Surprisingly, at least to those who don't know the Kislevites, Kislev boasts some of the oldest settlements in the north of the Old World. The area was first settled over 1000 years ago by a formerly nomadic people called the Gospodars, who had been raiding the region from the far side of the Worlds Edge Mountains for many years. Realising that the disintegrating Empire was far too absorbed with internal fueding to deal with an invasion, they seized their oppurtunity with both hands. By the time The Empire began to stir itself, the Gospodars had already established their realm.
Geography:
Kislev comprises the city of Kislev and a number of vassal and colonial states situated between the river Lynsk to the north and the Talabec to the south. It is the only Old World state to extend eastwards over the Worlds Edge Mountains, although these lands (known as "Zaborota," or "Farside") are only tenuously held by marcher boyars (barons), and only in the peak of summer are the mountain passes open. Westwards, the Sea of Claws and the Forest of Shadows form more secure frontiers.
The River Urskoy is the easternmost of all navigable rivers in the Old World. It enables cargoes from Kislev to be transported throughout the Empire, as far as the sea at Marienburg, almost 1000 miles away. At Altdorf the Urskoy join joins the mighty river Reik and cargoes may be transferred to ocean-going vessels.
The River Lynsk marks the boundary between Kislev and the Northern Wastes. It is navigable by river boats as far as Praag, although it is a brave captain who would risk his vessel on such a journey, when it is open to assault from the Chaos hordes that prowl the northern banks. During the months of winter, the river is frozen for miles at a stretch, and the citizens of Praag must look to their storehouses to survive.
Politics:
The Norse barbarians and hordes of Chaos that live in the
northern wastes must travel through Kislev before they can
penetrate the Old World - and the Kislevites are sworn to stop
them. For this reason, they maintain a strong army of valiant
warriors, and employ many mercenaries and sell-swords. Kislev is
a state under siege, right in the front line of the war against
Chaos. Unfortunately, like everywhere else, the taint of
corruption runs far deeper than anyone can imagine, and the
forests of Kislev are filled with all manner of Beastmen and
their treacherous, power-hungry, Human allies. The city-states
comprising Kislev are kingdoms in their own right, although in
effect little more than provinces with monarchs strictly under
the thumb of Tsar Radii Bokha of
Kislev - Overlord of the north.
The People:
The Kislevites and their subject peoples have long since intermingled with the native Old Worlders, and yet remain enigmatically "different". They are a tall people, broad-shouldered, with dense blonde or red hair. Although reputedly quiet and dour, they are resolute fighters, sworn to root out and destroy the minions of Chaos that threaten their lands from north and east. They are also great music lovers, and the battle songs of Kislev are an impressive sound when sung by the deep-voiced warriors before a battle.
Language:
Although the Kislevites have long since adopted the Old World tongue, their past is not completely forgotten and many still use the tribal speech of old, which is reputedly furnished with a wealth of highly descriptive terms of abuse. Their voices are rich and sonorous, and when using the Old World tongue, they have thick accents and tend to say "v" instead of "w".
Cities:
The three largest Kislevite cities are Erengrad, the country's major port; Kislev, the capital; and Praag, the beleaguered city of Tsar Zoltan.
Erengrad is second only to Marienburg among the northern ports of the Old World. Through its harbours pass the innumerable wares of the Norscan coast - whale oil, sea-ivory, timber, tar and fish. Ships based in the city journey far to the north to trade with barbaric Norsemen and Norse Dwarfs, braving the dangers of the terrible northern seas which seethe with the mutations and evil lintentions of the noisome Gods of Chaos. Upon the quays of Erengrad Norse rub shoulders with traders from as far away as the great trading centers of Marienburg, L'Anquille, and occasionally with sailors from ports as far distant as Bilbali and Magritta. The city stands at the head of the chill lagoon at the mouth of the waters of the river Lynsk, the huge lagoon offers shelter from the cold sea and the ravenging winds of Chaos that blow from the north. The principle trading docklands are situated on a sizeable island, joined to the main city by means of a fabulous timber bridge built upon vast piles sunk deep into the bed of the lagoon.
The architecture is unique to the region - few buildings are over two storeys in height, apart form the many temple towers, with their quilded cupolas and mulititudinous bells for which the city is famous. On great civic occasions, these are rung in unison, and their peels echo for miles around. The city presents walls of solid timber to beings cowering in the dark forests, and from its great bronze gates a lone and dangerous path winds its way towards Middenheim and the Empire.
| Kislev stands high on the banks of the river
Urskoy, within a great loop of the river at a point where
it skirts the steep "Gora Geroyev" (or
"Hill of Heroes") upon which the city is built.
Its walls are strong and steadfast, if somewhat molten in
appearance in places where the tides of Chaos have lashed
against it before being back by the stout-hearted
defenders. Kislev stands at the very frontiers of
anarchy, upon the borders of an area whose exact form can
shift and change with the wind. The city has suffered
siege and assault by both the servants of Chaos and the
mutating winds that accompany them. Many of Kislev's
older buildings bear witness to terrible battles in which
flesh and stone flowed like water before assuming new,
horrific shapes. The wharves of Kislev are built around an artificial pool within the city walls, and are accessible only through a well-defended river-gate. East of the city, the river is much shallower and is the preserve of flat-bottomed barges and small river boats, craft whose crew congregate in the way-side inns and houses along the wharfside. |
Upon the crest of the Hill of Heroes stands the palace of the Grand Tsar of all Kislevites, Radii Bokha, the Overlord of the north and sovereign to all the Tsars of Kislev. This mighty fortress rises in tier upon tier of stone towers and gaily festooned battlements, reaching a pinnacle in a great golden dome which is plainly visible from many miles around.
Praag is less fortunate than Kislev, and was once completely overswept by mutating storms from the north. Amid howling gales of destruction, the servants of Chaos strode the city streets, slaying women and children as the city slowly melted into a screaming tapestry of terror, becoming a travesty of its former grandeur. When the tides of Chaos receded, those fortunate enough to have escaped into the forests returned to find their homes transmuted into the foulest of nightmares. Where neat rows of houses once stood side by side, there now flowed a weird warren of molten glass, melted by some incredible heat, distorted into caverns and caves and all manner of disturbing shapes. Nor was the effect restricted to inanimate matter, for everything passed over by the Chaos hordes became mutated and intwined, so that it was no longer possible to distinguish between living creatures and the rough stone of houses. Thus, the survivors of Praag found their city completely corrupted, where walls were split to show rows of teeth in a gibbering mouth, and where floors moved as if composed of a writhing mass of small creatures....
In desperation, Tsar Zoltan ordered that the city be burnt to the ground, cleansing the foulness from it so that the people might build it again. This they did, erecting a new city whose stone walls stood as solid as those of Kislev itself. But little could they imagine the true power of Chaos, for its creations cannot so easily be banished, and soon the terrors of the old city began to grow back, polluting the new buildings. At first the city began to whisper, then the night air was filled with pitiful cries of anguish. Once more, faces appeared in the walls, and grasping hands rose from the pavements - only by vigilant burnings and rebuilding is any sanity retained. The reputation of Praag is grim, and travellers tell sickening tales of its horrors. In his nearby Palace Praag, Tsar Zoltan drills the Stalgrad Militia, and broods on how the Chaos spawn can be defeated and his people avenged.