Kislev (Warhammer Fantasy)

Kislev is a country that features in Warhammer Fantasy.

History

Kislev was a kingdom that was located in the north of the Old World.

Since before its birth, the people that would found and rule Kislev were the ancient clans of the Gospodar, a mighty nomadic tribe of Men native to the Eastern Steppes and the descendants of the Scythians of old. They lived, drank, loved, and died like their forefathers before them in the saddle, living out their lives in relative peace upon the open steppelands. All that changed the day the energies of Chaos began to flow like water unto the cold, harsh lands of the uppermost north after the Great Catastrophe, and foul foes and numberless Chaos beasts of all kinds began to stalk and kill off their people. The mighty Gospodars and their Northmen kin and neighbours, the Hung and Kurgans, fought on against the will of the Chaos Gods, for no sane Human being would willingly give up their souls to damnation. But such a foe could not be easily fought and in time, one by one, the Gospodars' neighbouring tribes were subdued and were enslaved into the worship and service of the Ruinous Powers. Though their kin of the steppes were mighty and fierce, they lacked the sheer willpower of the Gospodars to fight on. And fight the Gospodars did, ever believing in the divinity of their own gods, and requesting their aid against the servants of the Dark Gods. The greatest of the steppe people's gods, Ursun, the god of bears and strength, aided his people in their time of need, but even his divine strength and skill of arms proved insufficient. Slowly but surely, the Gospodars' plight proved ever more desperate. Then a great nature spirit called the "Ancient Widow," "Kislev" or simply "The Land," whispered to a Gospodar shaman-priestess. The spirit promised her great power if she swore to lead her people westwards, towards a distant, frozen realm where the spirit was trapped by the will of the Dark Gods. The shaman, desperate to aid her people, readily agreed and was granted the ancient and mystical power of winter itself by the Ancient Widow -- the magical Lore of Ice.

Overview

It was situated northeast of The Empire, between it and the Realm of Chaos. Between Kislev and Norsca lies Troll Country, while beyond that lie the magic-tainted Chaos Wastes.

Locations in Kislev included:

• Kislev :
• Erengrad :
• Praag :

Kislev is a country forged from varying warring peoples who invaded the land in turn and finally settled alongside each other. Due to both the harsh weather and repeated Chaos incursions, the Kislevites are a hardy people who are never willing to back down from a fight.

The Gospodars are the peasant class, with the Ungols having conquered them some centuries ago but since overcome. The ruling class is said to stem from Norse and Imperial clans, while the Ropsmenn are an outlaw people.

The people of the land believed in a number of gods that included:

• Ursun :

They were most famed for their horseback archery skills. The nation was ruled by powerful Tsars and Tsarinas.

In terms of its military, the kingdom had the following:

• Ungol Horse Archers :
• Winged Lancers :
• Kossars :
• Ice Guard :

A secret police operated within the kingdom with these being known as the Chekist.

Inhabitants

• Alexis Romanoff :
• Tzarina Katarin :
• Maxim Zakharov :

Notes

• Though Kislev has long held a relatively substantial place in the Warhammer world they have never had a formal army list or any models beyond limited special edition models that supplemented the Empire army. However, a list written by Tuomas Pirinen (who later became a Games Workshop designer) and Tommy Boyd appeared in the Citadel Journal in 1995, and in 2004 Games Workshop released a Kislev army supplement similar to other Warhammer Fantasy Army Books. Although this allowed a player to field a solely Kislev army, it is mainly used by players to supplement other armies with Kislev allies.
• The first edition Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay supplement "Something Rotten in Kislev" provided some detail on the various groups that settled Kislev and their characteristics.

In other media

Video games

• In Warhammer: End Times – Vermintide, Kislev was referenced in the setting of the cooperative fighting video game. It received an entry in the lore book that could be accessed after finding a scroll in the game that detailed the nation.
• In Total War: Warhammer, Kislev appeared in the setting of the turn-based strategy video game where they operated as a minor faction.
• In Total War: Warhammer III, Kislev appeared as a fully playable faction in the setting of the turn-based strategy video game.

Appearances

• Warhammer Fantasy:

External Links

• Warhammer Fantasy Wiki Entry

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