Kurgan

"You may call us heathens, savages or even brutes, but we are closest to the gods. We see their work in all things. And we do not create new, seemly gods to conform with our hopes for the world."

- Alakreiz, Kurgan Marauder

Kurgan is a term used to describe a race of brutal Chaos-worshiping men who dwell in the fell North, in the vast Eastern Steppes that border the Chaos Wastes. The very term is derived from the burial mounds raised by the the Scythian horse-warriors of old, and the Kurgan have thus come to be known by the name by, it is said, their desire to bury the peoples of the south under similar hills. A hardy race of warriors and herdsmen, the Kurgan populate their vast empty quarters, bereft of all marks of civilization, leading a grim nomadic existence punctuated by inter-tribal warfare. The Kurgan are renowned throughout the world as some of the greatest and most proficient horsemen ever to ride, favouring short, squat ponies adapted for survival among the cold steppes where the larger warhorses of the south would be hard pressed to survive. Though their domains lie far from the borders of the Empire, such is the fleetness of their steeds and their skill as riders that none can be sure where next their savage assault will fall. The horsemen of the Chaos Wastes know neither fear nor mercy, and slaughter all whom they find with unremitting brutality, piling high towers of skulls in the manner of the Norscans to stand as testament to their victory. Yet the Kurgan are also a deeply spiritual people, who worship countless spirits and daemonic gods, each of whom are but an aspect of the Dark Gods, whom the Kurgan perceive as forces of the natural world, who keep the world in a constant state of growth and becoming.

The Kurgan are divided into countless clans and tribes, the most northerly of which who are the fiercest and most barbaric of all. Indeed, the Kurgan are by the far the most numerous of all the accursed peoples of Chaos, with numbers far outstripping those of even the bloodthirsty Norscans, the Dorstan, or the Hung. Raised in unforgiving climes, the horsemen are immersed into violence from an early age, the Kurgans recognize no concepts of nationality, borders or allegiance. Indeed, such things are alien to them. To them, the only law is that of might and power, the will to take and hold. Thus, they are a race of skilled warriors, who rule their bleak dominion with the axe and bow.

When the shadow of Chaos expands over the world and the races of Northmen hear the clarion of battle, it is at such times that the Kurgan are most benefited by their rootless existence, for as a nomadic people, they are, alone amongst the men of the north, are able to bring each and every last member of their race to bear in these dark crusades. Such is not motivated only by their sense of devotion to the Dark Gods they worship, but also because to attach themselves to a great horde imparts numerous advantages, for they are able to ride ahead of their Norse and Hung brethren as scouts and thus take for themselves the easiest of the plunder. No true loyalty do the Kurgan harbour, for when the horde is inevitably reversed or gainstayed, it is observed that the horsemen are just as quick to break off from the army and settle the lands they have conquered, glutting themselves fat on stolen plenty before riding back to the steppes, thus escaping the forces of retribution that march against them. Never will the horsemen, for all their great personal strength and martial might, engage their enemies on equal terms, but will rather turn tail when met by men of mettle, only to lead them into a trap and cut them down with abandon before turning their bows and blades upon the cowering innocents those fallen warriors strove to protect.

The Barbarians of the East
"It is better to take your own life than to fall into the hands of the Kurgan."

- Karl Althaus, Imperial Pikeman

With swarthy complexions and dark, tanned skin almost brown and black eyes ever-so-slightly slanted, the Kurgan truly appear a race apart from other Old Worlders, though they do resemble to a certain extent, the Gospodar and Ungol tribes of Kislev, who descend from them. They are massive men, though not quite as tall as strong as the Norscans to their West, the Kurgan nonetheless tower over all other races, standing a full head over any man of the Empire. Naturally muscular and powerfully built, they move with an easy grace. Even their women are strongly built, with the same severe miens as the men. Kurgan males tend to keep their black beards and hair long, further emphasizing their savage appearance, and dress in armour of animal hide and bone. Metal is a rare commodity amongst them, and so only the finest and most distinguished warriors and considered worthy enough to don metal armour, though this predicament varies amongst the tribes. Certain clns of Dolgans, for instance, are noted for their suits of bronze armour. They are noted for equal familiarity in the saddle as well as on foot, though Kurgan marauders will almost invariably go into battle on horseback, if they can help it.

The Kurgan are some of the most skillful archers to walk the world, their composite bows letting heavy arrows fly with such force that no bascinet, cuirass or mail can protect against. The Northmen let fly their arrows with such rapidity as to evoke some mechanical marvel of the College of Engineers, their skill at ranged combat marking them as unique from the other races of the North, such as the Norse, who see the bow as the ultimate emblem of cowardice. Their ponies, smart and hard-trained, do not need rein control, which further affords the Kurgan warriors great independence, as it allows them to fire even while turning in the saddle. This combination of mobility and great offensive power causes the Kurgans to be masters of the battlefield, easily a match for the heavy, ponderous knights of the southlands. The preferred melee weapon of the Kurgan hordes is the Pallasz: A double-edged broadsword six feet in length, often drawn for combat on foot, as the Kurgan have no need for melee weapons while on the saddle. Other weapons more iconic of the Chaos Hordes, such as brutal axes and maces so favoured by the Norscans, are too utilized by the Kurgans, as the two peoples have had their contacts over the millennia. Indeed, the two have much in common, and it is not uncommon to see Kurgan fighting alongside Norscans when the Shadow of the North waxes, and most instances where Kurgan have raided the Empire have been while they were allies to a larger Norsemen warband.