"You all know I bore no heirs. But I have all my sons and daughters here with me today. On this rain-soaked hill, we are all one people, one land. Today we fight for Kislev! Today we fight for her lost sons and daughters, for her proud mothers and fathers! Kislev is people, and people are Kislev!"
Katarin Bokha, also known as Katarin the Great, Katarina, and Jekaterina in Kislevarin, and named the "Ice Queen" among the nomad tribes of the Eastern Steppes,[5a] is the current Tzarina of Kislev and one of the most powerful Ice Witches to have ever lived.[1a]
From the icy fastness of her capital city of Kislev, the tzarina rules her frigid land with an aloof majesty. The daughter of the fiery and charismatic Tzar Boris Bokha, she ascended the throne of Kislev in 2517 IC. She is the latest in a long line of tzarinas descended from the ancient khan-queens of the Gospodars, the powerful tribal group of the Eastern Steppes that migrated west centuries ago and became the dominant people of what was to grow into the great nation of Kislev.[1a]
Tzarina Katarin Bokha of Kislev is also a powerful Ice Witch, as depicted here in Total War: Warhammer III.
A great wizard in her own right, Katarin's power is said to come from the land of Kislev itself, its icy soul and bleak tundra giving her command of the elements and mastery of that form of wizardry known as Ice Magic. Indeed, some whisper that she is in fact the living reincarnation of the very first khan-queen, Miska, so complete is her grasp of this dangerous branch of magic.[1a]
Upon her ascension to the throne of Kislev, it is said that the Bokha Palace has grown a new wing, half a mile long, made entirely from glittering ice. This wondrous creation would be beyond all but the most powerful Ice Witches, and it is here that Katarin remains for most of the time, granting audiences in an immense chamber of magically woven hoarfrost. Some believe that she simply prefers the chill of these frozen corridors, while others say that it is a display of her magical power to overawe would-be enemies and foreign ambassadors.[1a]
Her strong will and determination to make Kislev more powerful are well-known, although her ambitions have so far been limited to the eastern lands. She sends forces to support the Emperor of Man's campaigns, and has occasionally led armies herself, marching the wild horsemen of Kislev through Imperial territory, often causing concern among the local populace. While infantry do not usually accompany these armies, the tzarina does utilise available foot troops when fighting in the east.[5a]
History[]
"The strength of Kislev lies in you all. The land has called you all here, and it is here that you will put that strength to the test defying Chaos. There is power in this land, and tomorrow it will run in all your veins. Use it well."
The Ice Queen Katarin Bokha in battle.
Katarin Bokha was born as the only child of Boris Bokha, the Tzar of Kislev during the turmoil after the Great War Against Chaos. When Tzar Boris undertook the initiation rights to become a High Priest of the Cult of Ursun, he disappeared into the wilderness for e eighteen days. When Tzar Boris had been gone long enough to be presumed dead, the nobility of Kislev were moved to crown the still infant Katarin as the new Tzarina of Kislev until Boris was later found unconscious yet alive alongside a mighty bear.[2b]
Heraldry of the Ice Court army of Kislev commanded by Tzarina Katarin Bokha as depicted in Total War: Warhammer III.[1]
With the weight of rulership no longer borne upon her infant shoulders, the future tzarina grew to become a powerful Ice Witch, some saying she is the reincarnation of Khan-Queen Miska herself, the first ruler of the Gospodar and the greatest of the Ice Witches. Tzarina Katarin was finally crowned in the year 2517 IC, when Tzar Boris met his end in battle whilst leading a pulk (army) north of the River Lynsk into Troll Country.[2b][2c]
Tzarina Katarin is known as the "Ice Queen" because of both her mastery of Ice Magic and her cold and aloof nature.
At an unnamed river crossing, the tzar charged deep into the Kurgan army of Hetzar Feydaj but was soon surrounded and cut off from the rest of his army. He and his war bear mount Urskin fought with all the might and fury of the Bear God Ursun, but even Red Boris could not triumph against such odds. Urskin was able to fight his way clear of the Kurgans and carry the tzar back to the rest of the Kislevite army, but it was already too late; the tzar had taken a score of wounds, each enough in itself to prove mortal.[2b][2c]
Tzarina Katarin Bokha of Kislev wielding the mahical ice sword Fearfrost as depicted in Total War: Warhammer III.
Only when the battle was won did the tzar slide from the back of Urskin and die. His faithful mount roared in mourning for a full night before vanishing into the bleak northlands, and legend has it that to this day that the Great Bear Urskin continues to hunt down the creatures of Chaos that slew his master. With the death of Tzar Boris, the now adult Katarin became the new Tzarina of Kislev, the latest in a long line of rulers descended from the ancient khan-queens of the Gospodars. She rules with a cold majesty, beloved by her subjects and feared by her enemies.[2c]
Tzarina Katarin, a powerful Ice Witch, unleashes the Lore of Ice against a Bloodthirster of Khorne as depicted in Total War: Warhammer III.
Where Tzar Bokha was a man who preferred to lead from the front and was renowned for his courage and leadership, the tzarina, in keeping with her icy powers, is aloof and remote, preferring to work indirectly through her agents and generals. Only under the direst circumstances does the tzarina join her armies (known in Kislevarin as pulks), but when she does it is often upon a mighty steed whose flanks shimmer with glittering ice crystals and whose breath is the winter wind, or riding an armoured sled, drawn by a team of identical beasts.[1a][1b]
Some consider Tzarina Katarin, depicted here in Total War: Warhammer III, to be the most powerful Ice Witch and wielder of Ice Magic since Khan-Queen Miska herself.
On those rare occasions when she leads her army in battle, the devotion lavished upon her is beyond that which might be expected of such a remote and cool ruler. Her power over the elements is clear proof that the blood of the ancient Gospodarin khan-queens flows in her veins. The Ungols of the north fear and respect her as one of the ancient warrior witches from their oldest myths.[1a][1b]
Whatever horrors may come from the Chaos Wastes, Tzarina Katarin will lead the armies of Kislev to war, as depicted here in Total War: Warhammer III.
A time is coming that will see the tzarina on many a battlefield before the year is out. Marauding tribes of Kurgans and Kyazak push south in ever-increasing numbers, united behind the banners of their zars and hetzars. The sheer scale and ferocity of these Northmen raids has prompted the despatch of a number of contingents from the Empire to aid the defence of Kislev -- artillery from Nuln, mercenary companies from Tilea, Wissenland pikemen, arquebusiers from Averland, Nordland halberdiers, various detachments of the Imperial knightly orders and all manner of other troops from across the lands of Sigmar's realm.[1b]
The writings of Anspracht of Nuln name this time as the "Spring Driving," an innocuous term that encompasses a time of unremitting horror and bloodshed. Masses of northern Chaos Marauders are sweeping down into Kislev, butchering everything in their path. Many battles have already been fought and the Kurgans have razed several towns and stanitsas: Choika, Zhedevka and others that appear on no maps. The pulks have scattered into the oblast, though many boyars are rallying their forces to fight once more, but as more and more marauders drive south, it is certain that the days of blood are not yet over.[1b]
Wargear[]
- Fearfrost - Forged by the ancient Khan-Queen Miska of the Gospodars after she was contacted by the Ancient Widow, the nature spirit of the land of Kislev, this magical sword has passed from Kislevite tzarina to tzarina through the ages. Only a tzarina can wield the blade, and were a man to lift Fearfrost he would find himself frozen to death within a heartbeat. The blade is infused with Ice Magic and the intense cold can kill with a single scratch.[1b]
- Crystal Cloak - A swirling mist of dancing ice crystals surrounds Katarin, warding off the most serious of injuries and confounding her foes' attempts to strike her.[1b]
Miniatures[]
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Videos[]
Trivia[]
Katarin Bokha the Ice Queen is likely based on the Snow Queen from the Danish fairytale of the same name by author Hans Christian Andersen. The Snow Queen has long been a common fantasy archetype, inspiring characters such as the White Witch from the Narnia novels by C.S. Lewis, and Elsa from the Walt Disney Company's Frozen series of animated films.
Katarin's name is based on Russian Empress Yekaterina Velikaya (Екатерина Великая), known in the West as Catherine the Great.
Her name does not conform to traditional real world Slavic-naming conventions, where female names typically ends in the suffix "-a". This was true to the point that many translations of the game into Russian "corrected" her name to "Katarina."
Sources[]
- 1: Warhammer Armies: Kislev (6th Edition)
- 2: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Realm of the Ice Queen (RPG)
- 3: With Ice and Sword (Novel) by Graham McNeil
- 3a: Ch. 1
- 4: Citadel Journal 14 , "Kislev: The Claws of the Great Bear"
- 4c: pg. 12
- 5: White Dwarf 146
- 5a: pg. 45
Gallery[]
