxury.
> [!tip-custom]- Clans
| **Clan <br>Banner** | [![[urkhunait-banner.webp\|50]]](Urkhunait) | [![[arkit-banner.webp\|50]]](Arkit)<br> | [![[khergit-banner.webp\|50]]](Khergit) | [![[baltait-banner.webp\|50]]](Baltait)<br> | [![[tigrit-banner.webp\|50]]](Tigrit) | [![[harfit-banner.webp\|50]]](Harfit) | [![[koltit-banner.webp\|50]]](Koltit) | [![[oburit-banner.webp\|50]]](Oburit) | [![[yanserit-banner.webp\|50]]](Yanserit) |
| :-----------------: | :-----------------------------------------: | :-------------------------------------: | :-------------------------------------: | :-----------------------------------------: | :-----------------------------------: | :-----------------------------------: | :-----------------------------------: | :-----------------------------------: | :---------------------------------------: |
| **Name** | [[Urkhunait]] | [[Arkit]] | [[Khergit]] | [[Baltait]] | [[Tigrit]] | [[Harfit]] | [[Koltit]] | [[Oburit]] | [[Yanserit]] |
| **Tier** | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| **Leader** | [[Monchug]] | [[Tulag]] | [[Mesui]] | [[Ilatar]] | [[Hurunag]] | [[Akrum]] | [[Kanujan]] | [[Gusukan]] | [[Taslur]] |
| **Wealth** | ![[denar.png\|15]]7000 | ![[denar.png\|15]]3700 | ![[denar.png\|15]]2600 | ![[denar.png\|15]]2800 | ![[denar.png\|15]]2600 | ![[denar.png\|15]]2700 | ![[denar.png\|15]]2300 | ![[denar.png\|15]]700 | ![[denar.png\|15]]1000 |
> [!tip-custom]- Settlements
| **Banner** | **Name** | **Town(s)** | **Castle(s)** | **Villages** |
| :-----------------------------------------: | :--------------: | :---------------: | :---------------------------: | :---------------------------------------------------------------------------: |
| [![[urkhunait-banner.webp\|50]]](Urkhunait) | [[Urkhunait]] | Makeb · Chaikand | Tepes-Castle | Tepes · Shapeshte · Hanekhy · Mazen · Okhutan · Ispantar · Pabastan · Kuruluk |
| [![[arkit-banner.webp\|50]]](Arkit) | [[Arkit]] | Ortongard | Usek-Castle | Usek · Esme · Ransam · Mivanjan · Urunjan |
| [![[khergit-banner.webp\|50]]](Khergit) | [[Khergit]]<br> | Baltakhand | *none* | Fisnar · Ulaan · Asalig |
| [![[baltait-banner.webp\|50]]](Baltait) | [[Baltait]] | *none* | Dinar-Castle · Kaysar-Castle | Dinar · Kaysar · Karahalli · Payam |
| [![[tigrit-banner.webp\|50]]](Tigrit) | [[Tigrit]] | Akkalat | Akiser-Castle | Akiser · Kamshar · Karakalat |
| [![[harfit-banner.webp\|50]]](Harfit) | [[Harfit]]<br> | Odokh | *none* | Karahan · Nutyuk · Danara |
| [![[koltit-banner.webp\|50]]](Koltit) | [[Koltit]] | *none* | Khimli-Castle · Simira-Castle | Khimli · Simira · Omrotok · Simira · Kohi-Ajik |
| [![[oburit-banner.webp\|50]]](Oburit) | [[Oburit]]<br> | *none* | Erzenur-Castle | Erzenur · Gereden |
| [![[yanserit-banner.webp\|50]]](Yanserit) | [[Yanserit]]<br> | *none* | Hakkun-Castle | Hakkun · Kiraz |
And yet, they’ve not given up on passing down their tales and sagas. So while the Khuzait do beam an essentialist perspective, they have also, if given a modicum of patience, can devote themselves utterly to beauty and depth. Particularly in their wool-craft of rugs, and carpets. [^18] The Khuzait Khanate’s banner depicts a sun and moon, important to the peoples of this region, and the colors are picked from the open plains from which they roamed. It’s impactful and aggressive; the banner’s main color being turquoise like the steppe’s sky. [^5]
According to eastern mythos, the Khuzait clans carry the names of the 12 sons of the great She-Wolf, Asena, mother of the Khuzait. [^13] [^8] 100 years ago, the Empire met the great sea of grass known as the Devseg Plateau, also called “Transtanaesia”. [^14] The Devseg offered no arable farmland for the legions to forage, and thus the Calradian Empire proclaimed Calradia fully “conquered”. The Empire fortified it’s most recently conquered fiefs at the very edge of the harsh steppe, confident that the roaming horse tribes lurking on the horizon posed no real threat. Those tribes, commonly referred to collectively as the Khuzaits were the: Urkhunait, Arkit, Khergit, and Karakhergit. However, imperial officials barely bothered learning the names of the clans and people. Except when it was time to turn one chief against another. Offering a bribe and / or removing a rising khan with a little poison. [^4]
“Divide and conquer.” It’s an age old saying of emperors down to their successors. Barbarians are much easier to handle separately, but united… Well, the steppe tribes were well aware of how the Calradian Empire manipulated them, but they were envious of one another. And so an imperial title here, a princess bride there, or a hefty chest of gold could give them an edge in the struggle for internal supremacy. The Khuzait raided, traded, or accepted silver to “escort” merchant caravans across the arid and coppery landscape of the steppe. The tribes left the game of conquest to the settled peoples. For centuries the Khuzait tribes were content to live as nomads, wandering the great grasses of the steppe. However, two generations ago — around 50 years — something happened far away. Maybe a change in the winds perhaps… or some great and terrible conqueror arose far in the east. So the horse tribes were set loose, introducing new tribes westward, seeking fresh pastures in Calradia. [^4] [^11]
Unwilling to be crushed in the middle, the clans nearest the Calradian Empire formed a confederacy, under the legendary figure: Urkhun. Urkhun transformed the tribes from squabbling bands of fierce but undisciplined nomads, into a formidable machine of war. [^16] The Khuzait tribes and vassal tribes thundered into the Devseg Plateau. Urkhun had imposed discipline on the mangy dogged tribes, the khan raised his hand and cities fell. [^2] The endurance and strength the Khuzaits rippled out was unheard of. So much in fact, that even the bitter winters and icy winds scaffolding off of the Sulun Dag mountains, which for so long had kept the town of Baltakhand out of the Empire’s grasp, wasn’t enough to dissuade the great Khuzait hordes of Urkhun, terrors of the world. [^12] The flocks swept into the town and removed its original Khuzait-related Iltanlar inhabitants. [^15] Town after town, the Khuzait grew rich on the caravans traveling from the east, from the lands of the Darshi padishah. And while the tribes traded in their yurts for carpeted palaces, they still did lead raids into the heart of the Empire — their swift horse archers imprinting terror for miles around. [^16]
Urkhun had successfully forced the horse lords to ride to war on his command, instead of when they pleased. He and his tribes caught the Empire in a moment of overconfidence. The Khuzaits' military strength is in their horse archers. It has been purported that Khuzaits are born in the saddle, and while not literally true — *probably* — they certainly live up to it. Their horsemanship is remarkable. But while the driver is opens the door of opportunity, the vehicle is key. While not all Khuzait horses are bred and raised in the Devseg Plateau, as some are bought from nomads coming from Darshia in the east, and later sold to Khuzait aristocracy, [^14] some horses are born in the harsh steppe. These steppe horses are not big, and slower than most other breeds; these animals are more stunted admittedly, and their charges weak, these horses are sturdy. [^9] Khuzait horses have a superb level of endurance and a lightning fast adjustment time! Much like their rider. Providing a maneuverability and adaptability unfound in other horse breeds. These steppe horses also breed in great numbers which lets the Khuzait amass large cavalry and horse archer armies quickly. [^6]
The Khuzait have combined firepower with mobility. Upon their arrival in the Devseg during their invasion, the horde annihilated an entire legion of Imperials stationed in the Transtanaesia, leaving the mercantile city-states unprotected thus the trading cities were forced to submit to Urkhun. At that moment, then and there, Urkhun's confederacy evolved into a khanate!
In consolidation, khan Urkhun, who some would call: “great” and others: “cruel”, decreed 30 years ago, that all the Khuzaits must claim land and settle within the walls of the newly conquered towns. Urkhun also ordered the building of castles. And while this all struck some of the horse lords as anathema to Khuzait life, and a huge departure from their traditions in the open grass, many clans complied. The tribes were now in charge of conscription, nurturing flocks, and administrating taxation. The concerns of abandoning their heritage persisted, but only by a small portion of the collective tribes. The majority of Khuzait, begs and noyans alike, became used to their newfound luxuries which their settlements provided, and began to value them. Valuing them more so even than their ancestral freedoms. Thus, the Khuzait Khanate officially claimed the Devseg Plateau as their territory! Living in towns and castles, wishing only to trade and make war upon other rulers of Calradia. [^12]
Despite the Khuzait’s new lives in the towns and castles, they retained many aspects of their formerly-nomadic lives. This includes their affinity with horses, as Khuzait make heavy use of them. Legend goes, steppe people live and and die on the backs of their steeds, and the Khuzait horse lords are no exception. They are masters of mounted archery, shooting into masses of enemies and then swiftly galloping out of reach. [^3] [^7] But while most tribes bickered over who should claim what settlement, some clans outright refused Urkhun’s call to settle. The Karakhergit, for instance, have kept to the Khuzait’s old ways. Preferring the great grass with its endless wandering over settling down. The Karakhergit abdicated themselves from the pool. [^4]
Now the traditionally nomadic begs and noyans, under the khan’s command, were keeping track of tariffs as well as cropland. What’s more, on occasion, these lords were called to help defend settlements, keeping other nomadic raiders away. The irony was not lost on them. [^14] Other than that, the only other time the horse lords left their keeps, was to take their steeds and herds to the rolling Akkan Hills for its prime grazing ground for the flocks of the Khuzait. [^15] But with the coming of governance and its profitability, so too came its burdens and stress, and the Khuzait’s drive for unity began to evaporate. The original mercantile nature of Transtanaesia had ceased, as all trade halted with the rise of the Khuzait Khanate. [^15]
Later the great Khan Urkhun died, and the Khuzait’s spirit of unity fully went with him. [^11] Most tribes remember him as a hero, though some resent him leading his people astray from their ancient liberties. [^10] To old Urkhun’s defense, under the Khan’s guidance, the Khuzait were said to be invincible in battle. And even when the hordes hit a wall — literally speaking — and the tribe’s ignorance of rams, catapults or even basic ladders made itself apparent, as even the most elementary fortress defied them, Urkhun adapted! The khan paid for and had Khuzait lords apprenticed in siege-craft, albeit with the caveat that if they were found working for other masters, a painful death awaited them with the Khuzait. [^12]
Now, in 1084, Urkhun’s descendants still rule the Khuzait Khanate. Through the eyes of Monchug, the khanate’s current khan, one looks upon the Calradian Empire in its state of disarray and dreams of glory. Despite being cut from much of the same cloth, Monchug wants to surpass his ancestor, and conquer even deeper into Calradia’s settled lands. Monchug is the centralizing ruler of the khanate’s power, [^2] as well as an ascetic, humorless, and cruel khan. Although, to be fair, Monchug is equally demanding of himself as he is with others.
But while the khan does have an unblemished record on the battlefield, the Khuzait tribes are no longer an endlessly roaming and hungry people, desperate for an iron-handed warlord to lead them. Instead, some begin to wonder in their carpeted palaces about the decimation their tribe has faced at the calls to war by the khan, and they feel their sacrifices have not been properly rewarded. And so, as the tribal leaders chafe under Monchug’s rule, chained dogs snapping at their master’s hand. Whispers, carried on winds, tell of another tribe seizing the nine-horsetail banner. This banner symbolizes rulership. And hope arises of a new khan being named, one who is less interested in glory and more in justice. [^10] [^4] [^11] [^16]
**How does their economy and military work?** First, the policies immediately active for this faction are: *Grazing Rights* (Landowners could often assert legal rights to common areas and charge villages money to use them. If ordinary people petitioned a ruler, however, he might give them the right to use all common areas for hunting or grazing as members of the village) and *Sacred Majesty* (The ruler is considered semi-divine and certain rituals are to be performed in his or her presence, increasing his or her air of authority).
See list below counting villages, from the `Cultures > Economy` #fragment
> [!economy]- Khuzait Economy
| ![[production.png\|17]] | ![[sheep.png\|25]] | ![[horses.png\|25]] | ![[cattle.png\|25]] | ![[clay.png\|25]] | ![[grain.png\|25]] | ![[iron.png\|25]] | ![[hardwood.png\|25]] | ![[salt.png\|25]] | ![[silver.png\|25]] | ![[fish.png\|25]] | ![[flax.png\|25]] |
| :---------------------: | :----------------: | :-----------------: | :-----------------: | :---------------: | :----------------: | :---------------: | :-------------------: | :---------------: | :-----------------: | :---------------: | :---------------: |
| (#) | **9** | **7** | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
1. `Khuzait Nomad` / `Khuzait Footman` **“Rabble”** *(light infantry)* Many towns and villages who are not formally part of the Khuzait tribal confederation are required to provide troops for the Khan's armies. Called Rabble by others, these generally poorly armed and trained people can hope to hold their own until the Khanate's elite cavalry comes to their relief. [^1]
2. `Khuzait Spearmen` *(heavy infantry)* The fiercest non-Khuzait tribes who are subject to the Khan are usually hill peoples. Their fierce spear-charges, often presaged by a hail of javelins, can sweep away a foe that has been disrupted by supporting horse archers. [^1]
3. `Khuzait Hunter` *(light ranged)* Some Khuzait tribesmen are too poor to afford a horse and fight from foot with bows. Normally they rely on fleetness of foot to keep them out of melee, but still keep an axe or sabre to fight back if cornered. [^1]
4. `Khuzait Kheshig` *(heavy ranged)* A few of the strongest and most loyal youth in each tribe are recruited to join the Kheshig, the private guard forces of the khan and his noyans. These fearless fighters are trained extensively to become deadly in both archery and melee. [^1]
5. `Khuzait Tribal Warrior` *(light cavalry)* Though most of the Khuzaits have settled in towns and villages since the conquest, a few still live out on the steppe, subject to no authority. They will still fight for the khan, for pay, and are among the confederacy's hardiest riders, though their equipment tends to be cheaper and their armor lighter than the main tribal force. [^1]
6. `Khuzait Heavy Lancer` *(heavy cavalry)* Not all Khuzait employ evasive hit and run tactics. Some of the best riders, heavily armored and equipped with lance and mace, specialize in dealing the killing blow to an enemy force after supporting horse archers have worn it down. [^1]
7. `Khuzait Horse Archer` *(horse archer)* The mounted archers are the main striking force of the Khuzait horde. Every tribe in the confederacy is expected to muster its best men when the khan marches to war. They fight with speed, patience and cunning, stinging the enemy force with their arrows until it is sufficiently softened up to move in for the kill. [^1]
When it comes to the faction’s suspected army size, the Khuzait Khanate could roughly raise 1,693 soldiers in 1 month.
> [!tip-custom]- Army Size Estimate Breakdown
> - Every clan income put together would be ![[denar.png|15]]25,400 total daily income.
> - While a well-rounded army has all 4 types of troops (ie. infantry, archers, horsearchers, and cavalry) each one, noble-born or commoner, actually costs the same at tier 3.
> - Also, despite there being 5 - *sometimes 6* - tiers in a troop tree, let’s choose tier 3 as it’s closest to the middle.
> - Each tier 3 troop costs ![[denar.png|15]]100 denarii to recruit, and ![[denar.png|15]]5 more in daily wages. That’s ![[denar.png|15]]105.
> - ![[denar.png|15]]25,400 / ![[denar.png|15]]105 = 241 total army size
> - Thus, the they could amass: 241 tier 3 troops each day.
> - In Bannerlord, 7 in-game days = 1 month.
> - The Khuzait Khanate could roughly raise 1,687 soldiers in 1 month.
**When did this faction begin?** The Khuzait Khanate was founded in 920 when steppe horsemen, led by the legendary Khan Urkhun, overran an earlier imperial client kingdom — itself being made up of civilized former raiders, that had guarded the caravan routes leading to the lands of the Padishah (ie. Darshi). Now the Khuzait live within the wealthy trading cities, becoming settled former-nomads. Urkhun, and his flocks, were recognized by the Calradian Empire as overlords of the eastern frontier, formerly called “Transtanaesia” but now the Devseg Plateau. [^2]
**Where are they located?** The Khuzait Khanate stretches from the Khergit Steppe in the north, to the Kohi Rohini mountains in the south, which some call the Mountains of the Dawn.
Map from `Geography > Maps > Toponyms`
![[khuzait_region.webp|center|300]]
>   <br> [![[Encyclopedia_Calradica_Logo_2.png|center|400]]](Calradica.md)<br>
>“A massive **Mount & Blade** wikipedia!” <br> [— About Calradica](Calradica.md) <br>[— About Project](Project.md) <br>[— About Author](Horseapple.md) <br>  
[^1]: [[3-multiplayer_strings-(Bannerlord)]]
[^2]: [[3-world_lore_strings-(Bannerlord)]]
[^3]: [[Blog_7_Imperial_Declines]]
[^4]: [[Blog_31_Khuzait]]
[^5]: [[Blog_54_Faction_Banners]]
[^6]: [[Blog_100_Horse_Breeds]]
[^7]: [[3-module-strings-(Bannerlord)]]
[^8]: [[3-comments-(Bannerlord)]]
[^9]: [[3-companion_strings-(Bannerlord)]]
[^10]: [[3-heroes-(Bannerlord)]]
[^11]: [[3-spkingdoms-(Bannerlord)]]
[^12]: [[3-std-wanderer-strings-xml-(Bannerlord)]]
[^13]: [[3-std_taleworlds_campaignsystem-(Bannerlord)]]
[^14]: [[3-settlements-(Bannerlord)]]
[^15]: [[3-settlements-(Bannerlord)]]
[^16]: [[3-spclans-(Bannerlord)]]
[^18]: [[3-Digital-Companion-Faction-Descriptions-(DLC)]]