"I don't want to hold the throne; I want to destroy it! Kislev will be saved, not by birth right but with faith!"
- —Kostaltyn, High Priest of the Great Orthodoxy[4]
Kostaltyn, Supreme Patriarch of the Cult of Ursun and High Priest of the Great Orthodoxy of Kislev as depicted in Total War: Warhammer III, wielding the Brazier Mace of Ursun.
Kostaltyn, supreme patriarch of the Cult of Ursun, is the unofficial high priest of the Great Orthodoxy, the name given to the unified cult that seeks to centralise the worship of all the gods of Kislev under a single religious hierarchy. Though there is considerable resistance to this change among many Kislevites of a more traditional bent, those who ignore the Orthodoxy's edicts risk being accused of heresy. To disobey the supreme patriarch of Ursun is to disobey Ursun himself, and all deemed guilty of such heresy will pay an agonising price.[3]
Quick Answers
What is Kostaltyn's role in the Cult of Ursun?
Why does Kostaltyn want to destroy the throne?
What is the Great Orthodoxy that Kostaltyn is the high priest of?
What is the resistance Kostaltyn faces in his quest to unify the worship of all gods of Kislev?
How does Kostaltyn plan to save Kislev?
History[]
Origins[]
Supreme Patriarch Kostaltyn of the Great Orthodoxy of Kislev as depicted in Total War: Warhammer III.
The Great Orthodoxy is the cult created by Tzar Boris Bokha to centralise all the cults of the Kislevite gods under a single religious organisation, for valid fear that the widely divergent and unsupervised rituals of Kislev's cults could be subsumed by the Chaos Gods. It is still only a generation old, but is growing stronger and more powerful; many still cling to the old ways and utterly reject this centralisation of the four great cults of traditional Kislevite religion, while others have learned to work within the strictures and are able to wield the Great Orthodoxy's might to their own end, and Kostaltyn is certainly of the latter.[2][3]
Kostaltyn is the supreme patriarch of the Cult of Ursun and, by dint of being the highest-ranking priest in the realm and most senior clergyman in the nation, is also the de facto high priest of the entire faith of the Great Orthodoxy. Such a prestigious position grants Kostatlyn the power to use the Great Orthodoxy's considerable resources as one of the richest organizations in the Old World. Although he makes a great show of his humble attire, the supreme patriarch is cunning enough to use the Great Orthodoxy's great wealth when required. Yet Kostaltyn has made many sermons railing against the very organisation he reigns over. Such is the enigma of Kostaltyn.[2][3]
Dealings with the Ice Court[]
Kostaltyn despises the machinations of Tzarina Katarin Bokha and her Ice Court and considers them usurpers and magic-wielding heretics. As leader of the "heathen" Ice Witches, she is seen by many as a being of "older" times, in the mold of the ancient Gospodar khan-queens and so pin their support to her banner, further fanning Kostaltyn's hatred. Yet, he begrudgingly stands with, if still politically opposed, to the tzarina against the coming tide of Chaos from the north.[2][3]
Despite his rhetoric, Kostaltyn can still see the value of magic. He naturally does not like its use, yet if he is to bring the Winds of Magic to bear for his own ends, his cult's revenues must be used to pay for the training of those he despises. Yet the uneasy peace between the Ice Court and the Great Orthodoxy gives him the same access to the Ice Witches as any of Kislev's other nobles.[4][6] What's more, the Great Orthodoxy's touch is felt and its agenda considered even within the Ice Court, and so the witches are pressured to specially appease the patriarchs from time to time.[3]
Total War: Warhammer III[]
"No...Noo! Nooo! I am no puppet! I am no tool of the Dark Gods! There may be some truth in what you say. As I never lie, I cannot deny your foul magicks may have aided us to vanquish these abominations. I must ruminate on these events. I take my penance away from this palace of iniquity. This city of heathens... Fine, witch! I'll take my leave, but salt the soil of this garden, it is desecrated. I will go to the true shrine of Ursun, on the coast."
- —Kostaltyn grappling with his beliefs concerning the dangers of magic after Tzarina Katarin Bokha used her Ice Magic to defeat the forces of Chaos alongside him. He left Kislev City to reestablish a base in Erengrad immediately after.[4]
Kostaltyn as depicted in Total War: Warhammer III.
In the alternate timeline of Total War: Warhammer III, during the early 26th century IC, Ursun, the patron bear god of Kislev, had not roared to dispel the winter as occurred every year. This resulted in Kislev suffering from one of the worst winters in its history and the nation was riddled by corruption and violence as its people sought to survive the unexpectedly long and cold season. In a stanitsa near the capital city of Kislev, several Daemonettes disguised as Elves conducted a Slaaneshi ritual in a cellar underneath a tavern.[4]
Supreme Patriarch Kostaltyn of the Great Orthodoxy of Kislev as depicted in Total War: Warhammer III.
Kostaltyn appeared in the doorway, proclaiming that those involved in the ritual were engaged in heresy against the Great Orthodoxy. A Daemonette revealed itself and attacked with its crab-like claw, but was swatted away by his mace. The supreme patriarch then slammed the door shut and ordered the building burnt to the ground.[4]
Brother Uzkef, a prominent member of the cult of the Great Orthodoxy, warned the patriarch about the possible political backlash of purging corruption so close to the capital, but Kostaltyn firmly rejected any change of course. He believed Ursun had been silent for six years due to the tzarina, Katarin Bokha, being an Ice Witch, who he suspected was a servant of the Ruinous Powers, as were all wizards in his view. He showed the brother his spies' report on the Ungol Prince Yuri Barkov, who was even then visiting his former lover in the palace.[4]
Later, Kostaltyn burst into the Ice Court as Yuri Barkov gave his address. The tzarina railed against the patriarch for his disrespectful tone to her before throwing him out of the chamber. Kostaltyn ran into the Ungol prince and questioned him on the threat presented to the realm by the legendary Hag Witch Mother Ostankya. Barkov had swept the Duklys Forest looking for the legendary Hag, but had found nothing. The supreme patriarch swore that he would execute any Ungol hiding the location of any of the Hag Witches in the forests.[4]
Icon of the Great Orthodoxy army of Kislev commanded by Supreme Patriarch Kostaltyn as depicted in Total War: Warhammer III.
Yet during their brief meeting, Kostaltyn noticed the mark on Barkov's arm that told of a secret meeting point. He later swept into the secret meeting and claimed that he would overthrow the monarchy and rule Kislev himself as a theocracy under the thumb of the Great Orthodoxy.[4]
In the struggle that followed, one of Prince Barkov's Kossars was killed, his blood spilling on the altar. This death summoned forth a pack of Daemonic Flesh Hounds. Facing the servants of Chaos, the Kislevites put aside their differences. With the Ice Magic of the tzarina and wrathful vigour spurred on by Kostaltyn, the Kislevites triumphed in the fight with the Daemons, at the cost of the lives of six Kossars and several Ice Guard, as well as most of the Citadel Guard of Kostaltyn.[4]
After the battle, the supreme patriarch realised his grave mistake in believing the monarch to have been in league with Kislev's enemies and he apologised to the tzarina. She proceeded to exile him from Kislev City, refraining from imprisoning him only because making him a martyr would only deepen the nation's schisms. He thus decided to move his base of operations to the port city of Erengrad.[4]
Personality[]
"If you love the Bear you will happily die rather than be taken!"
- —Kostaltyn[3]
Kostaltyn as rendered for Total War: Warhammer III.
Ursun is not a vicious god (although he is both brutal and merciless in times of war), but large and fatherly to his followers. Kostaltyn is as unlike his god as it is possible to be. With wild hair, wild eyes and wither-thin limbs, he is a ghoulish figure, robed in the humble finery of the resurgent Ursunite faith.[2][3]
He is a howling, angry firebrand who not only screams furious rhetoric at the enemies of Kislev, but in his sermons has preached against the other denizens of the Old World, decrying them as ungrateful towards the protection Kislev and its people have long offered from Chaos, and even sometimes rails against the Great Orthodoxy itself.[2][3]
Kostaltyn is a force of nature, a demagogue who knows without a shadow of a doubt that the only thing that stands between his people and their utter annihilation is faith. A bright reflection of the dark sorcerers and Champions of Chaos, he sees the land around him and Ursun as what he must protect and serve.[2]
Abilities and Wargear[]
"You might call him a mad old man...and maybe he is. But I saw him lead the charge at the Oblynsk Citadel to drive out the Beastmen. He took a sword to the guts and another to the thigh. It just made him more dangerous, his mace crushing skulls with every swipe. And his followers? By Dazh's fire, they surged behind him in a howling wave, desperate to fight beside him, desperate for a mere hint of his approval. That fervour, that devotion? That's real power right there."
Kostaltyn confronts the Chaos Warriors of Khorne.
Many of Kostaltyn's foes have underestimated him in the past. He appears a bedraggled wretch to most, bereft of bulging muscle or magnificent armour. To an outsider, he may also seem wild and near-unhinged. When he is scorned, there is nothing quite like his howling rage, especially when stoked by the finest Kvas. Yet despite his lack of apparent protection or visible vitality, Kostaltyn has consistently, obstinately refused to die.[2][3]
Kostaltyn is too stubborn to merely succumb to his wounds, not when there are heretics to slay, his iron will so strong it seems to ward off death itself. Even at the teetering brink of death he will fight on, drawing on Ursun's boundless resilience to stay alive. He is an unkillable paragon of his people, and the most mortal of wounds simply power him to greater heights of ferocity as he faces down his enemies. To his followers, the supreme patriarch is an invulnerable Warrior Priest, capable of recovering from any wound and felling any foe.[2][3][5]
Supreme Patriarch Kostaltyn of the Great Orthodoxy of Kislev as depicted in Total War: Warhammer III.
Indeed, Kostaltyn holds the power to raise the rabble of Kislev to terrific violence in a heartbeat, a power itself not to be underestimated. He's considered the man of the people and enemy of Chaos, his fervour ensuring he never lacks faithful, loyal warriors to send into battle. And with complete control of the faith that binds Kislev together, he whips his followers into their own holy fervour. His flat discs, which he himself uses, are inscribed with Ursun's runes and icons and inspire even greater deeds when awarded to the worthy.[3][2][3][5]
That is to say nothing of Kostaltyn's motivating influence when present on the battlefield. Even while denouncing the foe, he urges the warriors around him to fight on with a fearful mixture of encouragement and threat. For Kostaltyn is himself fearless, and able to recover from any wound quickly, and thus inspires his flock to run without fear or hesitation at foes that any sane person would flee from. He urges them to fight to the death, lest the foe take all for which they have striven, and in their religious frenzy they do so. And when Kostaltyn is in the thick of the bloodiest melee, the men around him will fight harder and longer, aided by the righteous fire of their Motherland.[3][5]
- Brazier Mace of Ursun- The Brazier Mace holds a flame taken from the Temple of Ursun at Praag. The more wounded the wielder becomes, the hotter the fire burns as the power of the bear god Ursun flows into it, and more terrible is its flaming touch.[3]
Trivia[]
Kostaltyn is an original character created for Total War: Warhammer III by Adam Troke and Andy Hall with the permission of Games Workshop.[1][2]
The aesthetic and motiff of Kostaltyn resembles that of Grigori Rasputin, a Russian Eastern Orthodox monk, mystic and self-proclaimed holy man who befriended the family of Tzar Nicholas II. Kostaltyn's reputation for surviving horrific wounds is also a reference to Rasputin, who was assassinated by Russian nobles who feared the influence he had on the tzarina.
The most-commonly told story of his death, recounted by one of the conspirators, involves Rasputin surviving various gunshots and poisoning attempts, before the murderers dropped him in a river and he drowned, becoming infamous in Russian legend for supposedly refusing to die.
Sources[]
- 1: Tweet by Andy Hall
- 2: Total War - Behind the Scenes: Who is Kostaltyn of Kislev? (Archived)
- 3: Total War: Warhammer III (PC Game)
- 4: Son of Kislev (Short Story) by Andy Hall
- 5: Total War: WARHAMMER III Kislev Roster reveal (Archived)
- 6: Let your foes feel the fury of winter with Kislev’s campaign mechanics (Archived)
Gallery[]
